Cetopsidae - whale catfish

[BichirKeeper]

I didn't think the catfish forum was the right place for this... oddity. If the mods want to move it, then fine, but I think I would get quicker responses here.

Regardless, my LFS has a couple of these torpedo-shaped catfish on display in one of thier tanks. They swim like sugared-up ADD prone children, and voraciously eat anything meaty. I'd pick one up, but I've heard rumors that these fish can be dangerous if put with fish larger than themselves, apparently attacking or tearing holes in thier prey and eating the flesh. Looking around on the internet, I found some even more pleasant "facts" about these guys. Apparently, peeing in the Amazon is a bad idea if these guys are around. I'm saying, peeing while IN the water is a bad idea, because they apparently will try to force thier way into your urethra to feed.



So does anyone else know about Cetopsidae Cats? Are they safe to keep with fish of equal size? Or are they an "avoid at all cost" kind of fish?

 

[CFC]

This is a fish to avoid like the bubonic plague, a really nasty character to say the least. They feed mainly on the flesh of other fish by attacking in groups and burrowing into the flesh, the victim can remain alive for several days before major organs are damaged. They reach quite a size with 8 to 10 inches in length not being uncommon. Local fisherman in Brazil fear this fish as they have even been known to attempt to burrow into their flesh as they drop off of larger fish as they are hauled into the boats.
It is not all bad though, they are not the same fish that like to enter the urinal tracts of humans and other animals, this is the trait of yet another nasty character from the Trichomycteridae family.

 

[Paul_MTS]

wow, i'm surprised something like that would turn up in the shops...???

sounds like something pretty awesome to have ain a species tank then watch it rip up it's food!!

 

[ossypete]

the fish that swim up your bell are actually not imported or exported they are illegal to bring into this country for obvious reasons

 

[Dwarfs]

Who would pee in their tanks?

 

[Teelie]

I doubt anyone would, but the fish are still dangerous if some idiot decided they didn't like it and "released it" into a pond or lake where it could pose a real threat. Many species of other fish should be banned for the same reason but laws are slow at banning fish that are too dangerous or improper to be kept in home aquaria.

 

[Paul_MTS]

Who would pee in their tanks?

well i'ved heard some people pee in there tanks to cycle it!! as wiz has ammonia.

 

[AmberC]

I wasn't sure of the name so just to make sure I'm talking about the same fish, blue on top gray belly, blind.

My lfs has two of these guys. (I was in there after hours as shes a friend of mine) and she was feeding as we were chatting and those guys are NUTS. The ones she has in are smaller still. But the food disappeared after ONE bite! I didn't think its mouth was that big.

She called them Killer Whales or something like that. The smaller of the two wasn't getting any food because the larger wasn't letting it (I watched) so she had to find something else to put in to feed them. She choose a goldfish that was nearly twice their size. It was a mess. (I only saw the after effects thank the Lord!)

I think they are neat little critters, but I personally wouldn't want one.

 

[CFC]

I wasn't sure of the name so just to make sure I'm talking about the same fish, blue on top gray belly, blind.

Thats the fish