PlanetCatfish.com

All~

See below. Got this email in to the site, it has Shane and I some what stumped although we did recommend the person spend some time in the cat-elog and register here.

My only suggestion at this stage is Horabagrus. Images may or may not be forth coming.

Any ideas?

Jools


> I have recently bought a fish that was called a "solar cat". The fish
> is black with red fins a white belly and behind each gill is a
> pattern that looks like a solar eclipes. I was told it was a very
> rare fish! I can not find any information anywhere about this fish.
> also he is about 6 inches long and very nocturnal. I have him in a 35
> gallon long tank with a 8" tiger oscar. any way I bought him in a pet
> store and the explaination of the fish was md solar cat $99.99. The
> store owner did not know any thing about this fish and he couldn't
> find a fact sheet or care guide about him. Is Solar Cat the real
> common name, do you know anything about this fish, is it really rare
> and did I get a good deal on this fish. ( I did not pay the above
> price he gave me 75% off just to get the fish out of his store, he
> had it for at least 8 mo) if you could please send me some info on my
> new addition. Thank you Craig Stark

Jools,

<i>Horabagrus brachysoma</i>. These things are sold as sun cats here.

Heok Hee

Hee's right (as always). I had the same thought before I read his post.

Dinyar

Rereading Craig's description leads to believe you guys are correct. For some reason the $100 price tag threw me off the track. These things were less than $20 last time I was in the states. That said, there was a time that they and Mystus leucophasis were going for $750 each about 15 years ago. I'll e-mail Craig. Thanks guys.
-Shane

As you point out, not long ago H. brachysoma was quite expensive, but it is now one of the cheapest catfish of any kind available in NYC. Juveniles sell for $3 - 5 each. Perfect example of a once expensive fish which is now dirt cheap because of commercial breeding.

Only problem with this fish is that it grows fast and is extremely reclusive. I've kept a number of them, and the present one will be the last.

Craig checked the Cat-E-Log and confirmed that his fish is H. brachysoma. He then asked if the price ($100) was fair and that was an even harder question to answer.

Dinyar -

How large have the several you've kept grown to?
Did you keep more than one of them in a tank?

Kathy S