Help ID This “Vaillantii”

[Blakewater]

So I purchased this guy about a month ago online and at the time it was listed as a B. Vaillantii. Even the picture online was a true Vaillantii I believe. But since then this catfish has been hiding so I couldn’t really look at him much. Well he’s gotten a bit bolder and now that I’ve had some time to look at him I am 98% sure he is not a true Vaillantii.

I do feel like he might be some species of brachyplatystoma since he has been growing a streamer on the top of his tail fin but his eyes look far too large to be Vaillantii... would appreciate an accurate ID if possible so I know just how much money I really was cheated out of.

 

[Blakewater]

thebiggerthebetter

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

Yeah, this vaillantii ID business has been pretty pesky IME and IMO. I've not looked at this in a long while and would need to spend some time staring at the pics again but most usually vaillantii is confused with the following fish

- Pimelodus albicans
- Propimelodus species
- Iheringichthys species
- Exallodontus sp
- Duopalatinus sp

as you perhaps already know from our prior discussions and my threads and posts. I'd need to take a look at them too to recalibrate my eye.

I'd too recommend asking on the PCF.

 

[Fishman Dave]

What size is your fish?

the eyes do look large but may be due to size of fish, albeit it looks nice and chunky.
Imo,
Not Duopalatinus
Not Exallodontus
Not Iheringichthys
Not Propimelodus
But not convinced it isn't Pimolodus Albicans yet
In photo 1 the mouth looks Pim but in photo 3 looks more brachy.
Don't like the dark spot in front of the dorsal fin just visible in photos 1 and 3.
but dorsal also looks too short for albicans.
Mmmmmmm, this is hard one

 

[Blakewater]

What size is your fish?

the eyes do look large but may be due to size of fish, albeit it looks nice and chunky.
Imo,
Not Duopalatinus
Not Exallodontus
Not Iheringichthys
Not Propimelodus
But not convinced it isn't Pimolodus Albicans yet
In photo 1 the mouth looks Pim but in photo 3 looks more brachy.
Don't like the dark spot in front of the dorsal fin just visible in photos 1 and 3.
but dorsal also looks too short for albicans.
Mmmmmmm, this is hard one

Right now he’s about 5.5” I know for sure he isn’t an albicans however

 

[Fishman Dave]

At only 5.5" I would be inclined to agree with you. Younger, smaller Albicans are much slimmer and more "Pim slim shaped", and at 5 .5" i would suggest the eyes are not big enough. But equally, there isn't another brachy he could be other than Vailantii and missing a tail spot for megalonema so .......... You could still have what you bought.

 

[Blakewater]

At only 5.5" I would be inclined to agree with you. Younger, smaller Albicans are much slimmer and more "Pim slim shaped", and at 5 .5" i would suggest the eyes are not big enough. But equally, there isn't another brachy he could be other than Vailantii and missing a tail spot for megalonema so .......... You could still have what you bought.

hmmm interesting, well I guess theres hope then!

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

I have had a little time to look at the pics on PCF https://www.planetcatfish.com/common/species.php?species_id=1178 and my videos, like the one below and CAN'T say that your fish is NOT a vaillantii. I think as it grows we will know even better.

Here is a video of mine when it was smaller, around 8"-10" if memory serves:

 

[Blakewater]

Hmm I do see some similarities. Interesting. I guess time will tell

 

[Rpul]

I’ll take some pictures of my big vallantii when I move him into the bigger pond in a few days. Maybe that may help. It’s hard to say. Unless there’s differents on catch location like the b.fila.