Bullhead I.D.

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Sundew

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Nov 4, 2006
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Daytona Beach, Florida
Anyone have guess as to a Bullhead's I.D. Sorry I don't have a photo, but I can give a description. I got it in a LFS at about 3/4", it was in a tank of feeder shrimp (we occasionally see native fish captured along with the shrimp, especially swamp darters and bluefin killies). Anyway, at that size it was jet black, now at 4" it is heavily mottled all over, greyish background with darker mottling, dark dorsal surface. It is likely from Central Florida, the shrimp were probably collected locally. Right now it is in a heavily planted tank with some datnoids, eventually I want to set up a native fish tank for it and other species.

If it can be i.d. from the description, how big will it get? Also it seems likely that this is the type of fish that will eat anything that will fit in its mouth, but so far it is not aggressive to fish too large to be eaten. Sound about right?
 
What color are the barbels (whiskers)? It's not for certain, but from what I've seen the bottom barbels are usually white on a yellow bullhead, and black on a black bullhead.
 
I have one that I got at the same size a few years ago, and now he's a foot long. Not aggressive at all, he lives with my bichirs with no problems. He has a huge appetite and mouth, but hasn't taken out any of my smaller bichirs yet. I keep him well fed, and he's cool. Once he gets a taste for live fish, he's going out to the pond.

Mine's a marbled form of brown bullhead, I think. There are also snail bullheads and speckled bullheads out there. I think one of the key traits to speckleds is a spot at the base of the dorsal, but that's all I can think of right now.
 
It could be a few species, so I think it would be impossible to make an I.D just from that description.

No matter what species, it will probably get a couple of feet at most, likely smaller.
 
Mystus Redtail;1569828; said:
What color are the barbels (whiskers)? It's not for certain, but from what I've seen the bottom barbels are usually white on a yellow bullhead, and black on a black bullhead.
Click to expand...

The Barbels are black.
 
rjmtx;1569848; said:
I have one that I got at the same size a few years ago, and now he's a foot long. Not aggressive at all, he lives with my bichirs with no problems. He has a huge appetite and mouth, but hasn't taken out any of my smaller bichirs yet. I keep him well fed, and he's cool. Once he gets a taste for live fish, he's going out to the pond.

Mine's a marbled form of brown bullhead, I think. There are also snail bullheads and speckled bullheads out there. I think one of the key traits to speckleds is a spot at the base of the dorsal, but that's all I can think of right now.
Click to expand...

Good to know, I have tank with 6 polypterus, 2 ropes and 4 african knifes. I thought about putting the bullhead in there but he's way too small and would be a (fatal?) snack for the P. ornatipinnis.
 
If its got black whiskers & mottled it could be a Brown Bullhead, Flat Bullhead, Spotted Bullhead, or a snail Bullhead. Can't be a Yellow Bullhead, and most likley not a Black Bullhead. Does it have a dark line around the tail & anal fin? Does it have a spot at the base of the dorsal fin? Also you need to check for barbs on the pictoral spines. How many rays are in the anal fin?
Mike
 
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