Questions on Irwini Catfish Care

[divemaster99]

Hey guys, yesterday I made a thread about whether or not I should get an Irwini as a GROWOUT for my 75 gallon (I can't explain all of it again so read this: http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/f...-have-experience-with-Megalodoras-Uranoscopus). Anyways, some other members and I were discussing growth rates which are the determining factor for me and in the end I decided to get one (well order one). I will call the guy up on Saturday morning (I have a hectic week coming so I can't get it until at least next Wednesday). But the reason I made this thread was to get some good info on care for these guys rather than reading a bunch of care sheets that tell me different things, I want to hear your thoughts on these fish.

So some topics I would like to know about are:

• Feeding (I don't want SLOW growth but want the diet to get it to no more than 14" in 1.5 years, then it will be upgraded)
  • good foods
  • dry or frozen
• Aggression towards smaller doradids
  • I have a Striped Raph that will be in with it
• How to get it to come out during lights on
  • Don't target feed or after dark feed will work?
• Personality
  • In your experience does it recognize owners or is it "typical-catfish-behaior"
  • CAN IT BE TRAINED TO HANDFEED?
• Your overall thoughts on the fish

So my plan for those who didn't use the link is to grow it out to about 12-14" in the 75 for about 1.5-2 years, then move it to a 180 I will be getting at that point and growing it out completely, finally if its still around in about 8-10 years I plan on building a 500-600 gallon monster catfish community where it will live out the rest of its life. I have backup plans written on the other thread so yes I am prepared to get this fish.

 

[snake8myelbo]

Sounds like your being responsible. I am growing 2 out my wife got me last Christmas so a little over a year ago. In that time they are 10" I fed exclusively pellet food and they took straight to it. They come in really skinny but are hardy cats! I target feed and switched to nls pellets about 3 months ago and they are growing very good on NLS. personality... Typical catfish. Mine don't troll during the day at all but when I feed they come out if there hides for a few.

Sent from my C6606 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App

 

[divemaster99]

Sounds like your being responsible. I am growing 2 out my wife got me last Christmas so a little over a year ago. In that time they are 10" I fed exclusively pellet food and they took straight to it. They come in really skinny but are hardy cats! I target feed and switched to nls pellets about 3 months ago and they are growing very good on NLS. personality... Typical catfish. Mine don't troll during the day at all but when I feed they come out if there hides for a few.

Sent from my C6606 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App[/QUOTE

thanks for some input. Wow 10" in say 14 months, that's quick! What are NLS pellets (are they new life spectrum, that's what I will be feeding my cichlids)?

 

[Drstrangelove]

As always every fish has it's own personality, so these are generalities:

1) They are nocturnal feeders, plan to turn off the lights at night and then drop in food that sinks. They seem to do well that way. As they get larger, a lot of these types of fish seem to become more likely to feed in the day, but that might not be for a long time or until they get over 10" or a foot.

2) They need safe secure spots to hide in the day. A properly sized opaque pvc tube or large overhang in the tank should do. They often will share spots with other similar catfish (even other species) and sometimes happily with non catfish. In nature many types of thorny catfish swarm in the hundreds in streams and in aquariums you can see 5-10 all piled together in one cave happily during the day.

3) They are big feeders so offer lots of food and cut back when you see they aren't eating it all.

4) nigers, giraffes, redtails can be hand fed, so while I haven't seen it, these might work the same. If I had to guess, they will probably have to be over 10" before that happens, but its a guess.

5) they are peaceful fish, even (or especially) with other thorny fish. they are gregarious in nature.


http://www.planetcatfish.com/common/species.php?species_id=143

 

[rodger]

Are these personal observations, or just what you read?

As always every fish has it's own personality, so these are generalities:

1) They are nocturnal feeders, plan to turn off the lights at night and then drop in food that sinks. They seem to do well that way. As they get larger, a lot of these types of fish seem to become more likely to feed in the day, but that might not be for a long time or until they get over 10" or a foot.

2) They need safe secure spots to hide in the day. A properly sized opaque pvc tube or large overhang in the tank should do. They often will share spots with other similar catfish (even other species) and sometimes happily with non catfish. In nature many types of thorny catfish swarm in the hundreds in streams and in aquariums you can see 5-10 all piled together in one cave happily during the day.

3) They are big feeders so offer lots of food and cut back when you see they aren't eating it all.

4) nigers, giraffes, redtails can be hand fed, so while I haven't seen it, these might work the same. If I had to guess, they will probably have to be over 10" before that happens, but its a guess.

5) they are peaceful fish, even (or especially) with other thorny fish. they are gregarious in nature.


http://www.planetcatfish.com/common/species.php?species_id=143

 

[Drstrangelove]

Are these personal observations, or just what you read?

Not personal. I wish!!

I want to keep the same fish, so I've actually been doing a lot of reading, not just on this site and others, but in books and articles from people who have been in the field for years. Basically I want to reduce any "user" errors as much as possible before I collect these. (That was a summary of what I found.) I think to know all this without others telling you would either take a lot of trial and error, amazing intuition or both.

Did you notice anything I mis posted or that you feel is wrong? Please let me know.

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

@ Dr: FWIW, I don't see anything wrong

DM: ...rather than reading a bunch of care sheets that tell me different things...
TBTB: I find that rarely they contradict each other in important matters.

DM: [*]Feeding...
TBTB: They are omnivorous and opportunistic. Almost as unfussy as fish get. The less protein, the slower the growth.

DM: [*]Aggression towards smaller doradids
TBTB: Not aggressive, in terms of territory or hierarchy.

DM: [*]How to get it to come out during lights on
TBTB: The same way Pavlov trained his dogs The dimmer the lights, the better. Size/age matters too. They often stop hiding when fully grown.

DM: [*]Personality...
TBTB: Nice.

DM: [*]In your experience does it recognize owners or is it "typical-catfish-behaior"
TBTB: It can even learn which human brings the food and which don't... with consistent routine.

DM: [*]CAN IT BE TRAINED TO HANDFEED?
TBTB: I witnessed it.

 

[divemaster99]

@ Dr: FWIW, I don't see anything wrong

DM: ...rather than reading a bunch of care sheets that tell me different things...
TBTB: I find that rarely they contradict each other in important matters.

DM:
[*]Feeding...
TBTB: They are omnivorous and opportunistic. Almost as unfussy as fish get. The less protein, the slower the growth.

DM:
[*]Aggression towards smaller doradids
TBTB: Not aggressive, in terms of territory or hierarchy.

DM:
[*]How to get it to come out during lights on
TBTB: The same way Pavlov trained his dogs The dimmer the lights, the better. Size/age matters too. They often stop hiding when fully grown.

DM:
[*]Personality...
TBTB: Nice.

DM:
[*]In your experience does it recognize owners or is it "typical-catfish-behaior"
TBTB: It can even learn which human brings the food and which don't... with consistent routine.

DM:
[*]CAN IT BE TRAINED TO HANDFEED?
TBTB: I witnessed it.

Now you are making me want one again bro . I just talked myself out of it. I did see your PL post about if I had a friend with a bigger tank as a backup....I am actually going to my first meeting of my local fish tank club tomorrow night and I could try to find someone there to be a backup for me.

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

I am merely trying to answer questions or address issues in my time-limited and not-well-thought-through ways, Sean No one should "order you" or tell you what to do. You do what you do and keep growing in the hobby and report and we'll keep growing all together.

BTW, Planet Catfish is abbreviated PC by most. I don't like it, for obvious reasons. This is already taken and is one of the most common abbreviations. I use PCF. No one else should but can.

 

[divemaster99]

I am merely trying to answer questions or address issues in my time-limited and not-well-thought-through ways, Sean No one should "order you" or tell you want to do. You do what you do and keep growing in the hobby and report and we'll keep growing all together.

BTW, Planet Catfish is abbreviated PC by most. I don't like it, for obvious reasons. This is already taken and is one of the most common abbreviations. I use PCF. No one else should but can.

Oh sorry I was abbreviating wrong, I have no idea where PL was coming from now that I think about it. No but I actually am still contemplating the idea of an irwini and if I can find somebody with a backup tank for him I will more than likely get one. I did say on another thread that one of my friends works at my LFS and I text with him about our tanks a lot, when I almost got rid of my ABbC he offered to buy it off me for his tank not just take it back to the store. I know he has a TON of huge tanks the irwini could always go into (about 2 out of every 3 are saltwater though).