TankBud

Swamp badis

Badis laspiophilus

Also known as Mud badis

FreshwaterFish
Swamp badis (Badis laspiophilus)
Geosesarma · CC BY-SA 4.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
64–75°F (18–24°C)
pH
6.0–7.5
Adult size
1 in (2.5 cm)
Minimum tank
5 gal (20 L)
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Tankmates
Tankmates with caution
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Medium
Rarity
Rare
Origin
Lowland swamps of West Bengal, India
Family
Badidae

Overview

The swamp badis is a true nano predator, one of the smallest chameleonfishes, that keeps to the bottom and ambushes tiny prey. Keep it singly or as a pair, not a group, since males defend small territories, and give it a species tank or only very small, peaceful companions, as it is timid and easily outcompeted. It hunts live and frozen micro-foods such as baby brine shrimp, daphnia, cyclops and microworm and rarely bothers with flake. Because it is so small, a gently filtered tank of about 20 liters with soft substrate, fine plants and leaf litter is plenty for a pair.

In the wild

It comes from still, silty swamp pools in the Torsa drainage of West Bengal in northeast India, where the water is fairly clear but slow and the bottom is soft mud with little plant growth. Recreate the calm and cover with a soft sand bottom, leaf litter, roots and some fine plants for security, and only gentle filtration. Keep it soft and close to neutral, roughly pH 6.0 to 7.5, and cool at 18 to 24 C.

Good to know

Badis laspiophilus is a miniature member of the family Badidae, reaching only about 2.5 cm, and ranks among the smallest chameleonfishes known. It was described in 2015 from West Bengal. Like other badids it is a cave spawner of moderate breeding difficulty, the male guarding a small shelter and tending the eggs a female leaves inside.

Did you know

Its scientific name is a habitat note. Laspiophilus means mud-lover in Greek, given for the soft, silty swamp bottoms where this thumbnail-sized predator lives and hunts.

Common questions

What size tank does a Swamp badis need?

A Swamp badis needs at least 5 gal (20 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH do Swamp badis need?

Swamp badis are comfortable at 64–75°F (18–24°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.5.

How big do Swamp badis get?

An adult Swamp badis reaches about 1 in (2.5 cm).

Where to buy

Some links may not be the exact species or variety.

…or ask your local fish store.

Appears in

Freshwater fish · Nano fish · Bottom dwellers · Coldwater fish

Keeping Swamp badis?

Track water tests, reminders and stocking fit.

Sign in or Track your tanks →

Planning tankmates

See how Swamp badis fits a stocking plan. Open the stocking calculator

Add to your site

Show this species on your own site: a shortcode for WordPress, or an HTML embed for anywhere else.

WordPress shortcodeAbout the plugin
HTML embedAbout the embed

Related species