Hoplo Catfish

fish description – Hoplo Catfish Care Guide ($Megalechisthoracata$)

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Appearance and Sexual Differences

• Short Description: A robust, rounded catfish with a speckled dark brown or black pattern on a lighter base. Like other Callichthyids, it is covered in two rows of protective bony plates. It is a Labyrinth fish and often gulps air from the surface.
• Coloration: Body is typically dark brown/grey, speckled with black spots, often giving a marbled look. Males develop thicker, more pronounced pectoral fins, often with a rusty or orange tint, and have a more defined ventral side. Females are rounder and plumper.
• Fins: Males have a noticeable orange or scarlet tinge on the first ray of the pectoral fins.
• Behavior: Highly sociable and should be kept in groups, though they can be kept singly. They are primarily nocturnal and enjoy digging/sifting through soft substrate. They are generally peaceful but will opportunistically eat any fish or fry small enough to fit in their mouth.

Tank Requirements and Water Parameters

• Minimum Tank Size: 55 gallons (208 liters) is the minimum for a small group. Longer tanks are preferred to maximize bottom space.
• Schooling: Highly social; best kept in groups of at least 5 individuals or more to encourage their natural behavior, though they can be kept alone.
• Temperature: Tropical range: 75∘–82∘F (24∘–28∘C). They tolerate a wide range, but stability is key. Ensure a small air gap remains above the water surface for gulping air.
• pH Level: Highly adaptable: 6.0 to 8.0. They are tolerant of a wide range of water hardness but require a clean, well-maintained tank with regular partial water changes.
• Aquascape: Requires a soft, sandy substrate to protect their sensitive barbels, as they enjoy digging. Provide plenty of shady hiding places using large pieces of driftwood, bogwood, and rocks. Floating plants are excellent, especially if breeding, as the male will anchor his bubble nest to them.

Diet and Feeding

The Hoplo Catfish is an omnivore and a highly effective scavenger.

• Staple Diet: Accepts all sinking foods. Use high-quality sinking pellets, granules, or tablets as the staple diet.
• Supplementation: Offer a varied diet including meat and vegetable matter. Provide frozen or live foods regularly: Bloodworms, Brine Shrimp, Daphnia, and Mysis shrimp. They will also graze on detritus.
• Schedule: Feed once daily, preferably in the evening/night, as they are most active then. They are boisterous eaters, so ensure food is distributed to allow other tank mates to eat.

Compatibility

• Caution: Peaceful but predatory. Will eat any small fish (e.g., Neon Tetras, Guppy fry, Dwarf Shrimp) that can fit in their mouth, particularly when lights are off. Males become aggressively territorial when guarding a bubble nest.
• Good Tank Mates: Peaceful to semi-aggressive fish too large to be eaten. Examples include Angelfish, larger Tetras, Rainbowfish, peaceful Cichlids (e.g., Kribensis), and larger Loaches.