Date: Sun, 16 Feb 1997 23:46:50
-0500
From: esarchy@wsunix.wsu.edu
Reply-To: catfish-l@uunet.ca
To: catfish-l@uunet.ca
Subject: Re: Genus Microglanis?
On Fri, 14 Feb 1997, Jari Sandqvist wrote:
> Does anybody know how small is the smallest species of the
genus Microglanis?????
>
> Jari
Jari,
According to the last
update on the genus that I have (1989) there are eight spp. in
the genus Microglanis. Atleast two to three spp. are imported to
the US quite frequently. The main reason that I took some
interest in these fish is because in the US they are all sold
under the common name "bumblebee catfish". Since the
Asian catfishes of the genera Leiocassis and Pseudomystus are
also sold under this common name, I check every tank labeled
"bumblebee catfish" very closely. Incidently,
Pseudopimelodus, the larger cousins of Microglanis, are also sold
as "bumbleebe catfish". So, as you can see, any tank
labeled "bumbleebee catfish" in the US is well worth
looking into!
Back to your original question. I can not say for sure which sp. is the smallest, but I can tell you that M. iheringi (which is common in pet shops) stays under two inches. It prefers soft acidic water and, like most other pimelodids, is a predator. However, its main prey in nature is ants. I really do not think that these guys would eat any tankmates unless they were really small. They are found in creeks that are less than two meters wide and only a few centimeters deep.
I think that this would be a great fish to try to spawn because a group of them could be kept in a small tank. With six of them in a ten gallon tank they would be happy and your chances of getting both sexes is pretty good. Get them good and fat and them experiment with the water chemistry until they spawn. Since they come from small creeks there is a good chance that a temperature drop, a large water change, and increased water movement might be all it takes to spawn them.
-Shane
I decided to stop drinking with creeps.
I decided to drink only with friends.
I've lost 30 pounds.
- Ernest Hemingway