thinking of keeping glass cats w/my angels

[alicialav]

I have a planted 40 gallon with rena xp2 as filtration, occupied by (soon to be) two angels, two smallish bristlenose plecs, and a buncha snails. Anybody see any conflict with adding a small shoal of glass cats?

[FishyMatty]

The only conflict will be the size on the tank at some point. Glass cats grow up to 8 inches.

[wataugachicken]

also feeding would probably be a big problem. glass cats can be difficult eaters, and angels are like water-wolves. i doubt if the cats would get very much to eat at all. if the angels eventually pair up, they'll beat the hell out of the other fish, too.

[RoseFishWatcher]

More like 3 or 4 inches, I believe. There are several kinds of "glass catfish" but the most common one is pretty small.

I doubt feeding would be a problem, assuming the glass cats are acclimated and eating well before introducing with other tankmates. I have a school of 9, and I had to feed live brine shrimp at first to get them eating well. Now they will take flake food right from my fingers, and will pick up (although fail to eat) shrimp pellets, which are intended for cories. They eat so well that they splash me and swarm to the surface if I even open their hood, certain they will be fed.

I see no trouble with angels, in general. My LFS has a display tank with angels, glass cats, tetras and cories.

Get as many as you think you can fit in there and maintain good water quality. I don't think a small shoal does these wonderful fish justice. The 9 I keep are in a lightly planted 20 gallon tank, with several other small fish, and no water quality issues at all.

[FishyMatty]

I saw fish called kryptopterus bicirrhis "glass catfish" in an aquarium in chicago a couple weeks ago and they were almost a foot. A whole school of them. I had one once and he was with a school of tetras, he died because he never got food.

[electromen]

I saw fish called kryptopterus bicirrhis "glass catfish" in an aquarium in chicago a couple weeks ago and they were almost a foot. A whole school of them. I had one once and he was with a school of tetras, he died because he never got food.
Wow. I'd like to see that.


I had a small shoal of 6 glasscats that I didn't have room for, so I had to move them in with my Jurupari, Severum, Uaru, and misc others until I could make room in the other tank. They do quite fine, much to my surprise. They eat great too.

[jm1212]

I saw fish called kryptopterus bicirrhis "glass catfish" in an aquarium in chicago a couple weeks ago and they were almost a foot. A whole school of them. I had one once and he was with a school of tetras, he died because he never got food.
yep, i see them every time i go there. im pretty suthey are a different species for they had the glass cats we find in the stores in the same tank, and they were much, much smaller. the giant glass cats in the tank werent acctually "glass" cats either. they have more of a whitish color to them and were much more biosterous than the glass cats we know.

glass cats should not be kept with angels. they will not get anything to eat and may be pushed around; plus they need to be in schools of at least 6 or they may start to hide and waste away in an aquarium.

[alicialav]

How many is too many? I'd like to get as many glass cats as my tank could comfortably accomodate.. I'm sure I could feed enough to make sure everyone was fed. I guess I'm not too trusting of these angels to make a nice welcome though.. I've noticed they aren't the friendliest sort of fish. ;)