Java

The horseface loach, Acantopsis dialuzona, is a cobitid loach from Sumatra, Borneo, Java and Peninsular Malaysia, and possibly Thailand. Most literature lists it as A. choirorhynchos, which Kottelat treats as a junior synonym, and few if any fish in the trade come from near the type locality, so they may represent an unidentified species. Juveniles are exported in large numbers but adults are uncommon in the hobby, and it needs soft sand to bury in.

The Asian banjo catfish, Acrochordonichthys rugosus, is an akysid catfish from Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Peninsular Malaysia and southern Thailand. The most commonly encountered member of the genus in the trade, it is still by no means common, and body colouration varies widely even among fish from a single locality. Like its congeners it can secrete a milky substance from the axillary pore when stressed, and this can quickly kill other fishes in the confines of an aquarium.

Balitoropsis zollingeri is a balitorid loach described from Java and recorded from Sumatra, Borneo, Peninsular Malaysia, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. An obligate dweller of swiftly flowing streams and headwaters, it lives on riffles and runs over gravel, rocks and bedrock carpeted with biofilm. It needs clean, well-oxygenated water with strong turnover in the aquarium. It lives in aggregations in nature and is less bold when kept singly or in small numbers, so a group of six or more is best.

The spotted barb, Barbodes binotatus, is a cyprinid ranging from Myanmar and Thailand through the Greater Sunda Islands to the Philippines. So ubiquitous across its range that it's often called simply 'common barb', it occurs from sea level to at least 2000 m in habitats from fast-flowing hill streams to irrigation canals and floodplain ponds. The basic pattern of a dark spot at the dorsal-fin origin and another on the caudal peduncle varies with origin.

The Java combtail, Belontia hasselti, is a labyrinth fish from peninsular Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, Borneo and Java. Also known as the 'Malay combtail', it mostly inhabits acidic forest peat swamps with little water movement. It differs from its only congener, B. signata, in its brownish grey body and the mosaic pattern in its unpaired fins. Growing to 200 mm SL, it will eat very small fishes and is not recommended for the average community aquarium.

The spotted betta, Betta picta, is a small paternal mouthbrooding labyrinth fish known only from Java, Indonesia. It lends its name to the B. picta complex and has iridescent yellow-gold opercle scales. It is usually found in quiet margins and still pools of clear, flowing hill streams, but has also been collected from roadside ditches and water tanks.

The dwarf snakehead, Channa gachua, is a snakehead recorded across an enormous range from Iran to Taiwan and Bali. There is significant evidence that C. gachua as currently understood is a complex of similar-looking species in need of taxonomic review. A mouthbrooder bred regularly in captivity, it can share a well-chosen community with peaceful fishes too large to be prey, but populations should not be mixed as some may hybridise.

The forest snakehead, Channa lucius, is a predatory snakehead from Indochina, Peninsular Malaysia and the Greater Sunda Islands. Also referred to as the 'splendid' or 'shiny' snakehead, it occurs on Sumatra, Borneo and Java, grows to 400 mm SL and favours forest swamps and tributaries. Like others in the genus it breathes atmospheric air, and it needs a dimly-lit tank with plenty of cover and a tightly-fitting lid, since Channa spp. are notorious for their ability to escape.

The beardless barb, Cyclocheilichthys apogon, is a cyprinid ranging from Myanmar to Vietnam and south via Peninsular Malaysia to Borneo and Sumatra. Also sold as 'skinhead barb', it lacks barbels and has a black blotch at the caudal-fin base plus rows of dark spots along the scale rows. It favours slower-moving or still water and grazes the biofilm on submerged roots and branches. Rarely imported in numbers, it most often arrives as bycatch.

Cyclocheilichthys armatus is a cyprinid ranging from the Mekong region through Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia to Borneo, Sumatra and Java. It forages from mid-water to the bottom of rivers in the dry season and is thought to migrate into flooded forest to breed. Rarely imported in numbers and most often arriving as bycatch, it makes a peaceful, unusual addition to larger aquaria in a group of at least six.

The kissing gourami, Helostoma temminkii, is an anabantoid from southern Indochina and the Malay Archipelago, and the sole member of its family. The widely traded pinkish-white form is a leucistic variant bred for ornamental purposes, and the 'balloon' variety is intentionally disfigured and much shorter-lived. Its often belligerent behaviour, adult size and life span of over 20 years make it unsuitable for most home aquaria. The 'kissing' appears at least in part related to establishing social dominance.

Kryptopterus bicirrhis is a silurid catfish from much of Southeast Asia, including the Mekong and Chao Phraya and the Greater Sunda Islands. Uncommon in the aquarium trade, its name was widely misapplied to K. vitreolus in older literature, but the two are easily told apart because K. bicirrhis does not have a transparent body in life. It tends to form schools, so four or more should be kept.

The blue sheatfish, Kryptopterus cryptopterus, is a silurid catfish from the Malay Peninsula, Singapore, Sumatra, Borneo and Java. It inhabits flowing rivers and larger streams with turbid water, and is sometimes traded as 'smokey glass catfish'. Populations from Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam once considered conspecific are now referred to K. geminus, its closest relative, from which it differs in having a wider head and a shorter snout and anal fin.

Kryptopterus limpok is a silurid catfish widely distributed through Southeast Asia, including the Mekong and the Greater Sunda Islands. It can be told from its congeners by an extremely long mental barbel extending beyond the tip of the pectoral fin. It inhabits flowing rivers and larger streams with turbid water, grows to 260 mm and is almost unheard of in the ornamental trade.

The striped glass catfish, Kryptopterus macrocephalus, is a silurid catfish from Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and the Greater Sunda Islands. A stenotypic inhabitant of peat swamp forests and associated blackwater streams, it is also known as the false, mottled or tawny glass catfish. Striped and mottled colour forms exist that may or may not be conspecific, and the similar K. piperatus has a pale brown body with scattered dark spots.

Labiobarbus leptocheilus is a large cyprinid widespread in Southeast Asia, from the Mekong and Salween to the Greater Sunda Islands. Different populations vary somewhat in appearance, and it may turn out to represent a group of closely-related species. The Cambodian Mekong population has been considered a distinct species, Labiobarbus lineatus, and that name is widely used in the ornamental trade although it is currently a synonym. It grows to 260 mm SL and needs spotless, well-oxygenated water.

Lepidocephalichthys hasselti is a cobitid loach described from Java and recorded from Myanmar to Vietnam, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo. Its wide distribution makes it relatively common in the aquarium hobby. Colour and pattern vary with locality and have led to problems with identification, and the flanks usually show a row of dark blotches or a solid stripe with a light, unpigmented stripe above.

Lepidocephalus macrochir is a cobitid loach described from Sumatra and since recorded from Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Java and Borneo. It is traded sporadically as the 'pinky loach', 'deep water kuhli loach' and 'Borneo high body cave loach'. Although sometimes said to be a cave loach, Thai collectors report it from deep water, and in aquaria it spends a lot of time buried in soft substrates.

The apollo shark, Luciosoma setigerum, is a slender cyprinid found across much of Southeast Asia, from the Mekong basin to Borneo, Sumatra and Java. Subadults are traded regularly and are frequently confused with L. bleekeri, which lacks the series of black spots on the lateral line scales. A similar fish of unknown origin with no stripe on the front of the body is also common in the trade, listed as L. cf. setigerum. It needs the largest private aquaria.

Mystacoleucus obtusirostris is a riverine cyprinid found from Myanmar and southwestern China to Vietnam, Borneo, Sumatra and Java. Referred to as M. marginatus for decades, it is the most widely distributed member of the genus, and populations vary somewhat in colour pattern. It is occasionally marketed as 'Burmese rainbow barb'. A group of six or more is the smallest to consider, and like all Mystacoleucus it has a forward-pointing predorsal spine that can snag in a net.

The Javanese ricefish, Oryzias javanicus, ranges through Peninsular Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia as far east as Lombok and Sulawesi. Typically found in coastal, normally brackish, streams, pools and mangrove swamps, it tolerates a wide salinity range and has also been recorded in fresh water. It is exported on occasion and sometimes referred to as the 'blue-eyed ricefish'.

Pangio cuneovirgata is a small kuhli loach from southern Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and western Java, found in forest streams and swamps. It has 7-13 dark saddles on the upper half of the body and looks most like P. malayana, but has nasal barbels and a truncate caudal-fin. It is infrequently encountered in the trade, most often as bycatch among shipments of similar-looking congeners.

The black kuhli loach, Pangio oblonga, is a plain-bodied cobitid from Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Peninsular Malaysia and Thailand. Among the more readily available Pangio in the hobby, it is also traded as 'Java loach', 'cinnamon loach' and 'chocolate kuhli loach'. The species will probably turn out to be a complex of closely-related taxa, with at least four genetic lineages identified.

The silver rasbora, Rasbora argyrotaenia, is a cyprinid from Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, Java, Borneo and the Palawan islands. One of the larger rasboras at up to 140 mm TL, it is a plain, silvery fish with a faint dark stripe, and fish pictured under this name with a bold black stripe are probably a regional variant of R. daniconius. A DNA barcode study found two mitochondrial lineages under the name, and the species as currently recognised is likely to be split.

Systomus orphoides is a large cyprinid ranging from Myanmar to Vietnam and south through Peninsular Malaysia to Borneo, Sumatra and Java. It mostly inhabits flowing tributaries and large streams, moving onto inundated farmland and forest in the wet season to feed and spawn. Not often available in the trade and usually seen as bycatch, it grows to 250 mm SL, is quite boisterous, and needs more-or-less spotless water.

The goonch, Bagarius yarrelli, is a very large sisorid catfish recorded from the Indus in Pakistan east through Indochina to Sumatra and Borneo. Also known as the 'giant devil catfish' and 'sand shark', it reaches 1300 to 2000 mm and is fished for food across much of its range. That wide distribution appears doubtful, and Indian and Southeast Asian populations may prove not to be conspecific. It lives among boulders in the fast, turbulent rapids of large rivers.

The giant snakehead, Channa micropeltes, is a predatory fish from Southeast Asia that grows to well over a metre. Juveniles are sold as 'red' or 'redline' snakehead, but it is suitable only for public installations or the very largest private aquaria. Unlike most Channa species it is pelagic and needs plenty of room to swim, and adults become aggressive at sexual maturity.

The giant featherback, Chitala lopis, is a notopterid accepted to range from the Mekong basin to Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo and Java. That range appears to require confirmation: it may already be extinct on Java, and the species may comprise several closely-related taxa. Older juveniles and adults lack the dark body markings of other Chitala and have a more pronounced jaw, and at up to 1500 mm SL it is suitable only for public installations or the very largest private aquaria.

Crossocheilus cobitis is a cyprinid ranging from the Mekong drainage in Laos, Vietnam and Thailand south to Sumatra, Borneo and Java. Primarily a lowland species, it lives in the turbid lower reaches of rivers over mud, close to submerged logs and similar objects. Given its wide range it has probably reached the trade as the invalid 'Crossocheilus siamensis', and it is likely to represent a group of similar-looking, closely related species.

Cyclocheilos enoplos is a large cyprinid from the Mekong region and Thailand south through Peninsular Malaysia to Borneo, Sumatra and Java. Growing to around 750 mm SL, it is clearly unsuitable for aquaria and scarce to non-existent in the ornamental trade. In the Mekong it makes long seasonal migrations, and adults move upstream above Khone Falls in what appear to be spawning migrations.

The hampala barb, Hampala macrolepidota, is a cyprinid ranging from Myanmar through Thailand to the Mekong, and south to Borneo, Sumatra and Java. Also known as 'jungle perch' or 'sidebar barb', it can grow to over 2 feet and 5 kg and is a powerful, pelagic predator and not an aquarium subject in all but the most extreme circumstances. Prized as a food and sport fish, it has been introduced to numerous water bodies.

The crystal-eyed catfish, Hemibagrus wyckii, is a bagrid with an enormous distribution across central Indochina and western Indonesia. Juveniles are sometimes available in the aquarium trade, but buying them is strongly discouraged: it reaches 710 mm SL, is aggressively territorial and can live for several decades. Despite the common name, the blue eye is not given as a distinguishing character in any diagnosis we've seen.

The black shark, Labeo chrysophekadion, is a large cyprinid from Southeast Asia, including the Mekong, Chao Phraya and the Greater Sunda Islands. Also known as the black sharkminnow, it reaches 600 mm and is aggressively territorial towards conspecifics and similarly-shaped fishes. It continues to be sold despite its patent unsuitability for the home aquarium, and an albino form has been selectively bred for the trade.

The mad barb, Leptobarbus hoevenii, is a large pelagic cyprinid apparently native to Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo, Sumatra and Java. A popular sport fish growing to 800 to 1000 mm, it is wholly unsuitable for private aquaria but is readily available at 100 to 150 mm. The congener L. rubripinna was referred to as L. hoevenii for decades and both are traded under the same name. L. hoevenii lacks the broad dark midlateral stripe and has dark grey pelvic and anal fins.

The giant sword minnow, Macrochirichthys macrochirus, is a large pelagic cyprinid widespread in Southeast Asia, from the Mekong to Borneo and Sumatra. Growing to 600 to 800 mm and becoming increasingly piscivorous as it grows, it is unsuitable for the majority of private aquaria, although juveniles are traded on occasion. It is thought to have been extirpated from the Chao Phraya, Mae Klong, Lake Songkhla and Java, and the Mekong populations have been drastically reduced.

The bronze featherback, Notopterus notopterus, is an air-breathing notopterid from the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Also called 'Asian knifefish' or 'ghost knifefish' in the trade, it grows to 600 mm and arguably has no place in the ornamental hobby given its adult size and specialised requirements. The single species in Notopterus is likely to represent a complex of closely-related species.

Phalacronotus apogon is a large silurid catfish from much of Southeast Asia, including Thailand, the Mekong basin and the Greater Sunda Islands. It reaches 700 mm and arguably should not be considered a home aquarium subject at all, but juveniles are sometimes sold as 'blue neon sheatfish' or 'metallic cheatfish' without adequate information on long-term care. It is an important food fish across much of its native range.

Brachygobius xanthozonus is a bumblebee goby described from Surabaya in eastern Java, Indonesia, and may be endemic to that island. Its name has been widely misapplied in aquarium literature for decades, and fish labelled as such are invariably B. doriae or B. sabanus. With about 50 lateral scales, where congeners have fewer than 30, it is comparatively elongate, and it has four dark bars on the body and an entirely black anal-fin.

Hemibagrus planiceps is a bagrid catfish endemic to western Java, known only from seven river systems including the Citarum and Ciliwung. It occurs in the upper parts of river basins, in clear, fast-flowing water over rock or sand. It has been confused in the past with H. gracilis, H. velox and H. bongan, and the population once thought to inhabit northwestern Peninsular Malaysia has been described as H. divaricatus.