Tiger shovelnose catfish is a very rare and special type of fishes, it is only native to the Amazon Basin, so you can only find it in some specific countries like Brazil, Peru, Venezuela, and Paraguay.
It is considered one of the most interesting freshwater fish in the world because of its unique look and amazing facts about breeding, feeding, and more.
We are here for you today in order to tell you things that are more interesting about this amazing fish to help you know everything about it.
You will be lucky if you choose this fish to be in your place because it can live from 18 to 25 years, so it will be with you almost forever.
You have to know that this fish will only live for a very long time with you if you offer special care for it and present suitable foods.
You will also find that it is uncommon for some fishes to live for these long years, so it may be significantly impacted by genetic factors, so if you find this fish, don’t lose it and take good care of it.
One of the most amazing things about this type of fish is that it can grow up so fast, you will find that it will almost be about 3 inches at the beginning.
After a few years, you will find that this fish reaches two feet in length, and its weight can reach over 60 pounds, so you have to be ready for this fast change.
If you want to know the difference between females and males, you can easily notice their mature because females are larger than males and they reach sexual maturity at 56 cm, but males sexual maturity at 45 cm.
You can simply take care of this fish by cleaning its tank and water all the time, and by offering healthy foods for it in time and in a huge quantity because they love eating.
You have to know that breeding this fish is not easy at all, and need special care, so if you don’t have enough time, then it is better to look for another fish.
You will notice that all the hybrid fishes from this type growing up quicker and larger than either parent, so you have to be ready for these big hybrid fishes.
The reason why they become so big and large is that they have something called hybrid vigor, which is responsible for growing.
Therefore, you have to think twice before having the tiger shovelnose catfish hybrid.
It is important to know what this fish eats before having it in your place, this fish eats smaller fish and crustaceans, besides some meaty protein-rich foods.
So your responsibility is to offer a significant amount of food in its tank at all times because it is large fish, so it will obviously eat a lot more than any other small fish species.
It will be good for this fish to present a mix of frozen foods for it with some worms, and pellets and this will be a perfectly balanced diet.
If you want to give this fish some treats, then you can try to drop pieces of fish for it as well, and these fish treats are a good source of enrichment.
It will be a challenge for you if you decided to breed tiger shovelnose catfish because it needs special care and attention, so we will tell you what exactly you want to breed it perfectly.
Frist, you have to give it a large and comfortable tank specially if you have more than one fish from this type.
Once you notice that the fishes start to grow up and become adults, then you will need to sperate them from other fishes by puting them in another large tank.
Now you will see by yourself that the mating is not that easy for tiger shovelnose catfish because it is hard to catch, so you will see that the male and female escaping from each other all the time.
When they found each other and start to have sex, you have to know that there is no guarantee that they will be compatible or even attempt to breed in your special tank.
Although this fish can stand a flexible range of water parameters, you must make sure that the water temperature is 75°F to 82°F, no more no less.
Your duty is to try and keep things as consistent as possible as you can, so you have to make the pH levels up to 6-8 and the water hardness is 6-20 KH.
You have also to make sure that the water is clean all the time by changing it frequently because water quality considered one of the most important parts of good fish care.
You have to make sure that this special fish has a large tank because it is famous for its big size, so it is important to let it live in a comfortable big place.
Therefore, it is better for you to choose a tank that is bigger than 180 gallons and reach 200 gallons, this will suit juveniles, but for adults, you have to choose one larger than 250 gallons.
All you have to notice is that the fish is feeling comfortable because if it feels cramped, then it will live in a state of stress, which will affect its lifespan and make it very short.
Once you find out that you are unable to provide these sizes of the tank for your fish, then you have to find another fish for you.
You have to make sure that the bottom of the aquarium is always clean because it is the place where the fishes live in, so they won’t feel comfortable if they found it dirty.
In order to keep the aquarium clean, you have to manage the number of fishes on it, so it is recommended to have only 5 fishes in the same tank.
In the end, we would like to hear your opinion about tiger shovelnose catfish, Do you like it?