Bumblebee Catfish?

[cardiocentric]

I was wondering about the compatibility of bumblebee catfish for my tank. My PH is 6.5ish, I have live driftwood in my tank, along with a lot of slate houses I've built for my gourami/corys/paradise fish.. and I have an empty one ready for new inhabitants. I stumbled across two gorgeous bumblebee cats today at the pet store and the clerk told me they hide during the day and are very active at night [When I'm home most anyways]. Are these going to be compatible with my other tankmates, or is there going to be some conflict if I add them?

[toddnbecka]

Bumblebee cats aren't aggressive, even among their own species, and have occasionally spawned successfully in aquariums when kept in groups. They will eat anything small enough to fit into their relatively big mouths though. Small fish like neons, guppies, or fry of any kind are on the menu. Anything too big to swallow should be quite safe.

[Fishguy2727]

You also need to make sure you are talking about the South American bumblebees since the Asian ones can get larger.

You will almost never see them. They will poke their heads out to grab food and then disappear.

As stated anything in the small tetra size range will be eaten.

[Rue]

... You will almost never see them. They will poke their heads out to grab food and then disappear. ....

No kidding...I think I've seen mine 4X...in 4 years...:hmm3grin2orange:

[Fishguy2727]

I had six in a ten gallon and saw a flash of a head or tail every once in a while.

[cardiocentric]

I bought a log decoration with several holes that they LOVE, so I see them a lot, just at night though... during the day they bury themselves under the driftwood. I was in the fish store and the clerk showed me this freshwater eel that you literally *NEVER* see, it buries under the substrate... I forgot what it was called but I had to show restraint from getting it... I can just see it getting sucked into the gravel vaccuum and dying.

[cardiocentric]

I have 6 lampeyes but they stay toward the middle/top of the aquarium so I don't think I'll have a problem unless I decide to feed sinking pellets or weekend feeders near the catfish's hole. At least I hope not. O_O

[toddnbecka]

If they sleep on the bottom of the tank the catfish will find them at night.

[cardiocentric]

i gave them bunches of hiding places and got some hornwort they love playing in, so we'll hope none of them go missing :D

[Rue]

...and? Anyone 'missing'?

[cardiocentric]

No one missing :) My bumblebees are actually pretty peaceful. I must feed them enough, lol. When I do my feeding for my ADF's I always put a couple of cubes of bloodworms in for the cats... squirt them down near the driftwood, and voila, they're stuffed for a couple days. They haven't so much as even tried preying on my tetras, and I have some small bloodfins I just got a while back that they haven't touched. Headcount is still intact!

[Rue]

I'm glad theyr'e all accounted for...thumbs2:

Wish I had more than my annual sighting...:sconfused:

[cardiocentric]

update - bloodfin tetra missing. no body evident... you may be correct! O_O;;; i just hope the other 4 figure out not to swim toward the bottom...

[Rue]

...maybe you should buy one of those little 'danger' signs for the tank...:hmm3grin2orange:

[cardiocentric]

hahaha, i like that idea! we still have 4 today luckily... i had no clue they'd be so close to the bottom... i have a lot of low plants though, and they like to peck at things so i think that might've been one of them's demise... i don't plan to re-home... it's nature at it's finest and the food chain is always going to exist in our tanks. i love them, i just hope they find the floating hornwort to be more inhabitable than the driftwood right now so the cats won't eat them.

[mantis]

Any chance the eel your talking about a peacock?