bizzare smaller catfish that breed

[nonamethefish]

Anyone have any ideas for catfish that matches this description?

Should be relatively small
weird shape(I really like the look of banjo/moth/etc.)
bred in captivity
relatively inexpensive and undemanding(a catfish that requires live food like blackworms is A-ok in my book though).

Thanks!

[racoll]

There are loads of really cool little oddball catfish like the ones you mention, but not many are tried and tested breeders. It can be done i'm sure, but will likely to be very tricky in many cases.

The "tried and tested" breeders are the plecos and corys, but I sense you are after something a bit different to try, although some of the weirder loricariids might interest you .

I think the following have been bred, and are all pretty cool....

Phyllonemus typus

Lophiobagrus brevispinis

Bunocephalus coracoideus

Tatia perugiae

[Richard B]

You can probably add...

Synodontis lucipinnis
Ancistrus species
"hoplo" cats
Tatia intermedia
Sturisoma species

Alternatively find the fish you think are cool like the moth cats or Akysis or something, do some research, get a group & try your hand with breeding - dependant upon speices available you could be one of only a few sucesses or maybe even a first?!

[Barbie]

Hara jerdoni

comes to mind. They aren't regularly spawned, that I know of, but they are definitely interesting and small with the shape you like ;). They'd be a fun one to work with! And they have the added benefit of being relatively inexpensive!

Barbie

[apistomaster]

I would try the Hara jerdoni, as Barbie suggested. The are innocuous and can even be kept with Galaxy "Rasboras."

[Chrysichthys]

How about

Ancistrus claro

?

[nonamethefish]

Thanks guys for the info! Never new so many cats lived in tanganyika!

Hara is cool, but a bit tiny if anything! Are their any species of small predatory cats? Chaca seems to fit, though is not quite small enough and seems not commonly bred/available.

It seems P. typus could be the ticket.

[Bas Pels]

Microglanis is both predatory and small

However, they are from South America, but hardy

[nonamethefish]

On the other hand, where to acquire these less than common catfish? Phyllonemus seems somewhat common, Lophiobagrus(madtom that is easily bred in captivity?) less so.

Considered Microglanis also.

What tank size would be reccomended for these sp. ?

[Barbie]

I have Lophio fry that will be ready to go in a month or so. I love the cute little frog faced guys and they stay quite a bit smaller than Phyllonemus. About half the size, actually. Cave spawners with the male only helping with my pair until the fry are wiggling, then he boots her out and takes over.

Barbie

[sidguppy]

if you have Lophiobagrus brevispinis, that's the case

the true cyclurus is a whole different batch; they get at least as large as Phyllonemus, but almost twice as heavy.
a 4" male cyclurus is as fat and chubby as a 5-6" Synodontis polli.....

also, cyclurus are highly territorial, quite vicious when a pair won't match or in groups.
adult males can and do kill each other when given the oppertunity.

also this is the only catfish that has poisoned and killed tankmembers in one of my hometank ever.
they can secrete a toxin and also massive amounts of slime. this stuff can kill other fish in the same tank.

luckily the tiny brevispinis is quite the opposite, although you can get slimed ghostbuster-style (in a small way that is) when handling one or catching it in a net and lifting it out of the tank. some individuals can excrete massive amounts of mucus.

[Jools]

You could try

Noturus

Jools

[nonamethefish]

what size tank would be appropriate for some brevispinis? How out and about are they?

I have kept 1 noturus before...a tadpole madtom to be exact. He was a cutie. Breeding success seems pretty low though. May be all the pictures I find but it seems tadpole madtoms beet L. brevispinis in the cuteness category so far.
unless someone can beat this!

[DutchFry]

Hara jerdoni is one of my favourites. they are relatively easy to breed as well. just give them their own (small) tank, low nitrate levels, lots of o2, temperature around 20 degrees celsius and add lots of mosses to the tank.

with a bit of luck they will breed

i also like the Akysis species, very predatory small cats, very active too. i noticed them spawn on several occasions by night, but they always eat their own eggs right after they 'release' them. i guess this is the case with most of these predatory cats! not easy to find though, these species!

[Barbie]

My Lophios are in a 20 gallon tank with a trio of plecos I was working with to breed. They came too small to go in the Tanganyikan tank they were purchased for and I just never got around to moving them, go figure . They started to spawn so I've just left them alone. How can I not love a catfish that fans eggs in a cave like a pleco and then releases fry that don't have any special feeding requirements? ;) They're right up there for cuteness, yes, I am just a slacker in the picture department, hehe. Partly because they're in a tank at floor level, I'm sure!

Barbie

[worton[pl]]

Hey,

believe me or not but yawning phyllonemus are the cutties things I have ever seen so far ;). Sadly I have never had camera with me when they do that
They are also relatively easy to breed .