All fish / Pimelodidae

Zebra Shovelnose Catfish

Brachyplatystoma juruense

Also known as gold zebra catfish, zebra catfish, juruense catfish, zebra shovelnose, gold zebra shovelnose, juruense shovelnose, dourada zebra, ブラキプラティストマ・ジュルエンセ, ゼブラキャットフィッシュ, 斑马鸭嘴, 金斑马鸭嘴

A slender pimelodid catfish with a pale golden to cream body crossed by bold dark bands and a deeply forked tail with long filaments. It is prized by large catfish enthusiasts for its striking pattern and graceful, constant swimming.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

50 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

6 to 7.5

Smallest tank

2000 litres

Keep as

Singly or in small groups in very large systems

Diet

Carnivore: live and frozen fish, prawns, mussel, earthworms and sinking carnivore pellets

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

10 to 15 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Amazon and Orinoco basins (Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia)

Breeding

It is a migratory river spawner and has not been bred in home aquariums; all trade specimens are wild caught.

Good to know

Grows to around 50 to 60 cm and needs strong flow, high oxygen and a very large tank; it will eat any fish small enough to swallow and is sensitive to poor water quality and transport stress.