Akysidae availability?

[catfishchaos]

Hello!

Ive been keeping catfish for a while now and kind of wanted to step my game up a little bit. I plan on getting a fluval edge (6 gallon) or the fluval spec (5 gallon) to make a nice species asian stream nano tank. I plan to scape mostly with large river pebbles, slate and a nice fine sand substrate. Plants will be sparse IF I ad any at all as I'm thinking just hardscape would be nice.

I have really taken a liking to this family and would like to have a pair or a trio. However this family seems to be underrated not kept by many. before I look into this any further, I would like to know how hard it is to obtain members of this family in general, Is it something people have access to regularly and just never order in or do I need to go to drainage from some asian rivers and flip rocks?

Also what sp would you recommend (I'm being fussy but Ideally more tolerant than most in the family, small enough for the listed nano tanks and somewhat available. Im going to email a supplier and see what he can do then probably cross reference here.

Thanks in advance
Regards
James

[KungFish]

wetspottropicalfish.com currently has 2 different species of akysis, "hendricksoni" and "longifilis". parakysis was also previously available from them. They don't seem that hard to find, compared to a lot of other fish. They seem to just be something that just doesn't get ordered, even when available. A pair should be fine in that size tank.

As for the most tolerant species, they all seem to be similar in care (at least the akysis and parakysis) from what I've seen. Moderate flow, high oxygenation, cold temperatures, and clean water.

[catfishchaos]

Thank you KungFish!


I contacted a supplier and he says he has only seen them once during a very specific order. is it possible that these fish have not yet made it into Canada yet? Ive still got to email some more specialized catfish people but I feel like that one supplier was my best shot...

How would I go about increasing the oxygenation of the tank?

might be hard to make a current in either those tanks (although I have my heart set on the 6 gallon edge), any tips?

Regards
James

[KungFish]

How would I go about increasing the oxygenation of the tank?

might be hard to make a current in either those tanks (although I have my heart set on the 6 gallon edge), any tips?

Regards
James

You can use an air stone to increase the oxygenation. I like the wooden ones best.

As for current, here are some nano pumps I found that may work. http://premiumaquatics.com/products/tun ... 02404.html <----I'm not sure if this one is for in-tank, or a sump. Looks like it *could* be in-tank.

http://ecotechmarine.com/products/vortech/vortech-mp10 Also the Vortech MP10 is very nice. They're used for nano reef tanks all the time. The motor is outside the tank (magnetically attached to glass) so it has a pretty small footprint. Not the cheapest, but you get what you pay for. Very high quality.

[Shane]

Did you read this?

http://www.planetcatfish.com/shanesworl ... ved+oxygen

-Shane

[catfishchaos]

I have not but I'll be sure to, thank you very much shane.

To clarify a little i was wondering how i was going to a run an air stone and pump in the fluval edge.

This family seems to be illusive in Canada, My supplier said he could get them in but most likely in a box of 400-800 and I just want a pair so... Any tips for finding these guys in Canada?

Regards
James

[racoll]

You will want to keep the temperature down for these guys, so I would give the circulation pump a miss. Any extra oxygenation you may get, you will lose because of the increased water temperature.

I would just stick to a air-powered box filter with a medium-sized air pump.

[KungFish]

From what I've heard, you don't really need current as long as you have the right temperature and oxygenation.

[Silurus]

I agree that temperature is more important than anything else. I've maintained akysids (Akysis, Acrochordonichthys) for a number of years in a tank placed in an air-conditioned office. There was no need of strong oxygenation for the tank as long as the temperatures were kept low enough.

[catfishchaos]

Well the plan is for this tank to be on my bedside night stand, However my bedroom (due to a large concentration of tarantulas and snakes) rarely goes below 70 F and more often stays around 78 F, would this be problematic?

I have a 10 gallon QT tank thats heated, I think I'll unplug it and see what temp my room renders it. Then I can proceed with my master plan.

Any other tips for keeping this sp? Ive read that Cotm article but always looking for keepers insight!

[catfishchaos]

Hey guys if I went with a 19 gallon tank instead what size group would I be looking at?

[KungFish]

You could house a group of 4 in there quite comfortably. Although, I am quite conservative when it comes to stocking small tanks. You could *probably* have more.