TankBud

Meetan catfish

Mystus rufescens

Also known as Rufescens mystus

FreshwaterFish

Meetan catfish (Mystus rufescens)

Care at a glance

Temperature
73–81°F
23–27°C
pH
6.0–7.5
Adult size
5.9 in
15 cm
Minimum tank
66 gal
250 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Rare
Family
Bagridae
Origin
Irrawaddy basin, Myanmar

Overview

The Meetan catfish is an unfussy, rust-toned Burmese catfish that lives on the bottom. It is a good choice once you have a little experience.

Did you know

The Meetan catfish's common name has nothing to do with a market. Meetan is the place in the Tenasserim region of southern Myanmar where the species was first collected and described.

Caring for the Meetan catfish

Keep one Meetan catfish, or a single pair, in a tank of at least 66 gal (250 L). Give it a sand or fine gravel bed, with driftwood and rocky caves to hide among by day. Leave open floor for it to forage over at night. It always wants somewhere shaded to retreat.

Keep the water warm at 73 to 81°F (23 to 27°C), soft to neutral, with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. Give it gentle to moderate flow. It is hardy and easygoing about water as long as conditions stay clean and stable. It takes most sinking foods readily, including pellets, wafers, frozen bloodworm and pieces of prawn.

The Meetan catfish is a solitary fish rather than a shoaler, and it is mostly nocturnal and mostly peaceful. Like other bottom bagrids, it will eat any tank mate small enough to swallow. Pair it with robust, medium-sized fish and skip tiny species. Its breeding is not recorded in aquariums.

Good to know

Mystus rufescens is a bagrid catfish in the family Bagridae, also sold as the rufescens mystus. Its name, rufescens, means becoming reddish, for its rust-washed bronze coloring.

In the wild

The Meetan catfish is native to Myanmar, in the Irrawaddy and neighboring river drainages. It lives in slower reaches over soft beds.

Common questions

What size tank does a Meetan catfish need?

A Meetan catfish needs at least 66 gal (250 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a Meetan catfish need?

A Meetan catfish is comfortable at 73–81°F (23–27°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.5.

What does a Meetan catfish eat?

A Meetan catfish takes most sinking foods readily, including pellets, wafers, frozen bloodworm and pieces of prawn.

How big does a Meetan catfish get?

An adult Meetan catfish reaches about 5.9 in (15 cm).

Related species