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I've been lurking for a bit but this is my first post. I hope it's in the correct forum. I'll have to make it short as I've hurt my back and can't sit around for too long.

Short story is that I bought a tank and it came with fish. I've worked out what each is but need clarifcation on one of them, and also another which was bought for me today. Any help would be great.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v153/ferny/fish/e2bf535d.jpg
^Chinese Algae Eater?

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v153/ferny/fish/b236a284.jpg
^Leopard Catfish? I assumed that at first and in the photo it looks more like one. But in the photos on the internet they all look different to this. Far lighter.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v153/ferny/fish/89d0afbd.jpg
^Also, any idea what type of Angelfish this could be? This is the smaller of the two. He keeps getting picked on by the one which is slightly bigger. There's also a black patch on the other side.


Sorry about the crap photos.

www.blueyedmuffin.co.uk - I'll update it, one day...

The first picture is of an Otocinclus catfish. It's a small algae eater and is very peaceful, but sometimes has trouble becoming acclimated to different water conditions.

The second fish is a catfish in the genus Synodontis. I'm not very good with them and can't tell you exactly which species that is, but I can say that most of them tend to be pretty voracious eaters.

Best guess I can give on the angelfish is some kind of "koi" mix. I think that's what they call the orangish ones.

Hopefully a few other people will come along and offer their help as well. Welcome to the site!

---

And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

The second one appears to be a juvenile Synodontis eupterus. I have two. They change colors a bit as they become adults. It'll end up medium brown with dark brown spots. The dorsal fin gets taller and rather ornate. Annnd my larger one is about 10 inches long! I've heard of them getting about 12 inches long! So I hope you have a big enough tank, because the larger one got most of its length in a small tank before we could move him to a bigger one.

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The first picture is of an Otocinclus catfish. It's a small algae eater and is very peaceful, but sometimes has trouble becoming acclimated to different water conditions.

Bang on the money I think there. I did some searching and almost all photos match my little fish. The Chinese Algae Eater has a slightly different pattern so I wasn't fully convinced. But not all fish of the same type look the same, do they?

Best guess I can give on the angelfish is some kind of "koi" mix. I think that's what they call the orangish ones.

I looked up Koi Angelfish and they all seem far too orange compared to mine. My are a silvery yellow for the most part. So...?

The second one appears to be a juvenile Synodontis eupterus.

Are you sure? I can't find any which have the same pattern. Especially on the Dorsal fin.


Thanks for all the help so far.

www.blueyedmuffin.co.uk - I'll update it, one day...

The second one appears to be a juvenile Synodontis eupterus.

Are you sure? I can't find any which have the same pattern. Especially on the Dorsal fin.

quote a quote o how fun

try this from PlanetCatfish
Catfish Linky


"No whammy, No whammy, No whammy, STOP!!"

1984-Michael Larsen On Press Your Luck

Chinese algae eaters look extremely different. Not just the pattern but the entire body, mouth, eyes, tail.... The only similarity I can find is they have a sucker mouth but so do tons of other fish. That is most definitely an oto. Their personality and size is also extremely different from a cae(lucky for you). Otos remain tiny little peaceful fish while most of the time you can't even find baby cae that are as small as adult otos and eventually they will become agressive and reach over a foot in length. If you'd seen both fish in person you wouldn't even question it or try to compare them.

Your first photo looks almost exactly like my specimens of Otocinclus mariae (frequently mislabelled as Otocinclus arnoldi in the trade).

Your second fish is probably, as has already been stated, a juvenile Synodontis eupterus. That fish is going to grow to a considerable size (expect at LEAST 8 inches) and is going to be one formidable bruiser as an adult.

The Angelfish is one of the Gold angels - so-called "Koi Angels" have white, orange and black marbling mixed together.

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002