Flagtail Catfish

About

The flagtail catfish (Dianema urostriatum) is one of those fish that quietly surprises you once you get it home. Named for the bold black-and-white banding on its caudal fin, it hails from the Amazon River basin in South America, where it lives as an obligate air-breather. Meaning it must periodically surface to gulp air, regardless of how well-oxygenated the water is. Keep that in mind when aquascaping, and always leave open surface access. Behavior-wise, this is about as easygoing as catfish get. It will not bother even small tankmates, though tiny newly-hatched fry are probably not safe. It pairs naturally with other Amazonian community fish. Tetras, Corydoras, smaller cichlids, and similarly-sized loricariids all work well. What sets it apart from most catfish is its social nature: a group of four to six fish will regularly shoal together in midwater, behaving more like a tetra than a bottom-dweller. Solo specimens tend to be shy and reclusive, so a small group is genuinely worth it. Newly imported fish can be a bit fragile and prone to disease, all specimens in the trade are wild-caught, but once settled in, they become quite resilient. Breeding is possible but takes real effort to simulate seasonal conditions, placing this species in intermediate territory for most keepers.