BLUE SALMON CATFISH - SALMON SHARK
Arius graeffei
GENERAL INFORMATION
DESCRIPTION
A shark-like catfish with erect fins and a flattened wide mouth.
SIZE
Over 50 cm.
APPEAL
Salmon catfish are graceful and enthusiastic swimmers. Their constant activity combined with their shark-like appearance makes them very eye catching, especially when they get big. If kept in a group then they will form an attractive school. Useful for keeping the aquarium clean.
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Salmon Catfish. These fish like to stick together. In the wild they form large schools. |
OBSERVATIONS ON CAPTIVE SPECIMENS
SUITABILITY FOR KEEPING IN CAPTIVITY
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Advantages: Will only eat other fish that are substantially smaller. Not territorial. Should be kept with other members of its own kind. Not particularly sensitive to harassment. Easy to feed. Not particularly sensitive to water quality. Happy in a tropical tank and tolerates cooler water. Does not disturb plants. |
Disadvantages: Grows to a large size. Needs a large aquarium (180 cm or more). Only eats meat and fish. Can be killed by aquarium medications. |
Suitable for fish keepers with limited experience.
AQUARIUM CONDITIONS
| Minimum aquarium size: | 180 cm long X 40 cm wide. |
| Water temperature: | 20 C to 25 C. |
| Water salinity: | Fresh water or brackish water. |
| Filtration & oxygenation: | Water needs to be kept clean and well oxygenated. |
| Lighting: | Not critical. |
| Plants: | Not critical. |
| Furnishings: | Not critical. |
| Notes: |
AQUARIUM BEHAVIOR
If left by itself the Salmon catfish will most likely just lie on the bottom of the tank and look miserable. When kept with others of it's own kind they will swim around the tank in a school, constantly active. They swim throughout the water column searching for food, never stopping even at night. They tend to be shy and are certainly not aggressive, but they sometimes nip at long-finned fishes such as angel fish.
FEEDING HABITS
Salmon catfish use their 'whiskers' to detect food. They can find fine particles of food lying around the tank to devour. This makes them excellent for keeping the aquarium free from uneaten food. My catfish have only accepted meat and fish. They are too slow to catch live feeder fish. Make sure that any meat they are fed is fat free. They should be fed at least once daily.
FISH KEEPING RECOMMENDATIONS
This fish is large and needs a big tank with swimming room. It should be kept in a group of three or more. Avoid placing very small fish in with the Salmon catfish as it may swallow them.
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This is Hugh, out largest Salmon catfish. It truely does look like a shark with its erect fins and forked tail. Note the spike at the tip of his dorsal fin. It is a poisonous spine. Similar spines are also located at the tip of each pectoral fin. The constant activity of the salmon catfish makes them very difficult to photograph. |
OUR FISH
SPECIMEN DETAILS:
We keep a school of three fish in a 270 cm X 60 cm tank.
USEFUL LINKS
Native Fish Australia - Lesser Salmon Catfish Page.
Similar species.
BIG FISH - AUSTRALIAN NATIVE FISH
Has an image and a few notes. You need to scroll down the page.
Created by Alexander and Elisabeth Foreman.
Page constructed by Alexander Foreman.
Copywrite (c) Alexander Foreman
