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Hi all
I have a 100 gallon tank that currently houses one Lima Shovel Nose Cat. I would like to put some other fish in this tank but I am not sure about what he would get along with. Does anyone have any suggestions. Other than fish suggestions what do you guys think about snails, freshwater lobster or any other creatures that would add to the appearance of the tank.
Thanks guys and I am looking forward you your advice....
I have kept several species of Doradid's with shovelnose and that seems to work very well. Occaisonly I seen the shovelnose go after one accidentally but they are so hard that the shovelnose had little affect. I kept a large lace cat(synodontis) for a few years with them and that seems to work well. Clown loaches also worked well but mine are all 5" or larger. I have tried large bala sharks before but my dominant shovelnose did not seem to like all of the activity and even though the Balas were larger than the shovelnose he would attack them till one died with a large wound and the other wounded. I guess Doradid's would be the best choice that I have experience with. Whatever it is it needs to be able to take a hit everynow and then, especially when they get full grown. oh, I forgot the best one, that is other lima's. They get along very well together.
I don't care for snails but I doubt the shovelnose would eat them. The lobster would probably be supper some night.
Interests: African catfishes and oddballs, Madagascar cichlids; stoner doom and heavy rock; old school choppers and riding them, fantasy novels, travelling and diving in the tropics and all things nature.
If you want to stick to natives I suggest -next to Doradids- any mediumsized Loricariid, the spinyer the better.
Pseudacanthicus for example. or larger Hypancistrus, Parancistrus, Panaque etc.
Other good critters are medium sized Auchenipterids (no Centromochlus or Tatia) like the Zamora-cat -Auchenipterichthys- or the Driftwoodcat, Parauchenipterus.
Large Callichthids such as Hoplosternum littorale and Megalechis spp are also very suitable, and other mediumsized cats such as Pimelodus blochi.
If you don't mind Africans or Asians, you might try any riverine Syno between 6-10" that isn't too nasty, Parauchenoglanis, Schilbe mystus (although that one is a voracious feeder and quite competitive on food), Anaspidoglanis, adult Pseudomystus and medium -6-8"- Mystus species.
highbuild characins usually work very well. they're less bothersome than Bala-sharks and fit in well. Metynnis and Mylosoma for example. or Triporteus and Abramites.
African Distichodus might work, same for mediumsized Knife-fishes like Xenomystus nigri, or Apteronotus albifrons or Gymnotus carapo.
I've kept Bichirs -Polypterus- and Bichir-eels (Calamoichthys or Erpetoichthys) with Sorubim with great succes; same for Platydoras, adult Ctenopoma acutirostre and Earth Eaters like Geophagus and its'African cousin Chromidotilapia guentheri.
Neither one of these grow big enough or fast enough to stay "off the menu" so to speak.
Also, Triportheus were highly sought after in Peru, as baitfish!
Once when we were getting ready for some nightfishing off the end of the river boat, one of our guides told us in broken english "these are best" while holding a 6" Triportheus.
