PlanetCatfish.com

Well I picked up that "Gulper" Cat from the LFS and had a chance to really look at it while he was in the bag and it turns out to be an Ompok sp.!
Now, Im not big on Asian fishes but there are a few that peak my interest.
I plan on setting up a biotope for him but im not sure how to go about doing such(swamp, river, lake, etc)?.
I would also like to include some tankmates (probably a few more Ompok) but again Im not sure what shares habitat with him.
Channa would certainly be at the top of my list of tolerable Asian fish(My luck will be that the the only Channa sharing habitat will be the monsterous demonic beastly species But theres always hope for dwarf!).
Any help would be greatly appreciated!

The Ompok that is most frequently available in the aquarium trade is O. krattensis (often identified as O. bimaculatus), which are found in fairly swift, clear streams with predominantly rocky or gravelly bottoms. They are fairly adaptable fish and don't really need a strong current in the aquarium (although one would be nice).
As for dwarf Channa species living in the same biotope, you're in luck. Channa limbata (often misidentified as C. gachua) is a small species that maxes out at 7" or so that is usually found in similar habitats. These are sometimes imported for the aquarium trade (at least I have seen them being exported in Indonesia and Thailand, but I have never really encountered one so far here in the US).
Let me know if you need a list of other fishes found in the same habitat. I have collected this species during my previous field work and can give you more detailed info.

WOW a fish that actually needs a stony substrate!
Would Pea Gravel(frome Home Depot, Wal Mart, etc) work well? Is it pretty close to the natural substrate? Anything I can do to make it closer?
What about structure in their habitat? Large rocks? Rock piles? Driftwood?

It figures that there would be a dwarf but that it would be unobtainable!
I would love a list of other fish from its habitat!

Thanks for all the info!(I feel like im thanking you all too often )

Brown gravel or coarse-grained sand would be fine. The fish habitat largely consist of open areas of swift-running water, punctuated with the odd driftwood and vegetation bank (usually of a grass-type plant like Blyxa). As far as I recall, there weren't any large rocks in the streams.
As for the fishes that are found in the same habitat, here's a list just off the top of my head:
Barbs/Rasboras/Minnows:
Puntius binotatus
P. orphoides
Rasbora dusonensis
Catfishes:
Batasio havmolleri
Spiny eels:
Macroganthus maculatus
Mastacembelus favus
This is just off the top of my head and I can probably come up with more names if I consult my notes. I have also left out smaller fishes (like Esomus and loaches) as they will eventually become a snack for the Ompok.

I would love an exstensive list of fish sharing habitat with the Ompok!
Hopefully i'll get a chance to post pics later on to get a positive ID.
You mentioned Eels as possible tankmates namely Mastacembelus favus its common name being the tire track eel.
My LFS get these in from time to time, is it likely that will be the species I will run into or is there a more common relative also sold as the tire track?
What about the rest of the possible tankmates, How obtainable are they here in the US?

Again and as always!
Thanks for the help Heok!

My LFS get these in from time to time, is it likely that will be the species I will run into or is there a more common relative also sold as the tire track?

There is a 50% chance that you might get M. armatus instead, but the two species are basically similar enough in their needs that it shouldn't matter.

What about the rest of the possible tankmates, How obtainable are they here in the US?

I have seen B. havmolleri from time to time (the most recent being on Aquabid about one or two months back), and both P. binotatus and R. dusonensis show up frequently enough.

A more complete list of fishes:
Barbs/Rasboras/Minnows
Cyclocheilichthys apogon
Hampala macrolepidota
Labiobarbus lineatus
Luciosoma setigerum
Mystacoleucus marginatus
Osteochilus hasseltii
Puntius lateristriga
Rasbora elegans
Loaches:
Homaloptera orthogoniata
Acantopsis choirorhynchos
Catfishes:
Silurichthys schneideri
Needlefishes:
Xenentodon canciloides
Pipefishes:
Doryichthys martensii
Left out those I already mentioned.

Amazing Info Heok! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!!!

Few more questions!
The needlefish, Theres two species and only the one(X. Cancila) seems to be available anywhere.
Are both found in this biotope?

Do you have any good Asian importer hook ups?
Know of anywhere I can find the rarer fish on this list?

Again Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Needlefishes are notoriously difficult to identify accurately. The real X. cancila comes from India, so if the ones available to you come from Southeast Asia (say Thailand), you are more likely to get X. canciloides. AFAIK, X. canciloides is a whole mess of several species that no one seems interested in working out at the moment.
Sorry, can't help you with importers, as I can't seem to find anyone interested in bringing a good selection of Asian fish regularly here in the US. I know exporters, but that isn't going to help much.
I have seen some of the fish (not necessarily the rarer ones....I know some of these are almost impossible to get) offered on Aquabid from time to time. You might get lucky there.

Thanks For the info Heok, I think ill pick up a small school of needles the next time I see them.

Well the lil Ompok sure has no problems eating!
I dropped in an earthworm for my Bichir (lights are on mind you! Normally he glues himself to the drfitwood until they go off.) and The Cat had it swallowed down before the Bichir even knew it had hit the water!

Whats the growth rate on these guys?
Right now I'd say hes around 4-5".

Ompok aren't too difficult to feed. My 6-incher is happily eating shrimp pellets at the moment. I don't think they grow very much once they reach abut 6" in the aquarium, though. Mine hasn't seemed to grow any longer in 6 months or so.