Jaguar catfish

Care at a glance

Overview

The jaguar catfish is a handsome, peaceful driftwood catfish that is more relaxed in the company of its own kind, so keep a small group where space allows. It hides among wood and caves by day and comes out to forage once the lights are off, so add food after dark to be sure it gets its share. It is safe with medium and larger tankmates but may take very small fish at night. Offer meaty foods such as bloodworms, earthworms, and sinking pellets. Give it a dim, wood-filled tank around 245 liters or larger with several caves.

In the wild

Liosomadoras oncinus comes from blackwater rivers of the Rio Negro region in Brazil, where soft, acidic, tannin-stained water flows past sunken wood and leaf litter. Match it with a temperature of 22 to 28 degrees C and a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. Fill the tank with driftwood, smooth rock, and PVC caves for daytime shelter, and choose low-light plants like Anubias or Java fern that cope with the dim conditions it prefers. Keep the water clean and softly filtered.

Good to know

This member of Auchenipteridae, the driftwood catfishes, reaches around 23 centimeters and wears a bold jaguar-like pattern of dark blotches on a tan body. It uses internal fertilization, with the male passing sperm through a modified anal fin much like a livebearer's, after which the female stores it until she spawns. Males also grow thicker dorsal and pectoral fins. Home aquarium breeding has not been recorded.

Did you know

The jaguar catfish is named for its coat of dark rosette-like blotches on a golden-tan body, a pattern that recalls a big cat. Unlike many driftwood catfishes, which fade to plain brown as adults, it keeps its bold markings for life.

Related species

• 

  Common woodcat

  Trachelyopterus galeatus

  8.7 in (22 cm)50 gal (190 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)

• 

  Gulper catfish

  Asterophysus batrachus

  9.8 in (25 cm)95 gal (360 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)
• Bottlenose catfish

  Ageneiosus marmoratus

  7.9 in (20 cm)95 gal (360 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)
• Midnight catfish

  Auchenipterichthys coracoideus

  4.3 in (11 cm)20 gal (75 L)72–77°F (22–25°C)
• Pygmy driftwood catfish

  Trachelyichthys exilis

  3.1 in (8 cm)21 gal (80 L)72–77°F (22–25°C)
• Oil catfish

  Centromochlus perugiae

  2.4 in (6 cm)15 gal (55 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)