斑鳍粒鲶 · Spotfin Stream Catfish

Overview

Akysis maculipinnis is a tiny sand-burying catfish that needs clean, oxygen-rich water. Successful aquarium spawning is possible, but adults avidly consume eggs. Collection devices and careful nursery management are central to raising young.

Distribution & habitat

Confirmed information centers on eastern Thailand's Chanthaburi region, with collections also reported from the Khao Ang Rue Nai area. Extension into southwestern Cambodia is possible but remains uncertain.

The genus generally inhabits flowing streams over sand, gravel, and rocks. Rainy periods increase water volume, current, and suspended material, while wood, roots, and patches of litter provide cover.

Aquarium setup

A footprint around 45 × 30 cm is suitable. Provide soft sand for burying, plus rounded stones, wood, and roots forming narrow gaps. Plants attached to hard surfaces avoid disturbance from digging; some leaf litter may be included.

Keep organic waste low, oxygen abundant, and circulation effective. Weekly partial water changes of around 30–50% are routine care.

Diet & feeding

Related species consume small aquatic crustaceans, worms, and insect larvae. Dry food may be refused, so provide regular appropriately sized live and frozen offerings, cutting larger items when necessary.

After-dark feeding follows the pattern of the genus, although settled individuals may emerge whenever food arrives. Confirm that this poor competitor obtains its share.

Behaviour & compatibility

Avoid large, aggressive, or strongly competitive companions. Small peaceful fishes and suitably sized nonterritorial bottom dwellers are preferable. Peaceful coexistence with freshwater shrimp has been observed. Conspecifics are tolerated, allowing single or group maintenance.

Sexual dimorphism

Ripe females appear fuller, with a bluish egg mass visible through the abdomen.

Breeding

Eggs are released above the substrate into flowing water, with no parental care. A successful collection arrangement uses two containers below a pump or internal-filter outlet: one holds gravel and mixed stones, while the other has a mesh-covered opening topped with stones. Mesh openings around 3.5–4 mm admit eggs while excluding adults.

Flow must carry eggs away from hungry parents but slow at the collecting surface so eggs settle. Small outlet adjustments can greatly alter results. Spawning occurs at night in the current or above the containers. Up to about sixty eggs have been recovered in one night, and conditioned adults may spawn nearly daily for weeks.

Transfer eggs to a separate container. At 24 °C they hatch in approximately three days, bearing large blue yolk sacs. Yolk is absorbed within a week, and fry can take microworms or brine-shrimp nauplii by about day five. They need plentiful suitable live food yet are highly sensitive to chemistry changes. The successful rearing account used complete water replacement twice daily with aged water. This intensive method depends on preserving stable conditions while preventing waste accumulation.

Notes

Dorsal and pectoral spines can deliver painful punctures, so avoid gripping them during transfers or maintenance. Egg predation also makes effective separation essential; plant cover alone is not an equivalent substitute for protecting the spawn.