Tropical Fish: Catfish
Catfish
There is nothing like an exotic catfish to add beauty to your aquarium. Below you will find a list of a few South American catfishes that will make a good match for your Oscars.
By Federico Soriano
These bottom-dwellers are scaleless fish so avoid using methylene blue or malachite green these products can penetrate their skin and cause death within few hours. Catfish have developed whiskers and barbs to help them find all kinds of food in the substrate so you will need to provide them with either fine gravel or soft sand. They also enjoy low light levels so they will appreciate some floating plants as well as rocks and driftwood for hiding places. If possible do not use a net to catch them– the spines on their pectoral fins have serrated edges and can easily become entangled in the netting and injure the fish or you (and believe me it is painful).
Some catfish like the Jaguar - Liosomodarus onicinus are nocturnal and hide during the day, and come out to feed at night. In general, catfish will relish sinking catfish pellets, freeze-dried bloodworms, tubifex and good quality flake food. But you will also need to supplement their diets with fresh parboiled vegetables such as romaine lettuce, zucchini, spinach and peas.
Finally, if you are interested in breeding catfishes please let us know! Some of these species have proven to be extremely difficult to spawn, even for experienced hobbyists. For this reason most catfishes are imported. Remember, catfishes require excellent water conditions so don’t neglect your weekly water changes.
| Name | Size | °F | pH | Diet/Temp. |
| *Oscar Fish | 12 in (30 cm) | 72-77°F | 6.0-8.0 | Carnivorous |
| Astronotus ocellatus | Aggressive | |||
| Columbian Shark | 10 in (25 cm) | 74-79°F | 6.0-7.5 | Omnivorous |
| Arius jordani | Peaceful | |||
| Suckermouth Catfish | 12 in (30 cm) | 75-82°F | 6.0-7.5 | Herbivorous |
| Hipostomus multiradiatus | Peaceful | |||
| Jaguar Catfish | 7 in (18 cm) | 70-78°F | 5.8-6.5 | Omnivorous |
| Liosomodarus onicinus | Peaceful | |||
| Bumblebee Catfish | 5 in (13 cm) | 74-79°F | 6.5-7.4 | Carnivorous |
| Pseudopimelodus raninus | Peaceful | |||
| Ornate Pimelodus Catfish | 7 in (18 cm) | 74-79°F | 6.8-7.2 | Carnivorous |
| Pimelodus ornatus | Semi-Aggressive | |||
| Pictus Catfish | 10 in (25 cm) | 75-81°F | 7.0-7.5 | Omnivorous |
| Pimelodus pictus | Peaceful |
| *We included the Oscar fish aquarium set-up for comparison purposes. We will continue adding more catfish species to our list of compatible Oscar fish tankmates ... be patient, remember you can always help us by submitting your own articles and pictures, share your experience with our community. |
American Cichlids Related Articles:
Convict Cichlid Some times called Zebra Cichlid, 2 facts are certain about these South American cichlids when it comes to breeding: 1)They are prolific breeders. 2)They become absolute terrors controlling the entire aquarium and beating the heck out of fish even twice their size.
Silver Dollar Another compatible species for your Oscar aquarium, the silver dollar (Mylossoma pluriventre) is a peaceful, schooling fish that can be kept in groups of three to six with most other community tank species of similar size.
Bala Shark The Bala Shark - Balantiocheilus melanopterus. Is this fish a good tank mate for your Oscars? I did a search on the internet and found several people that have placed them together and claimed to have no problems.
What is hole in the head disease? Oscars, as well as other large cichlids, are commonly afflicted by hole in the head disease (HITH). The symptoms are easily recognizable pitted areas or holes around the face and head area and along the lateral line of the fish but the cause of HITH is not so clearly understood.