gulper catfish

shoefreak03 · Post by **shoefreak03** » 25 Nov 2006, 05:51

Just wanted to share a few pics of my gulper cat...

worton[pl] · Post by **worton[pl]** » 25 Nov 2006, 07:27

Wow dude splendid fish!

And it looks really happy :)).

What do you feed it with? And also it would be nice to know water/aquarium parameters.

Regards.

grokefish · Post by **grokefish** » 25 Nov 2006, 07:36

Wow that guy is really cool, what has he got in his belly?

fish fodder · Post by **fish fodder** » 25 Nov 2006, 15:44

im guessing water or a big fish!! he he great fish

Yann · Post by **Yann** » 25 Nov 2006, 19:48

Isn't he a bit overfed??

Cheers
Yann

sidguppy · Post by **sidguppy** » 25 Nov 2006, 21:27

I hope this is just a photo-tank, right?

it's one of the funniest and rarest fish in the hobby, it should deserve a nicely decorated tank with substrate, wood etc......

shoefreak03 · Post by **shoefreak03** » 26 Nov 2006, 00:34

water pH is at 7.2 and temp set at 82F. feed daily with market shrimp.

funny thing is the picture of it puffed up is all natural. i didn't feed anything to get it like that. just once in awhile it puffs up, maybe to get my attention which it usually does.

sidguppy: not a phototank. that is his home. can't mix him with my other tanks since all of them are potential meals.
nicely decorated tank with substrate, wood, and rocks are for the eyes of the viewer only IMO. these gulpers dont move much at all except when feeding time. all it mainly needs is very clean water and good filtration which is already provided.

Post by **Marc van Arc** » 26 Nov 2006, 09:51

shoefreak03 wrote: nicely decorated tank with substrate, wood, and rocks are for the eyes of the viewer only IMO. these gulpers dont move much at all except when feeding time. all it mainly needs is very clean water and good filtration which is already provided.

Although I understand your way of thinking, it wouldn't hurt to provide the fish with a piece of bogwood to hide under. Like every Auchenipterid, it prefers being sheltered to sitting motionless in a bare tank. Don't be fooled by the constant grin

apistomaster · Post by **apistomaster** » 26 Nov 2006, 20:41

This is an Auchenipteridae catfish? It looks so similar to one of the big NA cats that I first thought it was one of those. Amazing. Maybe a ripe female, too?

Post by **Marc van Arc** » 26 Nov 2006, 21:54

apistomaster wrote: Maybe a ripe female, too?

It looks like a female, yes.
Whether it's ripe or not I can't possibly tell; on the pictures her belly is full.... of water

shoefreak03 · Post by **shoefreak03** » 27 Nov 2006, 00:48

Marc van Arc wrote:
shoefreak03 wrote: nicely decorated tank with substrate, wood, and rocks are for the eyes of the viewer only IMO. these gulpers dont move much at all except when feeding time. all it mainly needs is very clean water and good filtration which is already provided.
Although I understand your way of thinking, it wouldn't hurt to provide the fish with a piece of bogwood to hide under. Like every Auchenipterid, it prefers being sheltered to sitting motionless in a bare tank. Don't be fooled by the constant grin

i am in the process of getting a few more of the gulper so it will be upgraded to a different tank.

It looks like a female, yes.

how can you tell its a female??? i've been trying to find some reading online on how to tell the difference.

Post by **Marc van Arc** » 27 Nov 2006, 08:45

shoefreak03 wrote:how can you tell its a female??? i've been trying to find some reading online on how to tell the difference.

Hi Shoefreak,
Like every Auchenipterid, males develop a genital organ at the base of the anal fin, which is used for internal fertilization. If you can choose from several (semi-)adult specimen this should be easy to see.
For comparison, have a look at picture 8 of this species:
.
BTW: I'm happy to hear that you will upgrade her/their tank soon.

shoefreak03 · Post by **shoefreak03** » 28 Nov 2006, 20:05

Thanks for the info.