Borneo glass catfish

Ompok eugeneiatus

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 70–82°F (21–28°C)
pH: 6.0–7.5
Adult size: 6.5 in (16.5 cm)
Minimum tank: 45 gal (170 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Difficult
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Very rare
Origin: Malaysia, Sunda Islands
Family: Siluridae

Overview

The Borneo glass catfish is a slender, active silurid that patrols open water and shaded margins rather than resting on the floor. It is peaceful and happiest in a group, so keep several together for a more settled, natural shoal. It is a mild predator that will take small fish and fry, so choose tankmates it cannot swallow, but it mixes well with calm, similarly sized community fish. Offer sinking pellets, frozen bloodworms, and small meaty foods, and provide open swimming space alongside driftwood and planted cover. It is sensitive to poor water and prone to jumping, so keep the tank clean and tightly covered, around 170 liters or larger.

In the wild

This species is found in Malaysia and the Sunda Islands, including Borneo, where it lives in soft, often tannin-stained forest rivers and streams with plenty of submerged wood and vegetation. Keep it warm, from around 21 to 28 C, with a pH between 6 and 7.5, gentle to moderate flow, and clean, well-oxygenated water. A dim tank with driftwood, roots, some dense planting, and open lanes for swimming suits it, and floating plants to soften the light help it feel secure.

Good to know

The Borneo glass catfish belongs to Siluridae, the sheatfish family, and grows to about 16.5 cm. Like its relatives it has a very long anal fin that runs most of the underside, a tiny or absent dorsal fin, and a semi-transparent, faintly iridescent body. It is a nimble, open-water hunter that feeds on small invertebrates and fish in the wild. It is considered a sensitive species to keep, and there are no established records of it breeding in home aquariums.

Did you know

Like other sheatfishes, the Borneo glass catfish has almost no dorsal fin and an anal fin that stretches nearly the length of its underside, which it ripples in a smooth wave to hover and glide through open water.