Apure Jelly Catfish questions...

[TheEelKing]

I just saw a YouTube video where a large apure jelly catfish inhabited a tank with some senegal bichirs it could easily devour. I thought these catfish were very predatory and aggressive. I saw a photo of a n apure trying to swallow a large oscar. The oscar was too tall-bodied to be swallowed, so the catfish just held it in its mouth from head to gill.

http://www.scotcat.com/articles/cephalosilurus_apurensis30.jpg
http://www.scotcat.com/articles/cephalosilurus_apurensis31.jpg

Given that, I wouldn't have imagined any bichir being able to survive with a large species of this fish.

Questions:
1) How is this possible where it hasn't swallowed the bichirs?
2) Does anyone else have this catfish?
3) Do bichirs work with them generally?
4) What have you kept your apure with longterm?

 

[moe214]

Take everything on YouTube with a grain of salt if you can’t click on there page and see many uploads of the same tank throughout months at least. Sometimes the question is how long it will work rather than will it work.

I’ve not read of anything saying apurensis is a territorial killer (not to say it doesn’t or can’t happen, it just may not be reported) but they are territorial. The killing they do, seems you know, stems from predatory aggression usually.

 

[TheEelKing]

Take everything on YouTube with a grain of salt if you can’t click on there page and see many uploads of the same tank throughout months at least. Sometimes the question is how long it will work rather than will it work.

I’ve not read of anything saying apurensis is a territorial killer (not to say it doesn’t or can’t happen, it just may not be reported) but they are territorial. The killing they do, seems you know, stems from predatory aggression usually.

I read that they were predatory aggressive which is why I wondered how those bichirs could survive with that thing. It can swallow them easily if it wanted to. And, you're right, those fish may not have been together for long.

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

1) How is this possible where it hasn't swallowed the bichirs?

*****We don't know that it hasn't.
*****There is a load of far more palatable goldfish in the tank.
*****If al left as is, sooner or later the apu will likely eat all or most of what's in the tank.

2) Does anyone else have this catfish?

*****Many do. SharptoothBass . I too.

3) Do bichirs work with them generally?

*****IDK but wouldn't think so.

4) What have you kept your apure with longterm?

*****Other apu and fish that cannot fit in their mouth, not any significant part of it, head or tail first.

 

[plecoking2010]

I have 2 of them for a bout 10 months now about a foot long. They have been with smaller fish the whole time. I feed them everyday and keep there bellies full and they do not mess with any of the other fish. They pretty much keep to themselves until its feeding time then they get a little aggressive. As far as just being mean as hell and very aggressive there not that bad. I have a smaller like 6 inch tsn in there and they have not even tried to mess with him.