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Went to a LFS with a half-decent selection of Asian cats. I got two Hara species, an Asian Bumblebee, some little tengara misties, and best of all, a Mystus leucophasis.

The latter was unidentified, but I remembered seeing Shane's CotM, and checking it again now there's no doubt.

Planet Catfish is useful.

Watch that leucophasis. They don't play nice with tankmates sometimes.

Well, bagrids will be bagrids. Don't ask me why I like them; I don't know.

congratulations on your find! Ive been looking for mystus species for a while and come up with zilch! perhaps I should move to wales.

Actually I bought them at Maidenhead Aquatics in Hereford. Is there a Maidenhead near you? They have about 40 shops, listed on the back of Practical Fishkeeping.

Mystus leucophasis is the coolest bagrid you'll ever see.

Chrysichthys wrote:Mystus leucophasis is the coolest bagrid you'll ever see.

Many people would disagree with you on that.

They're probably the most common and cheapest bagrid available in these parts.

Rusty

'These parts,' though, is New York City. No bagrids are common here, although if you can find them at all, they do tend to be cheap.

I'll second Chrysichthys; the same goes for Europe mainland with the -possible?- exception for the better stores in Germany.

Asian cats are RARE; the only Bagrid occasionally encountered are Pseudomystus siamensis and rarely juvenile mystus leucophasis.
Haven't seen Mystus vittatus/tengara or lookalikes in years. The other five or six species that turn up are Pangasius hypopthalmus, Kryptopterus minor, Clarias batrachus (occasionally), Heteropneustes fossilis (rarely), Neetropius sp (very rarely) and Hara jerdoni (very rarely).

Most Asian cats are not common in NYC either, but Horabagrus brachysoma, Hemibagrus wyckoides, Mystus leucophasis and M. mysticetus are plentiful. At least the first three are farm raised, and sell for low prices.

Lately, some more exotic Mystus, Silurid and Schilbeid species have been showing up (some of which I've commented on in other posts in this forum) in high end stores, but they sell for L-number-like prices (~$30-70), are not properly IDed, and get large, so I've shied away from buying any. Otoh, it's nice to see them available, and if it takes high prices to make that happen, so be it, I guess. Just hope that some of that high price trickles down to the local community and motivates them to create a sustainable income stream from their new cash cows!

Dinyar

Not likely. I've seen the prices paid the collectors in Sumatra and India, and they were peanuts.

I think same goes everywhere -Asian cats are rare because they are not suitable to average hobbyists common aquarium. As far goes to those usually imported. They are not brightly coloured and showing them off.There are also very good canditates to be favourites among bigger group of hobbyists. This is very interesting import fromTransfish
Akysis sp.from Myanmar Ataran river

Silurus wrote:Not likely. I've seen the prices paid the collectors in Sumatra and India, and they were peanuts.

Here is an example using loaches (B.lohachata). I can get them wholesale here at a dealers for Re. 1 each (approx 2 cents), so you can imagine what the collector gets paid.

Just hope that some of that high price trickles down to the local community and motivates them to create a sustainable income stream from their new cash cows!

I once agreed to pay a collector for some barbs at Re 1 each, and I specified 10 fish, he turned up with close to 150 and demanded payment for the whole lot!!!!!