Mid-Level Cats for a SA tank?

Berger · Post by **Berger** » 12 Feb 2003, 01:12

I was wondering if anyone had any ideas for some mid-level cats for a south american tank?
I found some asian and african mid-level fish but nothing from s.a. and I was hoping to keep with the theme.

Thanks
Berger

Post by **Silurus** » 12 Feb 2003, 01:19

There are very few South America cats that are predominantly mid water fish (which is strange considering that Old World catfish diversity is lower and yet they have more midwater cats).
You can try whale cats (the blue ones...Cetopsis coecutiens), or slopehead cats (sometimes called gulper or bottlenose cats...Ageneiosus spp.), but the latter are highly predatory.

Zack · Post by **Zack** » 12 Feb 2003, 03:19

I havent ever really heard of any mid level cats from s.a. i have some pictus wich swim in the mid levels all the time. Well good luck.

robotron · Post by **robotron** » 12 Feb 2003, 11:43

I have some Amazon catfish that swim midwater through the night.I have a group of Ageneiosus Atronasus?that are among my favorite fish.They are smaller than most Ageneiosus at only 3".Great fish,they like eating frozen glassworms and freeze dried shrimp at the surface.Also I have a several Auchenipterid types that swim in midwater.They are Tatia (Centromochlus)Perugiae and Tatia Aulopygia.I used to have an Auchenipterichhys Thoracatus and a Trachelyopterus Exilis that would swim at midwater also.

Post by **Silurus** » 12 Feb 2003, 11:47

The problem with most auchenipterids is that they'll swim in midwater, but spend most of their time jammed inside some crevice otherwise.

Sid Guppy · Post by **Sid Guppy** » 12 Feb 2003, 12:23

there is a South American version of the Glass cat; the Auchenipterid Epapterus. Also the small Ageneiosinae Tocantinsia might be suitable (if it is ever imported at all)
But unfortunately it is almost never imported (I only saw them once; in 28 years), very rare, and very expensive too. This one might be suitable; but liuke Siluris says; Auchenipterids are very nocturnal.
I think the sole reason that there are more African mid water cats and even more Asians; simply because in South American there are so many Characins. (less in Africa, none in Asia). The barbs of Asia and Africa are most mid-lower dwellers (with exceptions like Barilius, Danio, Esomus etc), and thus leave a niche open to any other midwater dweller (hence Pangasius, Schilbe, Eutropius, Kryptopterus etc etc)

Achim · Post by **Achim** » 12 Feb 2003, 14:58

Hi,

Also the small Ageneiosinae Tocantinsia might be suitable (if it is ever imported at all)

Tocantinsia is afaik a Auchenipterinae genus, and it contains a very large species. The description of the species was based on juvenile fish.
About Tocantinsia :http://www.aqua-terra-net.de/Hydro/Sond ... tinsia.htm
Its in german, but all of you that don't speak german: take a look at the picture!
I keep Ageneiosus cf. atronasus and Centromochlus perugiae too. A. cf. atronasus is a midwaterfish, but sleeps the day between the plants, wood a.s.o.. C. perugiae is a very intersting cat, which can even be bred easily (i have about 80 youngsters at the moment). It breeds in small caves (i use pvc pipes) and the females(!) guard the eggs. The youg fish look like small Trachelyopterus and can be raised easily with Artemia and scraped frost-food (Like glassworms). C. perugiae is a very active swimmer on the watersurface during night.

Achim

Berger · Post by **Berger** » 12 Feb 2003, 20:13

thanks for the suggestions.

aren't there some mid-water cories aswell??

I'll look into the fish you suggested.

I forgot to say before but I have:

3 pictus
2 spotted corys
3 bronze corys
1 bristlenose pleco
1 spotted raphael cat

will any of the fish you guys suggested be aproblem with my current fish??

Berger

Post by **Silurus** » 12 Feb 2003, 20:50

There's a possibility that the Corydoras will end up as a snack for the Ageneiosus, size permitting.

Berger · Post by **Berger** » 13 Feb 2003, 04:57

ya when you guys started saying that I was concerned about my cories. My pictus beat up my smallest spotted cory..

robotron · Post by **robotron** » 13 Feb 2003, 09:39

The fish that I suggested would all be safe with your fish,I have kept Ageneiosus Atronasus,Centromochlus Perugiae,Tatia Aulopygia?,Auchenipterichthys Thoracatus,Trachelyichthys Exilis along with small Amblydoras,Microglanis and Corydoras,as well as small banjo cats.All of the fish I suggested are nocturnal,but so are most catfish.Never stopped me from enjoying them.The Agenesoids seem to hover in midwater like a group of tetras or rasboras,while the others swim constantly through the night.
I find that my pelagic asian(Ompok Pabda)and african(Eutropiellus Buffei)catfish prefer to swim midwater at night also.Perhaps these cats would be more active diurnally if the water was dark and murky with silt and tannins.Contrary to what I've read in some sources,my Synodontis Nigriventis prefer darkness also.Perhaps they'd choose to swim in the open if I failed to provide daytime hiding spaces or midnight snacks.I suspect that's why some people say that Eutropiellus or S.Nigriventis are visible during the day.Maybe I don't have large enough groups of these species.When I have guests look at my tanks,they ask "where are your fish?".This is probably the only time I am really discouraged by their nocturnal(or crepuscular)nature.Usually I kind of enjoy the irregular "sightings" of my catfishes.Kind of like finding a four leaf clover.

Chrysichthys · Post by **Chrysichthys** » 19 Feb 2003, 17:32

Dianema longibarbus and urostriata are peaceful midwater DIURNAL

S.A. catfish related to corys. Urostriata requires acidic soft water conditions. Hoplosternum also spend a good deal of time swimming midwater, but grow larger. Also diurnal.

S.A. Fish · Post by **S.A. Fish** » 22 Feb 2003, 15:34

Go with the whale cat if you can find one. I have one with festivum and rainbow cichlids a banjo cat and a black ghost knife and the whale gets along fine. He actually acts as a ditherfish and is constantly in motion. Very cool color too and peaceful. (His nostrils are bigger than his eyeballs lol)

Sid Guppy · Post by **Sid Guppy** » 22 Feb 2003, 18:43

Robotron; if you keep like 10 or more Eutropiellus,Neetropius or Physailia; they're constantly on the move, during the day; they get even less active during the night then...
I've kept some bagrid looking "yellow Pangasius" (Neetropius??) years ago; they were like guppies.
Dianema's are very cool cats; but shy; these too are much more in the open when you get at least 5, preferably more.
Hoplosternum littorale are always glued to the front, right in the middle; but unfortunately only the Giraffenose cat outdigs them; so you might get a messy tank. If you like small plants, forgo this fish.
Arius jordani is constantly on the move, but needs a big tank and salt.
If you haven't got any predators, a big shoal ->10- of Corydoras pygmaeus or hastatus is very much fun to watch; but they tend to do best when mixed with Aphyocharax/Hyphessobrycon/Hemigrammus characins; the same way Brachyrhamdia does better when kept with masked Corydoras species.

A free swimming nightprowler is the greatly underrated Helogenus marmoratus; a SURFACE-DWELLING catfish....during the day it likes to rest crammed in roots of floating plants like Oakleaffern or Floating Waterlettuce.