African butter catfish (Schilbe mystus)

Scientific name: Schilbe mystus Linnaeus, 1758

The African butter catfish (Schilbe mystus) is a freshwater fish of the family Schilbeidae. In the aquarium it needs water at 23–27°C (73–81°F). Native range: Africa, including the Nile and the Zambesi system.

African butter catfish care at a glance

Temperature: 23–27°C (73–81°F)

Biology

Also caught with drawnets. Shoals in standing or slowly flowing open water with emergent or submerged vegetation. Generally more active at night or in subdued light. Feed from mid-water and surface waters on a wide variety of foods including fish, insects, shrimps, snails, plant seeds, and fruit. Oviparous, eggs are unguarded. Breed during the rainy season and may be either a single or multiple spawner in different localities, laying eggs on vegetation. May live up to 6-7 years.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Schilbe mystus
Family: Schilbeidae (Schilbid catfishes)
Order: Siluriformes (Catfish)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 40.0
Depth range: 4–69 m (13–226 ft)
Environment: Freshwater; demersal; potamodromous; depth range 4 - 69 m
Climate: Tropical
Distribution: Africa: including the Nile and the Zambesi system.
Conservation status (IUCN): Least Concern (LC)
Threat to humans: Harmless
Uses: Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes; aquarium: commercial
Resilience: High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (K=0.09-0.94; tmax=6-7; assuming fec > 10,000)