# catfish compatible with Red devil cichlid??



## dcorolla05 (Aug 12, 2006)

I'm curious to know if there are any catfish out there in the hobby which would survive in a 135g cichlid tank. The tank currently has a 8" red devil, red terror, Jack dempsey, and texas cichlid..

There is plenty enough room in the tank just curious if there is anything out there, that wouldnt get chompped. I've considered a few types of catfish but most of which will get too large or not large enough.


----------



## shef (Oct 3, 2004)

How about a raphael catfish? They are pretty tough guys and have spines all over their bodies. I don't think many cichlids would mess with them. Plus they tend to stay out of the way


----------



## dwarfpike (Jan 22, 2008)

I concur, if I were try it ... probably the only two I would try would be a huge pleco or a very large striped raphael.


----------



## trimac (Mar 27, 2003)

Eclipse Catfish!


----------



## gage (Feb 7, 2007)

hey trimac, are you talking about a sun catfish (Horabagrus brachysoma)? if you are i wouldnt try them, i notice my 9" one starting fights with everything, a prime reason for a midas/RD to tear it apart.


----------



## cage623 (Feb 2, 2008)

My pictus works well but I had it for about a year before my RD so it had a chance to grow some. Plus my RD is a push over by most standards. Other wise I would agree with the raphael cat. They look cool and are tough fish. Good luck.


----------



## chrispyweld (Dec 20, 2005)

Raph. cats have the ability to cut the gills of anyhting that tries to swallow them I lost a 9in GT this way. I wouldn't recomend keeping them with anything large enough to be tempted to eat them.

Just an FYI about my experience.


----------



## lil mama (Nov 24, 2007)

chrispyweld I have heard about this before. BV said something about his Oscar getting a hole in his gill or something like that from a Raphael Cat. That's a tough blow loosing a 9" GT, that's really tragic. I'm very sorry to hear about your loss. I have Raphael Cats in all my tanks because they are a great clean up crew. I'm starting to second think it now. 
dcorollao5 What ever catfish you decide on it needs hiding place that it can get away from the RD. Places small enough that the RD can't get in.


----------



## dwarfpike (Jan 22, 2008)

This is pending sizes of course. But a full size RD will not try to eat an adult, 8 inch striped raphael ... beat on it yes, eat it no.


----------



## Big Vine (Feb 26, 2007)

lil mama said:


> BV said something about his Oscar getting a hole in his gill or something like that from a Raphael Cat.


I did mention something about that, lil mama, but luckily it was only to say that I was removing my spotted Raphael cat for fear of my oscar getting his gills torn up from it---luckily that (the torn up gills thing) hasn't happened, and it won't have a chance to happen now that I've removed the cat. :wink:

BV


----------



## chrispyweld (Dec 20, 2005)

Yeah it sucked. Got a nasty gash in his mouth. By the time I new anything was wrong he was fighting a nasty bacterial infection which ended doing him in.


----------



## lil mama (Nov 24, 2007)

Sorry for getting the story wrong BV. At least your great Oscar didn't get hurt.


----------



## MetalHead06351 (Oct 3, 2007)

most synodontis would work. I have kept s. ocellifer with jaguars with no problems, also s. eupterus. They usually run about $17 a peice, but well worth it.


----------



## gage (Feb 7, 2007)

Eupterus are great IMO, i keep mine with a flowerhorn, Urophthalmus, Synspilum (i think, its some sort of Vieja anyway) and i assume a RD is in the same kinda class as them.


----------



## the General (Aug 26, 2007)

I don't have anything approaching RD nastiness with my eupterus, but he's great at dealing with stress. In general, he will fight back against anything around his size (~6.5" TL) or smaller, defend his piece of wood (he annexed a piece of driftwood belonging to the large male convict in the tank and fiercely defends it), and is completely unphased by the "love taps" and outright assaults that the oscars and jack dempsey regularly give him. He follows the oscars around as sort of a "mobile hiding spot," very funny to see.

He also looks really cool.


----------



## trimac (Mar 27, 2003)

True-eclipse cats can get fiesty and may end up a large target for the RD!


----------



## gage (Feb 7, 2007)

lol, but an 18" one may give a RD a run for its money :lol:


----------



## dcorolla05 (Aug 12, 2006)

thx for the information.. I'll be looking for a catfish to add to my tank... lets see how this goes.


----------



## gage (Feb 7, 2007)

this one really is a **** shoot, but i keep my four line pictus (Pimelodus blochii) with my aggressive fish with no problems, the only problem i have is him and my synodontis eupterus fighting


----------

