Oh good. That's a much more manageable size than the supposed 20-22" that I read about earlier. You've been a great help Chicxulub! Thanks for all the help.
Bullhead ID?
- Thread starter SMSChris
- Start date
My pleasure.
It is fair to note that in the longest of the long run, the fish might get a bit bigger than that; but while it will continue to grow its entire life, the growth will slow dramatically after reaching maturity. Either way though, a ~15" fish is much more likely for you to have than a nearly record size 2' fish. I hesitate to give a firm tank size for him without knowing your planned stock, but a standard 8x2 footprint (common 240 gallon) should be more than enough.
That's actually around the size that I'm on the hunt for now, but sadly there haven't been any cheap ones popping up online yet. Well right now he's growing out with a clown knife that I got a hold of at around the same time as the little catfish. Only around 4" but I figure once he and the cat grow large enough I should have gotten a hold of the larger tank.
I got him at the LFS. They're usually pretty knowledgeable on what they carry but I'm sure this is the first time they've ever had bullheads in. I popped in to get some more driftwood to redecorate the tank and I've been looking for a good catfish for a while and it just so happens they had about 4 of these guys.
I grew up just a bit north of Jacksonville. They're one of the most common catfish in FW up here.
Oh I'm just south of Ft. Lauderdale. What I've learned is that the waters are full of Mayan cichlids down here. The little 12 year old that was next to me the last time I went fishing caught about 9 of them before I finally gave up and left with nothing.
The southern browns I catch here look a bit different. Same idea but the colors are not as saturated, washed out and brownish greyish and the contrast is not as great. Speckled it is but not nearly as pleasant looking as the one in the OP and others like that which I've seen and some bought at LFSs.
Perhaps it is an age thing too as I catch only bigger ones, ~10"-12", albeit I've had a 12" one that I bought from a store (Aquarium and Puppy Center in Waterbury IIRC, Connecticut) that looked better, closer to the OP one.
Hence, it also can be water chemistry. Our waters here are hard (FL is ~ one big ancient coral formation), on the alkaline side, and often low end brackish. The LFS water is often fresher, more neutral, not as hard. It appears that the w/c bullheads wear a thicker slime coat, which gives rise to more opaque, washed-out, pale appearance.
To save my 1000 words, I should take a picture next time or if anyone from southern FL catches them, please, post yours.
Perhaps it is an age thing too as I catch only bigger ones, ~10"-12", albeit I've had a 12" one that I bought from a store (Aquarium and Puppy Center in Waterbury IIRC, Connecticut) that looked better, closer to the OP one.
Hence, it also can be water chemistry. Our waters here are hard (FL is ~ one big ancient coral formation), on the alkaline side, and often low end brackish. The LFS water is often fresher, more neutral, not as hard. It appears that the w/c bullheads wear a thicker slime coat, which gives rise to more opaque, washed-out, pale appearance.
To save my 1000 words, I should take a picture next time or if anyone from southern FL catches them, please, post yours.
