# clarias catfish



## adamntitch (Jun 17, 2007)

anyone got one or ever kept one just wanting info on them like can they be kept on there own or in pairs and do they need a land area av searche online an no most stuff but theres no better info than from someone thats owne one


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## mariekni (Apr 8, 2009)

my oh keeps one have seen loads kept together. they need no land area but can be quite aggresive to other bottom dwellers. 

heres ours


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## Esfa (Apr 15, 2007)

They cant really be kept with anything, even their own species... one day it may get hungry! :gasp:

Or you could just keep it in a wet sack.


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## ninjastyle (May 29, 2009)

woah thats a monster fish!!!!


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## xyra (Apr 26, 2007)

adamntitch said:


> anyone got one or ever kept one just wanting info on them like can they be kept on there own or in pairs and do they need a land area av searche online an no most stuff but theres no better info than from someone thats owne one


I've got two, a clarius nieuhofii and a clarius batrachus

Both are lovely fish, and have been entirely peaceful...

The batrachus I keep with... (in a 60x24x18)

Polypterus ornattipinnis (12")
Polypterus endlicheri (13")
Polypterus lapradei x 2 (11" ea)
Frontosa (11")

It's been kept with leirius marmoratus and black ghost knife fish as well in the past without problems.

The ~10" nieuhofii I keep with... (in a 72x15x18)

Oscar (9")
Channa aurantimaculata(8")
2 x gold severum (5" and 6")
Vieja synspilum (6")
and another cichlid I can't remember the name of (5")

But I have kept him with other things including a 4 line pim, various polypterus and other cichlids. Again no problems whatsoever.


They don't have vast mouths like some cats so can't swallow fish as large as some (although I don't know it could manage the polys if it really tried). Some are known for being aggresive as has been said, but i've not ever seen that personally!


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## mariekni (Apr 8, 2009)

they can be kept together. as above person say no problems with other fish. we have ours in with tetras gouramis cichilds etc etc. the only fish in the tank it doesnt like is our synodontis which is still swimming about they just have a few scuffles never any major fatalitys!


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## bosshogg (Nov 19, 2006)

mariekni said:


> they can be kept together. as above person say no problems with other fish. we have ours in with tetras gouramis cichilds etc etc. the only fish in the tank it doesnt like is our synodontis which is still swimming about they just have a few scuffles never any major fatalitys!



hhhaaa haaaaa haaaaaaaa don't eat anything tell that to my adult platy that 3 x 2" clarius hunted and killed, and they were only in the tank over night while I got the tank sorted. I would never recommend keeping them with anything that they can anyway get there mouth around with big boys there fine I kept mine with redtails, pacus ect 

I have 10 clarius love them was gutted when my big pair died because a red tail decided to kill the heater and boil everything!


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## adamntitch (Jun 17, 2007)

kl thanks for the info


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## Mujician (Mar 7, 2007)

bosshogg said:


> hhhaaa haaaaa haaaaaaaa don't eat anything tell that to my adult platy that 3 x 2" clarius hunted and killed, and they were only in the tank over night while I got the tank sorted. I would never recommend keeping them with anything that they can anyway get there mouth around with big boys there fine I kept mine with redtails, pacus ect
> 
> I have 10 clarius love them was gutted when my big pair died because a red tail decided to *kill the heater and boil everything!*


I know someone who had a breeding pair of P. Leopoldi stingrays with about 20 babies and his heater did this. He just about managed to save the female!


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## bosshogg (Nov 19, 2006)

Mujician said:


> I know someone who had a breeding pair of P. Leopoldi stingrays with about 20 babies and his heater did this. He just about managed to save the female!


sadly my redtail did it over night so woke up the next morning to find my 12" redtail dead 2 x 12-14IN clarius 14" salfin pleco all dead


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## simonas (Apr 12, 2008)

I had a 18 inch one of these for about a year

I've owned mny fish over the years but he was one of the most aggressive who I think used to kill for thesheer hell of it

Lovely fish but in my experience very aggressive, Mine killed 2 large oscars and 4 huge tinfoils barbs as well as eating lots of other whatI thought big fish in the tank

Not community fish by any stretch and they need large tank to house them as they are very mobile for cats


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## xyra (Apr 26, 2007)

bosshogg said:


> I have 10 clarius love them was gutted when my big pair died because a red tail decided to kill the heater and boil everything!


Ouch. My cichla temensis broke three heaters within 3 months, each one with a more elaborate heater guard. In the end I moved him into the fish room which is space heated = no more heaters to break  The tanks in the house just use polycarbonate "unbreakable" heaters now


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## xyra (Apr 26, 2007)

simonas said:


> I had a 18 inch one of these for about a year
> 
> I've owned mny fish over the years but he was one of the most aggressive who I think used to kill for thesheer hell of it
> 
> ...


Interesting, quite a different experience to me! How large were they when they started causing problems? As I say mine is only about 13" currently (and about 2.5 years old), but I know some cats only hit sexual maturity (and hence full aggreesion) when huge


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## simonas (Apr 12, 2008)

xyra said:


> Interesting, quite a different experience to me! How large were they when they started causing problems? As I say mine is only about 13" currently (and about 2.5 years old), but I know some cats only hit sexual maturity (and hence full aggreesion) when huge


My LFS gave me him he was about that size when I got him, it was only a couple of years ago or so, beautiful fish great to watch just a proper grumpy predator lol


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## TUBBS (Mar 16, 2009)

whats to know really, get big big, aggressive, messy, hard as nails

we have a vat full of adults at college that we use to show students how to spawn them as they are done on mass as food fish in other countries

they get on fine together as long as they are in a large enough space of water


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