Bloch's catfish

Care at a glance

Overview

Bloch's catfish is an active, nocturnal pimelodid from South America that is mostly peaceful but predatory. It suits a keeper with some experience.

Caring for the Bloch's catfish

Give Bloch's catfish a tank of at least 53 gal (200 L) with a long, open footprint for swimming. It is an active, fast-swimming bottom fish that needs room to move. Add driftwood and rock caves where it can shelter during the day. Use sand or smooth rounded gravel, since sharp substrate damages its long barbels.

Keep the water at 68 to 79°F (20 to 26°C) with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. Keep it clean, since scaleless fish suffer in poor conditions. Being scaleless also makes it sensitive to many medications, so dose conservatively if you treat the tank.

Bloch's catfish is nocturnal, so feed sinking pellets, frozen and live foods, and pieces of fish or shrimp after the lights go out. Keep one on its own or a small group of three or more, since it is gregarious but not an obligate schooler.

It is mostly peaceful toward fish its own size or bigger. It is a predator, though, and will eat any tank mate small enough to swallow. Pick larger barbs, bigger gouramis, cichlids or other medium catfish as companions. There is no reliable record of it breeding in captivity.

It grows large and is sometimes restricted, so check your local rules. Never release one into the wild.

Good to know

Bloch's catfish is a pimelodid in the family Pimelodidae. Four pale stripes run the length of its body, which is where its other name, four-line pictus, comes from. FishBase lists a maximum length near 35 cm, more than aquarium adults usually reach.

In the wild

Bloch's catfish ranges across South America, through the Amazon, Orinoco, Essequibo and Corantijn basins and the Gulf of Paria. These are big, flowing river systems.

Common questions

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