Catfish biting another. please help

[Skrip]

Ive just registered and forgive me if I am asking something that is old or just for being a newbie here.

I have 2 catfishes, along with other freshwater fish. Lately, I noticed my Sunspot Catfish (Horabagrus brachysoma) has been severely attacking my Iridiscent shark. Both are still small, about 4 inches each.

I noticed my sunspot pretty much hides all day and whenever there is light. The Iridiscent shark just sorta stays around the middle going up and down, but now its tail is pretty much chewed off and most of its fins are gone (top and bottom).

I turned off the lights and saw the sunspot fish come around and go up and snap at it. Yet it ignores all the other fish in the tank.

Im thinking its because I mostly feed in the morning, then evening, that this shy sunspot misses eating so much that it is very hungry and attacks.

Im going to try to feed heavy at bedtime when all the lights are off, to see if this calms his aggressiveness.

Anybody have any experience with this? thanks so much. I also have a 'plecos (?), you know the common algae one that many people get, and this one seems not to be bothered. He is huge too.

THANKS!

[Shane]

Skrip,
I have not come across this behavior before, but it will clearly be necessary to either place the two fishes in separate tanks or get rid of one. Sometimes fish just decide not to get along.
-Shane

[Marc van Arc]

Perhaps you could increase the number of Horabagrus; they like company of their own kind. Moreover, possible agression will be spread in a group.
If you don't have that possibility, see Shane's post. For what it's worth: I would get rid of the shark.

[sidguppy]

Ditto.

in time you WOULD have to ditch that shark anyway, it grows too big and it's a shoaler as well.
unless you have a tank where you can keep -say- 8-10 Iridescent Sharks, all of wich are about 3-4 feet long.

yes, they can get that big.

Horabagrus is indeed a grouper but also with an attitude: 2-3 is likely to fail due to territorial issues and this fish too can reach more than 10".

but that Shark's a goner indeed.

[ariwankai]

You should get rid of the shark,unless you want a 1m blind fish that eats anything in its way.The horabagrus is a lot smaller(39 cm) in the wild, so i guess its smaller in captivity.

[phenixhans]

Why