Catfish advice

[emjay653]

Hi,

I'm in the process of setting up a 48x12x18 tank, and plan to put in a couple of Firemouths. Possibly add some more Cichlids to it as time goes on, anyway, the question is this:

What Catfish would everyone recommend would survive in this tank? I don't want something that grows beyond 6". I need something to both remove the leftovers & clean up algae.

Mj

 

[ste2k3]

you could try one of the armoured catfish such as spotted talking catfish and for the algae, you could try a plec but make sure it is a smaller species. "common plecs" can grow between 12" and 24" in captivity and even bigger in the wild.

 

[emjay653]

What's recommended between a Clown Plec & a Bristlenose, mainly for removing algae, and how many would be required for the tank? Would Bronze, or Pepper, Corys be ok to do the "hoovering" up?

 

[david27]

Hi I would recomend a hoplo catfish (hoplosternum thoracatum) for cleaning the bottom of the tank, they are larger than corys which tend to get nipped in a cichlid tank.

they may not be all that colourful but they are always busy looking for food.

Hope this helps

David

 

[emjay653]

Hi David,

I seen a Hopla cat today for the first time, and it looks an ugly thing...Having said that it also looks impressive.

What size does it grow to, as I'm looking for one under 6"?

Mj

BTW, nice pics of fish!!

 

[Alien Anna]

It's not a catfish, but a CAE would probably be fine, provided it was a large, adult one (someone would probably give you one - you wouldn't have to buy it).

 

[CFC]

Hoplo cats get to a maximum of around 7", they are a shoaling fish so be sure to buy at least 3 if you get them.

 

[emjay653]

I decided not to go with the Hoplo, as I would have to buy a shoal and I would only want one, so I'll probably just try some Corys in it.

For the Algea side of things, I eventually settled on a couple of Clown Plecs, mainly because I couldn't find a local supplier that stocked Bristlenose, which I'd heard are better for Algae...Time will tell!!

Thx for the all the responses

Mj

 

[BlackWolf0503]

My Buddy has a Pictus Cat in his Chiclid tank, does just fine, in fact the Pictus kinda picks on the Chiclids.