shelter for a catfish...any ideas?

[billy61788]

i just got a catfish today... does anyone have suggestions on what i should put in my tank for him to hide in/under? i dont know if they perfer certain things of others.


thanks

 

[JoKeR]

what kind is it it depends put a cave or log or even a cup

 

[billy61788]

i cant remember the name of it...but its farly small and is plump and the guy at petsmart said its pretty much at its full size...its like grayish with some black almost stripes. i put a circular candle holder in there for now but im going to try and find something that looks better

 

[Bol]

Look like any of These? If so, they're corydoras catfish, often called "cories". They're generally about an inch and a half long. Probably what you got.

Or more like one of these? These are called generally called "plecos" (or, by the superstitious, "pl*cos". They're noticeably bigger than cories.

Can't tell you much about plecos, but if they're cories, all you need are some small spaces. I've generally made "caves" using the following methods:

1) Get two pieces of flat rock (like slate), and lean them against each other to make a tent.

2) Use some larger (say, egg-sized) rocks to make small "caves". Put two down, a little apart from each other, a third on top of the first two, and maybe one covering the back if you want. Just ake sure the rocks are pretty stable.

I've heard of many people using half a clay pot as a cave, too.
Or, taking a short piece of PVC pipe, and using aquarium silicon to cover the outside of it with gravel.

Also, if you have plants, sometimes that's enough, too. Seems to me that they just like to get out of the light occasionally.

Hope that gives you some ideas.

 

[billy61788]

Corydoras acrensis...thats the one i have thanks. and yea i was thinking about using rocks to make a cave. would it be better to buy them form the pet store or using ones from outside? i know the ones from outside i have to test with vinager but idk if one is better than the other

 

[guppygirly]

The store I go to just gets theirs from a guy around here, who in turn gets them from outside...so you may as well skip the middle man and save some money IMO.

 

[De Plano]

What is the candle holder made of? You do not want to put metal in there. A broken piece of terra cotta (clay plant pot) is what a lot of folks use. Rocks put in a stack (house of cards style or stonehenge style) works well also, and can look a little more natural (not always though). You can buy a number of them from the lfs if your feeling like being lazy over stingy, (although I am lazy, I am too stingy to buy a rock cave). A piece of wood that sinks works also. A ton of plants (real or fake) can provide enough cover for cories that they will not have to have a cave (if you can they would preffer one though)

Basically anything that is not poisonous to the fish will work. If you grab a rock you can test if it is too calciferous (too much calcium) by pouring a little bit of vinegar on it. If it fizzes a bit then do not use it. As someone here pointed out to me check to make sure there is not any metals in the rock also, a visual test should be fine. If your using stuff from around the house you need to be more careful as there can be more stuff then you would thing on common household materials. Anything you would take away from a baby should not be allowed in the tank. Glass is a bit different, but make sure it is not leaded glass. As long as there is no sharp edges glass should be fine. I could go on about what should not go in the tank, but I think you probably get the idea.

 

[De Plano]

I would just grab ones from outside.

 

[billy61788]

its a glass candle holder which hasnt been used so theres no wax on it or anything...and ill probably find some rocks outside instead of buying

thanks

 

[kmurph]

Make sure that if you use rocks collected from outside that you clean them off really, really well.

 

[Tenko]

I used a rocks from various beaches I visited on holidays. I did the vinegar test then immersed them in boiling water for a while to clean them.

 

[Cheese Specialist]

Mine hide under a nicely shaped bit of mopani, I have dug in the gravel under it to make the cave big enough for them all.

How many do you have Billy? They do better in groups. Do you have food for it? Sorry to ask but lots of people don't seem t think they need feeding and then wonder why they're dead.

 

[billy61788]

well hes my only catfish, he was all alone in his tank and the guy didnt mention getting more then one but i plan on it. for him to eat i have pellets...i went to petco and they said they dont have sinking pellets but i find that soaking the normal ones in water for a bit before i add them makes them sink...is there a better source of food for them?