PlanetCatfish.com

how do you keep these in captivity?
i have room to spare

what do you mean how ? like the water requirements and food ? I keep mine in a 360gal tank which is 4 feet wide and 6 feet long. water PH is 6.6 . Here are some pics of it:

http://www.arofanatics.com/members/katf ... wfishpics/

general-sherman wrote:how do you keep these in captivity?
i have room to spare

Please define room to spare.
If you mean you have a 6 metre+ aquarium with vertical and lateral dimensions in proportion then just maybe, but otherwise they are not a fish for the home aquarium.
I wouldn't even think about putting one in the 1000 gallon aquaria I have at my disposal.

i have a 7' diameter pond (30" depth) right now. i plan to purchase a 12' diameter, 3' deep pond in the future...and no doubt a bigger pond after that! how fast will a s. planiceps outgrow the 7'er? i plan to purchase a 4" specimen.
thanks.

Isn't that particular species the largest catfish in South America?
the one who goes for the 10-feet prize and outstrips Paulicea lutkeni and Phractocephalus hemiliopterus?

No, the largest cat in South America is still Brachyplatystoma filamentosum.

i thought s. planiceps had a MAXIMUM length of 5'?

general-sherman wrote:i thought s. planiceps had a MAXIMUM length of 5'?

I will check lengths quoted in 'The Catfish Connection' for this sp.
I have certainly seen one in captivity at 5'.

[quote="coelacanth]I will check lengths quoted in 'The Catfish Connection' for this sp.[/quote]

150 cm, or 5' is the length stated in Goulding's book. You got room for a 20' diameter pond? I would say that you have a good couple of years before you need to think about this size enclosure, but it depends on feeding rates etc.