PlanetCatfish.com

I recently acquired a Horabagridae, not positive which one, with little to no fin or tail left. The local petsmart had a batch of these pathetic little fish, who looked more like demented tadpoles than catfish. Apparently they came in damaged six months ago and did not get any better, so no one bought them.

I know that fins grow back, and I'm monitoring my water parameters carefully to aid in that, since I've heard super clean water helps. Is there anything else I can do? He seems to be getting along alright, very active and becoming less alarmed by the light all the time. He also competes well for food with my pictus, despite their eating like vacuums.

By the way, how fast do these guys grow?

He's currently in my new 75 gallon with a weather loach, three Pimelodus pictus, and a Pterygoplichthys pardalis(I think he is anyway) and a half dozen platties.

It's almost certainly . In comparison, the other species is incredibly rare.

How much of the fin is gone? If the entire fin is missing, it might not necessarily grow back; I have a Synodontis missing one of its pectoral fins.

These fish grow quite rapidly, but I forget how fast...

Please forgive me my lack of fin terminology, it is terrible.

Most of the fin on the back is there

the "arm" fins on either side are just the main ray, like little sticks

the tail and the long fin on the bottom/back of the fish are very stubby, he almost looks flat on bottom

the little fin on the top back and the two mid-bottom fins are not visible at all.

I'll try getting a decent picture but my camera's very shoddy.

These can grow quickly indeed if given good water, space & good feeding. The damage they have suffered might not repair but as long as there is no sign of infection & no other tankmates bother the fish it can become a rewarding tankmate. The platys might disappear after a while though as these fish love to snack on small tankmates.

The tail is called the caudal fin
The side fins the pectoral fins
The long fin underneath is the ventral fin

There is an anatomy page here on the site that can help you out

Richard B wrote:The tail is called the caudal fin
The side fins the pectoral fins
The long fin underneath is the ventral fin

Spot the deliberate mistake... RichardB is testing us (I hope) . Or maybe his synos are hybrids with a single ventral fin underneath...

paired fins underneath - ventrals.
single fin underneath - anal.

wrasse wrote:

Richard B wrote:The tail is called the caudal fin
The side fins the pectoral fins
The long fin underneath is the ventral fin

Spot the deliberate mistake... RichardB is testing us (I hope) . Or maybe his synos are hybrids with a single ventral fin underneath...

paired fins underneath - ventrals.
single fin underneath - anal.

Ha ha ha ha ha...i gotta stop trying to post whilst i'm tired & trying to do other things at the same time, uh time for bed (said zebedee!)

Richard B wrote:Ha ha ha ha ha...i gotta stop trying to post whilst i'm tired & trying to do other things at the same time, uh time for bed (said zebedee!)

But... what.. are you... doing, at the same time as posting? No... ignore this question!

Thanks for the info, I'll try to find that anatomy page.

If anything, he's been bothering some of the other fish. When I moved everyone into the new tank, he kept trying to hide under my pleco, so the pleco would move, and he'd try to get under him again. Eventually he gave up and went to cuddle on the loach, who is a little more tolerant of such things.

If fish try to hide under each other, you certainly have too few hinding places

I can imagine yo0u want to be able to look things over, but that does not imply a barren (or almost barren) tank

Some flat stones can be put to a sidewall - you can still look everything over

a few PVC pipes (don't use PPC, glue does not work, and it floats) put together provide another shelter

Some wood, perhaps (also good for the Glycopithicus, I think. mine chew it a lot)

just be careful when he does get bigger. mine is about 10 inches long and hoovers up the food. I wouldnt trust him with platys thats for sure....

I have various sized terra cotta pots for caves and some gnarled driftwood that the pleco likes to hide under, it was just after I put them in the new tank that he tried hiding under the pleco.

Now he mostly hangs out in a decent sized amazon sword and shares it with the loach half the time.

I admit I really don't mind if he eats the platys, I've had them for some time and have become quite irritated with them. The food chain seems like a fine option.

Update!

The fish(here on known as Horas) has regained most of his dorsal fin and his adipose seems fine.

The caudal and anal fins also show some recovery.

His ventral fins are still gone, and I think they may stay that way, and I haven't been able to see any recovery of his pectoral fins, they remain as sticks and nothing else.