Anyone had these before?

Has anyone ever had any experience with Tandanis Cats/Eel-Tail Cats (It's commonly called both these names)? I may be buying one next week.

 

I've never kept them, but from a quick search, I can tell you that due to their large size (2 - 3 feet long depending on the species) they are not suitable for most aquariums and you probably shouldn't get one.

-Chelle

 

My lfs told me that they grow according to the size of the tank, but if it ever got out of hand then I can bring it back.

 

Thats what most lfs employees will tell you in order to try to make a sale. The fact of the matter is that that emplyee was lying to you, when they "grow tot he size of the tank" its because they are being stunted and there immune system eventually will fail and the fish, it will break out with disease, and eventually will die. My suggestion would be not to purchase the fish, and not to buy from that lfs again because they are trustworthy. -tl

 

nicely said tski......also, with a fish in that small of an aquarium you will need to do ALOT more water cleanups and the such.

 

i meant are NOT trustworthy. -tl

 

Thanks for your advice. I didn't ever think of like the fish being stunted, I thought it just grew as big as it's surroundings would let it.

 

yea, i used to believe that when i was younger and just starting out with aquariums, then i learned that truth about it all.

 

Well it's a good thing I have learnt. I would rather a completely different bottom-feeder than a sick & stunted one that I wanted. I would still like a bottom feeder for that tank though so anyone got any ideas?

 

What size tank is this for? And what else is in it?

For a peaceful tank, I almost always recommend otos (otocinclus). They're great for cleaning algae off the glass, and they stay pretty small so you could put 1 in a small tank or a group in a larger tank. Just make sure you already have algae growth BEFORE you add the otos. Another option for a peaceful tank would be a rubberlipped pleco, but they're kinda shy. Corydoras catfish are also very cool, but they don't clean the glass, they clean up the gravel. An oto/cory combo is what I have in my 2 community tanks.

If you have a larger tank with aggressive fish, I'd recommend a bristlenose pleco. The common pleco gets to be 15 inches and poops more than it cleans, so don't bother. Bristlenoses get to be about 5 inches, but still have the tough skin to put up with mean fish.

 

i was gonna say otos too

 

Another suggestion for a peaceful tank would be cory cats. Depending on the species, they can range anywhere from 1" - 4". They do like to be in groups, but they are really cute when they're all swimming around together. They don't really eat algae off of the glass or decorations, but they will clean up uneaten food.

-Chelle

 

This is only a small tank- about 46cm x 25cm x 24cm. In your experience how big do all these grow, I mean the rubberlipped pleco, ottos etc. Oh & there is already 2 small common goldfish & 2 Danios in there. Thanks

 

Your tank is only about 8 gallons which isn't even close to being large enough goldfish. Since they're commons, they're going to need about 50 gallons each. I suggest you don't add any more fish to that until you can find new homes for your goldfish.

-Chelle

 

Im aware of how much space they need. When they get that large. There is a lfs that would gladly take them & add them to their outdoor pond. It's still going to be a while before they get that big (their only about 3-4cm long right now).