Vulture Catfish

Calophysus macropterus

Also known as zamurito

FreshwaterFish

Vulture Catfish (Calophysus macropterus) — (c) Matthew Inabinett, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by

Care at a glance

Temperature: 75–84°F (24–29°C)
pH: 6.0–7.5
Adult size: 15.7 in (40 cm)
Minimum tank: 120 gal (455 L)
Temperament: Aggressive
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Difficult
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Very rare
Origin: Venezuela, Colombia
Family: Pimelodidae

Overview

The vulture catfish is an aggressive, opportunistic scavenger that nips fins and will eat small or slow tankmates, so it belongs only with fast, robust fish too large to be bothered. It can be kept singly or, in a big tank, in a group, since it naturally scavenges in loose shoals in the wild. Give it open swimming room, strong flow, and solid caves, and expect an active, greedy fish. It eagerly takes meaty foods such as sinking pellets, prawn, mussel, and chunks of fish, so live feeders are not needed. Provide a large tank of around 455 liters or larger, and a bigger one still for a group of adults.

In the wild

The vulture catfish lives in the large rivers of the Amazon and Orinoco basins in Venezuela, Colombia, and beyond, roaming open channels in search of food. It prefers warm, soft water, so aim for around 24 to 29 C with a pH between 6 and 7.5 and strong, well-oxygenated flow. A roomy tank with a sand bed, sturdy wood, and open swimming space matches its restless, scavenging habits. It is not fussy about decor, but robust equipment and secure filtration suit this powerful, active fish.

Good to know

The vulture catfish is a long-whiskered catfish of the family Pimelodidae, reaching around 40 cm and occasionally larger. Silvery grey with a spotted back and broad fins, it is built as a scavenger, gathering in numbers to strip flesh from dead animals in the wild, which earns it names like water buzzard and piracatinga. In its home rivers it is caught commercially, sometimes using carcasses as bait. Its breeding is unrecorded in home aquariums.

Did you know

The vulture catfish is named for its scavenging habits. In the wild, groups gather at a carcass and can strip it to the bone with startling speed, and fishermen in the Amazon have long caught them using dead bait for exactly that reason.