what to get?

[sequoiacat]

since i got the spotted rapheal i have become een more catfish hooked, what catfish can i get that gets to six inches or less in length.

[L number Banana]

Hi Sequoiacat!
If you click on the 'Search' tab at the top, then look at the lower right hand corner for a link that says 'advanced search'
That will take you to a screen where you can plug in the sizes you are looking for.
Your range is pretty huge so you'll get 100 easy but any that you click that have many 'keepers' listed on it's species page (near the bottom) may be a little easier to find than the ton of them that have no keepers and are probably really rare or near impossible to find.

There are synos from Africa that are almost black like

Synodontis euptera

but as you can see by the pictures, some turn out a bit lighter. Many plEcos are quite black but finding them is difficult in some areas and the sizes listed at fish stores are sometimes wrong - some get HUGE. The bumblebee catfish is small but black with orange. Can't think of any all black - and available - small cats at the moment but I'm sure someone will come up with one.

Can you widen your dreams a wee bit from black-only fish? Maybe go at it from a more specific angle? You already have a lovely fish so maybe finding catfish that would be found in the same area as your raphael would narrow it down better? Take a look at the first 100 that come up when I click on the 'Amazon' link ( http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/se ... order=hits)
This link is on the spotted Raphael species page.(http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/sp ... ies_id=313).

If you're new to catfish, take a look at the second fish listed (H.zebra) and put it out of your mind unless you've recently found money to burn. There are hundreds of catfish that are awesome but this fish is like everyone wanting a tiger when they grew up only to find that the housecat was much better to enjoy.

PS - click on the 'my cats' link on the right with my info - all my cats are small and they're FAB-U-lous!
Cheers

[sequoiacat]

how about this cat

Rineloricaria eigenmanni

how easy are they to get? say a number of keepers.Or would i would i be better off getting a couple of banjo catfish, tank is a 25 gallon with a footprint of 36inx10.5in x 15in.

[Mod edit: Use cat-elog tags instead of URL --Mats]

[sequoiacat]

which should i do

option 1 : 2 banjo catfish
option 2: 2 banjo catfish , 1 spotted rapheal

to add to my spotted rapheal and cherry barbs and betta, which option is best?

i have black sand substrate and plenty of hidouts.

[L number Banana]

Hi, Is your sand kind of rounded? I ask because if the sand is a little bit sharp,it's not good for the barbels of catfish (whiskers) and the two you mention Banjos and Whiptails are both awesome fish and somewhat easy to find but both like to burrow or dig through the sand. My ridiculous self test is - would I be able to rub it on a baby's cheek without worrying? Kind of silly but that the softest thing I can think of
Those cats are both wonderful but if you like the somewhat exotic looking, look into Farlowella (Twig Catfish) as well. They are easy to keep but they're more visible on the plants and glass. Banjos and Whiptails can be a bit elusive because they hide in the sand. I don't know if that's all the time, some time or occasionally because I haven't owned them but I do own several farlowella and they're MUCH more active than they are described on their species page. They're always busy doing something.
They're here: http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/ge ... id=80#1316
And no matter what it's labeled as in the store, it's probably F.vittata, VERY often mislabeled as F.acus.

Getting another Spotted Raphael would be wonderful but I would make sure they both had a nice hidey hole or cave. As far as your cherry barbs go, I have the same ones myself but I definitely stay away from all the other barbs as they're too nippy to be with many of the calmer catfish.
The betta shouldn't be a problem either. The only thing to keep in mind is the water temp and PH of the catfish you already have and make sure the ones you look at fit in nicely. If you see one in a store that you like, most store owners don't mind if you take a picture, asking first of course , and then post it in the "What's my Catfish?" forum just to get the experts here to confirm it before you buy. They've saved me from buying mislabeled fish a few times!

Cheers and keep us posted on what you find. Catfish are very addictive!

[sequoiacat]

yah my black sand is baby soft enough. also the spotted and the banjos are the onlyh catfish that are small enough to fit in my tank that my local fish store can get, also iam damn good at iding the cats at my lfs using planetcatfish, this is such a helpful site.

[MatsP]

Rineloricaria aren't unobtainable, but they are perhaps not the most common either. I'm pretty sure there are commercial breeders in Florida.

--
Mats