H. fossilis

[Karno]

FWIW, in my 15 years in the hobby and being into catfish and being super duper active, I've never heard any horror or even a bad story involving fossilis. Has anyone? I'd wager not but do speak up. Until then, I personally don't think this is some kind of another level. I believe 90% of catfish can be named "stinging".

I think it's worth quite a lot, and I agree that the lack of bad reports is helping your argument that it's probably just another catfish. But I do think that Dave also makes a good point that many keepers go to great extents to avoid being stung, resulting in very few actual cases (plus the fact that it's not a super popular species to begin with).

I've tried to read up on it and I haven't found anything that's indicating that the toxin itself would be something totally different. More likely would be, as mentioned, that the way it's stored could potentionally result in a bigger "dose", which obviously could make the effects more noticeable. And that's actually reassuring to me. It seems like you'd have to get a bad reaction to it for anything serious to happen (not counting extreme pain).

All in all, I feel comfortable moving forward with this. Thanks for your help guys! I could perhaps share some updates when it's all set up if that would be of interest. Also, if anyone would happen to have some pictures from when you used to keep them, feel free to share! I'd love to get a feel of how they'd look in a certain sized tank.

 

[blackbullhead]

Here's a note from a paper on the evolution of catfish venom glands:
"Although the stings of most catfish species are relatively harmless, albeit very uncomfortable, fatalities have been reported as the result of envenomations by members of the families Plotosidae (Plotosus lineatus) and Clariidae (Heteropneustes fossilis) (Halstead 1988). These species undoubtedly possess notably potent venoms, but these fatalities, which occurred in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, were likely due to poor medical care and/or secondary infection of the wound (a common complication of siluriform envenomations) (Halstead et al. 1953; Haddad and Martins 2006). Only one modern fatality involving a catfish sting has been recorded, a freak accident in which a fisherman’s heart was penetrated by the spine of a large individual (Haddad et al. 2008)."

Heteropneustes are common in highly populated regions of India and Bangladesh, so I tend to think that if they were exceptionally dangerous there would be many more local medical reports of serious injuries.

That said, I probably wouldn't volunteer to take a jab from one...

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

We've kept two Plotosus canius for 3-4 years. When I was getting them I knew of their bad rep and asked around, including our Indian peers. Haven't found anything alarming but was extra very careful handling them.

How bad is Plotosus canuis poke?

I bought two of these from Raymond Chan of AmazingFish in the Summer of 2016 at ~3"-4". They reached about 14" today. Only recently have I clearly noted that they have this red fibrous structure behind their anus. Dim lighting and carelessness. At first I got super-alarmed and thought they...

www.monsterfishkeepers.com

 

[jjohnwm]

...Only one modern fatality involving a catfish sting has been recorded, a freak accident in which a fisherman’s heart was penetrated by the spine of a large individual (Haddad et al. 2008)...

To be honest, this is the thing I worry about far more than envenomation. It is extremely easy to avoid being stung by a smallish catfish in an aquarium; just don't stick your fingers into a hole or cavity that you can't see into, and don't walk into a darkened fishroom in bare feet.

But the mechanical damage a catfish spine causes is another thing, although again very easy to avoid. Use common sense. I have the good fortune to live in an area that is renowned worldwide as probably the premium big-fish catfishery for Channel Cats in all North America. We regularly get channels in the 20-25 pound range, and 30-plus fish are caught locally each year (not by me yet, dangit!). Go onto a fishing site and you can find dozens of pics of smiling anglers clasping BIG catfish like this, and bigger, to their bodies for a trophy pic.

When I see those pics, I am always bemused at the potential for disaster. The pectoral spines can be 4+ inches long, and of course once the fish is landed and handled, those icepicks are cocked and locked. All it would take is for one of these powerful fish to give a good thrashing shake to drive one of those spines right into a chest, abdomen or other body part. Lack of venom notwithstanding, this could qualify as a major medical emergency...never mind the pain. I know how much a little 10- or 12-inch bullhead hurts when it sticks you; don't even like to imagine what a huge sharp slime-coated pectoral or dorsal spine would feel like as it penetrates multiple inches into a soft spot.

But a little foot-long stinging cat in your tank? You face greater and more probably perils every day just commuting to work.

By the way, if you have dogs and/or cats, I would probably restrict their access to the room with the fishtank. That squiggly little toy working its way across the floor would be irresistible...and it would end badly...