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how big are the guppies? The similar looking fish to avoid for a peaceful community tank like yours is this bumblebee catfish
i don't know how to describe their different looks and how to tell them apart, they just look totaly different to me so i never get them confused

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Billy was a scientist, Billy is no more. For what he thought was H20, was H2SO4

These two pages may prove helpful:

Microglanis iheringi

Pseudomystus siamensis

Apparently one important diagnostic difference is this: in the case of the Microglanis and other 'mini-Pims', it possesses an extra pair of barbels not seen on the Pseudomystus, and the maxillary barbels reach beyond the origin of the pectoral spines. Pseudomystus has maxillary barbels that do not reach to the base of the pectoral spines.

Of course, persuading your catfish to make itself visible for such an inspection is an entirely separate issue!

Incidentally, another factor to bear in mind is that Pseudomystus, when adult, grows large enough to eat dragonfly larvae, which it is apparently very fond of, so anyone wishing to keep a pond free of dragonfly larvae in the Summer might consider acquiring one of these fishes for the purpose. However, Pseudomystus will also dine upon any fry or small fishes present in the pond, so it's probably best not to let it loose in a pond intended as a breeding pond for other fish species. Although Microglanis will also eat fry, it is not considered to be as ravenous in this respect, though it will help keep a Guppy tank population down and relish the live feedings ...


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

thanks Jason
and Cali...that is true but it isn't very useful if the LFS/LPS doesn't know what the fish is, so they don't know where they are from either

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Billy was a scientist, Billy is no more. For what he thought was H20, was H2SO4

If anyone is worried about differentiating between the different "Bumblebee Cats", then there is good news, and bad news.

The bad news is that the Asian Bumblebees are members of the Family Bagridae, while the South American Bumblebees are members of the Family Pimelodidae. These two Families are sufficiently alike to confuse professionals.

The good news is that the two are NEVER found together in the wild. ALL members of the Pimelodidae are South American, while ALL Bagrids are Old World Catfishes (the majority Asian, with a few Africans thrown in for good measure).

So, if you know the original wild habitat of your fishes, that will tell you which you have. If it's a South American fish, it'll be the Microglanis and stay small, while if it's an Asian fish, it'll be the Pseudomystus (formerly Leiocassis, which is the name I know the Asian Bumblebees by) and will grow twice as big.

The odd fact here is that Pimelodid catfishes usually have a reputation for having capacious mouths in relation to body size, and a corresponding ability to swallow small fishes. The South American Bumblebees are exceptions in that they tend not to be as ravenous as other members of the Family, and tend to be somewhat less well equipped for predation than some of their kin. That said, they WILL eat a fish that's small enough, but with Microglanis catfishes you have a fair amount of room for error which you don't with many other Pims (or for that matter, with many Bagrids). Your South American Bumblebee will be relatively well behaved so long as you don't tempt him with fry (or juvenile Neons in the case of an adult Microglanis). The Pseudomystus, on the other hand, would need a good deal more watching!


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

sorry I hadn't replied sooner...if I did have any pics online, they were deleted when I let (on purpose) my paid for membership with webshots run out. when that happened, I had to delete well over half the pictures I had on the site and only kept my best ones.

I'll see if I can get a pic in the next couple of days and if I can I'll be sure to post it here.

lol Jason it looks like we have similar amounts of artistic skill Anywho that method would be great if you could see their tails in a shop coz the LFS' here always have places for them to hide. Have you got a pic of your asian? he sounds awesome, i can only get the false asian bumblebee cats here. Mine is really fat but he never comes out for more than a few seconds so i don't have a pic of him

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Billy was a scientist, Billy is no more. For what he thought was H20, was H2SO4

i don't know how to describe their different looks and how to tell them apart,

one thing I noticed that I think is true in most cases is that the stripe on the tail of the south american bumblebee cat is closer to the caudal peduncle therefore you can see the whole stripe. however, on the asian bumblebee cat (very cool catfish...I have a full grown adult ) has the same kind of stripe on the tail but it is further back and the whole stripe is not there because part of it would be where the fin is V-shaped. I really hope that made sense because I know what I'm trying to say but not quite sure if I worded it the best way possible.

here we go, I drew a pic using MSPaint to illustrate the difference I'm talking about. Now, no one is allowed to laugh at my blatantly obvious lack of artistic ability. the south american cat's tail is on the left and the asian cat's tail is on the right.




Last edited by Jason_R_S at 14-Nov-2005 11:30[/font]

i think the guppies will be fine, as my checkered barbs are sill kicking. Peaceful big fish will eat other smaller fish, its nature that big things eat small things, not because they are aggresive

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Billy was a scientist, Billy is no more. For what he thought was H20, was H2SO4

shouldnt be a problem, correct me if i am wrong, but the south american bumble's mouth doesnt get big enough to eat a guppy, and even if it did, he shouldnt bother them, they arent that agressive. at least from my experience with the one i have.

Those are different enough I won't get them confused. I have a big tank but it's filled with little fish so everything would be snacks if I mixed them up. The guppies are around just under an inch but growing. I've been seperating out the most colorful guppy males to show off in my big tank. If I do actually find the south american bumble bee cat anytime soon I can just move the guppies back to the 20g and wait till they grow up more. So long as it can't eat full grown guppies and threadfins there shouldn't be a problem.

I purchased this bottom feeder from a petstore and they had no idea what he was or how big he would get. sorry for the blurry photo, he doesnt sit still...at least not when the light is on.

http://home.comcast.net/~fitzworld/cat.bmp


Last edited by Reun at 11-Nov-2005 00:50

mine, the south american, only gets 3.5"....the asian one gets big though. the only thing the south american bumblebee will bother is small fry, as in tiny under .25" fish,lol...

Cute. In case I come across 1 of these guys what size of fish would be safe from them? I have threadfin rainbows, sparkling gouramis, and small male guppies in my tanks. I know the site says they eat fry and young fish but it doesn't really specify at around what size it's too big for them. Also is there any fish similar enough to be mistaken for them that might be less suited to my tanks?

Bumblebee cats are pretty solitary; mine just hang in a cave most of the time and only come out in the evening to look for food. They sometimes roam around together, but they don’t need buddies as corys do.
As for him circling the glass, my guess is that he is a bit cramped. At night mine dart around everywhere (i look at them with a torch lol), so he'll probably keep doing the glass surfing until the 29g is ready for his wanderings. My bumblebees sometimes hang with my other catties so it’s normal for it to follow your corys around and hang with your BN. And Chris, this bumblebee is a south American, the ones you saw are Asian as your LFS said.

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Billy was a scientist, Billy is no more. For what he thought was H20, was H2SO4

you seem to know alot about bottom feeders.if i may ask, are bumblebee catfishes supposed to be kept in schools? I know my cory is supposed to be.

all my fish seem to be doing fine, what concerns me, is that the bumble bee catfish (when he is active) spends his time circling the aquarium glass...is he looking at his reflection, is he bored, or does he just want more space?

oddly enough, when he is active, he "schools" with my cory, and the browse the rocks together, and sometimes he follows my barbs in their roamings around their currently way too small home, and when he naps (ussually from dawn till about 5pm) he sleeps next to my bristlenose female pleco.

his behavior makes me wonder if he is looking for company? if he or she is lonely there isnt too much i can do till my 29 gallon is up and running, as i already have a cory,pleco,and 5 barbs...

anyway, your input would be great!

edited because i cant speel rite...even tho i gradiated hi skool.


Last edited by Reun at 11-Nov-2005 18:43

i assure you that your south american bumblebee catfish Microglanis iheringi do not get to 7''. The bumblebee catfish you would of seen Chris is this one

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Billy was a scientist, Billy is no more. For what he thought was H20, was H2SO4

yep small (where it is from)bulbbee cat, they can get quite large. when i see them, the length is around 7 inches and about 20-30 dollars.

o i didn't know there was a difference in front name, i thought there was justa cat called that, at the fish store were i saw them at it was called an asian bulbbee catfish.

Last edited by bettachris at 11-Nov-2005 18:05

oh thank you! he is quite the fun little guy, he is actually sometimes active in the day, swims around ALOT! he is a great addition to my tank, i am so glad he wont be getting bigger than 3.5", was afraid he might be too big for a 29 gallon tank

thank you both!

Cup has got this one, it is the south american bumblebee catfish
i've got a couple of them, they are really nice little fellows

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Billy was a scientist, Billy is no more. For what he thought was H20, was H2SO4

Microglanis iheringi