A few months back, I rushed out of my house and drove 100km into town to purchase a Lophiosilurus fowleri that was listed for sale. When I saw it I had my doubts, but I bought it and scurried home with my prize. Shortly afterwards, it was identified by
Yellowcat
as Batrochoglanis raninus. I was, to use the technical medical term...pissed! 
The tale of that debacle is at: https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/lophiosilurus-fowleri.766560/
So I thought I would do a quick update on the little guy, using a new thread with the correct ID as the title. Here's what the little guy looked like back in September:
And here he is today:
Terrible pics, I know, but they illustrate growth. Compare his size relative to the double-stacked ceramic tiles just visible on the right side of each pic; they form the base of the Poret DIY sponge filter for the tank. He's probably about an inch longer, and probably 4x or 5x the bulk. In September, he struggled to engulf a quarter-tablet of Northfin Carnivore pellets (about the same size as a Massivore) and would sometime regurgitate that. He is now wolfing down one entire tablet daily without issue. I am feeding him that way 6 days per week; as he is no longer an infant I will cut back soon.
He is fairly easy to observe; he spends all his time in that one spot, arranged so that I can see him easily. The tank is very dimly lit, and he emerges from his hide immediately when food hits the water, swimming in ever increasing circles until he finds the food and then rocketing back into "his spot". My granddaughters latched onto my use of the term "his spot"...and so his name has come to be Sheldon.
He has been alone in his very own 70-gallon tank since shortly after I got him. He had a handful of Gymno youngsters at the beginning, but they disappeared in short order as was more or less the plan. He also greedily gulps down earthworm sections, Krill, etc. He will hoover up smaller pellets like Bug Pro, but I avoid small stuff like that as it's not as easy to monitor his intake. He gets a 95%+ water change once weekly, and pays no attention to that or to algae scraping and general cleaning.
So, he's not nearly as difficult to watch and enjoy as most people warned, although he would be if casually tossed into a heavily and haphazardly decorated tank with hiding spots randomly distributed throughout. But in a tank geared towards him, with hidey-holes planned for observation, dim lighting, and patience, he's pretty interesting...no Lophiosilurus, mind you, but...
I wish I had a better handle on his eventual size. I'd be happy if he reached 6", ecstatic if he hits 8", but his growth hasn't been at the rapid rate which implies a large adult size, at least to me. If I were certain he'd remain small, I'd likely get a couple more. Nobody else seems to have fallen for the misidentification and the shop still has several left. As it stands, I'll likely hem and haw and hope for growth...and it probably won't happen...and then just as I decide to grab a couple more they will sell out. Never fails.
Yellowcat
as Batrochoglanis raninus. I was, to use the technical medical term...pissed! The tale of that debacle is at: https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/lophiosilurus-fowleri.766560/
So I thought I would do a quick update on the little guy, using a new thread with the correct ID as the title. Here's what the little guy looked like back in September:
And here he is today:
Terrible pics, I know, but they illustrate growth. Compare his size relative to the double-stacked ceramic tiles just visible on the right side of each pic; they form the base of the Poret DIY sponge filter for the tank. He's probably about an inch longer, and probably 4x or 5x the bulk. In September, he struggled to engulf a quarter-tablet of Northfin Carnivore pellets (about the same size as a Massivore) and would sometime regurgitate that. He is now wolfing down one entire tablet daily without issue. I am feeding him that way 6 days per week; as he is no longer an infant I will cut back soon.
He is fairly easy to observe; he spends all his time in that one spot, arranged so that I can see him easily. The tank is very dimly lit, and he emerges from his hide immediately when food hits the water, swimming in ever increasing circles until he finds the food and then rocketing back into "his spot". My granddaughters latched onto my use of the term "his spot"...and so his name has come to be Sheldon.
He has been alone in his very own 70-gallon tank since shortly after I got him. He had a handful of Gymno youngsters at the beginning, but they disappeared in short order as was more or less the plan. He also greedily gulps down earthworm sections, Krill, etc. He will hoover up smaller pellets like Bug Pro, but I avoid small stuff like that as it's not as easy to monitor his intake. He gets a 95%+ water change once weekly, and pays no attention to that or to algae scraping and general cleaning.
So, he's not nearly as difficult to watch and enjoy as most people warned, although he would be if casually tossed into a heavily and haphazardly decorated tank with hiding spots randomly distributed throughout. But in a tank geared towards him, with hidey-holes planned for observation, dim lighting, and patience, he's pretty interesting...no Lophiosilurus, mind you, but...
I wish I had a better handle on his eventual size. I'd be happy if he reached 6", ecstatic if he hits 8", but his growth hasn't been at the rapid rate which implies a large adult size, at least to me. If I were certain he'd remain small, I'd likely get a couple more. Nobody else seems to have fallen for the misidentification and the shop still has several left. As it stands, I'll likely hem and haw and hope for growth...and it probably won't happen...and then just as I decide to grab a couple more they will sell out. Never fails.
