Favorite "wet pet" fish?

[j_diaz01]

I've been wondering about those larger fish that interact with their owners a lot. I heard some oscars, goldfish and puffers can get personable like that. Are their any other good fish you all can think of?


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[Betta man]

I've seen kissing gouramis do that. Flowerhorn cichlids are supposed to be smart too.

[emc7]

All of the bigger cichlids. They have good long-range color eyesight and intelligence (I think the small ones are also bright, but they may not see you).

[Angelsmom]

Hi All, I have a double dark angel and he/she seems to know when I come to the tank. Other family members will approach him/her and try to get the same response... But he/she darts away from anyone except me. I believe he/she knows me and my pleco is the same... He/she wont come out for anyone but me. I truly enjoy my tank and all my friends who live in it.


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[sean_130]

My two convicts , also my two blue gouramis and 2 shubunkins are pretty personable.... guppys/ Molly's just surface when they see me caused they think they getting feed

[bullseyejoey]

When I had my angelfish, it used to always come up to me. Coincidentally, when I try to take a pic of the other fish, he always used to come in front of the camera or fish.


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[Angelclown]

My clown loach, Baby Girl, will come say hi to me once in a while. Clown loaches are harder to get to be personable because they are really shy and skittish around people.

[hXcChic22]

Our weather loaches. The nibble your fingers and will come "sniffing" around when you come near.
And our mudskippers. The male one hangs out on land quite a bit and immediately looks up when the lid opens, and opens his mouth to wait for food!

[Cichlid Dude]

I have never owned very large fish, but I found this article online:

Bullheads: The Little Monster Catfish
By Arthur Masloski (Sandtiger)


My brown bullhead greeting my at the surface.

Okay, so bullhead catfish aren’t really “little” but compared too many of the larger species of catfish available they are at least manageable. Some of the most popular catfish on the market are also the largest…red tails, tiger shovelnose, iridescent sharks, channel catfish. Bullhead, though not very flashy or colorful are at least a bit smaller but still large enough to achieve at least semi-monster status.

What is a bullhead?: Bullheads are medium to large sized catfish native to North America. They belong to the genus Ameiurus within the Ictaluridae family. Other members of the family include the smaller madtoms and larger fish such as channel and flathead catfish. This article will only concern the members of the Ameiurus genus. There are 7 recognized species of bullhead and they are listed below along with their length. Bullhead are pretty easy to ID, most of them…with the white catfish being the exception have a squared end to their tail rather than a forked end. Sizes were gathered from fishbase.org and may vary from individual to individual. The most common bullheads caught and kept are the brown, yellow and black.

Snail Bullhead (Ameiurus brunneus) 11”
White Catfish (Ameiurus catus) 3’
Brown Bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) 21”
Black Bullhead (Ameiurus melas) 25”
Yellow Bullhead (Ameiurus natalis) 18”
Flat Bullhead (Ameiurus platycephalus) 11”
Spotted Bullhead (Ameiurus serracanthus) 11”

Temperature and Tank Conditions: Bullheads are very hardy fish, capable of surviving a wide variety of climates and conditions. They can be found as far north as Canada and have been introduced to many tropical places around the globe, even places like Hawaii. Temperature is not a severe issue but I would avoid extreme high temps. IME, young bullhead fry do poorly in warm temperatures while older fish seem hardier. My bullhead fry died at a temp of 78 F but there was not additional supply of oxygen so a low DO may have been the cause of death. Bullheads are forgiving as far as water quality in concerned but they should still be treated as other aquaria fish and be provided with clean water and regular water changes. Try to match your water with where ever your fish came from if possible.

Diet: Bullheads will eat just about anything, in the wild they feed off anything that falls to the bottom. Dead fish, live fish, plant matter, invertebrates, fish eggs etc. In captivity they will also eat just about anything. Shrimp pellets, bloodworms, flakes, earthworms, algae wafers, cucumber and just about anything sold as fish food will make a bullhead happy. Variety in any fish is the spice of life so a varied diet is best. They can be trained to come to the surface for food and even eat straight out of your hand.

Tank Setup/Size: Bullheads are nocturnal so dim lighting is best, provide them with plenty of cover in the form of floating plants, driftwood and caves. A gravel bottom is probably best being they hang out on the bottom…sand is too messy and they do enjoy digging. Live plants will probably be uprooted or eaten. As for the size of a tank, being that all of the bullhead get over a foot long or close to it I would suggest at least a 50g tank. Of course, larger tanks should be given to larger species.

Tankmates: Being that bullhead will eat just about anything it goes without saying that tankmates should be large and hardy. Bullheads will attempt to eat just about any fish it thinks will fit in its mouth, even if it doesn’t. I have seen bullhead shove minnow after minnow into their mouths and allow their belly to grow larger and larger to the point that it looks like the fish will pop. Generally, larger sunfish, perch and cyprinids will make the best tankmates. Other bullheads are an option in larger tanks but they may squabble over territory.

Getting A hold of bullheads: Bullheads are easy to catch, just ask any fisherman. A simple hook and line with a worm on the end will do just fine but to reduce stress on your future pet use a barbless hook and bring the fish in quickly. Bullheads are most active at night and when it rains. Bullhead spawn in the spring and younger fish can be found at this time schooling around the shallows. Minnow traps can catch bullhead, use stinkbait, meat, dog food and just about anything smelly as bait…even soap will work in some cases. Netting bullhead can be tricky, the sharp locking spines can get tangled in nets and make it a real PITA to remove the fish safely. I don’t suggest using them. Bringing that to mind it is important to remember that bullheads are capable of piercing human skin and have a mild venom that will hurt, be careful handing a bullhead of any size. Make sure you check your local laws first on collecting bullhead. If you are lucky you may be able to purchase them online, from a hatchery or one of the few LFS allowed to sell natives.

Breeding: While bullhead breeding habits are interesting they are next to impossible to achieve in the home aquaria if not impossible all together. Why you ask? Because bullhead dig tunnels in the mud when they breed, something that cannot be replicated in fish tanks.

Conclusion: Bullheads are fascinating and intelligent catfish that every aquarist should consider. They are by far the most active catfish I have ever owned, putting even corydoras to shame. All the bullhead I have kept swim about the tank on the bottom, middle and surface layers. They are very owner responsive and curious fish. They will hand feed and come to the surface when they see you and even follow you around. They do get a bit of size on them but it is worth it and while they may look bland they are beautiful in their own rights and make up for it with a terrific personality. I hope you give bullhead a try or at least consider them when looking for a larger catfish species.

[j_diaz01]

Very interesting article and nice suggestions all.


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[Angelsmom]

Hello all and Happy Thanksgiving. I am finding my Dalmatian Mollies are becoming very personable, I spend a lot of time enjoying my fish friends and over the last 2-3 days the mollies have begun to come visit. My male will come right up and do what I call a dance, he flares up and darts back and forth shaking himself in front of me every time he passes. Anyways enjoy your day and make it a safe one.


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[Lehman111]

Moor Goldfish is the best fish in all the golden fishe and i like it because its colour is glooming and also shining and very attractive for the viewers and its move here and there is looking so good..whats your opinion about the Moor goldfish??

[FRIENDLYFISHIES]

My bettas and guppies enjoy human interaction quite a bit.