Megalodoras uranoscopus question

[Gump]

Hey all I finally joined this site after a few years of using your cat E log to identify and research catfish. Well to my question, I have a 12-13" Megalodoras uranoscopus that I picked up about 7 months or so and in the entire time ive owned it I have never seen it eat. It used to spend all day/night in a hollow log and would come out only when I did water changes because the section of the log it was hiding in becomes dry. Then when the water filled back up it went back to its spot.

I've tried to feed it; market prawns, squid, tilapia, blood/black/red worms, krill, silversides, sinking pellets and algae wafers. I feed all different times of the day and when I feed at night I watch until all the food is gone.

The fish was in a 450G (8’x3’x30”) with a large lungfish, bichirs, large clown loaches, african arowana, earth eaters, and datnoids. I have never seen any of the fish pester or even pay attention to the uranoscopus so I don’t think the tank mates are a problem. In the last month I have since moved the cat to a 100 gallon which I use as a grow out tank to try to give it some personalized care. Still nothing has worked and I feel really bad for the fish. Any help would be great, thanks.

[Richard B]

Are you saying that the fih is now really skinny? And when you watch the food, it is all consumed by the other fish?

If the fish looks full bodied & healthy it probably is - do you have any snails in the tank? These fish are well-known snail eaters & it could be eating snails to keep it going.

[Gump]

Yeah it is becoming skinny. I add a lot of food at one time so the smaller fish can eat there fill and there is a good 10 min where the lungfish and a few bichirs will make there rounds and clean it all up. As for snails they are quickly hunted down by the lungfish or the loaches.

[grokefish]

What is the nitrate/Ph/amonia/nitrate situation in your tank?
Matt

[Gump]

ph 7.4
nitrate 20
ammonia 0
nitrate 0