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Just wondering is it possible to keep Leptodoras catfish for long term? And is it possible to wean them to take sinking pellets?

I would presume it is possible to keep these long-term but i cannot advise due to personal experience - i've only ever seen 2 individuals (different species) in 30+ years of fishkeeping. I would suspect that pellets would not be ideal or easily accepted by them but that they might be weaned onto some prepared foodstuffs

HI L-14

I would have to agree with Richard.

These dorads, are found in deep, swift flowing rivers and this is probably why we don't see this genera for sale more in our LFS, although they do migrate up the water column in the hours of darkness.

The fact that the stomach contents have proven to contain chironomid larvae (blood worm type larvae) along with sand and silt, seem to point that when they migrate upwards at night they do this to feed amongst the shallow sandy river bottom, and that they are using their filamentous edged barbels to first identify where the chironomid larvae are living in the substrate and then using their oral hood (membrane between the barbels) to suck up the larvae along with particles of sand etc.

With this type of selective feeding it may be that pelleted and tablet foods are not looked upon as a food source and therefore passed over just like they would with small rounded pieces of gravel sized pebbles in the wild.

It would be interesting if they would feed on soaked crushed flake. Please keep us all updated on what types of foods you find are acceptable to your Leptodoras.

I would suggest that you try as an alternative to live food, frozen foods such as bloodworms and black worms.

L-14 wrote:Just wondering is it possible to keep Leptodoras catfish for long term?

Do you actually have any of these?

Thanks for the suggestion.
No, I've seen them in the shop only but they are relatively small and look like only a few are left in the shop [probably died off].

Hasn't Jools got one of these?

Matt

Ben Lee (amiidae) is registered keeper of and

Those are the ONLY Leptodoras with keepers. Not sure if there are any other similar species that Jools keeps. Jools "My Cats" list shows only . I presume that Jools isn't lying... ;)

--
Mats

I found this old thread a while back and as I'm now making good progress with L Juruensis and L Linnelli I thought it would be good to revive it.

My reply to the OP's 2 questions is definitely yes and yes... given time.

I've had my specimens for around 6-7 months and they are now eating pretty much anything offered, including veggie and brine shrimp pellets, frozen live foods and even sweet potato.
These fish are delicate at first and refused most of the foods offered. I also had some casualties due to white spot, but the surviving fish are now strong and growing well.

Richard

To augment this, have a look at March's CotM once it's online...

Jools

I really like it when an old thread is revived by someone who has something positive to contribute, as Wrasse has done here.

Since my post back in '09, i've seen this genera crop up another couple of times (& that doesn't include the batch where Wrasse got his).

Still very uncommon but obviously more available now than previously (unlike some species).

The feeding issue has been answered now by Wrasse, and seems good news for prospective keepers.

I'm afraid the article (March COTM) is missing the 3rd photo showing the head and mouth close up, although that can be seen in the C-log.
Steve Grant's dorad pics are at: http://www.scotcat.com/thedarkone/dorad ... adidae.htm

wrasse wrote:I'm afraid the article (March COTM) is missing the 3rd photo showing the head and mouth close up, although that can be seen in the C-log.
Steve Grant's dorad pics are at: http://www.scotcat.com/thedarkone/dorad ... adidae.htm

Still working on it, will be finished in an hour or so...

Jools

It's all marked up now and online.

Cheers,

Jools

A brilliant article. Well done Richard

The.Dark.One wrote:A brilliant article. Well done Richard

I heartily concur...and if i can be so bold, i'd suggest Richard follows it up sometime soon with CotM on Amaralia.....

Sorry for offtopic post, but perhaps it's time for something African or Asian chaps? There's a "Brucey bonus" for authors too, PM me...

Jools

Jools wrote:perhaps it's time for something African or Asian chaps?

That's a relief! I'm afraid I wouldn't have much to say about Amaralia anyway... It just sits there half buried in the sand, waiting. And waiting. I guess it needs a mate! (-:

I'd like to see an article on gagata

HI!!

I have starting to keep some cf catanai in 2010.
I kept mine for several months.
The tank had rather soft and around 24°c
For some reason they spent most of their time in the plants near the surface.
I just gradualy stated to loose them without obvious sign...

Coming with mine were 4 others which were put in one of a good friend tank.
They are still doing great
the water is mid soft, rather 26°c. They eat only flakes and eat it with no problem.
They are rather very peacefull and remain still for a long time, just startint to move a bit when they are feds or at night
Cheers
Yann

It's a shame you lost those fish Yann. The behaviour of your specimens was a bit alarming... Sitting high up in the plants doesn't sound right and it's not something I've observed.
I think when their gills are irritated or infected, but before clear diagnosis can be made, these fish will sometimes swim against the current near the surface right near the filter outlet, but other fish species do that too.

Hi!!

Yes that is too bad...I haven't thought about this.
Since the colour, respiration, and feeding was normal and no other fish behaved stangely I didn't worry much at first.
I have never seen swim against the current, they would mainly stay in rather calm places
Strangely the other 4 that are with PdR are doing fine, and even if they were from the same bag behave totally differently
Cheers
Yann

maybe they had a gill fluke infection?

fish effected with gill flukes slowly starve due to an increasing lack of oxygen

they can show all kinds of odd behaviour and staying near the surface is one of them

it's a tricky disease/parasite cause it happens very stealthily; you don't see the mass death we know when water turns bad or some protozoan busts the tank

you see fish turn apathic, something very hard to diagnose with catfish!
they will feed just fine, but show no growth and often stay on the thin side, but not emaciated. you can see that last symptom with imternal gut worm infections, fish turn really skinny, they waste away before your eyes

but not with gill flukes.
it's a wide spread cause with wildcaught fish and many more dead fish are caused by it then most of us are aware of.

most of the time your fish look OK. not thriving, but OK>
they eat, they swim occasionally.
and one by one they die.

tried a de-worm treatment?