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hey guys.as some of mite know i just got a saratoga jardini,and hes currently waiting for sevral tank upgrades over the next 6-9 months.
as these fellas require a massize tank,atm moment i have a 208 gal(8 footer),that will be setup in january,then another bigger upgrade not long after.
so im after a catfish that can mix well with a saratoga,and something that i havent had b4.
some of you will say im nuts,but ive just come from planet catfish.and so far i like the tiger shovel catfish and wait for it,the MASSIVE helicopter catfish.
the tiger shovelnose i can house no probs,but when i red the "this months catfish article" in planet catfish,it said that despite these guys large size and colosal appetite they can be kept in large tanks!the article said a 8 footer would do,but with a sturdy lid,and ofcourse as they are a preditory catfish,not to keep them with anything to small or they end up dinner,well a sara will also hit 2 foot long,and ive got a 208 gal,8 footer waiting to be set up.
in the wild the article said that these guys get that big,that they can easy tow a small boat full of fishermen,but they rarely exceed 2 foot in tanks.
after we move and get settled,id be looking at probly 300 gallons+ to house my sara PROPPERY,so he got plenty of room to swim and TURN AROUND.
so surely a 300 gallon tank could house 1 sartoga and 1 helicopter catfish.
wadda yas think.am i crazy?
i know the work and cost that is invloved with 1 of these guys,but im prepared to do my best.

depending on thw width of the tank u will need a 4 foot wide tank for a helio cat.... the TSN will be fine for a couple years in a 3 foot wide tank.....

mmm,from what ive beeen reading,im thinking ill probly pass on the heli cat.probly go for something a bit more nimble.
any ideas guys.

JARDINE RIVER FISH

Hoksey have a look at this list of the Jardine River fish including some Catfish.

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info
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Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
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well its hard for me to help u on that cuz i dont know whats illegal and wats legal...... so heres the ones that will work Hemibagrus wyckii, Hemibagrus wyckioides, and Salmon tail catfish. all will do fine in a 3 foot wide tank cuz thats wat u gona need for ur jardini aro...... just make 1 larger sized cave and u should be fine with any of thos.

ok great ill do some more reading up on them.i had already considered samontail catfish.
ive currently been searching for a nice log with the center hollowed out,ive been up to the bush many times but arnt having any luck.this wood is for the catfish thats going in with the sara.
my lfs has a perfect log,its even long enuff so i could hit it with the saw and cut it in half,making 2 great logs,however its $95.thats a bit rich in my book,even if it is a prime peace of wood.
yeah i know what you mean,whats perfectly legal where you are,is probly illegal for import here.its always the way.
thanx for the link too keith.im just about to sit down to a late dinner,so ill have a peep asap.

yea for some reason i have noticed that driftwood prices have been riseing by me but i kinda live in a wooded area so i get all sorts of cool driftwood and i live kinda close to a river and i can get really sweet huge smooth river rocks...... i dont think any of the badridae would be illegal to own down there cuz they dont like extreamly high temps but do like a fast flow in there water.....

hey riri1.i was just reading back over the above posts,and it suddenly dawned on me the 2 types of catfish you recomended to me probly arnt real good for this tank.
the hemibagrus wyckii(the crystal eyed catfish),i havent had 1,but ive seen and red these guy are just a tank terrorist,and usally dominate any tankmate,therefore are best left alone.
ive seen these guys in action,my flowerhorn importer/breeder,keeps crystal eyed catfish with flowerhorns,and ive even seen the fh run from these catfish,VERY NASTY INDEED.
as i havent had 1,i cant speak from experience,only what ive seen or red!
do you think that such a NASTY catfish will mix ok with my saratoga?
now the next catfish,hemibagrus wyckioides(asian redtailed catfish)man these fellas are just HUGE,the article ive got recomends a 10x4x4 tank for this monster!id need bullet proof glass incase i spooked him.
yeah so the asian redtail is out.the tank isnt guna be big enuff.
i was thinking of megalodoras uranoscopus,these guys look great,and have hard armour plates all over them,if a sara tryed to take a bite of him,the sara would realize real quick that it was a no no!
plus meglo would not outgrow the tank ether.
what do you think.
the only problem is,id have to import 1 for sure.
about a year ago,i went searching for 1 to mix with a aggresive flowerhorn,and out of all the shops in sydney that i visted and rang,only 1 had a meglo,and it was not for sale and was in the shops display tank.

Just wondering, are you planning on putting this 'HUGE MASSIVE CAT' into the small tank you have the aro in now, or waiting till you get your '8 foot' tank?
I think there could be a few things that would suit the aro. When are you going to move the aro into a suitable tank? Depending on the dimentions of the tank there are plenty of things you can keep.
p.s, did you manage to find space to upgrade the multis? Ive discovered yet more fry.

Hokese, before you get decide on what you want I would check what is actually available in Aus. Most fish that grow huge are not importable, or are certainly not to be sold by a lfs. Thats not to say you cant get them, but you have to know where to shop. Oh and be prepared to pay.

---

Before you criticize someone walk a mile in their shoes. That way you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

Hoksey

Wait until you get a HUGE tank, then fly both of us up to the Jardine and I will get the guide to take you to see those Sarras and then we can go hunting for the catfish you want. The cost will be about $1000 a day for both of us plus air costs.
All jokes aside would it be better to try to get a local Jardine FW catfish as many in that river would be SW to FW and every where in between species.

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info
Look here for my
Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
VOTE NOW VOTE NOW

well MEZ,if you must know,no im not going to put the massive catfish into my smaller tank.
now this is the 3RD time ive said this.the sara only went into the 89 gal,as he was on sale,and the last 1 left,so if i wanted him then,i had to take him.
but now hes already gone up to my dads.
he currently has a 150gal(all cycled,water is fine now) to himself,with top filtration.
hes next upgrade is in jan when the 208gal get pressed into service.(dreading moving that monster)
oh and mez,i already have my 208 gal,its in our storage shed.
so when we get to our own house,then i can pull it out and set it up.
yeah i know the cat will cost me a bit,my guy at my lfs said he has a great importer that gets "all types of things".
so ill probly go throo him to obtain whateva i decide on.
keith if i had that sort of cash,id take you up on that offer.
yeah ive got the space for the multis new 10 gal,but the 5gal is sitting in its place,i was going to wait a few more weeks b4 i move the mutlis,as i dont want to kill the babies.
however,i think i should just do it now,as i think the male that spawned this batch of babies has hooked up with another multi at the other end of the tank.hes been hanging with a multi that i thought was a male.
so i think more fry is not far away...

well my friend has a jar and a crystal eye cat in a 3 foot tall tank they both pretty much leave each other a lone.... i tryed the same combo with a tiny cat and a larger sized aro the 15 inch arow got kill buy my cat hes about 4 or 5 inches now totaly shreded him so maybe not the best idea...... i had them in my buddys 240 gal and he didnt want the cat to kill the rest fish so he gave me the cat back.... and its in its own 20 gal long...... so i dont think it will be the best idea........

yeah they can ruthless for a catfish,even there colour,jet black makes them look mean.
im also pretty sure 1 of there other common names is a black devil catfish,it suits them...

yea feeding baby cons to this fish is a blast!!!!!! he can eat so many hes just a beat already in a another 20 gal i got a bargarius yellier!!!!

i came across a small tiger shovel nose at my lfs yesterday.
he/she is a dam nice looking fish.its the first little 1 ive seen around my area.
when i asked my guy about it,he said its on hold for someone.
however,when my guy trys to call the bloke who ordered it in,the phone just rings out,and hes been trying for nearlly a week.
hopefully i mite be able to get my grubby mits on it.
my guy didnt promise nothing,but if the bloke dosent come and pick it up,i dont see why he woulndt sell it on.
riri,have you had a TSN b4.
are these fellas fast or slow growers.
ive never had 1 b4.so i can only go from what ive red or been told.i wanted to here from someone whos keep 1 b4.

Er, did someone mention a Helicopter Catfish earlier?

This is a fish I would AVOID unless you have a small lake to put it in!

The Helicopter Catfish, [Wallago attu, is capable of reaching seven feet in length. At that size, it is capable of posing an injury threat to its keeper, because it has a nervous, snappy temperament, and a truly cavernous mouth. A large one can amputate a hand if you're not careful!

Then you have the problem of feeding a gluttonous predator that size. Not a task I would want to take on without some serious financial firepower behind me.

Then, assuming you can find an aquarium big enough for this beast (which would be another of those civil engineering projects I warn people against taking on unless they really know what they're doing), there's the matter of keeping several thousand gallons heated and filtered. The utility bills resulting from that exercise are going to be horrendous, not least because the filtration system for any aquarium big enough to house a Helicopter Catfish long term will be constructed on an industrial scale. You'll be looking at external canister filters big enough for you to stand in when they're empty!

If you're looking for a catfish that could live with the Jardini, something like Leiarus pictus (which tops out at 2 feet) or Megalodorus uranoscopus would be more reasonable choices, as they'd live quite happily in 200+ gallons of water, particularly as the game plan cited above is to move on to an even bigger aquarium in the future. A Helicopter Catfish would be a nightmare once it started to exceed 3 feet, even more so than a Red-Tail.

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002