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  1. #1
    Registered User skydnay's Avatar
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    I really love catfish

    Especially river catfish, but I don't think I'll ever be able to own any kind of enclosure big enough to keep one as a "pet." However! Lucky for me, there are so many kinds of catfish that stay much, much smaller.

    I don't have many pictures of all the fish, but my husband and I realized that our large community tank (which houses 14 fish of 4.5 different varieties) is home to just varying kinds of catfish... And some neon tetras. We've got a single pleco, who will be moving to an even larger tank once we move, two banjo catfish (very weird fish! Please look them up, and I hope you enjoy looking at these stupid fish as much as I do.), and my favorites, three cory cats.

    These guys! (They're all about 1.5 - 2 inches)



    They do have a naming scheme, but when we got Salvador, I wasn't sure I wanted to commit to it, and his barbels made him look like he had the most incredible mustache, so I couldn't help the name. However! We recently bought a couple more cories and returned to the Star Trek captain theme. These guys are currently in a smaller (10 gal) tank with one of our bettas, and will move to the community tank once the pleco moves out. (These guys are DOUBLE the size of the smaller cories!)



    I just... had to share. I love these goofy looking fish with all of my heart.
    Last edited by skydnay; 07-02-2018 at 12:10 PM.
    Ball Pythons!
    1.0 Normal - Echo
    1.0 Spider Enchi Ghost - Whiskey
    0.1 Super Pastel Lesser - Tango
    1.0 Butter Spider Het Hypo - Foxtrot

    Other Snakes!
    0.1 Albino Paradox KSB - Socks
    1.0 Jungle Carpet Python - JPEG
    1.0 California Kingsnake - Salazar

    Geckos!
    0.2 Super Hypo Tangerine Leos - Riddle and Valkyrie


  2. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to skydnay For This Useful Post:

    C.Marie (07-02-2018),Craiga 01453 (07-02-2018),Sonny1318 (07-02-2018)

  3. #2
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    I've had a few catfish through the years, they're awesome fish to keep. I had one years ago that I inherited and knew little about. He was almost a golden brownish color with the most beautiful pearl white belly. When I rehomed him he was probably about 9-10" inches and simply stunning. I've had a few pictus cats as well, lost one a few months back actually. I just rehomed two plecos a few weeks ago too, they were HUGE. One was a "normal" for lack of specifics and was over 16" long, the other was a 14" sailfin.
    I just recently went to one tank (focusing more on snakes these days, plus had two 55 gallons spring leaks in a matter of 7 months) so I'm only keeping my 3 Oscars.

    Anyway, thanks for aharing!!!

  4. #3
    Registered User skydnay's Avatar
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    Re: I really love catfish

    They are awesome! The cories are so entertaining to watch as they dart around the tank and turn over the substrates.

    Our pleco is also of the "normal" variety, haha! He's already doubled in size since we got him (or her, who knows), and we're starting to get concerned about the safety of the tetras. He's killed one of them and left another with one eye, and we think he'll be much happier in the 55 once we get that set up. I am very excited to see how big he's going to get! It's definitely won't be comparable to a river catfish, but he'll be WAY bigger than any other fish we own! Though... my husband is also itching to get some oscars as well! or perhaps angelfish. We shall see.

    We currently have 3 tanks! The third is a 10 gal divided in half that houses two bettas. It's... a lot. Especially with three BPs.. and two leo geckos.. and two large dogs.. all in a one bedroom apartment. Oh well. We'll be moving into a house in about a month, so that'l be nice!
    Ball Pythons!
    1.0 Normal - Echo
    1.0 Spider Enchi Ghost - Whiskey
    0.1 Super Pastel Lesser - Tango
    1.0 Butter Spider Het Hypo - Foxtrot

    Other Snakes!
    0.1 Albino Paradox KSB - Socks
    1.0 Jungle Carpet Python - JPEG
    1.0 California Kingsnake - Salazar

    Geckos!
    0.2 Super Hypo Tangerine Leos - Riddle and Valkyrie


  5. #4
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    Re: I really love catfish

    Quote Originally Posted by skydnay View Post
    They are awesome! The cories are so entertaining to watch as they dart around the tank and turn over the substrates.

    Our pleco is also of the "normal" variety, haha! He's already doubled in size since we got him (or her, who knows), and we're starting to get concerned about the safety of the tetras. He's killed one of them and left another with one eye, and we think he'll be much happier in the 55 once we get that set up. I am very excited to see how big he's going to get! It's definitely won't be comparable to a river catfish, but he'll be WAY bigger than any other fish we own! Though... my husband is also itching to get some oscars as well! or perhaps angelfish. We shall see.

    We currently have 3 tanks! The third is a 10 gal divided in half that houses two bettas. It's... a lot. Especially with three BPs.. and two leo geckos.. and two large dogs.. all in a one bedroom apartment. Oh well. We'll be moving into a house in about a month, so that'l be nice!
    Wow, that is a lot in a one bedroom apartment. I'm sure you'll love the space of a house!! I'm fortunate to have a house and plenty of room. Besides my girlfriend and I we have one cat, 4 ferrets and 4 snakes (like I said, focusing more on snakes, so more to come) and now just the one 75 gallon tank.

    Plecos do get huge, getting them out of the tanks and into transport buckets was quite the adventure, hahaha. I was soaked just trying to get them out, they were thrashing and splashing everywhere, even with the water levels only half full in the tanks.
    As for Oscars, I 10000000% advocate for them if you've got the room and are into fish. They are AWESOME fish. They are so personable, I never knew fish could recognize their keepers until I got into Oscars years ago. My albino years ago would swim up to my hand and brush against it when I put my hand in his(?) tank, but wouldn't let anybody else touch him. My 3 now are all such cool fish, they love it whenever my girlfriend or I approach the tank. Of course, they're thinking food, but if guests approach the tank they completely ignore them.
    They are bulldozers though, so a minimalistic tank setup is best. Plus, they are slobs when they eat, so require plenty of filtration and regular water changes (another reason to keep the tank simple).

  6. #5
    Registered User skydnay's Avatar
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    Re: I really love catfish

    Quote Originally Posted by craigafrechette View Post
    Wow, that is a lot in a one bedroom apartment. I'm sure you'll love the space of a house!! I'm fortunate to have a house and plenty of room. Besides my girlfriend and I we have one cat, 4 ferrets and 4 snakes (like I said, focusing more on snakes, so more to come) and now just the one 75 gallon tank.

    Plecos do get huge, getting them out of the tanks and into transport buckets was quite the adventure, hahaha. I was soaked just trying to get them out, they were thrashing and splashing everywhere, even with the water levels only half full in the tanks.
    As for Oscars, I 10000000% advocate for them if you've got the room and are into fish. They are AWESOME fish. They are so personable, I never knew fish could recognize their keepers until I got into Oscars years ago. My albino years ago would swim up to my hand and brush against it when I put my hand in his(?) tank, but wouldn't let anybody else touch him. My 3 now are all such cool fish, they love it whenever my girlfriend or I approach the tank. Of course, they're thinking food, but if guests approach the tank they completely ignore them.
    They are bulldozers though, so a minimalistic tank setup is best. Plus, they are slobs when they eat, so require plenty of filtration and regular water changes (another reason to keep the tank simple).
    Oh my goodness, it is so much. We've started stacking tanks, so I have those small wire storage racks with like three layers of terrestrial tanks, and then aquariums on whatever sturdy surface can hold them. It is very lively in the apartment, that is for sure! I'll be soooo glad to move, plus, we'll be adding a cat to our menagerie!

    Four ferrets!! That's got to be exciting. I'm currently house/babysitting some ferrets for some friends, and they are very full of energy and poop. My husband likes to point out the smell and tell me that we don't need to own our own when I can visit them. Which is true, I suppose... But they're so fun.

    Oh my god, I'm sure! Our pleco is about 6 or 7 inches right now, and he is quick and powerful and does not like to be messed with, so I can only imagine the kind of mess you had to deal with! And I don't know about your plecos, but ours sure does like to poop absolutely everywhere, especially when he's upset. My husband redid the community tank this weekend only to find the sand covered in poop within hours, and then moved around as per the pleco's linking in the morning. He's got a big personality, that one.

    Also, that's exciting to hear about oscars!! I really love interactive/personable pets, so that is neat! We were definitely planning on going nearly bare for larger tanks, as some of the kinds of fish my husband wants to own are not exactly known for being gentle in any way.
    Ball Pythons!
    1.0 Normal - Echo
    1.0 Spider Enchi Ghost - Whiskey
    0.1 Super Pastel Lesser - Tango
    1.0 Butter Spider Het Hypo - Foxtrot

    Other Snakes!
    0.1 Albino Paradox KSB - Socks
    1.0 Jungle Carpet Python - JPEG
    1.0 California Kingsnake - Salazar

    Geckos!
    0.2 Super Hypo Tangerine Leos - Riddle and Valkyrie


  7. #6
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    Re: I really love catfish

    Quote Originally Posted by skydnay View Post
    Oh my goodness, it is so much. We've started stacking tanks, so I have those small wire storage racks with like three layers of terrestrial tanks, and then aquariums on whatever sturdy surface can hold them. It is very lively in the apartment, that is for sure! I'll be soooo glad to move, plus, we'll be adding a cat to our menagerie!

    Four ferrets!! That's got to be exciting. I'm currently house/babysitting some ferrets for some friends, and they are very full of energy and poop. My husband likes to point out the smell and tell me that we don't need to own our own when I can visit them. Which is true, I suppose... But they're so fun.

    Oh my god, I'm sure! Our pleco is about 6 or 7 inches right now, and he is quick and powerful and does not like to be messed with, so I can only imagine the kind of mess you had to deal with! And I don't know about your plecos, but ours sure does like to poop absolutely everywhere, especially when he's upset. My husband redid the community tank this weekend only to find the sand covered in poop within hours, and then moved around as per the pleco's linking in the morning. He's got a big personality, that one.

    Also, that's exciting to hear about oscars!! I really love interactive/personable pets, so that is neat! We were definitely planning on going nearly bare for larger tanks, as some of the kinds of fish my husband wants to own are not exactly known for being gentle in any way.
    The ferrets are a TON of fun, but yeah, they are poop machines. They have an extremely fast metabolism so they eat a lot and poop a lot. I turned a 4x6x6 closet into their enclosure. It has ramps and tunnels and a storage tote built in. I rotate between balls, pinto beans, empty plastic soda/Gatorade type bottles in the tub. They love to play in it, but get bored with it if I don't change up what's in it, hahahaha. I have to climb into their enclose about every day to spot clean it. I do a thorough cleaning weekly. Keeping their enclose and blankets clean really keeps the smell in check.

    The pleco poop was the main reason we got rid of them they just make too much mess, especially when they're big.

    If you do go with a cichlid tank and get an Oscar, the best companion fish I ever had for them were Jack Dempseys. They're gorgeous and do really well with Oscars. Green terrors and venustus cichlids do well with Oscars too.

  8. #7
    Registered User skydnay's Avatar
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    Re: I really love catfish

    Quote Originally Posted by craigafrechette View Post
    The ferrets are a TON of fun, but yeah, they are poop machines. They have an extremely fast metabolism so they eat a lot and poop a lot. I turned a 4x6x6 closet into their enclosure. It has ramps and tunnels and a storage tote built in. I rotate between balls, pinto beans, empty plastic soda/Gatorade type bottles in the tub. They love to play in it, but get bored with it if I don't change up what's in it, hahahaha. I have to climb into their enclose about every day to spot clean it. I do a thorough cleaning weekly. Keeping their enclose and blankets clean really keeps the smell in check.

    The pleco poop was the main reason we got rid of them they just make too much mess, especially when they're big.

    If you do go with a cichlid tank and get an Oscar, the best companion fish I ever had for them were Jack Dempseys. They're gorgeous and do really well with Oscars. Green terrors and venustus cichlids do well with Oscars too.
    That's a convenient way to have en enclosure! I'll have to keep the closet idea in mind when trying to pester my husband into ferrets... Hahaha. His main thing is that he doesn't want to deal with the general smell of ferrets, even if it's just contained to the animals themselves. In comparison, all of our other animals are virtually odorless (it's a bit of a challenge to keep the dogs that way, tho), so ferrets would be quite different. I'm sure I'll convince him one day! Maybe if I promise to stay on top of keep the blankets and enclosure clean like you mention, haha.

    That 100% makes sense. We're only ever planning to have one pleco at a time, and using a much larger filter system than the tank it lives in requires, simply to combat the constant poop.

    Ohh, that's helpful. I'll let my husband know about that too! Thanks for the tips!!
    Ball Pythons!
    1.0 Normal - Echo
    1.0 Spider Enchi Ghost - Whiskey
    0.1 Super Pastel Lesser - Tango
    1.0 Butter Spider Het Hypo - Foxtrot

    Other Snakes!
    0.1 Albino Paradox KSB - Socks
    1.0 Jungle Carpet Python - JPEG
    1.0 California Kingsnake - Salazar

    Geckos!
    0.2 Super Hypo Tangerine Leos - Riddle and Valkyrie


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    Craiga 01453 (07-03-2018)

  10. #8
    BPnet Senior Member Sonny1318's Avatar
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    Oscars and catfish, now I need an aquarium, lmao.
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    1.0 Reduced Pattern Clown
    1.0 Low White Pied
    1.0 Hypo Super Enchi

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    Re: I really love catfish

    Quote Originally Posted by skydnay View Post
    That's a convenient way to have en enclosure! I'll have to keep the closet idea in mind when trying to pester my husband into ferrets... Hahaha. His main thing is that he doesn't want to deal with the general smell of ferrets, even if it's just contained to the animals themselves. In comparison, all of our other animals are virtually odorless (it's a bit of a challenge to keep the dogs that way, tho), so ferrets would be quite different. I'm sure I'll convince him one day! Maybe if I promise to stay on top of keep the blankets and enclosure clean like you mention, haha.

    That 100% makes sense. We're only ever planning to have one pleco at a time, and using a much larger filter system than the tank it lives in requires, simply to combat the constant poop.

    Ohh, that's helpful. I'll let my husband know about that too! Thanks for the tips!!
    Yeah, the closet enclosure really works out great, but of course you lose the closet for its intended purpose.
    As for the smell, keeping them and the blankets clean helps immensely, but ferrets are actually in the same family as skunks and have similar musk glands. The vast majority of ferrets sold commercially have the glands removed and are spayed/neutered before sale. However, the same musky smell is secreted through their skin even after the glands are removed. So, the smell will always be present, although faint.

    Good luck!

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