Types of Aquarium Catfish Species

Catfish are a diverse group of freshwater and inland coastal fish that make excellent additions to aquariums. Docile, easy to maintain and beneficial due to their bottom-feeder habits, catfish come in a range of sizes and are not restricted to large or small aquariums. Inspiring aquarists with a variety of tank sizes and community types can enjoy including a catfish in their aquarium.

  1. Corydoras Catfish

    • Indigenous to South America, catfish of the Corydoras genus are affectionately known as "cories". Made up of over 140 species, corydoras are peaceful members of community tropical aquariums. Cories form large catfish schools in the wild, and should be kept with half a dozen or more of its species. A small fish, corydoras range from 1 inch to 4.5 inches in length. Cories are eager bottom-feeders who thrive on insect larvae, vegetation, waste and worms; frozen and thawed pellets or supplements are also acceptable.

    Bumblebee Catfish

    • Vibrant and playful, the bumblebee catfish appears to clown around when scavenging for food, going so far as to bury itself into substrate to seek out the last morsels. Although bumblebee catfish are nocturnal, they will come out during the day if convinced to with treats. Bumblebee catfish are also great for the city dweller; tap water throughout the United States is clean and chemically correct enough for the bumblebee catfish to thrive. Bumblebee catfish are relatively small at 2 inches, but they do need space to hide. Begin your bumblebee catfish setup with a 20-gallon tank for one fish, then add 10 gallons for every bumblebee catfish you add.

    Glass Catfish

    • The glass catfish is an Asian catfish immediately distinguishable by its catfish barbels and transparent skin. The entire body of the glass catfish is see-through, save its head, bones and internal organs. These freshwater fish are known to inhabit turbid rivers in the wild and require cool to cold temperatures in tanks. Unlike most catfish, the glass catfish is diurnal, meaning it is awake during the day. The glass catfish spends its time hunting aquatic insects, water bugs and smaller fish. Glass catfish are a schooling fish, and require groups of at least six or more. As they can reach a medium size of 6 inches, be sure to include enough space in your aquarium setup for their growth.

    Red-Tailed Catfish

    • The red-tailed catfish is named for its red caudal fin.

      The largest catfish to inhabit an aquarium is the red-tailed catfish; its minimum tank size for a single fish is 300 gallons. In addition to immense tank size, the lid of the tank must be sound and secure, as the red-tailed catfish is highly active and will leap from open tanks. In the wild, the red-tailed catfish eats smaller fish and crustaceans. In a aquarium setting, keep the red-tailed catfish with larger fish to prevent them from being eaten and feed it worms, frozen foods, catfish pellets and supplemental dry foods.