Ordering Fish Online....meh

[attibones]

How do you know that they will only get four inches? You really ought to consider a different species. Even though they are relatively still fish, they still need space without being cramped against each other. Your tank (assuming it is the standard 20 long) is 30 inches long, each catfish is roughly 4-6 inches. This means that a single fish is 1/6 the length of your tank. These guys school. Say you have nine of them swimming together and three in a line, this line is now roughly 1/2 of your tank length. Then you still have thirty inches of fish next to them. Do you see the issue? If you go by the inch per gallon (not always reliable but a good start) you are looking at around 45 inches worth of glass cats alone. Even if you don't subscribe to the ipg guide, you still can get the idea that this number of fish of this size for this particular tank is not only unrealistic but is also quite cruel.

 

[Noahsfish]

Ok, so what tank size is right for a good sized school of say 8-10 glass cats that get 4-5.

Actually probably more like 6-7

 

[attibones]

As Willis said, you'd need at least a four foot tank, over fifty gallons.

 

[Noahsfish]

Over 50 gallons! Not meaning to insult anybody, as I have minimal experience when it comes to stuff like this but I can't find a single source that says 50 gallons min.! The reason why I'm asking is because I also have a 30g which might be an option once my plants start to grow in.

 

[attibones]

50 gallons is suitable for the number of fish you want. If you were only housing one (not advisable) then twenty or thirty gallons would suffice. I would be comfortable keeping four or five glass cats in a 55 gallon. Similar to the formula for goldfish, these fish require twenty gallons for the first and then about ten gallons (usually plus) per additional fish. Does that make sense? I'm tired and typing, not a good combo.

 

[Noahsfish]

Ok, I know these fish now are definetly not going in my 20g! But I mean come on I'm still in disbelief that you'd say a 55 gallon is stocked with 4 glass cats! I mean if I ever did decide to get a larger tank of that size it would seem like maybe a larger school like 9-10 would be suitable! I never really thought of these as fish that take up a lot of space, well I mean as far as tank size goes. Because if I did get a 55g and put 5-6 in it wouldn't they just stay in one spot? Or would they wander from place to place, haha sorry for all the questions but I guess it's best I didn't just order a bunch of glass cats

 

[attibones]

Given space, they do roam. Many people report that the initial shyness goes away with a large tank and a large school. I'm really conservative with my stocking when it comes to fish over two inches, but I feel that fifty plus gallons is a reasonable demand for these fish. They like to have plenty of space, too, because of their fairly reclusive nature.

 

[Noahsfish]

Wait, do you have any? And if so what's your tank size and stocking, thanks.

 

[TallTree01]

Atti doesn't have any glass cats.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

http/www.seriouslyfish.com/species/kryptopterus-macrocephalus/
 

Aquarium SizeTOP ↑
An aquarium with base dimensions of 120 ∗ 30 cm or equivalent should be the smallest considered.

 
 
I find seriouslyfish to be a fairly reliable source for aquarium needs for specific fish.
 
 
 
http/www.seriouslyfish.com/species/kryptopterus-vitreolus/
 

Aquarium SizeTOP ↑
An aquarium with base dimensions of 90 ∗ 30 cm or equivalent should be the smallest considered.

 

[Ruskull]

So I've been looking for a fish to live in harmony with my corydoras in my 20 gallon, I recently moved the cardinals to the 30. I really like the more exotic looking fish, as I was thinking of getting hillstream loaches (thankfully not) now I have my eye on glass catfish haha. I'd first seen them at a museum in SF years back, and saw them for the first time while getting supplies at my lfs. I didn't buy any because I was going to do research..so they get about 4-5" they love plants and are shy. Well my 20 gallon is well filtered has lots of plants and only corydoras...I know they like schools but I'm sure 4-5 would be fine, plus there's nothing to stress them out..now it comes to ordering....I didn't want to buy them at the lfs as I wanted some opines first, but when I asked if they could hold guess what, they were sold out the next day...I'm going to be ordering off of liveaquaria.com. Are they good shippers or will I open a box of milky white glass catfish...I was also thinking of ordering peacock gudgeons from them but that's another story..

 
I love my Glass Cats, great fish!  They school very well, are graceful & very hardy in my experience even though many claim they can be fragile.  I do think that they should be kept in larger groups than 5 though, and I'd up my numbers from 7 to 12 if I had the room available in the tank.  When we were originally given 2 of them as a gift from my father they always hid.  After I added 5 more they are always out front and active.

 

[TallTree01]

http/www.seriouslyfish.com/species/kryptopterus-macrocephalus/
 

Aquarium SizeTOP ↑
An aquarium with base dimensions of 120 ∗ 30 cm or equivalent should be the smallest considered.

 
 
I find seriouslyfish to be a fairly reliable source for aquarium needs for specific fish.
 
 
http/www.seriouslyfish.com/species/kryptopterus-vitreolus/
 

Aquarium SizeTOP ↑
An aquarium with base dimensions of 90 ∗ 30 cm or equivalent should be the smallest considered.

I agree 100% . Seriously fish is one of the best. Even better than aquatic community IMO. Badmans is good. It's a little hard to navigate but there's some good stuff on there.

 

[Ruskull]

Ok, I know these fish now are definetly not going in my 20g! But I mean come on I'm still in disbelief that you'd say a 55 gallon is stocked with 4 glass cats! I mean if I ever did decide to get a larger tank of that size it would seem like maybe a larger school like 9-10 would be suitable! I never really thought of these as fish that take up a lot of space, well I mean as far as tank size goes. Because if I did get a 55g and put 5-6 in it wouldn't they just stay in one spot? Or would they wander from place to place, haha sorry for all the questions but I guess it's best I didn't just order a bunch of glass cats

 
Actually a 20 gallon long would be a decent size tank for 6-7 of them, depending of course what else you plan to keep with them.  I currently have 7 of these in a 36 gallon with a pair of Pearl Gouramis, a female Opaline Goursmi, a female Paradise Fish, 4 Cherry Barbs & a small female BN Pleco.
 
Of course a bigger tank is better, but a 20 gallon long or 29 gallon, 30 gallon, etc. should be okay for a minimum school of 6.

 

[DerpPH]

Ok, I know these fish now are definetly not going in my 20g! But I mean come on I'm still in disbelief that you'd say a 55 gallon is stocked with 4 glass cats! I mean if I ever did decide to get a larger tank of that size it would seem like maybe a larger school like 9-10 would be suitable! I never really thought of these as fish that take up a lot of space, well I mean as far as tank size goes. Because if I did get a 55g and put 5-6 in it wouldn't they just stay in one spot? Or would they wander from place to place, haha sorry for all the questions but I guess it's best I didn't just order a bunch of glass cats

 
Actually a 20 gallon long would be a decent size tank for 6-7 of them, depending of course what else you plan to keep with them.  I currently have 7 of these in a 36 gallon with a pair of Pearl Gouramis, a female Opaline Goursmi, a female Paradise Fish, 4 Cherry Barbs & a small female BN Pleco.
 
Of course a bigger tank is better, but a 20 gallon long or 29 gallon, 30 gallon, etc. should be okay for a minimum school of 6.

I wouldnt agree... Tank size does matter! Have you read the article in seriouslyfish called stunted growth means stunted lives. Forst you should consider their max size.... Grow about 6" and need some space... 20 Gallons wouldnt be enough to even hold 4 . If your rules are inch per gallon then this makes sense...

 

[Ruskull]

I never use the inch per gallon rule, I tend to use first hand experience as well as info from various sources on the web.
 
I have 7 of these guys in a 36 gallon bowfront and they're doing great, I mean as good or better than any other fish I've kept.  A 36 bowfront is approx. 31 inches long and 16 inches from the wall at center tapering off to about 11 at each end.  The tank is 19 or so inches deep, which is great since these guys do appreciate swimming height as well as length.
 
I don't believe the commonly available Glass Catfish ever reach anywhere near 6 inches in length even if you consider their fins.  I've had the original 2 gift Catfish for about a year and a half & they're both around 4 inches including their fins.  The rest vary from 2.5 to 3 inches.  These guys co exist with semi aggressive fish without any signs of fin nippy or bullying.

Of course in a perfect world all fish would be kept in huge tanks since their habitat in the wild is huge.....................If I had them in my 55 gallon instead I'd have about 15 of them with the same tankmates without hesitation.