Animal-World > Freshwater Fish > Catfish

Catfish Varieties

Sub-order: Siluroidei
Porthole Shovelnose Catfish HemisorubimPlatyrhynchos Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy Ken Childs

Click on the small images shown under each family type
to access information on each type of Catfish.

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   "Legend has it that one catfish, the giant Manguruyu, Paulicea lutkeni, can reach 3 meters in length and has been held responsible for eating small children in such rivers as the Rio Branco in the Amazon basin."

   Catfish are generally very hardy and easy to keep. They are almost exclusively freshwater fish and they can be found in every ecological niche. Their feeding habits range from plant-eaters to predators. Those catfish that are predatory will eat smaller fish.

For more Information on keeping freshwater fish see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Freshwater Aquarium

Care and feeding:
   Because most catfish are nocturnal, they must be fed in the evening hours. Make sure they are eating since it is hard to tell with many of the armored catfish if they are losing weight. Some catfish are predatory, or predaceous, and will eat other fish if they are less than about half their own size.

Breeding:
   The few catfish that do live in seawater are thought to spawn in brackish water. See Breeding Freshwater Fish for a more information on reproductive habits.

For more Catfish information... click to buy these books from Amazon.com
Catfish in the Aquarium	Catfish, Keeping & Breeding Them in Captivity	Corydoras Catfish

Click on the small images below to access
more information on each type of fish:

Armored Catfish - Corydoras
Family: Callichthyidae

   Corydoras are ideal for every type of aquarist as they are very peaceful and very hardy! They are active during the day, always bobbing around and eating all manner of food from the bottom of the aquarium, keeping it clean with their scavenging!

   There are over 180 species of Corydoras known to icthyologists, about 50 are available to the hobby and about 10 are bred commercially. They are found in every river in South America, each with its' own distinct species and subspecies. Most of the fish in the Callichthyidae family require access to the air. They will often swim rapidly to the surface of the water for a gulp of air. This air is a supplement to their gills that is then utilized by being absorbed in their lower digestive tract.

   Coryadoras always swim in schools of dozens of fish, sometimes they even swim with other species.

Armored Catfish
Albino Cory	Emerald Green Cory
Corydoras paleatus	Brochis splendens
Julii Cory
Corydoras julii

Banjo Catfish
Family: Aspredinidae

   The "Banjo Catfishes" have the looks that only a mother could love (which makes them irresistable!) And as their name implies, they have the body shape of a banjo.

   Banjo Catfish will often seem to be dormant as they don't move around very much. They are often a burrowing fish so a finer sand is appreciated.

Banjo Catfish
Banjo Catfish
Bunocephalus coracoideus

Thorny Catfish
Family: Doradidae

   Be careful when catching Thorny Catfish. A prick from the spines of this fish is quite painful!  

   Thorny Catfish have a strong first spine on their pectoral fins, which can be used as a defensive weapon. They tend to stick out these side spines a a very rigid manner, especially when stressed.

Thorny Catfish
Spotted Raphael Catfish	Striped Raphael Catfish
Agamyxis pectinifrons	Platydoras costatus

Naked Catfish - Upside-Down Catfish
"Synodontis Catfish"
Family: Mochicidae

   "Naked Catfish" describes the body armor of this group of fish. They have none!

  Contrary to popular belief, most "Synodontus catfishes" do not swim upside down!

   Note: In his book AQUARIUM ATLAS, Volume 2, author Hans M. Baensch states that most of the Synodontis Catfish have not been bred in captivity, with the exception of the Upside-Down Catfish, Synodontis nigriventis and possibly the Black Synodontis, Synodontis nigrita. He states that nutrition is very important for the breeding of the Synodontis species and that some of the nutritional substances they get from their natural diet, notably snails and insect larvae, is not provided in available fish foods.

Upsidedown Catfish
Feather-Fin Synodontis	Large-spot Catfish
Synodontis eupterus	Synodontis ocellifer

Pangasius Catfish - Iridescent Shark Catfish
Family: Pangasiidae

   The Pangasius Catfish or Iridescent Shark Catfish is sometimes thought of as a pelagic fish. Pelagic catfish are diurnal (active during the day), swim in the middle of the aquarium, and prefer to live in schools. They are found in clean fast moving waters, thus in the aquarium they need good water movement and frequent water changes.

Pangasius Catfish
Pangasius Catfish
Pangasius hypophthalmus

Suckermouth Catfish - Armor-Plated Catfish
Family: Loricariidae

   Fishes with suckermouths have a few special features!

   Author of You & Your Aquarium, Dick Mills, says they have extra slits behind the head to breathe through. This frees up their mouths for for more important duties such as feeding and clinging to surfaces. He also shares that they have an unusual eye feature, an eye flap. This is a flap of skin that protrudes from each eye, allowing them to alter the amount of light that reaches their eyes.

Suckermouth Catfish
Bristle-nose Catfish	Leopard Pleco
Ancistrus cirrhosus	Glyptoperichthys gibbiceps

Flat-nosed Catfish - Antenna Catfish
Family: Pimelodidae

   The attractive catfishes in the family Pimelodidae have been prized by collectors because of the great diversity in both size and patterning!

   The Flat-nosed Catfish, or Antenna Catfish have extremely long adipose fins, some as long as a third of their length, and their "whiskers" or barbels are also unusually long. Though they are mostly peaceful, these catfish have large mouths and can swallow a good sized fish. Be careful that the tankmates you choose are not much smaller than your catfish!

Antenna Catfish
Four-lined Pimodella	Red-tailed Catfish
Pimelodus blochii	Phractocephalus hemioliopterus

Shark Catfish - Sea Catfish
Family: Ariidae

   The family Ariidae has some pretty large fish, the Silver-tipped Shark for example, can reach up to two feet!

   Some species of Shark Catfish or Sea Catfish are used as a food fish, and are considered quite good eating by the natives where they are harvested.

Shark Catfish
Silver-tipped Shark
Hexanematichthys seemanni

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