catfish help

afrcnbutterfly

AC Members
Mar 21, 2006
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hey im i guess fairly new to this hobby and i was wondering what would be the best kind of catfish for my tank. i have a 55g with a african butterfly (most amzing fish ever) Dempsey, Pacu 3" right now savin money for bigger tank no worries ther,dragon goby, plec. just lookin for advice on some sweet lookin catfish.
 
There are a lot of catfish possibilities for a 55 though the Dempsey restricts it to fish that are better able to handle abuse so most likely one of the medium sized plecs or possibly synos or some of the African species. What kind of plec is in there now?

Dragon Gobies, btw are Brackish water fish that do best on live plankton so you might want to do something with it. I've seen them in the LFS recently and would love to get one but have no place for a Brackish set up or large enough tank.
 
it looks like just a normal plec medium brown with spots. i got a lil cory in ther now but i want something thats gonna grow wit h the rest
 
i would suggest a pictus catfish, they're so awesome! i had one for three years, and they are so active. they are fun to watch, and if put with the right fish, are very social and friendly. they get along very well with larger fish. but smaller fish tend to disappear quick, so leave out tetras, barbs, danios, exct. but be careful when netting them, because they're dorsal fin has a hard, sharp spike on it that will easily tear up a net. plus when they get bigger, they can stick you with it. also, they have very sensitive skin, rather than scales, and are EXTREMLY sensitive to medications, so be careful when treating them, or the tank for things like ich (that's how i lost mine). if your treating the tank, remove the pictus. and if you're treating the pictus, try using a salt bath. also, if your getting more than one, make sure they have enough room to establish territories ( your 55g should be fine for several, because they only get 6" long) other than that, they're great fish to have! enjoy the wonderful hobby of fish-keeping! ( i, personally, am in love with it! ) :thm:
 
Pictus cats would be a good choice. Another option would be Synodontis catfish, perhaps S. eupterus or S. nigroventris (nigroventris might be too small to be Dempsey-safe, though). There are many other species of Synodontis that would work, but a lot of them are a bit on the pricey side. Rafael cats or hoplo cats would also work out nicely, being heavily armored and Dempsey-resistant. ;)
 
I have a 20gal freshwater tank and I will be getting 4 corydoras catfish. If I decide to keep plants, will my catfish end up eating them all up?!
 
aqua_fish_mania said:
I have a 20gal freshwater tank and I will be getting 4 corydoras catfish. If I decide to keep plants, will my catfish end up eating them all up?!
fthis is the wrong place for that, but the awnser is no
 
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