# Catfish Identification help



## dfishy (Feb 7, 2010)

Hello 
I am not sure whether anyone will be able to help me out here but it is worth a shot. 
I have recently rescued 5 catfish and i have managed to identify 3 of them (2x upside down catfish and one striped talking catfish) 
but the other 2 are proving rather difficult not only do i rarely see them but i have almost no chance of taking a photograph for reference. 
One is a silver/grey colour is about 6in in length with black spots on most of the fins i did find a similar fish called a synodontis waterloti or something similar but i am not convinced this is the fish. 
the second one is again about 6in in length but is brown colour with black/dark spots on his fins and some of his body both the catfish seem to be the same shape . 
Also as well i have tried feeding them on algae tablets, catfish pellets and blanched peas but they do not seem to be eating much at all i only put about 6 algae tablets in but most are mouldy and uneaten. 
Can anyone out there help me out i am not a catfish experienced fishkeeper .


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## hawksport (Dec 27, 2009)

Without good photos there is no chance of identifying catfish even with photos you would probably only get an educated guess as there are so many that are very similar. Most aquatic shops don't allways know what they are selling when it comes to the more unusual catfish. Try feeding some blood worm or lance fish but rinse lance fish first.


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## Guest (Feb 8, 2010)

Many species of catfish, particularly _Synodontis_, can hybridize very easily, which in turn can make identification more or less impossible without knowing the parentage of the specimen. Without a photo there is no sure-way of telling you exactly what you have.

As for the silver-grey catfish, this does hint Pangasius, possibly _P_. _hypophthalamus_, aka the Iridescent shark.


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## hawksport (Dec 27, 2009)

Does Pangasius hypophthalamus have black spots on its fins?


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## Guest (Feb 9, 2010)

hawksport said:


> Does Pangasius hypophthalamus have black spots on its fins?


Not necessarily, however quite a few specimens that I've seen floating around (no pun intended) in aquatic stores have exhibited different patterns on their fins, ranging from solid-black bars around the edges of the fins to a dusting of light-grey spots. Several factors including genetics can influence any external details on the offspring.


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## dfishy (Feb 7, 2010)

looking at photos of the iridescent shark i have doubts as mine is the normal catfish shape flat on the base etc. 
I will try and get a photograph but i think it is me going to have to catch it and photograph it out of the water or place it in a empty tank. 
thanks anyway for your suggestions


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## AngusChild (Jan 13, 2010)

the second one sounds like a leopard catfish, or a Schoutedeni Synodontis


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