Salmon Catfish

About

The Boofheaded Catfish (Neoarius leptaspis) is a large, wide-ranging catfish native to the river systems and coastal waters of northern Australia and central-southern New Guinea. In the wild it moves comfortably between freshwater headwaters, brackish estuaries, and even muddy coastal shallows, which tells you something about its adaptability. It's an opportunistic omnivore that will eat fish, prawns, insects, mollusks, aquatic plants, and even fallen fruit. Basically whatever the habitat offers. One of the most interesting things about this species is its breeding behavior: males orally incubate the eggs after spawning, which takes place in coastal lagoons and flooded swamps during the transition from dry to wet season, and they continue to guard the fry for roughly a month after hatching. In the aquarium, Boofheaded Catfish are peaceful and active, preferring the company of their own kind, so a group is always preferable to a singleton. Their eventual size means you need to plan seriously for the long term. This is not a fish that stays manageable in a standard home setup. That said, their temperament and forgiving water parameter range make them a reasonable choice for dedicated keepers who can actually accommodate them.