Bumblebee catfish

Care at a glance

The bumblebee catfish is a small, yellow-and-black banded catfish from South America that hides under wood or in a cave by day and only comes out once the lights are off. At seven centimetres it is one of the few true predatory catfish that fit in an ordinary community tank.

Calm as it is, it remains a predator with a surprisingly large mouth: anything that fits in it, from young guppies to cherry shrimp, disappears overnight. Combine it with fish of at least four centimetres. Feed after lights-out with sinking tablets or frozen food, otherwise the others eat everything before it wakes up.

Good to know

• Active at night
• Preys on shrimp and snails

Best not combined with

• Chili rasboraBoraras brigittae
• Endler guppyPoecilia wingei
• Cherry shrimpNeocaridina davidi

Related species

• Electric blue hap (fryeri)Sciaenochromis fryeri
• Emerald cory (brochis)Corydoras splendens
• Glowlight rasboraTrigonostigma hengeli
• Venustus (giraffe cichlid)Nimbochromis venustus
• Socolofi cichlid (powder blue)Chindongo socolofi
• Thick-lipped gouramiTrichogaster labiosa