Wild angels & Whiptail cats

[TankGirl]

I've gone hog wild! I have been looking for some wild or wild type angels to go in my 150, and stumbled upon these, though they are actually P. leopoldi (not scalare, as are most angels you find). Being wild caught, they are still very skittish and nervous, but they have begun to spend more time out and about. I got three initially and liked them so much I got two more. They are in a 40g quarantine tank for now while I try to acclimate them from their preferred 85F to 80-82F:

Already nestled into his new home in the 150 is my whiptail catfish, Planiloricaria cryptodon. He is an awesome catfish. He burrows down into the sand, and has a filament on the end of his tail that is longer than his body. He waves it up and down, cracking it like a whip. He is not shy and stays right up at the front glass where there is a good current from a powerhead. He is eating well and does not mind the juvenile Ancistrus pair who have taken great interest in him.

Whole fish:

Head shot (he's lookin' at 'cha!)

Buried

 

[new2betas]

Very pretty...love that catfish!

 

[CTD]

Your Whiptail is doing a very nice Freshwater Stingray impression!

 

[beglely]

how big do those whiptails get?

 

[TankGirl]

Around 8", but their heads really broaden - it is going to be a significant fish for this tank, and I may wind up rethinking the whole "rooted plant" concept. He's quite vigorous with the sand so I may need to find homes for the crypts and the Echinodorus! Here is a pic of the 150 as it is now, future home to the angels:

 

[An t-iasg]

Very nice pics! The angels are beautiful! The tank is so nice and full of plants - I hope you only have to move a few for the catfish. He is quite an interesting fish. Those barbels look very sharp! What does he eat? Do you drop in veggies?

 

[TankGirl]

Deb, the barbels are actually not sharp, but soft and flexible like a cory cat. He does a lot of sand sifting. He is an omnivore, and right now his favorite are Hikari sinking pellets. I have to basically drop them right in front of him for him to find them, or maybe he's just not interested in wandering around the tank. However, he's right on it the instant the wafer hits the sand. He puts the whole thing in his mouth. It is cool because is not afraid of people, and does not mind me delivering food to him with forceps. The tank is 24" deep, and I am only 5' tall so I can't reach the bottom, lol.

 

[An t-iasg]

That's good that the barbels are not sharp! They look like they could cause injury during a water change if he happened to brush against you. Maybe he can't really see to search the sand for food - his eyes do point straight up! I bet those forceps come in handy for that size tank!

 

[brutus]

The past few years i've been keeping angle fish, marble and koi .But i really like the look of the wild type in a planted tank.Looks more natural to me.I hope that catfish dont rip the tank up. Looks like a great home for them.

 

[John Doe]

pH?

I was wonder, what is the pH of your tank with the cryptodon cat?

 

[FishCrazyBenBOMB]

How much did all your angels and catfish cost total? And Seperate?


Also what do you feed your catfish?

 

[TankGirl]

The pH of the 150 is kept at 6.4 with pressurized CO2. It goes down to 6.0 overnight as the plants outgas CO2 when not photosynthesizing, but the CO2 controller does not turn on the gas until the pH reads higher than 6.4. It does not take very long once the lights turn on for the CO2 in the tank to be consumed by the plants, and the pH begins to rise.

I'll not give specifics as to what I paid for the fish, but they were not cheap fish by any means. The angels were priced at what I'd consider a good deal on discus (they are just about the same as discus in terms of their care and requirements). All I can say about the catfish is that it was ridiculously expensive. 8O It's the kind of fish that you have to feel very confident that you are able to meet its needs, lol.

The catfish right now is obsessed with Hikari sinking wafers, or really any sinking pellet. I generally feed him with forceps to be sure of what he is getting. He is not very maneuverable and has to scooch around, unable to turn very well - picture someone lying on the floor trying to get around while wearing a straight jacket.

 

[An t-iasg]

It's the kind of fish that you have to feel very confident that you are able to meet its needs, lol.

I am confident that you're meeting the needs of this fish!

Look at the picture of him buried in the sand - it does look like he's smiling!

 

[TankGirl]

I am confident that you're meeting the needs of this fish!

Look at the picture of him buried in the sand - it does look like he's smiling!

I hope you are right. It is, by the same token, the type of fish you stare at for hours and check on frequently to be sure it is not looking sick. I fully expect any day to walk in there and see him belly up....

We all know how aquarium fish can die on us for no apparent reason, so it is certainly a risk, and the kind of purchase that makes one's spouse rush out and buy themselves a toy!

That said - he's awesome and I am getting a lot of pleasure out of him. I need to get video of him lying there, slowly flicking his long tail, cracking the whip.

 

[kiran.mano]

good tank man

 

[mom2reds]

your tank looks awesom as do your fish

 

[mgamer20o0]

sweet. great add ons.

 

[Wendal]

Love your tank!

Do you have to provide anything else to the plants other than Co2 and light?

 

[TankGirl]

Do you have to provide anything else to the plants other than Co2 and light?

Yes, I dose a comprehensive fertilizer mix (similar to Seachem Flourish) and usually have to add nitrate several times a week, since it often reads zero on the test kit. When there is not adequate nitrate available it gives algae a chance to proliferate.

Since I have added the angels to the tank, and since the whiptail is getting bigger there is a larger bioload, and I am having to dose less nitrate, which is nice! I need to get a pic of the tank as it is now and post it. The angels are not showing any signs of pairing up, even though they were doing so in quarantine, but that suits me, because having all five of them gliding around the tank is very attractive, and once pairing up starts, then things get very tense and stressed in the tank.

Thanks to all for the compliments!

 

[TankGirl]

Here is a current pic of the tank with the angels in residence. They are not pairing up and are not showing signs of aggression towards one another, so it is kind of nice to have 5 individuals getting along together (for now at least!)