Portellus bee catfish

Care at a glance

Overview

The portellus bee catfish is a tiny, peaceful stream catfish that spends the day buried in sand or hidden under wood and comes out to forage after dark. It is community safe and does well kept as a small group of its own kind alongside other calm, small fish, though it will not fight boisterous tankmates for food. Sand is not optional: it needs a soft bed to bury in. Feed sinking foods at lights out, favoring frozen and live bloodworm, daphnia, and brine shrimp. Give it around 54 liters with sand, some current, and good oxygen. Handle it with care, since its fin spines can deliver a sting.

In the wild

Akysis portellus lives in the Sittaung river system of southern Myanmar, in clear, flowing streams over sand, gravel, and stones. Match that with a sandy bottom, some smooth rocks and wood, brisk water movement, and high oxygen levels. These are cool-stream fish, so keep them on the cooler side of tropical, about 22 to 26 C, at soft to neutral chemistry of roughly pH 6.0 to 7.5, and stay on top of water quality.

Good to know

Akysis portellus is a member of the Asian stream catfish family Akysidae and reaches only about 4 centimeters. It was described in 2009 from the Sittaung drainage, where it lives alongside the closely similar Akysis longifilis. Despite the bumble bee trade name, its scientific name has nothing to do with the sting: portellus means little gate or door, a reference to the fish's notably small mouth. Its breeding is not recorded in aquaria.

Did you know

The name looks like it should mean wasp or bee, but portellus is Latin for a little gate, chosen because the fish has an unusually small mouth. The bumble bee is only its trade name, borrowed from the banded pattern.

Tank mates

Portellus bee catfish is a peaceful, social species that keeps to the bottom. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.

• 

  Crescent gambusia

  Gambusia hurtadoi

  Freshwater

  2 in (5 cm)14 gal (54 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)
• Assam banded loach

  Neonoemacheilus assamensis

  Freshwater

  1.8 in (4.5 cm)14 gal (54 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)

• 

  Panda darter tetra

  Aphyocharax nattereri

  Freshwater

  1.4 in (3.5 cm)14 gal (54 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)

• 

  Glowing ember barb

  Enteromius candens

  Freshwater

  1.6 in (4 cm)14 gal (54 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)
• Bahia parotocinclus

  Parotocinclus bahiensis

  Freshwater

  1.6 in (4 cm)14 gal (54 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)

• 

  Vestitus otocinclus

  Otocinclus vestitus

  Freshwater

  1.6 in (4 cm)14 gal (54 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

Related species

• 

  Wasp bee catfish

  Akysis vespa

  Freshwater

  1.6 in (4 cm)11 gal (40 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)
• Small-eyed bee catfish

  Akysis microps

  Freshwater

  1.4 in (3.5 cm)11 gal (40 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)
• Hendrickson's bee catfish

  Akysis hendricksoni

  Freshwater

  2.4 in (6 cm)14 gal (54 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)
• Orange marble bee catfish

  Akysis longifilis

  Freshwater

  2.4 in (6 cm)14 gal (54 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)
• Burmese marble bee catfish

  Akysis prashadi

  Freshwater

  2.8 in (7 cm)14 gal (54 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)
• Dwarf warty catfish

  Parakysis notialis

  Freshwater

  1 in (2.5 cm)11 gal (40 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)