Description
Appearance can be mottled grey or jet black, usually becomes darker after settling into its aquarium. Suitable for a community tank of medium to large fishes. It has a relatively long snout with the mouth surrounded by 4 pairs of barbels and eel-like tail.
Caution when handling. The dorsal and pectoral fins are armed with serrated venomous spines that can inflict a painful sting.
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Features of Black Eeltail Catfish:
- Long eel-like body and tail
- Mottle grey to black
- 4 pairs of barbels at the mouth
- Bottom dweller
- Grows up to 35cm-45cm
- Level of care: Intermediate
The Best Aquarium Size for Black Eeltail Catfish:
Black Eeltail Catfish grow large. Recommended aquarium size is 500 litres for this large growing catfish.
Check out these suitable aquarium brands:
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Tank Mate Compatibility:
Black Eeltail Catfish are a peaceful large catfish. Best kept with other peaceful medium to large community aquarium species or as a single specimen. Also, do not keep with crustaceans which may become a snack.
Here are some great tank mates to consider:
Diet:
Black Eeltail Catfish are carnivores and prefer bulky high protein foods. They will readily eat pellets, live, frozen and freeze dried foods.
Check out our extensive range of aquarium fish foods, or live foods.
Black Eeltail Catfish Tank Setup:
Aquarium Filtration for Black Eeltail Catfish
A good filtration system is necessary as they can be heavy waste producers due to their voracious appetite and size. Ensure your filter has an adequate flow rate to effectively remove waste from the aquarium. Cannister filters are you best option for large aquariums.
Shop our comprehensive range of aquarium filters here.
Aquarium Heater for Black Eeltail Catfish
This fish enjoy temperatures between 25 - 28° C. If you are unable to maintain this temperature naturally, use an aquarium heater. Aquarium heaters also stabilize water temperatures. A thermometer is recommended to monitor the water temperature.
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Aquarium Plants for Black Eeltail Catfish
To mimic their natural habitat, we recommend adding live aquatic plants to your aquarium. Black Eeltail Catfish are a large species and can disrupt plants easily, however they require lots of driftwood in the aquarium for shelter, so we suggest using anubias planted on driftwood. Anubias is a hardy plant with a firm leaf that will tolerate moderate disruption and lower lighting. When planted on driftwood, the plant has no way of being uprooted. It's rooted to the driftwood already, and ready to go.
Check out our Anubias on Driftwood.
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Aquarium Decorations for Black Eeltail Catfish
Black Eeltail Catfish love driftwood and enjoy lots of hiding spots to feel safe in an aquarium environment. Other ornaments large enough to swim around and hide around such as caves and pipes are also great options.
After more nice quality decorations? Check our Aquarium Ornaments.
Aquarium Lighting Black Eeltail Catfish
Black Eeltail Catfish prefer a more dimly lit aquarium. While, plants need sufficient light to grow LED lighting is an excellent choice to provide adjustable lighting as desired. LED lighting is also more efficient and runs cooler than traditional aquarium lights.
Substrate for Black Eeltail Catfish
Aquarium sand or fine smooth gravels are a good substrate to mimic their natural environment. They can be seen searching for through in the substrate.
A variety of Substrates are available at Coburg Aquarium.
