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Borneo featherfin catfish

Silurichthys phaiosoma

Also known as Leaf sheatfish, Phaiosoma catfish

FreshwaterFish

Borneo featherfin catfish (Silurichthys phaiosoma)

Care at a glance

Temperature
73–81°F
23–27°C
pH
4.5–6.5
Adult size
5.9 in
15 cm
Minimum tank
29 gal
110 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Carnivore
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Rare
Family
Siluridae
Origin
Bornean and Malayan peat swamps

Overview

The Borneo featherfin catfish is a small, retiring blackwater silurid that spends the day tucked among leaf litter and shade. It is a step up from the easiest fish.

Did you know

The Borneo featherfin catfish has a dull, mottled brown body shaped like a leaf. Settled among dead leaves in dark water, it is easy to overlook entirely and passes for a piece of drifting forest litter.

Caring for the Borneo featherfin catfish

Give the Borneo featherfin catfish a dim, tannin-stained tank of at least 29 gal (110 L). Use a soft, dark substrate with a deep layer of leaf litter and driftwood, and keep the flow slow and gentle.

The water should be warm and distinctly soft and acidic, at 73 to 81°F (23 to 27°C) and a pH of 4.5 to 6.5. Botanicals and regular small water changes keep the blackwater chemistry stable.

It leans on live and frozen foods, such as bloodworm, small earthworm pieces, mosquito larvae and brine shrimp. It takes them slowly along the bottom.

Keep one fish to a tank, since it is not social. It is mostly peaceful but will eat tiny fish and shrimp. Choose small, calm, soft-water tank mates that share its dim, acidic conditions. There is no aquarium breeding record.

Good to know

Silurichthys phaiosoma is a sheatfish of the family Siluridae, with a slim, dusky body. Its very long anal fin runs most of the way to the tail. Species in this genus serve as useful indicators of healthy peat-swamp forest. It is also known as the leaf sheatfish or phaiosoma catfish.

In the wild

The Borneo featherfin catfish comes from peat-swamp forests and blackwater streams of Borneo and the Malay region. The water there is tea-colored, stained by tannins and floored with fallen leaves.

Common questions

What size tank does a Borneo featherfin catfish need?

A Borneo featherfin catfish needs at least 29 gal (110 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a Borneo featherfin catfish need?

A Borneo featherfin catfish is comfortable at 73–81°F (23–27°C) with a pH of 4.5–6.5.

What does a Borneo featherfin catfish eat?

A Borneo featherfin catfish eats live and frozen foods, such as bloodworm, small earthworm pieces, mosquito larvae and brine shrimp. It feeds slowly along the bottom.

How big does a Borneo featherfin catfish get?

An adult Borneo featherfin catfish reaches about 5.9 in (15 cm).

Related species