Aquarist Atlas
Oddballs & Brackish · Odd families · Indostomus

Indostomus paradoxus

Prashad & Mukerji, 1929

Armoured stickleback, Pipe fish

3 cited sourcesName checked against Eschmeyer’s Catalog of Fishes, update of

IUCNLEAST CONCERN · 2010
CARESNOT LISTED
Type localityNorth of the Indawgyi Lake near Nyaungbin, Upper Myanmarper Catalog of Fishes
Scientific size1 in3 cm standard length
Temperature75–82 °F24–28 °C
Depth—not recorded
DietWorms and other slow-moving benthic invertebrates
BreedingNot documented in the sources used by the atlas
Sexual dimorphismNot documentedNot documented in the sources used by the atlas
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

Indostomus paradoxus is a tiny, armoured fish of still waters in Myanmar and mainland Southeast Asia, placed in its own family, Indostomidae. Prashad and Mukerji described it in 1929, and FishBase gives a maximum of 1 in SL.

What's in the name

paradoxus
  • paradoxosGreek — contrary to expectation, strange

Taxonomy & naming

Indostomus paradoxus was described by Prashad and Mukerji in 1929 from north of Indawgyi Lake near Nyaungbin, Upper Myanmar. It is the type of Indostomus and of the family Indostomidae, whose affinities were long debated. FishBase lists the name Pipe fish for it; hobbyists often call it the armoured stickleback.

Morphology

FishBase gives a maximum length of 1 in SL. The body is slender and encased in bony plates, with free spines along the back, and the snout is tubular. FishBase says the strong armour and small size make it relatively inedible.

Habitat

FishBase places it in the stagnant waters of canals, ditches and swamps, from northern Myanmar to Cambodia. It lists tropical water at 24 to 28 C, a pH from 6.5 and a hardness from 6 dH, with no upper limits given.

Feeding

FishBase says it feeds on worms and other slowly moving benthic invertebrates.

Mating

Courtship has not been described in the sources used by the atlas.

Breeding

Reproduction is not described in the sources used by the atlas.

In the aquarium

FishBase calls it sedentary and slow, spending most of its time resting on the bottom. Keep it in a quiet, planted tank with fish that will not outcompete it, and feed small live foods such as baby brine shrimp and daphnia. Fast tankmates will starve it. FishBase gives 24 to 28 C.

Conservation

The IUCN Red List lists Indostomus paradoxus as Least Concern, assessed 24 March 2010.

Common questions

Armoured stickleback (Indostomus paradoxus): how big does it get?
Up to 1 in standard length (SL).
Armoured stickleback (Indostomus paradoxus): what water temperature does it need?
The atlas records 75–82 °F for this species.
Armoured stickleback (Indostomus paradoxus): where does it come from?
It is recorded from Myanmar and Cambodia.

On a list: Nano fish

Related species compared · Indostomus

SpeciesAdult sizeTemperaturepHHardnessIUCN
Armoured sticklebackIndostomus paradoxusthis species1 in SL75–82 °F——LC
Armored sticklebackIndostomus crocodilus1 in SL———VU

Recorded ranges from each species’ own page; hardness is the tolerance its sources give, not a measurement of the water it lives in.

Also from the Irrawaddy River basin

Sources

  1. FishBase — Indostomus paradoxus Prashad & Mukerji, 1929
  2. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes (California Academy of Sciences) — Indostomus paradoxus
  3. IUCN Red List — Indostomus paradoxus

Naming authority: Indostomus paradoxus in Eschmeyer’s Catalog of Fishes ↗

Last reviewed 2026-10-05.

How to cite

Aquarist Atlas (2026). Indostomus paradoxus. Aquarist Atlas.https://www.aquaristatlas.com/oddballs/indostomus-paradoxus/

Add this species card to your site

Paste this into a product listing, club page or blog post. It shows this species’ size, water ranges and conservation status, kept current from the atlas, with a link to this page. Free to use; keep the link intact, as it is the attribution. How the card works.

<div data-atlas="species/indostomus-paradoxus"><a href="https://www.aquaristatlas.com/oddballs/indostomus-paradoxus/">Armoured stickleback (Indostomus paradoxus) on Aquarist Atlas</a></div>
<script src="https://www.aquaristatlas.com/embed/v1/card.js" async referrerpolicy="no-referrer"></script>

Where it has been recorded

23 georeferenced records (GBIF). Each point is a field observation or museum specimen — pan and zoom to explore where this species turns up. The coordinates come straight from GBIF and are often rounded or tied to the nearest town or river landing, so a dot can sit just beside the actual water rather than in it.

← All oddballs & brackish fish