All fish / Bagridae

Two-spot Mystus

Mystus bimaculatus

Also known as two spot catfish, twospot mystus, two-spot bagrid, mystus bimaculatus, baung, 双斑鮠

A small, slender bagrid catfish with long barbels and a brownish body marked with a dark spot behind the head and another at the tail base. It is kept by catfish enthusiasts as an active, mostly nocturnal bottom dweller that suits soft-water Southeast Asian biotope tanks.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

10 cm

Temperature

22 to 28 °C

pH

5.5 to 7

Smallest tank

120 litres

Keep as

Group of 3 or more

Diet

Carnivore: sinking pellets, frozen bloodworm, brine shrimp and small live foods

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 8 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Indonesia (Sumatra, Borneo) and Peninsular Malaysia

Breeding

Not commonly bred in aquariums and little is documented; it is thought to scatter eggs with no parental care.

Good to know

Will eat very small fish and shrimp, so keep with tankmates too large to swallow. Rarely traded and sometimes confused with other spotted Mystus species.