P. debauwi comes from farther south, grows a little bigger (12.5 cm or so compared to 11 ish), has different markings, and would never meet buffei in nature. I think most of the 'debauwi' I have seen were actually buffei, because the latter is a Nigerian fish and fish are exported from there. So the online info will be a bit confusing because of the misidentification in the trade.
Both need to be in groups, the standard six or more, and seemed to shoal when I watched them in stores. They were common (in stores maybe twice a year) until I decided to get some, and I haven't seen them in a store since then. The Nigerian fish exporting business collapsed 25 years ago because of, well, issues. I see importers beginning to take a chance with a new generation of exporters, and I hope the problems have been resolved. They are cool fish.
They tolerate lots of different water, have insect eating ways and like life in the water column, and not in the usual catfish zone. They often swim with the tetras, behaving a bit like giant pygmy Corys from what I've seen.
