Bumblebee catfish care
Microglanis iheringi · Orinoco basin in Colombia and Venezuela
Bumblebee catfish are small, yellow-and-brown banded catfish that hide by day and hunt at night.
- Tank size
- 20 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 70 to 77 °F (21 to 25 °C)
- Group size
- Alone or in a pair
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Adult size
- 2.4 in (standard length, without the tail)
- pH
- 6 to 7.5
- Hardness (GH)
- 2 to 15 dGH
- Lifespan
- 5 to 8 years
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Care level
- Easy
In a 20 gallon long
30¼ × 12½ × 12¾ in outsideHow to keep bumblebee catfish
Bumblebee catfish are small, yellow-and-brown banded catfish that hide by day and hunt at night. One or a few suit a 20 gallon or larger tank at 70 to 77 °F with a cave each; they leave fish larger than their mouth alone.
Diet: Carnivore: sinking pellets, frozen bloodworm. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Bottom of the tank.
Bumblebee catfish tank mates
Share the temperature and water, and neither side eats, nips or bullies the other. Check the full group in the stocking checker.
Diamond tetra
2.4 in · 20+ gal · 72–82 °F
Bleeding heart tetra
2.4 in · 20+ gal · 72–80 °F
Penguin tetra
2.4 in · 20+ gal · 72–82 °F
Lyretail killifish
2.4 in · 10+ gal · 70–79 °F
Platy
2.5 in · 10+ gal · 70–80 °F
American flagfish
2.5 in · 20+ gal · 65–79 °F
Odessa barb
2.5 in · 29+ gal · 68–79 °F
Pearl danio
2.6 in · 20+ gal · 68–77 °F
Keep apart
Chili rasbora: Adult bumblebee catfish eat fish under about 1 in; chili rasboras grow to 0.8 in.
German blue ram: No shared temperature: bumblebee catfish need 70 to 77 °F, German blue rams 78 to 85 °F.
Pea puffer: Pea puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Convict cichlid: Convict cichlids are aggressive towards peaceful fish such as bumblebee catfish.
Zebra pleco: No shared temperature: bumblebee catfish need 70 to 77 °F, zebra plecos 79 to 86 °F.
Kubotai rasbora: Adult bumblebee catfish eat fish under about 1 in; kubotai rasboras grow to 0.8 in.
What a bumblebee catfish tank needs
A tank of 20 US gallons or more (such as the 20 gallon long) with a cover, and the equipment below.
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Aqueon PRO QuietFlow Power Filter 10
Rated by the maker for up to 20 US gal, which covers a 20 gallon bumblebee catfish tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Aqueon QuietFlow Internal Power Filter 15–30 gal
Rated by the maker for 15–30 US gal, which covers a 20 gallon bumblebee catfish tank without being built for a far bigger one.
hygger Precise Aquarium Heater 100W
Bumblebee catfish need 70 to 77 °F; most homes run cooler, so a heater holds the temperature.
API Freshwater Master Test Kit
Tests ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, the readings that matter most before and after adding bumblebee catfish.
Seachem Prime 100 mL
Removes chlorine and chloramine from tap water at every water change.
Fluval Edge Thermometer
Shows the water temperature at a glance, so you know it stays within 70 to 77 °F.
More choices, each with the reason it is in or out: Filters for a 20 gallon tank · Heaters for a 20 gallon tank. We don’t list fish food: any good brand of the foods under Diet will do. Plan the whole tank's equipment →
Common bumblebee catfish problems
- You may rarely see them; feed sinking food after lights out.
- Tiny fish such as chili rasboras may be eaten.
Test the water first whenever fish look unwell: see what your readings mean, then match the symptom. For disease, a vet who treats fish can diagnose it and advise treatment.
More to compare
Sources
Name, origin and adult size checked against Wikipedia: Microglanis iheringi. Temperature, pH, hardness, group size, lifespan and minimum tank size are common hobby guidance, not figures from that article. Ranges are the range the species tolerates; aim for the middle. Minimum tank sizes are for an adult group. Drawings are our own; photo credits follow.
Photo credits
Real photographs from Wikimedia Commons, resized and cropped to fit; each is used under the license named.
- Bumblebee catfish CHUCAO, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Diamond tetra SOK, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Bleeding heart tetra 5snake5, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Penguin tetra Kkonstan, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Lyretail killifish Alexander Prokoshev, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Platy Monika Korzeniec, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- American flagfish nat_t (iNaturalist), CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Odessa barb Anandarajkumar, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pearl danio Павлик Лисицын, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Chili rasbora JoKrimmel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- German blue ram Eric Mengel, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pea puffer Beta Mahatvaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Convict cichlid S. Olkowicz, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Zebra pleco Peaceinpianos, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Kubotai rasbora BottomDog, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pygmy corydoras Birger A, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Salt-and-pepper corydoras D.W., CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Bronze corydoras Quatermass (English Wikipedia), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Panda corydoras Chronotopian, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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