Gulper Catfish

Remarks:  The gulper catfish is possibly one of the strangest catfish available within the hobby. While their body mostly resembles that of a typical catfish, their massive mouths give away their special talent that they were named for. These fish can open their mouths unbelievably wide and have an extremely stretchy stomach allowing for them to safely eat fish half their size! Some can even manage to swallow down prey the same size as them with little issue outside of a very distended belly. While anything approaching the same size as them can start to be a challenge for them to swallow down, gulper catfish are known to even go for prey up to twice their length! This is at a very real risk, however, as too large of prey or prey possessing sharp spines or armor can perforate their stomachs. While it seems these fish have evolved to heal these types of wounds that would normally be a death sentence for many fish, it does not always mean they will survive it. These gluttonous fish will go for any species including their own so they are best kept as a solitary fish. Some have gotten away with keeping them with very small and quick fish like small tetras as they are usually too small to be considered as a meal by an adult gulper catfish. However, some gulpers will eventually eat these fish too. Others have kept them with fish more than twice their size, but this is with care being taken to ensure these larger fish will not attempt to eat or harass the gulper catfish.

  In the wild, gulper catfish can be found in calm, shallow, heavily tannin-stained, and murky waters of the Rio Negro and Orinoco in Colombia, Brazil, and Venezuela. Visibility is extremely limited in these habitats so the gulper catfish relies more on its sensitive whiskers and well-developed sense of smell to find prey. They are nocturnal so they spend most of the day hiding, waiting until night fall to hunt. This nocturnal behavior should be considered when keeping the gulper catfish in captivity as bright light and a lack of enough hiding spots can cause them stress. The darker the aquarium and the more hiding places that are provided, the more likely the gulper catfish will venture out of hiding. Gulper catfish will be at their healthiest if the soft, acidic conditions of their wild habitat is replicated in captivity, but they have proven to be tolerant in that regard. So long as they are kept around neutral conditions, they should be fine. Frequent water changes are heavily recommended, however, as they create quite a lot of waste with the large meals they consume.

  Possibly the most exciting aspect of keeping a gulper catfish is feeding it. It is absolutely fascinating watching them gobble up their food with ease. As all gulper catfish are wild caught, some will only accept sizable, live prey at first. This can be in the form of live fish, shrimp, or earthworms dependent on the gulper’s size. It should be noted that feeder fish such as feeder goldfish tend to be very poor in regards to nutrition so they should be fed high quality foods before being offered to the gulper. This practice known as gut-loading makes the meal far more nutritious for the gulper and can help with digestion issues if the feeder was given a veggie rich diet. Another thing to note is feeding feeder fish always carries the risk of passing disease onto the gulper catfish. Only use feeders that have been cleared for health with no signs of illness. The best option is to try to wean your gulper catfish onto prepared foods such as silversides and frozen river shrimp. These foods are easier to keep on hand and do not pose a risk of spreading disease to the catfish. Young fish should be fed multiple times a week, but full-grown adults will only need a meal once a week. If cared for properly, these incredibly unique oddballs can make fascinating pets for many years.