FreshwaterBrackish
Blunt-toothed African catfish
Clarias ngamensis
Clariidae
Facts
Characteristics
- Length
- Up to 73 cm
- Body shape
- Elongated
Care
- Group
- Missing
- Smallest aquarium
- 8,216 liters
- Diet
- Missing
Know what is missing? Suggest it in the app.
Behavior
Water values
Smallest tank
Range
Native
Lives wild in Angola, Botswana, Congo - Kinshasa, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, and 2 more countries.
More about the species
Description
The species seems to be nowhere especially abundant but is fairly common in some areas such as weed beds, permanent swamps, quieter waters and muddy bottoms. Prefers vegetated habitats. Feeding habits overlap considerably with the sharptooth catfish. Important foods are mollusks, terrestrial and aquatic insects, insect larvae, shrimps, grain, crabs and fish. Feeds on snails. Hard-shelled foods such as mussels are crushed before they are swallowed. Breeds during the summer rainy season. May live for 5-6 years. Also caught with drawnets.
Other names
Other scientific names
- Clarias melandi
- Clarias mellandi
- Clarias nagamensis
- Clarias prentissgrayi
- Dinopterus jallae
- Dinopterus pentissgrayi
In other languages
- Blunttooth catfish, Clarid catfish
Articles
All articles
Fish that get along4 min read
Temperament, fin nippers, fish that eat other fish, and fish that need the same water. And what the Harmony mark in the app means.
How to set up an African aquarium5 min read
Two completely different aquariums: forest rivers with soft, brown water, roots and leaves, and Rift Valley lake cichlids in hard, alkaline water with big rock piles.
How to add new fish4 min read
From the store to the tank: how to get the fish used to your water, why you should add only a few at a time, and what to watch for in the first few days.
Quarantine for new fish3 min read
Why new fish should live in a tank of their own for a few weeks before they move in, what you need, and what to look for.