Oil Catfish

Centromochlus perugiae is one of the small, aquarium-friendly members of the driftwood catfish family (Auchenipteridae). Its dark brown body is patterned with pale cream blotches; its eyes are large and its barbels short. It spends the day wedged into narrow hollows of sunken wood and comes out at night to hunt insects and small invertebrates in the middle and upper layers of the water. Fertilization in this family is internal. Adults stay at 5–6 cm.

• At least 60 liters for one to three individuals.
• Roots with narrow holes, bamboo or thin pipes are a must; the fish lives inside them.
• 22–27°C, pH 5.5–7.2, soft water; dim light and floating plants.
• Clean, well-oxygenated water and gentle flow.

Carnivorous. It eats frozen bloodworms, brine shrimp, daphnia and small granules. Because it feeds at night, offer food after the lights go out; over time it may learn to come out for food during the day.

Peaceful and shy; it is almost never seen during the day. It leaves fish alone, apart from very small fry that fit in its mouth. It gets along with its own kind; several individuals can share the same hollow.

Good companions: small tetras, rasboras, dwarf cichlids, corydoras, otocinclus.

Avoid: large and active fish, aggressive cichlids, predators whose mouths it would fit into.