Barred Shovelnose Catfish
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Scientific Name: Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum Price: Upon Request Origin: South America Family: Pimelodidae NOT AVAILABLE NOW |
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Other Names: Barred Sorubium, Tiger Shovelnose Catfish, Barred Shovelnose, Barred Catfish, |
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Technical Info
Temperature: 24 - 28 ℃
pH: 6 - 8
GH: 4 - 30
Max size: 100 cm
Min Tank size: 600 Ltr
Position in Aqua: Bottom swimmer
Description
Barred Shovelnose Catfish has an elongated nose or snout that is flattened at the bottom, giving it a shovel-like appearance. Their body is gray-silver to brown in color with black tiger stripes. The fins are rounded and rather than having stripes, the fins are covered with black speckles. They have very small eyes and up to six long barbels coming off the front of the snout.
Food
Will eat any fish or other prey that will fit in it's mouth. In the aquarium it may be fed earthworms, feeder fish, or shrimp.
Breeding
Unreported in the hobby. It migrates over long distances to spawn in nature, and replicating these conditions in an aquarium would be nigh on impossible.
Compatible with
Whilst it won’t hesitate to gobble any smaller fish, it’s actually quite peaceful and can be kept alongside other similarly-sized species in suitable surroundings. You’d need a tank approaching public aquarium size in order to do this, though. Most of the usual “tankbusters” are too small to avoid being eaten. Possible companions include Doradids such as Oxydoras niger or Pterodoras granulosus. If the tank is also very deep big characins and cyprinids could be added. It’s territorial towards both conspecifics and other large Pimelodids, so should be the only fish of this type kept in most situations.
Note
Virtually impossible to sex by external characteristics. Adult females are likely to be stockier in build than males.