PlanetCatfish.com

Marc van Arc wrote:

grokefish wrote:Why does no-one on this site use blue moon lights to view their fishys?

Today I came across this little device. I'll make some pictures later on while it is "working".

Well, a big thanks to the people who put me into the right direction (especially Matt). The effect of the blue light is simply amazing. I initially thought an odd 10 small blue lights would look very artificial, but it really looks very good as one light source. Best part: the fishes don't mind at all. I can almost see all of them!! The light easily reaches the bottom (60 cms). It's placed in the middle of the tank, so the corners remain shady.
Away with the night viewer, away with the flashlight . What a brilliant find!
One problem: I can't show you. My eyes seem to be better than the camera in this case, for the pictures I've made are pitch black with some blue from the source near the surface. Isn't a camera able to pick up only blue light? If anyone could explain this and/or show a way to get around it, I can give it another try.

That point is really frustrating Marc. I have tried before to take fotos to show people that the fishies come out in blue light to no avail so the theory remained unproved.
Matt

grokefish wrote: I have tried before to take photos to show people that the fishies come out in blue light to no avail so the theory remained unproven.

If the theory refers to the fact that fishes do show up in blue light without any hesitation and at ease, it's by no means unproven. It's true!!

Or did you refer to the fact that taking pictures with blue light is very difficult? That's true as well

What I meant was that I have mentioned the blue lights a few times on this site I think maybe in this thread somewhere and no-one seemed to pick up on it, meaning, I thought, no one believed me, I have been doing it for years, thats why I am so puzzled when people talk of watching their fish by flash light, In my experience this does nothing but scare them half to death.
I'm glad you tried it out it will make your life more fun. You will find yourself turning the room light off early soon and sit in darkness for long periods, it really does Kaths head in but I just remind her that the catfish are really why I keep fish and they must earn their keep by turning up now and again
Matt

grokefish wrote:I'm glad you tried it out it will make your life more fun. You will find yourself turning the room light off early soon and sit in darkness for long periods

I did so every night since last weekend and will do shortly . I am truly amazed with what I see; I should start making notes. Contrary to what I was used to the fishes are not in the least bothered by my presence and just do their thing.
One minor issue: the blue light makes the terrible amount of scratches on my front window almost painfully visible...... I'm going to need a new tank sooner or later.

Update pic "Glanidium leopardum"

Lutt wrote:Update pic "Glanidium leopardum"

Ltt,

That's a nice picture which I would like to use in the cat-elog (email me if you'd be willing to do this) but all it tells me is its a fish I have not seen before myself but it does look like the Glanidium.

Jools

Jools wrote: but it does look like the Glanidium.

I'm pretty sure it is and I'm (still) pretty sure that picture 2 & 3 shown over there are not the same species.
Differences between the two: colour (brown vs blackish), pattern, eye size (small vs large) and bodyshape ( elongated vs compressed). They're no juveniles either for I have one myself which is also brown.
Imho pictures 2 & 3 show a Tatia species, but I'm unable to determine to species level....

What I meant was that I have mentioned the blue lights a few times on this site I think maybe in this thread somewhere and no-one seemed to pick up on it, meaning, I thought, no one believed me, I have been doing it for years,

Kept meaning to agree with you Matt, but never got round to it. I use the "blue moon" lights too, and they're really effective, but as Matt said, always get one much smaller than your tank. A 2' or 3' tube in a 5' tank is about right, otherwise it looks really blue and pretty awful....

Jools wrote:
Ltt,

That's a nice picture which I would like to use in the cat-elog (email me if you'd be willing to do this) but all it tells me is its a fish I have not seen before myself but it does look like the Glanidium.

Jools

I can do that but i need your email

Lutt wrote:

Jools wrote:
Ltt,

That's a nice picture which I would like to use in the cat-elog (email me if you'd be willing to do this) but all it tells me is its a fish I have not seen before myself but it does look like the Glanidium.

Jools

I can do that but i need your email

Sure, it is webmaster@planetcatfish.com. It is also on the little email envelope icon to the right.

Jools

The new Peru shipment has been postponed for another month, so I guess we'll have to wait a little longer to see which fish is called Novia alligator. That is, if they send it along this time.....
I will fill you in shortly with some notes I made while watching the Auchenipterids doing their thing in the blue light

I use these blue lights, is that what u mean?

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... atid=12760

they are great, I can see my synos moving all over at night now, well at least their pretty silhouette and top fin.

andywoolloo wrote:I use these blue lights, is that what u mean?
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... atid=12760
they are great, I can see my synos moving all over at night now, well at least their pretty silhouette and top fin.

Not quite; I use the one which is pictured near the bottom of page 18, which enables me to see the fishes completely

Should probably go in the Wanted section, but as i have already posted there, and this thread is specifically aimed at keepers of the fish I'm after, I wanted to try here.
I am not yet an auchenipterid keeper, but wondered has anyone in the UK who has bred have excess stock they would be willing to sell?
Having kept fish on and off for nearly thirty years, I have got back into the hobby again and decided to set up a tank to keep a small selection of some of my favourite fish.
My overall favourite is , and have kept these in the past, but my starter tank (a Juwel Rekord 70) is too small, although if a small one comes along, I may well be tempted to start it off and move it to a larger tank later. Anyway, I'm currently cycling the aforementioned tank, and while waiting thought i would start trying to locate it's intended inhabitants. I specifically want a few , and my intended stock list is as follows:

• 8-12 Emperor Tetras (Nematobrycon palmeri)
  1 Medusa Plec (
  Ancistrus ranunculus
  )
  3 Oil Cats (
  Tatia perugiae
  )

I've asked at my LFS and both shops I've called (World of Fishes at Felbridge and Knights Ivy Mill) can get them, but wanted to check to see if anyone who has bred them would be interested in selling them on first.
Please reply or send me a message if you can help, or know of someone who may be able to help.
Thanks in advance
Martin

OldKeeper wrote:Should probably go in the Wanted section, but as i have already posted there, and this thread is specifically aimed at keepers of the fish I'm after, I wanted to try here.

Hi Martin,
Your post is most welcome over here. In fact, it is a good thing for I would recommend at least 5 specimens instead of 3. I've noticed that - although not shoaling all the time like for instance Corys - smaller Auchenipterids enjoy company of their own kind.

Is this the longest thread on the site?

Matt

Marc van Arc wrote: Hi Martin,
Your post is most welcome over here. In fact, it is a good thing for I would recommend at least 5 specimens instead of 3. I've noticed that - although not shoaling all the time like for instance Corys - smaller Auchenipterids enjoy company of their own kind.

Hi Marc
Thanks for the welcome, and for the recommendation re: numbers. Any preferences on ratios of M/F? Looking at the article in Shane's World, it appears to be easy to sex them (in my mind, they appear to have similar differences between the sexes as the most of the live-bearers), but I guess it's not going to be that easy!
If sexable, more females than males I guess, 2M/3F?
Thanks again
Martin

Any preferences on ratios of M/F? Looking at the article in Shane's World, it appears to be easy to sex them (in my mind, they appear to have similar differences between the sexes as the most of the live-bearers), but I guess it's not going to be that easy!
If sexable, more females than males I guess, 2M/3F?

They are very easy to sex (like you said) and the ratio 2M/3F is okay.

Thanks.
Will keep you all informed once I have sourced some and try and get some pictures.
Martin

Hi!!

Here is a better pictures of my Tatia cf creuztbergi..... still looks different from the ones pictured here on PC!!



Cheers
Yann

Yann - that is a good lookin' little woodcat!

Hi Yann,
For some reason your initial picture has disappeared (page 7, bottom post) so I can't really compare anymore.
What I could say however, is that your fish is indeed NOT Tatia creutzbergi (with or without the cf) imo.
I don't know yet what it is, but I'll try to name it properly. Have to do some reading/checking/comparing first.
Anyway, it is a very nice species! Thanks for these pictures.

Marc van Arc wrote:What I could say however, is that your fish is indeed NOT Tatia creutzbergi (with or without the cf) imo.

There is no doubt about that imo.

Marc van Arc wrote:I don't know yet what it is, but I'll try to name it properly. Have to do some reading/checking/comparing first.

Despite all the books I can't come up with a name (nor a picture or drawing), so I'll have to disappoint you here. Best guess: a new and sofar undescribed (very nice) Tatia species.

I have another one to add, i finally got myself a Trachycorystes trachycorystes, a nice 10 incher for the bargain price of £85

CFC - that sounds like a really good deal any photo on the way?

If it ever decides to come out of the PVC pipe i'll get a photo

OldKeeper wrote:Thanks.
Will keep you all informed once I have sourced some and try and get some pictures.
Martin

Had the day off for my gran's funeral today, and then had a meeting this afternoon in Crawley (West Sussex), so on the way home, popped into the new Maidenhead Aquatics at the garden centre on the Cheals Roundabout, and was astounded to find a tank of fish listed as 'snowflake tatia/tatia altae'. I knew straight away that they were perugiae, but at £14.50 a piece could only afford 3 although did manage to show the guy in the shop how to sex them for which he was very grateful. Came home with 1 male and 2 females - have turned lights off for tonight to let them settle in and am determined to try and get some pictures over the next week or so. Also intend to go back and get 2 more (1M/1F) as I know they have more of both sexes. After phoning around, this was the first place to have them so I jumped at getting my hands on at least three in case I didn't manage to find them again.
They were feeding on bloodworm and tablet food so will start them off with the same. Will also try small earthworms.
Anyway, will try and get some pictures over the weekend and post them up.
Chuffed to bits
Martin

Nice one Martin!!!

Marc van Arc wrote:The new Peru shipment has been postponed for another month, so I guess we'll have to wait a little longer to see which fish is called Novia alligator. That is, if they send it along this time.....
I will fill you in shortly with some notes I made while watching the Auchenipterids doing their thing in the blue light

It turned out that the new Peru shipment from this wholesaler has been postponed forever.... Let's hope the LFS-chain is able to find another Peruvian exporter who does more than just promise.

Anyway, here are a few notes on Auchenipterid nocturnal behaviour related to feeding. People who object to feeding live fishes(*) should skip this one.
As stated before, the blue light enables me to witness things that were literally in the dark previously.
Initially, all fishes come to the surface after feeding flakes and/or frozen foods, which makes the surface very crowded. Nevertheless, no agression between species or individuals is noticed. Nr. 1 bulger is undoubtly ; they'll cruise the surface in a hurry until no food particle is left.
Most act likewise, but return to the bottom sooner (probably because of the Jaguars?) with the exception of T. fisheri, which are not easily impressed and remain very calm near the surface. I would have thought that would avoid this crowdedness, but no, they're as happy to join in as all others.
My true hunters, and show less involvement. They'll certainly eat, but stay away from the feeding frenzy displayed by the above mentioned species.
When feeding live fish it is - obviously? - the other way round. Most woodcats are just too enthousiastic to catch a live fish - in a tank that is; I take it no-one feeds them flakes in the wild - and if they ever do it's sheer luck. They'll certainly give it a go but after some time they'll return to the bottom to see if they can find anything there. Except for the fisheris, which hang head up near the surface and are thus able to catch at least something. The Tetranematichthys, which seem dead during the day and won't take anything (not even when a feeder is hovering above their heads), turn out to be very keen and quick hunters and are more than able to catch their share from the surface and middle water layers. They sneak upon a prey and then gulp it away in an instant of a second. Contrary to Tetranematichthys, Ageneiosus will also hunt during the day. They have a very keen eye sight and are fast as lightning. They are gulpers as well, hence their common name gulper catfishes, which is far more appropriate than dolphin or bottlenose catfishes. One might argue that is the gulper cat, but I would suggets we call that one shopping bag catfish .

I feed live fishes occassionally. I get them from amateur breeders, who offer me their bad (mostly deformed), yet healthy fishes. Due to bad experiences in the past I will not feed ill fishes nor goldfishes.
I breed guppies myself for feeding purposes. I hope this post will not arouse a discussion about the ethics of feeding live fishes.