Ompok catfish

Care at a glance

Overview

The ompok catfish, or pabda, is a sociable, open-water silurid that swims and often feeds in the middle and upper levels rather than on the bottom, and it does best in a small group of its own kind in a roomy tank. It is peaceful and rather shy for its size but has a wide, toothy mouth and will swallow any fish that fits, so choose tankmates with care: calm, similarly sized companions, nothing small. It takes most live, frozen and dried foods, from bloodworm and prawn to sinking pellets, with earthworm and mussel for larger fish. Give it open swimming space plus piping or wood to shelter in, in a tank of about 400 liters or more.

In the wild

Ompok pabda lives in the slow, low-lying rivers, floodplains and ponds of the Ganges basin and neighboring waters in India and Bangladesh. Give it a soft floor, some driftwood and shaded retreats such as wide pipes, and gentle flow, with open water above for cruising. Warm water at 23 to 27 degrees Celsius and pH 6.0 to 7.5 suits it. It appreciates dim lighting and clean, well-filtered water with regular changes.

Good to know

Ompok pabda is a silurid catfish reaching about 30 centimeters, silvery and slab-sided with a mouthful of small sharp teeth. It was named by Hamilton in 1822 from the Ganges. In the wild it is regarded as near threatened, under pressure from habitat loss and heavy fishing, and it is now farmed for food. Aquarium breeding is not established, though the species is spawned under aquaculture conditions.

Did you know

In Bengal the pabda is a prized food fish woven into everyday cooking, so the aquarium hobby borrowed a name that was already famous at the dinner table.

Common questions

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