Sun catfish
Horabagrus brachysoma
FreshwaterFish
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 73–77°F
- 23–25°C
- pH
- 6.5–7.5
- Adult size
- 17.7 in
- 45 cm
- Minimum tank
- 170 gal
- 645 L
- Temperament
- Mostly peaceful
- Social behavior
- Solitary
- Tankmates
- With caution
- Swim level
- Bottom
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Difficulty
- Difficult
- Breeding
- No record
- Rarity
- Very rare
- Family
- Horabagridae
- Origin
- India
Overview
The sun catfish is a large, golden, nocturnal catfish from India for a very big freshwater tank. It suits experienced keepers.
Did you know
The sun catfish is prized as a food fish in the Western Ghats of India, and wild numbers have declined.
Caring for the sun catfish
Give a sun catfish at least 170 gal (645 L), since it grows quickly. Lay a soft substrate and add solid daytime cover, such as big driftwood, rock caves, wide pipes and shaded resting spots. Dim lighting encourages it to come out in the evening.
Keep the water at 73 to 77°F (23 to 25°C) with a pH of 6.5 to 7.5. Good filtration matters, because it is a big, messy feeder.
In the wild it feeds on smaller fish, invertebrates and plant matter. In the tank it is an easy eater, taking sinking pellets, prawn, mussel, fish strips and earthworms. It needs no live feeders.
The sun catfish is mostly peaceful for its size, but it will eat any tank mate small enough to swallow. Keep it only with big, calm, robust fish that stay out of its mouth. It is usually kept as a single specimen, though it is fine in a group of its own kind.
It is not known to breed unaided in home aquariums. Farms in India breed it using induced spawning.
Good to know
The sun catfish belongs to the family Horabagridae. In aquariums, 30 cm is a more usual size. It is named for its warm golden-yellow body, set off by a dark blotch edged in pale gold just behind the gill cover. It carries sharp, mildly venomous fin spines.
In the wild
The sun catfish is native to the rivers and floodplain wetlands of the Western Ghats in southwestern India. It lives in warm, slow to moderate water among wood and dense bankside cover.
Common questions
What size tank does a sun catfish need?
A sun catfish needs at least 170 gal (645 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.
What temperature and pH does a sun catfish need?
A sun catfish is comfortable at 73–77°F (23–25°C) with a pH of 6.5–7.5.
What does a sun catfish eat?
A sun catfish is an easy eater that takes sinking pellets, prawn, mussel, fish strips and earthworms, with no need for live feeders. In the wild it also eats smaller fish, invertebrates and plant matter.
How big does a sun catfish get?
An adult sun catfish reaches about 17.7 in (45 cm).
How does a sun catfish breed?
A sun catfish is not known to breed unaided in home aquariums. Farms in India breed it using induced spawning.
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