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Shovelnose catfish tankmates? Anonymous
I recently picked up a rather young shovelnose catfish from my local fish shop, and have been wondering if anyone on good 'ol 4chan may know of any good tankmates for him...
I was thinking of trying a young albino oscar but have been thinking it may bully him...
>> Anonymous
my cock
>> Anonymous
my cock.
>> Anonymous
>>202590
>>202591
oh wow
>> Anonymous
no suggestions that dont involve a penis?...
>> Anonymous
>>202597
no
>> Anonymous
Paku, oscar should be fine i think, group of silver dollars, pike cichlid. Shovelnose is not a snakehead, so every big strong fish that shovelnose cant put in it mouth should be fine.
And I know its a silly question, but you do have a 200g+ tank for them, right?
>> Anonymous
I'm not directing this at anyone here, but wouldn't it be nice if shops were barred from selling fish that need more than, say, 150 gallons to live out their lives? Or at least you'd need a permit to keep such XL species. The vast majority of buyers are unprepared to set up and maintain giant aquaria, even if they say they'll do it later.
>> Anonymous
>>202615
That would be great. Almost every lfs around here sells iredescent sharks (not even a pond, lake fish), some ocasionaly sell redtail catfish and other monstrocity.
However, it seems that noone is willing to fight for aquarium fish. They are not considered "living" enough to bother. Everyone would throw shit if they see a german shepherd in a hamster cage, but a redtail cat in 20g is totally fine. Fish grows only to a size of its tank, you kow!
Plus, dont forget about much common case of 5 barbs in 5 liters, or a goldfish in 1/2 gallon tank. I am afraid that laws would not help much. What is needed is education, not laws. Fortunately, we do have a mean to ask and answer questions via internets. People who ask and listen are rewarded with beautiful aquariums, people who do not get dead fish. So fuck them.
>> Anonymous
>>202609
>>202615
>>202628
I must ask myself if any of you even stopped to check any info on this fish seeing as how the general recommended tank size for this is a 45 to 55 gallon tank, and it is not often to see them pass 17" in aquariums. just google shovelnose catfish...
>> Anonymous
GET AN AROWANA!
>> Anonymous
>>202696
So i take it you have 55g foy yor 3 shovelnose? Congradulation and fuck you. 3 feet man, 3 feet!
How you are going to keep 3 3feet long fish in 55 and call yourself a caring and competent aquariumist is beyound my understanding. Hey, why dont you get an arowana in there? I bet they will be best friends. Arapama would be a nice tankmate as well, since it is too from South America. I suggest at least 2.
Fucking animal torturer.
>> Anonymous
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>>202696
I lol'd. According to Aquaticcommunity.com "You might be able to slow their growth rate a little by feeding them less often but they will still grow to huge catfish and you will need an aquarium of at least 1000L / 200 gallon if you want to keep Tiger Shovelnose Catfish."

A healthy TSC should still outgrow 200 gallons and top out around 3 feet long. Here's a picture of a guy attempting to do it right, though he still looks overstocked imho...
>> Anonymous
>>202712
wow, looking up stuff on tiger shovels when the guy obviously is talking ordinary shovel noses(which barely reach half the length of the tigers), now thats a smart statement.
>> Anonymous
>>202791
Allright, listen here you faggot. There are at least 20 different species going under "shovelnose catfis" name. In the hobby mainly 2 of them are present - Tiger shovelnose and Lima shovelnose, former is more common then the later. Tiger grows huge and needs at least 200g for 1 fish. Lima grows less huge, about 20 inch. If you are talking about lima then 75 g should be fine for ONE fish until it outgrows it, and it will in about a year. Its not a fucking clown loach, so you can say "Oh, I'll buy a bigger tank in about 5 years when it will grow a little".
Now, look at ops pic. Does it looks more like a lima or like a tiger? I'll tell you, its the tigerest tiger ive ever seen. So fuck you!
Yeah, shovelnose can appear as "cute little 3 inch long fish", but it grows and do it fast. This kind of fish has no place in home aquarium. Get a goldfish instead.
>> Anonymous
>>202821- I'm backing this guy up.

I've been seeing more Tiger shovelnoses in Petsupermarkets and crappy little pet stores like that lately. They've been selling babies there for about 20 bucks a piece. The limas have been around for a while too, I won't disregard that as far as Petcos stock go...

As for the OP

What kind of Shovelnose is it? If it's a Tiger, I hope you have enough money to raise it properly. Or else, find an aquarium hobby shop or a fish farm and give it to them, if not now, when they outgrow your current tank, which I'd also like to know the setup of.

Please do not tell me you have a cheap little 10 gallon tank, you may as well give it back, even if it isn't a Tiger.

I pretty much back everyone up in this thread when I say, DO YOUR GODAMNED RESEARCH BEFORE YOU GET A PET. Do not wait until after you have a damn pet to ask questions about it.