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FACTSHEETS: April 2026 - no. 358
Parailia congica Boulenger, 1899 |
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A similar species that is more readily exported is Parailia pellucida. You can tell the difference between the two as this species has an adipose fin, which P. congica does not possess. They are schooling species, confined to larger rivers, and most active during the night.
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he
Schilbids are a small family of catfish found in Africa
and Asia, and are not regularly exported to the hobby;
however, the smaller species make great aquarium inhabitants.
Our factsheet subject this month is the "African
Glass Catfish" Parailia congica, a catfish
that is not all that common in the hobby but will
do well if kept in a shoal of six individuals or more.
Common Name |
African glass catfish |
Synonyms |
Parailia congiga, P. longifilis. |
Family |
Schilbeidae |
Subfamily |
- |
Habitat |
Endemic from the Congo basin, where it has been collected in the Lower Basin, Pool Malebo, the Kasai Subsystem, the middle Congo and the Uele Ubangui System, as well as in the Lualaba (including the Upemba System). |
Distribution |
Africa: Congo Basin. Type locality: Ebinga (rivière du lac Léopold II). |
Size |
9.0cm. (3½ins) |
Temp. |
23-26°C (73-79°F) |
p.H. |
6.5-7.2. |
Characteristics |
4 pairs of barbels. An adipose fin is always absent; inner side of the pectoral spine without serrations. |
Colouration |
Base colour pale (light yellow brownish), with small dark points on sides (unless along the lateral line), head and back; chin and belly unspeckled; all fins finely speckled; a longitudinal indistinct grey tail stripe is often observed just above the level of the stripe and often observed just above the level of the caudal fork. |
Aquarium Care & Compatibility |
| It is better to keep them in groups of at least six, as they do not perform well as solitary animals. A delicate catfish for the aquarium, so it would need good filtration and regular water changes adhered to. This is a mid-water swimmer in the aquarium. |
Reproduction |
Oviparous, eggs are unguarded. |
Sexual differences |
Not recorded. |
Diet |
| In its natural habitat it feeds mainly on aquatic and small terrestrial insects. In the aquarium, daphnia and frozen mosquito larvae. In its natural habitat the stomachs contained remains of insect larvae and a few small worms (de Vos 1995). |
Glossary of Terms |
Adipose
fin: Fleshy finlike projection
without rays, behind the rayed dorsal fin. |
Etymology |
| Parailia:
The generic name of para-,
near, referring to similarity to Ailia (now
in Ailiidae), from which it differs in the absence
of vomerine teeth and adipose fin (Parailia
spiniserrata). |