gwa84 gwa84
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  • Posted on: 10/6/2008 23:03
catfish/bottom feeder sugestions #1
hi all re my fire mouths and kribs +blue acara tank soon to be set up eny suggestions of catfish bottom feeders/clean up crew suitable for a 4 foot tank with the above inhabitance
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longhairedgit longhairedgit
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  • Posted on: 11/6/2008 0:36
Re: catfish/bottom feeder sugestions #2
Blue acaras and firemouths both have a persecutory streak, so no cories or anything similar. Myself, I have a love of doradids, so a chocolate raphael would do, synos are little toughies sometimes but, still a bit soft bodied, shrimp will be eaten no matter how big, so theyre out. A good omnivorous plec might fit the bill. Basically anything with armour that has sense enough to stay mostly hidden by day will be best. Woodcats might be secretive enough as long as theres decent cover. Some of the smaller bagrids could work, their habit of shifting detritus very handy, but if they go 24 hour active on you as many bagrids will in captivity, the dayshift will be a misery for them. A larger pimelodid might work, but pictus will get chased, their rather neurotic swimming style will attract attention, and nips.They tend to panic straight out of cichlid territories and back in again seconds later, thusly ensuring they get a beating.

Basically estimate on a blue acara dominating a 40 gallon completely, so whatever catfish goes in is best off low profile, armoured, and sedentary so it wont mind being excluded from at least a cubic foot of tankspace at one end. Anything highly mobile thats swims compulsively will cop for it when passing through acara nestsites. Even then black halved drainpipes would be a good idea, making for a refuge that an acara can neither see through nor enter.

Even in nature many catfish have to tolerate aggressive cichlids, and they do so primarily by avoidance and by working the nightshift, bedding down for the days, so if you can find something that fits that niche, go for it.Anything that isnt basically sedentary is gonna get clouted in a 40 gal with acaras.
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gwa84 gwa84
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  • Posted on: 11/6/2008 2:24
Re: catfish/bottom feeder sugestions #3
ime liking the chocolate raphael read a bit about them haw badly med sensitive are these critters and is it one per tank or are they social ime thinking uv is a good idea ime trying so hard to get a 50 gal in my price range after the bloody lfs delivery guy trashed my 2 by 2 by 4 but ime on a budget and the only one they can replace it with at the same price is a 40 gal 4 foot

just peeved myself off some more used the calculator to work out the tank size of sed nakerd tank and it 99 uk gallons
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longhairedgit longhairedgit
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  • Posted on: 11/6/2008 4:12
Re: catfish/bottom feeder sugestions #4
Doradids seem to be med proof. Ive got chocolates, spotteds and the nigers of course, and none have been med sensitive, all took protozin with grace and since it contains organic dye , formalin , and copper, no special provision needs to be made.

The bagrids, a few of the pims and synos though, you have to watch them for that sort of thing. Loaches tend to fall to pieces too. Most plecs are practically bulletproof.

Doradids have no special need for company, but they are calm and peaceful with their own and other species, The only thing you have to watch is small fish, they will eat anything they can get hold of and swallow. Not gifted predators though.
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gwa84 gwa84
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  • Posted on: 11/6/2008 4:19
Re: catfish/bottom feeder sugestions #5
no problem with small fish in this community the kribs will be the smallest and they tend not to take eny messing with well my femail dousent anyway haw available are the chocolate raphaels
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longhairedgit longhairedgit
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  • Posted on: 11/6/2008 4:37
Re: catfish/bottom feeder sugestions #6
Usually pretty common, probably the most available of the doradids, the spotteds are in a couple of stores near me now too.

Just a tip, but when you first get them give em some night feeds to get em started at least. They will scavenge at night anyway, and they are a slow growing species, but its nice to give em a kickstart. Theyre not fussy as long as its on the floor and its gone a bit soft, theyll eat it. Mine have a thing for brineshrimp atm, but they eat pellets, leftover flake, anything wormy. Pretty much anything an acara or a firemouth eats really, so feeding them should be simple enough. The only thing to watch is that they get enough, cos the firemouths feed from the same source- the substrate, and they will have cleaned up by the end of the day. TBH you dont really need scavengers when you have firemouths or geophagus.
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gwa84 gwa84
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  • Posted on: 11/6/2008 12:36
Re: catfish/bottom feeder sugestions #7
i realised i probably wouldn't need scavengers its just i love cats and its nice to have another dimension to the tank should be good if i get some night lighting in their so i can view them after lights out ill probably do 2 daily feeds then a small night feed for the cats c haw they get on haw many of these critters would you recommend with my currant stock
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longhairedgit longhairedgit
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  • Posted on: 11/6/2008 19:26
Re: catfish/bottom feeder sugestions #8
They are a pretty large species really probably rather larger than most care guides estimate, but their growth rate is slow, very slow, indeed your blue acaras and firemouths will have died of old age before they reach much past the halfway mark. A couple would be plenty. That is 2 chocolate doras, or maybe 4 spotted doras. Lady in gloucester I know has one, an Orinocodoras eigenmanni shes had it since she was married about 30 years ago, and its over a foot long, but its not common for them to live that long or get that big.

Theres loads of doras, from the freaky to the beautiful, but always watch them for size, An irwini, a bacu or a niger in a 40 gal wouldnt be good. Its one of those odd things about them, the small ones grow slowly the big ones grow very fast, so choose carefully.

http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/family.php?family_id=12
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gwa84 gwa84
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  • Posted on: 11/6/2008 20:47
Re: catfish/bottom feeder sugestions #9
found some chocolate and spotted in my lfs they are about 4 to 5 inch nose to tail chocolates are at 12 quid each and spotted are more i did not talk to neal the owner for to long as it was very busy

also got my tank today it measures L= 48 W=15 H=18 SO 46.7 gallons at 90 quid so not to bad making the stand tomorrow going to start a blog me thinks lol

just been looking throe that link and the ones in the lfs are
Platydoras costatus
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