Banded Goonch

About

Found in the fast-flowing rivers of the Nam Xam and Nam Ma basins in Laos, the Red River in Vietnam, and adjacent parts of Yunnan in southern China, Bagarius rutilus is a large catfish in the family Sisoridae. It's an uncommon sight in the aquarium trade, with only small numbers reaching hobbyists even occasionally, and it's worth being upfront about why: this fish grows to well over two feet and is best kept alone, making meaningful long-term housing genuinely difficult. Only a small number of private keepers worldwide have the facilities to do right by it. That said, it's a remarkable animal. Live fish show vivid orange coloration in the fins, which contrasts sharply with the textured, tubercle-covered body. The head is broad and the snout notably elongated, giving the fish an almost prehistoric silhouette. Like other members of Bagarius, it possesses a distinctive dentition in the lower jaw, with rows of close-set conical teeth alongside larger, more widely spaced inner teeth. An adaptation that reflects its strictly carnivorous lifestyle. Breeding has not been achieved in aquaria, though wild fish deposit adhesive eggs in rocky crevices and adults are known to guard the clutch. Despite the listed care level, this species is realistically a specimen fish for dedicated large-predator enthusiasts only.