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Ok i bought a bumble bee catfish last week I did some research on it before I bought it, its nocturnal and it eats live fishes(small ones) and any fishfood, but its soo hard to feed because its nocturnal and i don't really know how to handle this kind of fish. any suggestion other than returning it?

Put some food in (doesn't have to be live fish, they eat anything) after the lights are out, and sort of hide it in little crevices and holes so the other fish won't find it, but the cat will be able to with his whiskers.

The catfish is probably eating, even if you don't see it. I would only worry about it not eating after a few weeks or months have passed and the fish is getting noticeable thinner.

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

i just drop like alot of food before i go to sleep for a week or so. after that week my tank got very dirty. I was thinking of making something for the fish, a plastic box about an inch or so and theres gonna be food in it but only small enough for the catfish to put its mouth in? would that work?
put it in at night and then take it out in the morning.
suggestion please!

That wouldn't work very well because bumblebee catfish have very large mouths...

There's no trick to getting a good, healthy, well-adjusted Bagrid to eat. You throw food in. They eat it. They're quite greedy enough that they'll eventually come out on their own for food, even in the light. But if you've got effective cover and bright lights, you might not see them for a good amount of time. IME, the little ones don't come out as much as they do when they get larger. My 6" Horabagrus brachysoma (distant relative) now comes out when food hits the water (it's sense of smell is that effective!).

I wouldn't worry too much, especially if you've got no big competitors on the bottom. Admittedly when I have kept catfish I don't have much in the way of diurnal competition for food, but really I have found that these fish eventually will come out during the day for food if they smell it (and they will!).

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

i guess thats a good idea, they do eat alot but it dosen't happen everyday in my tank. sometimes i see them really bloated sometimes really skinny for a few days.

Which bumblebee have you got? the asian (Pseudomystus siamensis) or the sth american(Microglanis iheringi)?
I have 3 of the asian bumblebees and they like most of my other nocturnal feeders have no problem finding food at night if you feed the tank before you turn the lights off, just not too much.
They'll eat just about anything and love live food like earthworms and mealworms. If they're given their own little home for them to feel safe in they really wont bother any other fish, big or small.
Once they feel safe in your tank they will feed on any food that comes near, day or night

myn is this kind.http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/pseudopi/batrocho/721_f.php
it just stays in a cave all day. i see it swimming very active at night time looking for food but it never comes to surface.
i guess i just have to wait till it gets use to the new fishtank its in. thanks everyone=)

If you aren't already, you should feed sinking foods so it doesn't have to come up to the surface.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

Try dropping in a pile of live Bloodworms after "lights out". Chances are your Bumblebee Cats will find then very quickly ...and once they learn to associate the vibrations from your footsteps around the aquarium with food, they'll start coming out to feed at more socially convenient hours, especially if you've been thoughtful and provided their home with shaded areas so that they can come out into the open without being dazzled by light.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002