Mid-Size catfish?

[tethys]

My local petsmart has the striped raphaels you may want to check with them I was amazed to see it

Unfortunately, Petsmart is my local LFS, and they are disco. I tried PetCo and they don't sell them. There is only one mom and pop fish place in my city, but it's seriously gone downhill in the last few years with deads in the tanks, dirty floors, etc. I'm wary of buying from them.

 

[tethys]

I'm sorry but I'm confused about the pictus and ich thing. i have 4 pictus and have never had a problem with ich with them. One was even in a tank where some of the fish got ich and the pictus was perfectly fine.

I'm assuming YMMV, and idk how strict they are about links to other sites on this forum, but if you google Pictus and ich, it's a commonly held opinion that because they don't have scales they are more susceptible to the disease.

It's not something I want to deal with, and so even though some people have luck with them, I'm not interested in messing with it.

 

[Cactuspixie]

I thought ALL catfish are scaleless??

 

[josh7]

I'm assuming YMMV, and idk how strict they are about links to other sites on this forum, but if you google Pictus and ich, it's a commonly held opinion that because they don't have scales they are more susceptible to the disease.

It's not something I want to deal with, and so even though some people have luck with them, I'm not interested in messing with it.

Confused? All catfish are scaleless and are definitley one of the hardiest fish species in the world.

 

[tethys]

Confused? All catfish are scaleless and are definitley one of the hardiest fish species in the world.

Idk about other catfish. I read this article:
The Pictus Catfish: The Fish That Needs A Shave?! (TROPICAL FISH ARTICLES)

It says "since they are a scaleless catfish" which I guess implies there are some species that are, indeed, scaled, but it doesn't go on to say what those species are.

And I found this forum thread
http://www.fishgeeks.com/fishforums/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=24425 which indicates that not only are they susceptible to ich, but that they are also sensitive to many of the medicines used to treat it.

Given that some people

Should Pictus Catfish be in groups? - Yahoo! Answers

and these other people

Pictus Catfish - Other Catfish - Tropical Fish Forums

agree that pictus catfish should be kept in groups of at least 3, it doesn't seem like they would be the fish for me since it's only a 55 gallon. LiveAquaria suggests a tank size of 70 gallons.

Tropical Fish for Freshwater Aquariums: Pictus Cat

I just couldn't think of any other medium sized cats.

 

[Mudfrog]

If your LFS is petsmart then look at the Syno Hybrid. They label it as synodontis longirostris but in reality it's a Syno hybrid. It will not get 24" like they claim (the true synodontis longirostris does), it will stay under 8". Here is a pic of mine.



Or if you want a truly stunning catfish look for the Syno decorus. Some LFS can order them. They stay under 10". Here is a pic of mine, however google Syno decorus to see what they look like as adults. I have two of these, they are around 2.5-3" long.

 

[lovemyguppies]

So if all catfish are scaleless then why would pictus be more susceptible to ich than any other catfish? I'm sorry that just doesn't make sense.

 

[tethys]

So if all catfish are scaleless then why would pictus be more susceptible to ich than any other catfish? I'm sorry that just doesn't make sense.

I created a post with links, since I am new, it is being moderated before posting (or so says the message I got when I clicked 'submit'). I'm assuming my reply might show up sometime within the next few minutes/hours, unless it is tagged 'problematic.'

 

[lovemyguppies]

I created a post with links, since I am new, it is being moderated before posting (or so says the message I got when I clicked 'submit'). I'm assuming my reply might show up sometime within the next few minutes/hours, unless it is tagged 'problematic.'

I will look at those when they're posted. But I can understand why people believe that scaleless fish are more susceptible to ich. What I don't understand is why pictus would then be more susceptible than any other catfish since they're all scaleless.

 

[tethys]

I will look at those when they're posted. But I can understand why people believe that scaleless fish are more susceptible to ich. What I don't understand is why pictus would then be more susceptible than any other catfish since they're all scaleless.

Well I googled catfish and scales and came up with this quote on AnswersYahoo. I will not link it because it will not show up.

"The armored catfishes, which include the doradids (corydoras and others) and the loracariids (all the "plecos," otos, and twig catfishes) have "scutes," which are bony plates covering most of the body."

So I guess not 'scales' in the traditional sense, but it would appear that some species do have some kind of covering. This was not in reference to fish diseases though, so idk if having this covering is the reason some catfish are not considered ich-prone.

 

[lovemyguppies]

Well I googled catfish and scales and came up with this quote on AnswersYahoo. I will not link it because it will not show up.

"The armored catfishes, which include the doradids (corydoras and others) and the loracariids (all the "plecos," otos, and twig catfishes) have "scutes," which are bony plates covering most of the body."

So I guess not 'scales' in the traditional sense, but it would appear that some species do have some kind of covering. This was not in reference to fish diseases though, so idk if having this covering is the reason some catfish are not considered ich-prone.

Alright, that helps me understand the reasoning behind that a little more.