Asian stone catfish (Hara jerdoni) are hardy, peaceful fish. They do well in a compact space and do not need a heater. These docile and easy fish are great for community aquariums and suitable for beginners and experienced fish keepers.
Asian Stone Catfish in Their Natural Habitat
Asian stone catfish fish live in the slow-moving waters of rivers and ponds in eastern India and Bangladesh.
Asian stone catfish like well-oxygenated water and spend much time hiding from direct light and the hassle of other, more active aquatic organisms. These fish are timid, peaceful, and nocturnal for the most part.
Asian Stone Catfish: the Basics
| Optimal water temperature | 64 – 75°F (18° – 24°C) |
| Minimum tank size | 5-10 gallons (16.5- 38 L) for a school of 4-5 fish |
| pH | 5.6 – 7.6 |
| General hardness | 8-15 dKH |
| Lifespan | 3-5 years |
| Size | 1-2 inches (2.5-5cm) |
| Diet | omnivore, high protein, mostly meat-based |
Lifespan And Overall Health
Asian stone catfish live up to five years. They are healthy and hardy, in general.
Asian stone catfish can develop fungal and bacterial infections because they dwell at the bottom of aquariums. The best way to prevent the problem is to maintain a clean environment in your fish tank and vacuum the substrate regularly.
How to Maintain a Good Tank Environment for Asian Stone Catfish
Asian stone catfish do not need a warmer unless your home is routinely colder than room temperature. 64 – 75°F (18° – 24°C) is a comfortable range for these fish.
Asian stone catfish are also hardy enough to tolerate a wide range of pH: 5.6 – 7.6. The water should be of medium hardness (8-15 dKH).
Since their natural habitat includes slow-moving waters in ponds and rivers, Asian stone catfish do not like bubbles or a lot of movement in their tank. If your aquarium has a bubbler, consider adding plenty of plants and decorations to diffuse the flow. Thankfully, these fish are bottom-dwellers, so they spend most of their time in the part of the tank where the water is relatively still.
Minimum Tank Size for Asian Stone Catfish
5-10 gallons of water provide sufficient room for a small school (4-6 fish) of Asian stone catfish. Fully grown, these fish reach 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm).
Relatively small and not very active, they do fine in small tanks. More space is better for a more stable aquarium environment and if you have other fish in the tank.
What Do Asian Stone Catfish Need in the Fish Tank?
- A warmer is helpful but Asian stone catfish tolerate cooler water without a warmer.
- A biological filter is essential. Some filters also perform mechanical cleaning, removing debris and large particles, which is helpful. This Cascade filter provides bio, chemical, and mechanical filtration for a small aquarium (up to 10 gallons).
- A bubbler is not essential if there is some movement in the water but a small aeration pump is easy to add and is generally beneficial for your fish.
- Sandy substrate is crucial for Asian stone catfish, fine gravel is also suitable.
- If you are comfortable with maintaining natural plants, those are a great option to provide hiding spots, and oxygenate and purify the water.
- Decorations and artificial plants provide hiding areas and things to explore for your pet fish. Having a good selection of dark hiding places, for example, hollow-tree-type decoration is essential to the well-being of this species since they need to hide and rest during the day.
- A lid is not essential because Asian Stone Catfish are not jumpers. However, you might have other species of fish that do like to jump. In addition, lids prevent evaporation of water and generally provide a more stable, enclosed environment.
What Do Asian Stone Catfish Eat?
Asian stone catfish are omnivores and are easy to please when it comes to food but their diet should be high in protein and mostly meat-based. Their food needs to sink easily since they eat on the bottom of the tank but there are plenty of options for bottom feeders.
The following are great options for Asian stone catfish:
- baby brine shrimp
- daphnia
- bloodworms
- catfish pellets
- algae wafers
- vegetable pellets for bottom-dwellers
Feed your Asian stone catfish at night because they are nocturnal. Give your fish just enough to consume within 2-3 minutes once or twice a day. Their meaty snacks can be either frozen or live.
Community Fish That Can Live With Asian Stone Catfish
Asian stone catfish are very docile. They do not nip fins and tails or attack other fish in community tanks and like to be left alone.
Let these fish be the only bottom-dwelling species in your aquarium, so they can have the quiet space they need. Your catfish will not do well with more active bottom-dwellers. Provide many hiding spots.
Select other fish species that need similar water parameters to keep everyone content.
Some great tankmates for Asian stone catfish include the following:
- Clown killifish
- Japanese ricefish
- Celestial pearl danios
- White cloud mountain minnows
- Dwarf shrimp
- Bloodfin tetra
- Rosy red minnow
- Pygmy sunfish
- Gold barb
All these fish species are easy to maintain and are great for novice fish keepers. Most are also coldwater fish, which makes having a heater not necessary.
Can Asian Stone Catfish Live With Betta Fish?
Bettas and Asian stone catfish can live together.
Although the temperature ideal for Asian stone catfish is too cold for Betta fish, Asian stone catfish can tolerate warmer-than-ideal temperatures.
As long as the fish tank is ample enough, betta and catfish will likely not interact very much because they mostly dwell in different parts of the aquarium, and catfish are generally passive and stay out of betta’s way.
Can Asian Stone Catfish Live Alone?
Asian stone catfish should be kept in groups. A school of 4-6 is fine, more is great as long as there is ample room for them.
It is certainly fine to keep Asian stone catfish as the only species in the aquarium. However, most people keep these fish in a community tank because Asian stone catfish are not playful or spectacular in the daylight.
Wrapping Up
Asian stone catfish is an easy-to-keep species, perfect for a community tank and suitable for experienced and novice fish keepers.
As long as the other fish need similar parameters and are peaceful, your Asian stone catfish will get along with them. What helps is that they and other tank mates stay out of each other’s way since catfish are bottom-dwellers.
It is essential to set up the bottom part of your aquarium appropriately for these fish and to respect their nocturnal lifestyle. They should have plenty of hiding areas and fine gravel or sandy substrate to be comfortable.
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