Cheetah moth catfish

Pseudolaguvia shawi

Also known as Shawi moth cat, Cheetah catfish

FreshwaterFish

Cheetah moth catfish (Pseudolaguvia shawi) — Beta Mahatvaraj · CC BY-SA 4.0

Care at a glance

Temperature: 68–79°F (20–26°C)
pH: 6.0–7.5
Adult size: 1.5 in (3.8 cm)
Minimum tank: 11 gal (40 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Teesta and Brahmaputra foothills
Family: Erethistidae

Overview

The cheetah moth catfish is a boldly marked micro-catfish that likes clean, moving water and a sandy floor. It is peaceful and likes company, so keep a small group and pair it with calm, small tankmates that will not outcompete it, or keep a species biotope. It rests among stones and roots by day and forages at night, so feed small sinking foods once the lights are off, such as daphnia, cyclops, baby brine shrimp and finely crushed pellets. Give it a tank of at least 40 liters with fine sand, smooth stones and a gentle current from good filtration.

In the wild

It comes from clear, flowing foothill streams of the Teesta and Brahmaputra drainages around Darjeeling, the Terai and Sikkim in northeast India, over sand, gravel and stone. Recreate that riffle habitat with a sand and fine-gravel bottom, water-worn pebbles, and steady, well oxygenated flow. Keep the water close to neutral, about pH 6.0 to 7.5, at 20 to 26 C, clean and well filtered.

Good to know

Pseudolaguvia shawi is a moth catfish in the family Erethistidae, reaching about 3.8 cm, patterned in contrasting brown and yellow over sandpapery, tuberculed skin. It keeps a low profile on the bottom, pressed to sand and stone in the current. Its aquarium breeding is not recorded, so it is kept as a small, hardy oddity of foothill streams.

Did you know

Do not net it. Like other moth cats, Pseudolaguvia shawi can lock out its serrated fin spines, which snag hopelessly in mesh, so it is far safer to guide this thumbnail-sized catfish into a cup or bag.