catfish - Aquarium Advice

jester · 10-24-2003, 01:01 AM

we caught a small catfish in wisconsin at our cottage my sister put it in here tank and 2 fish have been killed one had its eyes ripped out and the other some fins she has some old fish in there and the cat i think thats it i am a salt guy the cat is about 1and a half inches is it him?

RogerMcAllen · 10-24-2003, 01:09 AM

If you get a pic, you can post it at www.planetcatfish.com for proper [acronym:e238f9ea2a="Identify"]ID[/acronym:e238f9ea2a]. I would assume it is either a channel cat or a bullhead. I think channel cats are known to be more agressive, not really sure though. Mine, 10" or so, have always left my comets alone, and even most of the rosies I got as feeders. I now have monster 3" rosies.

Allivymar · 10-24-2003, 08:33 AM

There are a TON of diff catfish species jester; without a pic or description its hard to determine what type it is.

Its also possible the catfish has nothing to do with the prob. Illness can also cause similar symptoms (finrot, popeye, death). Its possible, since its a wild caught fish (and I'm guessing it wasn't QT) that it brought something along with it. I especially suspect disease as theres no mention of seeing the cat being aggressive. Also, any idea what her water parameters are? That might be a clue as well (high nitrogenous waste - high levels of stress - depressed immune system).

tkos · 10-24-2003, 09:04 AM

It is never a good idea to catch wild fish without knowledge of what you are catching. Plus you should make sure it is even legal to do so. Many places make it illegal to catch wild animals and keep them as pets.

10-24-2003, 10:17 AM

Pure guesses here. It's a Madtom species, they are very small lake/stream catfish. Yes, it's him causing the trouble. Please put him back where he came from if at all possible.

jester · 10-24-2003, 04:04 PM

the cat was not caught in the lake it was in our bait bucket we got from the bait store out there i will try to get a pic it is all black if that helps my leg is broke so i will see if my sister can work the camera and get a pic of it thanks

TankGirl · 10-24-2003, 04:33 PM

Most catfish you will find in North America are going to be a bad idea in an aquarium, as basically they will eat anything that will fit in their mouths. This is a generalization, of course, but chances are it is the source of the difficulty, and I would definitely advise against keeping it in a home aquarium, unless it is an extremely large system. Like has been posted, it is quite likely a carrier of parasites and infection, so other problems may rear their ugly head even after the catfish is removed.

madasafish · 10-24-2003, 04:55 PM

Plus, if it's a Cat from Wisconsin, it might need a water chiller. Water up there is natually a lot colder. I stop by a brook trout rehabilitation center near NYC every week or so, and they have to chill every one of their tanks. It's not cheap--the chillers rarely sell for under $200.

JustDIY might object... you can do it yourself, but it's a lot less precise.

TankGirl · 10-24-2003, 07:10 PM

I didn't even think about the temperature!

10-25-2003, 01:03 AM

Quote:

the cat was not caught in the lake it was in our bait bucket

Ok, almost definitely a Madtom species. They frequantly show up in bait buckets, they hang out with shiners and other minnows in lakes or streams, where the bait collectors catch them. There are lot of diff. madtoms, but most only grow to 3-6 inches. Still act like a big catfish, will eat anything that they can even halfway fit in the mouth. considering all the trouble, put him back in some lake.

10-24-2003, 01:01 AM	#1
jester Aquarium Advice Freak Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Chicago Posts: 391 Images: 8	catfish we caught a small catfish in wisconsin at our cottage my sister put it in here tank and 2 fish have been killed one had its eyes ripped out and the other some fins she has some old fish in there and the cat i think thats it i am a salt guy the cat is about 1and a half inches is it him? __________________ my tank for now is a 60g with a little live sand and then just play sand I got 80 pounds of live rock now I have a wet dry with no bio balls and a protein skimmer and [acronym="Ultra Violet"]uv[/acronym] steralizer I have power compacts 260 watts I have 1 damsels 1yellow tang 1 flame angel one yellow strip maroon clownfishand and a feather duster and a bulb anemones that the clown lives in and colony polops and some kenya tree corals and 2 fire shrimp snails and hermit crabs and some other crabs i just got a 40g with like 6 inches of live sand and it is loaded with corals and inverts it was given to me by a friend she had it for 3 years there is a brain coral wellsophyllia and a platygyra brain worm coral green striped mushrooms and red mushrooms yellow colony polyp and button polyp and some type of hard coral not sure what it is also alot of kenya tree oh ya and 2 giant star fish

10-24-2003, 01:09 AM	#2
RogerMcAllen Aquarium Advice Addict Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Champaign, IL Posts: 2,360 Images: 16	If you get a pic, you can post it at www.planetcatfish.com for proper [acronym:e238f9ea2a="Identify"]ID[/acronym:e238f9ea2a]. I would assume it is either a channel cat or a bullhead. I think channel cats are known to be more agressive, not really sure though. Mine, 10" or so, have always left my comets alone, and even most of the rosies I got as feeders. I now have monster 3" rosies. __________________ Have your reviewed your aquarium products yet?

10-24-2003, 08:33 AM	#3
Allivymar Aquarium Advice Addict Moderator Emeritus Join Date: May 2003 Location: NY Posts: 4,355 Images: 15	There are a TON of diff catfish species jester; without a pic or description its hard to determine what type it is. Its also possible the catfish has nothing to do with the prob. Illness can also cause similar symptoms (finrot, popeye, death). Its possible, since its a wild caught fish (and I'm guessing it wasn't QT) that it brought something along with it. I especially suspect disease as theres no mention of seeing the cat being aggressive. Also, any idea what her water parameters are? That might be a clue as well (high nitrogenous waste - high levels of stress - depressed immune system). __________________ aka Cycling Guru and the Ich Slayer glares at Terry and QTOFFER Card carrying member of FTAS & GCAS.

10-24-2003, 04:04 PM	#6
jester Aquarium Advice Freak Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Chicago Posts: 391 Images: 8	the cat was not caught in the lake it was in our bait bucket we got from the bait store out there i will try to get a pic it is all black if that helps my leg is broke so i will see if my sister can work the camera and get a pic of it thanks __________________ my tank for now is a 60g with a little live sand and then just play sand I got 80 pounds of live rock now I have a wet dry with no bio balls and a protein skimmer and [acronym="Ultra Violet"]uv[/acronym] steralizer I have power compacts 260 watts I have 1 damsels 1yellow tang 1 flame angel one yellow strip maroon clownfishand and a feather duster and a bulb anemones that the clown lives in and colony polops and some kenya tree corals and 2 fire shrimp snails and hermit crabs and some other crabs i just got a 40g with like 6 inches of live sand and it is loaded with corals and inverts it was given to me by a friend she had it for 3 years there is a brain coral wellsophyllia and a platygyra brain worm coral green striped mushrooms and red mushrooms yellow colony polyp and button polyp and some type of hard coral not sure what it is also alot of kenya tree oh ya and 2 giant star fish

10-24-2003, 04:33 PM	#7
TankGirl Aquarium Advice Addict Moderator Emeritus Join Date: May 2003 Location: Richmond VA Posts: 8,279 Images: 16	Most catfish you will find in North America are going to be a bad idea in an aquarium, as basically they will eat anything that will fit in their mouths. This is a generalization, of course, but chances are it is the source of the difficulty, and I would definitely advise against keeping it in a home aquarium, unless it is an extremely large system. Like has been posted, it is quite likely a carrier of parasites and infection, so other problems may rear their ugly head even after the catfish is removed. __________________ TG Central Virginians click here and join the Regional Forum! View My Gallery Here

10-24-2003, 09:04 AM	#4
tkos Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Canada Posts: 1,423	It is never a good idea to catch wild fish without knowledge of what you are catching. Plus you should make sure it is even legal to do so. Many places make it illegal to catch wild animals and keep them as pets.

10-24-2003, 10:17 AM	#5
Guest Posts: n/a	Pure guesses here. It's a Madtom species, they are very small lake/stream catfish. Yes, it's him causing the trouble. Please put him back where he came from if at all possible.

10-24-2003, 04:55 PM	#8
madasafish Aquarium Advice Addict Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: NY, NY Posts: 2,260 Images: 73	Plus, if it's a Cat from Wisconsin, it might need a water chiller. Water up there is natually a lot colder. I stop by a brook trout rehabilitation center near NYC every week or so, and they have to chill every one of their tanks. It's not cheap--the chillers rarely sell for under $200. JustDIY might object... you can do it yourself, but it's a lot less precise. __________________ [acronym:3ff24413a5="Malaysian Trumpet Snails or Multiple Tank Syndrome, depending on context"]MTS[/acronym:3ff24413a5] is a blessing, not a disease.

10-24-2003, 07:10 PM	#9
TankGirl Aquarium Advice Addict Moderator Emeritus Join Date: May 2003 Location: Richmond VA Posts: 8,279 Images: 16	I didn't even think about the temperature! __________________ TG Central Virginians click here and join the Regional Forum! View My Gallery Here

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