Borneo hornet catfish

Care at a glance

Overview

Keep this small blackwater catfish on its own or as a single pair, since it is not a group fish and can be territorial with its own kind in tight quarters. It is a secretive, mostly nocturnal bottom dweller that wants caves, wood, and leaf litter to hide in by day, then comes out to feed in the evening. It is peaceful toward fish too large to swallow but will eat very small tankmates, so choose companions with care and skip tiny species. Feed sinking foods, frozen bloodworm, and small live foods after the lights dim. A shaded tank of around 110 liters suits it.

In the wild

It comes from blackwater peat streams and pools in southern Borneo, where tannins from fallen leaves stain the water the color of weak tea and drive the pH low. Match that with soft, acidic water around pH 4.5 to 6.5, a dim tank, tangles of driftwood, and a scatter of dried leaf litter. Hold the temperature between 23 and 27 C. Botanicals and gentle filtration recreate the still, stained water it knows.

Good to know

Pseudomystus funebris belongs to the bagrid family, Bagridae, and was described by Heok Hee Ng in 2010 from the Rungan River drainage in southern Borneo. It is a small species of about 6 centimeters, patterned with a pale side stripe and two pale oblique bands on a dark body. It shares that pattern with only one close relative, Pseudomystus heokhuii of Sumatra. Breeding has not been recorded in the aquarium.

Did you know

Its name, funebris, is Latin for of a funeral. The describer chose it for the fish's dark coloring and the near-black peat water it lives in, since black is the traditional color of mourning.

Common questions

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