Stripped Raphael

Berger · Post by **Berger** » 09 Feb 2003, 07:50

Today I finally picked up the last catfish for my catfish tank
I decided after much research to get a
stripped raphael. He's only about 2inches long and in good health
when I first put him in the tank he went and hid in my piece of driftwood, until one of my
pictus kicked him out. Now he's off hiding who knows where.
I knew that when I bought him I wouldn't get to see him much
but since I'm a college kid, I knew I would be up late and
hopefully would get to see him.

My idea right now is to get a short piece of PVC pipe and cover it part ways with sand
so its kinda like a cave, and hopefully he will find it and it will be his new home.

How many of the rest of you have kept these wonderful cats? Also
what kida things have you done so that you get to see them more? While keeping them happy with
hiding spaces at the same time?

Thanks
Berger

Post by **Silurus** » 09 Feb 2003, 10:36

It's always kinda difficult to get doradids to come out in the open (I suppose if you really want to see them, the best time would be after the lights are out at night...use a red flashlight carefully).
They will hide in the PVC pipes (no need to use sand), provided they don't find a better spot in the driftwood. If aesthetics is not an issue, you can even silicone a bunch of pipes together to make catfish apartments.

Berger · Post by **Berger** » 10 Feb 2003, 03:40

Well he found a hiding spot last night it my driftwood, right near the front.
So at least I know he's ok, and now I can put some food there tonight and hope he gets some.

I heard alot of people say that theirs don't really grow lengthwise
but grow fatter more. Has anyone else heard this?

Post by **Silurus** » 10 Feb 2003, 08:49

I think spotted raphaels (<i>Agamyxis</i>) are more prone to this than striped raphaels. I've seen many a spotted raphael that looked like a black and white golf ball.
Just be careful not to overfeed and he'll be fine.

sharpshootercatfish · Post by **sharpshootercatfish** » 26 Feb 2003, 03:34

I have kept them for a while so if you have more quesions ask me or dorad.

Zack · Post by **Zack** » 26 Feb 2003, 07:08

I have a striped and a chocolate raphael. I regret the purchase of the stripe as i have never seen him out of his driftwood in the four months iv owned him. The chocolate actualy comes out quite a bit though. Iv even caught him chasing down baby guppies and swordtails (picuts food) in the middle of the day.As i speek hes out cruisng. My stiped seems to not get th golfball thing but my chocolate is constantly huge he truely does look like a golfball well not that bad but pretty fat.

lost_monkey · Post by **lost_monkey** » 01 Mar 2003, 18:28

i was wondering how these would do in an african cichlid set up (yellow labs) i really just wanna know if the slightly above neutral ph(7.4) and hardness would they handle it?

i used to keep one with my oscar but i lost that tank a while back

Sid Guppy · Post by **Sid Guppy** » 01 Mar 2003, 19:36

PLEASE DON'T MIX Riftcichlids and South American catfish (or most African riverines or Asians as well); I've seen it many times, and the outcome is always: dead catfishes, heavily mutilated, fins ripped off, eyes bitten out etc.
Yellow Labs are fairly peaceful as Mbuna's go; but a non-moving fish crammed into some hole is too much of a challenge, even for them; it HAS to be picked on....
Dorads make bad tankmates with African riftcichlids. And I'm not even talking waterparameters.
Plenty catfish for yellow Labs are pretty, easily available and up to the challenge too (used to cichlids!). They include:
Synodontis nyassee, S petricola, S polli, S multipunctatus, S tanganicae, S nigromaculatus, S granulosus, S victoriae, S afrofisheri, S atropersonatus and even riverines like S angelicus, S acanthomias, S eupterus, S nigrita, S schall, S robbianus, S notatus and S caudopunctatus; ALL Africans.
Some others from Africa are suited too: Lophiobagrus sp, Phyllonemus sp, the smaller Chrysichthys sp (at least some species formerly known as Gephyroglanis, like "G" sianenna from Lake Tanganyika). And the American hardwaterspecies (that come from the cichlid-infested waters of Central America): Rhamdia laticauda and R queleni.

lost_monkey · Post by **lost_monkey** » 01 Mar 2003, 22:04

thanks i won't then

why is cichlids so heavily cencered? well ill be lookin into those sugestions thanks