Payara

Care at a glance

Overview

The payara is a huge, fast predator that needs an enormous tank. It is a specialist fish for keepers with the space, filtration and experience to match.

Caring for the payara

The payara needs a tank of at least 1,057 gal (4,000 L), with pristine, highly oxygenated water and strong flow. Keep it at 75 to 82°F (24 to 28°C), with a pH of 5.5 to 7.5. Newly imported fish stress easily.

The payara is not aggressive toward fish it cannot eat, but it will swallow smaller tank mates. Choose its company with caution. It is often kept in groups, though a single fish does fine too. There is no record of it breeding in aquariums.

Good to know

Hydrolycus armatus is one of the largest members of the family Cynodontidae. Its fangs jut up from the lower jaw and slot into pockets in the upper jaw.

In the wild

The payara is native to the Amazon and Orinoco basins and the rivers of the Guianas. It hunts in fast, open, well-oxygenated water in large rivers and below rapids. It is a powerful, streamlined predator that chases down smaller fish in midwater. It roams the main channels rather than hiding among cover.

Common questions

Related species

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