Which Auchenipterids are being kept by PC members?

[Marc van Arc]

Shouldn't there be more pics in this topic?

What do you mean exactly? I don't understand your question.
Feel free to add some pictures; I noticed you make very nice pictures in your "My woodcats" thread.

[Marc van Arc]

South American pangasius sutchii
They aint like the babies I sent you Marc proper beasts.

Fair enough.
Your "babies" are chasing Platys atm

[Bijn]

Shouldn't there be more pics in this topic?

What do you mean exactly? I don't understand your question.
Feel free to add some pictures; I noticed you make very nice pictures in your "My woodcats" thread.

Well, this is a very long topic about very interesting fishes and everybody is telling witch fishes they have, but I see no pictures. These aren't the type of fishes that gives 10 000 000 000 003 hits when you google them, so pictures are very welcome.



About my own pictures:
I post them in my topic, that is sufficient I guess. Double postings aren't very useful. But thanks for the positive feedback about my pictures.

[Martin S]

Can you please remind me, next time I want to get one of the active (larger) auchenipterids for my main tank to save both my heartache and my money
After adding in the two large airstones, the two

Auchenipterus nigripinnis

looked much happier than they had, even with the mouth and barbel damage, so I continued with the myxazin course (as it's a five day course). Checked on them before I left for work this morning, and they were both out, but I noted one had what looked like whitespot, and the tail was looking slightly 'off'. I had no choice but leave them, but upped the temperature a couple of degrees (as I knew the airstones would give them the aeration they needed) as was keen to try and reduce the chance of the disease spreading. Long day today, didn't get home until just before 7, to find both dead, smothered in yellow and white (see pictures) and the tails and undersides were red. Temperature was only 28C, so I hadn't upped it too much, and both airstones were still blowing like made at each end of the tank, but they were just laying, in the same place, dead - although I think one was breathing when I first got home but by the time I'd taken my coat and boots off, it had stopped.
Everything else in the tank is fine, even had the angels spawn again last week, and when I got up this morning, a little earlier than usual, both jags were out and about. I have changed at least 50% of the water since they have been in the tank as I cannot seem to shift a slight nitrite reading that I've had since I set the tank up - there are no dead fish, no uneaten food, and I regularly hoover all the crevices where organic matter can collect, but with two different test kits, I get a slight reading, whereas with the dip tests, I get nothing (but no surprise there really). My aponogeton has now flowered twice, and I have a floating plant (looks like a small version of frogbit) that grows like duckweed, ie like mad. Ph is mid 7s (tap water is just below 8, but have been topping up with RO water from my LFS to try and bring it down a bit), but as I say everything else is more than happy. My tank is obviously not suitable for the larger cool water auchenipterids, though my T wallacei is still doing well, and is out every night in the dark, so just don't know what it is, but I have decided no more. I'm keeping what I have, but will only add another L oncinus if I find one (along with the regular feeders for the T wallacei) - the rest can enjoy the tank and the space.
I don't know if it was the fact that they had been at Neils for so long, then moved twice in less than a week, along with the damage to the mouth and barbels, or my tank, but in hindsight, and if Mats would have been happy to do so, I should have left them with him to settle in from the first move before moving them again, but who knows.....


Sorry for the continued bad news with my experiences, I was so looking forward to having these cruising the tank, and enjoying seeing them out and about whilst all the other cats were in hiding
Martin

[MatsP]

Oh no. That's not good at all, is it.

Hindsight and all that, but I would have been perfectly happy keeping them for a bit longer - it wouldn't have been a problem, really.

--
Mats

[Marc van Arc]

I'm speechless after reading your story and seeing the pictures. It's very, very sad. I had really hoped it would work out this time for I think you deserve it. Terribly sorry Martin.......

[Richard B]

Not good - i feel for you buddy, and Neil had had them for so long, maybe too many moves too soon but that said they have had great care since leaving the shop.....

[Marc van Arc]

Martin,
I found this line in one of the many fora where Myxazin is discussed. I found this in a Piranha forum:
"I think Waterlife information is wrong, as the other fish that the bottle says not to use the product with are scale-less".
In other words (if I understand the line correctly) unsuitable for catfishes.
Could you pls confirm or deny this. Afaik this product in not marketed over here, so can't check myself.....

[Richard B]

I've never had any problems using it with synos or pims or mystus - synos are quite tough, but the others can be sensitive to meds so it doesn't seem a strong remedy. I think Martin was on the right track.

[Martin S]

Thanks all - I was almost ready to pack it all in earlier - it's so heartbreaking to see them in such an awful state and not be able to do anything about it.
I've always recommended Myxazin as one of the only treatments that can tackle whitespot in clown loaches (botia macracantha), and have used it, where needed, in all my tanks with no ill affect to any of my catfish, but now I wonder...
I'm just going to have to tackle the nitrite problem (though as I said it doesn't bother anything else in the tank), and I did take about 1.5 hours to acclimatise them with a tapped airline on ensure they were ready, and even with the airpump, it just wasn't enough
Nothing I can do about it now except enjoy what I have.
Thanks again
Martin

[Junttis]

Sorry to hear that Martin. I think the Myaxin and the high temperature (28) plus the stress from moving in a short period of time was too much for the fishes.

My Auchenipterus started to "shed their skin" like some pimeloids do, when my water temperature went from 23-26 when my cooler broke off. It looked like what happened to yours, but not as bad.

[Marc van Arc]

Thanks all - I was almost ready to pack it all in earlier - it's so heartbreaking to see them in such an awful state and not be able to do anything about it.
I've always recommended Myxazin as one of the only treatments that can tackle whitespot in clown loaches (botia macracantha), and have used it, where needed, in all my tanks with no ill affect to any of my catfish, but now I wonder...
I'm just going to have to tackle the nitrite problem (though as I said it doesn't bother anything else in the tank), and I did take about 1.5 hours to acclimatise them with a tapped airline on ensure they were ready, and even with the airpump, it just wasn't enough
Nothing I can do about it now except enjoy what I have.

I can imagine your feelings wrt packing it all in. Two of these scenarios in a short time would make almost everybody doubt.
Yet there is a difference. In the Ageneiosus case there were three probable causes: the fact that they had been at the LFS for a long time, their long journey to your place and the fact that they were introduced into a brand new tank. We then comcluded that these causes combined were too much for the fishes.
In this case there are overlaps: at the LFS for a long time and the fish being moved (twice) before they arrived at your place. Moreover, because of their injuries you used medication, which is very understandable.
What you shouldn't do in this case, however, is doubt your tank!! There's absolutely no reason to do so.
This is a matter of sheer bad luck: Neil is not to blame and you are not to blame. Imo the above mentioned causes were too much for them.
Let me pls stress that I had never expected them to die. It's really sad.
Yet, I hope you'll live up to the last line in your posting: enjoy what you have.

[Dave Rinaldo]

Thanks all - I was almost ready to pack it all in earlier -
Martin

I know that feeling

Nothing I can do about it now except enjoy what I have.

[Jools]

I've used Myxazin without any problem on several families of catfishes. I was "taught" to use half doses with catfishes, but have used full doses at times. It brought around doradids for example that were at deaths door with the stuff.

Jools

[sidguppy]

can you link that medication?

I'ts unknown to me and we have been up to the ears in nasty resistant strains of ich and other germs for weeks

I got it off my fish; but my friend lost almost all his Callichthys, and it looks all the meds have taken their toll; the remaining Callichthys are slowly succumbing to a bacterial infection that got them because of the ich and oodinium and meds earlier on

with a good medication we could have shortened the chemical dump. now it's over 3 weeks and obviously it's getting too much.
I went through 6 or 8 different meds and treatments!

my fish (Malagasy cichlids and Riftlake cats) got over it by adding serious amount of salt. about 5.5 kilograms of it in 1000L of water.

I'm talking brackish water here, it's tasteable.....not something we can get away with when keeping Amazonian catfish.

[Richard B]

can you link that medication?

I'ts unknown to me

http://www.waterlife.co.uk/waterlife/myxazinp.htm

If you want some & have difficulty obtaining it, maybe wcould send you some?

[Jools]

While we are on the subject of waterlife, their basic disease to product chart is quite good.

http://www.waterlife.co.uk/waterlife/im ... -chart.pdf


Jools

[sidguppy]

tnx guys!

Jools' pdf went straight to my "fish thing" folder and the myxazin page is bookmarked in my 'fish diverse bookmarks' list

[sojapat]

Hi ,Sorry to hear they did not make it ,I was really suprised to see them in the pictures ,they look melted!
I find if anything Myxazin is a little weak to make dramatic recovery in infections of any kind.
Dont be put off by it ,We all loose fish from time to time problem is they are never the ones you can replace .

[Martin S]

Hi ,Sorry to hear they did not make it ,I was really suprised to see them in the pictures ,they look melted!
I find if anything Myxazin is a little weak to make dramatic recovery in infections of any kind.
Dont be put off by it ,We all loose fish from time to time problem is they are never the ones you can replace .

Thanks Neil.
Things have gone from bad to worse I'm afraid See this post
Martin

[Marc van Arc]

Trachelyopterus galeatus

(pair); picture taken with lights out

Trachelyopterus sp(3)

; picture taken with lights on. Rather visible for a change

[Junttis]

Any chance either Martin or Junttis could send me a few pictures of the fishes?

Finally i got some pictures. These are so fast and allways on the move, so taking a picture that was worth showing took me about an hour.

I sent the pictures to Mats, but i tought you guys want to see them too.




.... And some other Auchenipterids..

Ageneiosus sp(3)

Ageneiosus cf_atronasus

Trachelyopterus sp.
Trachelyopterus sp.

More photos of my fish here. http://picasaweb.google.fi/Junttis/Fisuja#

-Juuso

[Richard B]

Hmmm, the pics are not showing & the clogs don't seem to work - the link won't work for me as it is a media-sharing site blocked by my work system!

[Jools]

I've fixed the clog tags which were incorrectly posted. The pictures display fine for me but are hotlinked from the media site, so I think you will have to wait until you get home to see them Richard.

Jools

[MatsP]

I have the pictures in my inbox, and should be in within a few days.

--
Mats

[Bijn]

Nice fishes people

[Marc van Arc]

While searching for the newly introduced Callichthys, I caught a pair of

Auchenipterichthys coracoideus

"in the act".
Due to the decoration and the fact that they were at the back of the tank, this is all I could make of it. The mating lasted for almost 3 minutes. The specks on the pictures are (mostly) air bubbles from the diffusor, but at least they are no longer ruined by Malaysian trumpet snails.....

[Marc van Arc]

Two more pictures of the Tetranematichthys male:

[Martin S]

Nice pics Marc
How did you get rid of the trumpets - assassin snails?
Martin

[Marc van Arc]

Nice pics Marc
How did you get rid of the trumpets - assassin snails?

Thanks.
Yes, but now Callichthys will surely take over. The helena snails also eat auchenipteridae eggs - not good.