Ok so before i you guys lay into me let me explain my situation. I called the local pet store (a bunch of idiots) I asked them if i may place an order on 4 synodontis cats for my 125 gallon african setup. They did and i was excited because i have been looking forever to find these fish! Anyways so i go to pick them up, and its not the fish that i wanted.... Already paid for.... I told them i wanted synodontis cats, and now i have 4 sun cats. They wouldnt allow me to take my money back and i figured i have extra tanks if need be. So I did some research on these sun cats they grow up to 18 inchs which is fine, if they ever made it that big i can put them in my pond. Anyhow I read online they will be fine with anything about there size and larger EXCEPT AFRICAN CICHLIDS! This was after they were put in the tank, they seem to be holding there own very well. The cichlids are curious but not aggressive and almost scared? The Pleco loves them!

My two concerns are will they be picked apart bullied and terrified? Living a miserable life? And if they dont then when the start growing should i then worry about cichlids disapearing?

Thanks,
Mike

I know very little about sun catfish but i think the "Except African cichlids" remark is just based on typical aggression. That comment is labelled alongside many species as a general rule because of the usual high aggression levels of most African cichlids - it doesn't mean it can't work, just that there are risks invloved. I would keep a close eye on things and see how it goes but if the catfish are getting persistently bullied and stressed - you may need to return them.

IME Most Africans aren't really that interested in anything that isn't another similar species. The fish i've kept have almost always ignored any catfish/plec tankmates and rarely displayed aggression towards them.

Yeah exactally. I mean they are definately interested. Or were last night when i put the cats in. Not in an aggressive manor though. My concern is the cats seem to also love to hide, i would have for one to stumble upon a territory of a cichlid and get beaten up without a clue as to why lol. I didnt see them at all this morning which from what ive read is typical. What would you say about them as they get larger? Will they then become a threat to my cichlids?

Thanks Ferris!

Most catfish eat fish. So when they get big enough....

Yeah thats what im afraid of, well for the time being hopefully they will be a nice addition to the tank. I was looking for bottom feeders (synodotis) but this happend. Maybe i will build them a pond when that day comes that cichlids start disapearing, or more idealy before they start disapearing.

Like most large catfish - they will potentially eat anything that can fit in their mouths. A 4" Mbuna could look like a tasty snack to an 18" sun catfish - Of course, you are looking at a few years before that becomes an issue.

P.S - Good to see you posting again, i've not seen you on the board for ages.

The sun catfish may be able to get to 18 inches in the wild but in an aquarium it is much more likey that they will reach around 12 to 14 inches. A few years back i had a 150 gallon mbuna tank with 2 sun cats. At first they were a bit skittish but after about a month they came out much more and i never really had any problems except at feeding but in the 5 years i had them they only grew to about 13 inches. They really are great fish to keep if i can care for them

Yes they are very skiddish, I did see one poking his head out the other day. The tank has plenty of hiding spots im not worried about not seeing them. If they were hungry they would come out otherwise i think they are doing fine. Yes Ferris it has been quite a while. I come and go. Times change. I had maybe 7 aquariums at said point in time but, now there is no time at all.

Tell me about it!

Haha i mean no time for 7 tanks, Ive got all the time in the world to sit and bull#### on the computer at work. Haha, actually new job, they've got me doing quite a bit of running around and database work. Not bad, only draw back is i dont get to spend every day at home with the fish. Haha. Well once again its great to be back!

P.S. How much are all of you in the UK paying for gas, i know its been way more expensive then over here for quite sometime but we are really feeling it now at gas closing in on 5 dollars a gallon.

I filled up yesterday and paid £1.22 per litre (98 RON - the good stuff) so that's not far off the equivalent of $2.50 USD per litre, never mind per gallon.

Haha its so weird because i mean i understand what you mean but its hard to put that into retrospec compared to over here. Its 4.50 a gallon, expected to easily reach 5 i would say in the next 2 months. 98 eh? We mess aroung with the 87 REG for regular as in nothing special. The highest ive ever seen is 93. This 98 stuff better be jet fuel, allow that car to take off and have excellent mileage.

Holy crap, I just did some math. If you were correct on that roughly 2.50 american. Then your paying about 9.48 a gallon! Thats insane! I can barely afford to power my fishtank lol. Its that 98 RON. What would you pay for the cheapest gas?

The regular stuff is 95 RON and it's around £1.14 per litre so not much cheaper.