South American Bumblebee Catfish (Microglanis iheringi)

[PokeSephiroth]

So... I couldn't help but buy two of these little critters. They look so cute! I did some research and read that they're pretty docile fish, but can eat smaller fish that can fit in its mouth (well, duh.) With that being said... I'm going to go ahead and place them in my 55 gallon tank with my neon tetras, and if they ever thin out my neon tetra crowd, then fine. More power to them Growing only to about 3-4" in length, I'm not too worried about them eating my neon tetra population. Har har har har!!

I will try to post pictures later, once they're finished acclimating in the bucket.

-=Little Side Note=-
Don't be confused with another catfish that goes by the same common name (Pseudomystus siamensis aka Siamese Bumblebee Catfish, or Asian Bumblebee Catfish) which grow twice the size of their South American counterparts! The Asian variation is also much more aggressive than their South American cousins.

 

[ShortyKiloGyrl]

I have two of these, they are the laziest and fattest fish I have ever seen. They never are out from their caves. Cute but kind of useless in a tank IMO. I have to use a flashlight to see one and the other I have to stick my head between the wall and tank to be able to ever see it. Smh.

 

[PokeSephiroth]

FATTEST?!?!?! Perfect! I can't wait to fatten them up! BAAAHAHAHA Then again, these two are already kinda pudgy. Bwehehehe, I'm excited!

How long have you had yours for and what sizes are they, and what tank are they in?

 

[ShortyKiloGyrl]

I have had mine for 2 years. One is about 3.5" and the other about 3". Mine look like they have swallowed a marble, all the time lol. I thought maybe they had a disease or something so I looked up pictures and a lot of them looked as fat as mine.

 

[PokeSephiroth]

Hahahaha, that's great! I can't wait to see them get that big!

 

[Anonymous]

Totally dig this cat. Nocturnal and shy in my 140. But totally serves an important function. This cat never leaves the tanks floor so I think your tetras should be fine unless they hover just above the substrate.  Mine hugs the plant line during feeding time. He loops around the plants lookin for scraps. I play "where's Waldo" with this elusive fish.


Don't forget to share pictures Poke.  

 

[ShortyKiloGyrl]

I wish mine would come out once in a while. But yes mine stay on the substrate. I wouldn't be concerned with it eating live fish.

 

[PokeSephiroth]

EEEEEEE!!!!!! He's so cute!!!! ~~

I'm so glad I got two of these little dudes! (Or dudettes...)

 

[Anonymous]

I wish mine would come out once in a while. But yes mine stay on the substrate. I wouldn't be concerned with it eating live fish.

This one is definitely one of those fish that I am happy WHEN I see it. I figure if it wants to eat then its gotta come out. There are so many bottom feeders in this tank that there is no scraps left over when the lights go out. So it's gotta come out to get some food.

 

[PokeSephiroth]

I do have Khuli Loaches and Reticulated Hillstream Loaches... I'm not too worried about the Hillstream Loaches... The Khulis... Meh.

There are also Amano Shrimp, but I could care less if they ate those. =P

 

[PokeSephiroth]

Well......... I turned em loose, and POOF, they vanished. I didn't even get a chance to take a picture of them! I even had my phone ready in my hand to take photos. But NOPE. =P Maybe in the off chance that I see them in the future, I'll be able to take photos of them. Hehehe

 

[Anonymous]

Well......... I turned em loose, and POOF, they vanished. I didn't even get a chance to take a picture of them! I even had my phone ready in my hand to take photos. But NOPE. =P Maybe in the off chance that I see them in the future, I'll be able to take photos of them. Hehehe

LOL! They'll get hungry and have to come out sometime  :suspect:

 

[killacam88]

i had one for 5 years and it turned black and got about 7inchs it was a freak of nature cuz i dont think there supposed to do that.. amazing catfish tho when he felt threatened he would make a popping almost bone on bone crack/pop sound it would scare the ish out of the other fish..

 

[PokeSephiroth]

I think yours was a Siamese bumblebee catfish, that explains why it got that big, but not why it changed colors as it aged. South American bumblebee catfish stay small, only reaching like 4"max.

 

[killacam88]

I think yours was a Siamese bumblebee catfish, that explains why it got that big, but not why it changed colors as it aged. South American bumblebee catfish stay small, only reaching like 4"max.

Hmmm... thats interesting.. yea i got him from petsmart for 5 bucks he was keep in a 55 gallon didnt know much but that he was called bumblebee cat. he must have been a off species from the actual cat that u say gets onlty 4".. it was a awsome fish

 

[Anonymous]

Got two of these cool cats today. Pretty awesome guys to look at. But what tank mates are good for them?

 

[PokeSephiroth]

I'm keeping mine in a tank full of neon tetras... Because they have such big mouths, I made sure that I was willing to thin the herd a bit, IF they manage to catch any neon tetras. Hahaha

 

[ShortyKiloGyrl]

Mine seem to be too lazy to eat anything moving lol I keep mine with Glowlight, Danio, black neons, skirt tetra, and angels. No problems with them eating any of them.

 

[PokeSephiroth]

You guys were right. All they do is hide. Hahha. I still like em though. Sometimes I will see a tail sticking out somewhere. But that's pretty much it. Hahahahaha. I kinda wish I put them in a smaller tank . I ended up getting 3 more of them hoping that, that would make them come out more. NOPE! They all just hide! Even at night! Lol!!

I can't even entice them with live black worms. But they go CRAZY over frozen bloodworms. Weird. Although, I spose I'd rather have them eating frozen bloodworms than live black worms.

 

[ShortyKiloGyrl]

Lol sounds like my 2. I haven't tried black worms but they occasionally come out for pellets when they are hungry which doesn't seem often. Although if your that lazy you don't need to eat much lol