Amazon sailfin catfish

Pterygoplichthys pardalis

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 72–84°F (22–29°C)
pH: 6.5–7.5
Adult size: 17.7 in (45 cm)
Minimum tank: 100 gal (380 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Solitary
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Common
Origin: Brazil
Family: Loricariidae

Overview

Plan for a tank of at least 380 liters, and honestly bigger is better given the adult size. It is a bottom dweller that spends its time rasping at surfaces, and it is peaceful but best kept alone or with large, calm tankmates. Feed it algae wafers, blanched vegetables, and sinking pellets, since algae alone will not keep an adult fed. It produces a lot of waste, so stay on top of water changes.

In the wild

The Amazon sailfin catfish comes from rivers and floodplains in Brazil, where it grazes algae and detritus off wood and rocks. These are warm, slow to moderate waters with plenty of submerged surfaces. It needs a very large tank with driftwood, smooth rocks, and strong filtration to handle its waste. Keep the water in the mid 20s C with a pH around neutral.

Good to know

This is a member of Loricariidae, the suckermouth armored catfish family. It is big, reaching about 45 cm as an adult, with bony plates covering the body and a tall dorsal fin that gives it the sailfin name. There is no reliable hobby record of it breeding in aquariums, since wild fish dig burrows in riverbanks to spawn. It is long-lived and very hardy.

Did you know

This is one of the species behind invasive sailfin catfish populations in warm regions around the world, after aquarists released fish that outgrew their tanks. They can gulp air and survive out of water for hours, which helps them spread between waterways. Do not release one, ever.