Brachyplatystoma tigrinum

I have added a really nice catfish to the tank: Brachyplatystoma tigrinum
It looks like a Tiger Shovel Nose (TSN) or Pseudoplatystoma tigrinum, but stays a lot smaller.

A mature TSN will grow up to a meter in length and is a true predator. He'll decimate your cichlid population if he gets the chance. I love the look of this fish, but was not going to risk my entire setup. So.... when I came accross the Brachyplatystoma tigrinum, it was a quick and easy decision.

According to PlanetCatfish it can grow up to 50 cm in lenght (19,7 inch). Currently he/she is around 14cm/5,5 inch. Since most of my fish are bigger then 25cm it should be no problem to keep them together.

According to PlanetCatfish they also require a strong current and good oxygenation. I trust the Red Dragon (12000 lh / 3170 gh) and the Eheim circulation pump (5500 lh / 1452 g/h) to be sufficient. If not, I can still squeeze the 4 outflows on the Red Dragon pump (smaller diameter means higher pressure), thereby increasing the current.

Have a look at some great images (I cannot use them directly in this blog due to copyright restrictions) and a good description:

Image of full grown adult

Description and more images of the Brachyplatystoma tigrinum

I currently feed him/her fresh/frozen fish and shrimps, and I really hope it will be able to stand the heat in this tank with strong, big fish.

I will post videos & pictures soon (if possible ;-) !

Cheers

Tom