fish_freak
11-27-2002, 7:04 PM
anyone know anything about this fish?
Thanks
Jeff
Strgazr
11-29-2002, 12:52 AM
My spotted and striped Raphael cats are my favorite fish. Here is a link to info on them at Planet Catfish:
http://www.planetcatfish.com/core/index.htm - click on Cat ELog, then look them up by scientific name (Platydoras costatus) or by Common Name.
The spotted is very shy, and never comes out when the lights are on. The striped will come out on occasion to get food, but not often anymore. I always have way too many snails -pond, MTS, and ramshorns. The morning after I first put the striped Raphael in the aquarium, I thought there were a significant number of snail missing. Sure, enough, later that evening when I saw him again, it looked like he had swallowed a bouncy ball! He has since slowed down on eating so many, and their population has recovered.
http://planetcatfish.com/ilibrary/doradida/platydor/166_f.htm
they are very striking fish and i like them, mine is also very shy and doesn't come out often though. i wish it would get around a little more, but it only comes out with lights on when it's very hungry. it seems to eat shrimp pellets and tropical crumbles, probably a few of the other things i use for the tank too. it can be very stubborn and clings to objects even when they are removed from the tank at times. mostly passive but none of my other fish seem to push it around much..........
when i see them in the store they always seem very thin, but mine looks like it swallowed a ball too as strgazr noted.
mine has grown relatively slowly, and still isn't real large, only around 3" last i remember.......
good luck .... but don't expect to see it much. i wouldn't let this dissuade you tho, they are one of my favorite fish. :)