Goonch

Bagarius yarrelli

Also known as Goonch catfish, Giant devil catfish, Yarrelli goonch

FreshwaterFish

Goonch (Bagarius yarrelli) — R. Mintern · Public domain

Care at a glance

Temperature: 64–75°F (18–24°C)
pH: 6.5–7.5
Adult size: 78.7 in (200 cm)
Minimum tank: 1,057 gal (4,000 L)
Temperament: Aggressive
Social behavior: Solitary
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Difficult
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Very rare
Origin: Found in fast-flowing rivers of South and Southeast Asia, from the Ganges to the Mekong.
Family: Sisoridae

Overview

The goonch is one of the ultimate monster catfish, reaching two meters and needing cool, fast, oxygen-rich water that almost no home tank can provide, so realistically it belongs only in enormous custom systems or public aquariums, on the order of 4000 liters or far more. It is an aggressive predator that will eat any tankmate it can catch, so it is kept alone. The mismatch between what it needs and what a typical warm tropical tank offers is exactly why it so often fails in captivity. Only experienced keepers with purpose-built systems should consider one.

In the wild

The goonch is a giant sisorid of fast, rocky rivers across South and Southeast Asia, gripping the bottom in strong current and ambushing prey. It is built for torrents, with a flattened body and a huge mouth. It needs cool, fast, extremely well-oxygenated water, so it wants strong flow, high oxygen, and a temperature on the cool side, from 18 to 24 degrees C, in a very large tank.

Good to know

Bagarius yarrelli reaches about 200 cm and over 100 kg, ranking among the largest of all catfish adapted to fast water. It is a bottom-dwelling ambush predator that anchors itself against rocks in the current. Wild populations are under pressure from dams and habitat loss, and it does poorly in warm, still tanks.

Did you know

Goonches from the Kali River on the India and Nepal border gained notoriety after a run of attacks on people, feeding the legend of a giant catfish big enough to drag a swimmer under.