Care
The Asian Bumblebee Catfish is a nocturnal species, known from the rivers and streams of the Chao Phraya, Maeklong, and Mekong basins. This attractively patterned, predatory bottom-dweller requires a spacious aquarium with a soft sand substrate. There should be plenty of shady hiding places/visual barriers amongst driftwood, rocky caves, PVC pipes/flowerpots, and robust planting. The more hiding places that are provided, the more the catfish is likely to venture out and about, as it will get to know it has safe places to quickly retreat to if it feels the need. Dim lighting is preferred, but this can be brighter if it is diffused with broad leaved plants or floating vegetation. A blue moon light timed to come on just before the main lights switch off will provide you with time in the evening to watch the nocturnal antics of this catfish under its preferred subdued conditions. Filtration should be efficient, with areas of moderate water movement along with some quieter resting spots out of the current. Ensure that heaters are covered with heater guards to prevent the catfish from being burned when looking for dark crevices to rest against. Despite being rather reclusive, this is a somewhat territorial species which is best maintained singly and not with any similar bottom-dwellers. Tankmates should be chosen with care, as small fish will be eaten, and larger slow fish with showy fins will be nipped at overnight. Good companions could include some of the medium-sized barbs, danionins, rainbowfish, or rasboras, and sizeable shoals of them may actually help to encourage the catfish out into view a little more. To the untrained eye, this species could easily be confused with the various South American Bumblebee catfish from the Pimelodidae family. However, like all bagrids, the Asian Bumblebee Catfish has a pair of nasal barbels that originate just in front of the eyes.
Feeding
Offer a varied diet consisting of good quality sinking catfish pellets/granules, and frozen foods such as bloodworm, white mosquito larvae, vitamin-enriched brineshrimp, Mysis, krill etc.
Breeding
This species has not been bred in the home aquarium. In the wild, spawning commences with the onset of the rainy season, with the male subsequently guarding the eggs.
