Calophysus macropterus/ vulture catfish

catfishcrazy · Post by **catfishcrazy** » 18 Oct 2003, 06:57

Any one have experience in keeping this fish? I have the chance to buy one but cant seem to find any info about keeping them. It would be going into a 200 gallon tank with a 72"x30" footprint and would be sharing with a pair of adult Sorubim lima, a Australian arowana, 3 polypterus species,a siamese tiger fish, some large earth eater cichlids and a some medium sized cats (Hoplosternum, Agamyxis and various medium sized loricarids). I know roughly what size they will reach but need to know about temperment and how they react to tankmates, the fish i would be getting is around 7" at present.

Thanks in advance on any info, Dean

magnum4 · Post by **magnum4** » 18 Oct 2003, 22:49

I can't see any problems with what you intend i just hope you have some very big filters and possibly another tank in the future to split the load. In my experience C. macropterus it's not what i class as aggressive. Having said that i would not trust a full size one with Hoplosternum and Agamyxis.

catfishcrazy · Post by **catfishcrazy** » 19 Oct 2003, 08:49

Thanks for that, the tank has a 40 gallon sump and a large eheim external cannister for filtration which should be more than adequate so i cant see any problems there, also if a planned move goes ahead next year then i will be upgrading the tank to a tank with a 96x 42 footprint.
Is it likely that the vulture cat will try to eat medium sized armour plated catfish? Its not a problem as they can be moved to other tanks but it would leave me lacking my efficient clean up crew. What size would tankmates need to be before they stop looking like lunch?
Oh and i forgot to mention there is 4 large Bala sharks in the tank as well, will these be safe? It will only be for the short term as i dont think theyll survive the 150 mile move next year and will rehome them before it happens (the cats i will be taking with me).

Anyone else have any experience with this catfish? Or are so rare or evil that no one has kept them?

Post by **Silurus** » 19 Oct 2003, 11:05

Is it likely that the vulture cat will try to eat medium sized armour plated catfish?

This depends on the size of the vulture cat. A full-grown one might, but you aren't probably going to get a full-grown one, so they should be safe.

Oh and i forgot to mention there is 4 large Bala sharks in the tank as well, will these be safe?

Ditto.

Or are so rare or evil that no one has kept them?

They are not very aggressive, certainly not any more than a tiger shovelnose, say. Just not particularly common.

AlexG · Post by **AlexG** » 19 Oct 2003, 15:31

Hi guys ,

IÂ´ve got a Callophysus and must say that it is a very nice cat .
If u have seen how a RTC is eating then u know how a Callophysus eats . Like a pig !
But it is not very aggressive and did never ate a feederfish .

So it did look like when it was small :

catfishcrazy · Post by **catfishcrazy** » 19 Oct 2003, 15:55

Hmm, all this comparing to TSN's and RTC's is getting me worried, i certainly wouldnt add either of those to my tank.
So whats the bottom line here, is the fish a extreem piscavor which will eat everything in my tank if i add it or will it be able to co-exist happily with my other large(ish) fish?
I was expecting a maximum size of 20 to 24 inches which i would have thought too small to be eating fish over 8", am i completely wrong here? I certainly dont want to be buying a fish that in 3 years time is going to need a huge tank in which it is the sole inhabitant as the fish i already have need a big enough tank themselves.

Post by **Silurus** » 19 Oct 2003, 16:14

The final verdict should be: go ahead and keep one. Your other fish should not be harmed.

magnum4 · Post by **magnum4** » 19 Oct 2003, 17:31

I agree with hoek hee the largest i've ever owned was about 15''. NOT in the same league as TSN or RTC.

catfishcrazy · Post by **catfishcrazy** » 19 Oct 2003, 17:44

magnum4 wrote:I agree with hoek hee the largest i've ever owned was about 15''. NOT in the same league as TSN or RTC.

The shop that has the small one for sale has one of their own as a pet which is about 20" but unfortunately none of the staff know anything about the fish other than it eats small fish. Im glad its not in the same league as the big predators, i love unusual catfish but not enough to give a 6ft+ tank to a single specimin, looks like ill be off to the shop to collect him soon

Thanks guys, your help has been appreciated.

coelacanth · Post by **coelacanth** » 19 Oct 2003, 19:10

A member of the CSG had one of these for a long time, and it was housed with other medium-sized fish without any problems that I remember. A really nice fish, not so big that there would be welfare issues in the home aquarium. Still requires at least a 6ft aquarium, but certainly not in the same league as TSNs and RTCs.

Stevetd · Post by **Stevetd** » 16 Mar 2004, 13:47

Dean,

It might be best to exercise a little caution, as the Vulture Cat is capable of attacking tank-mates, or anything it might interpret as food. They are armed with a fine set of teeth, enabling it to devour other fish, particularly when placed in a small shoal - distantly similar to the behavoiur of Pirhana.

A species tank would probably be the safest bet - but they are worth it.

Calophysus macropterus/ vulture catfish

Calophysus macropterus/ vulture catfish

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