Brackish Water Catfish

[nmonks]

Allan James at ScotCat has published a piece by me on brackish water catfish. It's about the "salt allergy" myth, and might be interesting to some of the people who hang out in this forum. The myth is that catfish, because they lack scales, are allergic to salt. They're not allergic to salt any more than any other freshwater fish, and there are in fact lots of catfish that inhabit brackish water, and some that even live in the sea.

http/www.scotcat.com/articles/article84.htm

Comments and personal experiences more than welcome!

Cheers,

Neale

 

[andywg]

It is interesting to note, I wonder if this will translate into other things, such as sensitivity to meds etc. Though I daresay they are still succeptible to un (or should it be non?) dissolved salt.

It should be pointed out though that while most cats (including those from South America) can withstand salt as a treatment (such as for Ich) those from areas with no appreciable salt content of the water (such as the Amazon) will not benfit at all from having salt in the water and there is a fair chance it could upset the osmoregulatory system.

The above is in the quote, but I know there will be some who would just read the forum post and think they can throw the P. pictus in with the GSP.

 

[nmonks]

You're absolutely right in saying this, that salt shouldn't be added as a matter of course to a tank with, say, Pim pictus or Corydoras. However, in this regard, they're no different to gouramis or tetras or barbs or any one of the many families of primary freshwater fish kept by aquarists.

There's nothing about having scales (or not) that makes a fish more less able to survive in brackish or salt water. That's the myth. The science is that primary freshwater fish families are intolerant of brackish water, whether they're catfish (without scales) or carps (with scales). As you say, it's all about osmoregulation. Nothing to do with scales!

Cheers,

Neale

It should be pointed out though that while most cats (including those from South America) can withstand salt as a treatment (such as for Ich) those from areas with no appreciable salt content of the water (such as the Amazon) will not benfit at all from having salt in the water and there is a fair chance it could upset the osmoregulatory system.

 

[AMS]

Excellent work Neale! How do you come up with so many great writings? First the practical fishkeeping magazine, then the bible, your book due out in the summer (cant wait for it!), now this! And probably a million more I havent seen.

Keep up the good work Neale!

 

[nmonks]

Aw, shucks...

Anyway, thanks for the kind comments. There's no real secret to writing, it's just practise, and I keep saying it, there's so many people here at TFF that I'd love to see put pen to paper.

On another note, how cool are those brackish water bagrid cats? I wish they'd trade them a bit more often. If they're anything like regular bagrids, they won't be quite so skittish and neurotic as Arius shark catfish.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[AMS]

I like the freshwater Hyalobagrus ornatus, I would love to see the brackish bagrids.

I also have noticed the wonderful writings of many people here at TFF, including your own. I try my best when writing but Im not so good at it . I have not been speaking English long, and I have a real tough time with plurals, describing, and tons of other things. Like in this Piranha thread I had to have another member help me describe, word, and format . I like reading the threads at TFF they have actually helped me out alot with English.

What is that in your avatar nmonks? I cant make it out, looks like a snake though. I liked the SOuth American puffer better

 

[andywg]

I believe the avatar pic is one of the characters from Babylon 5, a higher mostly robotic/cybernetic being IIRC.

I was surprised to see that some of the Plotsidae family are brackish. I plan to keep a small shoal of the Plotosus lineatus when I set up a marine pred tank soon. My worry is that they are meant to be shoaling but then get more territorial and singular with age.

Do I sacrifice their shoaling tendancies when young, or risk a warzone when older?

 

[nmonks]

I think you'd do best getting a single specimen, and just deal with it being nervous as a youngster. It'll mature quickly enough, these are quite hardy fish.

Most of the Plotosids are actually freshwater fish, though they are confined to Australia, where they live in rivers. There are no "freshwater" catfish there, so marine families, Ariidae and Plotosidae, went upstream and filled those niches.

Cheers,

Neale

I was surprised to see that some of the Plotsidae family are brackish. I plan to keep a small shoal of the Plotosus lineatus when I set up a marine pred tank soon. My worry is that they are meant to be shoaling but then get more territorial and singular with age. Do I sacrifice their shoaling tendancies when young, or risk a warzone when older?

 

[Dragonscales]

We have introduced freshwater species here

 

[nmonks]

Indeed, I should have said no native freshwater catfish beyond those from the otherwise marine Plotosidae and Ariidae.

It's a shame a few interesting Australian fish don't find their way to Old World. I keep looking through my Baensch books and seeing amazing little perches and rainbows and such.

Cheers,

Neale

We have introduced freshwater species here