Tropical Fish Forums

[deborah_claro]

Last weekend I picked up these two Chaetostoma milesi, L-187a, from an LFS owned by a member of my aquarium club. He is just starting to bring some interesting catfish into his shop.

There were six of them for sale but I could only take two. It would have been great, though, to be able to take all six and set them up in a nice long tank with a swift current!

However, two was my limit, and here they are.
The bigger one is about 7.5 cm and the little one is about 6.0 cm.


So, here is the bigger one, minding his own business.


The little one slips up behind him and tries to go for his tail.


Then the little one leaps up on top of the bigger one and goes for his head.
The rasping, fairly vigorous, goes on for a second until the bigger one escapes out from under the little one.


Here they are separated for a moment, considering their strategies.


The little one tries the same trick again ...


... but the big one turns the tables and goes for the little one's tail!


The big one makes good on his promise and lets the little one have it!
Note the "terror" in the little one's eye as he tries to clamber up the side of the tub. *lol*
Actually, he was fine - they were equally matched.


Scraping up against each other in a side-by-side uneasy truce.


Breaking up for good. This is a good shot showing the typical "Omega" eye.


"Finally I get some peace!"

These guys will definitely fight with each other if they are confined to a small area and maybe otherwise, besides. I was looming over them with a camera and this seemed to set them off. Perhaps they thought I was a predator bird or something and panicked. This set off the fight. When I backed off, they calmed down.

What a pair! I've kept Chaetostoma species on and off since about 2004 and have had a chance to observe them in different communities. These C. milesi were a nice find as I have not seen them for sale before.


Deborah
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[Flame Angel]

Awesome fish! Nice find

[nikelodeon79]

Gorgeous! Great pics, too!
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Dumpster Tank
Nano Fish
Mbuna

[susankatomerit]

Fantastic Deb, they look good and healthy.
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47 tanks and still adding!
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[deborah_claro]

Thanks! Nice to see you all here Nik, Flame, and Susan.

Yes, they ARE nice and healthy, with all fins intact and a great attitude. They are now in my 75 gallon with lots of decor (plants, wood, big rocks) where they stay mostly on the back glass, separated from each other. These fish were made for glass! *lol* It's hard and smooth and they can get a really good grip with those big suction-cup mouths of theirs!

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