Shadow Catfish

About

A small, peaceful catfish from the blackwater and soft-water rivers of Sumatra and Borneo, Hyalobagrus flavus breaks just about every expectation you might have for a fish in its family. Most catfish are secretive, nocturnal bottom-huggers. This one is active during the day, forming loose shoals in open midwater, behaving more like a rasbora than anything you'd expect from a bagrid. It was imported and sold for years under the name Pelteobagrus ornatus before a 1998 taxonomic revision sorted things out and placed it in its own genus alongside two close relatives that rarely, if ever, make it into the trade. One of the more curious footnotes in its natural history is that a species of Crossocheilus is known to mimic it in the wild, which says something about how visually distinctive this little catfish must be in its home rivers. In the aquarium it's a genuinely easy community fish as long as you keep it in groups of at least six. Solo individuals or pairs tend to be far less confident and active. Good tankmates include rasboras, small danios, and peaceful loaches. Captive breeding hasn't been documented much, though soft, acidic, tannin-rich water would be a reasonable starting point for anyone willing to try. Surprisingly underappreciated given how practical it is.