upside down cat

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Ornatapinnis

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Sep 28, 2005
595
2
0
56
Dayton Ohio
I have had a burmese upside down cat (mystus Leucophasis) for a few years now. I have not found much usefull information about it in terms of keeping one in an aquarium available so I have been learning as I go. Recently, like the last 6 months or so, this guy has turned into a serious bastard. It is 6 or 7 inches and is killing fish it's own size and picking on fish much larger. It beat the **** out of a 10" Synodontis decorus over the week end so I moved it in with some 6" -10" africans. last night it destroyed a big Tyranchromis Macrostoma. Now it's in a 180 with a 12" butterkoferi and not getting picked on. THis fish is beautiful but it's getting hard to keep with others.

Anyone else have one that got mean. I don't know anyone who has had one before so I have nothing to compair it too.

THanks...Joel
 
photo courtesy of: http://www.fishbase.org

Myleu_u0.jpg



wow. i looked this guy up. very cool looking fish!
does it spens it's entire time upside down?
 
The one in that picture I am guessing is a little guy.

Mine is solid Jet black with a little streamer off it's dorsil fin and a longer streamer off the top of it's tail. It swims upside down 24/7. It will sit at the surface of the water for long periods of time with it's belly at the surface. With large enough decorations it will swim upside down under neith "caves" and stuff. Pretty cool fish but has got really mean. I noticed today that it also beat up the polypterus that was in the tank with it and the S. decorus. The polypterus has missing slime coat and tail damage. That black cat is still holding it's own just fine with the butterkoferi....he's a bad ass.....
 
Never kept one mainly because after researching before we got any we found out that often as not the larger they get the nastier they get.And many fish stores tell you they are better in groups-try putting two adults together!
 
I'd like to know where these fish store learned that advise from. I can't find any usefull information on them. Perhaps personal experiance they had.

I have seen tanks of little one in wholesalers where they seem to "school" but I have my doubts about adults doing that. I don't know where to get additional adults to even try it. I was hoping some one else has had experiance with one to share how it was for them.

My luck would be after getting additional adults I would then have a school of really mean fish :D

Oh well, thanks.....

Any other input is welcome
 
I had one grew it up to about 12" wouldnt say it was mean or agressive but very territorial would not allow any other fish near its piece of bogwood.from wot ive heard about these fish they dont appreciate sharing with another M leucophasis :)
 
As agressive as mine is towards other catfish, it wouldn't suprise me that it would be agressive to it's own kind.

A 12"er, wow that's big. Just goes to show how un accurate the info I have found so far is. I read that they grow to only 6" and are primarily bred for the food industry. A 6" fish for the food industry sounded wrong to me...

Thanks Wayne......Joel
 
Have also seen this fish labeled as zambesisis for some reason.What I meant by two adults together is dont even try it,they tolerate same species even less than other species.
 
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