PlanetCatfish.com

The catfish convention this year really got to me. Ever since then I've been buying whiskered fishes that only come out at night or when they are fed... Sound familiar?

I've been particularly interested in Old World species and started out with a couple of Asian bagrids, Mystus mysticetus and Horabagrus brachysoma. Of course odd Loricariids have a way of sneaking into the house as well.

Since I'm lucky enough to work in an aquarium shop and see all of the wholesale lists of fishes that come through, I've been checking all the catfish species to see when something really remarkable is available. My work paid off when I was able to get two non-Synodontis catfishes from Lake Tanganyika last week: Phyllonemus typus and Lophiobagrus cyclurus.

I don't know much about them beyond the obvious care requirements of fishes from Lake Tanganyika and the information here in the Cat-eLog and on ScotCat.com. Hopefully as advertised they will stay fairly small (4-5") and I'm looking forward to learning a bit more about them, especially hoping to get them to breed.


I love finding out about the "other" fishes of the Rift Lakes. It's not just cichlids!


More on the cats to come as I get to work with them.

You'll want to search out Alex's(SidGuppy) Catfish of the Month Article on Lophiobagrus spp..

Also, do a search of the forums for Phyllonemus as there is alot of posts over the past year on this fish...

Paul, thanks for the pointers! And Sidguppy, thanks especially for sharing your experience with these fishes. I guess the population of Endler's Livebearers are going to become conditioning food for the cats.

Anndrew,

I have 10 Phyllonemus typus, they have started to pair off in the flowerpots I have scattered around the tank. I will let you know if I have any success breeding them. Best of luck, we can compare notes.

Mark

Mark,
And I have Lophiobagrus that are just getting to adult size... ... I'll do the same.

too bad it's a looong way off;
I have 3 batches of Lophiobagrus and two (one's still being cared for) batches of Phyllonemus typus.

btw I don't feed Endlers, just Lebistes domesticus or whatever you can call "mutt-guppies".