hi i need some advice

[terry lawrence]

hi i'm new to this forum i have just been given a 36"x18"x12" tank and i want too put some intresting cats in and i havent got a clue what to put in so can anybody tell me what cats 2 put in i like upside down cats ?

[Birger]

This would be a nice sized tank to have a group of

Synodontis nigriventris

Together with

Pareutropius buffei

Or a Tanganyikan tank with a group of

Synodontis lucipinnis

as the main inhabitants.

Any of the smaller syno's would do okay in this tank...smaller being 10- 12 cm or less.The ones suggested above are usually available.

Welcome to PC

Birger

[terry lawrence]

thanks for that i've been asking on practical fish keeping and they just keep saying get brochis splendens and i already have five in my other tank they just mess you around over there this forum is much better i must say .And thank you for the advice i am going to see my local fish shop next week to order some syno nigriventis and some pareutropius thanks

[Richard B]

hi i'm new to this forum i have just been given a 36"x18"x12" tank and i want too put some intresting cats in and i havent got a clue what to put in so can anybody tell me what cats 2 put in i like upside down cats ?

Welcome o Planet Catfish

Birger makes a great suggestion above as the fish he mentions are available & "inexpensive"

However, there are loads of species out there: some are very expensive, some are seldom seen & the most imporant thing is your personal preference!

It's a nice size tank to start with so some other suggestions.....

20 corydoras (same species) of your choice with a good shoal of small tetras.
Half a dozen

Megalechis thoracata

& have a go at breeding them.
A group of

Doras punctatus

.
Some Hara sp along with a shoal of

Kryptopterus minor

.
Maybe a dozen

Mystus bimaculatus

.

there really is a massive choice - a lot depends on what you want from a fish - a group of corys, bristlenoses etc should provide breeding success, but do you want fish that hide away or are active & frequently seen, drab brown or with an attractive pattern etc etc

[terry lawrence]

i would like some active cats with nice patterinig and a chance too breed

[Richard B]

i would like some active cats with nice patterinig and a chance too breed

I think the most likely suggestion is a group of corydoras - there are plenty of species available, many with nice patterns that aren't too difficult to breed. If you look through cat-e-log there are most of the species there & you can see which are easily bred.

The only other alternative i think, is the previously mentioned s.Lucipinnis

[sidguppy]

Phyllonemus typus hasn't got patterning, but sheer beauty and in this tanksize you can easily keep and breed it

it has very advanced parental care, including mouthbreeding and swapping of fry

as breeding behaviour goes, there are few if any catfish that have evolved as far as this one.


if Tanganyikan cats are not to your liking, you could go for a Sturisoma or even better one of the smaller Rineloricaria species.
these too have breeding care, they're available at many shops and they're quite visible.

often they breed right on the front window....you can follow the development of the eggs with a looking glass!

there are a fe "dwarf' Rineloricaria's, for example R beni.
another nice Rineloricaria is the lanceolata with it's dark contrasting pattern

and then there's a whole bunch of smaller 4-5" Ancistrus and Hypancistrus species that can be kept and bred in this tanksize

an advantage of breeding anything with an L number attached to it is that you will get rid of any fry.
breeding weird catfish that nobody wants is a bugger in the end, cause you'll end up with a lot of unwanted fish......

[870critters]

I think I have an R. Beni and would like to find some more. I've been looking everywhere!! does anyone know of someone in the US that might be breeding or have some for sale? I'd love to share a photo with anyone that could comfirm this is what I have! It's just a little bigger than my Red Whiptails but smaller than my R. Parva.

[Birger]

870critters...you will probably get better results first by putting your picture of your fish in the identification forum where you could find out what it is you have...then once you know what you have use the wanted and for sale forum to see if there are any available to you in your part of the world.

That will also keep this thread from going off on a tangent.

Birger

[Phyllonemus]

I fully agree with Sidguppy, acc to P-Typus.
I have my first P-Typus for 5 months now, en they started of breeding

They are realy not that difficult to keep, and mostly evening/night active.