There once was a fry bottom-feeder,
In appetite, he was the leader.
When asked why he gorged
This answer he forged:
"To become a mature bottom BREEDER!"

benny, those are nice-looking little catfish. they really caught my eye! i am going to research them to see if they might be nice tankmates for my Hoovie. i have been looking for some smaller catfish with Hoovie's same color-scheme, and which would be compatible with him and his tank set-up. good lu...

so sorry... much sympathy, polkadot... hang in there...

This is such a timely topic for me! I was just wondering about cleaning the driftwood "furniture" which I have strewn around the tank... I think I'll just take it out and rinse it periodically... by the way, i am not using any substrate... just flat rocks and wood... easy to clean... altho...

It worked! It worked!
Thanks, Guy!!!!
P.S. EVERYBODY: it felt great to donate to the Planet!!! I recommend it!!!!!!
Gail

Hi, I am thankful for the expert advice and friendly support I have received here, and I have attemtped to make a donation via PayPal, but I keep getting error messages (PayPal says my computer isn't accepting cookies, but it DOES accept cookies)... I use PayPal regularly, and usually there is no pr...

Hi! Looks like a liposarcus pardalis, just like my Hoovie! http://www.boomspeed.com/rickeybird/hoov1.jpg I've been told they live a long time... one source even said 20 years...!!?? Hoovie's about 7-8 years old, I think. There's a lot of good info on these fish here... my posts over the last week or...

Well, I am a veteran of less than two weeks' experience ( :roll: ) but I have been researching htis question over the past week. Consensus seems to be that a big pl*co will likely spar with an equal-size mate, but will be unlikely to bother smaller fish. Some fish are likely to grow too big too fast...

ACK!!! I am totally having a hard time collecting my thoughts today!!!! Hence the multiple posts!!!! Concerning what reading materials I have... Barbie gave me a nice selection on cycling; Silurus is suggesting some reading, and of course, I'm devouring Planet Catfish, which is loaded with info! The...

Also, thanks Pete (coelacanth!) for telling me about the Ohio C***** people in Cleveland. It's on my "To DO" list to contact them. I have heard they have an incredible show yearly, and I'll not miss that!

I meant COELACANTH!!!!!!

Thanks, coelanth!
I have noticed some messy stuff in the gravel... you're absolutely right... I suspect I will change it out, after all. Is there any harm in leaving the bottom bare? Except for a big piece of shale and a driftwood cave? That would certainly be easy to keep clean...

Thanks, Graeme and Barbie, Well, here's the latest on Hoovie (and thanks for asking)... I discovered a nearby aquarium/fish store that offers a variety of services, one of which is water-testing. I was a little concerned about interpreting results of tests correctly by myself, so I took some water t...

Lildunn, please wait, and hear these people's comments. They truly love these fish, and they have unrivaled expertise in caring for them. I came to this forum a week ago with a terrible situation... I was a complete novice with an unidentified catfish... this forum helped me identify the fish, get t...

Why, thank you, gibbo! Right back at ya!
Hoov got furniture today... loves it!
God's in his heaven and Hoov's in his driftwood cave.

Thanks. I'll save that advice... I will probably start shopping in earnest in a couple of weeks (after the tank really settles in). Goin' shoppin' today for "furniture!

Thank you. I would appreciate that! I speak some French, and read it adequately! I am a determined amateur naturalist... I love to learn!! Thanks again!!
Gail

Thanks... I recall your telling me (I think it was in Speak Easy) that I could soon consider adding some more fish... I'm just about ready for suggestions... I'm thinking of more catfish... smaller, different types???

Thanks, T! Gonna go buy him some furniture, plants and delectibles tomorrow; after all the abuse he's survived, he deserves to be treated like a little American giggolo! Couldn't have done it without the forum...

Forgive a novice's confusion... I'm trying to figure this "common" pl*co thing out!! Am I getting this straight? Okay... back in the old days, the "Common Pl*co" rightfully referred to the Hypostomus plecostomus, because it was the most commonly imported/available... More recentl...

Thanks! He seems well. Meanwhile, I have been doing a lot of reading based on what forum repliers have told me about possible ID's... nomenclature is very confusing... I think I'll post another query in this part of the forum...

Thanks!!!! I had read about eye-condition and fin issues, and was hopeful that somebody would be able to give me an opinion of his general condition from the close-ups. He is a handsome devil, eh? Thanks again.

Thanks for that... I'm taking notes on identification ideas and researching them! I appreciate your reply. I'm off to check out your website. Someone told me that catfish really seem to develop more of a "personaity" after 5-10 years... makes sense... more years of learning means more comp...

Gotta get some of those! Beautiful photos!
Here's my ol' buddy...
http://www.boomspeed.com/rickeybird/hoov1.jpg and...
http://www.boomspeed.com/rickeybird/hoov2.jpg and...
http://www.boomspeed.com/rickeybird/hoov3.jpg !!!!

Gail

You have a very pretty collection... I am thinking that, after my tank is seasoned and ready for more guests, I may seek to add a few interesting baby pl*cos to keep ol' HOOV company and add some interest to the tank... Your collection is inspiring. Thanks for posting it...

Wow. Thanks! I appreciate the opinion! I'll go research that fish and look for pictures of it! Again, thanks so much for looking!!!
Gail

Here's my boy...
http://www.boomspeed.com/rickeybird/hoov1.jpg and...
http://www.boomspeed.com/rickeybird/hoov2.jpg and...
http://www.boomspeed.com/rickeybird/hoov3.jpg !!!!

...ain't he a beauty?

Gail

Here are some pictures of my buddy...

http://www.boomspeed.com/rickeybird/hoov1.jpg and...
http://www.boomspeed.com/rickeybird/hoov2.jpg and...
http://www.boomspeed.com/rickeybird/hoov3.jpg !!!

What is he? A regular ol' pl*co?
Thanks so much for looking!!!!!

Gail

Well, I got some very nice photos of ol' Hoov... you can see them at... http://www.boomspeed.com/rickeybird/hoov1.jpg and... http://www.boomspeed.com/rickeybird/hoov2.jpg and... http://www.boomspeed.com/rickeybird/hoov3.jpg !!!! I think I'll post these in the ID-the-catfish place, too! What do you t...

woops... nevermind... unfounded haiku anixety!!!!