Trachelyopterus galeatus:The Usesless Cat

     My all time favorite fish is my driftwood cat, Trachelyopterus galeatus. Of course everyone in the know calls them useless cats,, meaning they are definately not a cleanup crew canditate. Like the stiped rapheal these guys are impressive when they get big but you'll hardly ever see them and they are utter gluttens.
      My female is not overtly predaceous. She has the capacity to eat full grown sailfin mollies, which she has done, but if the fish is guppy sized or smaller she will not eat it. That would require work. Oddly enough the only time I've ever seen her awake and feeding during the day was when i had a batch of hungry bristle nose pleco babies in the tank so i threw in a banana slice. She charges over and devoured it. Plecos are another fish she largely ignores.
     Despite her bulk i would not house her with synodontus catfish. I one point i did house her with synos and they, despite being half her size simply tormented her to the point where she refused to leave her cave to feed at night.
     Besides eating bananas, other weird qualities of this fish include growling at me. If I'm doing tank maintainance and she feels disturbed she rumbles out a warning, don't know who she's warning, i assume it would other catfish if any were present because if i press my luck she madly dashes around the tank as if on fire. She really is too gentle to be housed with rough and tumble fish. Medium sized pleco push her around.
     Despite the species have a reputation for glutteny, i find she will occasionally not eat for up to a month, or at least i don't get to witness her feeding. She never seems to loose condition after these fasts and appetite is normal afterwards. She seldom leaves her hide during theses times.
     Speaking of hides, she either crams herself into the smallest one in the tank or nestles up to an object longer then herself. She will not enter a cave that is equal to or larger then herself.
     Max size for these guys is supposedly a little over 8 inch but after five years she is only about 6 or so. Recently she has taken up the habit of digging out her hide which she decided is just snuggled up to that fake rock in the picture. This new habit aside i believe them to be planted tank safe, despite her size her movements are careful and graceful. From what I've read they are a social species, though she obviously isn't suffering from being alone, non the less i want to expand to a smalll school of them soon, hopefully to breed.