Microglanis poecilus...can they be kept with Barbs?

[1hawaii50]

I have a 38 gallon tank with 9 Black Ruby Barbs, and 8 Odessa Barbs, along with 1 Albino Bristlenose Pleco. I had 12 Cories in the tank with the Barbs, but slowly, the Barbs were picking the Cories to death. Once I realized what was going on, I re-homed the remaining Cories (The Barbs were pecking their dorsal fins off). It was suggested to me to try some Zebra Loaches as my bottom feeders, but my LFS has not gotten any in. I was in PetSmart yesterday and noticed a small brown/red catfish that was labeled as a South American Bumblebee Cat (Microglanis Poecilus). Is this fish hardy/aggressive enough to be kept with my Barbs? I've read what little I could find on them, and it seems that there is usually some confusion as to whether this fish has even been identified correctly by the LFS.

If this would not make a good bottom feeder for my Barb tank, are there any other recommendations? My Pleco is not bothered by the Barbs. Every now and then, I'll see them over checking him out, but none of his fins are damaged, and he doesn't seem bothered by them in the least. It probably helps that he is almost twice their size!

[The.Dark.One]

It is extremely unlikely you will have M. poecilus. They will probably be M. iheringi which are usually sold as M. poecilus.

M. iheringo should be OK with small barbs, mainly because unlike the corys they tend to hide away when it is light, so will be active when the barbs are 'asleep'.

Make sure you provide it with somewhere to hide, and put some food in before lights out.

[Shane]

They will probably be M. iheringi which are usually sold as M. poecilus.

This is a future ID project for someone to tackle. What "everyone knows" as M. iheringi is not that sp. M. iheringi is restricted to a very small coastal drainage in northern Venezuela while what we call "M. iheringi" in the hobby is exported in large numbers from the Amazon.

I did collect the real M. iheringi once in Aragua, but why I was unable to take them and photo them is a long story best recited over beers. I had set my backpack down and got too far from it and someone from the village (it was actually a cluster of about four huts) stole it. No big deal except my car keys were in the backpack. I sat by my car for hours (and returned my catch to the river) staring at the villagers. Eventually one came over and asked why I was not leaving. I explained that my car keys were in the backpack that someone in the village must have "found" and taken. After some consultations among the villagers they sent a little boy over with the keys and I departed. I am sure they wanted me gone before a military or police patrol happened by.

I never returned to the collecting site after this experience and never encountered the real M. iheringi again.

-Shane