Bumblebee Catfish

Geographic Origin and Biotope: Orinoco and Amazon river basins (Venezuela). Benthic depth species, linked to slow streams that flow through beds of rotting leaves in continuous semi-darkness.

Taxonomy and Morphology: Bumblebee Catfish (Microglanis iheringi). Small siluriform belonging to the Pseudopimelodidae family. Very funny and "bulldog" appearance: huge, flattened head, gigantic mouth with sensory barbels for night hunting.

Social Behavior: Absolutely nocturnal and very lazy. It will spend 95% of its life in captivity wedged under pressure into a crack in a wood or a half coconut. Only comes out in pitch darkness to scour the bottom in search of prey.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: The name (Bumblebee) derives from the large and clear transverse bands of faded orange and matte brown/black that wrap around the stocky body (to camouflage in the mud). Dimorphism absent (mature females swell laterally and appear spherical when viewed from above).

Aquarium Setup: Sandy bottom, shielded lights and an overabundance of hiding places. The best choice are dark terracotta amphorae, hidden pvc pipes or hollow trunks. Prefers claustrophobic spaces where its belly touches the walls of the cave.

Diet and Feeding: Carnivorous vacuum. Although lazy, it has a boundless mouth and an equal appetite. At night it will swallow anything that moves, whether live, dead or in pellets for carnivorous bottom fish.

Water Quality: Quite accommodating, tolerates Ph swings (within reasonable limits 6-7.5) but is weak against ammonia given its nature devoid of protective scales.

Compatibility and Tankmates: The deception of the dwarf. Measures 7 cm (2.8 inches), seems harmless and stocky, and is sold for community tanks. Result? In the dead of night it will inhale neons and small rasboras while they sleep (as long as they fit in its gigantic mouth). Keep only with tall Tetras and large Corydoras.

Aquarium Reproduction: Almost non-existent in amateur domestic reports. It is suspected to require drastic chemical changes linked to the induction of artificial Amazonian rain.

Risks and Diseases: The ghost purchase. Whoever buys it will be disappointed: the very day it touches the aquarium it will disappear inside a wood and will NEVER be seen again with the lights on, only to discover months later, during a move, that it is not only alive, but doubled in size at the expense of the missing neons.