catfish help

[Imy]

hi ,
I have a big catfish (sorry dont know what tipe)it hides in a log all the time and only comes out about 10 min aftrer lights are off .
I also have silver doller fish that eat every kind of food i put in including the catfishes sinking food.
I turn the light off but as soon as I lift the lid to put some sinkers in the catfish hides again and proberbally will hide for another few minuites in that time the silver doller have eaten all the sinkers.
I am reallly concerned for the catfish i have thought about blocking his hiding place up but i think that is a bit cruell.
Will the catfish find bits of food in the night and will this be enough,I have thought about putting alot of food in at night but dont want to jepordise my tank by over feeding.
please help

 

[CFC]

How big is the catfish, how long have you had it and can you give a rough description of it, ie has it got long whiskers, what colour is it, what is the shape of the mouth?

 

[Imy]

yeh sorry
its about 4 inches long, black it has spikes on its back and like tenticals on it mouth(sorry I am not really good at explaining) Its a beuty anyway.
I have had it for about 3 mnths , my wife says its getting skinny but I havent noticed that much, proberbally cos i look at them all the time and my wife shows intrest about once a month (like something els lol).

 

[CFC]

Does it look like this http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=41717 ?

 

[Imy]

yes but black with dark spots

 

[CFC]

Try opening the lid half a hour before you want to feed the catfish so that the noise doesnt startle it when you do so, if this doesnt work you will have to actually put the pellets in the catfish's cave where the SD's cant get them.

 

[Imy]

good idea about putting the pellets in the log

cheers