Coral Cats

[dothman]

Hello.
Any advice you can give will be appreciated.
My tank has been running for almost a year. Almost all of my cycle fish are still with me.
A 3 stripe, blue devil, blue velvet, yellow, and seargent major. I also have a lawnmower blenny, 2 tomato clowns and a 4-line wrasse in a 44 gal. All are healthy and happy. I recently had my hand in the tank and the damsels went psycho. The 3 stripe and seargent major kept biting my hand, they were nuts almost like a planned attack. Anyway I purchased 2 corals cats about 3 1/2 long and healthy last week and they seem fine but are keeping a low profile. They only seem to come out when the lights are off and they just follow the baseline of the tank. They are eating well with no problems too. I have never seen the damsels go after them but as they swim around 2 X's the damsels smacked their back fin into them as if to mark territory even though they were right against the glass. I think I have been very patient with these cycle fish. The damsels are resiliant. Anyway do you think the cats are in danger. I picked them because they had a good size and were amusing. What should I do? Did I choose poorly?

 

[pchromis]

I would take the damsels out and return to LFS. They are too aggressive and territorial. And because of their behavior, they will cause stress in the other fish creating problems down the road.

 

[connor]

Originally Posted by pchromis
I would take the damsels out and return to LFS. They are too aggressive and territorial. And because of their behavior, they will cause stress in the other fish creating problems down the road.
the damsels have to be the problelm not the coral cats in the 44 gallon tank it just just has to be the damsels

 

[drew2005]

Damsels are probably the problem. Very territorial. Also, if i read correctly, you have 11 fish in a 44 gallon. Dude thats a bit overstocked. Are your levels holding steady?

 

[connor]

OMG PEOPLE ITS NOT THE DAMSELS ITS THE CORAL CATS BEING IN A 44 GALLON!!!!

they need a 180 MIN. You need to take the sharks out and some of your fish if you have 11 fish in the 44 and take them back to the LFS and slap the person who sold them to you.

 

[mr_bill]

Leeeeeeeeeets get ready to ruuuuuuuuuuumble.
You will want to remove the damsels if you want to have a peaceful tank. I went through and alot of others here have had the damsel curse too. Catching the little buggers is another problem, I had to remove all rock just to get at them once they knew thier time had come they became masters of evasion.

 

[drew2005]

I believe the coral catfish are venomous and require a minimum of 70 gallons.

 

[mr_bill]

Originally Posted by drew2005
I believe the coral catfish are venomous and require a minimum of 70 gallons.
To tell you the truth I have no experience with the coral catfish, but I do know damsels and in a 44g tank you will hard pressed to find something they won't attack.

 

[connor]

Originally Posted by drew2005
I believe the coral catfish are venomous and require a minimum of 70 gallons.
who ever told you that is an idiot the coral cat gets 24+ inches and a 70 gallon is not even 18 inches wide and 4 feet long does that sound like an ideal environment to you? its like keeping you in a closet for life

 

[aw2]

Connor,
They're speaking of CORAL CATFISH!...not Coral Cat Sharks.

 

[drew2005]

Originally Posted by connor
who ever told you that is an idiot the coral cat gets 24+ inches and a 70 gallon is not even 18 inches wide and 4 feet long does that sound like an ideal environment to you? its like keeping you in a closet for life

Minimum Tank Size: 70 gallons
Care Level: Easy
Tank Conditions: 78-80°F; sg 1.017-1.019; pH 8.1-8.4; dKH 8-12
Max. Size In Aquarium: Up to 1'
Color Form: Black, Brown, White, Yellow
Temperament: Aggressive
Reef Compatible: With Caution
Caution: Venomous
Diet: Omnivore
Compatibility: View Chart
Origin: Indo-Pacific
Family: Plotosidae

 

[ophiura]

This is a fish I truly wish wouldn't sold. They get LARGE and are venemous but many people do not know this. They are simply not a good choice and I would return them ASAP. They also get very difficult to trade in as they grow. People don't want the large one's...smaller is cuter.
I have made the same mistake, BTW....

 

[krazekajin]

Coral Catfish are a schooling fish. As young fish they form a ball like school and look cool. As they grow older, they lose thier markings and become solitary mean spirited fish. They also grow larger than a foot, if my memory serves me correctly.

 

[dothman]

Originally Posted by drew2005
Damsels are probably the problem. Very territorial. Also, if i read correctly, you have 11 fish in a 44 gallon. Dude thats a bit overstocked. Are your levels holding steady?
My local LFS doesn't believe in the sq inch rule. I went with his advice and remarkably I have only lost 3 fish in a year. All were Damsels. I believe I was maxed out at 9 fish in the tank but them Damsels just keep going like the energizer bunny. I have never had a problem with my water. My set up I think is pretty strong. I have an XP2 Cannister, UV sterilizer, protien skimmer, pre-skimmer, bubble reducer, and a wave maker. The water levels haven't changed since I got the cats either. I test every 72 hrs. I was just sick of the Damsels and thought the cats would be good because of their size. I should have asked for advice from this message board before I purchased them. At least the investment was minimal. Both cats cost me only $ 11.98.
I am going to post another thread for additional advice about out cycling my damsel fish.
Thanks to everyone whom replied to this post. Enjoy your Sunday! :happyfish

 

[ophiura]

He doesn't believe in the sq inch rule because he can sell more fish if he doesn't buy into it. That is a pretty basic part of the equation. I would personally suggest listening to people who don't want to sell you fish. IMO, there is more to this hobby than how much a fish cost. Yes, it is part of it, a way to reason away the cost of a fish loss, but you may very well have to destroy those fish down the road simply because they are unwanted and too large. That is a pity, IMO. I don't often see coral cats sold any more, probably in large part due to this fact. JMO tho.