PlanetCatfish.com

HI,
I am new to this form and i have been mostly collecting catfish in my 65 gallon tank. I have 2 pictus catfish's, a raphael catfish, a shark cat, and just recently i added these two interesting agressive asian red tail catfish. I would really like to know more about these fish and how to care for them better. Including better foods, water temp,ect. Anything you know would be greatly thanked. Also methods for making these fish get a little bigger seeing i have had them for a while and they have not grown much feeding them just shrimp pellets. Oh i also have an irradecent shark and i was wondering if he was a catfish.

OTHER FISH
2 black sharks
2 gloden guiromes
rainbow shark
craw fish

russ15 wrote:HI,
I am new to this form and i have been mostly collecting catfish in my 65 gallon tank. I have 2 pictus catfish's, a raphael catfish, a shark cat, and just recently i added these two interesting agressive asian red tail catfish. I would really like to know more about these fish and how to care for them better. Including better foods, water temp,ect. Anything you know would be greatly thanked. Also methods for making these fish get a little bigger seeing i have had them for a while and they have not grown much feeding them just shrimp pellets. Oh i also have an irradecent shark and i was wondering if he was a catfish

The irridescent catfish is a catish -

Asian redtail catfish are not a good fish to keep in aquaria - they get large & ideally need a tank twice the length of the fish times four times the length of the fish (as an adult - this means 8x4 foot). More importantly they are EXTREMELY aggressive when they start to get bigger, more often than not, to the point of killing all other tankmates. Other forum posters will say similar things - personally i wouldn't touch these with a bargepole.

Oh no that does not sound good... well thank you very much for your helpful info

But just to make sure we are talking about the same fish here is a video of what he is because their are red tail's that look like them to

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FrHT88Hp_g

russ15 wrote:But just to make sure we are talking about the same fish here is a video of what he is because their are red tail's that look like them to

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FrHT88Hp_g

it's only a little one but it is the devil in piscine form! aka - quote from cat-e-log "Not compatible with other fishes due to its nasty disposition. Many claim that H. wyckioides is the most aggressive freshwater fish in the world. Given this fish's ability to bite, it is not even safe with tank mates too large to swallow since it will simply take bites out them." It gets to 3 feet long plus the tail - it is not too bad when it's little but rapidly becomes really nasty.

wow this does not sound good... not good at all so i figure than even though they don't leave their cave once they get bigger they will adapt their aggressiveness because now they are showing signs of friendly tank mates lol.

they will adapt their aggressiveness because now they are showing signs of friendly tank mates

Don't count on it.

In fact I would rethink the stocking of your 65g entirely, you will have a lot more success long term with compatible tankmates.

The Pangasius has no place in a home aquarium - it grows too large and will not live more than a few sad years, because it is not adapted in any respect to being confined in a small box.

The shark catfish () is also unsuitable as it requires saltwater as it matures. Your other fish would not appreciate that.

I would take the above fishes back to where you bought them and concentrate on the smaller species. Your are a shoaling fish and would enjoy some more company.

yes, i was thinking of returning my fish my i really like a ID shark and the shark cat is given aquarium salt already and the pet store around my area say its good for all fish because it reduces stress and keeps the water better. I have no idea i am just starting out. thank you for your helpful information though!

I have no idea i am just starting out. thank you for your helpful information though!

It can be daunting when you start out, especially when people tell you different things. Good internet forums (like this one) are a great place to learn, as any bad advice can be corrected.

In my experience 9 out 10 people that work in aquarium stores have no idea how to keep fish. Sad but true. Wages just aren't high enough to retain intelligent and knowledgeable staff.

the shark cat is given aquarium salt already and the pet store around my area say its good for all fish because it reduces stress and keeps the water better.

Sadly this is totally incorrect. Aquarium salt should never be added to a tank of healthy fish. They do not need it, and it actually causes them long term stress. It does have specific uses however, such as when treating for example fungal infections in quarantine, or when reducing nitrite toxicity in a new setup.

Also, aquarium salt is not what is required by the shark catfish. They require marine/sea salt, which is a completely different type of salt.

Have a read here about setting up a new aquarium.

Cool little fish though that red tail.
Racoll and Richard are right though you should take those fish back and I would rant at them as well, you have enough fish, when fully grown to feed a whole village in a 65g tank. I also wouldn't go back to that fish shop again either unless it is to buy food.
Hopefully someone more experienced will pick up these catfish otherwise I think we will see them again and answer the same questions when some other unsuspecting new starter buys them.
By the way the best thing you can do for long term care of fishies you have already done.......joined planet catfish, you can pretty much learn anything you want about almost any fish on this site and you've already met two of the most helpfull guys on here.
Good luck, and try and read more before you buy anymore fish, you cannot trust fish store assistants, when you find a good one they are great, most are crap but mostly through innocent ignorance.

Matt

On top of what the others have said, Asian Red-Tails have been known to attack their owners. I used to have one which I trained to eat from my fingers. Bad idea! If I put my hand in the tank without offering food, it would bite my fingers instead.

And another cautionary tale. When I bought the Red-Tail (which was about 4 inches long then), somebody accidently took it home after it was bagged up at the shop for me. They had to put it in their tank without knowing what it was. They brought it back the next day, but in the meantime it had a nice midnight snack of neon tetras.

And then there was the one at the Goldfish Bowl in Oxford. They had it in a tank of parrot cichlids. I warned them that this was asking for trouble. Things seemed okay for a while, but then it suddenly went on a rampage. It took a hostage! Grabbed a cichlid in its jaws and wouldn't release it. They had to use force to pull it out. (The cichlid did survive the ordeal, though).

The only fish I know of that is safe to keep with a Red-Tail is .

The only fish I know of that is safe to keep with a Red-Tail is Megalodoras uranoscopus

And then you are talking about big tanks, BIG filtration and big feeding bill.

Matt

racoll wrote:They require marine/sea salt, which is a completely different type of salt.

In nature, these fishes will breed in fresh-water rivers, and then migrate to the sea. They not only require marine salt, but they also require it to be at least close to proper marine conditions. And unfortunately, they do no go well with tropical marine fish either, as the "reef" type setups that you'd see in a marine tank will be seen as lunch, dinner and breakfast - plus you need a pretty darn big tank for a group of these.

--
Mats