This time, I know what they need, and it is younger. I have had it for 5-6 months now, and it has grown to about 3 inches.. I just set up a river aquarium, and it seems to be doing very well.
The setup is a 4' long x2 wide 'x1' tall frag tank style thing, with a powerful HOB filter creating current in one direction,
1/2 pool filter sand 1/2 river rock/pea gravel substrate
Lots of driftwood (as I also set up this tank for plecos, though they don't seem to enjoy it as much)
Sparsely planted with java fern, rosette swordplants, and hornwort.
The stock is
2 Common pleco, 1 bristlenose pleco (which may be needed elsewhere soon)
3 Longear sunfish babies
2 Small carpintis cichlids (rio danto x escondido)
1 slender madtom
Is this setup good? I was thinking of including a school of something that likes the current.
I am using this as a temporary forming tank for my sunfish/carpintis, so the adult size isn't an issue, they will be removed once they grow a little and I'll put in smaller ones.
Is it possible to breed them in this setup? I hear they breed in pools (still water?), though high o2 is a must with these guys and low no3. This setup is similar to the place the cat was found, I am told, they found it in still water (it was a fry..)
Though when I found one in my childhood it was under a rock in a fast flowing, cold river, in water only 5 inches deep or so. Do they need both?
This setup is kind of a mixture, because it is an aquarium there is high flow on one side, and still water where the bunches of plants baffle the current.
If it is possible to breed them in this setup, does anybody have more madtoms?
What about madtom's personality? Are they aggressive with other catfish?
I have a few small SA bumblebee catfish I need a spot for, though I hesitate to endanger either.
Thanks and I hope someone out there has experience with this species! I want to do it right this time!
Edited by Kaleidoscope, 20 June 2014 - 12:55 AM.
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