Green colour red tail catfish

[Kampfer]

Hi
What is the scientific name of this catfish? Not my fish, saw it in a fish farm.
thanks

[MatsP]

Amelanistic

Phractocephalus hemioliopterus

- that is, a fish that lacks all/most of the black/brown colouration in the skin.

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Mats

[Viktor Jarikov]

nice!!! swe-e-e-e-e-e-et!!! i've never seen one. the platinum form (albino?) is very rare and expensive, ~$1500-2500. wonder how much this'd be?

Green?? I see yellow.

Mats, is the platinum form albino or a different kind of amelanistic form?

[Kampfer]

Thanks Mats:)
Viktor, fyi, the price i saw labelled on the tank is S$2800.00.Fish is about 12 to 14 inch.

[Suckermouth]

Mats, is the platinum form albino or a different kind of amelanistic form?

Different, something like leucism. Notice how the fish still has some dark coloration, such as in the eye (which would be red in an albino).

OP's fish is probably a platinum, except the light is making it look different. I don't think it's actually green/yellow/whatever.

[Bas Pels]

Not that I think I know a lot of RTC (they get far to big for me) but I wonder whether the shape of the head is right

RTC have massive heads, and this fish does look a bit slender to me - but I could easily be wrong

[MatsP]

Certainly looks similar head shape as this one:


It is obviously possible that inbred fish have other genetic defects as well as the obvious lack of colour. But I don't think it looks that far off the normal coloured ones.

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Mats

[Viktor Jarikov]

RTC have massive heads,

in top view; I think the head looks right for an RTC in the side view given

Viktor Jarikov wrote:Mats, is the platinum form albino or a different kind of amelanistic form?


Different, something like leucism. Notice how the fish still has some dark coloration, such as in the eye (which would be red in an albino).

OP's fish is probably a platinum, except the light is making it look different. I don't think it's actually green/yellow/whatever.

Can someone educate me/us on these definitions?

(1) Albino (no pigment anywhere? white skin, red eyes - is that a sufficient definition?)
(2) Amelanistic (melanin = pigment in the skin? are there multiple amelanistic forms?)
(3) leucism (leuco means colorless)

[MatsP]

There is a Glossary in the Help! section, and I'm 99% sure that all the terms for "fish lacking colour" are listed there, with their respective definitions. If that is NOT the case, write a post in the bugs section for the ones that are missing, and we'll make an effort to fix them up.

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Mats

[Viktor Jarikov]

it's all there. Thanx Mats. There is also xanthism and axanthism, which involve a yellow pigment. Melanistic/amelanistic deal only with black pigment.

[nvcichlids]

when it comes to fish like this, I have little experience. I have seen, though, a xantic jaguar cich lid which started out with some black, but by the time it was an adult, it was pure yellow.

I do think at some point I will keep one of these monsters in an indoor pond, but that probably won't happen until until the point where the fish will well out live me.

[Viktor Jarikov]

are you saying you plan to get an RTC when you are 60-80 years old? If so, why?

[nvcichlids]

are you saying you plan to get an RTC when you are 60-80 years old? If so, why?

Umm no, but if the fish is kept in an adequate environment, I could see it easily living for 20+ years (my local zoo has one that is 25 years old) and with the health problems I have, and what runs in my family, I don't see myself living much longer than 60/65