# Petricola Catfish @ a great price and my rant :)



## jbyoung00008 (May 16, 2011)

Petricola catfish are one of my favorite fish but always seem to be expensive in LFS. Ideally they should be kept in a group. The more the merrier really is true with these fish. I was recently at Rogers in Surrey and saw them at a great price of $15.99 compared to the usual $24.99 to $29.99 so I figured Id post this for others in case they have been looking for some at a great price.

After seeing them at a great price I figured Id tell Roger that I was happy to see them priced where they should be. Who can afford 10 of them at $29 each. We started talking about the 3 Petricolas he has in his large display tank. It was assuring to hear he has had them for over 10 years. Now there has been some discussion on here about how YOU CANT keep these fish or any other fish in water parameters that aren't exactly what the book says. Well they are in with Red hook Silver Dollars amongst a few others. They are not kept in African water and yet they have been living for a long time with no issues. That's weird people said you cant do that. It seems one of the most reputable LFS is and has been for awhile. I hate to see hobbyists say something wont work when clearly it can. Most LFS buy these fish locally from a guy in Richmond. The are captive bred here in BC. Don't shy away from trying these fish in your community tank. They are lots of fun to watch and my favorite fish.

Here is a video of Barry the breeder in Richmonds tank. Ive been fortunate to see his fish room in person. I fell in love with Petricolas after seeing them in all his tanks


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## mikebike (Sep 8, 2010)

nice video and fish

Thanks for sharing


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## TomC (Apr 21, 2010)

Amazing. How big is that tank?


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## Smiladon (Apr 23, 2010)

The important thing is stable water parameters & good water conditions.
As long as the pH is stable, the fish can and will be good. This is also true for most other fish.

The reason this advise of keeping them in certain parameters is because when you introduce fish to new water parameters in a new environment, they go through an adaptation period. At this time they are stressed out and are prone to sickness - scaleless fish like these are especially more prone to sickness. Hope this helps clear some myth.

I have 19 of them in my african cichlid tank - I would say they are kind of nocturnal - they hide in caves etc when lights are on, but the moment they are off, all of them are out and about exploring @ all levels of the tank.
I only lost 1 so far because he was trying to swim into the output of the FX6 and got stuck (their barbels are strong and they tend to get stuck in nets etc).


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## Steve (Mar 27, 2013)

I love petricolas! I have 10 in my 90 gallon tank and they're fun to watch. After seeing that video I wish I had 50 though! Most of mine swim around alone or in 2s and 3s so I wish I could have a ton swimming around together!


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## Vancitycam (Oct 23, 2012)

I started with six in my african tank and think they were a great addition. They keep the activity level up and the Africans never get too settled or maybe less aggressive as they are used to other fish harmlessly invading the cave or spot they claimed. Started with six all happily adjusted to my own tank params are feeding like champs and want six more.


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## April (Apr 21, 2010)

Like I said bred locally in Richmond water.i have 6 at my shop
Wow Barry has a lot !


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## kim86 (Sep 5, 2012)

Love these guys. That's a GREAT price! I wish they were cheaper for me to get in the store lol... I need to hit Barry up!


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## UnderseaGal (Mar 4, 2014)

Cool video! Thanks for sharing.
I love those guys but they are much too pricey for me!


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## Bunny (Oct 13, 2013)

They are beautiful fish but in that vid they look a bit like bugs swarming and give me a little heebie jeebies XD


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## vicz24 (Jan 19, 2012)

I have Petricola's, Multipunctatis, Featherfin, & a few other Synodontis together in my 135G tank with about 50 Pleco's & they are all healthy, happy & get along for the most part. My Multis, Petricola & Featherfin are all 4+ years old now too & my tank is not set up as African water either.


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