Upsidedown Catfish

[kaz petts]

Hi all

Can anyone tell me how big these guys get to be?

I have a lovely black UDC, he is at the moment about 5" long and rather fat to boot. I have had him about 9 months, when I got him he was only 1 and a half inches big and I have to say that his growth has not been a steady one.

I find him very interesting to watch and am hopeing that his growth will stop soon as I do not want to have to get rid of him.

When I get a decent computer and my camera back I will try and get a good enough pic of him to post on here. The problem is that my camera is not very good and does not have a flash so taking a pic of a black fish is not the easiest task in the world.

 

[lady_tanksalot]

wow big cat for an upside down, I've been led to beleive they only grow to 4", i have 6 cus i love them and have never had one more than that.

my guess is he should have about done growing but there might be someone here with more experience that can tell you different.

enjoy him, they certainly are entertaining

 

[CFC]

Im guessing your fish is a Asian upside down catfish, Mystus leucophasis, a large aggressive predatory catfish from Burma. They grow to around a foot (30cm) and will eat tankmates up to half that size. A tank of 55 gallons or more should be used to house this fish.

Is this your fish?

 

[kaz petts]

Oh poo, CFC it looks like my UDC could just be what you have pictured, although he/she is not very aggressive. It is kind of territorial but kind of just stays in it's cave or behind it now as it can't get into it. If it does get too big I will part with it although I have to say I am very reluctant to part with this fish as it is now my favourite as my Betta (for those of you in the know Sinatra, the king of the tank my first fish) died recently and is now buried in the pixie garden which I have made for the kids.
My UDC is very comical and is quite a character. Thanks for your replys.

 

[dirtydogg]

That's an awesome fish . Are there any species that do not get as big, and may be better acclimated to a community tank?

 

[kaz petts]

Yes just a normal brown in colour USD, it is quite a placid fish and is a great community fish. Just beware that if you do get one you are not sold a black one like the one shown, make sure that the one you get is a speckled brown colour with short whiskers.
USD cats are very interesting and ammusing fish to keep. Make sure you have a cave or a piece of bog wood for it to hide under or in.

 

[dirtydogg]

Do they need to be kept in groups or do they do well solo? I will have a group of Panda plecos in the same aquarium too.

 

[bunjiweb]

There are varieties of UD Cats that grow up to 3 foot long in the wild, but the 2 common types you will find in the aquarium trade -

Mystus leucophasis,
Brachysynodontis batensoda,
Synodontis nigriventris.

The first is the largest commonly available, and grows up to a foot long. The smallest is the nigriventris, which grows up to 10cm.

Ben

 

[kaz petts]

My USD cat is on it's own and seems to be doing just fine. It hides quite a lot in its cave or under the filters. I do so enjoy a game of hunt the USD cat on an evening.

 

[dirtydogg]

I just finished that game with my panda pleco. He won unfortunately.

 

[HotStuffGal]

I Have one now that I have had for probally 1 or 2 months and he is 1/2 inch, tiny lil fella