Aggressive South American Bumblebee Catfish

[crazychris]

Has anyone had any problems with a Bumblebee Catfish being really aggressive? I just bought 2 of them recently and it looked as if they were fighting today.

 

[Soccerfish]

I haven't seen them being aggressive to each other, but i had one eat my baby cichlids. How large of an aquarium are they in.

 

[crazychris]

I had the both of them in a 29 gallon with a few different places they both could hide. When I got home today the both of them were head to head doing barrel rolls. Initially when I saw it the first time it looked like one had the others head in its mouth ready to eat it but that wasn't the case they were just locked at the mouth. I know they don't get very big but I put one of them in my 55 gallon so it wouldn't happen anymore. I've read that they will eat fish half their size.

 

[butterfly_koi]

I would check and compare your fish with the Pseudomystus siamensis first. Often times these cats are sold as S.A. Bumblebee Catfish but they are really the Asian Bumblebee. The Asian is known to be more aggressive than the South American and grows almost twice the size of the South American. I myself have never had any aggression issues with my Microglanis iheringi, they are one of the most peaceful cats I've ever had.

 

[crazychris]

We're yours black and brown kinda like camo colors? They remind me or the cots of a python in a way. I got them at PetSmart and they had them labeled as South American. I'm kinda thinking like you in the way it could be an Asian catfish cuz the both of them really were going at it. To my knowledge they could've been fighting the entire time I've had them.

 

[butterfly_koi]

The South Americans look like this



She's oober fat in this picture because they were just fed bloodworms.

 

[butterfly_koi]

There is actually a whole family of Bumblebees known as Pseudopimelodidae
This family includes:

"African bumblebee catfish (Microsynodontis batesii)

Asian bumblebee catfish (Pseudomystus siamensis)

Bumblebee jelly catfish (Batrochoglanis raninus)

Giant bumblebee catfish (Pseudopimelodus bufonius)

False bumblebee catfish, an undescribed species similar to Pseudomystus stenomus

Mottled bumblebee catfish, an undescribed species similar to Pseudomystus leiacanthus

South American bumblebee catfish (Microglanis iheringi)"

 

[crazychris]

Idk I'd have to look again when I get back home from work. It's very similar to yours. I was looking at pictures last night of the Bumblebee Catfish to see if there was a difference and all of them I looked at looked the same. I know they weren't locking horns at PetSmart when I bought them.