Albino Chinese Wels Catfish (Silurus merdionalis)

Albino Chinese Wels Catfish — Silurus meridionalis

Pale giant with ancient river power

The Albino Chinese Wels Catfish is a true heavyweight predator built for scale. This color morph replaces the natural dark river camouflage with golden tones and striking red eyes, highlighting its massive head, wide mouth, and long sensory barbels. Under aquarium lighting, the smooth, scaleless body takes on a soft golden glow, making its size and shape even more dramatic.

Native to large river systems of China, Silurus meridionalis is a bottom-dominant ambush predator. It spends much of its time resting along the substrate or under structure, conserving energy before feeding. When food enters the water, the transformation is immediate — a sudden surge forward followed by a powerful vacuum-like inhale.

This species can exceed 3–4 feet (36–48+ inches) in proper conditions, making it suitable only for very large aquariums or indoor pond-style systems. It is a long-term commitment requiring space, filtration, and responsible planning.

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Aquarium Setup

• Minimum Tank Size: 500+ gallons (indoor pond strongly recommended long-term)

• Substrate: Sand or smooth gravel

• Flow: Low to moderate

• Décor: Minimal heavy structure; wide open bottom area

• Lighting: Moderate to subdued

• Cover: Extremely secure lid required

• Filtration: Oversized biological filtration essential

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Tank Mates

Best kept alone or with very large, robust species:

• Large arowana (space dependent)

• Giant gouramis

• Large armored catfish

• Other very large predators of similar size

Anything small enough to fit in its mouth will eventually be eaten.

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Water Parameters

• Temperature: 68–77°F (20–25°C)

• pH: 6.5–7.5

• Hardness: Moderate

• Water Quality: Clean and stable conditions critical

• Oxygen: Moderate to high dissolved oxygen preferred

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Diet

Strict carnivore:

• Fish fillet

• Whole fish (appropriately sized, frozen/thawed recommended)

• Shrimp and prawn

• Large carnivore pellets (once trained)