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Tiny, solid black catfish

Started by Guest_lgyure85_* , Jul 17 2011 06:55 PM

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16 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_lgyure85_*

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Posted 17 July 2011 - 06:55 PM

Hello! I have a (hopefully) quick question. I am very new to observing fish in their natural environment, but while at Fall Creek Fall in SE Tennessee I found a few tiny (1-1.5 in) solid black catfish. I almost mis-took them for tadpoles, but after closer examination, they clearly had whiskers, and swam like catfish. They were at the base of Caney Falls, hiding under rocks near shore. I took a few pictures that I can post if needed, but they aren't very good. Thanks in advance!

Edit: I attached the best picture I have. You can sort of see the whiskers in the crease between the ring and the hand holding it. This is one of the smaller ones, though the biggest were less than twice this size.

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Edited by lgyure85, 17 July 2011 - 07:07 PM.

#2 Guest_jblaylock_*

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Posted 17 July 2011 - 06:57 PM

Posting the photos would likely be helpful.

#3 Guest_lgyure85_*

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Posted 17 July 2011 - 07:08 PM

Posting the photos would likely be helpful.

Done!

#4 Guest_EricaWieser_*

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Posted 17 July 2011 - 07:30 PM

The species of catfish found in Tennessee are, according to http://www.tnfish.or...ication_Key.htm
channel catfish
blue catfish
flathead catfish
brown bullhead
black bullhead
yellow bullhead
and white catfish and freckled madtom according to http://www.tnfish.or...mation_TWRA.htm

There are some photos on those websites.

The issue is that the young can look really different from the adults. This website has a photo of a blue catfish (very light colored) and a photo of its young (very dark colored): http://calfish.ucdav...s/?uid=9&ds=241

Edited by EricaWieser, 17 July 2011 - 08:28 PM.

#5 Guest_NVCichlids_*

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Posted 17 July 2011 - 08:14 PM

i will guess a species of bullhead.

#6 Guest_daveneely_*

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Posted 17 July 2011 - 09:25 PM

It does appear to be a bullhead, but it's very difficult to say which species it is without seeing the color of the chin barbels or actually having it in hand. That said, yellow bullhead are the more abundant species of the three possible options up there...

Erica, that list you posted appears to be missing a few species...

#7 Guest_Skipjack_*

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Posted 17 July 2011 - 10:11 PM

Erica, that list you posted appears to be missing a few species...

Just a few. Think her reference was not looking too much at the Noturus.

#8 Guest_lgyure85_*

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Posted 18 July 2011 - 05:48 AM

It does appear to be a bullhead, but it's very difficult to say which species it is without seeing the color of the chin barbels or actually having it in hand. That said, yellow bullhead are the more abundant species of the three possible options up there...

Erica, that list you posted appears to be missing a few species...

As far as the chin barbells, from what I could tell every part of them was totally black. It was the same color as black molly fry. I will say, though, that being as small as they were the chin barbells were almost impossible to see. Dang. I wish I could have seen it better!

#9 Guest_UncleWillie_*

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Posted 18 July 2011 - 06:58 AM

There are many possibilities of what that fish could be. It's hard to see the shape of the head where it meets your hand in the photo, but I also wouldn't discount flathead either.. That snout looks like it could be fairly flat..

#10 Guest_daveneely_*

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Posted 18 July 2011 - 07:24 AM

While the pool at the base of the falls is pretty good sized, the overall gradient of the creek is pretty steep for flatheads. I'd also be somewhat surprised to see spawning flatheads at that locality, as I have not seen flatheads in several electrofishing collections a bit downstream of the park/falls area... but yellows were moderately abundant.

#11 Guest_UncleWillie_*

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Posted 18 July 2011 - 09:28 AM

That makes sense. I have now looked up Fall Creek Falls, and see its location. Yeah - doesn't seem very flathead-y ](*,)

Igyuri, I know what you mean about thinking they could be tadpoles at first glance.

#12 Guest_Irate Mormon_*

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Posted 20 July 2011 - 10:55 PM

Ask Casper.

#13 Guest_Moontanman_*

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Posted 21 July 2011 - 08:31 PM

First fish i ever kept looked just like that, tiny catfish, looked like a jet black tadpole, i kept him and others in the old square glass one gallon milk jugs with a sprig of anachris, oh the memories.... The Pocatalico river was a great place to grow up.

#14 Guest_joemueller_*

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Posted 17 June 2012 - 04:54 PM

if they were hiding under rocks, they could be flatheads. Bullheads at that size would be swimming in schools at the surface. The tail also looks like flathead as well. prolly a bullhead or flathead.

#15 Guest_Kaleidoscope_*

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Posted 20 June 2014 - 10:19 PM

My guess is brown or black bullhead, unless it stays small and is a madtom. This looks just like my brown bullheads when they were that size. The location of the whiskers would be a good indicator, bullheads have a crown of whiskers around the mouth, and the larger species have longer whiskers on the sides, and shorter on the top and bottom than bullheads. I am not sure about madtoms though. My profile picture shows a brown bullhead at around 3-4 in (if you can see from that picture the whisker orientation)