Officially a Bichir keeper now

[sevs and sajicas for me]

kno4te
Right now it's just two Senegals and a del. I plan on adding a polli as soon as I can find one. I also plan on doing 3 ropes and a ctenopoma I'm currently growing out in another tank. I was originally thinking another uj in addition to those 4 as folks told me 5 uj 3 ropes and a ctenopoma wasn't overstocked in a 75 with weekly water changes. So I thought of taking one bichir out for a cat.

I was under the impression pictus need to be on groups but I see PC says this species doesn't

 

[kno4te]

Blochii can be solo or in groups. If I’m groups will need a good amount of swimming space.

Pictus will be eaten but blochii should be able to handle ur group.

 

[jaws7777]

Spotted or striped Raphael's shouldn't be too hard to get.

If ordering through the mail then the options are endless lol

 

[sevs and sajicas for me]

But finding someone that won't charge me 60 bucks for shipping for an other wise 5 or 10 dollar fish is a challenge.

 

[twentyleagues]

I would worry that a cat that doesnt hide may outcompete your ropes for food. If it does hide it may still shoot out and eat lot and go hide again. Thats the problem with cats like to hide and can eat a lot. Its going to have to be something you try and see if it works. The blochii is a 10" cat that's probably to big for a 75 in the long run. Ive got smaller synos in my tank most topping out at 5-6". They all look healthy when I get to see them and they are all growing. Thats the problem they hide and come out at night and get scraps that get under the decor. In fact I'm sitting in my living room drinking coffee and theres only 1 light on in the room I can see 3 of them out and about in the dark right now. The two multipunctatus are surfing the glass and the gold synodontis is busily checking all the nooks and crannies. I have an orange squeaker too I know where he hides so I know hes still there and alive but he never comes out if someone is in the room. When I had 3 multis they were out during the day but everytime I have gotten only 3 two will kill the one and then the two will lightly squabble changing the schooling habit to one of separation. These need to be kept 5+ and then they are out all the time. There are varring size reports ive never seen them bigger then 6" and its a more slender cat. I think 5 would be a bit much for your 75 though. But if you are looking for a nice looking cat that when it comes out you'll be like wow then maybe one is good. All reports say keep in groups but like I said above I've kept these alot over the years and they do ok on their own too. I like spots and stripes. I have a valentini in the grow out its a hybrid I know but spotted face and thick stripes on the body its a great looking cat.

 

[jaws7777]

But finding someone that won't charge me 60 bucks for shipping for an other wise 5 or 10 dollar fish is a challenge.

I know man it does suck but sometimes it's just a unavoidable. I'm in LFS wasteland literally nothing but a Petco and PetSmart. Almost anything I buy for what I like has to be ordered sucks.


What cats do you like ?

 

[sevs and sajicas for me]

Thanks for the tips. Yeah i definitely only want a single cat. Don't want a group. I wasn't sure if the multis needed groups or not but I've liked them in the past. Basically a syno that could be by itself and i wouldn't have to worry about it outcompeting the bichirs for food would be perfect.

I think the raphael is pretty much what I need. But other cats I've considered are featherfins but i don't know much about them. All of the synos I think are pretty cool but don't know a ton about them. Do they all need groups? I really like the look of the shovelnose cats but i know those get way too big for my tank. I also like the

Yeah I am similarly in LFS wasteland myself. I have one reputable LFS around me but I've pretty much decided i'm not going to buy from them again. I keep getting sick fish from them (my last ropefish issue as an example) and they have some shady practices IMO. I have one other mom and pop place but they rarely keep anything outside of tetras and angels. So I'm forced to either use local facebook groups or online.

 

[jaws7777]

Do you like Lima shovel nose ? They stay very manageable and aren't aggressive. There are two types the more common and widely sold Lima (elongatus) stays well below the advertised size. I think they max out at maybe 12 inches.

 

[jaws7777]

moe214 and kno4te keep/kept a few different species of cats with Polys and can probably chime in with opinions on outcompeting during feedings. I wouldnt be too worried about it though unless your looking at some of the more beastly cats

 

[Hendre]

I have a synodontis eupterus. Keeps to itself mostly but looks cool, only out at night most of the time