Do you fancy having a variety of fish for pets and perhaps dream of having a large, beautiful aquarium in your house with different colorful and stunning fish just swimming around all day long?
If you do, you would be interested to know that catfish have some of the most fascinating personalities and highly distinctive looks and appearances. These features and qualities also make them one of the most popular picks among most beginners and aquarium owners.
However, you must know picking the right kind catfish for a pet is extremely important!
Catfish – Life History and Evolution
The catfish population is very diverse with almost 3000 species known to date. They rank second or third among all the vertebrates in terms of their diversity and interestingly, one in every twenty vertebrates and also one in every ten species of fish is a catfish.
You will find different catfish species on every continent except Antarctica. Catfish are most commonly and popularly found in all kinds of freshwater environment, however, some particular species are also found in marine environments.
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Catfish are known to be bottom dwellers that are most active during the night instead of the day. Freshwater catfish are found in a variety of habitats ranging from gushing mountain streams to slow and torpid waters and marine catfish are mostly found near the shore.
Physical Characteristics
Catfish stand out among all the other kinds of fish because they don’t have scales, which are often considered to be the most defining feature of the fish species. Instead of scales, catfish have spines in the front of their fins and also fleshy and ray-less posterior fin which is called an adipose fin.
One of their most notable physical features is, of course, their slender and prominent whisker-like barbels that gave them this unique name in the first place. Most of the catfish species contain four pairs of barbels on the head and two on the chin with one maxillary and one nasal.
Majority of catfish are dull-colored, however, some species belonging to the North American streams are believed to sport brightly colored patterns and designs.
Size
Catfish normally vary in size with smallest species ranging from 4-5 centimeters in length while the largest and the heaviest of catfish species extending to 4.5 meters or 15 feet in length and weighing about 300 kilograms.
There are numerous records of the largest and the heaviest catfish being caught in various parts of the worlds however, all those pale in comparison to the one caught in northern Thailand on May 1, 2005. This was the heaviest Mekong giant catfish to have been caught to date that weighed almost 293 kg (646 lb).
However, it is still believed that the Mekong giant catfish has the ability to grow even longer and heavier.
Types of Catfish
Due to their incredible diversity, you will find a huge variety of thousands of different catfish species, especially if you are to pick one for your freshwater tank.
Below is a list of popular and common types of catfish, including different aquarium catfish for fish-keepers as well as some species of giant catfish.
Blue Catfish
This type of catfish also has other common names including Mississippi White Catfish, high fin blue and humpback blue, to name a few. The scientific name for Blue Catfish is Ictalurus Furcatus where ‘Ictalurus’ is Greek for “fish cat” and ‘fucatus’ is Latin for “forked”. Together the scientific name is a reference to the forked tail fin of the blue catfish.
These are primarily large-river fish that are typically found in the tributaries and main channels of major river systems. During the winter season, all the blue catfish species move downstream in search of warm waters and in the summer season, they go upstream towards cooler temperatures.
Blue catfish are native to Mississippi, Ohio and Missouri river basins and further extend to Mexico, Texas and northern Guatemala. They are easy to spot because they are unspotted unlike the Channel Catfish and typically sport a slate gray color on the back and upper sides with a prominent white belly.
Blue catfish normally have 30-35 rays on the anal fin and have an estimated lifespan of 20-30 years.
Blue catfish species are often referred to as “opportunistic feeders” because they are usually found feeding different kinds of bait fish that they have injured. They also have a preference for bait with strong and distinct scents.
The current world record for blue catfish is 143 pounds although there are a few rumors circulating around that the largest blue catfish to have been caught to date weighs between 300-350 pounds.
Channel Catfish
The scientific name of the Channel Catfish is Ictalurus Punctatus where ‘punctatus’ is Latin for “spotted”, referring to its spotted design. Like the blue catfish, these species also have deeply forked tails quite to similar to the former; with the only exception that the latter’s tail is of a different color.
Channel catfish typically sports an olive brown or slate color, often with hues of blue or grey on the sides. They also have white to silver white bellies and undersides. One of the most distinguishing features of the channel catfish, as their scientific name also suggests, is the presence of numerous small black spots on the length of their bodies.
However, interestingly, these spots may not necessarily be present in the larger fish species. Compared to the blue catfish, these species have 24-29 rays on the anal fin.
Channel Catfish are found in great abundance in lakes, rivers, large streams and reservoirs that have a low current range.
These species are quite popular in the United States mainly because of two reasons. Firstly, they are readily and easily available in most rivers and lakes of the US and secondly, they make an excellent table fare.
Channel catfish have a huge preference for crawfish, worms and bait fish which is also how they are usually caught. A popular method or technique for catching them, though, is preparing the baits with grains like wheat or range cubes.
Flathead Catfish
This species has a few other common names like Shovelhead Cat, Yellow Cat, Mud Cat, and Pied Cat. Their scientific name is Pylodictis Olivaris where ‘pylodictis’ is Greek for “mudfish” and ‘olivaris” is a Latin word that translates to “olive-colored” in English.
Flathead is commonly found to be yellow in color which is why one of their common names is “yellow cat”. However, their skin is often a mixture of yellow and olive brown with pale yellow or cream-colored undersides and light brown to pale yellow backsides.
They have a fairly smooth skin without any scales, long and sharp spines on the back, and also cat-like whiskers around the mouth region.
The flathead catfish, as the name obviously suggests, have very flattened and broadheads that often resemble a shovel. This is the primary reason why they are also called “shovelhead cat”. Their tail fins are not as deeply forked as those of the blue and channel catfish, but instead, have a slight notch in them.
The entire species of flathead catfish seem to follow a general rule according to which they only prey on live fish, which doesn’t make them opportunistic feeders or predators like the blue
catfish. They love to feed on invertebrates, worms, and crayfish, as they grow larger; their diet usually includes other fish species including other types of catfish.
Flathead catfish is typically found in deep creeks where the currents are slow and moderate and the waters are cloudy.
Cory Catfish
This is a type of small species of aquarium catfish that grow to a maximum length of 3 inches. Their size makes them an excellent choice for people with small tanks who prefer having a few fishes as pets.
Cory catfish are also commonly called Corydoras Catfish and Cory Cats. They are a popular species of freshwater fish and are often described as “armored catfish” because they seem to have some bone-like material covering their bodies.
They also have whiskers-like barbels on each side of their mouth and if they are cared for, and looked after properly, they live up to an average of 20 years.
Cory catfish are super popular in most fish stores and among aquarium owners mainly because it is very easy to care for them. They have a non-aggressive and cool temperament and appear to be really shy and timid compared to many other catfish species.
They are known to be bottom dwellers that curiously look for food at the bottom of the tank. These species are also omnivores so they highly prefer a mixture of both and plant-based and meat-based food.
Glass Catfish
This has to be one of the most fascinating and distinctive catfish species. Glass Catfish are so named because of their completely transparent bodies. This is also why they are commonly referred to as “ghost Catfish” or “phantom catfish”.
Their transparent bodies allow one to see their organs and bones and apparently, they have a ‘hidden’ tail fin that is hardly visible to the naked eye. The transparency is an added advantage for glass catfish because it allows them to camouflage their bodies in the presence of fish predators.
The glass catfish species have big barbels on their heads and a raised portion on the