PlanetCatfish.com

hi, i have read about it on the catfish of the month, excellent article.
does anyone have any experience of caring for these catfish? if so please tell.

many thanks
sue

I had one a while back. Pretty easy catfish to care for. Not particularly fussy about food or water conditions, and gets along well with tankmates it cannot eat.

thanks, what size tank etc and would they be ok with some big nandus nandus?
sue

They'll be fine with anything that can't fit in their mouths. They're not very aggressive, but instead quite skittish. It would be hard to get stung by one unless you really tried.

Rusty

can one fossil cat eat another fossil cat????? one of mine has vanished!!!!! nowhere around the tank, but i have one that is very fat

susie

Not unless one is very small, and the other very large.
If they are both the same size, it is more likely that the missing cat has decided to explore the environment outside the tank.

These are really hardy, tough fish. Ours is 17-18 cm, and we use it to cycle new tanks. But be a little careful with your hands in a tank containing H. fossilis, as the sting is reportedly extremely painful. Our specimen is skittish, but not all are.

I have never kept Nandus nandus (though I'd like to), but I imagine that N. nandus and H. fossilis would make good tank mates. They occur in similar biotopes in S. Asia, are both greedy nocturnal predators and are both much prized as food fish. It's conceivable, however, that N. nandus might outcompete H. fossilis for food.

As for tank size, I'd say 30 gals/120 l at a minimum.

Dinyar

I have found Nandus to be a fairly demanding fish to keep. It has been my experience that it is very difficult to wean larger fishes away from live feeders.

ive had the nandus for months now, they eat live bloodworm and i am weaning them onto frozen as well.
i have searched everywhere and cannot find the missing fossil cat, they were all about the same size.
can they walk??? maybe hes left the building!! hes not snuck in another tank and there is no smell of decaying fish either, i am very confused.
sue

can they walk???

Not as well as other clariids, but yes, they can.

last question, how long can they stay out of water?

sue

They will dry out before they suffocate, since they are air breathers. I'd say about a couple hours at most.

ok,
thanks for your help. lets hope he made it to my garden pond which is outside the fish house. i will have to count my pond fish tomorrow

sue