All fish / Sisoridae

Dwarf Anchor Catfish

Erethistes jerdoni

Also known as anchor catfish, hara jerdoni, jerdon's hara, dwarf hara, hara catfish, moth catfish, ハラ・ジャードニ, 石爬鮡, 锚鲶

A tiny, flattened catfish with a broad head, a wide pectoral spine and mottled brown and cream markings, so it looks a bit like an anchor or a dead leaf. Keepers like it for nano and stream-style tanks, where it sits camouflaged on sand and wood and comes out mostly in the evening.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

3 cm

Temperature

18 to 24 °C

pH

6.5 to 7.5

Smallest tank

40 litres

Keep as

Group of 4 or more

Diet

Carnivore: bloodworm, daphnia, brine shrimp, small sinking pellets

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

3 to 5 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

India (Meghalaya, Assam) and Bangladesh, Brahmaputra basin

Breeding

It has seldom been bred in home aquariums and very little is recorded about how it spawns. Almost all fish on sale are caught in the wild.

Good to know

It is shy and slow to feed, so keep it with small, calm tankmates and give it cool, well-oxygenated water. Most current sources place it in Erethistes, though many shops still sell it as Hara jerdoni.