unknown Clarias species
Posted: 09 Mar 2010, 15:23
recently I picked up a tiny Clarias by catch from the same store where Marc goes his Auchenipterus group.
it was (!) tiny and a light brown slightly reddish color and according to the shopkeepers it grew very slowly if at all.
since there are no 2" Clarias species that I know of, it's likely a juvenile
now, here's the catch:
-it started to grow....not slowly at all but at a rate wich makes me suspect I didn't buy some small African species, but a potential baby whale.
-the coloration has changed completely! it now is a deep reddish brown on top; almost the same color that Phyllonemus has, but even more terracotta. definitely not greyish, but a deep brick-red brown color
the belly has turned white. a true white
in all it's as contrasting as a Phractocephalus
actually a beautiful Clarias. passing 3" already and I'll replace it from the small tank to the 315G showtank tonight.
it has very long barbels, tiny eyes, a very small caudal fin, a well-developed dorsal but not as high as that Clarias sp pachynema I had.
what I fear is this; except for the red color it looks like a tiny gariepinus
but all the pix in the catelog show a typical grey catfish, sometimes olive green, but never reddish brown
also: mine has tiny white spots on the sides near the tail.
pics are coming soon, but at the moment my camera's not cooperating at all.
also: ALL the pictures in the catelog show large C gariepinus, except for the first one wich doesn't look like my miniature catfish at all.
pictures of juvenile gariepinus are missing completely. anyone know what a 2" or a 3" gariepinus is supposed to look like?
it was (!) tiny and a light brown slightly reddish color and according to the shopkeepers it grew very slowly if at all.
since there are no 2" Clarias species that I know of, it's likely a juvenile
now, here's the catch:
-it started to grow....not slowly at all but at a rate wich makes me suspect I didn't buy some small African species, but a potential baby whale.
-the coloration has changed completely! it now is a deep reddish brown on top; almost the same color that Phyllonemus has, but even more terracotta. definitely not greyish, but a deep brick-red brown color
the belly has turned white. a true white
in all it's as contrasting as a Phractocephalus
actually a beautiful Clarias. passing 3" already and I'll replace it from the small tank to the 315G showtank tonight. it has very long barbels, tiny eyes, a very small caudal fin, a well-developed dorsal but not as high as that Clarias sp pachynema I had.
what I fear is this; except for the red color it looks like a tiny gariepinus
but all the pix in the catelog show a typical grey catfish, sometimes olive green, but never reddish brown
also: mine has tiny white spots on the sides near the tail.
pics are coming soon, but at the moment my camera's not cooperating at all.
also: ALL the pictures in the catelog show large C gariepinus, except for the first one wich doesn't look like my miniature catfish at all.
pictures of juvenile gariepinus are missing completely. anyone know what a 2" or a 3" gariepinus is supposed to look like?