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hey everyone i was just wondering whats your favorite catfish? personaly catfish are my favorite kind of fish. out of all of them my favorites are striped raphaels. how bout you?

The true test of character is not how much we know how to do, but how we behave when we dont know what to do.

Thats a hard one. I would say either the sterbai corycat or the cuckoo synodontis.

I love to torture myself with giant catfish... so I would ave to say the tiger shovelnose or the red-tailed. Maybe even a cross of the two!

My Synodontis eupterus. Sooooo good-looking, and the largest fish I've ever owned...

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I really liked my whiptail catfish when I had him, was always out and about doing work. I also like the queen arabesque, but it doesnt come out of its cave unless it's feeding time.

What does that mean, Bob? "Till the cows come home." Where have the cows been?

My Royal Pl*co.
The coolest catfish I've owned so far

wow weve got some nice catfish mentioned here. I hope more people put down their favorites! lol i like finding out what other people like. thanks for the replys so far!

The true test of character is not how much we know how to do, but how we behave when we dont know what to do.

I do like most of the catfish
Featherfins-great fish and fast growers.
Royal L190
L144

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I know human beings and fish can co-exist peacefully.

Sora,
Just based on looks I would say featherfins or pictus cats, I have never owned either but would like to one day. When I go to the fish shop I always have to look at them.

Justin

Colts Fan For Life
30g platy tank: 2 sunburst wag platys, 2 redtailed white calico platys, 2 red wag platys, 1 fry(not sure who it belongs to), 1 Golden CAE.
Bettas:1 VT male

Hey, catfish are a favorite of mine, too. For one that hasn't been named yet here, look up the Black Lancer, Bagrichthys macracanthus. Beautiful, medium-sized, sleek catfish without the voracious appetite for other fish like that of similarly-sized or larger catfishes such as Pimelodids. I have a little one, but I'm hoping to see some good growth!

I've gotta give another vote to Royal Plecs. I've got a beautiful 8"er. They have such an interesting shape and patterning. Couple that to their odd wood-eating habits, you have quite a unique fish. But hey, I like all plecs. I just have to pick and choose 'cuz I can't afford them all.

Let me throw Honeycomb Tatia out there. It's either Tatia perugiae or Centromochlus perugiae; I don't remember which genus it's in since it's been jumping around. I don't have one, but they're plain awesome. They're also livebearers, which makes me want to breed them because I've only had luck with livebearers, lol, despite the fact I know that my ability to breed guppies isn't an indicator of any possible ability to breed Tatia.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

Glad to see some catfish fans out there. The featherfins look great to. i hope to get one someday metagon i honestly didnt recognize the name black lancer. But i recognized the pictures when i looked it up. i have an older aquarium book that mentions them. said they were hard to find. so congrats on finding one! and i didnt know that they had milder appetites. thats an interesting fish!
and i think im going to have to learn more about the royal plec. i think three of you said something about it? I dont believe ive ever heard of a honeycomb tatia. but ill take alook. toodles

The true test of character is not how much we know how to do, but how we behave when we dont know what to do.

Probably pterosturisoma microps. Also if I recall correctly, Shin, someone else here (monkeyboy? I don't remember) has a huge and very beautiful B. macracanthus.

Any species of Corydoras. I just love those fish.

Royal Pleco are stunning as well & i just hope to own one, in the near future.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

If this doesn't sound like an oxymoron, I'm a big fam of small catfish.

Corydoras alone I could spend a lifetime studying. There's getting on for 200 species of those, which is a large enough speciality area for one lifetime!

And, among the Corys, I have a particular soft spot for the ones at the dwarf end of the size spectrum - cochui, habrosus, hastatus, pygmaeus and OF COURSE the ever adorable Pandas!

Among the Loricariids, again, I favour the small ones - Otocinclus, Parotocinclus, Hypoptopoma and the smaller Peckoltia species. Partly because I don't need an aquarium the size of my living room to keep them in. Which contrasts sharply with the monster Acanthicus adonis that was owned by a late colleague of mine back in the 1990s, and which used to take all manner of prizes at fish shows. Bear in mind that Acanthicus adonis is probably the WORST choice of giant Plec you can make unless you're prepared to set up a 2,000 gallon aquarium for it, because it reaches a metre in length and packs a lot of body mass into that length into the bargain. Give me something more manageable for the time being! (Though I suspect metagon might want to tackle one of these someday ...)

I'm also quite a fan of the Cory mimics from the Genus Brachyrhamdia, though I've yet to see any for sale in my locality. they look at first sight just like some of the popular Corydoras, but actually belong to a completely different Catfish Family. You can tell them apart by the virtue of the fact that NO Corydoras has barbels that reach all the way back to the caudal peduncle! At the moment I'm not sure what the purpose of the Cory mimicry is, because it's not as if the dear old Corys are aggressive, venomous or anything like that, but then why do two of the dwarf Corys mimic species of Hemigrammus tetras and shoal with them? Now there's a puzzle for you Catfish fans to dwell upon if you've never encountered it before!

Some of the smaller Synos I also have a soft spot for. Trouble is, there's relatively few of those compared to the number of Corys of manageable size, but the ones that do exist are attractive, personable fishes with plenty to recommend them. Including the recently discovered Synodontis acanthocephala if you can find it!

Of course, if you like your Catfishes big, they don't come much bigger than Brachyplatystoma filamentosum, otherwise known as the Piraiba. Fancy taking on a fish that grows to NINE FEET in length? Better get ready with that 50 ton excavator to dig the indoor heated pool for it then!


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Out of the Plecs I own I would have to say it's a toss up between the 399s and the 114s.

I very much want real 236's and one day will have them. Oh yes they will be mine, yes they will be mine.

Present: L183, L114, L330, LDA33, L059, L340, L136, L399, Clown, Whip Tail

Past: L001, L239, L200, L134, L030, L110, L204, L260, LDA08, L226, Ancistrs sp3 albino as well as calico, L187 (sp2), Common Hypostomus punctatus

When I say that B. macracanthus has a milder appetite than a similar-sized Pimelodid, it's mostly due to the much smaller mouth size. They could probably eat a hefty amount in worms, but they won't be eating any moderately-sized tankmates like a Pim would.

Oooh P. microps. Cup, I've heard those are pretty tough to maintain. They're rather cool indeed.

Y'know Cali, I was reading a paper a few months ago describing Otocinclus mimics of Corydoras. But the Brachyrhamdia definitely appear to have much more similar coloration to Corydoras than the Otocinclus mimics in the paper do.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

wow guys! lol i havent had a chance to log on in awhile and when i got back on today i was surprised to see so many replys! wow lol. hmm Calilasseia from what ive read of your posts before lol the corys are no surprise. i havent gotten a chance to get any yet but i hope to soon! they look amazing and they way i hear it they are very entertaining to watch. Brachyplatystoma filamentosum?
9 feet??????? i have to go look this up. lol.

The true test of character is not how much we know how to do, but how we behave when we dont know what to do.

Pictis cats are my favorite. I have 3 and can always tell them apart, even though they look the same. They each have there own personalities, (and there own hiding spots) that makes them easer to tell apart. IMy Catfish!

"I am who I am, and who I am is who I want to be."
-Kasey Carter

Well, they have to be weaned, which is generally the issue, and then fed regularly in sparing amounts to maintain a full belly (otherwise they waste away). My big male has been at it for some years (rounding 1.5) so fingers crossed.

ahhh pictus cats... i have been thinking about getting one. i really like the look of them.

The true test of character is not how much we know how to do, but how we behave when we dont know what to do.