What other cat fish can live with my sun ?

[talon]

Hi I rescued a unwanted sun catfish . and im in love lol. so much that I would like to get another cat fish to join him. we have thought about another sun, but are there any other cat fish that can live with him. that wont grow any bigger than him when hes full grown and wont fight with him ?

[Viktor Jarikov]

Welcome to the Planet!

Kudos for saving the cat. Sun cats do the best in groups of, IMHO, at least 6-7. They hide much less, interact, swim around, and the pecking order is established with less trauma.

There are so many other cats that would be fine with sun cats and not grow larger than them - browse Cat-eLog for Pimelodidae (e.g., Pimelodus blochii, Pimelodus pictus), Mochokidae (synodontis cats), Doradidae (Raphael cats can work), Auchenpteridae (wood cats), etc. If you'd rather keep the fish from the same river/area, then you will need a much more specific advice.

The largest sun cat in captivity that I have seen is 15" and quite bulky.

A rule of thumb: if any fish fits in a catfish mouth girthwise, it is a risk.

[talon]

Thank you. strange as it is, Talon as we called him. is hardly ever asleep . hes always on the go . I read up on them and like you say he should be hiding a lot , but not this fella lol I will have a look at the other cat fish you mention . thanks

[Viktor Jarikov]

Unusual behavior can be symptomatic of a problem/discomfort, e.g., he is not liking the water or has not adjusted yet or there is no good hiding spot or he is driven out of it/bullied, or a parasite is bothering him, etc. But sometimes it is just unusual and cannot be pinned to anything. Anyway, my vigilance is elevated when I see unusual, even if superficially "good" unusual.

[talon]

Hes got loads of hiding places, bog wood , plants and rocks. he likes to play in them rather than hide. If I go over to the tank (349 liters) he dose rush off to hide but only for a few minuets, then hes back out swiming about . the lighting is blue so not to bright for him. he has two large gold fish as tank mates and he likes to swim with them . but im looking to move the gold fish out and move another cat fish in .

[talon]

He lives in here

[Jools]

I might have missed it, but is there a heater in that tank? Anyway, what temp. is the water?

Cheers,

Jools

[talon]

We are in a heat wave at the mo so all heaters are turned off but, normaly i keep it at 24-25

[Viktor Jarikov]

Nice-looking tank! Sounds like he is comfortable. I would enjoy the sight and dynamics of a good group of good-size sun cats (over 6") in that tank. Not pushing, just imagining for myself.

I am not sure from your post if you answered Jool's q: is the temp currently 24-25 C (with no heaters) and it is kept the same when you do turn them on?

[talon]

its very warm at the moment around 27 so heaters are off. but yes normaly i keep it at 24 .yes i think i will get another sun at too

[Viktor Jarikov]

With just two, there is a risk that one will bully the other too much. 2 is never a good number with fish that maintain and enforce an hierarchy and/or are territorial. 3 is a bit better. That's one reason I proposed 6-7 minimum. But things do vary - keep us posted of what you will observe and we will all learn together, mate.

[talon]

my only worry with getting more than two is tank space for when they are full grown. i was thinking another suncat and two cuckoo cats ?

[Jools]

Yeah, I would think 6 or 7 (given they grow to a foot long) would indeed be a bit overdoing it also given there are two goldfish in there that can also get big and will produce significant waste. I'd go for a medium sized pleco - how about

Hypostomus soniae

?

Jools

[Richard B]

i'd avoid cuckoo cats as these need hard alkaline water & a rocky aquascape to be at their best

[talon]

I am not a fan of plecs. I only have one in my other tank, hes a king tiger, hes ok but plecs are not really my cup of tea lol. maybe just another suncat then. and see how they get on

[talon]

I am not a fan of plecs. I only have one in my other tank, hes a king tiger, hes ok but plecs are not really my cup of tea lol. maybe just another suncat then. and see how they get on

[Viktor Jarikov]

Talon, I cannot find the tank size and footprint, can you provide please.

Jools, Talon had said the goldfish would be removed soon.

[talon]

Its 349 liters 4ft tank or 92 us gal , yes the two gold fish will be moved to a pond once they get to big

[talon]

what about feather fin catfish? would they be ok ?

[Viktor Jarikov]

I think they will be fine. One's from SE Asia and the other is from Africa but neither one is too demanding with respect to the water parameters and both adapt well. They should not pay attention to each other unless they choose the same hiding spot. Then they will fight for it as both are rather stubborn. The syno will hide all/most of the day time. But maybe your tank is magical and he will not either

In my very diversely populated tanks, I've never had a big problem with my 6-7 euptera. IMO problems with them are not often encountered but have been reported:

http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/view ... t=+euptera

http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/c ... p?sid=4506

[talon]

thankyou