I was honestly thinking about getting one of these. I really like the pattern and size, but the fact that the fish is hiding a lot got me reconsider.
Jaguar Catfish --- Liosomadoras oncinus
- Thread starter JayP
- Start date
Yeah, it is a stunningly beautiful fish and why all this beauty if it only comes out in the complete darkness? Seems like a waste but I am sure there is an explanation 
I have seen them being (semi)visible at various LFSs and residing in those tanks for very long times and feeding and looking like they are ok even though there is a tank light on.
I had mine hide like this and always saw them:
I have seen them being (semi)visible at various LFSs and residing in those tanks for very long times and feeding and looking like they are ok even though there is a tank light on.
I had mine hide like this and always saw them:
I had three and they where active during the day, more so then my Trachycorystes which is also a Auchenipterinae/Driftwood cat. Maybe it's because they where kept in a group? Maybe it's because they where already pretty big(8 inches)? Or maybe it's because they all had good hides? Or maybe a combination of the three? It's the lack of good hides that causes my Trachy's to hide most of the time in my opinion. They share one due to their size and are either afraid to leave it because of the other taking possession of it or because they just don't feel secure only having one shared hide.
I think it was a combination of the three when it came to the Jag Cats. Larger adult fish are often more bold then juveniles and so tend to venture out into the open and be more visible. Driftwoods are territorial and keeping them in a group gave them more then one reason to venture outward, namely territorial aggression as well as feeding. Each one having a good hide also probably increased their sense of security and hence they felt brave enough to venture out often knowing they had a good hide to retreat to. A lot of people tend to go bare in their tanks offering little to no where to hide either because they think it's aesthetically appealing or to stop fish that hide from hiding. I find that's usually counter productive as the fish get stressed and squeeze behind heaters hence heater burns and filter tubes. Then the minute decor they can hide in is added the fish all go into an extreme hiding mode that can take months to break. It's better to give them their hide and encourage them to be more bold such as feeding during the day at set times. The catfish will learn around what time feedings are and start becoming active around those times. Just my 2 cents as I love Jag's and if I get a chance to grab some again for my own collection I'll probably grab a nice group.
I think it was a combination of the three when it came to the Jag Cats. Larger adult fish are often more bold then juveniles and so tend to venture out into the open and be more visible. Driftwoods are territorial and keeping them in a group gave them more then one reason to venture outward, namely territorial aggression as well as feeding. Each one having a good hide also probably increased their sense of security and hence they felt brave enough to venture out often knowing they had a good hide to retreat to. A lot of people tend to go bare in their tanks offering little to no where to hide either because they think it's aesthetically appealing or to stop fish that hide from hiding. I find that's usually counter productive as the fish get stressed and squeeze behind heaters hence heater burns and filter tubes. Then the minute decor they can hide in is added the fish all go into an extreme hiding mode that can take months to break. It's better to give them their hide and encourage them to be more bold such as feeding during the day at set times. The catfish will learn around what time feedings are and start becoming active around those times. Just my 2 cents as I love Jag's and if I get a chance to grab some again for my own collection I'll probably grab a nice group.
