Well seeing as catfish section has been quiet lately, ive decided to show you something!
I stumbled across a mention of a "sturgeon shovel nosed catfish" when i overheared a few people discussing it in a store that i dont normally frequent. The LFS guy said it probably didnt exist, and was somebody try to make a sturgeon sound fancy.
Anyways ive done a little reading and a LOT of net sifitng to finally come accross this picture
Sturgeon shovel nosed catfish In anycase, it seems that this is indeed the fabled catfish! Platystomatichthys sturio!
I promptly got in touch with my LFS and they said "oh god not you again"........im sure they was joking, i hope!
In anycase we discovered it is indeed an actual fish, that acts similar in behavior to that of a sturgeon (digging with its nose) and also capable of that predatory gulp which is typical to the large open mouthed species of catfish.
It grows to about 12 inch in length, and prefers a meaty diet consisting fo earthworms, bloodworm, chopped cockles and mussels with perhaps a bit of whitebait.
There is (to my or the Richards knowledge) no way to sex them, and he hasnt heard of them breeding in captivity, i hadnt heard of them untill 3pm yesterday!
seems to be a quiet fish preferring sedate tank mates.
BUT, its meant to be very rare and very exspensive, so like the true nutcase i am, ive ordered one!