Tank mates. (need Help?)

[Kerbyjordan]

Hello i am new to this forum but i was wondering what type of fish i could keep with my stripped raphael catfish and my two upside down catfish all are about two inches in length. I was thinking about chichlids but not sure as they tend to be aggresive and possibly a few pictus cats. What are your thoughts and recomendations?

[Martin S]

Hi and welcome to PlanetCatfish
OK, first question - what size tank? Lots of choice, depends on what you like? Pictus cats (better kept in a group) will need a good size tank and may take the food too quickly for the upside-downs to compete. If you go with the pictus, then avoid anything small, but you can go for the larger bodied tetras (bleeding heart, lemon, black or red phantom etc), cichlids such as rams or checkerboards or any of the apistogramma species should work well as not aggressive like their larger cousins.
HTH
Martin

[Tony4143]

Welcome to PC I personally had my stripped raphael eat my tetras so good luck with that one lol.
As Martin said what size is your tank??
-Tony

[Bas Pels]

Tank size is the most important thing.

My Platydoras have been together with central American cichlids more than with south American ones. I think it would be over 20 to less than 9 years. Keeping them for 29 years does imply I did not so bad with them, in other words they are not very sensitive towards water Chemistry.

I know someone who keeps a Platydoras with Cichla. So you can combine them with large fish, in a good (that is, well decorated) tank

As Tony said, Platydoras can eat small fishes. I once lost a school of 30 Moenckhousia to them - but it took a week before they started snacking them

So, the Platydoras will not miind overly what you put in their tank ,as long as the tank is a) large enough and b) has enough hiding places.

Pimelodus pictus is much more day active, and I think therefore also more vulenrable to agression and predation. I never kept them myself, so I will not go furter into them.

[Kerbyjordan]

I have a 70 gallon tank but is pretty empty with only a marble sailfin pleco and two upside down cats and a stripped raphael. I want somthing that will be out during the day.

[Kerbyjordan]

Been looking through apistogramma trying to find one with most color

[Kerbyjordan]

I really wanted a cichlid that i could purchase at my local pet shop but they stock african cichlids and i think some south american cichlids blue acaras and some rams.

[Kerbyjordan]

Welcome to PC I personally had my stripped raphael eat my tetras so good luck with that one lol.
As Martin said what size is your tank??
-Tony

70gallons

[Kerbyjordan]

Tank size is the most important thing.

My Platydoras have been together with central American cichlids more than with south American ones. I think it would be over 20 to less than 9 years. Keeping them for 29 years does imply I did not so bad with them, in other words they are not very sensitive towards water Chemistry.

I know someone who keeps a Platydoras with Cichla. So you can combine them with large fish, in a good (that is, well decorated) tank

As Tony said, Platydoras can eat small fishes. I once lost a school of 30 Moenckhousia to them - but it took a week before they started snacking them

So, the Platydoras will not miind overly what you put in their tank ,as long as the tank is a) large enough and b) has enough hiding places.

Pimelodus pictus is much more day active, and I think therefore also more vulenrable to agression and predation. I never kept them myself, so I will not go furter into them.

70 gallon

[Bas Pels]

70 US gallon, which are slightly less than 4 liters. 250 l or so.

For most central American cichlids, that is too tiny, but Apistogramma, Laetacara, Cleithacara, no problems

Personally, I must say I think the tank is somewhat tiny. I keep my Platydoras in a 400 * 100 cm footprint (that is 13 * 3.3 feet) tank

[N0body Of The Goat]

Some of the African oddballs could work well, if you forget about the pretty active P. pictus group, species such as...
African Butterfly Fish (singleton, known sexed pair, or at least 30x30cm of water surface per fish with broken lines of sight)
Congo Tetras (10+)
Leopard Bushfish (singleton or 3+)
African Knife Fish (singleton or maybe 3+)
Synodontis nigriventris (is this your upside down duo? They do much better in 10+ groups)
Krib cichlid (singleton is much more likely to be better in a community)

All above from my experience would be fine in a 120cm long tank, dimly lit, great if you can provide a good amount of bogwood and plants that go above the water surface.

[Kerbyjordan]

Thank you everyone for your input it's greatly appreciated. My Rapheal and upside downs are doing very well displaying big bellies lol. Ive decided to wait a few months in hopes that the fish grow larger before introducing anymore tank mates.

[Bx1715]

I am acquiring a 20 gallon . However upside down catfish (one) and ember tetras not compatible?

[bekateen]

I am acquiring a 20 gallon . However upside down catfish (one) and ember tetras not compatible?

They could get along, but upside-down cats (at least, Synodontis nigriventris) much prefer to be in groups, not alone. And I'd be hesitant to crowd a group of USD cats in a 20g. Do you already have the USD cat? If not, consider getting something else.

Cheers, Eric