austalian eel tail/freshwater catfish

MojoDex · Post by **MojoDex** » 24 Dec 2006, 21:13

hi my lfs has some austalian eel tail/freshwater catfish ive had a look at the cat e long but it doesnt really give me anything first hand i was wondering if anyones kept one of these and if they can tell me anything about them

also ive read they grow between 40-90cm long is this true because i would assume 40cm was more likley the aquarium many thanks in advance for your help

YouTube · Post by **Jools** » 25 Dec 2006, 10:17

You're probably on your own with this one, they are only very rarely available. Maybe one of our Australian members has some. I've been sorely tempted to try keeping them myself too but was put off by the large size.

Some of the larger species do reach 60cm.

Jools

MojoDex · Post by **MojoDex** » 25 Dec 2006, 16:06

oh there far from cheap there like £100 each but i do like my oddball fish just wondered if anyone had any info as at 90cm there way to big but at closer to 60cm or below id give it some real thought

YouTube · Post by **Jools** » 26 Dec 2006, 08:50

Well, the fist thing you need to find out is what species they are. If they're then they are going to be too big I think. The one below appears larger than 60cm TL...

Jools

snowball · Post by **snowball** » 26 Dec 2006, 22:57

Hello Mojodex,

I am currently keeping a few species of eeltails at home so I will try to give you whatever advice I can.

As far as the size goes, as Jools says this comes down to the species - if it is T. tandanus then expect a good 18" or more in an aquarium. However other eeltails of the genus Neosilurus and Porochilus generally only get to about 20cm in captivity (although they are reported to 30cm to 40cm in the wild, this is uncommon), so in this respect they are fine in the average 'big tank'.

The two most commonly available eeltails (in Australia at least) are the Black tandan/eeltail Neosilurus ater and the Yellow fin tandan/eeltail Neosilurus hyrtlii. Both of these are great aquarium fish and you shouldn't have any trouble keeping them as they are undemanding with regards to water conditions - acid or alkaline is not so important to them, but they do prefer warmer temps of 26 - 29deg C.

Both of these species are gregarious when young, tending towards solitary when older, although they can still be kept in groups if given the space. They are not particularly agressive toward other fish, and when confronted the eeltails will be the first to flee.

Other species that you may occasionally come across are the toothless catfish Anodontiglanis dahli, which gets a little larger than the others; Porochilus rendhali, which is often found in the wild alongside N. hyrtlii and N. ater, but which is a shyer fish requiring dense vegetation (see this thread in the French language forum); and N. pseudospinosus. There are other species kept by enthusiasts, but these rarely enter the trade.

I am currently away from home on holidays, but when I get back in a few weeks I hope to take a few pics of my eeltails and also write up a bit on them for the catelog, which currently has little on them. But if you have any questions in the meantime please do ask and I'll try to answer them.

btw any chance you can get a photo of the ones for sale at your LFS?

cheers,
Andrew

MojoDex · Post by **MojoDex** » 26 Dec 2006, 23:22

thank you snowball that helps ill do my best to get a picture of the ones in the lfs but it depends if they'll let me or not, but if what your saying is right i should exspect at least 18" in the aquaria if it is t.tandanus what would be the maximum i should exspect from that species if indeed it is that one? as i say ill try to get a picture but no promises but regardless thank you for your answer that really does help

snowball · Post by **snowball** » 26 Dec 2006, 23:51

Well the photo request is more to satisfy my curiousity as to what eeltail would command such a high price (says the man who once spent AU$1,800 on a trio of H. inspector!

), but you should be able to identify which species of eeltail your LFS is selling from existing references.

Tandanus tandaus is generally differentiated from other eeltails by its dark brown colour and strong mottled pattern, whereas most other eeltails tend to be more of a grey colour and their mottling, if present, is less strongly defined.

The max size for T. tandanus is about 3', but to reach this in captivity would need a pond or dam. I've never seen them over 18" in a tank, but that is not to say they won't get that big. However, even at 18" this is still a substantial fish and in a tank of, say, 6'x3'x3' it will be the dominant one. While not being an outright predator, they are extremely opportunistic and if there is a small fish that it wants to eat (ie anything that could fit in its mouth), it will catch it eventually.

In lieu of pics in the catelog, have a browse through the ANGFA database - just select Plotosidae in the family menu in the database and it will show all genus. The pics there aren't great, but they will hopefully give you a clue as to what your LFS has.

http://db.angfa.org.au/index.php?option=fish_search

Hopefully that will help you identify it, if so then do let us know what it is as I'd be interested to know what eeltails are being exported. How many does the LFS have and will they tell you where they got them from?

cheers,
Andrew

MojoDex · Post by **MojoDex** » 27 Dec 2006, 11:55

i think the price is more likley from the fact shipping them from aus to the uk isnt cheap there only about 4" at the moment but im going to the lfs today ill go camera in hand and i may just bit the bullet and get 1 thanks for all your help ill post any follow up i have in here

snowball · Post by **snowball** » 28 Dec 2006, 11:50

Here's a couple of photos of my eeltails that I found on my camera's memory card, they aren't great but should help you distinguish between some of the more commonly encountered species.

First is , which is similar in appearance to young T. tandan, as both have a triangular head with a blunt snout. Young N. ater can be distinguished by their pale appearance with light mottling and a black edge to the lower caudal/anal fin. Their belly is almost white and this becomes more noticeable as they get older and the rest of their body and fins darken.

These two below are , The one darting across the foreground is showing the attractive silver body and yellow fins that are pronounced on younger specimens, whereas the larger fish behind has taken on a dull grey/brown colour that adults often turn to. Both show the rounded nose and altogether more bullish appearance that N. hyrtlii has over N. ater.

Lastly is P. rendahli, its main distinguishing features being the hump-back notch in its neck and the closer proximity of its eyes to the tip of the snout.

As mentioned there are others that crop up from time to time so if the ones in your LFS aren't any of these or T. tandan then we can look elsewhere.

Good luck with your fish, and do let us know how you go with it. I think you will find eeltails to be an interesting catfish with a variety of curious behavioral traits.
Do keep in mind that they all like to dig, in either sand or small gravel. Plants are best kept in pots with a good layer of coarse gravel on top to deter them, but if they think they can smell a worm somewhere they will not stop until they get it!

cheers,
andrew

QuotheRaven · Post by **QuotheRaven** » 06 Feb 2007, 10:30

As a owner of Australian Eel tailed catfish also I would expect it to be a Tandanus Tandanus as they seem the most common and more likely to imported than the other Aussie eel tails. The information on Australian eel tails in captivity seems very hard to get as I believe I own a Rendahls catfish P. Rendahli however there is so little information on this catfish over the internet I know very little other than it is the most confusing fish in it's behaviour I have ever kept.

snowball · Post by **snowball** » 07 Feb 2007, 23:05

Mate, have a look though this thread where Christian and I discuss P. rendahli in further detail.

http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/view ... hp?t=16422

As you say there is very little information about these fish so if you have anything to share about yours please do so, and tell us about the tank you are keeping yours in.

cheers,
andrew

BTW Jools & other powers that be, might it be worth putting a copy of that thread (or at least the English speaking part of it) into this forum?

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 08 Feb 2007, 11:45

Andrew, I went to try to split that thread and move the second half to this forum, but it seems that the french-speaking part of the forum is one where I can't moderate, so I'm not able to do that. Jools or Yann are the only ones, I would think.

--
Mats

Slider · Post by **Slider** » 10 Apr 2007, 12:22

I have one of these eel tail catfish in my 6 foot community tank i got hold of some tiger barbs and everyday 2 would disapear they were only small say about 1& a half cm long the eel tail is about 13cm long they all went missing i am guessing the eel tail ate them is this possible
Cheers Slider

snowball · Post by **snowball** » 13 Apr 2007, 03:45

It is possible, adult are probably the most voracious of the eeltails and they will eat small fish if they catch them, but I am surprised to hear that a small specimen would eat tiger barbs - although if they were as small as you say it is not out of the question.

christhefishes · Post by **christhefishes** » 12 May 2007, 12:52

Hi to all,

I discussed with Andrew abot Porochilus rendahli several month ago.

Those are really peacefull and shy. They only feed on small prey such as bloodworms, brinshrimps or prepared food, even dry food. They are in 350 l tank with gudgeons, rainbows (some are only 4-5 cm) and Madagascan Pachypanchax and Ptychochromis (young ones are only 3 cm).

I tried to reproduce them but it failed. I will try later on other conditions.

I will hold you updated. You can see the pictures of mine on the Cat-Elog

Cheers

Christian

Tandanus tandanus · Post by **Tandanus tandanus** » 12 Sep 2007, 13:53

Gday Mojofix,I have owned a Tandanus tandanus for about ten years.She is 42cm long and still growing.She lives in a 4ft tank and soon will live in a 6ft tank.She does eat anything I give her including small lizards,snails,any type of fish,yabbies and shrimp,beef,etc.I can't say how big she will get but I guess time will tell.I am looking forward to breeding her once I find a suitable mate.If I were you I would take the opportunity before you.They are not difficult to look after,just ravenous feeders and reasonably destructive to their furniture, much like my teenage son

She will even stick her head,nearly to the gills,out of the water for a pat.I strongly recomend a heavy lid.My advice;purchase and enjoy.I believe they can live to about 22 years!Cheers.

Tandanus tandanus · Post by **Tandanus tandanus** » 12 Sep 2007, 14:00

Apoligies MojoDex,not MojoFix