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Edit Bagarius bagarius

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Name

Scientific name

Bagarius bagarius

Described by

Authority Hamilton, Year 1822, Bracketed

Family

Sisoridae

Common names

Not recorded

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Photograph credits

All 2 credited

Summary

Bagarius bagarius, the goonch, is a very large sisorid catfish from the Indian subcontinent, in the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra drainages…

Size and aquarium

Maximum size

Not recorded

Aquarium size

Water movement High: fast-flowing river or riffle

Water

Water conditions

Not recorded

Hardness

Not recorded

Conductivity

Not recorded

Behaviour

Temperament

Species tank only

Social needs

Solitary or specimen

Community suitability

Not for a community

Where it lives

Countries, regions, rivers and lakes

Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Peninsular Malaysia, Brahmaputra, Ganges, Indus, Mutha Mula

Writing

Etymology

Bagarius: from 'Vaghari', a local name in Calcutta (Kolkata). bagarius: as above.

Distribution

Restricted to the Indian subcontinent, in the Indus River drainage in Pakistan, the Ganges and Brahmaputra drainages in India, Nepal, and Bangladesh, and the r…

Habitat

Mostly collected from larger river channels and typically associated with fast-flowing, turbulent rapids where it takes shelter among boulders and large rocks.…

Aquarium size

Suitable only for public installations or the very largest, highly-specialised private aquaria.

Maintenance

Prefers dim lighting and access to refuges in the form of driftwood, large rocks or lengths of plastic piping. A large, mature filter system, rigorous maintena…

Water conditions

Not written yet

Diet

An obligate predator feeding on smaller fishes, amphibians, crustaceans and other invertebrates in nature but in most cases adapting well to dead alternatives …

Behaviour and compatibility

Best maintained alone.

Sexual dimorphism

Not written yet

Reproduction

Unrecorded.

Notes

This species is also known as the 'giant devil catfish' and 'sand shark', and is fished for food across much of its range. It is clearly unsuitable for the hom…

References

References

8 on this profile