Article © Heok Hee Ng, uploaded November 02, 2013.

The catfishes of Asia have their followers, but they are often overlooked by many aquarists in favour of the more familiar corys, plecos and synos of South America and Africa. Perhaps this is due to a rather unfair view that many are difficult species to keep. This month, Dr. Heok Hee Ng introduces a small and easy to keep Asian catfish that might just get you over the threshold into the wonderful world of Asian catfishes.

The problem with keeping sisoroid catfishes (those in the families Akysidae, Amblyciptidae and Sisoridae) is that a large majority of them require fairly high levels of dissolved oxygen, cool water, and are very sensitive to water quality. This month's article looks at a species that is relatively easier to maintain and may serve as an excellent primer for hobbyists wishing to delve into this group of fascinating catfishes.

Akysis longifilis is a species known to the aquarium trade since 2006, around the time it was formally described. This species is known from the Sittang River drainage in Myanmar, and like all other species known from India and Myanmar, lacks serrations on the posterior edge of the pectoral spine and grows to a relatively large size (around 5 cm SL) for the genus. Although a large majority of sisoroid catfishes are difficult to maintain because of their exacting water/temperature requirements and finicky diet (showing a general unwillingness to take prepared food), this is happily not the case with this yellow and brown catfish. Akysis longifilis is fairly tolerant of warmer temperatures (up to 27°C, as long as there is sufficient water movement) and adapts readily to commercial dry foods (although periodic supplements of frozen/live food should be provided).

Like congeners, A. longifilis displays no aggression towards conspecifics and are best maintained in a small group. A substrate of fine sand should be provided, as the fish spends most of its daylight hours burrowed inside the substrate. Breeding is unknown, although simulating the onset of rainy seasons should be a major trigger, as has been demonstrated for A. vespa, another species from Myanmar.

Given its wider tolerance in water parameters and catholic diet, this catfish is equally at home in a hillstream biotope or a general community tank, and serves as the ideal bridge to the more demanding species in the Akysidae.

Copyright information for the images used in this article can be found on the species' full Cat-eLog page.

Cat-eLog Data Sheet
Scientific Name	Akysis longifilis  Ng, 2006
Common Name	Stream Catfish
Type Locality	Bago division Pyu township, Pyu stream, tributary of Sittang River, about 229 kilometers from Yangon, 18°29'N, 96°26'E, Myanmar.
Pronunciation	ack EYE siss
Etymology	From the Greek a, meaning without and kystis, meaning bladder; in reference to the lack of a swimbladder. From the Latin longus, meaning long, and filum, meaning thread, in reference to the long barbels of this species.
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Species Information
Size	53mm or 2.1" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Identification	Fishes of the genus Akysis are small species (typically not larger than 50mm SL) with tuberculate skin and a cryptic color pattern generally consisting of yellow patches or bands on a brown body. They have a distribution ranging from the Irrawaddy River drainage to the west, the Citarum River drainage to the east and south and the Lancanjiang (upper Mekong) drainage to the north.
Habitat Information
Distribution	Asia: Known from the type locality in the Sittang River drainage, southern Myanmar. Myanmar Waters, Sittang (click on these areas to find other species found there) Log in to view data on a map.
IUCN Red List Category	Not Evaluated
Husbandry Information
Feeding	Voracious appetite. Specially frozen foods. Flakes are reluctantly taken. User data.
Furniture	Rocks or driftwood to partially deflect the current and for the fish to hide in. Some vegetation or leaf litter also ideal. These fish like to bury themselves into sand, so see to it that any rocks are placed on the bottom of the tank and cannot be undermined.
Compatibility	Ideal tankmates include balitorine loaches such as Homaloptera, fast-swimming cyprinids such as Danio or Barilius, and smaller mastacembelids.
Breeding	Unreported.
Breeding Reports	There is no breeding report.
Further Information
Reference	Zootaxa No. 1150, pp 20, Fig. 1.
Registered Keepers	There are 13 registered keepers, view all "my cats" data.
Wishlists	Love this species? Click the heart to add it to your wish list. There are 3 wishes to keep this species, see who wants what.
Spotters	Spotted this species somewhere? Click the binoculars! There are 6 records of this fish being seen, view them all.
Forum BBCode
	Search for A. longifilis
	Look up A. longifilis on AquaticRepublic.com
	Look up A. longifilis on Fishbase
	Look up A. longifilis on Encyclopedia of Life
	Look up A. longifilis on Global Biodiversity Information Facility
	LFS label creator
Last Update	2020 Nov 08 04:56 (species record created: 2013 Nov 02 11:38)

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