Rita rita or R.gogra in a Community Tank?

[Shovelnose]

I have been offered a beautiful 6-7 inch R.rita specimen for sale and was wondering if anyone has kept this species or R.gogra in a community tank. Tankmates will be Indian mahseer (~10 inches), R.chrysea (5-6 inches) and potentially R.kuturnee.

I have kept the latter two species together and while there was some acrobatic scrapping, nothing serious happened as there was plenty of driftwood to hide in. I have also kept R.rita and R.gogra but in species only tanks due to their reputation (the last R.rita I kept used to attack and throw tank decor around all the time).

Does it sound daft to introduce either of these species to a moderately peaceful tank?

[Viktor Jarikov]

Good to hear from you, Balaji! In all my short years in fish keeping you are the only keeper of any Rita species that I've ever come across. I am afraid you might be on your own here, I hope to be wrong. You could try it, in half the cases the incompatibility becomes pretty obvious in the first minutes or hours. I'd be prepared to separate, or if there are no available tanks, install tank dividers.

[yellowcat]

Many years ago I found a Rita Gogra at my LFS, it was a trade-in from a previous keeper. They didn't know what is was nor did I. At the time I assumed it was some sort of rare South American pseudopimelodid species as it resembled something like a mini L. apurensis based on coloration and general morphology. It turned out to be a Rita Gogra after all, around 5" long TL. It was kept in a 130 G. community catfish tank and was very peaceful and unaggressive. It made a deep nest in the gravel at the dark end of the tank next to a rock and seemed content with it's surroundings and diverse catfish tank mates. Sadly I lost it a few months later for unknown reasons and have hoped to find another ever since. With all the amazing catfish species endemic to Indian waters, (I have a great book about them), it's a shame that so few are ever imported here in the U.S.

[Shovelnose]

Good to hear from you, Balaji! In all my short years in fish keeping you are the only keeper of any Rita species that I've ever come across. I am afraid you might be on your own here, I hope to be wrong.

Hey Viktor, thanks. There have actually been a few other keepers here as well. The most recent I can recall was a R.gogra with a damaged caudal fin in 2017 or so that ended up with hobbyist in China(?). Rita rita are exported once in a while but I am told most end up going to SE Asia. There is a good chance of R.gogra being collected this year (this is the season) for the trade as well.

You could try it, in half the cases the incompatibility becomes pretty obvious in the first minutes or hours.

I used to think the same until a recent experience. I got a Sperata aor (at 5-6 inches) last year that is currently in the same tank. It seemed well mannered (for a change!) and sometimes even got beaten up by R.chrysea (then at 3-4 inches) in territorial scraps. Cut to 2023, it has almost doubled in size and the roles have been reversed so bad (with the Mahseer getting bitten a well) I have no choice but to get rid of the Sperata immediately.

It was kept in a 130 G. community catfish tank and was very peaceful and unaggressive. It made a deep nest in the gravel at the dark end of the tank next to a rock and seemed content with it's surroundings and diverse catfish tank mates.

Thanks for sharing your experience, that is quite reassuring. This is exactly how specimens I have kept singly behaved as well, hardly any movement unless food was dropped in. Were tankmates of a similar size?

Sadly I lost it a few months later for unknown reasons and have hoped to find another ever since.

This is known to happen with R.gogra sadly, they die suddenly for no apparent reason.

[yellowcat]

To answer, tank mates with the R. Gogra were of similar or larger size. At the time Bagrid species along with S.A. predatory species were the focus of my hobby back then. I did get a pair of small R. Rita but they didn't last long. I raised up a S. Aor in same tank to 14" also a B. Yarelli to same size, had to sell, both outgrew the tank, other Bagrid species kept from the region were M. Gullio and T. Fulvidraco. There was a mix of species in that tank that should have not gotten along but did as then I kept the tank stocked with feeder goldfish, the theory being that aggressive predators can co-exist with each other and tanks mates less so, if well fed. The exception was when the goonch attacked the m. gullio.. Nowadays everything I keep feeds on pellets or worms...

[Viktor Jarikov]

Yes, Sperata gradually become intolerant of any tank mates in smaller tanks. In our 4500 gal a 3ft Sperata only gives occasional chases to certain tank mates, like the far larger paroon sharks, and even Distichodus sexfaciatus and lusosso. In a 500-1000 gal it would kill any and all mates.

[Shovelnose]

To answer, tank mates with the R. Gogra were of similar or larger size. At the time Bagrid species along with S.A. predatory species were the focus of my hobby back then. I did get a pair of small R. Rita but they didn't last long. I raised up a S. Aor in same tank to 14" also a B. Yarelli to same size, had to sell, both outgrew the tank, other Bagrid species kept from the region were M. Gullio and T. Fulvidraco. There was a mix of species in that tank that should have not gotten along but did as then I kept the tank stocked with feeder goldfish, the theory being that aggressive predators can co-exist with each other and tanks mates less so, if well fed. The exception was when the goonch attacked the m. gullio.. Nowadays everything I keep feeds on pellets or worms...

Reassuring again, thanks. I am convinced enough to get R.gogra and avoid R.rita considering the lack of information on the latter.

Yes, Sperata gradually become intolerant of any tank mates in smaller tanks. In our 4500 gal a 3ft Sperata only gives occasional chases to certain tank mates, like the far larger paroon sharks, and even Distichodus sexfaciatus and lusosso. In a 500-1000 gal it would kill any and all mates.

It is the same case here with the chasing and occasional nipping but the S.aor has now reached a size where it can bite down and get part of the R.chrysea's head in its mouth. Rita chrysea are unreasonably hard to come by and I definitely do not intend to take a gamble. I originally had S.aorides and S.lamarrii lined up to reach me but have already cancelled that. I guess my idyllic bagrid commune will not be as idyllic as I imagined and will also be missing many of the originally planned species. I'll get back to these fish when I get a larger tank or flood one of the rooms 'accidentally'.

[Shovelnose]

And as luck would have it, an ideal sized one has been collected just now. Now to figure out transport..........