Catfish movements

[trout_pout]

Just wondering, Whenever I see catfish, they are near the bottom of the tank, just slowly hovering over the sand. Is it normal for catfish to swim any higher, like near the top?

 

[ryan]

Most Catfish are bottom dwelling, are you thinking of any specific species?

 

[Inchworm]

Hi trout_pout

Yes, corys spend most of their time at the bottom of the tank. They do sometimes go up to the surface and gulp a mouthful of air, though.

Some fish naturally live at different levels of a tank. Gouramis and bettas, for example, claim territory at the top. Guppies and tetras spend most of their time in the middle and corys live at the bottom.

When you plan your tank, think about getting a few fish for each of the different levels. It will make your tank very interesting and will give all you fish lots of room to move around.

 

[trout_pout]

Yeah, that's what I'm planning to do.
I know I can get a cory or a koi for cheapish in a pet shop near me, so I might go for one of them, maybe not a koi, I don't like the look of them.
I'll probobly have 1 or 2 corys at the bottom
maybe 6 tiger barbs in the middle with some white clouds
I'll leave the convicts and head and tail light tetras to roam about at the toppish
The catfish look cool when they are just swimming at the bottom, sort of suspiciously.

 

[noelberg]

Glass catfish are the only cats I know of that do not spend a significant amount of time on the substrate. Pretty much everybody else is a bottom dweller.

 

[CatLover]

Don't get koi unless you have a several hundred G tank. They get rather large. Cories are your best bet. They are SOOO adorable and very easy to keep.
Right now I have 2 plecos and several cories. In the very distant future I wish to get channel cats, irridescent sharks, and red-tailed cats. Those are my 3 favorite catfish.
I'm not sure how many years it'll be before I will have enough space for them, but someday I'll make room!