So today I "rescued" 2 catfish that I had seen in the cramped local pet store tank for almost a year now, So after a bit of research on them, I looked into maybe getting them for my Puffer tank. On the basis that these fish were black and yellow, (Like a bumblebee goby) I imagined they wouldn't be touched by the puffer. I was right (so far!) because they've been ignored. However, after examining a bit closer, I'm not sure they are what they're labelled as, and I think they could in fact be 2 seperate species...
They were labelled as "South American Bumblebee Catfish", which is great, because my plan was to have a tank that was purely south american, but sadly, it looks like they're not SABC's.
One of them looks like one for sure -
Microglenis Iherengi
However, the other one looks a bit bigger, and looks like a mix between the above, and one of these -
Pseudomystus siamensis
So, where does that leave me? From what I've seen, it's unlikely that it would be a "Pseudomystus siamensis" as they're said to be harder to find in the trade, but, it does have a likeness to both fish, and they're not terribly easy to ID as they're either hiding, or swimming very very fast.
I'm a bit disappointed that they're 2 different species, but where does this leave me? I wouldn't be keen to return them to the store I rescued them from, but in the long run, what requirements might the larger catfish need? I'm investing in a 40" tank before xmas, so maybe he'd be suited better in that in the long run, rather than the 20 gallon that they're currently in?
I may of course trade him in at another willing store that might have a better chance of finding a decent home for him. He's pretty cool though.
So, does anyone have any experience with these guys? What sort of tank would I be looking for for the bigger cat? Any advice gratefully received.
They were labelled as "South American Bumblebee Catfish", which is great, because my plan was to have a tank that was purely south american, but sadly, it looks like they're not SABC's.
One of them looks like one for sure -
Microglenis Iherengi
However, the other one looks a bit bigger, and looks like a mix between the above, and one of these -
Pseudomystus siamensis
So, where does that leave me? From what I've seen, it's unlikely that it would be a "Pseudomystus siamensis" as they're said to be harder to find in the trade, but, it does have a likeness to both fish, and they're not terribly easy to ID as they're either hiding, or swimming very very fast.
I'm a bit disappointed that they're 2 different species, but where does this leave me? I wouldn't be keen to return them to the store I rescued them from, but in the long run, what requirements might the larger catfish need? I'm investing in a 40" tank before xmas, so maybe he'd be suited better in that in the long run, rather than the 20 gallon that they're currently in?
I may of course trade him in at another willing store that might have a better chance of finding a decent home for him. He's pretty cool though.
So, does anyone have any experience with these guys? What sort of tank would I be looking for for the bigger cat? Any advice gratefully received.