Shane's World Right Catfishology

General articles from authors who just want to write about catfish in the aquarium and the wild. The 'Catfish Basics' series is especially useful for the aquarist new to the catfish hobby. There are 47 Catfishology articles, listed by by title. Alternatively, list by latest date published.

A catfish keepers guide to dissolved oxygen by Shane Linder (uploaded January 01, 2002)
The importance of DO is often overlooked or misunderstood. As more and more delicate species of catfish become available, understanding this aspect of their husbandry becomes increasingly useful.

Apisto Heaven by Julian Dignall (uploaded January 01, 2002)
Want to see catfish, first hand, in their natural habitats? This article introduces a Brazilian option for the budding aqua-tourist looking further much further afield than their LFS.

Aquascaping for Hypancistrus zebra
Pt 1, The Perfectionist by Håvard Støre Andresen (uploaded December 09, 2008)
A brief and inspirational look at really hardcore aquaria design for the the zebra pleco.

Pt 2, The Rest of Us by Håvard Støre Andresen (uploaded December 09, 2008)
In which Håvard creates authentic and good looking aquaria that are simpler to create.

Catfish Legends & Lore
Pt 1, How the catfish got a flat head by Heok Hee Ng (uploaded January 01, 2002)
This is a series on folklore and legends from around the world that feature catfishes as their main characters. People usually do not think that catfishes are not prominent (or interesting) enough animals to be featured in folklore, but a careful search reveals that there are still some interesting stories, as the first of this series will show.

Pt 2, Fishy tales of the namazu (Silurus asotus) by Heok Hee Ng (uploaded January 01, 2002)
Off to the Far East in part two of the continuing seris examining catfish in myth and legend.

Corydoras 101 by Julian Dignall (uploaded April 09, 2013)
Some common Corydoras to consider as good starter species for anyone interested in starting out with these evergreen, omnipresent and hugely popular catfish.

DIY Blackwater: Make your Own Oak Leaf Extract by Deborah Claro Childress (uploaded July 03, 2009)
A hands-on, how-to article with pictures demonstrating both the fun and the practicalities of this useful fishkeeping project.

Feeding Plecos
Pt 1, Types of food by Mats Petersson (uploaded January 01, 2002)
The first part of this two part article deals with food preparation and what types of food can be offered.

Pt 2, Who eats what? by Mats Petersson (uploaded January 29, 2010)
Overview of techniques used in observing what your pleco eats and information on the diets of various groups.

Fishkeeping Basics by Rupert Collins (uploaded October 08, 2007)
New to keeping aquariums? Start here! An entry level guide for new hobbyists.

Getting into a sticky situation: methods of adhesion in catfishes by Heok Hee Ng (uploaded January 01, 2002)
This fascinating article describes the various devices employed by fast water catfishes to stay put.

How to tell a ''real'' from a ''fake'' by Heok Hee Ng (uploaded January 01, 2002)
Discussion and examples of hybrid Synodontis appearing in the hobby.

Hydroelectric dam constructions in Amazonas by Janne Ekström (uploaded December 23, 2007)
A conservation piece looking at the impact of proposed dam constructions in the Amazon basin that suggests what the hobbyist might do about it.

In Search of the World's Largest Catfish by Shane Linder (uploaded January 01, 2002)
As many heated debates in the forums will testify, there are many catfish species out there that grow well beyond our ambitions to keep them in captivity. Shane goes in search of the biggest of them all.

Index of Catfish Study Group Journals by Julian Dignall (uploaded February 26, 2018)
The Catfish Study Group has been publishing its Journal since the start of the millennium. This is an index of all articles in which there can be found many hidden gems.

Just Say Pleco by Shane Linder (uploaded January 01, 2002)
An introductory look a why we call these fish 'Plecos' and other associated nuggets of knowledge.

Keeping Catfish With Large Cichlids by Chris Ralph (uploaded January 01, 2002)
We are often asked what catfish that can be kept with the larger cichlids, herein lies a few suggestions.

Pt 2, The second half? by Julian Dignall (uploaded September 30, 2022)
Updated graphical analysis of the introduction rate of l-number plecos from inception to 2021.

L's Belles - Loricariid Analysis
Pt 1, The Glory Years by Mats Petersson (uploaded July 15, 2010)
Graphical analysis of the introduction rate of l-number plecos from inception to mid 2010.

List of original C-numbers by Julian Dignall (uploaded June 21, 2015)
A list of links to PDF format documents of all C-numbers as hosted on the DATZ magazine website.

List of original l-numbers by Julian Dignall (uploaded May 16, 2014)
A list of links to PDF format documents of all L-numbers as hosted on the DATZ magazine website.

Natural Catfish Aquarium
Pt 1, Understanding habitats by Shane Linder (uploaded January 01, 2002)
Thoughts on how to make you aquarium more appealing to both you and your catfishes. The first part looks at habitats and how to go about recreating them.

Pt 2, Materials and Techniques by Shane Linder (uploaded January 01, 2002)
The second part of this series tackles some of the practicalities of creating a natural set-up.

On Cephalosilurus nigricaudus and C. apurensis by Wolfgang Ros (uploaded July 26, 2008)
In which the author describes the differences that can be used by the aquarist to identify the former species.

Otocinclus - ''Little Monkeys'' in the planted aquarium by D & R Lalkaka (uploaded January 01, 2002)
Originally written for publication in a 'planted aquaria' magazine, this article deals with the taxonomy of these and related species along with some very help advice on acclimatization to the planted tank.

Pimelodid Crosses by Lee Finley (uploaded January 01, 2002)
List of all known hybrids amongst these large amazon predators.

Plants and Plecos by Shane Linder (uploaded January 01, 2002)
An introductory look at what plecos will and won't view most of the contents of your superb planted tank as lunch.

Remote photography of catfish by Håvard Støre Andresen (uploaded May 04, 2009)
A unique "How-to" article on catfish photography from an author whos photographs speak for themselves.

The Catfish Basics Series
Pt 1, Choosing and Housing Your Catfish by Julian Dignall (uploaded January 01, 2002)
So you want some catfish for your community tank? This is the article for you.

Pt 2, Feeding Your Catfish by Chris Ralph (uploaded January 01, 2002)
So, you've got some catfish swimming around in your aquarium. What should you feed them? The same as the other fish? Do all catfish have the same dietary requirements? Of course not! Read on.

Pt 3, How To See Your Catfish by Chris Ralph (uploaded January 01, 2002)
Many catfish encountered by the newbie, perhaps within their first few catfish purchases will never been seen again once they enter the realms of a well-planet or decorated tank. Here we offer some advice on dealing with the fact that often a catfish is happiest when you can't see it.

Pt 4, How to spot a catfish geek! by Shane Linder (uploaded January 01, 2002)
We've talked about how to spot your catfish, now follows a lighthearted 'intermission' in the series where Shane (with a little help from others) observes what it means to be well on the way to being a true catfish geek (or, for UK readers, a catfish anorak).

Pt 5, The Families of the Order Siluriformes by Shane Linder (uploaded January 01, 2002)
An overview using the latest review of the classification of all catfish families. This article (in contrast to the previous) is a serious must for all catfish fans looking to the wider picture and setting out on gaining some appreciation of the diversity of catfishes worldwide. If you're OK with this article then you're no longer a catfish newbie.

Pt 6, Filtration by Shane Linder (uploaded January 01, 2002)
Each type of filtration has distinct advantages and disadvantages to the catfish hobbyist and this article explains how to choose the best type of filtration for specific type of catfish.

Pt 7, Selection, Acclimatization, and Quarantine by Shane Linder (uploaded January 01, 2002)
OK, so you've seen the fish in a book, you've seen the fish at your LFS. Read this before you make your next move.

Pt 8, Telling the Boys From the Girls by Shane Linder (uploaded January 01, 2002)
Curious about the gender of your catfish? This introductory articles looks at some of the differences you can expect to find and provides pointers in determining if a successful breeding project might be on the horizon.

Pt 9, An Attempt to Spawn On Demand by Adrian Taylor (uploaded December 02, 2006)
Selecting the Peppered Cory, Corydoras paleatus, as an example, the author discusses the basics of captive spawning attempts and his results with a commonly bred "entry level" species.

The Colours of Corydoras by Don Kinyon (uploaded January 01, 2002)
Analysis and comparison of the various colour forms of 'Corydoras aeneus' available.

The Eel-tail banjo catfish Platystacus cotylephorus by Ingo Seidel (uploaded September 13, 2008)
An extraordinary 'frying pan catfish' with a spectacular secretive strategy for care of its young.

The identity of the common bristlenose by Ingo Seidel (uploaded August 16, 2008)
Here the author examines the origins and lookalikes of this commonly encountered but still fully undetermined pleco.

The mysteries of the Blue Eyed Pleco
Pt 1, Panaque cochliodon by Shane Linder (uploaded August 02, 2008)
In part one, Shane delves into what we know about this enigmatic species.

The Proper Way To Condition Plecos by Larry Vires (uploaded January 01, 2002)
It's not all cucumber and lettuce you know - the lowdown on what to feed your Plecos.

The White Seam Bristlenoses by Ingo Seidel (uploaded October 10, 2008)
The author discusses catfish of the so-called Ancistrus hoplogenys group in depth.

The yellow seamed “Golden Nugget” – a problem pleco? by Ingo Seidel (uploaded November 04, 2008)
An in-depth on this group of l-numbered plecos that provides solid information for those wishing to keep them correctly.

Unravelling the Arched Corys by Julian Dignall (uploaded March 12, 2022)
The story of the narcissus group of corys goes back almost a century. Centred around the resolution of an old misidentification, this article tells their complex story from front to back.

Water Chemistry and the Catfish by Rupert Collins (uploaded January 01, 2002)
A look into the terms often used in aquatic conversations, but sometimes without as much understanding as this article seeks to provide.