Hey guys whats the growth rate on a Giraffe catfish? Im not sure on the species as its still at the lfs..Im looking to collect it soon but wanted some insight of them..
I bought two giraffe cats Auchenoglanis cf. Bouche last Spring of 2016 from a colleague of ours. They came in at ~6" and thus have added about 10" in 8 months. Their coloration is similar but one is usually much lighter colored than the other. I don't readily detect any other differences...
The most commonly found at LFS are usually auchenoglanis occidentalis and a. wittei, acquired @ say 4" they will grow to 12" in the first year, reaching around 18" in their second year and perhaps 24" three years later. Beyond that they can grow to 3' or more. They feed well on a variety of sinking Hikari pellets, shrimp pellets and red or black worms and small earthworms. They do well with water temp's around 74 degrees and a PH close to 6.5. They like to have a bit of shade in the tank from pieces of driftwood to hide in and enjoy a gravel substrate that they can sift through to find food and will keep the gravel clean as well if it shares the tank with other species, or not. They are generally peaceful with others although can be minor bullies if they deem themselves the alpha fish in the tank but don't have teeth to damage other fish as they may just want to push their weight around in a playful manner. They are usually rather shy during their first year in the tank but will become more outgoing with time and eventually very friendly with individual personalities that will eat out of your hand, sooner or later...
Yellowcat has said it. It depends on the species. The ones in your photo can be what Kirk said, or IMHO could be Bouche or other slower / smaller growing gcats.
Look at the thread of mine kindly linked by Rocksor to see the photos of the small Wittei (Congo), Bouche, Niger, and Volta specimen and see which is the closest to yours, plus the pics in the Cat-eLog on PCF (PlanetCatfish).
My 3 giraffes have quickly grown and have even more quickly become my favorites. They act like starving puppies when it's dinner time, hardly leaving any food for the bichirs to eat...
