Gold Spot Sailfin Pleco + Spiny Eel + Whiptail Catfish

Are these fish compatible... they're all available at my lps and i REALLY want them all (its an addiction:bigsmile!!!

From my research so far it seems they all fall within the samish PH and temp range and would be fine together so long as they all have their own hiding spot?

is it a yay or a nay for them all

 

Your biggest problem is not so much will they be happy together, but rather how big are they gonna get?? Most Plecos and Eels grow WAY too big for most normal aquariums, but I'm not certain off hand on the max size of the Gold Spot?

The whiptail again depends on which variant it is, as there are several types! Some grow to around 10 - 20 cm, but others can grow a fair bit bigger!

So, with that in mind, I would have to ask what size tank do you intend to put them in??

I personally would leave out the Eels! They will pretty much eat anything that fits into their mouths! And even a few things that don't!

Hope that helps, despite not being what you wanted to hear!?

Cheers
G!

 

scientific names please...

 

Hi Kiazer G
Firstly You don't say what tank size and type you have, and there are many Eels from 10 to 45cm the same with Sucker cats so be more presize. I kept Eels and cats together without a problem.
By the way don't worry too much about ph if its not on the extreme side. More important than what ph is that you keep it stable, at least in most cases.
hope that helps a bit

 

Apologies it was a impulse post to go with a near impulse buy -

the tank would be the 3ft 90cm x 32cm x 38 cm (see attached pic) but i'm currently looking at houses to purchase and would be getting a much larger tank (2m would be ideal) when I finally find one.

The scientific names are

Pterygoplichthys joselimaianus (Golden Spot Pleco)

Rineloricaria fallax (Whiptail Catfish/Pleco)

Unsure of the Spiny Eel but has very little body markings except for spots on its back fins... think it may be Macrognathus siamensis

 

not a good idea keeping that plec with the whiptail as the plec will become agressive especially when feeding which might keep the whiptail in hiding without getting all the nutrients it needs...even more so in that size tank. in a 2m they would be okay as long as you provide ample hiding place....

I have a group of L168 with 1 ancistrus and 1 royal farlowela in a 4ft, plus discus apistos etc etc etc... The L168 become really agro at feeding time, even though they're on the smaller side of the plecs... so I have to try and feed the farlowela at one side of the tank...

 

Thanks Dolphin, i'll then only take one of the plecs if i decide to get them....

Also could you also tell me about what the lps owner said was a "talking catfish" - no idea on the scientific name? The LFS claimed these did not get bigger than 10 cm's

Really just looking for unusual fish for this tank and these were the ones that caught my eye at the shop today

Wow L168's look amazing, do yours change their colours Dolphin?.... i love bottom dwelling fish btw

 

If I remember correctly, the Talking Catfish is a Doradid (not sure on spelling?) but again, there are a few that are labelled as Talking Cats! The main one to use that name does stay pretty small, and is pretty harmless, but I don't have my books at hand to double check and get you the correct name!

Cheers
G!

 

Thanks Big G - size is my biggest concern for the spiny eel but i really do like their behaviour. guess i'm going to hurry up and get that house so i can get a bigger tank

 

dont buy it, dont!

there are two types commercially available, the spotted talking cat (Agamyxis Pectinifrons) and the striped talking cat (Platydoras Costatus).

I had the striped talking cat many many years ago when I first started keeping fish...fish would go missing without any signs of them dieing until one day when I found him with a fish in his mouth...they will swallow anything that fits into their mouth...

My L168 are adults, about 150mm...I've not noticed significant color changes except for them going lighter and darker during the day... they rush at each other quite often but dont really make contact - quite interesting watching them.

I've just recently added some Panaque Maccus to my small collection of L plecs, thanks to Slagter! They're still settling in so not much to say there except there's 2 females which look gravid so hopefully they'll spawn soon

so my collection of bottom dwellers consists of L-plecs, Corys and loaches...not forgetting my Sewellia Lineolata which are beauts! My shoal of skunk loaches seems to have increased drastically - dont know if they've bred in their tank which is densly filled with plants so I cant really check whats happening in there - they share that tank with my dwarf puffers which also seam to live together quite peacefully with no obvious agression - I always find them swimming together.

 

Neither of those names you qouted Dolphin are the ones I'm thinking of, I just wish i could find where my books had gone?? It was one which stayed around the 5cm mark!

Although having said that, I had an African Wood Cat a few months back which would eat neons till its belly was so extended that I truly thought it would pop!! And that was only 5-8cms!

You do have to be really careful with Cats, especially unusual cats, as the LFS staff generally know nothing about them and will tell you they are fine, when they are not! Its always best to google the cats, and look for the one which matches best with the one you are wanting to buy and check its habitat and socialisation out!

I'll see if I can find those books!!

Cheers!
G!

 

Your G S pleco is a food item not a aquarium fish, and your eel will at least try to eat everything smaller than the whiptail. The "ordenary" Spiny eel Macrognathus circumcinctus is the smaller option.

Hi Big G
Have a look at Pecoltia and Hypancistrus they are small leave your other fish and plants alone and in my oppinion very pretty.
About a month ago there where "Clown Plecos" available a hardy and relative inexpensive Fish lots of fun:bigsmile:

 

Hey Guido!

Ja, I'm not looking for any cats at the mo other than Sturisoma and Farlowella, but I did want the Pecoltia Pulchar for a while, and if I came across one I'd be tempted depending on cost!

I just feel like I can't justify R100 + on a Pleco! Something just doesn't seem right?? I know that they are not true plecos tho, and have just been given the Pleco name, but it still doesn't sit right for me! HahA!

As for the Doradid I was thinking of, it may actually have been the Stargazing Doradid I had in mind?? That does stay small and is said to be harmless!?

Cheers!
G!

 

Well i bought the Macrognathus circumcinctus (confirmed ID, you were spot on guido.co.za) and the Rineloricaria fallax (who is very active)...

pretty happy with my additions and think they will do well in this tank... the Spiny eel has already claimed the drift would (which is riddle with interconnecting holes) as his own.

My one concern is feeding, I once had a Spiny eel when I was a kid who readily ate bloodworm but this guy doesnt look to keen (might still be settling in). I have little experience when it comes to live food - where can I obtain live food or where can i get hold eggs that I can than culture myself?

Will post pics of them when I get a chance...

 

My spotted raphael catfish is one of my favorite inhabitants. But I think it could very well be responsible for a few disappearing fish!!! Only 3 little neons in about 3 years. But I have no proof - only a lack of evidence of other mortality!

For reference:

 

Hi Kiazer
Feeding the eel should never be a problem. They eat normally everything meaty from mussel pieces, earth worms, strips of fish shrimp, tiny tank mates, ups.