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Going to be new catfish owner, help with stocking, cories or pleco?

7K views 28 replies 7 participants last post by  Byron 
#1 ·
Some of you may have seen me over at BettaFish, I had no idea that this was the mother site of them!
So glad theres more of the amazing people to help me with my new fish addiction. Catfish.

I currently have two male bettas, both heated and filtered, one 2.5 and one 10 gal.
My questions come with the ten gallon tank...
My betta is about 2.5 inches long, including his tail, and I was originally was thinking 5-6 albino or green cories,[thats what my LPS has] or maybe two albinos and three greens? [My LPS will most likely be able to order me pandas, but i hear thier less hardy]

Then I saw, at my LPS, they have home tanks, where its the owners fish, and in every giant tank there were one giant or a couple bigger plecos, the biggest being about 3 feet long! they were also in tanks with a few other fish. They responded to my friend, who works there, like dogs, and ate from her hand, and liked to be petted...And i fell in love!

I thought, That is they best fish in the world. I HAVE to have one.

Now, I didnt need to dive headfirst into yet another venture, while my cory tank was still cycling, so Im spending as much time researching as I can..Which is also good, since plecos need to be in well established tanks, and definitely not cycling!

My 2.5 is cycled and pretty healthy my newest betta is healing from store bought finrot very nicely, so i was thinking, if i find the right type of pleco, i could, after QTing, place him in the 2.5, until the 10 gal has finished cycling. This is assuming I get a young one, as I planned, so itll be smaller at first. And I fully plan on having the pleco have its own tank by itself, or with other tankmates, when fully grown, Id just like to see him grow through the current tanks I have until he gets big enough to get a bigger tank..

And then I was reading that albino plecos are much smaller than regular plecos, even commons coming in at a short 7 inches, instead of 2 feet. So, I was figuring, If i get a smaller species, like say a bristlenose, or another, and then also grab an albino at that, a fish ranging 7-12 inches normally would be 4-6!

Tell me if my reasoning is wrong!

So that got my mind turning, and if i only have a four inch pleco, and a 2.5 betta, could I still have cories, the playful guys that got me into catfish in the first place? And if I could, how many? Certainly not the original planning of five? Maybe four?

I really would like both, even if i can only get three cories, and the pleco, get him his own tank and then get two-three more cories..
 
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#2 ·
Some of you may have seen me over at BettaFish, I had no idea that this was the mother site of them!
So glad theres more of the amazing people to help me with my new fish addiction. Catfish.

I currently have two male bettas, both heated and filtered, one 2.5 and one 10 gal.
My questions come with the ten gallon tank...
My betta is about 2.5 inches long, including his tail, and I was originally was thinking 5-6 albino or green cories,[thats what my LPS has] or maybe two albinos and three greens? [My LPS will most likely be able to order me pandas, but i hear thier less hardy]

Then I saw, at my LPS, they have home tanks, where its the owners fish, and in every giant tank there were one giant or a couple bigger plecos, the biggest being about 3 feet long! they were also in tanks with a few other fish. They responded to my friend, who works there, like dogs, and ate from her hand, and liked to be petted...And i fell in love!

I thought, That is they best fish in the world. I HAVE to have one.

Now, I didnt need to dive headfirst into yet another venture, while my cory tank was still cycling, so Im spending as much time researching as I can..Which is also good, since plecos need to be in well established tanks, and definitely not cycling!

My 2.5 is cycled and pretty healthy my newest betta is healing from store bought finrot very nicely, so i was thinking, if i find the right type of pleco, i could, after QTing, place him in the 2.5, until the 10 gal has finished cycling. This is assuming I get a young one, as I planned, so itll be smaller at first. And I fully plan on having the pleco have its own tank by itself, or with other tankmates, when fully grown, Id just like to see him grow through the current tanks I have until he gets big enough to get a bigger tank..

And then I was reading that albino plecos are much smaller than regular plecos, even commons coming in at a short 7 inches, instead of 2 feet. So, I was figuring, If i get a smaller species, like say a bristlenose, or another, and then also grab an albino at that, a fish ranging 7-12 inches normally would be 4-6!

Tell me if my reasoning is wrong!

So that got my mind turning, and if i only have a four inch pleco, and a 2.5 betta, could I still have cories, the playful guys that got me into catfish in the first place? And if I could, how many? Certainly not the original planning of five? Maybe four?

I really would like both, even if i can only get three cories, and the pleco, get him his own tank and then get two-three more cories..
In my view ,you need to get the larger tank first, not wait until fish outgrows smaller tank.
Plan the tank for adult size of fish while considering the waste they create which would be more toxic faster in smaller tanks while at same time requiring larger,more frequent water changes.
Bristlenose and or corydoras prefer much cooler water 72 to 75 dergees F than the Betta's who prefer more tropical temps and the cory's and bristlenose also appreciate considerable water movement that Betta would not perhaps enjoy.
Even juvenile cory's and or plecos deserve larger tanks than the two you mention, and anything less than twenty to fifty five gallons would be a crime in my opinion .
Twenty gal long tank would be suitable for six to eight cory's and is minimum size tank in my view unless you are planning on pygmy cory's who could possibly be kept in ten gallons.
 
#3 ·
Ill be making a trip to the LPS soon, to see prices on bigger tanks, but for now, and the next two-three weeks, Im not buying anything. How fast do the different plecos grow? 6 months til 1/2 maturity? 3 months? I then have three months to try to get a 20-30 gal tank off of craigslist, or someone else before i buy a brand new tank. If it comes down to it i can always buy a brand new one, but id rather not, if i can get it for next to nothing, used.
I have heard that albino cory cats like water that are warmer, from 75-78, and that albino plecos are the same. I have also heard that they both make great tank mates with each other, which is why i was considereing them, because of the overwhelming amount of people who vouch for thier usually being polite to each other, unless you have an unusually aggressive betta, which i do not.
Ive been thinking about the water current issue, and my betta seems to love to ride the bubbles, and currents, then settle down on the bottom to sleep, but, i use a half a gatorade bottler to guide the bubbles, so theres not a lot of current. I was thinking, if the corys and/or plecos live the current, can i put a partial divider in the tank, for only the first half of the tank, allowing the betta and other fish to visit both sides, but one side having a stronger current?
 
#5 ·
Well, since this is my first pleco, Id like it to be a smaller species, but im not exactly sure the species they have at my LPS..
But if it turns out Ill end up with a foot long common pleco, thats fine with me, Though albinos are so interesting to me...I guess Ill just have to find out..

But, going by my plan, would I be able to have cories a betta and a pleco in the ten gal until i get a bigger tank? Shouldent take long at all, maybe three weeks, and I would be more than willing to do water changes everyday, and use the trusty turkey baster to suck up long pleco poops..
 
#6 ·
The problem with common plecos is they get well over a foot long. more in the 2 foot region. Bristlenose and bushnose are fairly common in the lps around me. Another one you might want to check into is the clown pleco (from my understanding they can be harder to care for then bristlenose or other hardier species). Note that these guys need driftwood in their diets. As for keeping them in a 10 gallon until they grow out. i wouldnt recommend it. All plecos are heavy bioload on a tank to my understanding. I wouldnt know about the beta compatibility issues as i havent really kept a beta recently. The 10 gallon idea wouldnt be a good idea for a common especially as they are very rapid growers. Back when i was 8-10 my family started a 55 gallon and a 10 gallon at the same time. Within a few short months one pleco had grown maybe an inch or 2 while the other had grown at least 2-3x as fast so im pretty sure at any size a 10 gallon tank would stunt the growth of a common pleco.
 
#7 ·
I concur with what others have advised. Only the other day I was reading an article in either PFK or TFH about 10 fish that should never have been brought into the hobby, and the common pleco was high in the list. The article was a bit tongue-in-cheek, but on a serious note it was pointing out that many aquarists such as yourself go into a fish store and see these cute little plecos and buy them. Then later the fish dies, or if the space is perhaps adequate other problems occur. A 1-2 foot fish is going to be trouble.

We have fish profiles here, second tab from the left in the blue bar across the top of the page. You will find the common pleco included, and the Bristlenose Pleco too. When the name is used the same in posts as in the profile, common or scientific, it will shade as they did here, and you can click on them to see that profile. In the profile the minimum tank size is given, along with other important data on water, compatibility, etc.

On the subject of small fish growing: all fish grow continually as long as they live. They grow externally, and internally. When the space in which they are confined is not sufficient they become stunted; the internal organs continue to develop, or try to, and the fish is thereafter plagued with health problems. And almost always a premature death. Physical space itself has something to do with this, but equally is the water quality. Either or both affect a fish's development from the time it is born.

I read some time ago a maxim that is well worth knowing and adhering to: never buy any fish for which you do not now (at the time of acquiring it) have the aquarium that is now ready to house it at full maturity. Many of us think we will get a larger tank later, but often that may not occur, or it may be later than planned. It is the fish that suffers, and this cannot be reversed. I often use this analogy, but it is pertinent: you wouldn't buy a small horse to keep in your bedroom because some day you think you'll have a farm; fish are just as valuable a living creature, and they deserve the best care we can give them.

I've nothing to add to previous comments on the corys. A male Betta is really a stand-alone fish; on its own in a suitably-aquascaped aquarium, it will be happy and thus healthy.

Byron.
 
#8 ·
Just to add, I have a Bristlenose Pleco and he has grown incredibly fast. I really think he must have grown more than an inch a month at the very least. Also, Plecos are not all super friendly like the one you saw in the store. Mine has always been extremely shy. The first couple months of having him I never ever saw him, except during water changes. Even now I usually only see him during feeding time. He's a great little hider, I think if he were an albino who didn't blend in as well I might spot him more.
 
#9 ·
Hmm, I do have a thirty nine gallon tank downstairs, I posted pictures in my journal of it..
I was planning on moving the betta and corries and possibly the pleco, or other fish..its very interesting, with a plastic back that I could put plants into..

And my betta is very low key, hardly ever flares, not at all aggressive like my other bettas have been. On Betta fish, they vouch for cories being good tank mates with bettas!

What is the max size of a bristle nose?
Could my 39 gallon work?
 
#10 ·
Or, I could always take the betta into another 2.5, and get some type of catfish for the ten gallon, are there any smaller catfish, besides cories? Do all catfish need to be in groups? What's the most suitable?
 
#12 ·
Agree. As for catfish in groups, depends upon the species. Our profiles include this info. I recognize not all catfish are in the profiles, there are thousands of "catfish" out there.:)
 
#13 ·
I actually just read though all the catfish files, and most of them are cories, and alot of them dont have the tank mins! Gave me a few ideas though, for other tanks in the future..

I know they need driftwood, my mom has a habit of collecting it, and ill soak and boil it before i do anything with them..

I think Ill coerse my boyfriend into walking to the petstore to check out species they have...heheh.
 
#14 ·
If you are looking for a small catfish for a 10 gallon, you might try Corydoras pygmaeus. These guys are very tiny. They are more social than regular sized Cories, so you should try to get a large group of them - like 8. Corydoras hastatus would also work.
 
#15 ·
If I were you I would put the beta in the 10 gallon with some pygmy cories. Corydoras Habrosus is a great little fish. I have a small school with my beta in a 5g and they get along fine. I also don't have an aggressive beta so it works out nicely. Tank is moderatley planted too and I do atleast 2 but usually 3 water changes a week

Set the 39 up as a regular tropical tank with a bristlenose some tetras and maybe some other fish. I have 2 tanks going on right now (the beta tank and a 40g breeder) and it's much more enjoyable to be able to provide the fish with a correct home where you can tell they're happy.
 
#16 ·
Okay, so here's my choices..

There is a mature bristle nose, at 4 inches

Two banjo cats, also mature at 4 inches each, store has owned them for two years.

Grass cutters, not matured, but small, only two inches, my friend got some about a year ago, and they only ended up 5 inches, same breeder and species.

I'm leaning towards a couple grass cutters and a banjo cat?
I have a 20 gal I scrounged up..could I get both banjos and three cutters?
 
#19 ·
Others may, like me, be wondering what fish "grass cutters" are?:question:
 
#21 ·
If you are referring to Schilbe intermedius then the answer is a hard no, unless you can keep a 12 inch active fish. Schilbe intermedius • Schilbeidae • Cat-eLog • PlanetCatfish • PlanetCatfish.com has some info and View topic - Schilbe intermedius (grasscutter catfish) • PlanetCatfish.com might also be useful to you. I haven't kept one but from the little i read so far i would guess a 6 foot tank is needed for a school and they seem to appreciate schools. Though, once again this is from a quick glance so i have no clue.
 
#22 ·
If you are referring to Schilbe intermedius then the answer is a hard no, unless you can keep a 12 inch active fish. Schilbe intermedius • Schilbeidae • Cat-eLog • PlanetCatfish • PlanetCatfish.com has some info and View topic - Schilbe intermedius (grasscutter catfish) • PlanetCatfish.com might also be useful to you. I haven't kept one but from the little i read so far i would guess a 6 foot tank is needed for a school and they seem to appreciate schools. Though, once again this is from a quick glance so i have no clue.
Yes, I am talking about them..lol. They have all sorts of names..

Ive seen they can be kept in a 20 gal? Thats what my friend has hers in, and shes had em about a year, and they havent grown much, maybe four inches..
And she has a few that are alone, in other tanks, and they act pretty much the same...

Im still not sure though.

Anyone else keep these fish?

Im leaning towards a banjo cat and three or four cory cats....
 
#24 ·
Thats true. Bettas can live in a bowl, but they dont like it, or thrive in it.

Ive read that banjos can get up to a foot long, but the two im thinking about have been in that petstore, in thier private tank for two years now and are only 4.5 inches..
They really like me, so thier willing to sell them to me.
 
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