Texas catfish ID please

[Longshot]

I know everybody has been saying black bullhead but I have to disagree. I think it may be some sort of mad tom. Look at the tail. Now, maybe I'm wrong but in the second picture, if his tail isn't pinched and is fanned out as far as it goes, then, it isn't a bullhead.

The distinguishing feature of the madtoms are that the adipose and caudal fins are obviously connected. For these cats the adipose fin is free. The caudal fin shapes do look similar but without the key feature it doesn't matter.

 

[Longshot]

Here is a madtom for comparison,
It is hard to see but there is no separation between the adipose and caudal fins and the jaw structure IDs it as a tadpole madtom, Notorus gyrinus

 

[Longshot]

Saw the original fish for the first time since I started this thread. I'm guessing with the hurricane East of here and the crazy local weather today he came out of hiding to forage...to bad I don't feel like getting out the big fish gear and catching me some monsters. I released it in the bigger fish tank now that it is no longer bite sized...and because I just had another litter of fancy guppies and don't want it to eat them.

This fish still has the freckles, strange.

Anyways, here's a picture.

 

[warmouth]

Yeah thats plenty big.....do you have any surface plants growing?

 

[MN_Rebel]

Nice Yellow Bullhead you have!

 

[Longshot]

Yeah thats plenty big.....do you have any surface plants growing?

I've got all kinds of plants. I'm willing to bet it was hiding in the lava rock chunks feeding on invertebrates.




Thanks, it seems to be a very sensitive fish to stress as compared to the black bullheads. Might have something to do with where I caught it.