spotted; baby Chrysichthys, but wich one?

sidguppy · Post by **sidguppy** » 02 Nov 2006, 11:31

spotted in a very local LFS in their Malawi-tank, in between the S nigrita and the Mochokiella paynee (!), a bunch of very slender bigeyed Chrysichthys.

now as some of you know I'm a nutter for Tanganyikan fish, hence C sianenna is pretty high on my list of things to keep from Lake Tang.

But i've never seen a baby sianenna, and pics of any sianenna are very scarce except the pictures in the Catelog, the baensch Aquarien Atlas series, the pics in the Burgess Catfish Bible and the pics in Pierre Brichards' cichlids & all the other fishes of lake Tanganyika.

so as baby they kinda look unfamiliar to me. they're supposed to be c brevibarbis, but they don't match that. c brevibarbis is one of those 'duckbilled" cats with a tapering nose-profile when viewed from aside. these have a high headprofile, short, thin whiskers and huge oval eyes that bulge out sideways and upwards.

they look a lot like longbuilt C sp cf furcatus as pictured in the Burgess book (the series about the spawning Chrysichthys, for those who know that book)
coloration is silvery brown. not just plain silvery, wich excludes C longipinnis.

to me they look like sianenna, auratus or very slender cf furcatus or brachynema......

haven't bought them yet. like the Mochokiella's in the same tanks they're not in good shape and unlike those they're not cheap either. no question about lowering the price because these need to be fattened up big time.

and after the debacle with the sick gift (Gymnallabus) wich costed me my Amphilius I'm hesitant to make a new jump. although these wouldn't end up in the riverine tank if I buy them at all.

anyone knows the difference or where to look between C cf furcatus, c brachynema, C sianenna or C auratus?

Post by **Silurus** » 02 Nov 2006, 13:23

As juvenile fish go, it'd be hard to tell which species it is (might be possible to tell which subgenus it is, but most likely no closer).

sidguppy · Post by **sidguppy** » 04 Nov 2006, 15:59

I skip on the baby Chrysichthys. checked them out again and there are dead, sick and finless fish in that tank.

I'll try my luck at C sianenna somewhere else.