Help: Yellow bullhead catfish

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Hardmancatfish
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Help: Yellow bullhead catfish

Post by Hardmancatfish »

Looking for help and advice from anyone with experience with yellow bullhead catfish. We currently have a wild caught yellow bullhead he is in a 10gal aquarium (for now) we just upgraded his pump/filtration system to a 20-40gal because someone on another website had mentioned they needed larger filtration. He has a varied diet of live minnows, fresh fish, clams, shrimp, chicken livers, and veggies. (He's spoiled). We change filters and water as needed and always dechlorinate water. We are needing advice on pH levels, oxygen levels whether bubble stones are necessary and what other chemicals he may need add to his water. Thanks in advice for advice and help.
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Viktor Jarikov
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Re: Help: Yellow bullhead catfish

Post by Viktor Jarikov »

How big is the fish?

10 gal is a small tank. I'd make sure it does not undergo large and quick daily temperature swings.

What is GPH of the pump?

Describe the filter, please.

What is water change schedule and %?

What do you you mean by "We change filters... as needed"? Filters are not changed normally. The media might get washed once or twice a year, perhaps quarterly.

pH of anywhere from 6 to 8 is fine, as long as it is stable too. No swings.

Oxygen levels cannot be measured too conveniently but in any case they can never be too high and a bubbler is also your safety net, in case the pump stops. It also helps aerate the water going into your filter, which is highly, highly important and is the most often overlooked but crucial factor.

I can't think of any chemicals that need to be added to tank water other than water conditioner / dechlorinator.

I'd highly recommend buying a liquid test tube test kit for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH. It's ~$20 and good for years of use. Sounds like you want to make sure you are treating your pet the best you can. You cannot do this without measuring water. Test sticks are unreliable and aren't recommended. You need the test tube kit.
Thebiggerthebetter
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Hardmancatfish
Posts: 6
Joined: 14 Oct 2017, 14:59
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Re: Help: Yellow bullhead catfish

Post by Hardmancatfish »

Thanks. Appreciate all advice. He is roughly 3". And we have an Aqua-Tech ultra quiet power filter. 160GPH. What I meant to say was we change the filter cartridge as recommended. The temperature stays at or near 74°F. What size air pump and bubbler would you recommend. Also what is a good brand of test kit.
Viktor Jarikov
Posts: 5263
Joined: 26 Jan 2010, 20:11
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Location 1: Naples, FL
Location 2: USA

Re: Help: Yellow bullhead catfish

Post by Viktor Jarikov »

Thanks. So it's still small but bullheads have a relatively high bioload per inch of their body length because of how stocky they are and how much they eat. Hence, I'd agree with the earlier advice you are following.

The fish will need bigger tank(s) as it grows, of course.

It's good that the temp is steady.

I haven't used air pumps in over 6 years, so I can't really help you well. I used to use Tetra's Whisper pumps for many tanks anywhere from 30 gal to Deep Water AP series for 100-300 gal tanks. They did ok for a diaphragm air pump but I'd say they are noisy and their service life leaves much to be desired but it could be because of their mechanism (diaphragm) and all such pumps are about the same.

API test kit: https://www.petsolutions.com/C/Aquarium ... r-Kit.aspx
Thebiggerthebetter
fish-story.com
Hardmancatfish
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Re: Help: Yellow bullhead catfish

Post by Hardmancatfish »

We just found a 55gallon for $10 today! Which is a steal! Thanks again for all advice. We will most definitely be getting the test tube kit. He hand fed for the first time last night and is becoming more social. Would you have any recommendations on real plants we could put in the tank? Also what would be a good size bubbler?
Viktor Jarikov
Posts: 5263
Joined: 26 Jan 2010, 20:11
My images: 11
My cats species list: 25 (i:0, k:0)
Spotted: 4
Location 1: Naples, FL
Location 2: USA

Re: Help: Yellow bullhead catfish

Post by Viktor Jarikov »

Splendid! I hope the 55 gal holds water.

The plants others can help you better with. I used to just collect mine from the wild and sanitized them in a solution of potassium permanganate (sold as an iron filter regeneration agent). Overall, adding plants adds another layer of complexity to the tank and one needs to start reading up on this and continue to self-educate. There is a danger of introducing a pathogen (less so with store plants but not a zero by any means). Plants produce debris that add to bioload and can clog filters faster; at the same time plants do clean water by absorbing ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate right from the tank water. Plants require lighting. Plants can rob the water of oxygen at night. Etc.

The bubblers are rated for tank volume, just like filters. I used to pick a larger size. For a 55 gal I used to use a 100-150 gal bubbler. I don't know how others do it. The stone also matters, whether a small cylindrical stone, a disk, or a strip. The bigger the stone, the better, I think. Beware the stones tend to lose their air-passing ability and will plug up overtime (most likely with algae?), so they too will require some maintenance, such as soaking them in bleach or some such.
Thebiggerthebetter
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Lycosid
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Re: Help: Yellow bullhead catfish

Post by Lycosid »

Hardmancatfish wrote: 17 Oct 2017, 02:56 We just found a 55gallon for $10 today! Which is a steal!
Seriously.
Hardmancatfish wrote:Would you have any recommendations on real plants we could put in the tank?
As Victor said, you can collect them from the same habitat as the catfish. Plants that touch the air naturally will do the most good, since they can get carbon dioxide from the air and nitrogen from the water, which allows them to remove more nitrogen than submerged plants. In my area (NC) duckweed is amazingly common, spreads fast, and floats. You'll also NEVER get it out of a tank, so consider carefully whether you want it.
Hardmancatfish wrote:Also what would be a good size bubbler?
The bigger the better, usually, although many come with a tank size recommendation. I normally incorporate bubblers into extra filtration (DIY sponge filters, normally) as well.

Some time ago I made a sponge filter out of an old plastic coffee jar in a rather low tank that shot water out the side with the air bubbler but also hosted a contained batch of duckweed in the top. This was ugly, but it let me use the bubbler for filtration and use duckweed without it going all over the tank.
Hardmancatfish
Posts: 6
Joined: 14 Oct 2017, 14:59
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Re: Help: Yellow bullhead catfish

Post by Hardmancatfish »

Thanks 👍 And yeah it was only ten because a little old lady had it and just wanted it out of her way.
Hardmancatfish
Posts: 6
Joined: 14 Oct 2017, 14:59
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Re: Help: Yellow bullhead catfish

Post by Hardmancatfish »

This may be an odd question but what's a normal respiratory rate for a yellow bullhead?
Viktor Jarikov
Posts: 5263
Joined: 26 Jan 2010, 20:11
My images: 11
My cats species list: 25 (i:0, k:0)
Spotted: 4
Location 1: Naples, FL
Location 2: USA

Re: Help: Yellow bullhead catfish

Post by Viktor Jarikov »

I've never had a yellow but my brown bullheads and spotted bullheads don't have anything unusual about their breathing rate. Fast when excited and moving a lot; slow (like once a second or two) when at rest.
Thebiggerthebetter
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Hardmancatfish
Posts: 6
Joined: 14 Oct 2017, 14:59
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Location 2: Usa

Re: Help: Yellow bullhead catfish

Post by Hardmancatfish »

Thanks
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