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No federal permit to keepGünther's catfish
Horabagrus brachysoma
Fishes › Catfish (Siluriformes) › Horabagridae (Sun and imperial catfish)
Horabagrus brachysoma is a species of catfish endemic to rivers in the Western Ghats of India.
Care at a glance
Species-specific aquarium care
- Tank: At least 72 in long and 36 in front to back for one adult (adults commonly reach about 17.7 in / 45 cm).
- Water: Freshwater (tolerates brackish).
- Temperature: 73–77°F (range recorded for this species).
- Layout: Lives on or near the bottom: floor space and hiding places matter more than height.
- Diet: A predator: feed meaty foods sized to its mouth (frozen fish, shrimp, worms); it will eat tankmates that fit in its mouth. FishBase classes it as a carnivore.
Calculated from this species' own FishBase record: tank size from its typical adult length and swimming zone, water values from its recorded ranges. The group guide below fills in general care.
Care guide
Species care notes
- Water: a fairly wide range, from slightly acidic to slightly alkaline, 73–77 °F, pH 6–7.5, 5–25 dGH.
- Behaviour: temperament predatory.
- Difficulty: Difficult (Seriously Fish rating).
Short excerpts from the species profile:
- Setup: “It's a nocturnal species, so provide dim lighting and refuges in the form of big chunks of bogwood, tangles of beech branches, large rocks or lengths of plastic piping of a suitable bore.”
- Diet: “Feeds on smaller fish, invertebrates and plant matter in nature, although thankfully there is no need to offer live ' feeder' fish in the aquarium.”
- Tankmates: “Peaceful for its size and does well in a community of other placid, similarly-sized fish.”
From the Seriously Fish profile for this species, which has the full habitat, maintenance, diet, behaviour and breeding write-up 167
Sun and imperial catfish
Applies to most species in this group. Habitat: The listed Indian catfish occupy Kerala rivers, from sluggish tributaries and backwaters used by Horabagrus brachysoma to the headwaters used by H. nigricollaris. [fg312-sun, fg312-imperial, fg312-ghats]. Individual species can differ, so compare with the species numbers above and the linked sources.
Housing & setup
- For one H. brachysoma, provide at least 180 × 60 × 60 cm (about 648 L); groups require larger quarters.
- For H. nigricollaris, the published minimum is 120 × 45 × 45 cm (about 243 L).
- Provide dim lighting and broad wood, rock or pipe refuges; secure heavy decorations against displacement.
- Use efficient biological filtration for the large Horabagrus waste load; provide oxygenated flow for H. nigricollaris.
- For Pseudeutropius mitchelli, retain open upper-water swimming space and well-aerated water rather than treating it as a bottom-dwelling Horabagrus.
Climate & lighting
| Water | 73.4–77°F |
Diet
- Dried pellets for Horabagrus.
- Frozen prawns and mussels for Horabagrus.
- Earthworms for Horabagrus.
Social life
- Horabagrus can live singly or in sufficiently spacious groups with placid fish too large to swallow; P. mitchelli is described as peaceful and upper-water dwelling. Do not put it with larger predatory Horabagrus.
Health watch
- Ammonia or nitrite injury in overloaded or immature systems.
- External parasite and opportunistic bacterial infections: general captive-fish risks, not established family-specific prevalence.
Understanding the animal
About this animal
About this animal
It is known as mannjakoori in its native range, and has a host of English common names, such as sun catfish, Günther's catfish, yellow catfish, eclipse catfish, bullseye catfish, golden red tail catfish, and solar catfish.
Quoted from the Wikipedia article “Horabagrus brachysoma” (CC BY-SA 4.0) 174
In the wild
In the wild
From this species’ own FishBase record (habitat, bottom type, water and breeding data), not its family. Good care copies these conditions.1
| Where it lives | Lives in freshwater and brackish water, in rivers and streams, lakes. Stays near the bottom. Found in backwaters. Marketed live. Contributes to a local fishery during rainy season (October to February). |
| Water it lives in | Freshwater / brackish water, 73–77 °F (23–25 °C). |
| Climate | Tropical climate. |
| Wild diet | Hunting macrofauna (predator). |
What this means for care
- Keep water within its wild range, 73–77 °F.
- It tolerates or needs brackish water; check salinity needs before setup.
Native climate (measured)
Native climate (measured)
| Warm-season highs | about 92°F (up to 98°F in the hottest sampled areas) |
| Cool-season lows | about 71°F (down to 61°F in the coldest sampled areas) |
| Average temperature | 79–82°F across sampled records |
| Relative humidity | 76–78% on average (driest month about 68%) |
| Rainfall | about 3222 mm a year, with strong wet and dry seasons |
Measured at 8 wild occurrence records sampled against WorldClim 2.1 climate data (1970–2000 averages). Air conditions in the range are ecological context, not enclosure settings: microhabitats such as burrows, leaf litter or basking rocks can be cooler, warmer or more humid.
From the sources
From the sources
Quoted from the matching sections of reputable sources for this exact species. Specialist databases are used first; Wikipedia (community-edited, CC BY-SA 4.0) only fills gaps. Other sources are short credited quotes.
| Overview | Horabagrus brachysoma is a species of catfish endemic to rivers in the Western Ghats of India. It is known as mannjakoori in its native range, and has a host of English common names, such as sun catfish, Günther's catfish, yellow catfish, eclipse catfish, bullseye catfish, golden red tail catfish, and solar catfish. — Wikipedia (community-edited) |
| Where it lives | Home ranges Population dynamics Growth parameters Max. ages / sizes Length-weight rel. Length-frequencies Mass conversion Recruitment Abundance Life cycle Reproduction Maturity Maturity/Gills rel. — FishBase |
| Appearance and size | Horabagrus brachysoma has a large head and a wide, subterminal mouth; the eyes are large and can be seen from below the fish. There are four pairs of barbels, one nasal, one maxillary, and two mandibular. The body is yellowish, with a black shoulder spot surrounded by a lighter outline. — Wikipedia (community-edited) |
| Biology | Contributes to a local fishery during rainy season (October to February). — FishBase |
| History and naming | Horabagrus brachysoma is an important food fish in India and is also sold in the aquarium trade. The IUCN considers this species to be vulnerable, while others have considered it to be an endangered species. — Wikipedia (community-edited) |
Data and studies
The numbers
The numbers
Each bar is what one source reports. Where several sources weigh in, the dashed gold band marks their average.
Adult length
Maximum recorded length. Measured as total length. Fish in home aquariums often stay smaller than wild records.
Water temperature
Range the species tolerates in nature; aim for the middle.
pH
Water hardness
Veterinary & husbandry research
Veterinary & husbandry research
- Acclimation to increasing temperatures modulates lipid contents and fatty acid profile in catfish Horabagrus brachysoma (Günther) Dalvi RS et al., International journal of biometeorology 2025
- Novel Efficient Genome-Wide STR Panels for the Conservation of the Endemic Catfishes of Western Ghats: Critically Endangered Hemibagrus punctatus Jerdon (1849) and Vulnerable Horabagrus brachysoma (Günther, 1864) Divya PR et al., Biochemical genetics 2025
Peer-reviewed papers that mention this species alongside captivity, zoos, veterinary care or aquaculture. Some cover several species or mention it only in passing, so check the abstract. 170
Sources for this sheet
- FishBase (Froese & Pauly, eds.), version 24.07 Peer-reviewed researchThe global scientific database on fishes, maintained by a consortium of research institutions; every value is referenced.
- Seriously Fish species profiles Experienced keeper or breederLong-running aquarium reference written and peer-checked by experienced fishkeepers and ichthyologists; each profile covers habitat, tank size, water, diet, behaviour and breeding.
- Seriously Fish: Horabagrus brachysoma Experienced keeper or breederAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Seriously Fish: Horabagrus nigricollaris Experienced keeper or breederAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Anna Mercy, Gopalakrishnan, Kapoor and Lakra: Ornamental Fishes of the Western Ghats, India, Pseudeutropius mitchelli, p. 161 Experienced keeper or breederAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- UF/IFAS: Fish Health Management in Recirculating Aquaculture Systems, Part 2: Pathogens Zoo, university or veterinaryAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Wikipedia (species article) Community referenceFree encyclopedia; useful overviews with their own citations. Intro text is quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- PubMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine) Peer-reviewed researchIndex of peer-reviewed veterinary, zoo and husbandry research.
- iNaturalist (captive observations) Community referenceCommunity observation platform run by the California Academy of Sciences and National Geographic; observations marked captive show animals living in homes, zoos and aquariums.
