Midnight Catfish

The Midnight Catfish is a carnivore-leaning omnivore that thrives on a varied diet of high-quality sinking carnivore pellets, frozen bloodworms, brine shrimp, and daphnia. It will also accept chopped earthworms and small pieces of prawn. Feeding is best done at lights-out or in dim conditions, as this species is strongly nocturnal and may be outcompeted by diurnal tankmates at feeding time.

Auchenipterichthys coracoideus is primarily nocturnal, spending daylight hours sheltering in caves, hollow driftwood, or dense vegetation and becoming active after dark. It is generally peaceful toward fish too large to swallow but may prey upon very small tankmates such as neon tetras or juvenile fish. Males can occasionally be mildly territorial with conspecifics, so providing multiple hiding spots reduces aggression.

This species employs internal fertilization, a hallmark of the family Auchenipteridae; the male uses a modified anal fin to transfer sperm to the female, who can store it and fertilize eggs weeks later. Eggs are deposited in a sheltered location such as a cave or hollow log, and the female guards the clutch briefly. Breeding in captivity is uncommon but has been achieved in well-conditioned pairs kept in soft, slightly acidic water with ample hiding sites and a protein-rich diet.