Trachy trachy

[koltsixx]

Well just got my trachy trachy like half hour ago lol, so no valuable experience yet, say he's about 8" +\- and very girthy. Have already seen the way koltsixx says they use their head to bulldoze through others to get what they want I will say. He pushed my 14" curupira out of the way. Curupira is leaving him alone as of now. Seems very stressed, breathing heavily. Hopefully I can get him eating soon as he looks skinny. He came in very little water, half his body was out since he poked a hole in the bag, and the water was cold. He's not staying still as of now, swimming everywhere in a kind of erratic way. Will get pictures up, I fed last night so excuse some of the left over shrimp and squashed pellets please. Proving hard to get the pictures as he is not staying still for now. Turned a light off so one side of the tank is dark.

Hendre got ya lol

The Curu's being a nice guy, knows the Trachy is just stressin and not being aggressive. Their movements when stressed such as when looking for a hide or food is fast and jerky; with sudden 180's and other turns in direction. And though that Trachy head can be quite an offensive/ defensive weapon IME they actually shy away from aggression rather easily. Feeding time however can make them unusually brave and head strong literally.

Trachy gills do tend to move rather quickly compared to other fish so it may not be as stressed as it appears. The erratic swimming is probably him getting to know the lay of the land while desperately trying to find what he feels is a secure hide. As far as I know in their natural environment they like to wedge themselves into tight crevices in driftwood and pop and lock those fin spines to protect them from predators pulling them out of their hide. Regardless of how accurate that is I know for a fact that they prefer a tight fitting hide. If he can't find one he'll start trying to push behind the heater or a filter, etc. Anything he feels like he's capable of forcing himself between two objects that make him feel secure. I used PVC pipes at first and then changed to ornaments specifically sized to them at different stages of growth.

In hindsight I should've mentioned more of this kind of stuff in your other thread. Sorry Moe was looking through beer goggles since I like them so much. Focused on why they're cool IMO instead of some of their needs and habits. Speaking of which beware those spines they can snap shut just as easily as lock up, so be careful during tank maintenance. It's not really an issue unless you try to grab them but I figured it's worth mentioning. Also I'd keep a separate net for them. Again those spines cause issues as they tend to get tangled in nets rather easily IME. Though that maybe because of the kind of nets I use I still think in general it could be a problem when moving them and a second net would help in such instances.

As far as food for me their first meal which was taken was shrimp. Then with absolutely no training they jumped on Aro Sticks. They eventually came to eat all kinds of pellets but mine showed a definite preference for Aro Sticks. I can only guess the Aro Sticks smell must be very palatable to the Trachys because mine sniffed them out and homed in on them extremely fast. Quick enough to actually get the lion share over fish who saw the sticks enter the water.

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

OK, I'll take Trachycorystes Trachycorystes for $200!

What's with all the secrecy? Where did you get yours, guys, and how much did you pay?

(I have to ask, you can ignore.)

 

[koltsixx]

Looking good. Got one at home I gotta acclimate myself.

Awesome stuff kno4te, I love the fact that these guys are finally getting some attention. Looking forward to hearing about your experiences as well and what you think of them.

You picked one up too? Lol when I reached out they had two left. Think mine is male going off of koltsixx saying males have larger fins. Don't think it's the all black variety mines belly is greyish mixed with black I think. Wonder if they're difficult to get feeding hope not as I can't wait to fatten him up

Males also have a modified anal fin. The first ray of which is modified into a tube which is used for internal fertilization of the female.


As for feeding IME they usually do fairly well. I bought them twice in the past and both times they fed for me easily. If they do give you problems I know bloodworms and the like will get them going. Mix pellets in with the worms and the Trachys should adapt fairly quickly to pellet feeding.

 

[moe214]

The Curu's being a nice guy, knows the Trachy is just stressin and not being aggressive. Their movements when stressed such as when looking for a hide or food is fast and jerky; with sudden 180's and other turns in direction. And though that Trachy head can be quite an offensive/ defensive weapon IME they actually shy away from aggression rather easily. Feeding time however can make them unusually brave and head strong literally.

Trachy gills do tend to move rather quickly compared to other fish so it may not be as stressed as it appears. The erratic swimming is probably him getting to know the lay of the land while desperately trying to find what he feels is a secure hide. As far as I know in their natural environment they like to wedge themselves into tight crevices in driftwood and pop and lock those fin spines to protect them from predators pulling them out of their hide. Regardless of how accurate that is I know for a fact that they prefer a tight fitting hide. If he can't find one he'll start trying to push behind the heater or a filter, etc. Anything he feels like he's capable of forcing himself between two objects that make him feel secure. I used PVC pipes at first and then changed to ornaments specifically sized to them at different stages of growth.

In hindsight I should've mentioned more of this kind of stuff in your other thread. Sorry Moe was looking through beer goggles since I like them so much. Focused on why they're cool IMO instead of some of their needs and habits. Speaking of which beware those spines they can snap shut just as easily as lock up, so be careful during tank maintenance. It's not really an issue unless you try to grab them but I figured it's worth mentioning. Also I'd keep a separate net for them. Again those spines cause issues as they tend to get tangled in nets rather easily IME. Though that maybe because of the kind of nets I use I still think in general it could be a problem when moving them and a second net would help in such instances.

As far as food for me their first meal which was taken was shrimp. Then with absolutely no training they jumped on Aro Sticks. They eventually came to eat all kinds of pellets but mine showed a definite preference for Aro Sticks. I can only guess the Aro Sticks smell must be very palatable to the Trachys because mine sniffed them out and homed in on them extremely fast. Quick enough to actually get the lion share over fish who saw the sticks enter the water.

I'm hoping the curu will continue to treat the trachy as he does the bichirs, gold and sun cat, not as a threat that is. And regarding the hides, I do have a jaguar cat too lol so I know about the trying to find a tight hide, my jaguar gat too kit to the extreme actually and got his self stuck, he was super thin when I got him out, I thought it was him choosing to stay but nope, I pestered him and he wouldn't move I picked the dw out the water still wouldn't budge, I had to literally force him out, I thought I was going to kill him the way his fins were stuck and I had to push with such force. I removed that piece of wood from his tank. Just got a measurement and it is indeed 8.5". So don't worry about not mentioning that. Though I appreciate the in depth post . And as far as moving catfish, I have a one gallon bucket I scare any cat into with the handle end of the net if I need to move him/her. Got that covered . And I don't try to grab my fish, especially cats, if ever I would start at the head and push their pectorals back and hold them their. I do pet my fish during a wc and am very cautious with the teeth many of my fish tend to have. Specifically the curu as he does not fear me and shows it. I have to literally push him with something, whether it be the siphon or a net or ruler, to get him out the way. Hopefully I have luck with the massivore or occasional night crawler or shrimp, if he so wishes he can go to the top for freeze dried krill or shrimp. Maybe I'll give aro sticks a try, haven't had them since I had an aro years ago lol.

OK, I'll take Trachycorystes Trachycorystes for $200!

What's with all the secrecy? Where did you get yours, guys, and how much did you pay?

(I have to ask, you can ignore.)

They were $100, if kno4te got his from the same place that is. And no secrecy with the trachy, got it from predatory fins. If you are talking about the mystery fish I was referring to in koltsixx's thread then that's a mystery fish that if I give any one hint I give him I'm sure you'll guess correct first try. It's a fish I've long wanted and that desire got the better of me finally. If you know now don't say, shh! Lol.

Awesome stuff kno4te, I love the fact that these guys are finally getting some attention. Looking forward to hearing about your experiences as well and what you think of them.


Males also have a modified anal fin. The first ray of which is modified into a tube which is used for internal fertilization of the female.
View attachment 1232803

As for feeding IME they usually do fairly well. I bought them twice in the past and both times they fed for me easily. If they do give you problems I know bloodworms and the like will get them going. Mix pellets in with the worms and the Trachys should adapt fairly quickly to pellet feeding.

+1 for kno4te to share lol. I will look at the anal fin when he or she gives me the chance lol, might have to gain some trust first jk lol. And as the days go on we will see what I have to try if anything different to get him feeding, assuming he will be fine in the tank health wise.

 

[moe214]

More pics, only clear when he's still, now I'm thinking female form the anal fun... looks thin to be a tube, in your picture it looks thick.


Not sure if you can make out where his tail ends cause the weird angle but I put the ruler where it ends and he so happened to be touching the back of the tank so about 8.5".


Here's the belly


And swimming around, dorsal looks tall to me even at the angle it is

 

[kno4te]

Nice photos. I'll post a little later.

 

[kno4te]

Mine was from predatoryfins and got it for $90.

 

[koltsixx]

More pics, only clear when he's still, now I'm thinking female form the anal fun... looks thin to be a tube, in your picture it looks thick.

Not sure if you can make out where his tail ends cause the weird angle but I put the ruler where it ends and he so happened to be touching the back of the tank so about 8.5".

Here's the belly

And swimming around, dorsal looks tall to me even at the angle it is

Looks female to me as well. You've got a gorgeous cat Moe and I like the belly shots, love the marbling.

 

[moe214]

Nice photos. I'll post a little later.

Looking forward to it .

Mine was from predatoryfins and got it for $90.

And you talked them down nice, didn't even think of that lol was just excited to get the fish.

Looks female to me as well. You've got a gorgeous cat Moe and I like the belly shots, love the marbling.

Thank you! And maybe a third variant? Lol would be cool. These things have huge mouths, I think even bigger ratio to their body in comparison to the jaguar catfish. If trachys were in stock back when I got the mystery fish, I probably wouldn't have got the mystery fish, due to already having a jet black cat, and one I can keep for longer for sure with no worries or issues at that. Another hint . That's gotta give it away though lol should've made you ask for them. Well I've told you its reputation, little bit of its behavior, its family, and some of its color, and kind of it's potential size.

 

[kno4te]

Didn't have to negotiate as the price came down on its own. Was watching it though.

Still a couple more fish to but not gonna pull the trigger on those.