Badis tuivaiei

Overview

The northeastern Indian badid Badis tuivaiei includes fishes once circulated as Terracotta or Wahumiam River. Several relatives look similar, so dependable identification combines collection history with scale, fin-ray, and other anatomical details.

Distribution & habitat

The original description concerned the Tuivai and Irang, tributaries of the Barak in Manipur. It also occurs along the Tuivai in Mizoram. Later records from the Wahumiam in Meghalaya and the Wanapha in the Jaintia Hills extended the known range.

At the Wahumiam collection site, shallow clear water moved slowly over boulders, pebbles, and sand. Heavy rainfall in the surrounding hills probably produces considerable seasonal increases in depth and flow. Rocky stretches with substantial bankside vegetation also occur in the Tuivai.

Aquarium setup

A pair or one male with two to four females can start in an aquarium 60 cm long. Several males require more room. Sand or gravel, smooth stones, roots, and branches should create separate retreats; floating plants, leaves, and attached Microsorum, Taxiphyllum, or Anubias add cover.

Keep light and filtration moderate. Coconut shells or clay pots with entrances can serve as caves. Separate male sites and interrupt sight lines rather than concentrating every potential spawning place in one area.

Diet & feeding

The genus takes small aquatic crustaceans, worms, insect larvae, and zooplankton. Dry foods may be refused, and regular live or frozen Artemia, Daphnia, or glassworms remain important even when acceptance improves.

Watch these slow feeders to ensure tankmates do not consume all available food. Bloodworms and Tubifex are associated with obesity and health problems and are best omitted from the everyday menu.

Behaviour & compatibility

A species aquarium is preferable. It does not need a large group, and males can fight intensely over space. Several males require independent caves, territories, and cover; a single-male arrangement is more suitable in limited quarters.

Potential companions include peaceful small upper-water fishes or appropriate miniature stream catfishes. Avoid large, busy, or highly competitive species that leave deliberate feeders at a lasting disadvantage.

Sexual dimorphism

Females are substantially smaller than males, with duller colors and shorter, rounder outlines. Mature males develop extended fins and a more elongated appearance.

Breeding

Aquarium reproduction was recorded in 2006–2007. Members of the genus form temporary pairs for cave spawning, with male brood care. For greater fry survival, exclude other species, condition the adults with live and frozen foods, and provide each male an individual cave.

Generic accounts describe intensified color and rivalry, sometimes mouth-locking while females are led into caves, followed by batches of about 30–100 eggs. The female is then driven away and the male guards and fans the eggs. Hatching takes roughly two to three days. Fry swim freely around six to eight days old and can remain near the cave for another week.

Adults, including the father, may subsequently eat dispersing young, making separation advisable. Microworms suit the initially inactive fry; add Artemia nauplii when they enter the water column.

Notes

Wahumiam fishes were initially considered undescribed but later matched this species in morphology and counts. Differences from Badis badis, Badis chittagongis, and Badis kanabos involve interorbital width, body depth, scales, vertebrae, and fin rays. Photographs alone may not resolve identity, making dependable locality information particularly useful.