Wallago catfish

Wallago attu

Also known as Helicopter catfish, Tapah, Boal, Freshwater shark catfish

FreshwaterFish

Wallago catfish (Wallago attu) — Reezwan · CC BY-SA 3.0

Care at a glance

Temperature: 72–82°F (22–28°C)
pH: 6.5–7.5
Adult size: 59.1 in (150 cm)
Minimum tank: 528 gal (2,000 L)
Temperament: Aggressive
Social behavior: Solitary
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Difficult
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Widespread across rivers and lakes of South and Southeast Asia.
Family: Siluridae

Overview

This is a genuine monster and one of the most predatory catfish kept in the hobby, growing well over a meter and needing a tank of at least 2000 liters, really a pond or a huge custom build. It is aggressive and will eat any tankmate it can catch and swallow, which for a fish this size is almost anything, so it is best kept alone. It is fast and powerful, so a very secure lid is essential. Feed meaty foods like whole fish, prawns, and earthworms, and expect a demanding, long-term animal.

In the wild

The wallago is a large, fast-swimming predator of rivers, lakes, and reservoirs across South and Southeast Asia, cruising open water and hunting other fish. It has a long body, a huge gape, and a wide mouth full of small sharp teeth. It needs a very large tank with long open swimming lanes, secure heavy lid, gentle flow, and warm water at 22 to 28 degrees C.

Good to know

Wallago attu is commonly cited as reaching well over a meter, and older records claim close to two meters, though some very large reports probably refer to the related Wallagonia leerii. It is an aggressive, voracious predator with a scaleless eel-like body and a gape that lets it swallow surprisingly large prey. Breeding is not recorded in aquariums.

Did you know

Across its range it has a fearsome folk reputation as a man-eater, and while that is exaggerated, its enormous gape and non-stop appetite make it one of the most effective fish predators in Asian rivers.