Elindra's FishFiles - Walking Catfish (Clarias Batrachus)
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Some General Information
Common Name: Walking Catfish
Scientific Name: Clarias batrachus
Distribution: India, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia; introduced in USA: Florida
Diet: Seriously I think they eat anything. They are scavangers and eat fish, fish waste, fish food etc etc
Temperament: From what I've seen, they tend to hide alot when young, and they do squabble amongst themselves. Tend to hide when large as well though it doesn't take kindly being bullied and bites back (Experience when kept with a Flower Horn)
Tankmates: Anything as long as it can't eat it.
Color: Usually grey but there are albino ones or the 'rarer' ones with markings.
Other Comments: The walking catfish is, indeed, capable of moving on land and, when it does so, is able to breathe air. It belongs to the family Clariidae, whose members have additional, specialized breathing organs opening off the gill arches. These are saclike structures containing many-branched extensions, well supplied with blood vessels for respiration.
An elongate fish, this catfish has long-based dorsal and anal fins and several pairs of sensory barbels; its skin is scaleless but liberally supplied with mucus, which protects the fish when it is out of water. These catfishes live in ponds or temporary pools, some of which may disappear in prolonged dry spells. When this happens, the catfish can move overland to another body of water, making snakelike movements and using its pectoral fins as "legs." If necessary, the walking catfish can bury itself in mud at the bottom of a pond and remain dormant throughout a dry season until the rains return.
People do keep them as an oddity in the west as pets but over here it's very commonly sold in our local aquariums as feeder fish. My rays love to eat them. I've also noticed that they are considered intelligent fish.
As you know, rays are bottom feeders so instead at the bottom like they usually do, the walking catfish stays at the top now, hiding at the sides. However, the rays started going up to eat them now and the walking catfishes now stay in the middle of the tank, right at the top where the rays find it hard to reach them.
Species Stats
Temperature: Tropical.
Water: I don't think they are fussy about water. They can live in water filled with turtle piss too
pH: 7.0 ...but seriously I don't think it matters too much
Max Size: Around 50cm
Information & Pictures taken from:
http://mbgnet.mobot.org/fresh/wetlands/animals/catfish.html
http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/gclarias.html
http://www.scotcat.com/factsheets/clarias_batrachus.htm
and own experience
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Btw, let me know if anyone wants to adopt a Walking Catfish
I usually have some who managed to grow too large for the rays to eat.
Currently have 2 on hand -
I've kept these fellas before, a black one (grown from a bag of feeders), a pink albino, and a piebald (pink with brown and black blotches of colour).
I don't think they can be kept with anything at all, as they are extremely aggressive. Used to keep a small one with my PNT, thought it was safe as the PNT was so much bigger. Then i realised that this fella had been taking bites of the PNT's tail, resulting in a bout of severe infection... luckily my PNT recovered. I've never dared/wanted to keep another one of these little monsters ever since.
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WOW
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Well, I have 2 small ones with my PNT right now and no it has not be nipping my PNT. They spend most of the time hiding from my PNT as mine is kinda aggressive as I do feed it live food now and then and it has a nice time chasing after the 2Originally posted by cornyfish2000:I've kept these fellas before, a black one (grown from a bag of feeders), a pink albino, and a piebald (pink with brown and black blotches of colour).
I don't think they can be kept with anything at all, as they are extremely aggressive. Used to keep a small one with my PNT, thought it was safe as the PNT was so much bigger. Then i realised that this fella had been taking bites of the PNT's tail, resulting in a bout of severe infection... luckily my PNT recovered. I've never dared/wanted to keep another one of these little monsters ever since.
Also, my leopard catfish is in there trying to take bites out of them so they hide alot.
I kept one with my brother's Flower Horn (both same size) and they are ok except the Flower Horn tends to bully it more often then it trying to bully the Flower Horn.
I guess all fishes will have some which are more aggressive than others. For example, Motoros are supposed to be more aggressive feeders compared to the Recs but I'm facing the opposite right now in my tank. -
Oh, the feeder fishes in your tank with the tortoise are walking catfishes? Hmm... I didnt' notice the two hardy survivors!
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Elindra, I think your 2 catfishes are seriously traumatised Everyfish wants a bite of them.
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They were bought for a purposeOriginally posted by choco B:Elindra, I think your 2 catfishes are seriously traumatised Everyfish wants a bite of them.
To be at the lowest level of the food chain -
Again you wont admit that you enjoy your rays hunting and gobbling up the cat fish lolOriginally posted by elindra:They were bought for a purpose
To be at the lowest level of the food chain -
Yes but a quick death would be so much more humane LOLOriginally posted by elindra:They were bought for a purpose
To be at the lowest level of the food chain -
Originally posted by Kan_i:Again you wont admit that you enjoy your rays hunting and gobbling up the cat fish lol
I didn't admit to my rays hunting and gobbling up the guppies not the rays!Originally posted by choco B:Yes but a quick death would be so much more humane LOL
They get a quick death being eaten up
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slice em n dice em up.... cajun style!!!!
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Do you have to think about eating pets all the time?Originally posted by skeujin:slice em n dice em up.... cajun style!!!! -
the catfish aernt yr pets... they r fish food for yr rays... they shd b hapi tt im upgrading them to human consumption....Originally posted by elindra:Do you have to think about eating pets all the time? -
Tell ya what. Want me to give you one, and you can rear it till it's big and fat and you can eat it and tell us if it taste goodOriginally posted by skeujin:the catfish aernt yr pets... they r fish food for yr rays... they shd b hapi tt im upgrading them to human consumption.... -
wont bother rearing it lah. u giv it to me now itll jus feed 1. u wan u go n rear it till its big n fat thn wen it can feed bout 3-4pax thn ill come cook it....Originally posted by elindra:Tell ya what. Want me to give you one, and you can rear it till it's big and fat and you can eat it and tell us if it taste good -
Originally posted by skeujin:wont bother rearing it lah. u giv it to me now itll jus feed 1. u wan u go n rear it till its big n fat thn wen it can feed bout 3-4pax thn ill come cook it....
I dun want. They are ugly buggers
And eat too much -
its a common belief tt most owners luk like their pets....Originally posted by elindra:
I dun want. They are ugly buggers
And eat too much
*runs away* -
Originally posted by skeujin:its a common belief tt most owners luk like their pets....
*runs away*
Run away for what
They are not my pets
They are food for my pets -
OMG u turned into a parrot!!!!!Originally posted by elindra:
Run away for what
They are not my pets
They are food for my pets -
oooh Pinky Ray is going to get you for that... i would run tooOriginally posted by skeujin:its a common belief tt most owners luk like their pets....
*runs away*
i remember seeing a show once that showed people and how much they look like their pets... lol i suppose its tru