Featherfin catfish and stocking advice

L

Looks_Fishy

AC Members
Feb 20, 2007
48
0
0
Brisbane
I finally have my 4’ long tank, but I need some advice. My Dad wouldn’t let me keep my old 15 gallon tank set up, saying that it’s just silly to have two tanks at the same time:lipssealedsmilie:. So I have all my current fish into the 4’ tank, along with all the décor, plants and gravel (it sped up the cycle process, all finished now!).

This is my eventual tank stocking plan that I’m thinking about so far (including the fish I already have, marked by *):

6 cories (1 already*)
5 khuli loaches*
8 neon tetras*
5 glolight tetras*
5 zebra danios
1 male guppy*
2 female pearl gouramis
maybe a trio of mollies, or two males? (or maybe 2-3 congo tetra, saw some full grown ones at the lfs today, and they get BIG!)



I also saw these featherfin catfish, and they look so cool. I like the idea of having one “big” guy that gets about on the bottom, and it was going to be a pictus, but now I don’t want my tetras to be eaten. How about the featherfin? They remind me of big friendly cories, but I don’t know if he will eat my tetras. Some websites say they're peaceful, others say they aren't, so you know...blah.:confused:

Other possibilities (that I was surprised to find at my lfs!) would be

upsidedown catfish
whiptail catfish
cuckoo catfish

I would like a bristlenose cat or some oto’s when the tank ages and gets algae so whichever one I choose should get along with either/or, as well as the cories. I’m having trouble finding information on these guys. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks!
 
I'm not going to recommend featherfins for a few reasons. First of all, they can grow rather large at 6 inches and possibly more. They are boisterous to start with. Your cories and kuhlis will not appreciate a large fish roaming around their surroundings. Kuhlis will be forced to hide most of the time if they feel intimidated by its presence. This is something you would not want to see. Aside from their size, they are also greedy feeders so do not expect the others to get their fair share of foods if you want this fish nor will you expect your loaches to show up as previously mentioned. The idea of keeping synos in that type of tank does not impress me at all. I find them very boisterous and greedy eaters. I would not recommend them but that's just me. I don't like the idea of seeing small fish being intimidated by the presence of larger ones.

Your other fish are fine. You can try more otos and cories. If you like loricariids, you can start with a Panaque maccus or Ancistrus. Which species is this whiptail catfish you wish to keep? You can look over the Sturisoma panamense or Hemiloricaria sp.-L010a. I would like to point out that your fish will need more than algae. Feed them veggies but do not expect them to clean up the algae for you even if it is in the nature of most species to consume algae.
 
Would the featherfin actually try to harm the cories and kuhlis, or just be too big and scary for them without trying to harm them?
The fish you suggested are very beautiful but I don't have much to choose from at the lfs. Kind of gone off the idea of the whiptails.
What's your opinion on the upsidedowns?

I have algae wafers and can give them zuccini.
 
Looks_Fishy said:
Would the featherfin actually try to harm the cories and kuhlis, or just be too big and scary for them without trying to harm them?
The fish you suggested are very beautiful but I don't have much to choose from at the lfs. Kind of gone off the idea of the whiptails.
What's your opinion on the upsidedowns?

I have algae wafers and can give them zuccini.
Click to expand...
Featherfins can intimidate them. They just do not fit well with each other. I have a report from my lfs that the featherfin I bought can eat small fish. I've never experimented him with feeders but I'd exercise caution in choosing fish with synos. The kuhlis can be mistaken for worms if you know what I mean.:lipssealedsmilie:

The Synodontis nigriventris are fine.
 
I understand what you mean now, and after much thought and deliberation I went on an impulse shopping spree and got something being sold as a marbled pleco (as well as 2 more chocolate kuhlis). They told me they only grow as big as a brislenose plec, and this guy has a mostly light chocolate coloured body with light orange/gold patches across his back and face, with orange fins. He's very beautiful.
I'm trying to get some more info on the "marble pleco", but it seems to be a kind of rare type.

So yes. I won't worry too much about the featherfin, I'll stick with the happy fish.
Why do I always fall in love with the big bully eating machines?

Edit: He looks just like this one on the right, except more orangy: Click me!
 
Last edited:
It's not a anaque maccus, who have more "lines" of colour, but it has "splotches" of orange, running in a line along his back. His belly is orange too. I think he's a variety of bristlenose, but since he's only 2.5" long it's hard to say.
The picture really doesn't do him justice. Sorry about the quality, he was hiding under where the filter attaches to the tank wall.

IMGP1548.jpg
 
Last edited:
featherfins definitely will chase around cories i had to baby sit my friends cories and feather fin and seen it first hand, and it was attacking my parrot like a pleco. glad he took it back
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom