Tiger sorubim (Pseudoplatystoma tigrinum) care guide

Group
Freshwater fish
Other names
Tiger shovelnose catfish, Tiger shovelnose, Tiger sorubim, Surubim
Family
Pimelodidae (long-whiskered catfishes)
Origin
South America: widespread in the Amazon and Orinoco basins, in Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela and French Guiana.
Water
freshwater
Maximum size
105 cm
Temperature
22–26°C
pH
6–7.6
Hardness
5–20 dGH
Minimum tank
10000 litres
Care level
expert
Temperament
semi_aggressive
Lifespan
20+ years

Care

Juvenile tiger shovelnoses are often sold at a few centimetres long, but this is a huge river predator: PlanetCatfish gives a maximum of 105 cm standard length, and it grows quickly towards that in captivity. Seriously Fish questions whether it should be kept in home aquaria at all. A fully grown fish needs a tank of roughly 360 × 240 × 120 cm (about 10,000 litres) according to Seriously Fish, with very powerful biological filtration, lots of open swimming space and a few large, firmly secured pieces of wood and rock. It is a strong swimmer and can damage itself on glass or decor if startled, so give it room to turn. Water figures are 22–26 °C and pH 6.0–7.6; it is not fussy about hardness but needs very clean water. It has dark vertical or slightly slanting bars on a light grey body, often with spots that are heavier underneath. Patterns vary greatly, and it is easily confused with other Pseudoplatystoma such as P. punctifer and P. fasciatum. Hybrids, including crosses with the red-tailed catfish (Phractocephalus), are also sold. The sexes cannot be told apart reliably from outside, though adult females may look stockier. It can live for more than 20 years, so think hard about where it will live as an adult before buying a juvenile. Public aquaria and zoos rarely have space to take unwanted large catfish. 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: PlanetCatfish (planetcatfish.com/common/species.php?speciesid=329); Seriously Fish (seriouslyfish.com/species/pseudoplatystoma-tigrinum/). Checked October 2026.

Diet

A predator that eats fish, crustaceans and anything else it can swallow. In captivity train it onto dead foods such as prawns, mussel, lancefish and earthworms. Avoid mammal meat. Feed juveniles every other day and adults about once a week.

Breeding

Not bred in home aquaria. In the wild it makes long spawning migrations that cannot be reproduced in captivity. Commercial farms produce it, and hybrids, using hormone-induced spawning.

Compatibility and tank mates

It will eat any fish small enough to swallow, so tankmates should be more than half its length. It is territorial towards its own kind and other large pimelodids. Large, robust catfish such as Oxydoras, Pterodoras and Megalodoras, and large cichlids, are the usual companions in very large tanks.

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

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