Tips on Sun catfishes

[drako57]

I recently got 4 of them after like 13-14 years. Back in school I used to have 1(around 6-7 inches) And I felt like buying all of them when I saw in the pet shop. Anyways,my current tank is 47 gallons.(47"x13.5"x17") These are the fishes I currently have-
1 red tail shark
2 plecos
2 black ghost knife fishes
4 pool barbs(sold as filamentos here)
3 serpae tetras
4 Sun catfishes
Im very fond of loaches so I was looking forward to a loach n catfish tank. Clowns or yoyos.

[Shovelnose]

All small fish are at danger of being eaten by the Horabagrus. My suggestion is to have a tank with only the Horabagrus,D.filamentosus and Clown Loaches. Make sure the loaches and the barbs are not significantly smaller than the catfish. If you want to add more fish, add deeper bodied barbs like Systomus sarana, Puntius jerdoni etc. Also, plan for a bigger tank for the future.

[drako57]

All my fishes are small atm. The baby catfish are hiding all day.. They are around 1 and half inches long. 4 filamentos,4 horas 6 loaches n 2 plecos is a good combo ? I have to shift the other fish to my dads office tank. I cant get a bigger tank in the near future. Atleast not in 2013. The growth of the fish will stop I guess. My older Blackghost was 6-7 inches.. I heard they grow to around 1ft long. So my guess is that the horas will be 6-7 inches,loaches will become 4-5 inches. Dont know bout the filas..

[minipol]

In the right conditions Horabagrus will grow up to 16cm the first year. Then growth slows down and the average
length at 3 years is about 26 to 28 cm. Puntius filamentosus will grow to about 12 cms.
Clownb loaches can get 35cm and are active (need to be kept in a group) so a 200cm tank is necessary if you want to keep them in ideal conditions.

[Shovelnose]

Horabagrus brachysoma will reach around 2 feet in length. If you don't think you can get a bigger tank in the near future, I suggest you keep a single specimen with a shoal of deep bodied barbs and a few other catfish perhaps. Mystus spp might be a good substitute for Horabagrusalthough they tend to be a little more nocturnal.

Keeping 4 specimens will lead to increased bio load and worst of all,stunted fish. It sounds like you are very interested to keep this species so I am sure you will act in its best interests. When you do get a bigger tank, you can always get more specimens. Hell, you can even go collect them yourself (range recently extended to the Gad River Basin in Maharashtra).

Get rid of the Plecos as well. If they do end up being Pterygoplichthys spp. (most likely), you will find yourself stuck with another fish that can grow to over a foot in length.

Puntius filamentosus will grow to about 12 cms.

Actually, they grow much larger.






The largest specimen I have collected (around 6 inches when collected and has grown since then). The largest I have seen were slightly bigger than this specimen.

[minipol]

I said 12cm for the P. filamentosus because most of mine don't grow fast and 1 or 2 tend to be a bit bigger than the rest
so assuming about 12cm felt about right. No doubt you can find bigger specimens in nature but I do think (I can be wrong)
that the 6 inch isn't a size they all reach. I hope mine get a bit bigger.

[drako57]

I got these 4 babies after 13-14 years. I cant give them back. I think I should convince a frnd to keep an aquarium Filas growing to around 6 inches is like WTF !! :O Im just keen on keeping loaches n horas. So I think I should go for yoyos or zebras.
I still think that hora is a rare fish. But many ppl on this forum have them. Its surprising. And as far as fishing trips are concerned, I would love to go for them but I dont know anything bout equipment n stuff. Please tell me any place 50 kms around Pune for loaches. And I want to know bout your aquariums too

[Viktor Jarikov]

Horabagrus brachysoma will reach around 2 feet in length.

Have you seen one that big raised in captivity or in your opinion it only happens in the wild? Mine 7 have been stuck at 1' for a long time now, they just look very chubby now. The biggest I've ever heard/seen in captivity is this 15" one: http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forum ... %26quot%3B

[drako57]

My god thats HUGE !

[Shovelnose]

Have you seen one that big raised in captivity or in your opinion it only happens in the wild?

I have collected Horabagrus specimens twice, one at 3" TL and another at around 7" TL. I haven't seen any other specimens in flesh but Google search does throw up some big sized specimens. They might not reach their full size in home aquaria. As an example, D.filamentosus hardly reach above 4" TL in home aquaria while the once pictured above was huge.


More than just the length, H.brachysoma is also a rather bulky fish and will definitely need a lot of space as it grows up.

[Viktor Jarikov]

.. but Google search does throw up some big sized specimens.

Yeah, but this is all wishy-washy... and even misleading without a ruler next to them and some measure of trust/credibility in the publisher of the photo.

So, the answer is "No" at the moment: among the participants of this thread no one saw any sun cat bigger than the 15"-er I indicated, not even in the wild. And that fish is like 15 years old according to Fastlane, the owner of that catfish.

[Shovelnose]

My collection experience with this species is too tiny to really be considered. I don't think we can write off potential size of a fish just because a bunch of pictures don't have rulers on them.

Although this is just a speculation, I am sure this species will grow close to two feet.
Interactions with the fishermen of Kerala also point towards the same.

That said, I received a large Horabagrus from a friend last year. Let me try to locate the picture.

[Shovelnose]

Here you go. A friend has been baby sitting this specimen ever since it came to me (around 8 inches TL when it landed).

[minipol]

Well I've read scientific papers where they caught Horabagrus and as I said before, average length was about 26/28cm (10,2 - 11 inches)
I believe they can reach a length well above that but it's rather rare.

They grow very fast in the first year, that's one of the reasons they are looking to cultivate the fish to feed the masses.
However, they don't seem to get that old. The report said about 5 years old but that's in the wild with a population that is under pressure.
So maybe the really big ones are very old fish?

Also, if you constantly feed your fish high protein food, they will grow larger.
Mine haven't grown a lot since they had the growth spurt from when I first got them from the shop.
And they do get bulkier. My biggest Horabagrus is about 22-24cm (9.4 inches).
Judging by the growth rare, I guess that they are about 2 years and 3 months old.
This is in line with the papers I read.

Anyway, it's a fascinating catfish and still my top catfish

[Shovelnose]

Another picture of this specimen. I will try to arrange for a picture showing current size.

[drako57]

It becomes darker in color :O How long will mine grow in a 47" long tank ?
@Shovelnose - I want to talk in detail bout fishing trips. And bout your aquariums too And which plecos do we usually get in aquarium shops ? My plecos always die. And I cant figure out why.

[Shovelnose]

It becomes darker in color :O

The pictures I have posted above depict Horabagrus nigricollaris and not H.brachysoma but yes, the H.brachysoma I kept did develop a dark shade of green once it settled down.

I want to talk in detail bout fishing trips.

This can be discussed over PM.

And bout your aquariums too

A bunch of old tanks with a bunch of old bagrids is the best way to describe my tanks.

And which plecos do we usually get in aquarium shops ?

These will most likely be

Pterygoplichthys

spp. Click on the genus name (in purple) for more information.

[minipol]

My Horabagrus also developed a darker color when they got bigger.
I have new led lighting above the tank, I will try to make some pics over the weekend.
The Hora's mostly come out when the lights aren't as bright anymore.
With the led I have a controller that gradually increases the lighting of the tank, and in the evening start
decreasing the light intensity again. It's very natural and the catfish seem to like it.

[drako57]

Thats nice.. Waiting for the pics
@shovelnose - I figured out the pleco. I just dont want mine to die How many tanks do you have ?

[drako57]

And yes.. If I want to keep 4 of these, what should be the minimum tank size for them to grow to full length ?

[Shovelnose]

And yes.. If I want to keep 4 of these, what should be the minimum tank size for them to grow to full length ?

I suggest you get the biggest tank you can and then decide on the number of specimens you can keep. It works better this way.

[Viktor Jarikov]

And yes.. If I want to keep 4 of these, what should be the minimum tank size for them to grow to full length ?

If talking for life, IMO it may matter how many you will keep and whether you will create an environment for them to be relaxed and cruise around. Many keepers of this fish keep just one (or a few) and almost all they do is hide - even that 15" lone fish I linked above. They especially do so when they are young. At night, they swim actively anyway (if there is no bullying from other fish). They establish an hierarchy within their group but not too viciously, mostly pushing each other with their sides.

IME, a group of more than 6-7 is the best and, given that I don't think they will exceed 1' or not by much, I'd say a footprint of 6' x 2' is a bare minimum but 8'x4' is much better. That means a pond for 99% of keepers as such big tanks are expensive and demanding on space.

Just my thoughts. Anyone, feel free to correct me if you think I am wrong.

[drako57]

I will get a 8 x 2 x 2 tank in the future. I think that would be good for 4 of them. Minipol's tank is tooo big. I dont have that much space. Is it okay if my tank is exposed to direct sunlight ? imo It will definitely pose problems in the summer. It goes close to 40 degrees.

[Viktor Jarikov]

Usually that leads to an overwelming rate of algae growth, both microscopic and macroscopic. All they need are nutrients, warmth, and sun light. We usually only have the capacity to eliminate the sun light.

[minipol]

Minipol's tank is tooo big.

Impossible ! There is no such thing

Is it okay if my tank is exposed to direct sunlight ?

In my previous house,the tank got direct sunlight.
It will cause algae problems during the setup phase but after that, it's a matter of
removing the algae regularly. A bigger problem is the water temperature.
Mine got to 28°C in the summer when the temp inside reached 30°C.
I used to cover the tank with thin foam sheets that are normally used to put under the tank.
In the evening I could remove them again.
It worked to at least prevent an algae explosion and prevent the tank from getting to hot.

[drako57]

By tooo big I meant, I dont have space for that big a tank
Its not even been a month and babies have almost doubled in size.:O And I have been feeding them only once :O
Atm I have - 4 sun catfishes,1 black ghost,1 red tailed shark,2 plecos,2 serpae tetras and 4 filamentos barbs. I feed sinking pellets called tabbo. Im plannin to feed them twice now. And add variety to their diet. It seems like they will outgrow the red tailed shark and become the biggest fish in the tank in a months time.:O Which is totally amazing !

[elladtrompf]

Where can I see the list of sun catfishes?

[Birger]

Where can I see the list of sun catfishes?

See this link http://www.planetcatfish.com/common/gen ... _id=21#159

Interesting to note a very recently described species, still to be added to the Cat-eLog.

Birger

[minipol]

I'm very interested in info on the newly described Horabagrus melanosoma.

[Birger]

Can be had here http://ijpaz.com/index.php/ijpaz/article/view/81/pdf_1

Birger