Giant Raphael Catfish - Adult Male

[tristar17]

I have a Giant Raphael Catfish. From what I can glean by perusing this site, it is

Megalodoras uranoscopus

, and it is a male. I purchased this fellow on April 5, 2003 as a juvenile. That would make him ~7 years old. He is healthy and quite content in his environment, for he has known nothing else for nearly his entire life, but I'd really like to see him find a bigger and better home. I am a novice aquarium keeper and lack the room for a larger tank for him. He currently resides under a large arch in my 55-gallon tank, and he loves nightcrawlers. This fish is beyond gorgeous, with incredible coloring and pattern, and he goes at least 15" in size, probably more (it's been a while since I've measured him). I'd like to find him a good home, and that's why I'm on this forum. It would be nice to get a fair value for him so that I can use the funds to care for my other fish, but I'm not out to make a buck. My motivation is driven by my desire to find him a bigger tank where he has room to roam around at night. I'd appreciate any suggestions as to his value, and any recommendations. I'm not willing to risk shipping him, but would be willing to arrange delivery or pick-up within reasonable driving distance of either Chicago or Milwaukee. Your input is appreciated. Thank you.

[Mod edit: add CLOG tags to species... --Mats]

[Proteus]

monsterfishkeepers.com has alot vendors selling them from time to time at 3-5'' for like 20-35 bucks

but a 15'' IN MY OPINION IS a great size if someone doesn't want the time or investment to grow them out as they're not importing them in at that size do not accept anything less than 150 bucks In my opinion anyhow. I personally haven't seen a 15'' 7 year old specimen (I'm sure its starting its prime) being offered. THOUGH wait it out and see what other people say as it might be more than that. I've seen fast growing jur catfish go for 200 bucks at that size with great markings before so I might be on the low end of the estimate.



Be very firm on your price though dont let peeps lowball you as they're VERY slow growing specimens per some peoples comments and complaints about waiting to grow out theirs And make sure personally that they got the tank and wants it for a lifetime instead of turning around to sell it to someone else since it has been your pet for 7 years.

[tristar17]

Thanks Proteus. I appreciate your comments. I've attached some images from May of '08. That was the last time I photographed him.

[Proteus]

omg thats the most sweetest markings Ive ever seen on any one of those guys that I've encountered.


whoa. Hope he finds a great owner.

[leej24]

That thing is humongous!

[MatsP]

By the looks of things, it's about halfway to fully grown in those pictures - and definitely in need of a MUCH larger tank. In the long term, it will need quite an enormous tank - they grow to about 2ft and a few inches if well cared for.

--
Mats

[andywoolloo]

wow, he is amazing!

[CATFISHOWEN]

WHAT A GREAT LOOKING CATFISH. THEY ARE WORTH AT LESS $150 OR MORE. A 125 GALLON TANK WOULD BE A GOOD SIZE FOR HIM.

[MatsP]

A 125 GALLON TANK WOULD BE A GOOD SIZE FOR HIM.

Short term. Longer term, if the fish grows to it's full potential [and in my opinion], a 125 g would not be large enough [and a 120g tank is actually a more "square" shape, so it's not so long and a bit wider, which makes more space for large fish].

The value of a fish is "whatever someone is willing to pay", and in this case, it's probably also a case of "someone that has sufficient space to look after it properly", which reduces the number of potential buyers by a fair bit.

--
Mats

[tristar17]

Thanks people. I appreciate your comments. Finding him a bigger home has been on my "to do" list for a while, but I'm making it a priority now. His well-being comes first, and money is secondary. I'd be willing to let him go for a very fair price to the right person, and I'd be willing to drive a hundred miles to meet you half-way. Is there anyone out there near Milwaukee, Chicago, Madison or the Twin Cities, and who comes with some good references, who is interested in caring for this fish? I really wish I had the room to install a huge tank. That would be great, but this is a classic case of a novice aquarist buying a cool-looking, little fish without doing his homework, not to mention the store owner failing to inform me just how big this species gets! Thanks again.

[RickE]

He is an absolute beauty. Hope you manage to find a good home for him.

[Uncle.Ned]

err, umm,

just buy a big tank

[andywoolloo]

isn't monsterfish rescue somewhere in that neck of the woods? Maybe Jonathan “TheFishGuy” Strazinsky could have some ideas for you?

http://www.monsterfishrescue.com

[MatsP]

I'm certain Jon has some ideas of nearby places. For the US, the distance of just under 500 miles from Milwaukee to Orwell, OH where MFR is located would be a "short" distance... In England, I could get to every coastline or border this country has within that distance (assuming I don't use my motorcycle route-planning model, which makes a 300 mile "as a crow flies" into 800 miles because there is a place halfway across the country that has a nice road that we could add to the journey for the fun of it....)

Edit: I'm not trying make fun of this - I'm just not used to thinking of 500 miles distance as "close" or "near". It gets me every time when someone in America says "well, that's not far away at all", and it's several hundred miles. In Europe these distances usually means leaving one country and entering another - even if mainland Europe has removed most of the actual borders... In some larger states in the US, you can drive 300-500 miles from a point in the middle of the state and still be in the same state...

--
Mats

[Bas Pels]

In some of the larger European countries you might be able to drive 300 miles as well: germany would be the example

But yes, moving into another countrie does normally mean another language, other customs and it used to mean another currency, but that problem is quite solved, we now have the Euro .

(I know the euro is said to have somoe disadvantages, but as we have it, let's be happy with the advantages we can find)

However, visiting a location 300 miles from home, and returning the same day (with fish) is possible. But no way a short distance

[catfish35]

Wow that is a huge catfish, but beautiful. I hope you find the perfect owner for your fish. I have a couple catfish, but no where near that size.

[TheFishGuy]

Thanks guys for the reccomendation of my services. I've given some suggestions thus far but as a collector of cats myself I seem to be quite interested now! LOL He'd look great in the 1200! LOL

And just to clairify... yeah... 500 miles is far away for me too! LOL But I would be more than willing to meet half way!

[Viktor Jarikov]

Hey man! What a beautiful, spectacular specimen! What unique, striking coloration! I feel your pain having to part with such a precious pet and admire you for putting his interests ahead of yours! You expemlify to us all humane treatment of animals and personal sacrifice even when it takes a chunk out of your heart. Please, update us all on his fate.
Best wishes. Viktor

[tristar17]

One last post....

Jonathan Strazinsky of Monster Fish Rescue saved our catfish and gave him a new home in his 1200-gallon tank. We met up this past weekend in Indiana. Although I was sad to see him go, I feel great that he finally has the freedom that he deserves. If you'd like to see a video of the fish, Jonathon posted this link on YouTube...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7zVY-RbMyY

This catfish actually measured right around 19", so he was even a little bigger than I realized. Here's a couple of pictures from the rescue. I owe a debt of gratitude to Jonathan and MFR, and I'd like to thank the people on this forum for the recommendation. Thanks!

Dave

[Bas Pels]

If my remark is off topic, my apologizes - please remouve

But looking at the above pics of a beautifull cat, there is another fish in the box - a fish which might better be taken out

It is not armoured - and if it connects with the cat, it will be thorn open. Further, on long distance triops such as this, I'd like to provide the fish with as much water as possible - also meaning each and every fish its own bucket (perhaps unless they are small - that is under 5 cm / 2 inches)

[TheFishGuy]

I agree with the "every fish to it's own bucket" but this guy was indeed a gentle giant. The other fish "Cheddar" made the five hour trip for me unscathed! He's in his own tank now awaiting his new home. The catfish (affectionately named "Senor") is doing just fine and has taken over a 2' section of 6" clay pipe.

This is a sucess story, and I'm glad I was involved in it! Thank you again to all the people that support the idea of Monster Fish Rescue and our never ending quest to educate the public about giant fish and their proper care! You guys are great!

[Viktor Jarikov]

The same can be said about you, Jon. Nice video too, BTW! Say hello to the non-fish Dexter
Viktor

[andywoolloo]

I am really glad it all worked out for you! handsome fish!

[courtneycoles27]

wow what a huge catfish... did you already find a buyer....because i have friends loves a catfish a lot...

[Dave Rinaldo]

wow what a huge catfish... did you already find a buyer....because i have friends loves a catfish a lot...

One last post....

Jonathan Strazinsky of Monster Fish Rescue saved our catfish and gave him a new home in his 1200-gallon tank. We met up this past weekend in Indiana. Although I was sad to see him go, I feel great that he finally has the freedom that he deserves. If you'd like to see a video of the fish, Jonathon posted this link on YouTube...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7zVY-RbMyY

This catfish actually measured right around 19", so he was even a little bigger than I realized. Here's a couple of pictures from the rescue. I owe a debt of gratitude to Jonathan and MFR, and I'd like to thank the people on this forum for the recommendation. Thanks!

Dave