Shovelnose or Juruense?

[tokyogasmask]

Went to buy a 2nd Juruense catfish today for another tank, and got a cool deal for ¥3000 ($30?). My other Juruense at the same size cost me nearly twice that!

Anyhow, I chose the one that had different patterning to the others as thought it might grow to look different to my other one.

Now I have it home in the tank, it doesn't look like a Juruense at all. (The tank in the LFS had not switched it's lights on, and now I wish I would have asked them to!!)

I am thinking it looks a little like my old Tiger Shovelnose I had a while back.
If this is the case, I don't really want another TSN and I can take it back.

Just wanted some opinions form you cat experts.

Cheers in advance.

Here is a pic taken about 2 mins after put into the tank (it is about 2"):



Another forum i have one reply said it looks like a normal Juruense.
I'm still not sure of that, my other Juruense at the same size had completely different coloring and patterning and the face was not as long.

[Silurus]

It looks to me that you have a very young

Brachyplatystoma tigrinum

.

[macvsog23]

This fish to me looks like it has had a hard time.
It will need a lot of care but once mature will be a very interesting fish.
It will need a large tank as it can grow to over 18"

Regards Bob

[grokefish]

I agree with silurus its not Juruense its brachy. Tigrinum, bargain (The anal fin is the tell)

[Viktor Jarikov]

I agree with Silurus and Groke. You seriously lucked out, mate!!!!! This is the TRUE tigrinum not false one (juruense). 2-3" fish like that cost $250-$300 in western NY state. You got one for 30 bucks!!??

I'd go see if the rest of them are the same at the LFS, and if yes, get them all! Sell them off now or later and make a small fortune.

Bob may not necessarily be right: it looks ok to me, average, but Bob's eye may have better training than mine. Yeah, the head is a bit scratched up but fins are solid, tummy is not empty.

It is indeed very, very young, so please wait for others to agree or disagree with the ID.

Best wishes,

Viktor

[grokefish]

I concur that fish looks fine, Tigs are way hardier than people think, I think they are no less hardy than a tider shovelnose as long as they have enough flow.

[tokyogasmask]

You guys are AWESOME!!!!
Amazing how quick people here have good solid answers compared to EVERYWHERE else I posted!

I was sure is was not a Juruense, as it was just too different to my other one.

The only thing is, I have just looked at pics or Tigrinum and they all seem to have black and white stripes. Mine doesn't. Is this something that appears later? At what size?

Also I popped back to the LFS this morning to see if they had any more, but they didn't. The rest were most defiantly Juruense.

Thanks again guys for all your help.

[Viktor Jarikov]

Well, konichua, Tokyo is up already and we have not gone to bed yet

Yeah our guys are amazing (not me though, I am merely a parasite latched on the amazing body of expertise on this site).

The closest pics are #15 and 16 IMO - see Cat-eLog. #7 is a small specimen but pic is funny and the fish is oddly colored vs. all I've ever seen. #8 is kinda close to yours too. #13 vid is close too but too fuzzy. Anyway, yours is still smaller than any of those in Cat-eLog. I believe you will see the bands better very soon, like at 3".

If our ID is correct, it is an awsome fish, a jewel in any collection. There is lots of info on them on Planet catfish - try search function. I have had one for ~8 months. Got him at 7" for $220 off of a net site and consider myself exteremely lucky for getting such a bargain. At such size, tigs of good quality can easily be $500-$700 around here, in up state NY and NYC, at least, I know for a fact.

[Viktor Jarikov]

see this very recent one, e.g., it may be edifying...
http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/view ... hilit=+tig