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Post by angelminx on Nov 16, 2014 1:49:09 GMT -5
[This is the 3rd time I've tried to post this, where when I get about halfway through all of a sudden what I'm typing disappears and I find myself back where I have to choose which post I want to read ] I did a bad thing the other day ; when I went to Petco to pick up some more frozen food for the kiddies, I stopped to look at the fish. I had promised myself that, other than SAEs, I wouldn't buy any more fish for a while. I have always liked Banjo Cats, and though I've kept my eyes opened for YEARS, I haven't found them anywhere.... Petco got 5 in just that morning, so I bought 2 of them. I would have liked to have gotten them all, since they do better in a group, but I couldn't afford it right now. Does anyone have any detailed info on them? I had some somewhere, but can't seem to find it. When I did a search on their profiles, all I got was basic info, and most of that is repeated word-for-word on each site. After acclimating them, I placed them in my 10G, where they'll spend the next 30 days. I used MB during the acclimation process, and would like to profilactically treat them for possible gill flukes and worms, but want to give them a chance to settle in first. I'm a bit concerned because, other than one of them (the morning after I got them), which zipped across the tank when I nudged him out from behind the sponge filter, they have spent the whole time "playing Possum" ! I realize that they are nocturnal, but even then, the only real sign that they are (still) alive, is that I keep finding them in different places throughout the tank--I've just never seen them move from point to point (I've even had the blue LEDs turned on for a while after the lights have been out, or checked with a flashlight early in the AM, and still nothing). This evening I even took a close look (my eyes aren't so good any more) with 2 pair of reading glasses on, and could barely see it's tiny mouth moving occasionally on the one that was up by the front glass. They sometimes just seem to "float with the current": for example, when I nudge them to see if they're alive, they don't move at all (not a fin or tail, i.e., if the tail is curled, it stays that way without even a fraction of a cm's worth of movement), just float a bit away from where they were. I can even pick them up, or turn them onto an awkward position and they just stay that way (day or night). They look like they're frozen in what ever "shape" they happen to be "sitting in", but I can "re-shape" them, because their bodies are not stiff, they are still flexible. Like I said, I am worried that they might not be well, so don't want to stress them with a parasite treatment until I am more sure about them. Any insight/ideas would be welcome ! Angelminx BTW: Their transport water from the store had a pH of 8.2 (that may be because they also sell marine fish); I took ~ 5-6 hours to bring them down to 7.6 (the KH was super high, too, where mine is usually between 3-4).
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Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2014 10:12:12 GMT -5
Hi Angelmix, I don't know about Banjo Cats -- but it seems like you are having problems with Firefox (your browser). I had to stop using that browser as it was causing all sorts of problems with my machine. Here are some Banjo Catfish links (that you probably already have seen): aqualandpetsplus.com/Catfish,%20Banjo.htm animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/catfish/banjocat.phpen.wikipedia.org/wiki/AspredinidaeAnd many more with basically the same info..... Interesting.... I just read this in the Wiki article: >Aspredinids have a loss of alarm cells and the fright reaction that is present in other ostariophysans This explains the behavior of your little guys. Judy
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Post by devonjohnsgard on Nov 17, 2014 19:10:56 GMT -5
I personally have not had experience with these fish.
I will say, I always start my longer post in Word, them copy it over to the forum when I'm done. I've had what you've had happen one to many times, so I started using Word. Hope that helps.
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Post by angelminx on Nov 19, 2014 19:44:38 GMT -5
I was looking thru my old Aquarium Fish Magazines the last couple of days--originally I only got it sporatically because the stores weren't very consistant about carrying it, and I couldn't get a subscription right away. I thought I had seen something fairly recently, but couldn't find anything other than an Import Report in TFH on whiptail banjos, genus Aspredo, that are said to grow to 12". Anyway, I found 2 "mentions" in my old magazines that I thought might be of interest, in case anyone has copies, or access to copies. The 1st is from AFM June 1994 (beginning on page 8): "The Banjos" in the "Catfish In Depth" column by Ginny Eckstein; and in AFM July 1996 (beginning on page 68): the article "Bring On The Banjo" by Mike Wickham. Ginny mentions "a strange (3rd) variety that occasionally shows up in dealer tanks that tends to be extremely shy." [This, again, was written in '94] "Previously known as Amaralia hypsiurus, it is actually Bunocephalus (the bicolor banjo is listed in literature as Bunocephalus, but the valid name is Dysichthys, and the craggy headed banjo cat should be Bunocephalichthys rather than Agmus). "A .hypsiurus" is not seen as often and "if you think you've discovered one of the strange Bunocephalus/Amarilia, pick it up and hold it in your hand--they immediately curl up. I don't know of any other banjo catfish that does this." Also, later in the column, as to banjos in general: "Although we usually consider the doradids to be the talking catfish, if you hold a banjo catfish in your hand in the aquarium, you will be able to feel the vibrations of their vocalizations." When I was checking my 2 last night, I turned each one over for a second (to observe their bellys), then turned them back over to check them out, and the one that was the least active (i.e. stayed in one place more than the other did) I could feel vibrating. The other one moved its pectoral fins a little bit, but I didn't feel any vibrations from it. Mike mentions that "a mottled brown coloration and rough texture make this fish appear very much like dead wood, dead leaf litter or a piece of bark....Banjo catfish enhance the illusion by playing dead. If you stir the water near them, they are likely to drift and tumble in the current along with other debris." That, of course, is what I have witnessed on numerous occasions . He goes on to say that "there are 32 related species, some ranging into slightly brackish waters." And "their native waters have a pH that varies from an acidic 6.0 to an alkaline 8.0, with a hardness range from 5-19....a temperature range of 77-82 degrees is suitable." He suggests rock ledges and caves for hiding, rather than decorating with leaf litter. Also heavy plantings of bunch plants are a good idea: "banjo cats often wedge themselves between the plant stems." "Bunocephalus coracoideus (the bi-colored banjo) is, by far, the most common and should be considered a purely freshwater fish. They grow to about 4 1/2", with females being a bit more full-bodied. Specimens are all wild-caught (1996), but captive spawnings have been reported." They are supposed to be easy to feed, preferring frozen and live foods (such as bloodworms, blackworms, and brine shrimp), but will also accept freeze-dried foods, flakes, and pellets. And, of course should be fed after the lights go out. Pages 108 and 109 of my book The World of Catfishes by Midori Kobayagawa, and edited by Warren E. Burgess (English translation 1991) has 10 photos of various banjos, 2 that are just listed as Bunocephalus sp., and 2 pics of Platystacus cotylephorus, 1 of Aspredo aspredo, 2 Bunocephalus coracoideus, 1 B. kneri, and 2 Agmus lyriformis. The book has some very good photos of different catfish, I just wish it had in-depth info on the different fish. One other article that you all might get a kick out of (starts on page 20 of): the March 2002 AFM article "Plecomania! Are you a sucker for suckermouthn catfish?" by Ginny Eckstein. Near the beginning of the article she talks about a time in 1988, when she had the opportunity to go to a fish importer who was supposed to get "a very special South American shipment....No one was sure what that meant, but on the list was something called 'Pleco with teeth.' ...it appeared to have 'fangs', and the common name of 'vampire pleco' was quickly established. (it was much later that the scientific or nomenclatural name Leporacanthicus galaxias became available)." Unfortunately that fish is not shown in the book The World of Catfishes--I really would like to see a picture of it. She said it was beautiful. More on my 2 guys later. Angelminx
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Post by angelminx on Nov 19, 2014 23:55:02 GMT -5
I forgot that I was going to ask this, but when it comes to medicating the banjo cats for gill flukes/worms, is it safe to use PraziPro in the same tank with ghost shrimp? The bottle says: "non-toxic to commonly kept aquarium animals and plants", so I assume so, I just want to be sure before I do so. Since my guys are still hanging in there with no obvious signs of distress, I plan on starting their therapy in the next day or two. One other thing that I thought was cute: when I was going through some of my old magazines, one of the fish profiles said: "they are not particular about water parameters--wet is sufficient" !
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Post by Carl on Nov 20, 2014 13:23:36 GMT -5
Excellent research Angelminx! I also liked the quote: "they are not particular about water parameters--wet is sufficient"If you were able to scan some pictures from your magazine and book, this would make for a good/helpful article Carl
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Post by angelminx on Nov 20, 2014 15:51:54 GMT -5
I'll do that soon. Should I start a separate thread, or stay with this one. What would you suggest? If I move the info to a separate thread, I'll have to figure out how to quote, because that's somethingI haven't attempted yet.
Angelminx
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Post by Carl on Nov 20, 2014 19:00:56 GMT -5
I'll do that soon. Should I start a separate thread, or stay with this one. What would you suggest? If I move the info to a separate thread, I'll have to figure out how to quote, because that's somethingI haven't attempted yet. Angelminx This thread is perfect since it is about Banjo Catfish Carl
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Post by devonjohnsgard on Nov 22, 2014 14:32:47 GMT -5
This thread makes me want to give these guys a try.
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Post by angelminx on Nov 23, 2014 19:46:42 GMT -5
Hi, Everybody, I'm back! I will try to get the pictures scanned somehow, but when I tried the other day I kept getting a "Scan Failed" message. I talked to Costco's "concierge service" today, and the guy I talked to looked the info up, and Kodak Printer I have (Kodak Hero 5.1) is not compatible with Widows 8.1 (at least for scanning to the computer). I am going to try to contact Kodak tomorrow and talk with them. In the meantime, here are some pics of my guys; You wouldn't think they'd blend in with blue and green gravel so well--of course, maybe if the black and white wasn't mixed in there too it would be different (this gravel came with one of the 1st tanks I ever got--a used metal-frame 10G--back in the mid-'70s !) [Pics to be continued in the next few posts.] BTW, I'm a bit confused on the dosing schedule for PraziPro. I'm doing the in-tank treatment since it's a prophylactic treatment and it's a little hard to judge their reactions compared to most fish, but if you think I should go ahead and do baths with/instead of in-tank, I'd like info on dosing that way, too. Angelminx
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Post by angelminx on Nov 23, 2014 19:53:05 GMT -5
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Post by angelminx on Nov 23, 2014 20:01:10 GMT -5
This 1st shot is the "original", and in the 2nd, I successfully tried to crop it so he can be seen closer up and still, hopefully, be accepted by the "attachment" size: In this one, if you look closely, you can see his mouth .
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Post by angelminx on Nov 23, 2014 20:04:43 GMT -5
Here, I couldn't make the close-up much larger:
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Post by angelminx on Nov 23, 2014 20:17:47 GMT -5
The LCD thermometer shows up in this 1st shot: These next two were taken ("same place") at a different time: [The reddish coloration under his pectoral fin, is just from the shadow.] I had one more picture, but somehow I missed it when I was sizing these to download onto the computer. It's a bit fuzzy, but showed one of them behind the sponge filter. That's all for now . Angelminx P.S Ignore the spots on the glass. Somehow I always manage to miss some when I clean, and don't find them till later.
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Post by angelminx on Nov 23, 2014 20:58:05 GMT -5
I just read Judy's post on Camallanus worms, and will also order some Levamisole--I somehow missed that info when reading up on parasite treatments. As for the Prazipro, what measurement would you use for preparing medicated food? Is it safe for Bamboo and Amano shrimp, or Nerites? If so, I will make a batch for everyone, otherwise, I'll just be "feeding" the 10G.
Angelminx
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Post by Carl on Nov 24, 2014 10:30:42 GMT -5
NICE PICS!! This would make a nice Everything Aquatic Blog post My suggestion would be a bath treatment, especially since catching these fish should not be too stressful (to the fish) Carl
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Post by devonjohnsgard on Nov 24, 2014 10:36:00 GMT -5
I just read Judy's post on Camallanus worms, and will also order some Levamisole--I somehow missed that info when reading up on parasite treatments. As for the Prazipro, what measurement would you use for preparing medicated food? Is it safe for Bamboo and Amano shrimp, or Nerites? If so, I will make a batch for everyone, otherwise, I'll just be "feeding" the 10G. Angelminx I would think about a bath. Check this link out: www.americanaquariumproducts.com/AquariumMedication3.html#praziquantel
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Post by devonjohnsgard on Nov 24, 2014 10:36:53 GMT -5
These guys are so interesting looking. Sometimes you don't know where they start and where they end.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 24, 2014 11:10:18 GMT -5
Hi Angelminx,
I don't think I would treat the fish with Levamisole HCl unless you know there is a need. If you do decide to try Levamisole HCl, dose at the concentration Carl recommends (2 ppm) -- not the concentration Charles recommends (13 ppm). Many folks who used Charles recommendation killed catfish, plecos, loaches/botias and cory cats that did not appear to be infected - many had massive fish loss.
If you do bath treatments in a bucket, I highly recommend adding Methylene Blue. Of course, Methylene Blue can not be added to your aquarium.
What size tank are these Banjo catfish in? I don't remember..... I will have Levamisole HCl left over and will gladly send it to you (make sure Carl has you address and I will get it from him). I intend to use Oregon Grape Root in the future.
Judy D.
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Post by angelminx on Nov 24, 2014 19:19:25 GMT -5
Thanks for your suggestions, everyone . I'll start the baths this evening, but I only have a (partial) 1 oz. bottle of PraziPro, so I'll have to add it to the list for my next order. Since I normally treat with a 1 quart bath, I'm not sure what measurement the dose should be. Also how often should it be repeated? The bottle says that a single treatment lasting 5-7 days is normally sufficient, but to repeat no more than once every 3-5 days; does that mean I should wait 5 days before a 2nd treatment. It also says to repeat as necessary, but since I'm treating prophylactically, should I do more than 2 treatments? Judy, thanks for the info on the levamisole, I didn't know that about the problems people have had, and I hadn't looked at the dosing size since originally I wasn't sure where to get it. The Banjos are in my 10G tank. I usually use the specimen containers for giving baths to help conserve tank water--I go thru it so fast as it is just giving 2 baths a day . Carl, since I have order from you I know you have my address thru the "store" (under Shirley Schwappach), but do you need it to be sent to you in some other way?
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