PlanetCatfish.com

Bought a 2" black catfish with a white stripe down both sides. The dorsal fin is high and the body slopes down to the tail which is white. Wiskers are short. LFS said it grows up to 14" and claim to be a grasscutter (but it's not) Instead of opening all the pic on the site, any hints to narrow it down?

Damion,
Sounds like a black lancer. Check out the Cat-E-Log.
-Shane

Looks like u are right on the money. Thanx Shane!
Does anyone know how common they are? Sold for $19 at 3".

i think they are prettty rare so that seems like a really good price. Iv read they are very shy.

theres a load of info in the catelog and the link tho the cotm article
http://www.planetcatfish.com/cotm/2001-01.htm

greetz
C

Although black lancers are relatively timid, they can be hand tamed. I had one that I trained to take Hikari Carnivore Pellets right out of my hand.
The CoTM article does not mention reaction to conspecifics. The males are extremely territorial and unless you have a very large tank, it's not wise to have two in the same tank. Females are less territorial, but will still squabble occasionally.
If you have fairly large, robust fish in the tank, it might be a good idea to take them out. Their timid nature means that they tend to come off worse in altercations, which usually leaves scratches and scrapes on their beautiful jet-black skin.
You should also read the article on PC that Shane and I wrote.