All fish / Erythrinidae

Red Wolf Fish

Erythrinus erythrinus

Also known as red wolf fish, redfin wolf fish, red trahira, gold wolf fish, erythrinus wolf fish, red tiger wolf, エリスリヌス・エリスリヌス, 红狼鱼, 红狗鱼

A cylindrical, thick-bodied predator with a rounded tail and mottled brown body, often flushed with red or orange on the fins, and with a dark spot behind the gill cover. It spends much of its time lying still among plants and wood before ambushing prey, and keepers like it as a hardy, characterful smaller relative of the big wolf fish.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Aggressive

Adult size

15 cm

Temperature

22 to 28 °C

pH

5.5 to 7.5

Smallest tank

120 litres

Keep as

Best kept singly

Diet

Carnivore: live and frozen fish, earthworms, prawns, mussel and insects; can be weaned onto meaty pellets

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

8 to 12 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Northern and central South America: Amazon, Orinoco and Guiana basins

Breeding

Has not been bred reliably in home aquariums. In the wild it spawns during the rainy season in shallow, vegetated water, and adults are thought to guard the eggs.

Good to know

It will eat any fish small enough to swallow and is quarrelsome with its own kind, so keep it alone or with robust fish of similar size. It can gulp air and is a strong jumper, so a tight-fitting lid is essential.