Tank Mates Or Not?

[marineman24]

ok quick question here guys and girls.

im buying a new aquarium to go with my other large aquarium
my current tank is a sw reef tank of 300 gallons.

the new tank is a mamoth of a tank
8ft long, 3ft deep and 2ft wide.
comes with the unit and also a large sump.

im possibly going to set this up as a fw tank, but what i want to know, is what large catfish could i house together in this large tank?

my stocking idea's are a REDTAIL CATFISH and a SHOVELNOSE CATFISH
but can these be housed together or not?
also what other fish could go in with these catfish?

thanks for your time.

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Please forget the Redtail Catfish, these >5foot giants should stay in the wild waters of South America, unless you have a spare swimming pool.

Jeremy Wade caught specimens almost as long as him, virtually every time he did an episode of River Monsters in South American waters. One example of many...

 

[marineman24]

cool video.
i knew redtails got big, maybe i should get a pair of shovelnose's?
would this be ok?

 

[Paradise3]

If you are thinking Tiger Shovelnose then once again it's a no. They reach anywhere between 4-5ft long when adult. One would have a hard time turning round in your tank. Have you thought of a big Sailfin Pleco? I know it's not the same type of catfish but they are very impressive when fully grown. Or maybe a Merodontotus Tigrinus? They max out at 2-3ft long and are basically a prettier Tiger Shovelnose. Or a Lince Cat - Platynematichthys Notatus? Reaches about 40" long which is just past 3ft. There are much better options out there than Redtail Cats and Tiger Shovelnose...

 

[Wills]

Totally agree with Paradise here so many other options than these giant monsters!! As Goat said they are proper monsters and just should not be an option.

Also in a wierd way are they not a bit common? Like the obvious choice for a big tank, though in fairness anyone can chuck these in any tank. For me the bigger tanks and the commitment they need I would hunt down something more unusual. I mean there must be hundreds? of red tails and shovels in 4 foot tanks unfortunately and this tank is marginally better.

What about Lima Shovel Noses and Ornate Pimelodus? Or as Paradise said what about large Plecs really impressive fish in the right kind of tank like a giant Panaque or even an Adonis Plec would be great in that tank!

Though after reading the first post again you say the width of the tank is 2 foot wide which wipes off loads of the fish myself and the others have mentioned. Is this a custom purchase or is it a second hand tank. If its a custom maybe look at making it wider to 3 foot at least.

In the 2 foot wide tank you need to think about the larger odballs that are commonly available like the large Pim Catfish, the Lima Shovels would work as well and also things like Polyterpus (Spelling)

Just please forget the Red Tail Cat and the Tiger Shovel.

Wills

 

[Paradise3]

Totally agree with Paradise here so many other options than these giant monsters!! As Goat said they are proper monsters and just should not be an option.

Also in a wierd way are they not a bit common? Like the obvious choice for a big tank, though in fairness anyone can chuck these in any tank. For me the bigger tanks and the commitment they need I would hunt down something more unusual. I mean there must be hundreds? of red tails and shovels in 4 foot tanks unfortunately and this tank is marginally better.

What about Lima Shovel Noses and Ornate Pimelodus? Or as Paradise said what about large Plecs really impressive fish in the right kind of tank like a giant Panaque or even an Adonis Plec would be great in that tank!

Though after reading the first post again you say the width of the tank is 2 foot wide which wipes off loads of the fish myself and the others have mentioned. Is this a custom purchase or is it a second hand tank. If its a custom maybe look at making it wider to 3 foot at least.

In the 2 foot wide tank you need to think about the larger odballs that are commonly available like the large Pim Catfish, the Lima Shovels would work as well and also things like Polyterpus (Spelling)

Just please forget the Red Tail Cat and the Tiger Shovel.

Wills

Yay! I said something right XD

I also agree about making it wider to 3ft

And Wills! You weren't supposed to mention Adonis Pleco's! If someone buys one for a tank this size and it reaches full size I'll be too jealous! XD