How to Care for a Tiger Shovelnose Catfish

The tiger shovelnose catfish is one of the larger exotic fish species that can be kept as a pet. It grows to between 3 and 5 feet in length and is an energetic, powerful swimmer. In the wild, it is a veracious predator that is native to areas of South America where it lives in large deep rivers.

Things You'll Need

  • Aquarium with 220-gallon capacity
  • pH testing kit
  • Water heater
  • Sump aquarium filter
  • Aquarium lights
  • Fish food, live and frozen
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Instructions

    • 1

      Spread a 1- to 2-inch layer of aquarium gravel on the bottom of the aquarium. A general rule of thumb is that 1 pound of gravel is needed per gallon of tank volume. The tank has to be large because of the size to which tiger catfish can grow.

    • 2

      Decorate the tank to personal preferences with items such as drift wood, large rocks, live plants or plastic plants. Make sure to offer places for the fish to shelter and hide such as fake caves or a decorative castle.

    • 3

      Fit the aquarium with a powerful sump-style aquarium filter. Small filters that hang on the backs of tanks cannot efficiently oxygenate and clean the size of tank required.

    • 4

      Fit a standard aquarium heater to the tank with the appropriate wattage for the tank's size. Set it to maintain a water temperature of between 75 and 82 degrees Fahrenheit.

    • 5

      Add fluorescent lights to the aquarium to simulate the natural sunlight conditions. The lights should be kept on for 12 to 14 hours a day. This helps the health of the fish as well as any live plants.

    • 6

      Fill the aquarium with ordinary tap water. This will generally have a pH of 6 to 8, which is ideal for the fish. Test the water using pH strips before adding the fish to make sure it's suitable. Afterwards, check water pH twice a week. If it starts to become too acidic or alkaline, remove about half of the water and replace with fresh water.

    • 7

      Feed the tiger catfish daily with either live food crawfish, rosy reds, guppies or mollies. The catfish will eat commercial fish foods, but it may not touch them until it is very hungry, as it prefers live meals.