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Plz i want to ask if somebody has any idea about walking catfish if they r 2 in the aquarium and they breed. my aquarium is 40 gal. i have 2 walking catfish in the aquarium and 2 oscaqr fish in the aquarium and a rainbow shark which i bought new yesterday.


My common pleco is always dieng every 3 weeks 1 die i dont know y. plz if somebody can help and it sometimes it changes colors light abd dark.

Walking Catfish and Oscars in a 40 gallon? OUCH.

Your Oscars are capable of reaching 14 inches. They alone should be given a 125 gallon as a baseline setup, regardless of whether there's anything else in there. Unless you're prepared to spend a fair amount of money giving them a bigger home later, I'd find somone who is and exchange them for something a LOT less demanding space wise.

As for Walking Catfishes, if you're referring to the likes of Clarias batrachus or Clarias angolensis, then you are in for a VERY big shock. Want to know how big they grow to be?

They reach FIVE FEET in length.

An aquarium big enough for those would be big enough for you to sail a small dinghy on. You're looking at a MINIMUM of 500 gallons for Walking Catfishes in time to come. If you have the money and the space in your home for a colossal aquarium of this kind, then go ahead and get the Walking Catfishes. If you don't, give them a WIDE berth.

Your other problem with Walking Catfishes is that they are escape artists. They're capable of finding their way out of an aquarium and onto your living room floor with the skill of Houdini escaping from a metal box. Plus, they have enormous appetites, can defecate on an industrial scale, and will need a truly awesome power filter to keep up with them. Big specimens are also capable of rearranging your aquarium furnishings - with catastrophic results if you have any unstable rockwork in there.

Basically, all your problems stem from overcrowding. Fishes that are too big, in an aquarium that is too small. Either buy the fishes a MUCH bigger home, or trade them in for something more manageable. If your aquarium is only recently set up, then you're having additional issues due to aquarium biofilter cycling, and the fact that your fishes are stressed through ammonia and nitrite exposure.

As for breeding Walking Catfishes, this is a project you should only attempt if you have a bulldozer. Which you will need to excavate the basement room needed to house the colossal aquarium a breeding pair of these fishes will need!


Last edited by Calilasseia at 25-Dec-2005 09:07

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Hi Paul Welcome to FP

What walking catfish do you have? Those lizard-like bichirs?

I think your tank might be quite overstocked. These fish get pretty big pretty quickly.

Have you cycled your tank at all? let the good bacteria grow?

Do you have gravel and a filter etc?

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

like stated stocking is all wrong,

it would be good if u can reply so we know if u have a walking catfish or a birchi, but in either case, i would say a 40 is not enough, let alone the two oscars need about 100+ gallon for both. an CP will just grow too large for a 40 gallon tank.

As for Walking Catfishes, if you're referring to the likes of Clarias batrachus or Clarias angolensis, then you are in for a VERY big shock. Want to know how big they grow to be?

pls..they dont grow up to 5 feet..please do some research before simply saying that they'll grow up to 5 feet. They usually grow up to 50 cm AT THE MOST..a 5 footer is impossible. here in my country, they can be found in paddy fields or even cannals..there is no such thing as a 5 footer walking catfish.plus, its impossible for a walking catfish to walk at that size.

According to Planet Catfish, dear old clarias batrachus can hit 40 inches with ease. That's still a massively big fish for an aquarium, and WAY beyond the kind of fish that will live in a 40 gallon aquarium. At that size, Clarias batrachusis capable of eating sizeable prey - a fully grown one would regard Oscars as lunch ...


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Sorry, I have to agree with ck here. I've never heard of a 40" walking catfish. If anything, that's gotta be a typo.

its completely wrong. it maybe that website. Have a look at other websites which clearly states that it'll max out at 50 cm.In the market, i've never seen one at 1 metre long.its going to be too big for it to live. anyway, i do agree that a 40 gallon is too small for it.

Don't let this particular instance fool you. Planet Catfish is one of the best sires for any siluiforme hankering you've got. However, the forums themselves tend to be a better source of information than the profiles.

i think you scared paul off

OH TOLEEDY!