Raphael Catfish - Too Much Conflicting Information!

wodesorel

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After searching back through about fifteen pages of old threads and also other webpages, I'm more confused then when I started.

I've been dying to get one of these forever, and the local store finally has babies (about 2 inches long!) for only 7 dollars - exactly what I've been waiting for.

However, my largest tank is also home to my black kuhli loaches - who always always come first! I've got nine - some who have been with me for four years now. That tank is kuhli heaven - they never hide, even during the day. If they're comfortable enough in that tank (since everything I've read about black kuhlis said they're never seen) then I would think a raphael would do just as well. There are also white clouds in the tank, but I'm not attached to them like I am the kuhlis and so would certainly choose the raphael over them.

My biggest concern is about whether the raphael would eat the khuli's. I've read either that they eat anything they can fit in their mouths, or they are completely peaceful communuity fish. So are kuhli loaches large and fast enough to not be bothered by a raphael? (At four inches, they would be a mouthful, but they're so skinny would it be like sucking down a spagetti noodle?) Or is it nothing to worry about.

And to top off that confusion, I'm not even sure what full-grown size I should be taking into account when figuring out "anything small enough to fit in their mouths". I've read they get everywhere from 5 inches to 12! A 5 inch fish should be a worry, but a 12 inch one could eat anything!

Any thoughts whatsoever are appreciated. I think I may be having one of those "impulse buy" moments, and I want to make sure that I'm thinking clearly before getting this fish!
 
I've read they could hit 12 inches aswell but I think due to the amount of breeding they go through the average size is 5 inches.My parents has 2, just got the second 1 to make the other a bit more active but it done nothing,anyway we actauly watched the cat one day to find all it done was sat under the log and let all the food float into his mouth and eat it, I was amazed lol such a lazy fish.I also have 1 in my tank and is active at night but never see him during daylight.I'm not sure what would happen with the kuhlis, I had 2 small thin black ghosts and the night i put the cats in everything was fine then the next afternoon I found 1 of my black ghosts dead, not sure what happened to it yet though.
 
well I have 2 khuli's in my tank with a rapheal that's about 4 inches and the khuli's are fine and all over the tank and the rapheal hasn't been seen since I put him in which is just like the other two rapheal's which live with in a tank with turtles. You won't see them ever unless you get up in the middle of the night and turn on the light real quick.
 
They need lots of food, if you keep them well fed then they should not bother the other fish. They max out at around 6", it will take yearsfor them to reach that lengh. I had a 9 year old one a while ago.
 
I have 4 striped Raphael cats that are little over a year old and they are already over 4". I had some in the past that were 7" and still growing. They will eat every piece of food in sight, including smaller fish, especially at night when the lights are off.

They also like to be in groups. Kuhli Loaches can be very shy when there are bigger, more boisterous fish in the tank. Raphaels go crazy at feeding time, at least mine do.

What size tank do you have? I would say the minimum size tank for Raphaels would be 55 gallons.

Good Luck :good:
 

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