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CATFISH
SILURIDAE FAMILY
The Siluridae or Old-world Catfish Family is found in Southeast Asia and is represented in aquaria, by the genera Kryptopterus and Ompok. Estimates from 60 to
100 species have been made.
Glass catfish, Ghost catfish [Pictures]
Kryptopterus bicirrhis
SYN: Cryptopterichthys bicirrhis, Kryptopterus minor, Silurus bicirrhis
PD: Its body is elongated and laterally compressed. This species is scaleless and lacks body pigment, thus making the body transparent. The internal organs and
backbone are clearly visible. Depending on the angle of light, the body can have a iridescent rainbow color. A long pair of barbels are located on the upper jaw.
The dorsal fin is very small, consisting of only one ray, while the caudal fin is forked.
SIZE: To 6" (15 cm) in nature, although not usually larger than 4.7" (12 cm) in aquaria.
SS: Kryptopterus, Ompok
HAB: Southeast Asia; slow-moving, rivers with heavy vegetation in Borneo, Java, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Sumatra, Malaysia
S: Middle
TANK: 20" (60 cm) or 10 gallons (38 L) is adequate for young fish under 2" (5 cm). Adults should be kept in larger tanks. The tank should have a moderate to
strong current and be well-planted. A cover of floating plants is recommended to dim the light.
WATER: pH 6.5-7.5 (7.0), 4-15 dH (8), 73-82ˇF (23-28ˇC)
SB: A peaceful community fish that should be kept in a shoal of at least four fish. Single fish do poorly. A diurnal catfish. Do not combine with large, aggressive
species.
SC: Tetras, Gouramis, barbs, danios, Corydoras, Loricarids, Loaches, Hatchetfish, Platies, Kribensis, Red-tailed Shark.
FOOD: Live; Tubifex, brine shrimp, insect larvae; flake.
SEX: Difficult to distinguish; females are plumper when mature.
B: Breeding is rare and usually accidental. Try feeding a pair mosquito larvae, Daphnia, and bloodworms to get them in spawning condition. Stimulate the rainy
season to initiate spawning by daily water changes of 1/4 the tank volume. Lower the water temperature to 72-75ˇF (22-24ˇC) and reduce the tank water
level to half of normal. Each day, add a small amount (5% of the tank volume) of soft water to the tank. If the fish are ready to spawn, the female's belly will
swell. She will lay several hundred eggs on plants. Separate the parents from the eggs. Simulating the rainy season will help the eggs mature. Start feeding the
fry with newly hatched brine shrimp.
BP: 9. Breeding the Glass Catfish is very difficult.
R: A nervous catfish.
DC: 4. The Glass Catfish is sensitive to changes in water chemistry and water pollutants. Its diet should occasionally include live foods.
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Recent news
New Yangtze River dam could doom more endangered species
(06/22/2009)
Eight Chinese environmentalists and scientists have composed a letter warning that a new dam under consideration for the Yangtze River could lead to the extinction of several endangered species. The letter contends that Xiaonanhia Dam, which would be 30 kilometers upstream from the city of Chongqing, will negatively impact the river’s only fish reserve. Spanning 400 kilometers in the upper Yangtze, the reserve is home to 180 fish species, including the Endangered Chinese sturgeon, and the Critically Endangered Chinese paddlefish, as well as the finless porpoise.
Fish take less than a decade to evolve
(06/22/2009)
Evolution is often thought of being a slow-process, taking thousands, if not millions, of years. However a new study in The American Naturalist found that Trinidadian guppies underwent evolution in just eight years, or thirty generations. Less than a decade ago Swanne Gordon, a graduate student at UC Riverside, and her team introduced Trinidadian guppies into the Damier River in the Caribbean island of Trinidad. They placed the guppies above a waterfall to allow them to flourish in a largely predator-free environment.
Madfish?: scientist warns that farmed fish could be a source of mad cow disease
(06/17/2009)
In a paper that shows just how strange our modern world has become, Robert P. Friedland, neurologist from the University of Louisville, warns that farmed fish could be at risk of Creutzfeldt Jakob disease, or mad cow disease.
New report predicts dire consequences for every U.S. region from global warming
(06/17/2009)
Government officials and scientists released a 196 page report detailing the impact of global warming on the U.S. yesterday. The study, commissioned in 2007 during the Bush Administration, found that every region of the U.S. faces large-scale consequences due to climate change, including higher temperatures, increased droughts, heavier rainfall, more severe weather, water shortages, rising sea levels, ecosystem stresses, loss of biodiversity, and economic impacts.
Will jellyfish take over the world?
(06/16/2009)
It could be a plot of a (bad) science-fiction film: a man-made disaster creates spawns of millions upon millions of jellyfish which rapidly take over the ocean. Humans, starving for mahi-mahi and Chilean seabass, turn to jellyfish, which becomes the new tuna (after the tuna fishery has collapsed, of course). Fish sticks become jelly-sticks, and fish-and-chips becomes jelly-and-chips. The sci-fi film could end with the ominous image of a jellyfish evolving terrestrial limbs and pulling itself onto land—readying itself for a new conquest.
Marine scientist calls for abstaining from seafood to save oceans
(06/08/2009)
In April marine scientist Jennifer Jacquet made the case on her blog Guilty Planet that people should abstain from eating seafood to help save life in the ocean. With fish populations collapsing worldwide and scientists sounding warnings that ocean ecosystems—as edible resources—have only decades left, it is perhaps surprising that Jacquet’s call to abstain from consuming seafood is a lone voice in the wilderness, but thus far few have called for seafood lovers to abstain.
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