Walking Catfish

[gskmr2]

Hi guys,

I inadvertently purchased a walking catfish from a local shop but decided that instead of returning it to keep it. Initially I had a cheap and small tank from a local supplier which also had other fish in it (including 5 tetras... now only 1). I managed to aquire a 4x2x2 100g tank on Ebay for £11 (!!!) including the stand and gravel, http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fish-Tank-/140572482836?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item20bac5dd14 so that now houses the Clarius but my question is, I also have a Pitcus Catfish - knowing there are barbs on this fish and can defend itself well, is it a good idea to move this from my smaller tank to the larger one alongside the Clarius? Both fish are currently very small, Pitcus is around 1.5in and the Calrius is 3-3.5in.

I know the Pitcus as a very low tolerence to bad water conditions and as I have just set the new tank up it could cause harm to it so its OK to be in the smaller tank for the next few weeks.... don't really want to loose my last tetra though!

Like most people I purchased these from a shop which knew very little about them so I do agree that there should be some sort of limitations on sale of large fish - at least some sort of background check as to your tank size but I guess the shops just want to sell. They didn't even ask me what other fish were in the tank!

Thanks,

 

[MartinS]

I'd say species only tank, and don't mix it with the pictus - clarius will grow much quicker, and if it tries to eat the pim, you may end up with two dead fish!
Clarius need a well covered tank with strong filtration. They generally will eat anything, and will also eat fish bigger than you'd expect, which is why I'd suggest a species tank, or at least with large, deep bodied fish that are 4-5 times as deep as the catfish.
HTH
Martin

 

[gskmr2]

Thanks for the reply and sorry for the late one!
I will stick to a species tank - may get another one in the very near future, they are still in stock at the shop I got the other at. I hope breeding isn't simple as I don't want loads of them... I have stocked up on different foods, catfish wafers and pellets as well as fresh bloodworms and dried mealworms and the usual flake food.

 

[Wills]

I would keep it alone, if mixed I know someone that had a group and the dominant one just attacked the others. The way they kill each other is pretty brutal, they bite around the neck to knock out a nerve cluster which just disables the victim and leave them to die

Keep alone But I hear they make great pets! And make sure you have a really well sealed lid as they do get out and about if they can lol

Wills

 

[FishFillet]

Walking catfish are Illegal in my country (US) i dont know about others but they are banned because of there ability to move from one body of water to the next and is a hazard to the ecosystem... thats might be why the store dident know much about them or ask you what other fish you have in the tank...

 

[gskmr2]

Walking catfish are Illegal in my country (US) i dont know about others but they are banned because of there ability to move from one body of water to the next and is a hazard to the ecosystem... thats might be why the store dident know much about them or ask you what other fish you have in the tank...

I am in the UK - the fish cannot survive the cold water here for very long unlike most places in the USA that they now thrive in. I have also decided to stick to one, its got to about 5" already!
Thanks

 

[MBOU]

I dont think you want another one... have you seen how big they get!?

http/www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=adult+clarius+catfish&um=1&hl=en&sa=X&nfpr=1&tbm=isch&tbnid=MOS7xYLgndaVFM:&imgrefurl=http/nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/factsheet.asp%253FSpeciesID%253D486&docid=CPQE76uh_RlboM&w=600&h=371&ei=5KA_TpfHGo6r8AOPvYXPDg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=623&vpy=171&dur=91&hovh=176&hovw=286&tx=162&ty=99&page=3&tbnh=88&tbnw=143&start=28&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:9,s:28&biw=955&bih=539

About 2ft aparently though i swear the ones at MA @ Reading (henry street) 2-3 years ago were closer to 3ft!?

Either way, a single specimen will need at least a 6x3x3 tank as an adult! We had a marbled clarius at 1ft long and he was called Claude the Clarius and he had a dodgy fin. He was always really active and even at 1ft, he used all of a 5.5 x 2 x 2 tank (to himself).