Do I need catfish in my tank
- Thread starter bwd
- Start date
You don't really ever need a catfish. Alot of people just like them alot, so they have one in most of their tanks. You are fine not to have one though. I have a 55g Malawi tank and have no catfish in there. I like having a tank with fish from one specific area. 
you probably mean Plecostomus and no you don't need any. most get too large for tanks smaller than 100 gallons. many stop eating algae as they mature. most leave behind an incredible amount of poop, resulting in a greater 'mess' in my opinion, then they're worth. and finally, African cichlids (Malawi) are algae eaters and appreciate the algae in your tank ... why remove it.
The reason I said "need" is because I was told in the past it was good to have one in the tank. I now know better. I given this this set up from a freind who had a relative pass and no one wanted the tank and fish. They knew nothing about the fish what kind they were or how long he had it. So I did my research and ended up at this great fourm.
I gave 20 red zebras to the LFS and kept the rest. I may still be overstocked I don't know. The nitrate level is at .1, amonia at 0, ph at 8 temp at 81
the fish are
3 electric yellow 3 1/2- 4"
2 violet yellowtail 4"
10 red zebras 2 1/2 "
5 I don;t know what they are.
They have a light blue/gray body with 5-7 dark/black vertical stripes, bright blue/turquoise spots on gills 2 1/2 "
I gave 20 red zebras to the LFS and kept the rest. I may still be overstocked I don't know. The nitrate level is at .1, amonia at 0, ph at 8 temp at 81
the fish are
3 electric yellow 3 1/2- 4"
2 violet yellowtail 4"
10 red zebras 2 1/2 "
5 I don;t know what they are.
They have a light blue/gray body with 5-7 dark/black vertical stripes, bright blue/turquoise spots on gills 2 1/2 "
Could you take a picture and post it on here? I'm sure there is someone here who can guess what they are by the descriptions, but I know with a picture I'd be able to look around and give some possible IDs on them.
If you have a digital camera, just take a picture and then upload it into something like http://www.photobucket.com. Then you can post the IMG on here and we can help you figure out what fish you have.
Its a good thing you gave away all those Red Zebras. That was alot of fish in that tank. You are right around fully stocked now IMO. If it were me, I'd add a couple more Electric Yellows, since they are generally less aggressive than other Mbuna.
Just wondering if you mean Synodontis petricola - one that seems to do well in African tanks, although coming from Lake Tanganyika, can be housed with Lake Malawi mbuna.
http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_petricola.php
http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_petricola.php
