Yellow banded mochokiella

Mochokiella paynei

Also known as Payne's catfish, Mochokiella, Yellow banded catfish

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 73–81°F (23–27°C)
pH: 6.0–7.5
Adult size: 2 in (5 cm)
Minimum tank: 29 gal (110 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Sierra Leone streams
Family: Mochokidae

Overview

This is a tiny catfish of about 5 centimeters and a sociable one, so keep it in a small group rather than singly. It is fully peaceful and community safe, working over leaf litter and among wood for small foods, mostly around dusk and after dark. Because it is small and retiring, give it a mature tank with plenty of cover and pair it with small, gentle tankmates that will not outcompete it. Offer fine sinking foods and small frozen items such as baby brine shrimp and daphnia. A tank of around 110 liters suits a group.

In the wild

It lives in shaded forest streams of Sierra Leone, where it is known from the Kassawe Forest Reserve, in soft, tannin stained water over leaf litter. Recreate that with a sand floor, dried leaves, bogwood, and low light, with gentle flow. Keep the water warm, from 23 to 27 C, and soft and slightly acidic to neutral, at a pH of 6.0 to 7.5.

Good to know

This is the only species in the genus Mochokiella, within the catfish family Mochokidae. It reaches about 5 centimeters, is banded in cream and brown, and stands out for its very long, repeatedly branched barbels. It is egg laying, though breeding is not recorded in home aquaria. It was described by the ichthyologist Howes in 1980.

Did you know

It is the sole member of its genus and, in the wild, is known from a single protected forest reserve in Sierra Leone. Its barbels are remarkably long and much branched, elaborate even by the standards of the whiskery squeakers.

Tank mates

Yellow banded mochokiella is a peaceful, social species that keeps to the bottom. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.