Help with Catfish Feeding

[KingPiccolo SB]

So i have a Synodontis Decorus (6"), a striped Raphael Catfish (3"), and a Senegal Bicher (i know he's not a catfish) (4"). All of those are in a 90 gallon tank with a bunch of African cichlids. But my question is what can i drop in at night for those three that would be really good for them and make the Bicher and Raphael continue growing. The Syno has also slowed down quite a bit in growth. But the other two are practically not growing at all. I have been putting in like 6-8 Large cichlid pellets for them every night but i don't know who's eating them and if that's enough.

Any help would be appreciated, btw this is the best catfish site i love it, and catfish.

[Viktor Jarikov]

Welcome to the Planet!

Having never kept any cichlids, I may be not that much help. It'd be important to ensure the cats and the bichir are eating - either use something cichlids will not take during the day time or feed when lights out but one can use a weak red or blue light to observe at night to see who comes out who eats what.

Also, you can tell by their tummy size if they ate and if they ate real well. They should not be fed daily but every 2-3 days but the feeding should be heavy so they attain a nice round tummy, which should go flat by the next feeding.

Dry foods like flakes and pellets should be liked by your syno and the raph, bichir - may or may not be as they may prefer fleshy foods (frozen-thawed fish pieces, shrimp, etc.) which synos and raphs would take too, especially in the absence of anything else.

[unblinded]

What kind of cichlids do you have? When I feed my mbuna I feed my catfish at the same time. I actually reach my hand into the tank and put food on the bottom. I understand if some don't like to feed this way, though. Another thing I have seen done is to use a piece of tube cut the depth of the tank. You can put food into the tube so that it sinks to where the fish you are trying to single out to feed are. Best wishes, hope you get it worked out to your satisfaction.

[MatsP]

In this case, what does "African cichlids" mean? Rift Lake cichlids (Malawi, Mbuna, Tanganyika, Victoria, etc) or riverine ones (Jewel, Kribensis, etc)?

Generally, I have found neither of the species you have HARD to feed. The

Synodontis decora

doesn't necessarily go chasing for food every second of the day, but they are able to compete with quite aggressive other fish if they are hungry enough.

Striped raphael

Platydoras armatulus

can be quite greedy, so again, shouldn't be a big problem to feed.

--
Mats

[KingPiccolo SB]

Well it wasn't so much me asking what to feed them to get them to eat, because they all eat well, but i didn't know what would get them to start growing the Raph has stayed the same size for like 1 1/2 months. The bicher has been the same for like 3 months, but yet the Syno keeps growing.

[Viktor Jarikov]

Please, specify how long you have had them and what growth or absence thereof have you observed for the two/three fish in question.

If they eat well and their diet is more or less proper, as commonly accepted, then there is nothing to worry about and if their growth is slow, it likely does not mean much. Many fish grow in spurts.

I understand your concern though. The only thing I can think of at the moment is that fleshy, protein-rich foods help growth. I think this kind of food is ok for both the bichir and the raph, although it may be not so optimal for the raph.

Raphs are usually quite competetive feeders while bichirs, in my tiniest of experiences, are very slow and inefficient feeders.

..... Ok, another thought is stunting, which is usually a result of insufficient WCs (= build-up of growth inhibiting hormone in the tank water) and sometimes a result of not having enough room (but 90 gal sounds quite good for such small fishes).

IDK if aggressive tank mates have been known to cause any kind of stunting or perhaps a stress-related stunting from constantly being under attack and having to hide - does anybody know? But then at night, my understanding is that cichlids sleep and leave their tank mates alone, no? The night time is the "day time" for the syno and the raph.

[KingPiccolo SB]

Yeah they almost never get picked on, i've seen the bicher get chased once or twice and i've never once seen the raph get picked on by anyone. I have mostly Haps and Peacocks in with them so they aren't too aggressive. I've i got the raph at about 1 1/2" like 3-4 months ago and he was in a 20 gallon growing well, up to about 3" then i feared he'd soon stunt so i moved him to my 90 gallon tank he has been there for a month and i've noticed almost no growth.

Very similar story with the bicher though he grow from like 2" up to 4 1/2" in the 20 gallon then i moved him to a 40 long and now the 90 and again very minimal growth.

But the Syno it 6" and he keeps growing so maybe he is hogging all the food or something O.o

[Viktor Jarikov]

It does not sound like you should worry yet. I'd give them a few more months and then reconsider.

Well it wasn't so much me asking what to feed them to get them to eat, because they all eat well...

But the Syno it 6" and he keeps growing so maybe he is hogging all the food or something O.o

Must be "or something" then Good luck, mate!