TankBud

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
Family
Erethistidae
Origin
Teesta and Brahmaputra foothills

Overview

The cheetah moth catfish is a boldly marked micro-catfish for a tank with clean, moving water and a sandy floor. It takes a little experience to keep well.

Did you know

The cheetah moth catfish can lock out its serrated fin spines, like other moth cats. Those spines snag hopelessly in mesh.

Caring for the cheetah moth catfish

Give cheetah moth catfish a tank of at least 11 gal (40 L). Use a bottom of fine sand and gravel, with smooth, water-worn pebbles. Good filtration should give a gentle, steady current of clean, well-oxygenated water.

Keep the water close to neutral, at 68 to 79°F (20 to 26°C) and a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. It rests among stones and roots by day and forages at night. Feed small sinking foods once the lights are off, such as daphnia, cyclops, baby brine shrimp and finely crushed pellets.

The cheetah moth catfish is peaceful and likes company, so keep a small group. Pair it with calm, small tank mates that will not outcompete it, or keep a species biotope.

Guide it into a cup or bag rather than netting it. Its aquarium breeding is not recorded, so it is kept as a small, hardy oddity of foothill streams.

Good to know

Pseudolaguvia shawi is a moth catfish in the family Erethistidae. It is 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. It is also sold as the shawi moth cat or cheetah catfish.

In the wild

The cheetah moth catfish comes from clear, flowing foothill streams of the Teesta and Brahmaputra drainages in northeast India. These riffles run around Darjeeling, the Terai and Sikkim, over sand, gravel and stone.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The cheetah moth 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 cheetah moth catfish need?

A cheetah moth catfish needs at least 11 gal (40 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a cheetah moth catfish need?

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

What does a cheetah moth catfish eat?

A cheetah moth catfish forages at night on small sinking foods, such as daphnia, cyclops, baby brine shrimp and finely crushed pellets.

How big does a cheetah moth catfish get?

An adult cheetah moth catfish reaches about 1.5 in (3.8 cm).

Related species