All fish / Schilbeidae

Moolenburgh's catfish

Pseudeutropius moolenburghae

Also known as moolenburgh's schilbeid catfish, glass schilbeid, sumatran schilbe, lais

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This is a small, slim, silvery catfish from Indonesian rivers, with a compressed body, long barbels and a deeply forked tail. It swims in open water as a shoal rather than sitting on the bottom, so it is kept by people who want an unusual active catfish for a calm community tank.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

8 cm

Temperature

22 to 27 °C

pH

6 to 7.5

Smallest tank

120 litres

Keep as

Shoal of 6 or more

Diet

Carnivore: small live and frozen foods such as bloodworm, brine shrimp and daphnia, plus small pellets

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

4 to 6 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Indonesia (Sumatra and Borneo)

Breeding

It is thought to scatter its eggs, but there are no reliable reports of it breeding in home aquariums.

Good to know

It is rarely sold and sometimes gets mixed up with other small schilbeid catfish. It is nervous when kept alone and needs gentle water flow and well-oxygenated water.