6" Cat Shark

adamc1303

Active Member
I was at the LFS today and they had about 10 small cat sharks. They must have been about 6 inches long at most light to dark grey in color with whoskers. The LFS owner said that they were reef safe and they were only $20.00 each. Does anyone know what typr of cat shark this is by the sound of my decription.
 
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supermanvx

Guest
yea my LFS has these too...they are bannded right? brown and black? yep they are brown bannded catsharks...$20 is pretty good. Mine sells them for $30
 

aw2x3

Active Member
Whatever the species, they're not suitable for a reef, nor for a 90gal. tank.
At 6", they're probably just hatched and 50% of those in that tank will end up dying for lack of eating.
 

adamc1303

Active Member
Here's a pic. He ate silversides and prawn that I put in for the other fish. And has not touched a coral so I am happey about that. The LFS told me he will not grow more than 6 inches, I hope they didn't lie to me. But I am not worried about eating because he had an appetite 10 min after I put him in.

 
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supermanvx

Guest
hmm i have no idea what that is...but he looks awesome...i want one
 

adamc1303

Active Member
I can pick one up and ship it loll. It's weird I usually know every specie in every LFS so I never have a problem picking something up and knowing if I can house it. But this thing sort of caught me off guard. I hopr they didn't lie to me about the fact that he is basically fully grown. Althoug I did some research and I saw some shrks online excatly like him, but no enouph concrete facts for me to ID him.
 
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supermanvx

Guest
hmm i dont kno...for some reason i think it might be a marine cat fish...but not sure at all cuz ive never seen one of these..great looking fish either way
 

adamc1303

Active Member
This is what I found do far
Closely related to the scyliorhinids are the finback catsharks (Proscylliidae), which includes the smallest carcharhinoid: the Pygmy Ribbontail Catshark (Eridacnis radcliffei); this species matures at about 6 to 7.5 inches (15 to 19 centimetres), rivaling the smallest squaloids in size. In addition to its small size at maturity, this species is remarkable for the large size of its pups compare to with their mother: a 7-inch (18-centimetre) female might give birth to one or even two 4.3-inch (11-centimetre) pups. It is possible that female Pygmy Ribbontails grow considerable when pregnant as only the larger females contain near- or full-tem fetuses, while small females contain only embryos.
The False Catshark (Pseudotriakis microdon) is a rare, deep-sea species, generally inhabiting abyssal slopes at depths between 660 and 4,900 feet (200 and 1,500 metres). Growing to a length of about 10 feet (3 metres), this little-known shark is among the largest of carcharhinoids.. The False Catshark is rather slender in overall body form, characterized by a long, low first dorsal fin, long narrow eyes (seemingly frozen in a permanant 'squint'), and long, teardrop-shaped spiracles. The huge, oily liver, mush musculature, soft fins and skin of the False Catshark suggest that it is relatively inactive and sluggish. Due to its many odd features, this species was long considered to be the sole member of the family Pseudotriakidae, but new evidence suggests that it is closely related to the Slender Smoothhound (Gollum attenuatus -- the only shark named after a character in Tolkein's Lord of the Rings trilogy), which is therefore also placed in that family. Recent work by ichthyologist Kazunari Yano off Okinawa, Japan, and Three Kings Ridge off New Zealand, has revealed a few secrets about this animal's reproductive biology. Males of this species mature at a length of about 8 feet (2.4 metres), while females mature at a length of about 9 feet (2.8 metres). Gestation period in the False Catshark remains unknown, but two pups are typically born per litter, each about 2.5 feet (75 centimetres) long. For decades it had been known that adult female False Catsharks produce an astonishing number of eggs - some 20,000 in one ovary of a 9-foot specimen from the western Indian Ocean. Thanks to Yano's work, we now know that these eggs are used as an accessory food source for False Catshark pups to fuel late stages of their development. Although intrauterine oophagy (egg-eating) occurs in most - possibly all - mackerel sharks (order Lamniformes), the False Catshark provides one of only two known cases of this form of fetal nutrition in a non-lamnoid shark (the other case is the Tawny Nurse Shark [Nebrius ferrugineus], an orectoloboid).
 
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supermanvx

Guest
hmm interesting...maybe it is a shark...whatever it is. its an awesome species
 

adamc1303

Active Member
Thanks... I founs some material prooving it to be a marine catfish too now. I am sure it can be now, the LFS can always say shark for 20 bucks, it makes people buy em!
 
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supermanvx

Guest
Originally Posted by Adamc1303
Thanks... I founs some material prooving it to be a marine catfish too now. I am sure it can be now, the LFS can always say shark for 20 bucks, it makes people buy em!
well hopefully it was a good buy, because he is a good lookin cat
 

aw2x3

Active Member
LOL!
That is Arius jordani...many common names such as Black Fin Shark, Jordan's Catfish or the West American Cat Shark.
It's a freshwater (sometimes brackish) catfish, that will reach lengths of 10".
It wont live long enough in a full salt tank to reach that length tho.
You can readily buy them, online, for less than $10.
 
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supermanvx

Guest
Originally Posted by AW2x3
LOL!
That is Arius jordani...many common names such as Black Fin Shark, Jordan's Catfish or the West American Cat Shark.
It's a freshwater (sometimes brackish) catfish, that will reach lengths of 10".
It wont live long enough in a full salt tank to reach that length tho.
You can readily buy them, online, for less than $10.
thats probably why i had no idea what that was. haha...but its still a pretty cool fish
 

reeftank27

Member
i have had one for around 4 years and is about 9 inches long and eats like a pig...the salinity is 1.025 and i got him when he was around 2 inches...wish mine would die lol. he wont leave anyone alone in the tank. thinks everyone wants to be his buddy. they are a school fish and love to swim together. and 20 is very high for them...i paid around 6 dollars for him. they are columbian cat sharks. ill post pics of mine tomorrow.
 

sepulatian

Moderator
Thats a columbian shark. They are fresh/brackishwater/ but can be acclimated to salt. I have had a few. My favorite shark, they arn't as sensitive to ammonia/ trites as a real salt shark is, they grow to about a foot. Here is a pic of mine, same guy
 
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