striped raphael catfish

[theborg]

hey all i got a question
whats the longest that anyone had heard of a striped raphael catfish living out of water heres why iam asking
i was movein and my striped raphael catfish was in one of my castles that i have he was not movein so i thought he was dead so i left him in the castle cuz i couldnt get to him to get him out so i put him and the castle in a box where i put other stuff out of the tank and i went on with getting all the other fish out of the tank he was out of water for at least 1 1/2 hours if not more when i get to my new house i thought i would look and see if i could get him out yet and i seen that he was breathin and its been 3 days now and he is still alive good for me
thanks to all that answer

 

[phillydog1958]

his gills must have somehow, remained wet. lucky you.

 

[knifegill]

They don't need gills. They take breaths through their stomachs. As long as they stay moist, they are good to go. Heck, common plecos leave the water to spawn in mud banks. Many, if not most catfish can breathe atmospheric air.