Erethistes horai?

[bekateen]

Hey all,

This weekend while attending the FIN-DIG 2025 convention in Sacramento, CA, I stopped at Lee's Feed & Western Wear in Shingle Springs, CA. There I picked up six fish sold as

Erethistes horai

. They are about 30mm SL. Is the ID correct?

Also, is their care the same as

Erethistes jerdoni

?

Currently I've set the E. horai up in an unheated tank (about 73F) in soft slightly acidic water (TDS 100ppm; pH 6) with a sponge filter and a very powerful airstone. Substrate is half sand, half cobblestones.

Is this appropriate for the species? I'm struggling to find much information online about E. horai.

Thanks for any advice.

Cheers, Eric

[bekateen]

Feedback from @The.Dark.One: these might have been sold with the wrong name... might be

Erethistes minusculus

. To be honest, I'm not sure that all six fish are the same species, but they were bought from the same shipment, so hopefully.

Will need to key them out carefully to find out if current ID is correct.

Cheers, Eric

[Shovelnose]

Hey Eric, I've kept Indian Erethistes, and they all require similar care. Your tank setup looks good, but I recommend switching the sponge filter for an HOB and adding plenty of plants, as these fish like to use them as cover. I spot gravid females every monsoon among the moss but there is very little I can do as it is a community tank. Live feed maybe required initially, but they can weaned off over time.

The most commonly available species in the trade is E.pussilus.

Hope this helps!

[bekateen]

Thanks Balaji! I can make those changes.

My biggest concern is pH. Any thoughts on that?

Cheers, Eric

[Shovelnose]

These fish are typically collected from large water bodies known as beels (surface area of several hectares), that are a result of spillage from rivers during floods. The pH in these beels generally ranges from 6.5 to 8.0. I’ve seen these fish thriving in both soft and hard water (my tank water is at 7.6), and I believe these fish can tolerate a wide pH range.

Also, I suggested the HOB solely for filtration and aeration, as these fish prefer minimal to no water movement. Filtration and water temperature are more important for keeping these in the long run.

[bekateen]

These fish are typically collected from large water bodies known as beels (surface area of several hectares), that are a result of spillage from rivers during floods. The pH in these beels generally ranges from 6.5 to 8.0. I’ve seen these fish thriving in both soft and hard water (my tank water is at 7.6), and I believe these fish can tolerate a wide pH range.

Also, I suggested the HOB solely for filtration and aeration, as these fish prefer minimal to no water movement. Filtration and water temperature are more important for keeping these in the long run.

Interesting. From the scientific articles I had found, I was under the impression they were from fast moving water. I'm glad to know that wasn't correct.

Cheers, Eric

[Jools]

Yup, agree, I've collected these in pretty much standing water about waist deep - which I've today learned are called beels. As Balaji says, leafy plants Cabomba or Myriophyllum (my new favourite plant) are where they like to hang out.

Pics below of different sp.

HTH,

Jools

[bekateen]

Thanks!

Cheers,
Eric