Catfish, Siluriformes species comp.  9/9/08
Hello again, Neale,
<Susanne,>
I hope you can help me once more. I have a question about catfish. I just love them and have several different kinds in my aquarium. I almost have more catfish than other kinds of fish. My tank is fairly large (63 gallons), so they have room. I also have wood in the aquarium, which they love.
<Sounds great! You're speaking to another catfish fan. Do make sure you get across to Planet Catfish and ScotCat, both great sites for this particular niche of the hobby.>
I have read that some catfish can be very aggressive and territorial.
<Only some catfish are territorial, primarily those that guard their eggs (e.g., Plecs) or need to secure hiding places. By contrast many others are gregarious: Corydoras, Glass Catfish, Ariid sea catfish, etc.>
However, the catfish in my tank get along very well. They do not fight at all and actually seem to enjoy each other's company. What do I need to do to keep it this way?
<It all depends on the species, and I can't really answer this question without knowing what catfish you're keeping. If it's Corydoras or Glass Catfish or Dwarf Synodontis -- there's nothing to do: they're schooling fish. Bristlenose Cats by contrast are territorial, or at least the males are, but provided they have space enough to spread out, won't cause any problems. The only commonly maintained species that routinely cause problems are the larger Loricariids (Plecs) and the bigger Synodontis.>
Susanne
<Cheers, Neale.>

Are my fish pregnant?
Hi my name is Catt Roden, I was just wondering if you could help me, my catfish keeps trying to bury itself at the bottom of the tank. I have had my two catfish for 6 months and do not know much about them, so I was wondering if it may be pregnant.  If so what should I do with the tank and how can I help my two fish?  If not could you tell me why it is doing that? Thank you, Catt Roden
<Catt... what type of catfish are these? If you know part of their name, try plugging this in to fishbase.org and learn more re their life habits... Many catfishes DO dig in the substrate... some live a good part of the time under it in the wild. I doubt if your fish are actually pregnant... Study my friend... learn the scientific name of your fish, their husbandry... Bob Fenner>

Three Line Cory Catfish question
Thank you so much you have helped me in the past, I hope you can again. This
Cory catfish started acting funny, he is constantly going up and down, but
not for the usual gulps of air, just blindly bumping into everyone else up
around and down.
<Mmm, may well be interacting with its reflection... in your aquarium walls. Corydoras Catfishes are extremely social... do best in groupings>
All the water parameters are ok and all the other fish are
ok too, so is one other Cory catfish. Do you have any idea what this might
be, I figured if it's a parasite or something the other fish will be
affected. Thanks again for your time and your insight.
<If you have room, I would add another two or more of this species. Bob Fenner>

Re: Three Line Cory Catfish question
Thanks for the speedy reply. I wanted to add that this Cory bumps into other
fish swimming while he flutters/scutters like on a roller coaster along the
glass.
<Not atypical>
Zooms up and down however he slows down enough to not hurt his
barbels when close to surface, but when in water he bumps into other fish,
did I say that twice.
<Yes, yes>
He has 1 buddy and he completely ignores him, the
other just works all the time, rarely I see him tries to follow other but
there' no pattern and goes back to working. I do have reflection on the
glass but do you think that might be the cause with him bumping around?
Thanks for your patience. By the way Happy New Year!
<Yes, and thanks much. All will likely be fine in time. Bob Fenner>