Butter catfish

Ompok bimaculatus

Also known as Two-spot butter catfish, Indian butter catfish, Butter sheatfish

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 68–82°F (20–28°C)
pH: 6.0–7.5
Adult size: 17.7 in (45 cm)
Minimum tank: 53 gal (200 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Widespread across rivers of South and Southeast Asia.
Family: Siluridae

Overview

The butter catfish is an active, shoaling predator that is more peaceful than many large catfish but will still eat small fish, so keep it with tankmates too big to swallow and, ideally, in a small group. It grows to a fair size and needs open swimming room, so plan on a tank of at least 200 liters. It is a keen feeder on meaty foods like fish, prawns, earthworms, and frozen items, and it takes sinking pellets over time. Provide cover and dim light to keep it confident.

In the wild

The butter catfish is a widespread South and Southeast Asian silurid of rivers, canals, and floodplains, hanging in midwater and along the bottom and hunting at dusk. It has a slim, silvery, scaleless body, a long anal fin, and long barbels. Give it open swimming space, driftwood, gentle flow, and soft to neutral water at 20 to 28 degrees C.

Good to know

Ompok bimaculatus grows to about 45 cm, though aquarium fish are often smaller, and is named for the two dark shoulder spots on its silvery flanks. It is a mid-water predator with a shimmering, semi-translucent body when young. It is an important food fish across its range and is farmed in parts of Asia.

Did you know

Young butter catfish are so pale and semi-transparent that the two shoulder spots seem to float on the body, which is exactly where the two-spot part of the name comes from.