Hinding places for catfish (10")

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kiwidu21
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Hinding places for catfish (10")

Post by kiwidu21 »

Hello,

Following my subject of Synodontis granulosus breeding project, I ask him questions about the layout of the tank and in particular about the hiding places.

I usually use roots for my other catfish but having never had cats this big and living in hard water, it makes it difficult for me.

As it comes from Lake Tanganyika (therefore pH between 8.5 and 9.2), I thought of making an arrangement of rocks but given the size of the tank (1400l, lxWxh 240 x 71 x 86 centimeters), making piles of rocks risks taking lots of places for few hiding places and a greater risk of breakage if a pebble falls and breaks the glass.

As the granny catfish is not the only one with this size (and it is even small compared to others), so I wanted to know how you do to provide hiding places for your fish?

I have seen that some use terracotta pots or even bamboo but I don't find that very attractive and the risk of changing the pH must be taken into account.

I had the idea of ​​taking roots and resining them with epoxy resin in order to avoid the release of tannins and the modification of the pH, but will they sink if I proceed this way?
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Re: Hinding places for catfish (10")

Post by fishguy1978 »

PVC pipe can be used too.
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Re: Hinding places for catfish (10")

Post by Bas Pels »

I once played host for a group during the summer. The owner came with a set of drainage pipes. The tank may not have looked very beautiful, but it did work.

I would not suggest making a 1400 l tank ugly, but you might be able to put in a few pipes or so, and than cover the whole up with a few beautiful stones, creating even more hiding places

I would suggest, however to use a few large flat stones as deviders. Putting them vertically, they could help a lot deviding the tank, keeping them out of sight of each other. I mean with large mare than two third of the tank height as length and width.

Don´t be afraid of using a lot of material, it is vitually inmpossible to have too much hiding places.

But yes, using wood, unless very long used in tanks, would be a bad idea. That would make your water acidic, and lake Tanganjica has a high pH.
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Re: Hinding places for catfish (10")

Post by aquaholic »

Not aesthetically pleasing but comforting to fish and easy to maintain, I use PVC pipe in several variations:
1) Three lengths of PVC in a triangular - double layer arrangement, all parallel. 2 pieces at bottom base, 1 piece above. If the fish is predatory, the top piece is shorter providing clear easy access to bottom caves. If the species is prey/easily frightened, the top piece is longer and overhangs the bottom caves to create a dark shadow over entrance. Most are left open each end but can try capping one end.

2) Four short lengths of PVC with 2 at bottom and 2 at top but aligned ninety degrees. Useful for territorial species as this breaks line of sight. If very high stocking rates are used, this can extend to three or four levels with extra pieces of pipe but the base needs to be screwed to a slate tile to prevent falling over.

3) A large diameter (150mm) pipe with several different diameters (15mm, 25mm, 40mm etc) jammed inside. Multiple caves are created between adjacent pipes as well as inside each pipe. Very useful for fish that like crevices.

4) Use the ribbed black french drain/agricultural pipe in similar configurations to above but this floats so you have surface caves. Can also use plastic flowers pots (float) if you want dead end caves.

Terra cotta pots and slate tile are easily cut and glued to create caves but can be heavy and hard to clean around.
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Re: Hinding places for catfish (10")

Post by kiwidu21 »

Thank you for your answers.

I had seen the PVC tubes but they are unattractive. I know that on this kind of fish it is better to focus on layout rather than aesthetics, but the problem is that the tank will be in the living room (the only place possible given its size, a room which is very quiet in my home and with little passage).

If I use PVC tubing, what diameter do you recommend? The fish must be able to turn around in it.

I have also seen that some attach wire mesh to the tubes (or sand them to make them rough) and hang epiphytic plants and mosses to camouflage the PVC tubes. Is this a good or bad idea in your opinion?
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Re: Hinding places for catfish (10")

Post by Bas Pels »

I had drainage tubes, being some 10 cm diameter. You might want to look at them in France, perhaps they are far less ugly then PVC
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Re: Hinding places for catfish (10")

Post by aquaholic »

I find PVC pipe and terracotta pots/caves/pipe all very artificial visually and both equally ugly but all of my tanks are in purpose built fish sheds. It's more important for me to maintain tank cleanliness and able to monitor fish health - behaviours - feeding. I have quite a few tanks. So my experiences may not suit.

If fish are able to turn around, I suggest the caves are far too big but it's easy and best to provide lots of choice and let the fish decide. It's easy to coat your caves with silicon sealant and roll in sand or gravel. Use lots of silicon as the sand and gravel will fall out over time. You can paint or dye PVC. Dip in acetone first.

If you want to cut large terracotta pots, soak them overnight and use a concrete saw (diamond blade) on an angle grinder. I use a black marker pen to draw cut lines to follow. Soaked pots are much softer to cut and create less dust. If you don't have an angle grinder, drill a series of holes with a narrow masonry drill bit and "crack open" with a blunt chisel & hammer. Similar with slate tiles. Or find a clay - ceramic store with kiln. Internet will be full of fish cave making suggestions and instruction.
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kiwidu21
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Re: Hinding places for catfish (10")

Post by kiwidu21 »

I found this style of tray that could match. I could of course add other elements to create new hiding places even if this style already offers quite a few. For example, I could add a maze of PVC pipes underneath.
Are there any stones to avoid with catfish?
I will of course file the edges to avoid the risk of injury.
As my water is at 7.2 pH, which stones are recommended to increase this apart from the famous hole stones used in Malawi?

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Re: Hinding places for catfish (10")

Post by Bas Pels »

Nice setup, I tried it myself once. After a while, I got a lot of debreis settling in the caves, in the end I took them down - you might want to have some water flowing though them to prevent this.

I would recommend haiving some of the slate standing verically, picture 1 clearly has 1 large area where everyone can see everyone - perfect for Mbuna, for other fish not. Try to get places where one cannot see what happens in opther areas - obviously with a few excape routes.

With regard to the stones used - anything with chalk will stabilize the water the way you will want it. Stones are not often poisonous, but I once found very nice, orange/reddish stones which turned out to infouence the fishes badly. Stay clear from brightly colored stones, and you are almost certain to be free of risks.
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kiwidu21
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Re: Hinding places for catfish (10")

Post by kiwidu21 »

I was thinking more of the style of the second photo, it would allow several caves to be made without the fish seeing each other.
The problem of waste accumulation I thought about it but there are not many solutions. If there is a fish in a cave, in theory it should evacuate the waste by moving (small current created by the fins and the tail which would eject the waste). Otherwise I can always find a way to pass from time to time with a hose to suck up the waste, but this risks disturbing and stressing the fish.

For stones, it is especially at the level of metals. If I remember correctly, iron and lead-based rocks are very harmful, but are there others and how do you recognize them?
The advantage of slate is that we are pretty sure that it is not dangerous but it will be more complicated to find thick pieces.
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