Bagrid Catfish  June 18, 1996

JuanMi
Karlv
Severum
MTAllison
rickdf Idle: 10 mins.
Shamu
Shane
Roger

Roger says: welcome to the 6th catfish meeting, and thanks for coming
JuanMi applauds
Roger says: tonight, Shane will be speaking to us on catfish from the family
          bagridae
Roger says: shane is a member of NACS (North American Catfish Society) (I
          think), and contributes to their newsletter
Roger says: welcome shane, and thanks for being with us
Roger says: please begin
Shane says: Good evening and thanks for having me.
Shane says: Tonight I will talk a little about the family Bagridae.
 
Shane says: The family has 2 subfamilies and 14 genera.
 
Shane exclaims: It is a taxonomic nightmare!
 
Shane says: There has been little work done on it and it is a HUGE family.
 
Shane says: Bagrids can be found throughout Africa, Asia (and India), China,
          Japan
 
Shane says: Plus the former Soviet Union and the Middle East.
 
Shane says: The family includes BIG fish
 
Shane says: LIke Bagrus meridionalis the largest fish native to Lake Malawi.
 
Shane says: It reaches six feet and weighs several hundred pounds.
 
Shane says: All the wat down to Pelteobagrus ornatus of Malay that maxes at
          one inch.
 
Shane says: Bagrids have some very interesting behaviour
 
Shane says: Some rest on their backs like Synodontis sp.
 
Shane says: Perhaps the most interesting is Aorichthys aor
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Shane says: The male feeds the young with
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Shane says: a protein solution that is secreted from the skin.
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Shane says: Similar to the Discus, but much more complex.
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Shane exclaims: Cichlid people got nothing on us!
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Roger cheers enthusiastically.
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JuanMi says: buuhhhh
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JuanMi grins.
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Shane says: There are even fairly many Bagrids availible if you have a sharp
          eye.
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Severum tries to grin but his mouth shape prevents it.
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Shane says: There are four or five sp of Mystus that can be found.
> 
Shane says: Leiocassis, Pelteobagrus, Hemibagrus, and Batasio can also be
          found.
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Shane asks: Roger, would you like to open it up for some questions?
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Roger says: ok, I'll start :-)
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Roger says: can you tell us about what kind of tank conditions are best?
          lighting, pH, hardness, erc
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Shane says: Varies massivly
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Shane says: They have the largest range of any freshwater fish
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Roger asks: what are the most common types, and what conditions do they prefer?
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Shane says: So they also have the largest range of care needs.
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Roger asks: would anyone else like to ask Shane a question?
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Shane says: Mystus mysticetus, M. bimaculatus, and Leiocassis siamensis can
          all be foun
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Roger says: I think I remember you telling me that bagrids were very active
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Shane says: They are all from SE Asia.
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Shane says: M. vittatus is also fairly common and is from India.
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Shane exclaims: Yes they are VERY active!
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Roger asks: do any of these species have common or trade names?
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Shane says: Dr. David Sands has called Hemibagrus wyckii the "meanest catfish
          in the world.
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Roger asks: why does it deserve that title?
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Shane says: M. bimaculatus can be found as the Asian two-spot.
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Shane says: Sand's claims that it is the ONLY fish totally
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Shane says: unafraid of man.
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Richardb says: Have they been bred in the aquarium Shane? (sorry, I came in
          late, may have missed that).
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JuanMi says: How large does it get
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Shane says: It is very rare even in the wild.
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Shane says: it is three feet and jet black with blue eyes.
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Shane says: Like Panaque sutoni.
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Roger says: only bigger and meaner
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Shane says: The local Thai people believe that it is magical.
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Roger asks: are these fish expensive in the trade?
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Shane says: Common name is Crystal Eyed catfish.
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Shane says: from $4.99 up.
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Roger says: sounds liek a bargain
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Shane says: Also in the family is the best looking catfish in the world.
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Shane says: The "Black Lancer".
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JuanMi says: Thanks
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Shane says: Jet black with a white midaxial stripe.
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Roger says: pretty fish
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Roger asks: I assume that it is related to the marbled lancer?
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Shane says: Many Bagrids also have over sized dorsal fins that are as long as
          the body.
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Shane says: What is a marble lancer.
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Roger says: I have seen a few of them in a local shop once, shaped like a
          black lancer
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Roger says: only they had a marbled pattern
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Shane says: I am not sure. I have seen a fish that was
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Shane says: called the Harlequin Lancer.
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Roger says: or maybe I am thinking of a different type of fish called a black
          lancer
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Shane says: I REALLY believe that it is important not to use common names.
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Roger nods his head in agreement.
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Shane says: My friend has a local aquarium shop
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Shane says: and she changes the names weekly to keep
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Shane says: the fish moving out the door.
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Roger laughs.
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Shane says: So the names mean nothing.
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Roger asks: does anyone have any questions they'd like to ask Shane?
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Roger exclaims: there will be a test on this later!
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JuanMi asks: Are any of thos ebagridae species bred in aquarium?
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Shane says: There are many new species being discovered.
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Shane says: Twice.
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Severum bubbles: how agressive are fish in the Mystus genus?
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Shane says: Once it was Mystus armatus
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JuanMi says: Any special breedong behavior
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Shane says: and no one knows ehat the second one was.
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Richardb asks: They look rather like the fork-tail catfishes (family Ariidae)
          that we get in Australia. Are they closely related?
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Shane says: Yes Richard
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Roger asks: by twice, do you mean on two occasions, or have the two species
          been bred repeatedly?
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Shane says: Everything is related to Ariidae because they are cosmopolitan.
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Richardb nods his head in understanding.
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Shane says: Severum the key is keeping one male and two or more females.
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Shane says: Two males without LOTS of space will fight
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Severum bubbles: what if you kept a single fish?
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Shane says: No problem with most.
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Severum nods his head in understanding.
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Shane says: A few will school.
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Roger asks: are these fish carnivorous in h\general?
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Shane says: Say like most cats
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Shane says: If it fits in the mouth it is food.
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Roger says: so they'd need tankmates roughly the same size as themselves
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Shane says: Yes or a little smaller.
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Shane says: half their size is safe
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Shane exclaims: No long vacations though!
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Roger says: they must have smallish mouths for their size then
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Richardb laughs.
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Shane says: My big male M. armatus ate a rubber band once.
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Shane says: I had to pull it out.
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Roger exclaims: I'll bet that put a spring in his swim!
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Shane exclaims: That was a year ago and he is still fine!
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Roger asks: any other questions?
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Severum bubbles: how intelligent are they?
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Richardb asks: Are the sexes easy to distinguish?
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Shane exclaims: VERY!
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Shane says: Try this experiment
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Shane says: put some food in a net and watch
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Shane says: most fish will go right in (cichlids esp)
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Shane says: Bagrids will try to eat the food from outside the net, but
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Shane says: will not be fooled into swimming in.
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Shane says: Makes them hard to catch
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Severum nods his head in understanding.
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Roger says: nothing alittle cyanide won't fix :-)
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Shane exclaims: Hey take that to the reef room!
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Roger laughs.
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Roger asks: any more questions?
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Shane says: Hopefully I will be the first in the US to breed some Bagrids
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acb asks: how do they get along with the more peacefule catfish species?
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Roger asks: if not, would you like to tell us a little about NACS, Shane?
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Shane says: It has never been done here so there is a challenge.
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Roger asks: where have they been bred?
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Shane says: The North American Catfish Society
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Shane says: Once in England and once in the former East Germany
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Roger nods his head in understanding.
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Shane says: Was founded in late 1995
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Shane says: it is the reconstituted old FACE.
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Shane says: Lee Finley, Ginny Eckstein and many others are involved.
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Shane says: We put out a magazine every quarter.
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Shane says: Dues are $20.00 US per year.
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Shane says: For info
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Shane says: Write NACS PO BOX 816
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Shane says: New Baltimore, MI 48047
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Shane says: The magazine is great and all of the articles are on catfish.
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Shane says: Breeding info and new species in every issue.
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Shane asks: Anything else?
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Roger asks: are there any conventions, etc?
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Shane exclaims: Eventually!
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Roger smiles.
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Roger says: well, that'll about do it, thank you Shane for sharing your love
          of Bagrids with us tonight
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Richardb says: Thanks Shane.
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Shane says: You rae welcome, thanks for having me.
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JuanMi says: Thanks shane
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Roger says: everyone is welcome to mill around now and continue the
          conversation, but the recording is stopping now