help i don't know what AFRICAN whiptail this is

[Sarah Katie]

Not sure which type of whiptail this is its the only fish in my tank that i dont know exactly what it is. Can anybody help?? I don't think its a Twig Catfish or a Royal as they have a sucker mouth like a Pleco and It has a barbeled mouth simmilar to a cory. that i only paid £10 (Sterling) for it, although i'm still puzzled,

[racoll]

Holy crap, thats an amphiliid (family

Amphiliidae

).

Its from Africa and certainly not a loricariid at all, as you suspected.

Not even sure which genus, as I'm not that familiar with the group. Never even seen a live one before.

Maybe

Phractura

or

Belonoglanis

?

Certainly a very rare and unusual fish you have there.

If you can, why not change the title of this thread to "help i don't know what AFRICAN whiptail this is".

You may find this will attract the attention of the few people with a bit more expertise with these fishes.

[Dave Rinaldo]

Great find

[L number Banana]

Wow, what a beautiful fish and it sounds like you won the luck prize for this month

Feel free to post more pics, maybe it's a new type of Belonoglanis?

Also I looked up all the species mentioned by racoll and it seems that *generally* , the ones listed like lower ph - under 7 and some listed cooler water, some a bit warmer but 24 Celsius was both the high and the low. Plants were also mentioned.

Do you have plans for other critters to hang with him in the tank? Did you get him/her recently and do they have any more like him? You may want to buy up his friends

[Birger]

I am thinking

Belonoglanis tenuis

What is the size?

What a way to start your first post at PC...welcome by the way.

Yes good find but...could be very difficult...I would use a well established tank just to try to keep it alive and I do not think it would compete very well, it is not an algae eater, might eat just a little as a by product of searching the substrate for small organisms.

Please keep us informed how it goes with this one.

Birger

[Borbi]

Hi,

I recently discussed these african "whiptails" with Ingo Seidel (was considering to also get some Phractura available around here).
What he suggests to be "necessary" (if I remember correctly, even more so for Belonoglanis) is a good share of red mosquito larvae in their diet, as they appear to be rather specialized in their natural environment on eating just that.

Good luck with that little sucker,

Cheers, Sandor

[MatsP]

I edited the title of the subject, to draw a bit more of the correct crowd - those interested in African fish may not look at what appears to be a South American fish!

--
Mats

[sidguppy]

if you have a separate tank up and running I strongly advise you to put it in there

these are very hard to keep.
fragile, finicky eaters, timid, very demanding when it comres to waterquality and oxygen levels

'pristine' is the aim that's needed.

[Richard B]

Welcome to Planet Catfish!

I thought Belonoglanis at first look...(?)

As an aside, were there more wherever it came from, how long have you had it?

[racoll]

I would have no hesitation in recommending that the jagged gravel be switched to fine silver/river sand with a few water worn pebbles too.

I can't imagine it thriving or even surviving on the current substrate.

This thread has reminded me to get Seegars' Catfishes of Africa book though.

[Sarah Katie]

thanx evry1 for the replies ill answer a few Qs Iv'e had it about 6 months, its about 5 inhes long, umm i paid £10 for it seems like i had a fantastic deal, it was the only one they had left out of a batch of 5, if i find a partner for it i will have a go at breeding them and thanx for changing the name of the thread Think i have found the species "Phractura Intermedia" can't find other photos to verify it though would appreciate verifacation either way thanx again xXx :~)) it had a 1/3 of the tank sustate silver sand had to take it out though as it was interfering with the under gravel filter but as soon as i can find a way to contain the sand it will be reinstalled

[sidguppy]

if you have it for 6 months I wouldn't worry actually....



because you're doing something good, most definitely.
usually the lifespan of fish like these in captivity are masured in weeks if not days.
6 months is very good!

don't change a thing.

[Birger]

Out of interest,what conditions and what food are you using for this fish to keep it this long, good job so far.

Think i have found the species "Phractura Intermedia" can't find other photos to verify it though

The shape of the adipose fin is what swayed me towards my choice of Belonoglanis, also details on the Nuchal shield.

Birger

[Sarah Katie]

Out of interest,what conditions and what food are you using for this fish to keep it this long, good job so far.

Think i have found the species "Phractura Intermedia" can't find other photos to verify it though

The shape of the adipose fin is what swayed me towards my choice of Belonoglanis, also details on the Nuchal shield.

Birger

Sorry im being a bit blonde here but what is a "Nuchal shield"?

[Dave Rinaldo]

These are under the Help! tab.

Glossary

Catfish Anatomy

[Sarah Katie]

These are under the Help! tab.

Glossary

Catfish Anatomy

thanx that helped loadz :~)) can you see the nuchal shield ok?

i use an under gravel filter with lava lumps as a base then normal gravel (3" lava lumps and 2.5" mixed gems) did have 1/3 silver sand but this made the under gravel filter ineffective and reduced water quality so had to be taken out until i can find a way to contain it properly i was thinking tights (or for the Yankies Pantyhose ((~: ) Will this work?

[racoll]

did have 1/3 silver sand but this made the under gravel filter ineffective and reduced water quality so had to be taken out until i can find a way to contain it properly i was thinking tights (or for the Yankies Pantyhose ((~: ) Will this work?

There won't be any way to incorporate sand into an undergravel filtration set-up I'm afraid. It just won't work whatever you try.

If I was keeping this fish I would remove the undergravel filter altogether, replace it with 1-2cm of sand, and use an external power filter.

However, as sidguppy said, to have kept this fish for six months, you must be doing something right. If you decide to keep the current undergravel set up though, I would make sure to vacuum that gravel bed weekly to prevent bacterial build up.

[phoenix44]

holy moly. what a find!

[Sarah Katie]

thanx iv'e also got a "Red Lizard Whiptail Pleco" that iv'e had for bout 3 months i vaccum the substrate weekly as part of my weekly 15% water change

[Shane]

However, as sidguppy said, to have kept this fish for six months, you must be doing something right. If you decide to keep the current undergravel set up though, I would make sure to vacuum that gravel bed weekly to prevent bacterial build up.

I agree. You have kept a very delicate species alive for a good amount of time. I would not change anything. Can you tell us more about the tank's water chemistry, maintenance routine, and what foods you are using?

-Shane

[Martin S]

thanx iv'e also got a "Red Lizard Whiptail Pleco" that iv'e had for bout 3 months

FYI, that is almost definitely a

Rineloricaria sp(l010a)

.
Martin

[Sarah Katie]

thanx iv'e also got a "Red Lizard Whiptail pl*co" that iv'e had for bout 3 months

FYI, that is almost definitely a

Rineloricaria sp(l010a)

.
Martin

yup thats the one :~)))

[jippo]

Very nice catch! You have done excellent job with that one, don't change anything.

As I saw it first time I was thinking Belonoglanis tenuis as Birger has suggested. These are so rare cats that it's quite hard to say exact species, there is not so much information of these anywhere. If you able to get more photos just post them here, I would love to see some close up photos of it.

[bronzefry]

So very nicely done. Keep up the good work. We know so little about these species. I've always been on the lookout for these types of species with no luck. I can't wait for the day when I can find some. Thank you for sharing what you know!
Amanda