While they often dwell at the bottom due to these environmental factors, catfish will go to any surface level necessary when they are hungry and need to find food. In colder weather, they also tend to stay near the bottom as they prefer the deeper water to the icy surface. Why Do Catfish Often Dwell at the Bottom?Ĭatfish tend to stay toward the bottom of the water during the day and often bury themselves in the mud on hot days to help them stay cool, especially if they are living in a body of water shallow enough to feel the sun’s warmth throughout the day. Now that you’re familiar with the various terms that describe the water level in which aquatic animals feed at, and some of the main characteristics of the top and bottom feeder groups, let’s get back to the catfish.
Opposite the bottom feeders, are other fish who feed at the surface of the water. These top feeders often have upturned mouths to help them access food at the surface of the water. There are also fish that dwell in the middle, and may go up to the surface or down to the bottom for feeding based on various environmental factors and where their food can be found. Bottom feeders also tend to be negatively buoyant which means they naturally sink rather than float, making their life at the deepest part of the water easy to maintain. The mouth of a bottom feeder fish is generally located on the lower side of the fish’s body and is sometimes referred to as a suckermouth due to it’s round, suction cup appearance. Many carnivorous bottom dwellers will bury themselves in the mud to hide before they capture their prey.
In the case of catfish, this body of water is freshwater since the majority of catfish live in freshwater environments. What are Bottom and Top Feeders?Īs you might expect, a bottom feeder fish feeds at the bottom of a body of water. Bottom feeders are also known as benthivores, meaning they eat benthos, which is flora or fauna (plants or animals) found near the bottom, or in the bottom sediments of a sea, lake, or other body of water. There are some species of catfish that are exclusively bottom feeders, however there are other types such as channel catfish, blue catfish, and flathead catfish, that will feed at the bottom, middle, and surface of a body of water, depending on various environmental factors as well as food availability.
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