Striped rapheal catfish

[Red tail catfish]

Are striped rapheal catfish compatble with larger cichlids?

[MatsP]

Within reason, I'd say so. Obviously depends a bit on how "large" you refer to by "larger" - there are some Cichla species that reach the best part of a meter (nearing 3ft), which would probably be a bit "annoying" to all but the very largest specimens.

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Mats

[Red tail catfish]

By large I mean 12-14 inches.

[MatsP]

Should be OK - you do need a good place for it to hide, where the cichlids can't get in.

I'm moving this subject to "South America Catifshes (everything else)", as Raphael cats are not Callichthyidae.

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Mats

[Bas Pels]

froom personal experience, I've kept my 3 for 24 years with large cichlids

Heros, Geophagus, Petenia, Vieja, Parachromis - they have seen them all

[Red tail catfish]

Also what kind of food is best for them?

[bigamefish]

Also what kind of food is best for them?

Sinking pellets! If you didn't have the big cichlids flakes would be ok but I assume they would get eaten by the cichlids before they had the chance to reach the bottom! As every other carnivorous they go crazy for blood worms and frozen treats like that!

[Bas Pels]

I fed the cichlids floating pellets, which they crushed in their mouth - and quite a lot of debris went out through the gill slits.

So I got the raphaels to clean the sand - and that was plenty. I'd say they eat anything, but by now I know in most cases catfish 'hired' to feed on left overs don't get enugh to eat.

So my example - which worked out nicely - might better not be followed, unless one follows it precisely. And as I now know I also had too much cichlids in the tank (mind you, I got the fish 24 years, so this was all 24 years back) I would not advise this