A shop with a 1500gal RTC display tank giving good advice? That could only be Wharf Aquatics :) I think the large chains would definently have a set of guidelines for the selling of fish, mostly based on profit margins...or maybe they simply don't know or don't care about the advice their staff give...

Wow Steve that is seriously worse than I thought... Here TSN are not only rare, they are really expensive and even illegal in some states. But there are still problem tankbusters in Australia, mostly large natives EG. Lates calcarifer (Barramundi), Arius graeffei (Salmon catfish) and a truly giant A...

Steve, Fishman, if I was in any way bashing I apologize. I get way too worked up about this issue.
And yes the 55g/4ft tank point Fishman made is very valid, really what can be done? Theres so many fish for sale and apparently the LFS (s) don't go out of their way to advise potential owners.

I think we know what the attitude of this site towards keeping large catfish in captivity is, right? By this site I mean the moderators and people who run the site. They are (in general) against it. So couldn't we draw up a fair minimum requirements for the keeping of these fish and sticky it somewh...

Good point (s) Steve. By "right" advice, I just meant "proper" advice...most of what I "preached" I read in a few books by David Sands, redtails are a-bit scarce in OZ. I didn't really mean I was right simply because I said I was giving the right advice... :oops: Its be...

That was no fish over 6". Not 5"+. Apparently you belive small fish (tetras, ancistrus & corydoras sp. dwarf cichlids) hold a similar territory to large Pimelodid predators? Simply not true. I don't need to compare my tanks to the wild, I only need to compare them to the habitat and te...

Being from Australia I have no idea what PETA is...so most of your analogies? insults? are lost on me. I do however know who greenpeace are and what they stand for. The part I find interesting is that you mention "animal rights" and "conservation" like they are BAD things. Maybe ...

Express concern for an animal and you're an animal rights activist. Keep a giant fish in a small tank and you're a "hobbyist"?

When you're talking about fish that grow 3'+, 0-500gal is small. 1000gal is an ok minimum...as a starting point.

Depends what you call cruel I guess...I liken it to keeping an eagle in a birdcage, or a (small) whale in a swimming pool. I can say I have personally seen 5.5ft captive Sorubimichthys planiceps, and a 3ft+ Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum. The 10' diameter pond they were in seemed way too small.

They are too big to be kept in captivity. No matter how big the largest tank/pond you can afford is...it will be too small, similar to keeping a large breed dog in a rabbit hutch. Get yourself some Pimelodus ornatus or Sorubim lima, much less cruel, they adapt better to captivity.

You don't mention actually having checked your nitrite or ammonia, three months seems like long enough for a penguin 330 bio-wheel to be overloaded. A 55 (4ft?) is too small for a growout tank for two redtails. To growout ONE redtail I'd recommend a 6'x2'x2', with massive filtration. I can't believe...

You can find them in shops occasionally if you live in Australia
Sell under the name of "Toothless catfish".

coelacanth, your' job sounds very similar to mine! Especially the warnings about buying the cute little fish, although in Australia the fish is moe likey to be oscars/other large cichlids, Arius catfish, Murray cod, Barramundi (Lates calcifer) and common plecs. Just the other day I was told that 3 o...

Hey coelacanth,
shouldn't that be 6L x 2L x 2L?
-Shaun

Katman, as the person who appears to have made the offending statement, I have this to say: Nobody was supposed to take that seriously. I was making a tounge in cheek reference to the fact that these fish are rarely offered proper care and housing in captivity. In short, I was joking. I have nothing...

Until recently I owned my own Commercial cleaning business, then I injured my hand (no more manual labour for me, ever :( ). Now I am Aquarium tech/manager for a large petstore chain. Its my job to help design and build systems, keep the store's (5) fishrooms running, stock the fishrooms, keep the f...

I have two sharks in my 125 gallon aquarium and they seem very content with things. There from what i read some people that were displacing human emotions on this suject and to a degree this is ok but going to the point that some did was strange.I thought the entire time that I was reading some the...

Some of the posts on this thread are sort-of the opposite of what Planetcatfish is about...very little to do with proper care, housing or...catfish conservation for that matter. Thumbs up to those who said the right thing. Even the posts with a big dose of sarcasm! And for those who didn't...do not ...

Whats more ironic (or is it moronic?) is the salesperson telling you "it will grow to the size of the tank". And I think the people buying them are just as stupid as the people selling them

If the don't get 61" and 150 pounds, your tanks too small!
And thats cruel...

The point certainly is DON'T BUY THEM! There are plenty of more viable alternatives to 4-ft-long monsters...TSN=Pimelodus ornatus and so on. Like Deepblue said, I believe if people stop buying these fish shops will stop offering them for sale. And as far as the cruelty issue goes...It damn well IS c...

Hear, hear. My sentiments exactly.

Well, thanks Alan. That certainly makes things seem a-bit brighter, I reckon I will get these fish.

Well, I guess being a purist I can't justify keeping a non-natural colour form catfish. Somebody offered me a breeding pair, I'll turn the offer down I suppose...its hard to do, they're a beautiful fish.

Are these REALLY a tank bred variety? If so what species was used? Is it possible they're a natural colour form?
Thanks.

Oh...I just read somewhere that they [pidgeon bloods] were hybrids. Can't remember where...didn't take a-lot of notice, I like catfish :P Must say I agree with coelacanth's post above. I'd much rather see some properly housed albino Corydoras sp., then a giant species in a small tank. Its disgusting...

I should point out that Pidgeon blood discus are a hybrid variety. Therefore not a good example...

Thats a pretty nasty assumption.

spiny, Shane, thanks for the great suggestions! I'm more interested in the tank looking natural and interesting then seeing how many blackwater species I can cram into it. So keeping it simple sounds good. Can anybody else give me another suggested list? S.allen, I had assumed discus could be grown ...

The tank dimensions are: 48"x18"x18"

Well, I've just setup a South American blackwater biotope. The tank was going to house discus, but apparently young discus need a bare tank to thrive, they're rather delicate, I can't find any natural coloured or wild discus here...so I've decided against them. Can anyone suggest a suitable fish com...