PlanetCatfish.com

Hello everyone. I am new to this sight tonight. I have been a big lover of catfish for a very long time. I am not an expert by any means. there is always more to learn. My husdband brought home a cat i can not seem to identify. The pet store had him labeled as a prehistoric cat he said. I cant find a pic of a prehistoric that i think matches him anywere. Does anyone have any idea's. At first i was excited when i looked at him i thought it was a rip saw but the moth is all wrong. I know he's in the croaker family because he croaked his little but of when we were puttin him in the tank....lol. poor little guy.

That's him.....Thank you so much. I read the info on this sight but i didnt' see anything on their size. Do you know how big they get? I have him currently in a 90 then when if he gets to big for that we have a 180 set up as well.

Size is on the cat-eLog page. You must have missed it.

These fish reach over one metre in length.

I just read the artical about these guys on the websight and I see that at 5 1/2 yrs one was 36"....wow. Guess I'll be expanding my pond. How well do they winter. My pond is currently 4 1/2 foot deep. Our plans next summer are to expand the size and depth of it to at a minimal of 5 1/2 foot deep. I see they are from south america, do you think they would be healthy in there in an upstate new your winter?

do you think they would be healthy in there in an upstate new your winter?

Afraid not. They will die. The water needs to be of tropical temperature (i.e. >70F).

I guess i'll be in the market for a giant fish tank then. lol. Wich was already going to happen anway. What would be the minimum tank size for this guy, a blue channel, a red tail, and i would like to get a niger some day. All 3 of the them are baby's but i know i will be getting a very very large tank in the near future for them. What is the adaquat size i should be looking for?

What would be the minimum tank size for this guy, a blue channel, a red tail, and i would like to get a niger some day.

You could probably get by with something a bit smaller as they grow, but as they approach adult sizes you will be looking at building something like the link below. At 36' feet long, this tank would be about six times the body length of your redtail. By comparison, this would be like keeping a one inch Corydoras in a six inch long tank. It would meet the bare minimum to keep the fish alive, but certainly far from an ideal habitat.
-Shane

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWHSbu6kLwk&feature=fvw

Shane, great example video of the financial requirements needed to maintain these catfishes. Maybe it should go on the big cats sticky?

Is it me, or am I the only person unimpressed by these colossal tank constructions? Engineering-wise they are amazing, but the end result to me is quite disappointing: a murky enclosure containing a demented menagerie of pick 'n mix tankbusters. Other than the initial novelty, I see no long-term interest, either aesthetically or biologically.

I would rather spend a tenth of the money on a modest, but well equipped fishroom.

I have to admit i am more into the very large (but clear) aquariums. I love large cat fish and to see them relaxed and swimming around is theraputic. I agree though most of the giant tank builds are very merky and unpleasing. I would have guessed they would be clearer due to the water valume but I guess not. I have yet to see any custom build with clear water.

I have kept this species in the past, eventually ending up with 2 huge cats; 1 that neared 40 cm and the other slighty bigger than 1 foot

they cannot be kept like a Red Tail, because their behavior is completely different.

for 8 months of the year this is a docile slowmoving catfish that's very peaceful and only disruptive because of its size.
it also devours anything vegetable in there; even the hardiest plants are eaten and species that should be inedible (crptocoryne, nyphaea, crinum) are just fodder.

however, the other 4 months......

this is a migratory fish!
it's very powerful too and it's heartbreaking to see them swimming 24/7 against the current, against each other against your hands, anything.....
once september is under way it gets the urge to migrate.
the level of activity is surprising; and you end up with a "bulky spiny Pangasius" lookalike.

so a tank that's just 6x the length won't cut it at all.
you need a home made miniature heated Mississippin river or something.

I traded mine eventually. hated to do so, because it's such a nice fish and quite tame too.
but not really suited for any tank, once the hormones start to itch.

I will definatly keep all that in mind. Thank you. The last thing i want is for them to be unhappy or uncomfortable. My local fish stor has a contract with our local zoo so when he gets to big to be comfy with me I have no dought they can help me get him a bigger home. I honestly and happy that he ended up with me instead of someone else in the lfs that didn't know how to care for them. I spoil my fish more then my kids. He will be cared for then properly homed. Thank you for everything. Now I can studdy the species and learn how to properly care for him.

He will be cared for then properly homed.

I think what sidguppy is saying, is that for this species, "properly homed" = in the Amazon river.

I have never seen one myself sized up to 1 meter; but mine were slightly bigger than 1 foot and way too active for a 2 meter tank; i think if they ever had reached 2 feet, they'd be way too active for a 3 meter tank

and they grow fast!
my first was a by catch; a tiny grey 2" catfish that got in with a shipment of platydoras armatulus

i took it home and within 2 years i had a 1 foot monster weighing several ounces

I think if I had a bigger tank, the growthrate would have been even higher.

luv4scjjt wrote:I agree though most of the giant tank builds are very merky and unpleasing. I would have guessed they would be clearer due to the water valume but I guess not. I have yet to see any custom build with clear water.

I think it's often a problem with the choice of lighting. The only lamps really capable of illuminating a tank like that is metal halide lamps (and a lot of it), but often the builders seem to opt for fluorescents (lacks penetration) or halogen (ugly). I suppose they opt for weak lights because it's easier to control the light than the nutrient levels in a tank with large predators, and strong light plus nutrients equals algal pea soup.

Welcome from a former neighbor (10 years in Rochester, NY). We share the same passion, looks like.

luv4scjjt wrote:What would be the minimum tank size for this guy, a blue channel, a red tail, and i would like to get a niger some day

It obviously depends on who you ask. Without any desire to pick any battles, I'd say that for this (odd by strict school of thought, to which I do not belong) collection, I'd aim for 10,000-20,000 gal (for average adults, not champions, not dwarfs). Redtails hardly ever reach 6'. Vast majority of them (kept responsibly) do not reach 4.5' TL. IMHO, the 52,000 gal tank in Shane's link, is as close to ideal as it gets (in captivity, private owner).

racoll wrote:Is it me, or am I the only person unimpressed by these colossal tank constructions? Engineering-wise they are amazing, but the end result to me is quite disappointing: a murky enclosure containing a demented menagerie of pick 'n mix tankbusters. Other than the initial novelty, I see no long-term interest, either aesthetically or biologically. I would rather spend a tenth of the money on a modest, but well equipped fishroom.

I think it is largely a matter of taste but I suggest starting a new thread on this. There is surely an important biological component but we all compromise in all aspects of our lives. I respect you much Racoll but the verbiage you are using describes almost exactly what I do. So, you are not of high opinion of what I do. That's is fine. We can agree to disagree. Now, I think I understand your comment about my project not focusing on fish better - I know you are trying to help and you probably think it'd be better for me not to focus on fish but on building pretty water features and on servicing people.

BTW, call me demented - I am pleased, truly... and used to it. Call my friend Michael Bryce such (the owner of the said 52,000 gal tank) - that makes me unhappy. Granted you most clearly indicated that is your opinion, the words are harsh... Or I am overreacting... what else is new?

Interesting points about merkiness, lighting, etc. I've seen pleee-enty of big tanks in public places. Not merky at all (regardless of the lighting - some bright, others dim) but then they are usually less populated/more balanced.

Viktor Jarikov wrote: BTW, call me demented - I am pleased, truly... and used to it. Call my friend Michael Bryce such (the owner of the said 52,000 gal tank) - that makes me unhappy. Granted you most clearly indicated that is your opinion, the words are harsh... Or I am overreacting... what else is new?

Viktor, you have correctly pointed out that my comments were both unnecessarily negative, and poorly worded. I certainly didn't mean to cause any offence. Sincere apologies.

This old girl(guess) was at the Baltimore Aquarium. Not even entirely certain of the species now but I think it is a granulosus.
I thought it was getting close to max size.
That was a good size pacu beside.

I'd say it's a good ol' Oxydoras niger.

Haha...yes me to, been spending to much time on African cats.