Gold Zebra catfish (Brachyplatystoma juruense) care guide

Group
Freshwater fish
Other names
Zebra catfish, Gold zebra pim, False tigrinus
Family
Pimelodidae (long-whiskered catfishes)
Origin
South America: the Amazon and Orinoco basins, including the Rio Juruá in north-western Brazil, Peru and Venezuela.
Water
freshwater
Maximum size
60 cm
Temperature
22–27°C
pH
7–8.5
Hardness
10–30 dGH (estimated)
Minimum tank
3000 litres
Care level
expert
Temperament
semi_aggressive

Care

The gold zebra catfish is a striking pimelodid with bold dark bars on a pale or golden body and long barbels. It is sold as a juvenile but grows large: FishBase gives a maximum of 60 cm total length. It is an active, open-water swimmer and needs a very large tank. We have estimated a minimum of about 3,000 litres for an adult, as no source gives a figure. Provide a long, open swimming area, a sand base, a few large pieces of wood, strong water flow and very good oxygenation. A heavy, tight lid is essential. FishBase gives 22–27 °C. Soft to medium water with a neutral to slightly acidic pH is generally suitable for Amazon pimelodids. Heavy feeding means a lot of waste, so very powerful filtration and frequent large water changes are needed. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (FishBase, assessed 2020) and is kept in some public aquariums. We could not read the PlanetCatfish page for this species when checking, so these figures come from FishBase and Wikipedia. Selling: our policies require the adult size and long-term tank needs to be stated clearly in the listing. Large fish must travel by a specialist live-animal courier (see the Livestock shipping guide). Sources: FishBase (fishbase.se/summary/Brachyplatystoma-juruense.html); Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brachyplatystomajuruense). Checked October 2026.

Diet

A predator that eats mainly fish. Wean juveniles on to pieces of fish, prawn and mussel and sinking carnivore pellets; avoid live feeder fish, which can bring in disease. Do not overfeed.

Breeding

Not reported in aquariums in the sources checked.

Compatibility and tank mates

Will eat any fish it can swallow. Keep only with other large, robust fish that cannot be eaten, such as large doradids, large cichlids and other big catfish.

Last updated 5 October 2026. Community-edited care guide on Aquatic-Auctions.

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