Fish Story Aquarium and Rescue, Naples, FL; two 4500 gal 13'x13'x4.5'
- Thread starter thebiggerthebetter
- Start date
Thanks, guys. Yeah, I've seen as many pimas with DE as silver aros, percentage-wise. Being ignorant, my first operating hypothesis that the cause(s) is the same, which is currently unknown or at least not agreed on even by vets and ichthyologists.
Kevin aka Beetlebug515 and his wife Paige donated this giraffe catfish at ~10" back in Jul-Aug 2016, whom Paige named Happy. Now having kept it for a while on the east coast 
I must agree - it's the most outgoing and "happy" out of my 7 Auchenoglanis cats, or perhaps simply the smartest because he is the only master beggar in the group and knows how to use its cuteness factor to its advantage
After settling in and reaching ~12", it was becoming apparent to me it looks the closest to another one of my g-cats from Congo river, which supposedly houses only Auchenoglanis wittei. So that's the tentative ID at the moment.
It was bothered a touch by someone in the 4500 gal at the beginning judging from a bit tattered fins now and then but lately it has been intact and has grown to 14"+. Eats very well, needless to say. Behaves very relaxed, borderline brazen
Dec 19 2016, ~14":
Aug 2016, ~10"-11":
I must agree - it's the most outgoing and "happy" out of my 7 Auchenoglanis cats, or perhaps simply the smartest because he is the only master beggar in the group and knows how to use its cuteness factor to its advantage After settling in and reaching ~12", it was becoming apparent to me it looks the closest to another one of my g-cats from Congo river, which supposedly houses only Auchenoglanis wittei. So that's the tentative ID at the moment.
It was bothered a touch by someone in the 4500 gal at the beginning judging from a bit tattered fins now and then but lately it has been intact and has grown to 14"+. Eats very well, needless to say. Behaves very relaxed, borderline brazen
Dec 19 2016, ~14":
Aug 2016, ~10"-11":
Having lost our 2.5'-er earlier this year to a freak occurrence (killed by synodontis - mid second page https://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=41670&hilit=eupterus&start=20 ), we have been left with four iridescent shark catfish, all of which are ~2' now.
All of them have always been and continue to be in the same 4500 gal tank with the same synos, FWIW...
Two of the IDS I got last Sept 2016 at ~3"-4" from Aquarium and Reef Center in Cape Coral, FL. They have grown fast having put on ~20" in 15 months. So they would belong to the fast-and-relatively-large-growing fraction of IDS we get in the trade, see these informative threads for more
-- https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/id-sharks-theories.505668/
-- https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/heavily-stunted-id-shark-help.592861/ -- see a collection of links in my post #9
-- https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/id-shark-housing.574589/
Another two had been rescued by a prior owner and are much older, I guesstimate about 10 years. They have not grown much in my care, having been with me for 4-5 years now, maybe a bit. One is missing both eyes. I was told it was housed with a banded leporinus by the original owner (so I am at least a third owner in line) for a long time just fine until one day the lepi has gone mad and attacked the IDS, stripping it of fins, taking both eyes out, and latching onto its stomach (can still see the spot). The IDS miraculously survived that horrific attack.
Here they are today in 4500 gal:
All of them have always been and continue to be in the same 4500 gal tank with the same synos, FWIW...
Two of the IDS I got last Sept 2016 at ~3"-4" from Aquarium and Reef Center in Cape Coral, FL. They have grown fast having put on ~20" in 15 months. So they would belong to the fast-and-relatively-large-growing fraction of IDS we get in the trade, see these informative threads for more
-- https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/id-sharks-theories.505668/
-- https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/heavily-stunted-id-shark-help.592861/ -- see a collection of links in my post #9
-- https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/id-shark-housing.574589/
Another two had been rescued by a prior owner and are much older, I guesstimate about 10 years. They have not grown much in my care, having been with me for 4-5 years now, maybe a bit. One is missing both eyes. I was told it was housed with a banded leporinus by the original owner (so I am at least a third owner in line) for a long time just fine until one day the lepi has gone mad and attacked the IDS, stripping it of fins, taking both eyes out, and latching onto its stomach (can still see the spot). The IDS miraculously survived that horrific attack.
Here they are today in 4500 gal:
Wow, he did get messed up but is looking healthy now, good job.
I got lucky with my one surviving I'd, he is turning eight and is just now hitting one foot long. Runt power for my 450!
I got lucky with my one surviving I'd, he is turning eight and is just now hitting one foot long. Runt power for my 450!
Here is a video update on my lone surviving black ear shark catfish (1 for 5) that's about a foot long now and pretty thick. Its story begins in this thread that's largely about its nemesis vulture catfish (IME anyway) https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/...ere-6-vultures-and-5-black-ears.675034/page-2
It's skittishness / nervousness visually has disappeared by now, probably due to its growth and the tank size but I'm sure if I were to try catching it, it would spaz out in a terrible fashion.
It looks like the tank mates don't bother it anymore because it's has been a while since I saw any damage on it which helps it calm down a lot. It feeds on a variety of pellets with enviable vigor. I've not noted yet if it takes fish but I've not paid enough attention.
It's skittishness / nervousness visually has disappeared by now, probably due to its growth and the tank size but I'm sure if I were to try catching it, it would spaz out in a terrible fashion.
It looks like the tank mates don't bother it anymore because it's has been a while since I saw any damage on it which helps it calm down a lot. It feeds on a variety of pellets with enviable vigor. I've not noted yet if it takes fish but I've not paid enough attention.
Some of you know the story of this catfish that began here https://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=36790&hilit=mystus
When I got it in 2009-2010, I was ignorant and didn't even know I was getting a Hemibagrus. I thought it was a Mystus.
It's been very easy to feed. A good tank mate, nothing of the wyckii or wyckioides kind. Grew from 2" to 1' in about 1.5-2 years and stopped completely there. It's been 4 years or so since it remained the same size. They are farmed in Asia and it looks like my farm boy (or girl) is a cull, failing to reach its supposed max size of 2'+.
It's very relaxed and likes swimming around day or night and checking everything out. Quite active, again in complete opposition to wyckii and wyckioides.
In the 7 years I've had it, I saw it eat a 3" koi once when they were in a 1500 gal pond. Never before nor after has it done it, although it could. In the same pond I saw it chase other fish from its spot (that was ~3 years ago) but the spot was small and the chasing was not vicious and everyone complied anyway. Funny enough, it has not done the chasing ever before or after, again. It ate the koi exactly the same time. I think it had an episode. Maybe a teenage meltdown that came and went.
It has been in a 4500 gal for a year or more now, a model, upstanding citizen, not a scratch on it but never fighting anyone else. The activity you will see here is typical. It also takes rests in the center on the bottom in between these rather energetic swimming laps.
When I got it in 2009-2010, I was ignorant and didn't even know I was getting a Hemibagrus. I thought it was a Mystus.
It's been very easy to feed. A good tank mate, nothing of the wyckii or wyckioides kind. Grew from 2" to 1' in about 1.5-2 years and stopped completely there. It's been 4 years or so since it remained the same size. They are farmed in Asia and it looks like my farm boy (or girl) is a cull, failing to reach its supposed max size of 2'+.
It's very relaxed and likes swimming around day or night and checking everything out. Quite active, again in complete opposition to wyckii and wyckioides.
In the 7 years I've had it, I saw it eat a 3" koi once when they were in a 1500 gal pond. Never before nor after has it done it, although it could. In the same pond I saw it chase other fish from its spot (that was ~3 years ago) but the spot was small and the chasing was not vicious and everyone complied anyway. Funny enough, it has not done the chasing ever before or after, again. It ate the koi exactly the same time. I think it had an episode. Maybe a teenage meltdown that came and went.
It has been in a 4500 gal for a year or more now, a model, upstanding citizen, not a scratch on it but never fighting anyone else. The activity you will see here is typical. It also takes rests in the center on the bottom in between these rather energetic swimming laps.
You mean Oxydoras niger. No pacu in this tank. Pacu are nasty to tank mates.
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I got two cigar sharks, aka cigar barbs, mad barbs, from Ivan aka Aw3s0m3 about half a year ago at ~14", having never had them before. Very easy fish and greedy to no end. They have reached about 20" now. I've never seen them resting, always on the go.
Their max size (if they are Leptobarbus rubripinna) is rather impressive 80-100 cm.
Having read this http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/leptobarbus-rubripinna/ I tend to think mine are hoevenii based on the description of the differences: L. rubripinna can be distinguished from L. hoevenii by: presence (vs. absence) of a broad, dark midlateral stripe on the body; interorbital area rounded (vs. almost flat) in specimens measuring at least to 160 mm SL; dorsal head profile slightly rounded and symmetric with ventral profile (vs. straight to slightly concave); eye located at mid-depth of head (vs. located closer to dorsal surface); posterior maxillary barbel reaching middle of eye (vs. extending beyond eye); pelvic and anal fins orange to red (vs. dark grey); anal-fin and caudal-fin lobes rounded (vs. pointed).
Also one's jaws are more or less lined up, while the other displays a severe underbite. It's lower jaw looks like 1/4" longer than the upper. Here is an update video on them:
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I got two cigar sharks, aka cigar barbs, mad barbs, from Ivan aka Aw3s0m3 about half a year ago at ~14", having never had them before. Very easy fish and greedy to no end. They have reached about 20" now. I've never seen them resting, always on the go.
Their max size (if they are Leptobarbus rubripinna) is rather impressive 80-100 cm.
Having read this http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/leptobarbus-rubripinna/ I tend to think mine are hoevenii based on the description of the differences: L. rubripinna can be distinguished from L. hoevenii by: presence (vs. absence) of a broad, dark midlateral stripe on the body; interorbital area rounded (vs. almost flat) in specimens measuring at least to 160 mm SL; dorsal head profile slightly rounded and symmetric with ventral profile (vs. straight to slightly concave); eye located at mid-depth of head (vs. located closer to dorsal surface); posterior maxillary barbel reaching middle of eye (vs. extending beyond eye); pelvic and anal fins orange to red (vs. dark grey); anal-fin and caudal-fin lobes rounded (vs. pointed).
Also one's jaws are more or less lined up, while the other displays a severe underbite. It's lower jaw looks like 1/4" longer than the upper. Here is an update video on them:
