Baby glass catfish

The other day I picked up a new male betta, and the shop had five baby pygmy corys for £5 so we got some. The corys are about 1.5cm, teeny tiny but have settled well and are eating and not being bothered by the betta.

Thing is, only four of them were corys! The fifth turned out to be a baby glass catfish, about 2.5cm long - the girl could barely see them when she was bagging them due to their size and speed, and the catfish must have bred in the shop's tanks (a rare thing, from what I hear) and been swimming through the filtration system - there were no glass cats in the tank, just the corys and some barbs.

Anyway - I now have to care for him (now named Rapid Dave) and would appreciate any advice. I have tried mushed up mysis shrimp, finely crumbled flake and catfish pellets, but haven't seen him actually eat anything except for attacking a passing flake but not seeming to take a bite. I understand they can refuse to eat if not in a group, but he seems very confident - out and about, he never stops moving and is slipping from section to section in the divided tank as he can squeeze through the vents, and I've even seen him ward off my new pink platinum HMPK when he gets too close! Also seems to be choosing to hang around the populated sections of the tank with the bettas rather than hiding in his own section.

The plan is to keep him in the tank for a while to grow, and as soon as the last of my boyfriend's ancient bendy-spined OAP danios have died he will be getting a shoal of glass cats for his large tank (the only other inhabitants are bottom-dwelling fish - corys, kuhli loaches and a very lazy albino shark) and Rapid Dave will join them.

They should tae most foods but bloodworms normally always accepted. Care varies depending on the type of glass catfish, Do you know what type it is? most likely Kryptopterus minor. It might settle in and start eating but it is very unlikely, in every case ive ever heard of them being kept single they have refused to eat or even if thay have ate they have withered away and died within a month or so. I would just provide as much cover as possible for it and try to give it as much live foods as you can then hopefully it will survive until it can go in the other tank with a lager shoal.

It is Kryptoperus Minor, not the larger species. Thanks - I've not tried bloodworm yet, I think it took some tiny bits of mysis - its mouth is very small as it's only an inch long. I also have some frozen daphnia to try, and I'll try to get hold of some live food at the weekend.

I know they don't do well alone, but seeing as it's likely the fish is a single remaining fry that's been floating round a shop's filtration system (they only sell adult wild caught glass cats, as far as I am aware) I'm hoping it's used to the company of other species and hopefully it will survive. Interestingly it's chosen to take up residence in the section with my platinum pink PK rather than live with the shoal of pygmy corys, I guess the PK is the closest looking thing in the tank to an adult glass cat. There is plenty of plant cover, sand substrate, wood etc.

My boyfriend is holding off getting the shoal of glass cats until these last two geriatric danios have died, personally I think that they'd be fine together, the tank is 120 litres and the only other fish are bottom dwellers so there's plenty of mid and top level swimming room.

An update - he's just taken some freezedried tubifex (not nutritionally great I know, but will suffice for now). I put my fingers in with a little pinch to break it up and soak it, and he attacked my fingers! Vicious fish.

Thats great that hes eating, sounds like he could be alright on his own then. He probably picked the better because is is more of a mid dweller rather than mainly bottom dwellers like Corys.

I think they should be alright with the Danios since theres only 2, if it was a huge shoal of Danios i would have said no because there are very active and nippy so might scare the Glass cats.

If there wild caught then i think theres more of a chance that a smaller one has just slipped in with the others than it was bred in the tank.

Well, turns out he is a right little blighter... while I was away over the weekend he has been slipping between the sections in the divided tank and attacking the long-finned bettas!!! They've both got splits in their fins and I've seen him doing it!

I have trapped him in the middle two sections by blocking the vents with coarse filter sponge to stop him menacing them, little pest.

Ungrateful little...

I know! Glass catfish are meant to be peaceful and timid, I can see him now patrolling his fish jail.

No Taser for him!