Kuhli cat

Amphilius platychir

Also known as Mountain barbel

FreshwaterFish

Kuhli cat (Amphilius platychir) — The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 68–77°F (20–25°C)
pH: 6.5–7.5
Adult size: 4.3 in (11 cm)
Minimum tank: 30 gal (112 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Solitary
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Highland streams of Sierra Leone and Guinea
Family: Amphiliidae

Overview

Despite the loach-like name this is a catfish, a bottom-hugging river fish that is best kept on its own rather than in a group. It spends the day pressed against stone and wood and comes out to forage as the light drops, so give it a sand or smooth-gravel floor with plenty of rockwork to shelter under. It is peaceful and ignores tankmates it cannot swallow, but it needs strong flow and high oxygen more than warmth. Feed sinking foods after dark: catfish pellets, frozen bloodworm, and chopped prawn. A river-style tank of at least 112 litres with good current suits a single fish.

In the wild

It lives in cool, fast highland streams of Sierra Leone and Guinea in West Africa, clinging to rock in riffles and runs where the water is well oxygenated. Recreate that with strong flow, a tank held around 20 to 25 degrees Celsius, and a near-neutral chemistry of pH 6.5 to 7.5. Round stones, cobbles, and driftwood over a sand or fine gravel bed give it the broken current and hiding spots it uses.

Good to know

It is a loach catfish of the family Amphiliidae, described by Gunther in 1864, and reaches around 11 cm. Broad, low-set pectoral and pelvic fins let it hold station and creep over rock in fast water, the same job hillstream loaches do in Asia. There is no reliable record of it breeding in aquaria.

Did you know

The trade sells it as a kuhli or loach, but it is really a West African catfish that has independently evolved the same flattened, rock-gripping shape as the Asian hillstream loaches it imitates.