Simon Say's - Name That Fish

Hmm, this looks fun, but then I read the small print and saw that you wanted the scientific name as well. Lol. Okay, here are my guesses:

Fish # 3: Hypostamus plecostamus (Family Loricariidae);
Fish # 2: Gnathonemus sp. Common name: elephant nose;
Fish # 1: some kind of bottom feeder (catfish), hehehe (sorry, was going to say a gourami but it has too many whiskers for that ).

You win! You stumped me! At least let me know how badly I "bombed" on this fun quiz!

Oh, I'm stuck too; and this is the reason for posting. Bear in mind, as an art project back in the early '70's I tattooed my name on my arm so I wouldn't forget what it was. (Sort of positive ID)

Anywho, I was told the bottom feeder, #3, was a Pacasumus (sp?) and number 2 was an elephant nosed Fresh Water Dolphin (dolphin look alike). People give me these fish, what can I say?

Number 2 (Dolphin) is actually much prettier than the common elephant nose as it doesn't have that large upper dorsal which resembles an Angel Fish because it also has a dorsal almost as large. Where this elephant nose is more smooth with the dorsal long and short, and the pectoral smooth and almost non-existent.

The catfish is interesting, it's three years old (it has a friend the same age in that tank) and about 14 inches (35cm) long. They prefer to hide and are very timid, but, as you can see from the cloudy water, I've cleared a bunch of stuff away so I could photograph him/her/it.

Well that was a very cool way to try and find out what your fish are! Fish #3 is most certainly a plecostamus; how big is it? They can get quite enourmous!

I have just posted a photograph of my 'common elephant nose' fish; you're right, your's is different, but I love how they look like little dolphins! I bought mine because I thought it was so cute.

Number 2 is a Morymid. They are closely related to the Elephant Nose. Number 3 is already confirmed as a common plec or Hypostomus Plecostomus. They can reach 12-14 inches.

I'm not familiar with the first one but you can try http://www.planetcatfish.com/.

Thanx Blue, you seem very knowledgeable.

As for the Hypostomus Plecostomus; I have four of them, two in the 140gal tank and two in the 85 gal tank. They range in approximate size of 10 to 16 inches.

Wow. I'm impressed, CJ.
By the way, those fish are now considered a threat here. They have invaded one marshland and several rivers here already. They can consume the local flora and fauna. :shock:

Blue said:

Wow. I'm impressed, CJ.
By the way, those fish are now considered a threat here. They have invaded one marshland and several rivers here already. They can consume the local flora and fauna. :shock:

Click to expand...

Over hear, well on the east cost, its a fish they call Frankenfish. It hops out of the water and migrates from pond to pond eating everything in the pond that isn't plant life.

Thankfully, in the desert, water is too scarce to have open systems. We have a system called Crap 2 Tap, where sewage is recycled. There is no chance that a fish which was flushed down the toilet could make its way into freshwater supplies.

This said, it cannot be over emphasized that any respectable fish husband will not allow any of their stock to be released into the wild unless it came from that region originally.

If you have a fish you no longer want (or any other life form) and cannot find a home for it, the most humane way to exterminate the fish is to put it into a plastic bag with water, and place it in the freezer.

CJ said:

Over hear, well on the east cost, its a fish they call Frankenfish. It hops out of the water and migrates from pond to pond eating everything in the pond that isn't plant life.

Click to expand...

Those are Snakeheads, mate. Scientific name starts with Channa. There are over 50 species of Channa however Channa argus and Channa micropeltes are the most commonly seen ones.

And yes, extermination is the best solution rather than introducing a foreign species to the native flora and fauna.