Care
The Gulper catfish is found in the wild in blackwater environments where they cruise around in open water during the hours of darkness. The daylight hours are normally spent in the shelter of waterlogged wood.
The aquarium should be mature, with a soft sand substrate and various pieces of smooth rockwork and bogwood arranged to create lots of shady caves and crevices, whilst leaving a large open area for active swimming. Good water movement will help to give these ogres something to swim against and a high level of oxygenation will be beneficial. Companions should be chosen with great care if they're not to be eaten whole and may be limited to significantly larger, peaceful species. Although highly likely to eat tankmates, this fish is unaggressive and can be kept in groups of similarly-sized individuals. Ensure that regular partial water changes are carried out as these catfish produce a fair amount of waste and will not tolerate an elevated nitrate level.
As well as Gulper catfish, this fish may be referred to as Ogre catfish.
Feeding
This species is capable of swallowing fishes considerably larger than itself and such big meals should be offered only rarely. Remarkably, these fishes can also strain small food items out of the water, giving them a diet that includes items as small as Daphnia. Activity is often linked to appetite, and heavily fed individuals tend to be fairly inactive. To ensure a healthy diet, dried foods should be offered alongside a range of frozen and live foods. Young fish should be fed more regularly than adults.
Breeding
This species is slow to mature and youngsters are very hard to sex, egg laying has been reported and the males' have modified anal fins to facilitate internal fertilisation.
