There are only 2 species currently in the genus Horabagrus, with this one being the rarer in the hobby. H. brachysoma is the other, and it resembles H. nigricollaris quite closely. It is a much larger fish and is unsuitable for most home aquaria. Confusion can arise as both are usually sold as juveniles, at around 2-3" in length. They can be told apart by examining the black shoulder markings found on either side of the fish. In H. brachysoma this is no more than a vaguely circular dark blo…

Type locality is ‘Mae Nam Huey Bon, kilometer 45 on road from Amphoe ThaWang Pha to Amphoe Chiang Kham, Chiang Rai Province, Thailand’, and this species appears restricted to the Mekong and upper Chao Phraya river basins in northern Thailand and northern Laos.

The specimens pictured here were collected from th…

Also known as the bullseye, solar, eclipse or golden red-tailed catfish, this species is relatively common in the trade. Unfortunately, it's a victim of some rather misplaced marketing, as it's often sold as being suitable for the general community tank found in homes worldwide. The majority of specimens seen for sale measure only 2-3", which only serves to make the situation worse. Obviously, given its adult size it's totally unsuitable for this kind of setup, but makes a fi…

Butis spp. are largely nocturnal ambush predators with cryptic patterning to help them blend in with their surroundings. They can also lighten and darken their body colouration to an extent, have a habit of aligning themselves with solid surfaces whether horizontal, vertical, or inverted, and often swim in an upside-down position.

The genus is usually included in the family Eleotridae of which members are often referred to…

L. cyclorhynchus was described twice in the space of two years, with Pellegrin erecting Labeo variegatus for it in 1901. Although the invalidity of the variegatus name is quite well-documented you may still see the species named as such in older literature, trade lists and by some websites. It's also worth noting that the attractive patterning seen in young fish does fade with age, the adults being much darker in colour.

The genus Labeo currently contains over 100 species but is in dire …

The genus Barbus is in something of a confused state classification-wise. While there exist almost 340 putative species the vast majority of them do not appear to be closely-related to the genus Barbus sensu stricto.

Berrebi et al. (1996) proposed that only the European, Southwest Asian and North African representatives should be included in Barbus (around 20 species) and that ‘all species of Barbus sen…

This species is native to Central West Africa where it is principally found in the great Ogooué and Congo River systems. It therefore has an extensive range and has been recorded at numerous localities right across the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) from the Ituri River in the far east of the country to the Luki River basin in the extreme west.

The Congo River appears to represent the southernmost limit of its range as a…

A stylish-looking but rare barb in the hobby and unfortunately little information is available regarding its captive care. Forum member Andy Rushworth has kept a lone individal and told us it was a perfect aquarium inhabitant in terms of behaviour and maintenance. He also mentioned that the fish he had looked exactly like the specimen in our images but that he has seen at least one batch of what appeared to be a different species imported under the same na…

A rarely seen species in the hobby, X. sima is nevertheless a charming species for the peaceful Tanganyikan community. It feeds in a similar way to the well-known South American Geophagus species in that it will sift sand through its gills to extract invertebrates and morsels hidden in the substrate. It is quite a skittish fish and may react very nervously to rapid movements outside the tank or when lights are switched on and off….

In nature, the pair bond formed by this species lasts only for the duration of the breeding season. However, in aquaria this bond can last much longer, with the pair remaining in their territory and defending it even when not spawning. It is thought that this is directly due to the fish being kept in the confines of the aquarium, where the territory is a permanent fixture.
X. flavipinnis is very sensitive to deteriorating water conditions and regular water changes are essential to its good heal…