Electric Catfish Questions

Olympia

Hahaha, they are fat enough as it is! Poofy fur will make it look worse. xD
Man what a cool fish to have! :D You're going to have to document your life with him for us all!
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Sakura8

I will. :) Thanks, Olympia and Tazman.

thekoimaiden

I know when we electroshock fish we use lineman's gloves to prevent electric shock. I'm guessing you could use those in combination with the net (because we also use those too to grab fish). I'm also a fan of River Monsters (boyfriend got me the first 3 seasons on DVD), and immediately thought of the electric eel episode. Out of curiosity, what species is it?

Also, when I saw the title I just HAD to come check it out. You gotta keep us posted. I don't think I've ever heard of these things being kept in captivity except by zoos and aquariums.

Another thought... if it does release a shock, what about the electrical equipment attached to the aquarium? I'm no electrical engineer, but a shock doesn't seem good for it.

Sakura8

GOod point about the equipment. It's plugged into a surge protector that's plugged into some outlet up in the rafters of the garage. I'll have to ask my dad if that needs to be switched to a GFI.

I wish I had taken a picture of his conditions the last time I was there. I really literally couldn't stop thinking about the poor guy and how I've never seen him even turn around. I was going to put cichlids in the 55gal (ask Tazman, I've been pestering him with questions that he's been so kind to answer) but I think I want to get this guy instead and save the cichlids for later.

I've read in my fish profile book that there are 3 main species of electric catfish: Malapterus electricus which can get up to 49" and then M. beninensis and M. leonensis, which get 10-16". Supposedly, the name Malapterus electricus is applied to any of the 3 so I'm guessing the electric catfish that stayed under 2 feet were probably really one of the other two species. Fingers crossed that he's M. beninensis or M. leonensis, or that he stays small for at least a year until I can upgrade to a 180gal.

Tazman

They can be kept in smaller tanks and it actually is better for them to be in smaller tanks.
Yes! this is actually an occasion when a smaller tank is better to stunt the growth of the fish. They will only produce the full shock once adults...still a shock though even when small.

I think a 55g would be perfect for it and way cooler than having cichlids

Sakura8

Thanks, Tazman. I felt kinda bad about asking you all those questions about cichlids and then up and changing my mind.

Then maybe a 180gal for the cichlids. Hmm. Oh how I wish I had a fish room. Or fish house.

Tazman

No problem on the questions, least you have the info should you happen to purchase another tank anyways and still do cichlids

Sakura8

Thanks, Tazman. :)

Tigris

Not necessarily true, volts don't kill amps do, but like you said I wouldn't chance it

NoahG

Actually, Ohm's Law (again!) : ELECTRICAL SAFETY

And Sakura, grounding yourself wouldn't be a wise idea: you're better off "insulating" yourself against the current and providing enough resistance so that it doesn't run through your body (the less electricity running through your body the better for you).

Also, here's a link on GFCIs (which also incidentally supports the above): How Ground Fault Protection Works | DoItYourself.com

Finally, really cool fish! Sure, they're not lookers, but hard to beat the cool factor, for sure.