I have only one thing to say about this fish..... mental!!!! I've had mine a couple of years now and he is totally and utterly bonkers. Mine is in a 150 with an Oscar, JD, Ornate Bichir and Clown Loaches and I've never seen any problems between tankmates, except for the occasional snap from the JD ...

Damn, damn, damn, damn!!!!! I was so hoping I was wrong Ok, I'm off to give her the bad news. Thanks Silurus

Hi guys :D I am asking on behalf of a friend, who purchased this rather large fella as a "Pearl Mystus", Mystus castaneus. When she told me just how big it actually was, somewhere around 400mm or 15 to 16", I told her it couldn't possibly be that. She sent me these pics and I've been looking at the ...

My temporary solution (still haven't found a permanent one yet), involved a piece of stainless steel wire through the mushroom and a 10oz lead sinker. And that will only just keep a largeflat brown mushroom at the bottom, not on the bottom. I threaded the sinker onto the wire and crimped it on one ...

There is a lovely approx 12" SL M. leucophasis that has been a resident at my lfs for a few months now that has just been moved from a large display tank to a much smaller one. Of course, being female, this brings out my "poor baby, I must rescue it!!!" side :lol: He's been in and out of the lfs a ...

An "O" is most likely an Oscar. Depending on size, I'd say that was most likely the cause of death. I've heard of many a Bristlenose being lost to a hungry Oscar.

The first one looks like Mystus castaneus http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/sp ... ies_id=788

Thanks for the reply, Sandtiger :) I'm aware of the potential size of a BGK, this one is my second. He's a rescue fish, handed into the lfs because he kept eating the Tetra's his previous owner put in with him (surprise, surprise). He's apparently already 3 years old, and has been at his current ...

I'd like to run something past you guys before I go trolling through the lfs's looking for Cory's. I've been trying to find a catfish for my 55 gallon and typical me, I'd only come up with things that are too big or too expensive. I had a thought the other day and tried out the advanced Cat-e-log ...

Thanks for your help, Grahams, he's got me confused as well :) I did have a look at the profile for S. schall and I think its another possibility, along with the S. frontosus that Silurus suggested. I wish I knew where he'd come from, but I brought him almost full-grown, he'd been handed in to the ...

Very interesting article, Grahams, thanks for the link :) However, it mentioned a dark spot just behind the gills on the Bastiani which my fish doesn't have. The juvenile behaviour mentioned, in particular the charging out at full speed then tearing around spooking everyone, is just like him, though ...

He/she is around 10 to 11" TL, thats only a guess as this is not what you'd call a cooperative fish when it comes to getting close to it :roll: Body is one colour, no sign of any patterning, although the tail fin does show a pattern somewhat like that of an Eupterus. Anything else you'd like to know ...

I've been trying to figure out what this guy is for quite a while now, and I haven't been able to find a Syno that matches :? I even wondered if maybe he was a Mystus leucophasis, but he doesn't seem to match that either...... I'm suspecting hybrid but I'd like your ideas as well. Sorry its a crappy ...

Its like watching two sumo wrestlers going at it Amazing pics

Looks more like a Juripari than a Leucosticta. I would expect more facial speckles if it was a Leucosticta

Lol, settle down guys, I got myself a new heater last weekend and the temp is now down to a much more acceptable 28C and I'm planning on dropping it another degree

Its nice to hear that mine isn't that unusual after all, I was a little worried about him.

OMG, I need a Royal in all my tanks :shock: This thing is an eating machine!!! I've never been a fanatic about keeping my tanks algae free...... as long as I can see in the front of them ok, I let it grow where it wants to....... so I figured there'd be enough there to keep him occupied for a while ...

Ya, going heater shopping on the weekend. I just wish we could get some of the nice titanium and stainless ones here in NZ that you guys get in the US. Can't even buy one off Ebay cos we're on 240V and they're all made for 110V :cry: I can tell you one thing though, with this crazy little fish, my ...

Thanks for the heads up on the temp, I'll get onto that when I get home. I've never actually been able to get my heater lower than 28C, will that be ok? It's an old heater, and probably not a very good one

OK, so I've had my Royal for about a month now and I have a quick question about his behaviour. From everything I'd read about these guys, I expected him to disappear into the tank and I'd see him maybe once a week, if I was lucky :wink: Well, the silly fish is out and about every single day!! He ...

Well, my first "difficult" pleco is now making himself quite at home in my tank :razz: Don't think he's too fond of me at the moment, but I'm sure that will pass. He's got a lot of nice, little Royal sized caves around his driftwood and seems quite happy hanging out in those. Anyone have any tips on ...

Lol, you must be a mind reader :shock: Its a Royal that I'm looking at. He won't have the entire tank to himself, he'd be sharing it with a pair of G. surinamensis, but he'd be the only bottom dweller. Thanks for the advise about the poop, I'm more used to what comes out the other end of my Sailfin ...

Thanks guys :) I'm currently contemplating my first Panaque, and since they're so dang expensive over here in New Zealand, I'd really like to get it right the first time. Since my Common prefers the inside of the zuchinni, maybe I should peel it, give her the insides and give my soon-to-be newcomer ...

Ok, so I'm after some opinions on these pellets. The list of ingredients includes 10% wood fibre, along with Wheatgerm and Spirulina. Are these a good food for wood-eating plecos in addition to offering fresh veggies and having driftwood in the tank......

That sure is some difference with the G. punctatus Thanks Silurus, very interesting

Do they tend to hold their juvenile colours into adulthood? I'm just curious, cos my big girl has never been anything except as boring as a wet weekday colourwise, nothing as nice as Lukes.

Silurus, is there are great variation in the colouration and patternings on Commons? I've seen a few in my lfs that I'm pretty sure are Commons, but I've never seen that sort of distinctive pattern and colour, only very boring browns and greys. Is it a regional thing? Collection area thing?

I've had this catfish for around 2 1/2 years and haven't been able to positively identify him/her. The closest I came was Mystus guilo. He/She was sold to me as a Silver Mystus, but common names in New Zealand are not to be trusted. Its approx 9" long, with maxillary barbels that are nearly the same ...

The male Sev in that tank has ongoing health problems, and has had from the day I got him. It started as what looked like HITH when I brought him, all 4 Severums that I brought that day had the same thing, but from then I've had protazoan infestations (Ich and Costia), bacterical infections and and ...

I've just checked in with my bf whos at home today. He's back hiding in his old spot, his colour is fine again, breathing is normal and he was more than a little annoyed to have a torch shone at him to ascertain these facts :roll: Silly little thing gave me a hell of a scare. "Exotic" pleco's are a ...