Amblyceps mangois...keepable or no-go?

sidguppy · Post by **sidguppy** » 01 Oct 2006, 21:31

There's this LFS that actually advertizes with these rare cats and also has the right pic...in NL

That's beyond rare.
buut before I drive half the country to end up with uberfragile or downright unkeepable cats a few questions to the people who are experienced with Asian cats:

-fragile or sturdy species? tough like Amphilius or fragile like Glyptothorax and the like?

-it says territorial in the catelog. but is it territorial like Pseudobagrus siamensis (enough hiding places and they're OK) or like miniature Hemibagrus (Search & Destroy

)?

-how adaptable are they when it comes to higher temperatures? I can keep the heater off, but summers here are getting greenhoused lately...my Akysis survived the heatwave with few issues. are Amblyceps like Akysis or more like Hara, Gagata and other oxygen starved gaspers when summer comes a' knockin'?

Shoot!
I really like the way they look, but I'd rather let them be than kill them by buying.....

Post by **Silurus** » 01 Oct 2006, 21:39

They are not as fragile as you think. Cool water is good, but not absolutely necessary. Of course, the water should still not get too warm.

they are not territorial, and can be easily kept in a group, in my experience.

Post by **Dinyar** » 02 Oct 2006, 04:12

Robust and easy to keep. Mine survived all kinds of abuse -- stopped filters, 30+ C, crowding (70 in a 20 gal

)... I even inadvertently left some out of the water for a couple of hours (they had burrowed into holes in a piece of driftwood), and they all survived when I returned them to the tank.

For someone with your expertise, they should be breedable. I had several gravid females -- the eggs were easy to see -- but they never spawned for me.

Definitely a fish I can recommend to you!

sidguppy · Post by **sidguppy** » 02 Oct 2006, 07:47

tnx; I already mailed the store if they still had them -the ad was from september 27th- but now I'll definitely give them a go.
haven't got any reply (makes sense; probably closed yesterday)
I really like the way they look

Breeding? I ditched all my breeding tanks, save 1; so that's going to wait after the new showtank setup is finished. it's a wee bit crowded in there

so I'm definitely guilty of overstocking now. my Tangs are in that, but I had to put the granny's in a friends' tank or all out war would break out.

I'm also in the process of selling some of my riverine tank inhabitants (all the Cory's, Hoplo's and Dianema's; the Sturisoma pair, the dwarf Pike), so I'll have room.
it's going to be a "rarities" tank again; the Amblyceps -if still available- are going to share the tank with Akysis, Platystatus, "Doras punctatus", Amphilius, Mochokiella and a shoal of Devario pathirana.

in the near future I'm going to add a few algae-eaters too; looking for a group of Hypoptopoma or something.

Post by **Marc van Arc** » 05 Nov 2006, 16:53

What I can't make up from the above comments is how their behaviour is with regard to other (cat-)fishes?
I don't mind them biting me, but I don't want them biting Auchenipterids and Corys....

sidguppy · Post by **sidguppy** » 05 Nov 2006, 17:02

After the debacle with the Gymnallabes I skipped on the Amblyceps. nice fish, rare, but nevertheless. 1 screw-up each season is plenty enough.

the riverine biotope-tank's OK again, no diseases, all fish doing what's regular, but I lost my ancient Amphilius-group to the meds I had to use to kill the virulent bacteria imported with either the G typus or the last 5 Doras punctatus.

Currently I'm without any quarantaine tank as I ditched the breeding tanks (5 tanks) and the big showtank with furniture (3 tanks, invluding 2 quarantaine) to make room for the "indoor pool" wich is now running with the first larger fishes (after my small testfishes) and the water's behaving nice (no nitrite, no ammonia).

First thing to do: get a new quarantaine tank. after that: get new catfishes.

Post by **Marc van Arc** » 05 Nov 2006, 19:34

Marc van Arc wrote:What I can't make up from the above comments is how their behaviour is with regard to other (cat-)fishes?
I don't mind them biting me, but I don't want them biting Auchenipterids and Corys....

You probably misread the above.I'm planning to get some myself. That is, if they behave themselves with other catfishes.
Btw: there was nothing wrong with the Dorads when I last saw them, so I think your gift had an (unwanted ) extra.

sidguppy · Post by **sidguppy** » 06 Nov 2006, 11:06

Those Dorads had a stopover at a certain LFS in Eindhoven (I was too late with getting them healthy from Remco, he already sold them), and this particular LFS isn't too good. that tank was crammed to the brim with all kinds of fish, big fights were going on and some of the cats weren't exactly healthy.

wouldn't be the first time i nuked a tank with fish (or nuked my terrariums with disease carrying amphibians) from that particular store......
however I do think the chances of that Gymnallabes carrying something bad were greater indeed. the Doras were only in that store for a week.

ps I didn't misread your question.
i haven't seen the Amblyceps still, but judging from the shape and habitat I think this is a fish that is bound to the bottom of the tank. like for example Lophiobagrus or Phyllonemus.
not hiding up in the rootwork like Auchenipterids or Pseudomystus etc. a territorial cat wich also uses the woodwork will get to the Tatia's. A Pseudomystus for example. I think the chances of a strickly bottomdwelling species getting to the Tatia's are smaller.
still guessing though.

hopefully dinyar or Silurus will be back with some of their experiences with this catfish.

Post by **Marc van Arc** » 06 Nov 2006, 22:28

Got a positive advice from HH, so I'll give them a try. They should arrive next Thursday.

Post by **Marc van Arc** » 09 Nov 2006, 17:14

Marc van Arc wrote: They should arrive next Thursday.

And they did. Five rather small but very lively Amblyceps are now exploring the 100x40x30. Seems a great fish for very little money (2,15 euros each). When they've settled down I'll try to make some pictures.

sidguppy · Post by **sidguppy** » 09 Nov 2006, 17:54

did you get them in Amsterdam from Exotica? that's the LFS that advertized with them on the internet; they still have them.

and I'm curious if there is any way to spot genderdifferences. this fish has an asymmetrical tailfin, like some Tatia's also have.

maybe there were fish with an elongated upperlobe and those without? or rounded bellies and bigger or smaller ones without?
keep us posted

Post by **Marc van Arc** » 09 Nov 2006, 18:23

sidguppy wrote:did you get them in Amsterdam from Exotica? that's the LFS that advertized with them on the internet; they still have them.

No, just around the corner in my own little LFS. I'm not going to Amsterdam for anything, let alone fish.

sidguppy wrote:and I'm curious if there is any way to spot genderdifferences.

I'll let you know as soon as I have anything useful to say on that matter; for now they are too small (2-2,5 cms) to spot differences. But I expect them to grow quickly; my fish feeding habits haven't changed.

Post by **Marc van Arc** » 09 Nov 2006, 19:20

Correction: the largest specimen (almost 3 cms) already has an elongated upper tail lobe. The others are nowhere to be seen at the moment. Proper catfish behaviour.