Narrow-fronted tandan

Care at a glance

Overview

A big, active eel-tailed catfish that works the bottom from dusk into the night, sifting sand and probing among rocks for food. It is a solitary fish rather than a schooler, so house it singly, or at most as a pair if the tank is very large. It is peaceful in the sense that it does not squabble, but it is a size-selective feeder that will eat small fish, so keep only larger, calm tankmates and choose them carefully. Offer sinking pellets, prawn, mussel, earthworms and frozen bloodworm, mostly after the lights go down. Give it a long, open floor to roam and a tank of around 450 liters or more.

In the wild

The narrow-fronted tandan, also called the black catfish, ranges across northern Australia and southern New Guinea, living in rivers, billabongs and flooded lagoons as well as clear flowing streams. It is a warm-water fish suited to about 21 to 28 C and neutral, moderately hard water around pH 6.5 to 7.8. Recreate its home with a soft sand bed it can dig in, scattered stones and wood for cover, and strong, clean filtration that keeps the current moving.

Good to know

Neosilurus ater belongs to the eel-tailed catfish family Plotosidae and grows to roughly 45 centimeters, with females running a little larger than males. It is a bottom-feeding carnivore that takes insects, crustaceans and small fish. Breeding is not recorded in aquaria, and in the wild it moves upstream to spawn as the wet season begins. Like all plotosids it is armed with venomous serrated spines in the dorsal and pectoral fins, so a sting is a real risk when handling it.

Did you know

The whole back half of an eel-tailed catfish is really a single fin: the dorsal, tail and anal fins run together without a break, which is where both the common name and the family name Plotosidae come from.

Common questions

Related species

• Soft-spined tandan

  Neosilurus mollespiculum

  Freshwater

  17.3 in (44 cm)106 gal (400 L)70–82°F (21–28°C)
• Southern tandan

  Neosilurus equinus

  Freshwater

  14.6 in (37 cm)106 gal (400 L)70–82°F (21–28°C)
• Yellow eel-tail catfish

  Neosilurus hyrtlii

  Freshwater

  13.4 in (34 cm)106 gal (400 L)70–82°F (21–28°C)
• Short-finned tandan

  Neosilurus brevidorsalis

  Freshwater

  9.4 in (24 cm)79 gal (300 L)70–82°F (21–28°C)

• 

  Marbled tandanus catfish

  Tandanus tandanus

  Freshwater

  31.5 in (80 cm)185 gal (700 L)61–79°F (16–26°C)

• 

  Glass knifefish

  Eigenmannia virescens

  Freshwater

  17.7 in (45 cm)85 gal (320 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)