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In the first pic, the catfish was in the corner of hte specimen container so the nose looks a bit long. Its not really that long.

are you sure?? based on the pictures I've seen, I'm not convinced, although now I know its some species of hoplosternum.

You bet he's sure. And so am I.
You have a juvenile specimen in a plastic bag. Not at ease, thus very pale. Just wait till it settles and you'll see.

are these the fish that look like huge cories that can be found in florida?

Yes and no. Yes, there are feral populations in Florida, and no, while they are closely related to Corydoras, they don't really look like larger versions of them.

their behaviour (except the breeding) is fairly similar though; it's a peaceful fish that loves to dig, eats wormy food when it gets the chance (like bloodworms, blackworms, tubifex etc) and does well in a group.

can you get a few more? if yes, do so. they're highly sociable.

sidguppy wrote:their behaviour (except the breeding) is fairly similar though; it's a peaceful fish that loves to dig, eats wormy food when it gets the chance (like bloodworms, blackworms, tubifex etc) and does well in a group.

can you get a few more? if yes, do so. they're highly sociable.

I have 4

Silurus wrote:Yes and no. Yes, there are feral populations in Florida, and no, while they are closely related to Corydoras, they don't really look like larger versions of them.

Here is a pic of one of them in florida... it looks like a huge brown cory to me



Are they realyl social?? I read online that the males defend their territories (maybe only while spawning??)

mine aren't mature yet (at least I don't think so because I don't see any large dorsal spines that the males would have)

I have a power filter going so they probably can't spawn (surface movement is too much)

diburning wrote:Here is a pic of one of them in florida... it looks like a huge brown cory to me

Yes, I can see what you mean. The pictured fish is a btw.

That's Hoplosternum littorale.
are they going feral in florida?
If the numbers get out of hand: this fish makes a great and exquise tasting chow.....you can cook or grill them on the BBQ and you gotta peel them like a cooked lobster.
tastes very good.
or if you're into Cajun cooking, well...should make a very nice add-on to a big bowl of Gumbo

If you don't like to eat them: it's a very nice mediumsized fish for your tank; it's very easygoing, it keeps the sand from clogging up (they're bulldozers ) and you can combine them with a long list of other fishes.
the only tanks in wich they fare less well are Rift-tanks (Malawi, Tanganyika).
yup, all those "Hoplo's" are social fish (Megalechis, Callichthys, Hioplosternum etc); and it's also true that breeding males are territorial, but only when breeding.
there are a few exceptions (adult Lepthoplosternum males tend to be territorial), but if you keep a group the behaviour is quite nice; they're very active and very docile.
handfeeding is quite easy.

if a pair is already enough; they do fine as pairs, given it's a male-female pair. a harem is also suitable (1 male, more females). you'll notice they stay close to each other most of the time.

ah, thanks for the advice.

Hoplosternum littorale was introduced into florida because people from trinidad and other places eat that fish (its part of their culture)

But the farms fell apart so now theres a huge feral population in florida (although they are sort of hard to catch)

About the cooked lobster thing.... Floridians eat pl*cos like that... (uhhg I would never eat one... they look good only in the aquarium)

They also eat a wide variety of cichlids including aequidens, midas, red devils, and whatever other cichlids they can find in the water (yes including oscars and peacock bass)

Ah, sorry to bring back a dead thread, but someone made me an offer on my 4 fish and I was wondering how much they are worth (tank bred).

I want to know if I am getting a good offer.