Just ordered some Lophiobagrus brevispinis!

[CatWhat]

Like its says, just order 8 Lophiobagrus brevispinis. Should be getting them in a few days. Just wondering if anyone had any personal experince with these cats? I just got to add some rock work/ caves to their tank and it should be all good.

[sidguppy]

I've bred them by the numbers ;)

see the CotM article HERE

it's a small and easy to keep catfish, and unlike it's bigger cousin it's peaceful and social too

there are a few no-go's; apart from that, it's really easy to keep

don't combine them with

Lophiobagrus cyclurus

. that species is notably larger and much more aggressive; there's a big chance the smaller brevispinis gets bullied.

also: don't put them in a tank with a lot of large boisterous Synodontis; the least that can happen is strong food competition, but I know an occasion where adult

Synodontis ocellifer

chased and killed adult L brevispinis!

lastly: the same goes for the nastier Tanganyikan cichlids; fish like Neolamprologus modestus and others with aggression issues.
do not underestimate Shell Dwellers either; Lamprologus ocellatus and the colonial Lamprologus multifasciatus can make life very hard for any small catfish.

it's a great cat with the more timid cichlids; you can combine it with sandsifters (Xenotilapia, Callochromis, Featherfins), (Para)cyprichromis, the more gentle cavedwellers like Neolamprologus obscurus or Altolamprologus calvus and the like.

they accept any small hideout; Texas Holey Rock can be used, but medium and large shells can be used too; they even breed in those
that's why they're not a good match for Shellies; they get a housing conflict

if you like to combine them with catfishes a small group of

Synodontis lucipinnis

or a pair or small group of

Phyllonemus typus

are fine, but it all depends on tanksize and furniture

they love to dig; if you put rocks halfway in the sand, they will dig out a breeding tunnel underneath it.

all foods are accepted, but for good results a combination of dry food (flakes, small sinking pellets) and frozen stuff like Artemia, mysis, cyclops and bloodworms is best

[CatWhat]

Thanks for the info. I set up a 30 gallon just for them , as I would like to breed them. So they will be the only fish in the tank, so at least there won't be any issue of food getting to the bottom for them. I'm going to get some more rock work in there and I was also wondering terra cota pots would be suitable spwaning caves for them?

[Shane]

Thanks for the info.

You can take Sid's information to the bank, he has had great success with these fish.
-Shane

[CatWhat]

Yes, the info was perfect, thanks again. It answered all of my questions regarding these little catfish. Like I mentioned I will be setting up the tank with some more rocks and terra cota pots to make them feel more at home. Once I get the decor and the fish come in I'll try to get some pics.

[Richard B]

The only thing to add is that i'd check once they have arrived they are brevispinnis.Post a pic here? They should be, as 99% of confusion has cyclurus identified as brevi's in literature and in lfs (at least here in the UK) but occasionally it is the other way round (e.g. Seegars)

[CatWhat]

They arrived, all 8. They all seem to do doing great, I decided to leave the lights off in their tank, just until they settle in a bit. I'll probably turn the lights on tomorrow and perhaps feed them tomorrow evening the next day. Are they more of a nocturnal feeder or will they come out during the day to feed?
I checkd out the differences between the brevispinis and the cyclurus, it looks like I got what I was looking for. They definalty do not have the clear edge on their fins.
I tried to get some pics of the tank and fish bt I am having trouble making them less then 514kB.

[CatWhat]

They seem to be settling in pretty good. They already have started digging their own caves underneath the rocks and dift wood. I tried some frozen brineshrimp with them and a couple of them took to them. The rest didn't really ocme out of their caves. Perhaps over the next few days all of them will get used to the feeding schedule.

[Richard B]

Once settled they'll feed with the lights on but do prefer the lights off - i'm watching mine right now swimming round in the dark...

[CatWhat]

Thanks for the info. I tried feeding them some blood worms with the tank lights off and they were much more active.
While they were moving about I was trying to identify them as brevispinis for sure. It's probably me being a bit OCD, but I just want to make sure I got is what I want. From what I can see none of them seem to have that clear edge on their tail and it seems to be more rounded. They are all different sizes as of now, varying from I guess what would be 2.5" maybe to 3". Also mine don't seem to be as stocky as the cyclurus, mine being a bit elongated I guess.
Just by going from the pics of the brevis. and the cyclurus I am leaning towards mine being the brevis. Well I'm sure over the next few days/weeks I will get over this second guessing myself lol.

[CatWhat]

Just another update. I tried giving them some small chopped up earth worms tonight, they loved them. A few even took the worms right out of my hand. It's amazing how much they dig, very fun to watch them pile up the sand in the front of their hide outs.