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Butterfly hara catfish

Hara hara

Also known as Erethistes hara, Hara catfish

FreshwaterFish

Butterfly hara catfish (Hara hara)
The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature
68–79°F
20–26°C
pH
6.0–7.5
Adult size
3.1 in
8 cm
Minimum tank
14 gal
54 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Rare
Family
Erethistidae
Origin
Ganges and Brahmaputra basins

Overview

The butterfly hara catfish is the classic moth cat of the trade, cryptic and still by day and slowly active after dark. It is best with a little experience.

Did you know

The butterfly hara catfish's scientific name, Hara hara, is a rare echo. It is a tautonym, a binomial with the genus and species names spelled exactly the same. Zoology allows the quirk, but botany forbids it.

Caring for the butterfly hara catfish

Give the butterfly hara catfish a quiet, mature tank of at least 14 gal (54 L). Use a soft sand bottom to protect its barbels, with driftwood, botanicals and leaf litter for cover and shade. The flow should be steady but gentle, and well oxygenated.

Soft to medium water close to neutral suits it, at 68 to 79°F (20 to 26°C) and a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. Feed sinking foods once the lights are off, such as frozen bloodworm, daphnia, baby brine shrimp and sinking catfish pellets. Make sure enough reaches the bottom.

It is peaceful and does best in a small group of its own kind. Keep it with calm, similarly sized fish that will not bully it or race it to the food. It is harmless to anything it cannot swallow. Breeding is not recorded in home aquariums, so it is kept as an oddball rather than bred.

Good to know

Hara hara belongs to the family Erethistidae, the moth catfishes, and it is large for its genus. Seen from above, its broad, wing-like pectoral fins and flattened body give the whole group its moth name. It is also listed as Erethistes hara and sold as the hara catfish.

In the wild

The butterfly hara catfish lives in the Ganges and Brahmaputra basins of northern India and neighboring countries. It keeps to the beds of slow to gently flowing waters, among sand, silt and leaf litter.

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Tank mates

The butterfly hara catfish is a peaceful, social species that keeps to the bottom. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does a butterfly hara catfish need?

A butterfly hara catfish needs at least 14 gal (54 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a butterfly hara catfish need?

A butterfly hara catfish is comfortable at 68–79°F (20–26°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.5.

What does a butterfly hara catfish eat?

A butterfly hara catfish eats sinking foods after the lights go off, such as frozen bloodworm, daphnia, baby brine shrimp and sinking catfish pellets.

How big does a butterfly hara catfish get?

An adult butterfly hara catfish reaches about 3.1 in (8 cm).

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