We have kept him alive so far and he seems happy but he is in a 5 gal tank. My son got a 20 gal tank for Christmas and we are gonna transfer him into that here in the next couple days after we get water in the tank and let it sit for a bit. What I am wanting to know is what other kinds of fish can he have in with him? That he won't eat of course.
catfish care?
Started by
Guest_Alisa101_*
, Jan 01 2013 11:57 AM
9 replies to this topic
#1
Guest_Alisa101_*
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Posted 01 January 2013 - 11:57 AM
Hello, my son found a catfish on the road in the summer, he is really small and has little black spots on him. I believe he is a channel catfish but my knowledge of fish is very limited lol. I know a goldfish and algae eater and that is about it. We have kept him alive so far and he seems happy but he is in a 5 gal tank. My son got a 20 gal tank for Christmas and we are gonna transfer him into that here in the next couple days after we get water in the tank and let it sit for a bit. What I am wanting to know is what other kinds of fish can he have in with him? That he won't eat of course.
We have kept him alive so far and he seems happy but he is in a 5 gal tank. My son got a 20 gal tank for Christmas and we are gonna transfer him into that here in the next couple days after we get water in the tank and let it sit for a bit. What I am wanting to know is what other kinds of fish can he have in with him? That he won't eat of course.
#2
Guest_EricaWieser_*
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Posted 01 January 2013 - 02:03 PM
What is the ammonia in the tank? The number one mistake that new fish keepers make is that they don't know to get rid of ammonia. Ammonia test kits are like $10 at your local pet store. 0 ppm or 0 mg/L is what you want to see. Even 0.5 ppm can hurt or kill fish.
If you've got a filter in your 5 gallon, put it on the 20 gallon when you move the fish over. The sponge or pad or whatever you have in the filter has probably been colonized by beneficial bacteria. These bacteria convert ammonia to nitrite and then nitrate. They make the water less toxic for fish. Ammonia is poisonous at any measurable concentration, while nitrate in general isn't poisonous until 30 parts per million.
Don't bother transferring the water from the 5 gallon. The bacteria live on surfaces, not floating in the water column. Transferring the stuff inside the filter will move most of the bacteria over.
If you can take a picture of the fish and post it here we can help you identify it. It wouldn't be very useful to recommend tank mates for a catfish and then find out it's a madtom, for example. Also check out your local fish and game laws; some states have laws that restrict how you can remove game fish from the water or even whether you can keep them. I'm not an expert in your state's laws. But here's a link to them:
http://www.in.gov/dn...s/fw-2012FG.pdf
http://www.in.gov/dn...shwild/2347.htm
If you've got a filter in your 5 gallon, put it on the 20 gallon when you move the fish over. The sponge or pad or whatever you have in the filter has probably been colonized by beneficial bacteria. These bacteria convert ammonia to nitrite and then nitrate. They make the water less toxic for fish. Ammonia is poisonous at any measurable concentration, while nitrate in general isn't poisonous until 30 parts per million.
Don't bother transferring the water from the 5 gallon. The bacteria live on surfaces, not floating in the water column. Transferring the stuff inside the filter will move most of the bacteria over.
If you can take a picture of the fish and post it here we can help you identify it. It wouldn't be very useful to recommend tank mates for a catfish and then find out it's a madtom, for example. Also check out your local fish and game laws; some states have laws that restrict how you can remove game fish from the water or even whether you can keep them. I'm not an expert in your state's laws. But here's a link to them:
http://www.in.gov/dn...s/fw-2012FG.pdf
http://www.in.gov/dn...shwild/2347.htm
Edited by EricaWieser, 01 January 2013 - 02:03 PM.
#3
Guest_Alisa101_*
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Posted 01 January 2013 - 06:18 PM
im not sure what the ammonia is in there he's been living in there for almost 3 months and i have changed the water once and the filter's filter at least every 2 weeks. I also have this bottle of stuff called clear water I put in when i notice the tank getting cloudy I just put one or two drops in since the tank is so small. I also have put in aquarium salt a couple times but just a couple peices of it. I will upload a pic hopefully you can see him i think i made him mad he usually don't come out of his rock until night time when he eats lol. If you can't tell what kind he is from that pic I will try taking a new one tonight when he comes out on his own. We live on a lake and when we were walking down one day we seen him just laying on the road don't know how he got there because the lake is a good 10 feet from the road if not more.
#5
Guest_EricaWieser_*
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Posted 01 January 2013 - 06:25 PM
I can't see the profile picture very well.
You can use photobucket.com to host your image. Then post a link to the picture here.
There's also the NANFA gallery, gallery.nanfa.org, where you can host photos of native fish.
You can use photobucket.com to host your image. Then post a link to the picture here.
There's also the NANFA gallery, gallery.nanfa.org, where you can host photos of native fish.
Edited by EricaWieser, 01 January 2013 - 06:26 PM.
#6
Guest_davidjh2_*
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Posted 01 January 2013 - 06:45 PM
Look at his tail. If it's forked it's a Channel or Blue catfish. A square off tail would point towards a Bullhead of some kind and rounded off would be a Madtom. This is not the most scientific method but it's usually accurate.
The number one rule of keeping a catfish with any other fish is that if it can fit in a catfish's mouth it will eat it. They are great fish to keep and I've kept several species of them myself but they can be a pain if you are trying to keep smaller species of fish or crayfish in the same tank.
The number one rule of keeping a catfish with any other fish is that if it can fit in a catfish's mouth it will eat it. They are great fish to keep and I've kept several species of them myself but they can be a pain if you are trying to keep smaller species of fish or crayfish in the same tank.
#7
Guest_gzeiger_*
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Posted 03 January 2013 - 12:26 AM
The recommendation on the filter packaging is there so you buy more filters, not for the benefit of the fish. You should not change the filter unless it has become clogged (every six months or less is appropriate), because as Erica said it is the accumulation of bacteria (that brown stuff, in part) that provides for removal of harmful chemicals. Remember your fish is literally breathing its own urine - it is necessary in a small enclosed volume of water like an aquarium to do something to actively remove it.
I agree with the above - a catfish will eat absolutely anything that can fit in its mouth, and some larger things it will hang on to hoping that its mouth will grow.
I agree with the above - a catfish will eat absolutely anything that can fit in its mouth, and some larger things it will hang on to hoping that its mouth will grow.
#9
Sean Phillips
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- NANFA Member
- Allegheny River Drainage, Southwest PA
Posted 03 April 2014 - 08:09 PM
Well there are many man NA cats he or she could be so here is what my research has led me to believe the tank sizes are for the following cats.
Most madtoms: 20 gallon
Stonecat (other madtom): 55 gallon
Yellow bullhead: 75 gallon, preferably more
Brown bullhead: 100 gallon, preferably more
Channel catfish: 300 gallon, preferably more
Blue catfish: 500 gallon, preferably more
I've never kept an cats before but I have observed their natural behaviors and movement patterns while scuba diving as well as researched them thoroughly. Some other people on here that have experience with the cats would be a better source for now until I've kept one and can give you personal experiences.
Most madtoms: 20 gallon
Stonecat (other madtom): 55 gallon
Yellow bullhead: 75 gallon, preferably more
Brown bullhead: 100 gallon, preferably more
Channel catfish: 300 gallon, preferably more
Blue catfish: 500 gallon, preferably more
I've never kept an cats before but I have observed their natural behaviors and movement patterns while scuba diving as well as researched them thoroughly. Some other people on here that have experience with the cats would be a better source for now until I've kept one and can give you personal experiences.
Sean Phillips - Pine Creek Watershed - Allegheny River Drainage
#10
Guest_gerald_*
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Posted 04 April 2014 - 11:49 AM
Golden shiner, creek chub, or hornyhead chub might be good tankmates, as long as they're similar in size to the catfish. Transfer the sand or gravel from the old tank to the new tank (at least the surface layer of sand/gravel), and don't wash it too vigorously, so . you don't lose those beneficial bacteria that live on the sand surface. You will of course need a much bigger tank eventually if you plan to keep an adult channel cat! We might have some other NANFA members in your area that you and your son can meet up with for a collecting trip.
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