Saw one of these guys at a LFS, Just looked like an upside down synodontis to me but none the less looked like a cool fish. What actually makes these guys swim upside down? Thought it was pretty cool. Ive seen tiny upside down catfish before but never one of this size. How big do these actually get?
Mystus Leucophasis (Asian Upside Down Catfish)
- Thread starter mattstevens1
- Start date
1' SL. Nice fish. Can be aggressive, like all Bagridae http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/species.php?species_id=21 It's fun. IDK either why it swims upside down but it definitely prefers that to right side up. With synos, it's been speculated that they feed like that rasping on vegetation and driftwood under sides.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/f...-leucophasis-Asian-Upside-Down-Catfish-PHOTOS
http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=31527&hilit=+leucophasis
http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=33193&hilit=+leucophasis
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/f...-leucophasis-Asian-Upside-Down-Catfish-PHOTOS
http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=31527&hilit=+leucophasis
http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=33193&hilit=+leucophasis
i like mine and he is about 9 inches. He keeps fish away from his perch of driftwood but otherwise didnt bother other fish. I have a green terror (about 8inches) and a red tail giant gourami (about 14inches) in the tank with him and he will chase the othe two away if they get too close.
I also have bichirs in the tank and i have recently suspected him of eating the slime coat from the undersides of my bichirs and i am still evaluating the situation to see if that is actually happening. Sometimes the bichirs will float or hang halfway off of the driftwood and the catfish will act like the bichir is part of the driftwood and hang upside down under the bichir.
not sure if he is actually eating the slime coat, but he is certainly biting their fins and undersides and they hardly react to it. i think i may have overreacted to the slime coat issue and i think it is just biting my prized bichirs...
if anyone wants to pick up a free one though you can have him
I also have bichirs in the tank and i have recently suspected him of eating the slime coat from the undersides of my bichirs and i am still evaluating the situation to see if that is actually happening. Sometimes the bichirs will float or hang halfway off of the driftwood and the catfish will act like the bichir is part of the driftwood and hang upside down under the bichir.
not sure if he is actually eating the slime coat, but he is certainly biting their fins and undersides and they hardly react to it. i think i may have overreacted to the slime coat issue and i think it is just biting my prized bichirs...
if anyone wants to pick up a free one though you can have him
i like mine and he is about 9 inches. He keeps fish away from his perch of driftwood but otherwise didnt bother other fish. I have a green terror (about 8inches) and a red tail giant gourami (about 14inches) in the tank with him and he will chase the othe two away if they get too close.
I also have bichirs in the tank and i have recently suspected him of eating the slime coat from the undersides of my bichirs and i am still evaluating the situation to see if that is actually happening. Sometimes the bichirs will float or hang halfway off of the driftwood and the catfish will act like the bichir is part of the driftwood and hang upside down under the bichir.
not sure if he is actually eating the slime coat, but he is certainly biting their fins and undersides and they hardly react to it. i think i may have overreacted to the slime coat issue and i think it is just biting my prized bichirs...
if anyone wants to pick up a free one though you can have him
Loved your account. Interesting. Can you get us some photos or maybe even a vid of that happening? I have not heard of asian USD cat rasping slime - it doesn't mean it cannot happen but for now, I think it is unlikely, especially if you feed him well. Still, if your bichirs are prized, then it is better to not take the chances. CA is out of my driving distance though
i never seem to have a camera near by when i notice it...but the camera is waiting next to the aquarium and i will try to get a picture or video next time i see it.
here is a pic of one of my bichirs hanging out at the surface. the catfish come up and floating underneath him for a few mins and shortly after i took the pic the bichir drifted down and the catfish went back to his driftwood. i suspect him of eating the slime coat or at least biting at the bichir.
Maybe he thinks the Bichir is a log to hang out underneath. LOL Here's a group of them in a Polish zoo. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHG068iBFO8
I think they can grow to about 12 inches. Mine likes to hang out inside a Zoo Med floating log. It was pretty skinny when I got it at the Catfish convention. I make sure to feed mine heavily after the lights go out and again in the morning before the lights come on. I've had a few smaller fish disappear, but the 4-5" Cichlids he leaves alone. Mine's about 8" including the tail.
I think they can grow to about 12 inches. Mine likes to hang out inside a Zoo Med floating log. It was pretty skinny when I got it at the Catfish convention. I make sure to feed mine heavily after the lights go out and again in the morning before the lights come on. I've had a few smaller fish disappear, but the 4-5" Cichlids he leaves alone. Mine's about 8" including the tail.
Amazing! I'd never ever expect them to be ok with each other and in such proximity. Mine two tried to be as far as possibe from each other and fought to death and every other report I've come across recites similar housing problems of having more than one. Thanks for this new knowledge. I'd dearly love to know their trick. It didn't look like a huge tank.
maybe the trick is having a group. A dominant one will kill the other, but when there are several there might be bouts of aggression, but it is spread between the group.