Asian Sun Catfish

[mattlee]

i was looking at several bottom feeding fish yesterday as i liked the sound of a bottom feeder to help keep the tank cleaner. and i went for a polkadot loach and an asian sun catfish. the cat is a beautiful looking fish that is a greeny/gold colour with a dark spot just behind the gills, i was told it would grow to a maximum of 12cm and they looked very active in the shop and for only £3.50 i thought it was a bargain..... since putting it in my tank it has hidden inside a tree root ornament i have and it has not been seen since!!!!

does anybody else have one or know anything about them?
will it eventually come out and say hello, or will it always stay hidden away out of sight?


i also bought some pellets for bottom feeders that i have put in at night, it has gone so i guess something has eaten it.... but dont know if it was the cat, the loach or the 2 gouramis i have in the tank!

if i never see it how do i know if its well?

any advice/ tips on these fish would be appreciated as this is my first tank and therefor my first catfish, it just seems a shame that for such a great looking fish i will never see it.......


the polkadot loach is also very beautifull and very active and we love it. Matt.

 

[Davo86]

Asian Sun Catfish AKA Horabagrus brachysoma get a lot bigger than 12cm, - 12inches more like, if not more.
They are highly nocturnal and also predatory, so small fish will very quickly start to dissapear in the night.

I brought a tiny 3cm specimen and added it to my tank, after 4 months of not seeing it, I presumed it was dead, But then 2 years later i started finding fish where going missing but i couldn't find the cause, A while later i decided to upgrade my tank and whilst i was draining the system i found a fat 8" specimen in hiding. These guys are that reclusive

 

[rdd1952]

i was told it would grow to a maximum of 12cm

I've never kept them but the 2 websites I found list max size at 12 to 18 inches so you will need a large tank. As a general rule, if it's a catfish (other than corys) and you don't know anything about it, figure it will reach at least 12".

http/www.theaquariumwiki.com/Sun_Catfish

http/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horabagrus

 

[mattlee]

another wrong piece of info given from the aquatic shop then...... doh!!!!! i dropped a sinking pellet in the tank last night before i went bed with all the lights off and within seconds the asian sun came out and picked it up whole and carried it off to the back of the tank. its only about 2 inches at the minute so i can see why small fish would dissapear easily when its a bit older/ bigger.......

 

[Gynx21]

i just got my first asian sun and he is so far 6" and since getting him this morning, he has not hidden once! nor has he seemed interested in the other fish. i think fish (to some extent) are like us, they have different personalities and can be very different to what they are described as. you were told wrong by the shop regarding the size as they can grow to at least 12" so make sure your tank is big enough and still keep an eye on your smaller fish and i wouldnt recommend buying anything any smaller than a guourami!