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Category:
Common Name:
Scientific Name:
Description:
Origin:
Max Size:
Minimum Tank Size:
Swim Area:
Life Span:
Temperature Range (F):
pH:
Hardness (dH):
Diet:
Additional Diet Information:
Gender Difference:
Breeding:
Temperament/Social Behavior:
Common Diseases:
Availability:
Additional Information or Photos
Catfish
Common Name:
Giraffe Catfish
Scientific Name:
Auchenoglanis occidentalis
Description:
A large, peaceful catfish with giraffe-like spots when young. Adult giraffe cats spots fade as they become adults. They should be kept in a very large aquarium with massive filtration due to the amount of food they require. My experience with them is slightly different from everything I've read, so I will break down the differences as 'General information' and 'My experiences'.
General information:
Giraffe cats can be kept together if in a large enough tank. They are sociable and will hang together.
My experience:
Giraffe cats that are raised together will be fine together as they become adults. However, introducing two adult or sub-adult giraffe catfish can cause fighting as the first giraffe catfish will be protective of his territory.
General information:
Giraffe cats can be kept together if in a large enough tank. They are sociable and will hang together.
My experience:
Giraffe cats that are raised together will be fine together as they become adults. However, introducing two adult or sub-adult giraffe catfish can cause fighting as the first giraffe catfish will be protective of his territory.
Origin:
Africa: present in most rivers of West Africa, Lake Chad, the entire Congo River system, the Nile, East African lakes, and the rivers Omo and Giuba.
Max Size:
Larger than 24 inches
Minimum Tank Size:
200 gallons
Swim Area:
Bottom
Life Span:
15 years or more
Temperature Range (F):
70F - 80F
pH:
7.0 - 8.2
Hardness (dH):
10 - 20 dH
Diet:
Omnivore
Additional Diet Information:
Giraffe catfish have huge appetites and require a lot of food. This is one of the main considerations when thinking of keeping one. They sift through the substrate for food and can make quite a mess if the tank has a sand substrate.
General information: They are not picky eaters and will eat pellets, krill, bloodworms, and pretty much anything that will fit in their large mouth. This includes other fish in the aquarium.
My personal experience: I have two of these fish and both prefer pellets to anything else. And by 'prefer', I mean they won't eat anything but pellets. I have never seen either of them eat another fish. In fact, when I've fed feeder fish to other fish in the tanks, I have seen the giraffe catfish suck up the feeders and shoot them (still alive) out of their gills. Both are handfed and are very affectionate. They will both come to the surface and allow me to stroke their head.
General information: They are not picky eaters and will eat pellets, krill, bloodworms, and pretty much anything that will fit in their large mouth. This includes other fish in the aquarium.
My personal experience: I have two of these fish and both prefer pellets to anything else. And by 'prefer', I mean they won't eat anything but pellets. I have never seen either of them eat another fish. In fact, when I've fed feeder fish to other fish in the tanks, I have seen the giraffe catfish suck up the feeders and shoot them (still alive) out of their gills. Both are handfed and are very affectionate. They will both come to the surface and allow me to stroke their head.
Gender Difference:
Dimorphic
There is no way to tell the difference between sexes. It's been said that females will be slightly larger in the middle when full of eggs.
Breeding:
Egg Layer
There are no accounts of breeding in captivity, but this may be due to their large size and requirements of large tank for multiple catfish. Males guard the nest in the wild.
Temperament/Social Behavior:
- Peaceful, Docile, Reclusive/Solitary, Will eat smaller fish, Timid/Shy, Territorial
Common Diseases:
No diseases specific to this species
Availability:
Occasionally Available
Additional Information or Photos