Fish nocturnal

Freshwater Catfish

Tandanus tandanus

With its whisker-like barbels and distinctive eel-shaped tail, the Freshwater Catfish is a charismatic resident of Australia's inland waters. Often found patrolling the riverbeds at night, this hardy survivor is a master of the murky depths.

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Quick Identification

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Size

Typically 30-50 cm (12-20 inches) in length, though large specimens can reach 90 cm (35 inches); weight ranges from 1 to 7 kg (2.2-15 lbs).

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Colors

Mottled olive-green, brown, or purplish-grey on the upper body with a creamy white or pale yellow underbelly; juveniles often feature more distinct dark spotting.

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Key Features

Eel-like tapering tail starting from the second dorsal fin
Four pairs of sensory barbels (whiskers) around the mouth
Large, broad head with a distinctively downturned mouth
Sharp, venomous spines on the dorsal and pectoral fins

When You’ll See Them

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Activity pattern nocturnal

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Peak hours 7 PM - 4 AM

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Season September-March

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Diet An opportunistic carnivore that uses its whiskers to find shrimp, crayfish, aquatic insects, snails, and small forage fish along the muddy bottom.

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Habitat Slow-moving freshwater rivers, lakes, billabongs, and farm dams, particularly those with submerged logs or aquatic vegetation.

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Behavior

The Freshwater Catfish is a fascinating bottom-dweller known for its unique appearance and deliberate, undulating movements. While they are generally solitary as adults, juveniles are often found in large schools for protection. They are primarily active during the twilight hours and at night, using their sensitive barbels to navigate the murky depths of riverbeds and lake floors where eyesight is less effective.

One of their most remarkable behaviors is their nesting habit. During the breeding season, the male Freshwater Catfish constructs a circular nest, sometimes up to two meters in diameter, using gravel and pebbles. He meticulously maintains this nest, moving stones with his mouth, and guards the eggs with fierce dedication until they hatch. While they are usually shy around humans, they are hardy fish that can tolerate a wide range of water conditions, making them a staple of Australian inland waterways.

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Camera Tips

Capturing the Freshwater Catfish on camera requires a specialized approach since they are entirely aquatic and mostly nocturnal. For the best results, use a submersible trail camera or an action camera with an external power source rigged to a weighted mount. Position your camera near the bottom of a slow-moving river or dam, ideally facing a structure like a submerged log or a rocky outcrop where these fish like to shelter during the day.

To guarantee a visit to your lens, use a scent-based lure. A small mesh bag filled with chopped prawns, earthworms, or oily fish scraps works wonders. Secure the bait bag about two to three feet in front of the camera lens, ensuring it is within the focal range. Because Freshwater Catfish rely heavily on their sense of smell (chemoreception), they will follow the scent trail directly to your setup.

Since they are most active at night, ensure your camera has high-quality Infrared (IR) LEDs for night vision. Standard white light flashes can startle fish and cause them to dart away, whereas IR light allows you to capture their natural foraging behavior without disturbance. If you are filming during the spring or early summer, look for their circular pebble nests in shallower margins; placing a camera nearby can provide incredible footage of the male catfish tending to his nest.

Check your water clarity before deployment. In murky water, you will need the camera to be very close to the bait—roughly 12 to 18 inches—to get a clear image. In clearer billabongs, you can back the camera off to capture more of the fish's eel-like swimming motion. Always ensure your camera housing is rated for the depth and duration of the soak, and consider using a security cable if the area is prone to flooding or public access.

Similar Species

Species that look similar or are commonly confused with Freshwater Catfish.

Hyrtl's Tandan

Much smaller (usually under 20cm) with a more yellowish hue and a shorter, more compact body shape.

Blue Catfish

Possesses a deeply forked tail rather than the continuous eel-like tail of the Tandanus species.

Frequently Asked Questions

Freshwater Catfish are primarily nocturnal and crepuscular. They are most active from dusk through the night and into the early dawn hours, which is when they leave their shelters to forage for food.

If your dam is connected to local waterways where they occur, you can attract them by providing habitat such as submerged logs, rock piles, and aquatic plants. They are attracted to scent, so organic matter and a healthy population of shrimp or yabbies will keep them around.

They are benthic carnivores, meaning they eat food from the bottom. Their diet consists of freshwater shrimp, yabbies, snails, aquatic insect larvae, and occasionally smaller fish.

They can be common in suburban areas of Australia that have established lakes, slow-flowing creeks, or parkland lagoons, particularly within the Murray-Darling Basin and coastal rivers of the East Coast.

The most distinguishing feature of the Freshwater Catfish (Tandanus tandanus) is its 'eel-tail' where the second dorsal fin joins with the caudal and anal fins to form a continuous fringe. Other species, like the Fork-tailed Catfish, have a clearly divided, V-shaped tail.

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