Help ID my cats

[ukgoffer]

I bought these as Columbian Shark Catfish. I've seen some pictures that are spot on and others that aren't. These guys seems to be thriving in brackish (sg 1.018) have grown from just over 2" to just over a foot now.




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[fwprawn]

Yup

 

[Adamson]

They are brackish..


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[thebiggerthebetter]

The ID looks right.

Adults need full marine.

Good job. You are one of the handful people who I came across who raised these to such a size/age. These little cute guys are in almost every store and cheap but only select few make it to adulthood, in a large part because of the water requirements.

 

[ukgoffer]

Thanks - I do love them. Unfortunately I am consolidating tanks and will be freshwater in the end. My dats should do fine by from what I am hearing, these guys may not do so well? Hate to part with them but wouldn't want them to suffer if they can't tolerate freshwater.

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

IME and IMO, it is not a question of "may". It's a certainty. They will suffer and die in freshwater. There are ~3-4 cases I know of they were kept in f/w as sub-adults or adults. They didn't last. Usually starts with all manner of skin disorder and worsens from there.

Please, do not put them in f/w and, needless to say, do not, under any circumstances, release them in the wild.

good general info and see the links I provided in there too: http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/f...t-kind-of-catfish-is-this&highlight=colombian

real good info; troubles: http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/f...033-New-columbian-catfish&highlight=colombian

ID battles but read to the end - death - http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/f...-this-fish-for-me-please!&highlight=colombian

 

[ukgoffer]

Thanks for all the feedback. No way that I want these guys to suffer. My LFS/ maintenance co had almost convinced me that they would do fine - but then again, there is a reason you dont see many of these guys this large. I've raised them for 4 years. I know a few brackish experts in my area and I'll begin to reach out to see who might have the space.
Thanks

 

[Adamson]

I wish these fish wouldn't be sold in lfs. Bad business in my opinion, not to mention dirty business. Recently a local guy tried to pawn his large Colombian shark off on me, I felt bad saying no because he had the fish in a tiny tank, but there's no way I'm going to dedicate my 125 to being brackish.


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[thebiggerthebetter]

... but then again, there is a reason you dont see many of these guys this large.

Almost never! As one of the threads I linked states: they are sold most certainly to suffer and die. 1 in a million or more sold obtains some quality of life. And they re in almost any store, especially chains. And they are VERY attractive, really cute and almost irresistible when small both in appearance and their busy active behavior.

I'm not preaching from a high chair. I fell into this trap when I knew little. I killed several of these.

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

I wish these fish wouldn't be sold in lfs. Bad business in my opinion, not to mention dirty business.

Amen, brother. But mister $ rules...