In My Lfs There Was This Catfish

[simonas]

If you are after some small cats there is a little fish I saw at Tingley Tropicals at the weekend which looks a bit like a smaller version of a Shark Catfish.
I think its called a Pericola or something like that......They are only tiny little things and George's wife(tingley Tropicals) said they are ok to be kept in community tank.
I'm thinking of getting one this weekend.

bit of an obscure thread resurrection there!! lol

welcome to the forum

 

[dave_oddballs]

petricola's arent community fish, they are a synodontis species from the rift valley and need hard alkaline water in order to be at full health, they are one of the smaller synodontis but still i wouldn't say they are suited to a community.
i kept pictus cats in a community, just 15 g isn't big enough. if you like the polkadot loach's try looking for some dwarf chain loach's, look similar but stay smaller, they would be suited to a small community. maybe look into khuli loach's? they are colourful and you could have a small group in your tank?
you'd be amazed what you can get for small tanks, you just have to look around and do a bit of research. if i had more space id love to set up numerous 2x1x1 tanks for smaller fish!

 

[Paradise3]

If you are after some small cats there is a little fish I saw at Tingley Tropicals at the weekend which looks a bit like a smaller version of a Shark Catfish.
I think its called a Pericola or something like that......They are only tiny little things and George's wife(tingley Tropicals) said they are ok to be kept in community tank.
I'm thinking of getting one this weekend.

Did it look like this?

Petricola catfish.

As dave said they are not community fish heres some info.

Size - Really big ones might hit four inches. Most top out at 3.5. All are very slow growing.
Space - Like African cichlids, petricolas prefer larger tanks – the bigger the better.
Groups - Most people keep petricolas as singles because of their high price. Petricolas prefer to hang in groups. The more the merrier, but their high price keeps their numbers low for most people.
Water - Since petricolas came from Lake Tanganyika, you know they prefer a high pH. Word of caution: Organics (ammonia and nitrite) present a huge problem at high pH levels. Make frequent and large water changes if you expect to keep these guys. Ditto with your African cichlids. Since both these types of fish eat (and digest) great quantities of food, they can be their own worst enemies. Change their water often.


Xxx~misscosmo~xxX