striped ralpheal catfish?

[bala_aquarium]

ok i bought 2 today and im not sure how big they defintly get any more.
petsmart told me 6" and they said that they where young and there already pretty big in my opinion.do they grow fast or do they just get bigger than six inches?all help would be nice thanks

 

[tubbs24]

http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/doradida/platydor/166_F.PHP

I would like to have one of these someday, they look pretty cool. They do get to about 6 inches or so

 

[bala_aquarium]

thanks for the help

 

[THUNDER]

The link that Tubby posted isn't available anymore. I love having the Striped Raphaels. They are very easy to take care of. They get up to around 6-8" and grow slowly. I wouldnt worry too much about their size. If they do not reach that big, thats fine, as long they are healthy. I made a post about Striped Raphaels in the catfish section.

Thunder

 

[FishGeek]

PlanetCatfish :: Cat-eLog :: Doradidae :: Platydoras costatus

 

[THUNDER]

Thanks Guppy for that link. I found new important information.

Suggested Tankmates: Anything from tetras to cichlids, preferably South American, but will mix with all community fish.

Now I know any Cichlids will accept the Raphaels. Yay! In the future, when I get a bigger tank, having Cichlids will be under considerations.

Thunder

 

[tubbs24]

hm, guess it isn't....thanks for reposting the site guppy

 

[FishGeek]

Your Welcome!! You still need to be careful though THUNDER. Yes they can mix but still some cichlids are too aggressive for a fish like this to be in the tank.

 

[fish_addict]

i have 2 raphael's myself and they are great at cleaning up. also when you turn off the lights they just swim everywhere and yes they do grow very slowly so size won't really matter.

 

[JWright]

THUNDER, the site doesn't say _any_ cichlids, it just says "cichlids."

Which is to say that at least 1 species of Cichlid is compatible. I would definately avoid any of the more aggressive and territorial africans. Mbunas and such...

It's even a little misleading to say that South American cichlids are ok. For instance, it would be very foolish to put most species of fish in a tank with a breeding pair of convicts. There are also several large and aggressive SA cichlids.

 

[VirgoWolf]

Yeah, I LOVE these guys, I see them at my LFS all the time and I want one, but I figure there like a nice steak for my oscars and the Mbunas I'm planning for my mom's tank would probably not be good buddies with him either.

Maybe I'll plan a tank around these guys! LOL Question though, is there any fish they can't be housed with other than fish that will harm him? Being a catfish it seems 'too good to be true' that he won't cause problems himself. He won't fight with a pleco, eat a guppy, or slurp up an ADF?

 

[THUNDER]

I understand! Angels are Cichlids too. There is so many things to think of and its all only 'thoughts' for now.

Yes, Raphaels are great at cleaning up. Not only that they come out at night, but at any time of day too.

Raphaels does not cause any problems for other fishies, but they do gobble down tiny fishies at night, only if the fishies fit in their mouth.

Thunder