# Catfish tank?



## Fredpuma (Apr 2, 2011)

I had a 29 gallon tank with cichlids that I adopted from someone about four years ago. For the most part they all got fat and happy and I only really lost any once I got a really aggressive guy that eventually killed everyone. I have traded him in and we have changed the 29 gallon into a community tank. Changing the tank around made me do some research, and it makes me embarrassed to find out how much I didn't know and how much I was doing wrong just following a friend's lax advise on how to care for those cichlids for all those years. Now that I have been researching and learning so much about the hobby, I have to admit I've become officially addicted and am practically bankrupt from planting the 29 gallon, a 10 gallon and buying a whole new 20 gallon long within the past 2 months. 

The 20 gallon long is meant to be a cat-fish tank eventually. Right now it's cycling with 2 mollys and a platy that are eventually going to be transferred to a 90 gallon community tank we plan to buy this summer (<--- see? ADDICTED). As soon as it's done cycling I'm going to move my humbug catfish out of the 29 where he has been living sadly for the past 2 years. He's still really tiny (about 2 inches) and really, really shy even with lights out. I want to let him live in the 20 for a few weeks with the mollys and platy before I put anybody else in there to give him time to settle down, get comfortable and maybe start eating more without so much competition. I realize he will probably outgrow the tank eventually, but by then I will have the 90 that he can possible go to, or I might just get another big tank (55?) for him and a few more larger cats. 

So, what I want to put in this (20 gallon) tank over the next few months are:
a honeycomb catfish (centromochlus perugiae)
a synodontis lusipinnis
a hypancistrus contradens
and a bristelnose pleco.

Does that sound like it's an ok plan? I don't know anyone that has a tank of only catfish... do I need any community fish in there, or will they be ok by themselves? Even if there are enough hiding spaces will they fight? Will this be too much fish for so little of a tank? [I tried to find small-non aggressive fish. For some reason I don't really like corys (no offense to anyone who does, they just aren't my thing)]

Is there anything I should know? Like I said, I was appalled when I found out how poorly I was caring for the tank before (replace evaporated water, change the filter once a month and feed cichlid food was the extent of my routine. I didn't even turn off the light before...) so I have really been trying to make up for it now that I know better. We do 25% water changes about twice a week, make gelatin food with carrots and peas, supplement that with flake and bloodworms, zuccini, an occasional algae wafer and have all the aquariums planted with CO2, and testing once a week. In the 29 and 10 gallons, ammonia is at 0, 0 to trace nitrites, nitrates around 30 and pH about 8 right now but we are lowering it with peat moss at the moment. 

I love the fish, and am so excited about getting involved in this hobby, but am really nervous about doing wrong to these poor fish again. 

Ok, I'm going to stop rambling...... Any feedback will be appreciated. 
-Sarah


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## phys (Feb 4, 2011)

just check the adult size of them if you dont plan on trading them in. I've heard some bad things about the bristlenose but i dont remember quite what.. so look around


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## NeonShark666 (Dec 13, 2010)

Remember that catfish usually feed only on the bottom so floating flakes are not of much use. My cats seem to like small bits of fresh shrimp that sink to the bottom. Both Corys and Plecos also go after Algae pellets.


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## Fredpuma (Apr 2, 2011)

Thanks! Yeah- we are feeding zucchini and vegetable gelatin that sink and algae wafers for the plecos in the big tanks. I'm going to go out and try to find some catfish pellets today for the humbug catfish. Except for the humbug which I already have, all the fish I chose for my list of what I want to get for the 20 gallon long are all between 3 and 5 inches adult size.


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