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Brachyplatystoma Juruense

Family: Pimelodidae

Order: Siluriformes or “catfish�

Class: Actinopterygii or “ray finned fishes�

Common names-
juruense cat, zungaro alianza, banded shovelnose

Max Size -
In the wild B. Juruense can reach 3ft. Most likely to slow down in growth once it hits around 20� in captivity.

Environment-
Freshwater, a pH of 6.3-6.8 is best with a temperature of 78-80degrees F

Range-
South America: B. juruense are widespread through out the Amazon basin.

Habitat-
Muddy river channels

Description-
This catfish has a flint base with yellow or white colored vertical bands running down the body. Depending on the river from which the individual is collected, these bands could be very thick or almost non -xistent. Juruense have one long filament running off their top lobe of the caudal fin, and one shorter filament off of the bottom lobe. Their face is quite wide and thin representing a “shovelnose�. However the sloping and flatness of their face is not as extreme as their cousins’, the M. tigrinus, which can be confused with juruense. Juruense have two barbels located on each side of the head, above the mouth, and four barbels located under the mouth. Two tiny eyes sit almost directly on top of the head.

Tank Size Recommendations-
If you purchase a specimen around 2-4� it can be housed in a 20gallon Long or a 40gallon breeder for a few months as a “grow out� tank. If you receive the fish at 6-7� the best size grow out tank would be a 75gallon or larger. The more floor space the better, as these fish are bottom dwellers. Once the catfish reaches approximately 10�, be on the look out for a bigger tank -- at least 180gallons or larger.

Some Suggested Tankmates-
Good tank mates are fish that won’t be eaten by or won’t eat the juruense. These catfish aren’t particularly aggressive, but will eat what fits in its mouth. If the catfish doesn’t have enough space it could become territorial toward tankmates. Good tankmates for B. juruense would be fish such as Arowana (leaning more towards the South American species), freshwater stingrays (Potamotrygon), and other large catfish from the family Pimelodidae. The combinations are endless!!

Personal Experiences-
The juruense is right on top as a favorite fish of mine. These catfish are often called “false tigrinus� or “poor mans tigrinus� because they resemble the M. Tigrinus, a rarer and more expensive catfish in the aquarium trade. In my opinion, juruense have their own uniqueness.
Juruense have a quality or behavior that is found in only one other species of Pimelodidae that I know of, G. platynema. Juruense will perch for hours on a raised surface (doesn’t have to be a raised surface) resembling a tripod. This behavior is quite entertaining, especially when they fall off that raised surface the were perched upon. I assume this position has something to do with the feeding habits of B. juruense in the wild. It makes them more attentive to what is around them, therefore can catch their food as quickly as possible. Again, this is just an assumption.

I’ve heard from many members of the board that B. juruense are a hard fish to get on prepared foods such as shrimp, silversides, and other sea foods. My first juruense (RIP:() was the one of the easiest fish that I’ve owned to get off live foods (goldfish, feeders, etc). I brought it home from the store sick with ich and it still managed to take tiny pieces of shrimp from the start. I purchased this first juruense at the size of 1.5�. It was tiny. On the other hand, my second juruense which I purchased around 4� is very stubborn and will only eat live black worms. I am sure I will eventually be able to train it to take shrimp. All fish are different.

Growth on the juruense is about 0.5�-1� a month depending on how heavily the fish is fed. Mine hit a growth spurt around 8� and died at 16� from suffocating on a suction cup.
----Another lesson in keeping these fish… They will eat or at least try to eat anything that fits in their mouth.---

The patterning on these fish will change a bit over time. There is a possible sub species of juruense that comes out of the Rio Nanay known as Brachyplatystoma sp. Flash. These Flash Juruense or “flash zebras� are very similar in appearance to that of juruense, but have very thick and pronounced yellow bars. Recently, Nishant (member name: katfishguy), has imported the flash juruense. After awhile in captivity the very pronounced yellow pattern has faded slightly. This led us to think that something in the river causes that very bright vibrant pattern. Maybe it is just natural camouflage to the surroundings it lives in, and in time changes. We don’t really know yet. The member DonH had a juruense that suddenly changed patterns over night to a bright and crazy pattern. The member Macondo3 (sp) had a juruense with a highly developed pattern with thick bands. I don’t think either of the two members were importing water from the Rio Nanay? (***joke***) Is the flash really a different species? Sub species? Color morph?

Like I mentioned before, this is one of my favorites. If you have the space and dedication to keeping one of these awesome catfish I highly recommend it!

my 5" juruence

Interesting pattern on yours...heres another pic of my old Juruense.

This post has been edited by TIGRINUS4LIFE: May 6 2004, 11:16 PM

A few pics of mine:











Enjoy!

I think it's a decoy to distract predators. Think about it, it's much brighter in color that the rest of the fish, it breaks off easily, and it grows back very quickly if damaged. I can't think of any other function for such a structure.

-PK

2-4"ers can run from $40-$90USD depending on your location or if they are in season or not.

Any price less is a deal and any price more is a rip off.

This post has been edited by TIGRINUS4LIFE: May 18 2004, 05:27 PM