How long do striped raphael catfish live

Joined Apr 27, Messages 1 Reaction score 0. Davo86 said:. Joined Mar 28, Messages 53 Reaction score 0. I've had mine 8 years and he hasn't grown at all. Still about 3". He will live forever because he will never wear out. The only time I have ever seen him move was when I was doing heavy cleaning in the tank and took out his "home" for a good scrubbing.

Did an almost total tear down last week and kept finding him buried in the gravel and rushed to save him. After the 4th time, I realized that I wasn't burying him, he was burrowing to get out of the comotion. My faithful cat was the one who kept telling me where he was buried. Wasn't that thoughtful of her? Joined Oct 15, Messages 79 Reaction score 0. Well I lost my striped one when my one tank sprung a leak for the fourth time but my spotted Raphael is still going strong at around 18 years old.

Global Moderator. There's another thread with someone who has two that are 38 years old Mine is a mere stripling at about 13! Joined Oct 8, Messages 6 Reaction score 2. Yes it's mine at 38 years old, I've searched this subject many times and can only find reference to them living over 20 years, most text books suggest 14 ish years which is clearly a best uneducated guess.

There must be someone else with Raphaels a similar age to mine, if I can take a picture I'll post it, he certainly isn't a show winner these days Tim. Scottsbbq New Member. I've had my Spotted Ralphael for 36 years at least.

These fish are tropical bottom dwellers. They are usually found hanging around the sandy bottom of rivers and streams. Most often, their environments are teeming with plants and vegetation.

Here are some parameter ranges to follow:. In the wild, Striped Raphael Catfish can be found searching for food at the bottom of whatever body of water they occupy. Whenever they feel threatened, scared, or just want to feel safe, these fish will actually bury themselves in the sand for protection. Hiding places will help them feel protected while also sheltering them from the light. That said, we like to include some floating aquarium plants to help keep the lighting dim for them during the day.

Striped Raphael Catfish are susceptible to the same kinds of diseases as other tropical fish. This includes fungal infections, parasitic infestations, and Ich. Some say that catfish like the Striped Raphael are more susceptible to Ich than other fish species, so exercise caution. The best way to avoid these common diseases is to simply keep the water conditions and quality in tip-top shape.

When conditions fall below an acceptable level, the chance of these fish becoming ill will skyrocket. The best way to approach this is by sticking to a strict care routine. This means continually monitoring quality, making adjustments as needed, performing weekly water changes, and giving them the right food.

These catfish are omnivores that will eat whatever they can find. You must supplement their scavenging with sinking pellets, algae wafers, and other commercial pet foods. Foods like bloodworms , brine shrimp, and feeder shrimp are all good options. However, be very careful not to overfeed these fish!

Because of their massive appetite they can be prone to weight gain, which can dramatically shorten their lifespan. As we mentioned earlier, Striped Raphael Catfish are usually nocturnal. Many owners actually report that nocturnal behavior goes away after a while. Some fish will come out of hiding and start spending more and more time exploring during the day.

You can also find them playing with other fish! Overall Striped Raphael Catfish are quite peaceful. They do best with large peaceful fish though, because smaller critters will quickly become future snacks. Include plenty of live plants, rocks, caves, overhangs, and driftwood to create the perfect aquascape for your catfish. Striped Raphael catfish especially enjoy having tunnels to hide inside, so be sure to add at least one piece of terracotta pipe partly buried in the substrate to fulfill that need.

These fish also tend to cram themselves inside crevices in pieces of driftwood. When choosing plants for the aquarium, make sure that you select robust, tough species, as Striped Raphael catfish are bulky creatures that may damage delicate planting by uprooting it as they forage through the substrate. Ideally, the substrate should be sandy and soft. Catfish platydoras have sensitive barbels that they use when foraging through the substrate for morsels of food, and gravel can inflict injury on the fish.

Also, these fish feed by sucking up the substrate and filtering it through their gills, eating scraps of food, and organic matter as they do so. A gravel substrate would prevent this natural behavior and could lead to stress and even starvation.

Talking catfish like to create their own hiding places. Talking catfish are easily pleased when it comes to food. Offer your fish a diet of sinking pellets, together with frozen and freeze-dried foods, such as brine shrimp and bloodworms. If you keep the snails in a separate tank, you can feed them lots of vegetables if you want to build up their nutritional value for your fish, although the algae and microfauna that the snails eat within their tank will be passed onto your Talking catfish.

If the abdomen becomes very swollen, do not feed the fish, as that could lead to health problems. Juveniles should be fed small amounts on a daily basis. These are greedy fish, and overeating can lead to obesity and even death.

So, be sure not to overfeed your fish. Platydoras armatulus are a peaceful species that makes a great addition to a community tank.

They are not known to be especially territorial, so you can keep a small group of Raphaels without fear of aggression. When kept with their own kind they are somewhat territorial, so there may be some scuffling, but no damage is caused and they will then often share the same hideout. In the wild they will school together at times for protection. Sex: Sexual differences Mature females tend to be plumper then males when seen from above. These are spawning fish that so far are only bred commercial using hormone injections.

Some spawning success has happened in the aquarium, as fry have been found, but it is accidental. A few successful breedings have also been reported in very large tanks however this is not easily accomplished and there is little information is available.

In the wild this spawning species releases its eggs into the rivers and streams to be fertilized. It has been reported that other species of small Doradidae could be called nest builders. In the tank they may gather up general debris or find an area with old leaf litter and tidbits of wood, and try to hide beneath it. Then other fish of the same species will tend to swim around this "nest. For information on the breeding of catfish in the aquarium, see: Breeding Freshwater Fish: Catfish.

Fish Diseases The Striped Raphael Catfish are fairly hardy but are subject to the same diseases as other tropical fish.

Disease is not usually a problem in a well maintained aquarium and these catfish are very resilient. The most common problem that happens to this fish are injuries from netting and transportation. Take great caution when catching and removing this fish. High nitrate levels can also cause these catfish to develop infected barbels; this makes it difficult for them to navigate and eat normally.

Maintain nitrate levels below 20 ppm through regular water changes. Because they are a scaleless fish, catfish can be treated with pimafix or melafix but should not be treated with potassium permanganate or copper based medications. Malachite green or formalin can be used at one half to one fourth the recommended dosage.

Take care when treating disease as the Synodontis Ocellifer is extremely sensitive to medications. The best way to proactively prevent disease is to give your fish the proper environment and give them a well balanced diet. The closer to their natural habitat the less stress the fish will have, making them healthier and happy. A stressed fish will is more likely to acquire disease. Anything you add to your tank can bring disease to your tank. Not only other fish but plants, substrate, and decorations can harbor bacteria.

Properly clean or quarantine anything that you add to an established tank so not to add new diseases to the tank. For information about fish diseases and illnesses, see Aquarium Fish Diseases and Treatments. Availability The Spotted Raphael Catfish is readily available at pet stores and online, and is reasonable in price. Nelson, Fishes of the World , Wiley, Dr.

Herbert R. H Publications, Inc. Baensch, Aquarium Atlas Vol. Piorski, Julio C. Garavello, Mariangeles Arce H. Sabaj Perez, Platydoras brachylecis, a new species of thorny catfish Siluriformes: Doradidae from northeastern Brazil , Neotropical Ichthyology, More Classifieds. Striped Raphael Catfish. Enter a Freshwater Aquarium. Catfish Index. Latest Reader Comment - See More. I found this website and enjoyed your information on the Striped Raphael Catfish so I thought I would submit a comment.

I no longer have a receipt of purchase but a Scientific Classification. Popular Searches. Comments Classifieds. Add Your Animal Story. Eydie - I found this website and enjoyed your information on the Striped Raphael Catfish so I thought I would submit a comment. I no longer have a receipt of purchase but a long-ago boyfriend found 2 of these cute bottom feeders at a pet store and brought them home for my tank.

The smaller one lived 15 years and at some point I changed my gallon long tank to a gallon one to accommodate two remaining fish until their end. The store is long gone, as is the boyfriend. Family members have since passed and I have moved with my catfish several times.

A long-time buddy remembers visiting my tank years ago. Just wanted to share this with you and your readers.