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Most people here on the Board are probably familiar with Filament Barbs, also known as Long-Finned Barbs, scientific name Barbus filamentosus. Well, for those who like fishes with long, flowing dorsal fins, there is a Characin that fits the bill too. And, it's a rarity.

Bryconaethiops microstoma hails from Central Africa, being found in places such as Cameroon, and Lake Kivu in Rwanda. Most aquarists could be forgiven for walking right past the juveniles, which are basically plain silver fish. However, once they begin growing, they start to come into their own. The back darkens, the fish acquires a certain lustre, greenish or bluish depending upon the angle of the incident light, and the dorsal fin becomes a handsome spread of long filaments, which in exceptionally fine specimens may reach beyond the caudal fin.

Maintenance conditions are relatively liberal - pH from 6.0 to 7.5, dH from 8 to 18, and a temperature of 24°C to 28°C suits them fine. However, they must have decent sized quarters, because they are active swimmers, and grow to be 6 inches long! Moreover, they hail from well-oxygenated waters, and need a decent current in the aquarium. Although they have a strange disposition in the aquarium compared to other Characins, being only occasionally inclined to form a shoal, they should be kept in a group, which means that a 6ft aquarium with decent filtration (preferably external) is a must if they are to reach the full magnificence that they are capable of. The other point to note is that they share another trait with many medium to large African Characins that requires planning beforehand - they are among the rocket-propelled jumpers of the Family. An adult can launch itself out of an uncovered aquarium and fly over 10 feet!

Feeding presents relatively few problems: flake foods are gobbled with relish, and they will behave like sharks in a feeding frenzy if given live food. They are also reputed to graze intermittently on algae, so some should be provided: it is also suggested that they are likely to nibble plants among the few people to have kept them, which means that furnishing their aquarium with prized Aponogetons and Cabomba is potentially inviting some trouble in this regard. However, if feeding live foods, choose the size carefully: in relation to its size, the Filament Characin has a relatively small mouth (hence the specific name microstoma), albeit one well-equipped with teeth. Consequently, their foods should be graded for size, to make sure that they don't have to struggle.

As for companions, well, in suitably large quarters, they'll coexist happily with Congo Tetras, medium to large Barbs (chances are putting these alongside Barbus filamentosus would make a stunning display!) and Rainbow Fishes. Since all of the most compatible companions are also likely to be active, again, this dictates a large aquarium.

Finally, this fish is a breeding challenge. The reason? First, find some females! For some reason, all of the specimens imported thus far have been male. Which leads me to suspect that the females lack the impressive dorsal fin. So, finding females is likely to be a big challenge to begin with. Having found some females, then the challenge will be to discover the optimum breeding conditions. When some females finally arrive, who knows, breeding may prove to be relatively easy, but until then, we simply don't know. So, anyone out there planning a holiday in Central Africa, go collect some specimens, bring them home, and give it a try!




Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002