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The December 2003 edition of Practical Fishkeeping has a treat in store for anyone who likes unusual fish species. Pages 100 to 104 contained an article profiling an aquarist called Sean Evans, who when not working toward a Ph.D specialising in the biology of cancer, is a passionate keeper of strange fishes. A habit, incidentally, he acquired from contact with the magazine's own resident 'oddball keeper', Richard Hardwick (and if Richard Hardwick hasn't seen a fish, you know it's rare!).

The article was illustrated with several veyr high quality photographs, including a close up of Sean's Silver Arowana that will have several photographers turning green with envy, not only at the quality of the shot, but the magnificence of the fish too! Also among the photographs are a couple that should warn prospective keepers of certain fishes just what they are looking forward to - Sean's Clowm Knife Kish, Chitala chitala, are now 20 inches long, and reached this size in just two years from juveniles just 2 inches long ... the horizontal piece of bogwood in the background behind the fish in the photograph is as thick as a man's arm, which should give you an indication of just what a juggernaut this fish is. The other 'warning photograph' is of Sean's Leiarus pictus, a Pimelodid catfish that can reach 2 feet in length, and which has a habit of rearranging filter tubes if these are not protected against the fish's propensity for wanton vandalism! Furthermore, Sean's specimen caused a bit of a stir, when it tapped Richard Hardwick on the shoulder with its barbels demanding to be fed - it is, apparently, a real character, and a 'ham actor' par excellence when visitors pay a call to Sean's menagerie. This catfish has again reached 22 inches in two years, having been acquired as a juvenile - prospective catfish owners be warned that this fish grows fast!

The fish list I shall reproduce in full. But before doing so, note that Sean is a BIG fan of Bichirs, and has several unusual ones in his collection, the identity of all of them having been verified by professionals, which makes his collection rather special, and I suspect Toirtis would love to go and pay a visit and see some of these beasts for himself ... Also included are some VERY unusual additions to what would otherwise be a fairly normal Tanganyika Cichlid aquarium - how many people on this board can say, hand on heart, that they have even heard of Aethiomastacembelus ellipsifer, let alone seen one? Well, Sean has one in his Tanganyika collection, and yes, this IS a Rift Lake native Spiny Eel ...

Oh, and needless to say, this list of fishes is spread across something like 30 aquaria, most of them enormous!

Sean's Fish List

1 x Silver Arowana, Ostoglossum bicirrhosum, 56 cm
2 x Clown Knife Fish, Chitala chitala, 45 cm and 51 cm
1 x Polypterus ornatipinnis, 38cm
1 x Polypterus bichir lapradei, 30 cm
1 x Polypterus palmas polli, 23 cm
1 x Polypterus retropinnis, 23 cm
4 x Polypterus palmas palmas, 20 cm
2 x Polypterus weeksi, 15cm
6 x Polypterus senegalus senegalus, Juveniles
2 x Polypterus delhezi, Juveniles
2 x Polypterus enlicheri endlicheri, 38 cm
1 x Polypterus endlicheri congicus, 46 cm
1 x Synodontis decorus, 20 cm
1 x Synodontis waterloti, 18 cm
1 x Leiarus pictus, 56 cm
1 x Gymnothorax tile, 56 cm
1 x Couis quadrifasciatus, 20 cm
3 x Synodontis multipunctatus
6 x Cyprichromis leptosoma
2 x Altolamprologus calvus
2 x Julidochromis sp. 'Gombi'
2 x Neolamprologus brichardi
6 x Neolamprologus multifasicatus
1 x Aethiomastacembelus ellipsifer
1 x Serrasalmus rhombeus, 15 cm
6 x Scatophagus argus
1 x Green Puffer, Tetraodon fluviatilis
1 x Green Spotted Puffer, Tetraodon nigroviridis
1 x Red Line Puffer, Tetraodon erythrotaenia
2 x Red-Tailed Red-Eye Puffers, Carinotetraodon irrubesco
1 x Couis microlepis (formerly Datnioides microlepis), 12 cm
1 x Oxydoras niger (formerly Pseudodoras niger), 10 cm
5 x Melanotaenia trifasciata
1 x Melanotaenia lacustris
5 x Rasbora caudimaculata
5 x Siamese Algae Eaters, Crossocheilus siamensis
1 x Corydoras adolfoi
1 x Corydoras trilineatus
1 x Banjo Catfish, Bunocephalus sp.
1 x Whiptail Catfish, Rineloricaria sp.
6 x Clown Loaches, Botia macracantha
1 x African Butterfly Fish, Pantodon buchholzi
1 x Scarlet Plec, Pesudacanthicus leopardus
1 x Striped Spiny Eel, Mastacembelus sp.
1 x Bristlenose Catfish, Ancistrus sp.
1 x Rainbow Snakehead, Channa bleheri
1 x Clown Snakehead, Channa pleuophthalma
1 x Wolf Fish, Hoplias malabaricus, 23 cm
1 x Hoplerythrinus unitaeniatus, 10 cm.



[span class="edited"][Edited by Calilasseia 2004-07-19 07:35][/span]

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

I now know who to envy.

Very nice! I MUST pick up a copy

BTW, Aethiomastacembelus ellipsifer wouldnt be the Tanganyika Banded Eel would it?

Woot he has brichardis on his list!

Nice list maybe I'll have a list like that one day... Probably not though..

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Looks a lot like my fish list.

Sean is a BIG fan of Bichirs, and has several unusual ones in his collection, the identity of all of them having been verified by professionals, which makes his collection rather special, and I suspect Toirtis would love to go and pay a visit and see some of these beasts for himself

Actually, aside from the P. p. palmas, I have everything he has, plus a couple of species, and more of them!

Plus, where are his lungfish, rare labyrinths, hingemouths, etc?

Toirtis, you and he should get together ... you would probably have a blast comparing fish

Lunker, that eel is new to me, so if you know more about it than I do, post some info!

[span class="edited"][Edited by Calilasseia 2004-07-20 06:43][/span]

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Nope i was wrong, this is the eel he has http://www.fishbase.org/Photos/PicturesSummary.cfm?ID=10058&what=species]http://www.fishbase.org/Photos/PicturesSummary.cfm?ID=10058&what=species[/link] and this is the one i was thinking of [link=http://store1.yimg.com/I/fish2u_1792_109171.