Crocodile catfish

Care at a glance

Overview

The crocodile catfish is a solitary, aggressive predator for a huge, cool-water tank. It is hard to keep and really only suited to experienced keepers with the right setup.

Caring for the crocodile catfish

Give the crocodile catfish huge space, at least 660 gal (2,500 L), with strong current. It needs cool, fast-moving water with high oxygen, which most tropical setups cannot provide. Keep it at 64 to 73°F (18 to 23°C), with a near-neutral pH of 6.5 to 7.5. That gap between its needs and a typical tank is why it often does poorly in captivity.

It stays on the bottom and hunts at night, eating fish and crustaceans. It is not a community fish, so house it alone. There is no home breeding record for it.

Good to know

Bagarius suchus is a large catfish in the family Sisoridae, an ambush predator built for life in torrents. Wild populations face pressure from dams and habitat change.

In the wild

Crocodile catfish come from fast, rocky rivers in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. The current there runs hard, and the water is cool and well oxygenated.

Common questions

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