PlanetCatfish.com

im new to this site and i have a question. in the past ive had some experience with shovelnose catfish in my 55 and 75 gallon fish tanks. i am interested in getting a tiger shovelnose for my 90, and when it gets to large i was going to put it into an indoor concrete block pond. am i able to put it with a jack dempsey, a meeki, a florida/alligator gar and a peacock bass or should i go with more peaceful large fish. thanks alot .

shovelnoser wrote:and when it gets to large i was going to put it into an indoor concrete block pond.

How big is this pond?

shovelnoser wrote:am i able to put it with a jack dempsey, a meeki, a florida/alligator gar and a peacock bass or should i go with more peaceful large fish.

Jack Dempseys and Firemouths will be eaten by an adult Tiger Shovelnose. Is the Gar a Florida or an Alligator?
If an Alligator Gar then the pond will have to be absolutely huge to accomodate it adequately.

I work at a fish store and I hate hearing "I'll buy it something bigger later or down the road." The odds are you will not purchase your pond even with the best of intentions. You may prove me wrong but buy the big fish after you have the big tank or pond. Large cats grow quick with good water quality and food so why put it in something small to begin with. Patience will cause you much fewer problems.

Second in regards to keeping shovelnose in a pond, they spook kind of easily and can dart off really fast (Especially when you walk up from above). They do not have armored skin so they can get cut rather easily. If you are going to use concrete i would def use a good heavy liner as well as making it round instead of square.

Third, as far as the pond size for the community you want. I would think something around 1,000 gallons would be minimal for full size fish. Break open the wallet.

If you really like shovelnose I would stick with the Lima, much more manageable and still quite impressive at an adult size. I have kept them in a small group for years and they get along well with each other.

Lee Finely at the catfish convention gave a talk about how he is trying to stop tank buster fish like these from being sold in the hobby.

thanks i also work at a petstore so i already have heard what people say when they buy fish that will get big. i had my heart set on a tiger shovel nose but i was thinking and i realized it would be unfair to keep it in my 80 even 125 when its full grown. You sparked my interest with the Lima though how is the care? Same as the tiger. thanks

shovelnoser wrote:i had my heart set on a tiger shovel nose but i was thinking and i realized it would be unfair to keep it in my 80 even 125 when its full grown.

Well done! You get my vote for 'Responsible Aquarist of the Week'

shovelnoser wrote: You sparked my interest with the Lima though how is the care? Same as the tiger. thanks

In a 125 you could have more than one Sorubim, or you could include one as part of a really stunning community of medium-sized fish, including other Pimelodids, Doradids, various Loricarids, larger Callichthyids, even some Characins and Cichl ids. Good filtration, sand substrate, some well chosen pieces of 'branchy' wood or rounded rockwork and you have your very own display that wouldn't look out of place in any good Public Aquarium.
There are plenty of other threads relating to the care of this species, so rather than just repeat what has already been said I'd suggest you use the 'search' function on this Forum using Lima or Sorubim as your keyword, they should come up. If for any reason you can't find them come back and say so.
Pete

Hello all.

A note was made regarding a talk (kind of a late night blabber)that I gave at the Catfish Convention. The presentaion was admittedly negative towards the keeping of potentially LARGE catfishes in the aquarium. But, I would like to make a small clarification on the previous post. I am not trying, and did not mean to suggest, that we need to prevent the sale of such animals. I don't think that we need that approach to this aspect the catfish hobby. It would be a bad door to open. But, I am suggesting that we need to educate folks and get them to seriously think about what they are doing, and the future implications, when they purchase that cute little one to six inch fish that will eventually grow well beyond the potential confines of a home aquarium. There will be more on this at a later date.

Lee

never mind i got a Polypterus and a pimleodis

and an angelicus

hi shovelnoser

your the second person in this forum ,thats brought a smile to my face this month.

[quote="Ricard
How do you handle a big cat like a tig who's fullgrown (24") or for that matter a P. fasciatum 3'? I mean, with smaller fish you have plastic bags but what do you do with "the big mamas"? [/quote]

XL fish shipping boxes lined with plastic, large plastic tubs etc. Big tubs are easier if they are on wheels, or you have a few helpers who can lift them on and off a flat trolley. They are not easy to move though, and can damage themselves (and in some cases the handler) just through sheer bulk and strength.

By the way Ricard a TSN can get up to 36" long 3 foot not 2 foot.