# Striped Raphael



## andy485 (Aug 19, 2005)

Has anybody here kept a striped raphael? I believe they are also known as the talking catfish. I have bought four of them so far in the last couple of months and have lost all but one who I just purchased a couple of days ago. I use a 90% RO water and 10% tap mixture in a 55 gallon quaritine tank. I also bought some tetra's. The tetra's are doing great but I have lost one of the catfish. The only thing I have added to the tank for medication is Seachem's paraguard. Could this be killing them or could the soft RO water be doing it? Any help would be appreciated.


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

Sorry to hear of your losses Andy.

I have had a striped and spotted raphael for many years now, and they seem to be pretty hardy fish.

It's possible that either the store got a weak batch, or that the RO water is a bit too much of a change for them. 
One bad thing about RO water is that very few fish are used to it, so it is just too pure for them to adjust to all at once.

I guess if I were you, I'd try to do small water changes (maybe 20 - 25%) every day to get your natural tap water concentration back up there and see what happens.

Are you using anything to reconstitute your RO water? If not, the water isn't going to have many of the necessary elements that most things need to survive.


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## andy485 (Aug 19, 2005)

No the only reconstiting I do on the RO water is 10% tap. I have Calcium Chloride and Magnesium Sulfate to up my GH in my actual planted tank. Do you think I should use this on my quaritine tank?

Since you have kept them before I had some other questions to. Do you really never see them or do they come out sometimes? I think they are awesome looking fish and when my first batch of 3 died I knew I had to try to get some more. I guess I just don't understand how I can keep 25 Cardinals Tetras a live and well that I got from mail order but can't keep these catfish which I got from a local petshop.


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

You're right, I really doubt that just 10% tap water is nearly enough to reconstitute the water.
I think your best bet would be to just buy a bottle of something like "RO Right", then you'll know you're adding back all of the essentials, but the impurities will still be gone.

May I ask why you're going to all of the trouble of RO water for a q-tank?
Even though I have the large unit, I choose not to use it on most of my tanks, except the salt tank, and perhaps if I'm trying to breed Ram's or something. It can sometimes do more harm than good when most fish aren't used to it, even when it has been reconstituted.

Anyway, back to the Raphaels.... Yes, they are really sweet fish and I just love mine.
Mine are never really out and about in the tank during the day, but they have a favorite cave, and I position that so that I can look in there and see them anytime I want.
I moved mine to a bigger tank a few years ago and the poor things were really "talking" up a storm. I felt bad for even disturbing them, but now they will live out the rest of their life in the tank they are in.


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