All fish / Pimelodidae

Firewood Catfish

Sorubimichthys planiceps

Also known as firewood cat, spatula-nosed catfish, duckbill catfish, peixe lenha, shovelnose catfish, flatnose shovelnose, planiceps catfish, ปลาเรดเทลแคทฟิชปากเป็ด, ファイヤーウッドキャット, 铲吻鲶, 柴棍鸭嘴

A very long, slender pimelodid catfish with a flattened, spoon-shaped head, a protruding upper jaw and a pale body marked by a dark lateral stripe and scattered spots. It is kept by keepers of large predatory fish for its unusual log-like shape and stalking hunting style.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Aggressive

Adult size

100 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

6 to 7.5

Smallest tank

5000 litres

Keep as

Single specimen; only with large robust tankmates

Diet

Carnivore: fish, prawns, mussel and other meaty foods, can be weaned onto large sinking pellets

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

15 to 20 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

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

Breeding

It is a migratory egg-scatterer that spawns during the flood season in the wild. There are no reliable reports of captive breeding, and juveniles in the trade are wild-caught.

Good to know

Grows well over a metre and will swallow any fish it can fit in its mouth, so it needs a huge tank or public aquarium setup. Being long and thin, it can injure itself jumping or hitting the glass when startled, so a tight lid and calm surroundings are needed.