Is your pond looking a little empty? Maybe you want a new friend who’s native to Australia but still flexible about their living arrangements? Well stop hunting because we’ve got just the fish for you:
The Tandanus tandanus or Eeltail Catfish is one of the few native species which can colonise a dam, can survive in almost any temperature and is happy to adapt to any size living quarters ranging from a small pond to large dam. They’ll tailor their size to their environment, so you won’t have to worry about them outgrowing their new home and they breed well in most conditions.
These scavengers will help keep your aquatic ecosystem healthy by munching on any stray food or debris that takes their fancy and they’ll earn you bragging rights amongst your friends as they aren’t very commonly kept domestically.
If you need any more reasons to add one of these majestic creatures to your pond, think about the fact that their numbers have been declining across the past three decades, so you’ll be doing your bit for the environment as well.
Just be careful if you have smaller fish living in your pond, the Tandanus may not be your ideal new friend as they’ll eat pretty much anything they can fit in their mouths. They can, however, be kept with other larger friends such as silver or golden perch.
Bonus Points:
The Tandanus catfish is also quite good eating if you’re into that kind of thing and their home is big enough for them to grow to an edible size.
