ANCISTRUSS
catfish sucker, stuck, cleaner

Ancistrus are the most popular catfish in the aquarium world! Everyone knows them and maintains them, both beginners and pros. Ancistrus have earned such attention due to their qualities: they are classified as “aquarium orderlies”, they are unpretentious in maintenance, extraordinary in behavior and, of course, the structure of their sucker mouth noticeably distinguishes them from many other catfish-like fish.

At the same time, these fish can hardly be called handsome! A strange mouth, some warty growths on the face, dark coloring, and, as a rule, they often hide in snags and grottoes... they love twilight! What is it that attracts aquarists all over the world to these fish? I think the answer will be given by a full story about them! So, the Latin name: Ancistrus dolichopterus (Ancistrus common);

Russian name: Ancistrus, sticky catfish, sucker catfish, cleaner catfish, ancitrus catfish;
Order, suborder, family: Cypriniformes, Siluroidei, Loricariidae. Taking into account the fact that many people are confused about the classification of fish, and you can often find unreliable information on the Internet, it should be said that Loricariaceae and Chainweeds- it's the same thing. The family of Chain catfish in Latin will be Loricariidae - these are ancistrus, pterygoplichts, loricaria, sturisomes, farlovellas, hypoptomas, otocinclus and others. It is often written that Ancistrus are armored catfish, but this is not true. Armored catfish Callichthyidae are Corydoras, Dianemas, Brochis, Thorakatums, etc.
Comfortable temperature water: 20-28°C (for manufacturers 20-26°C);
"Acidity" Ph: 6-7.5 (for manufacturers up to 10°, KN up to 2°);
Hardness dH: up to 20° (for manufacturers 6-7.3);
Aggressiveness: relatively non-aggressive (20%);
Difficulty of keeping ancistrus: light;

Ancistrus compatibility: these catfish can be kept with virtually all types of aquarium fish; in fact, they are peaceful inhabitants of the aquarium bottom. However, it is impossible to say that Ancistrus is an absolutely harmless fish! Yes, everywhere - in Runet articles they write that these catfish behave like “God’s dandelions”, but in aqua. On forums you can often find information that ancistrus chase fish, pester them and even damage their skin... And it’s true! Therefore, it is not advisable to keep them with slow and clumsy fish, for example, with the Goldfish family. Also, from personal experience I can say that you should not keep them with scaleless fish, for example, with sacbranch catfish; ancistrus can inflict serious wounds on such fish with their “passionate kisses.”

Not compatible with: large, aggressive and territorial cichlids, especially during the spawning season. For more information about fish compatibility, see
How long do they live: with proper maintenance they can live more than 7 years. You can find out how long other fish live

Minimum aquarium volume for ancistrus: A normal aquarium for a pair of ancistrus is considered to be 80 liters, but many keep them at 50, 30, and even 20 liters. aquariums. This is not correct, unfortunately, in such conditions the fish will not live long, it will “drag away” and die. See how many fish you can keep in X aquarium (at the bottom of the article there are links to aquariums of all sizes).

Ancistrus unpretentious fish. Elementary compliance with the recommended water parameters is the key to success in their maintenance and even breeding. These sucker catfish do not need personal and excessive attention; the only desirable element in the aquarium should be shelter: grottoes, caves and especially snags or stumps. Aeration, filtration, weekly replacement of water with fresh water are mandatory. In addition, in the aquarium it is advisable to set up a correctly and sufficiently active water flow, which will simulate natural environment catfish habitats.

Feeding and diet: Ancistrians, however, like other representatives of loricariids, are classified as phytophages, that is, fish that feed on plant foods. It is this feature of the sucker catfish that makes it an indispensable assistant for the aquarist in the fight against algae fouling of the aquarium walls and decor. Due to their unique mouth structure, ancistrus clean/scrape off any small plant formations.

Thus, we can say that ancistrus are unpretentious in nutrition and can obtain food on their own. However, this does not mean that the aquarist should not feed them. The diet of ancistrus should be 70-80% plant foods and 20-30% protein foods. To fully feed cleaner catfish, you can buy special branded food for loricariid catfish, as a rule, these are green tablets that fall to the bottom. Also, many feed their suckers weekly with scalded pieces fresh cucumber, lettuce, spinach, green peas, pumpkin and cabbage leaves. Some aquarists lavishly decorate the aquarium with snags and stumps especially for Ancistrus; Ancistrus happily “gnaw” the snags and constantly hang on them. And in stumps, under good conditions, they can even reproduce spontaneously and independently.

Photo of feeding ancistrus

Feeding any aquarium fish should be correct: balanced, varied. This fundamental rule is the key to the successful keeping of any fish, be it guppies or astronotuses. The article talks about this in detail, it outlines the basic principles of the diet and feeding regime for fish.

In this article, we note the most important thing - feeding fish should not be monotonous; the diet should include both dry food and live food. In addition, you need to take into account the gastronomic preferences of a particular fish and, depending on this, include in its diet food either with the highest protein content or, conversely, with plant ingredients.

Popular and popular food for fish, of course, is dry food. For example, you can find food from Tetra, the leader of the Russian market, on aquarium shelves all the time and everywhere; in fact, the range of food from this company is amazing. Tetra’s “gastronomic arsenal” includes individual food for a specific type of fish: goldfish, cichlids, loricariids, guppies, labyrinths, arowanas, discus, etc. Tetra has also developed specialized foods, for example, to enhance color, fortified, or for feeding fry. You can find out detailed information about all Tetra feeds on the company’s official website -

It should be noted that when purchasing any dry food, you should pay attention to the date of its manufacture and shelf life, try not to buy food in bulk, and also store the food in a closed state - this will help to avoid the development of pathogenic flora in it.

In nature they live: The habitat of Ancistrus is the central and northern parts South America. Their biotope is fast-flowing rivers and streams, lakes tropical forests, swamps and ditches, some species live in mountain streams.
Description of Ancistrus: The body of the catfish is elongated, the head and the front part of the body are flattened. From the dorsal fin, the body is covered with bony plates, except for the abdomen.
Ancistrus mouth- These are suckers with horn-shaped scrapers, with the help of which they scrape food from the surface.
Dorsal large, flag-shaped, often pressed against the body by the fish. The pectoral, ventral and dorsal fins are wide.

Breeding and propagation of acistrus

in the photo are ancsitrus, a male and a female and their clutch in a coconut shell

Doesn't present any difficulty. Often it is, when optimal conditions, can occur independently in community aquarium.
For targeted breeding of the pair, the spawners are placed in a shallow spawning aquarium - 40 liters, or if the spawning tank is large, 100-150 liters. You can plant one male and two females. The incentive for spawning is frequent water changes, abundant feeding, an increase in the amount of protein and live food, and an increase in water temperature.
It's easy to distinguish a male from a female! Males have branched, developed leathery processes on the head and along the edges - tentacles, popularly called “antennae”. In females, the antennae are located only at the edges of the head, poorly developed or absent altogether.

The breeders must be the same size or the female must be larger than the male. There have been cases of males killing smaller females!!!

The aquarium is equipped with pipes or long stumps, only in them the female will lay eggs!!! However, there have been cases when eggs are deposited in pots or simply on driftwood. However, plastic pipes are considered the best spawning substrate.
The spawning aquarium is filtered and aerated.
After the female lays a clutch of 30-100 eggs in the tube, the male takes all care of the offspring. He drives out the female and, during the entire incubation period of maturation of the eggs, fans her with his fins, creating a flow of water and access of oxygen to the clutch, in addition, the male removes the dead eggs. You should not disturb the male during this period, otherwise he may eat the eggs in a “panic.”

photo of ancistrus egg laying

After about five days, small larvae are born, which the caring male guards for a couple of days.

The hatched larvae hang and actually do not move. During this period they feed on their own - with reserves of the yolk bladder, upon depletion of which the larvae turn into fry and from this period they need to be fed. Aquarists feed the fry differently, some give spirulina, some crush branded loricaria tablets, some immediately start giving crushed cucumbers!!! The main thing in this matter is the small fraction of food (dust) and the juveniles’ access to it. See also
Interesting things about Ancistrus:
- it is completely unknown why male suckers need “mustaches” on their faces. Ichthyologists have suggested that the mustache is an imitation of larvae and juveniles. Thus, the male shows the female that “look, what a good dad I am.” It has been noticed that females prefer males with large mustaches)))
- when introducing ancistrus into a good herbalist, you must always remember that if there is a lack of plant food, the catfish can begin to feed on plant leaves and damage them. For a professional herbalist, it is better to use otocinclus and Siamese algae eaters.
- there are an insane number of Ancistrus species, their classification is quite confusing and complicated by the presence of bred selection forms. The most popular types of ancistrus are: golden, veiled (veiled leopard and other subspecies), red, dark, brown, pink, star-shaped, albino. But, what are they worth, their number is simply amazing.

There are a lot of varieties of Ancistrus! Below is a description of the most popular variety of this loricarian catfish.

ANCISTRUS VEIL

Ancistrus catfish is one of the most common fish in tropical aquariums. You can spend hours watching how this extraordinary sucker fish moves along the walls of the aquarium in leaps and bounds, not missing stones, equipment, snags and plants on its way. The mouth of ancistrus is equipped with horn-shaped scrapers that allow it to clean off plant formations on the previously mentioned objects. There are many varieties of this fish, differing in both shape and color.
In this article we will talk about Ancistrus vulgaris. This unrivaled species of acistrus got its name because of the specific shape of its elongated fins and tail, which when opened resemble a transparent veil.

Latin name: Ancistrus dolichopterus;

Squad, family: loricariids (Loricariidae), chain catfish;
Comfortable water temperature: 22-27° C;
"Acidity" Ph: about 7;
Hardness dGH: up to 20°.
Aggressiveness: 10% are not aggressive.
Content complexity: light.
Compatibility of Veiled Acistrus: gets along with a large number of tropical fish.
Minimum aquarium volume for Veiled Ancistrus: is 50 liters.
Requirements for care and maintenance conditions: Aeration and weekly water changes are necessary.
Feeding and diet of veil acitrus: The main food of catfish is plant-based, but they will not disdain both dry food and ice cream. The diet can be varied with lettuce and cabbage (should be pre-cooked).
In nature they live: Manuas, Brazil. A more precise habitat is the mountain rivers of South America, the Andes, Peru and the upper reaches of the Orinoco River in Venezuela. From these wonderful places, catfish were brought first to Europe, and then to Russia and the CIS countries.

Description of veil acistrus

Catfish of this variety of Ancistrus are one of the smallest representatives of catfish in general; as a result, their size often does not exceed ten centimeters. Distinctive Features males from females in veiled Ancistrus vulgaris are similar to the features of Ancistrus vulgaris, namely: the male is thinner and slimmer, and the females are thicker, especially during the spawning period, the rounded shape is clearly visible. Numerous leathery processes can be observed on the head of males, but females usually do not have them or they are present, but only at the edges of the head in small quantities. The maintenance, reproduction and breeding of this type of Ancistrus coincides with Ancistrus vulgaris.

All of the above is just the fruit of observing this type of aquarium fish and collecting various information from owners and breeders. We would like to share with visitors not only information, but also with live emotions, allowing you to penetrate the world of aquariums more fully and subtly. Register on, participate in discussions on the forum, create profile topics where you will talk about your pets in the first person and first-hand, describe their habits, behavior and content, share with us your successes and joys, share and learn from experience others. We are interested in every bit of your experience, every second of your joy, every awareness of a mistake, which makes it possible for your comrades to avoid the same mistake. The more of us there are, the more pure and transparent drops of goodness there are in the life and everyday life of our seven billion society.

Aquarium catfish

Golden or bronze Corydoras (Corydoras aeneus) is one of the most famous and popular aquarium fish; this type of Corydoras can always be found on sale. Also, with the help of selection, additional strains of this species were bred: albinos and a variety with long fins. For some time, “short-bodied” golden corydoras and artificially colored specimens appeared on sale. Golden corydoras are very hardy,

Albino Corydoras (Corydoras paleatus) is a pseudoalbino cultivar that was developed commercially from dark speckled Corydoras paleatus. Currently, the Albino Corydoras is a very popular and common aquarium fish with a pinkish-white color and bright red eyes. Externally, this variety is very similar to the albino aeneus obtained from the bronze or golden corydoras catfish (Corydoras aeneus),

Corydoras julii is a beautiful aquarium fish with an interesting pattern, a small bottom-dwelling catfish. The body of this species is creamy white, covered with small black spots with bold central horizontal stripes. For such an interesting coloring, the fish is also called leopard catfish or leopard corydoras. This is a very active small (up to 5 cm in length) corydoras, peaceful, loves to be in company

Hypancistrus zebra is an amazingly beautiful aquarium fish, the chain-mail catfish, quite rare and expensive. In the numbering of chain-mailed (loricariid) catfish, it is listed under the numbers L46 or L98, also known as zebra pleco, imperial pleco catfish.

Bunocephalus coracoideus is an aquarium fish for those who want to keep an unusual pet. Catfish banjo is very strange in appearance, but is becoming increasingly popular among hobbyists. Bunocephalus translated from Latin means “lumpy head.” And the whole appearance of the catfish, a wide head and a narrow body, resembles a guitar or banjo, for which the catfish received

Green Corydoras or emerald brochis (Corydoras splendens, formerly Brochis splendens) is a relatively small aquarium bottom-dwelling catfish. Previously, emerald brochis was assigned to the genus Brochis, but later, in 2003, it was included in the Corydoras. Currently, it is still often found under the name "brochis". Like other corydoras, Brochis emerald has a modified, highly vascularized intestine, which

All types aquarium catfish, of which there are a huge number in nature, are surprisingly similar in appearance. More than 1,200 thousand different waterfowl variations of this species live in aquariums alone. Otherwise, these fish are called cleaners, because they eat the remains of half-eaten, rotting food lying on the bottom. And many amateurs purchase such “orderlies” precisely because of their accuracy. You can buy such interesting specimens at any pet store.

When buying a catfish, you should keep in mind that you will not constantly admire its cute face. Many of them lead night look life and during the day they hide behind snags and in other shelters. The only exception is. Also, catfish generally have a protective coloring and completely blend in with the surrounding soil.

Many fish in this group grow to very large sizes and are predators. Therefore, aquarists sometimes miss the small inhabitants of the aquarium: or.

Catfish are egg-laying fish and reproduce quite easily.

Ancistrus

Stellate Ancistrus
photo can be enlarged

They are one of the most common types of chain mail. People call them stickers. Catfish can live in any aquarium, as long as it is clean fresh water, and there were well-groomed plants growing. For their safety, fish look for secluded places, for example, various driftwood, ceramic pipes. They are especially active in the evenings or when the water temperature drops significantly.

The aquarium should be filled with settled and acidified water at a temperature of 20-25°C. For good growth and reproduction of algae, bright lighting is provided to the reservoir. For catfish, such light is an irritant, so they hide in recesses of the sandy bottom, in snags and decorative decorations.

Nature has endowed ancistrus with strong fins, but deprived it of a swim bladder. For this reason, aquarium sticky catfish cannot stay in the water column for a long time, like other fish. They move spasmodically, right along the glass of a home pond. With good care, shellfish live 6-7 years.

Ancistrus catfish look like small flattened torpedoes with chain mail war paint, onto which geometrically shaped bone plates are glued on top. The aquarium fins are decorated with 7 luxurious fins: two pectoral, a pair of abdominal, a large dorsal, anal and adipose. On the elongated lips of the round mouth there are large horn-like suckers, with the help of which the fish stick to snags and feed on green algae. Small eyes gleam on their impressively sized heads.

Speckled catfish

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Or the common catfish is one of the oldest inhabitants of freshwater aquariums, into which it came at the end of the nineteenth century. The natural habitat for the speckled catfish is the shallow standing waters of South America.

These are relatively small fish, females (about 8 cm) are slightly larger than males (4-6 cm), their body is short, dense and stocky. The shape of the body is completely adapted for the bottom lifestyle - the back is strongly arched, but the abdomen, on the contrary, is almost flat (see photo of a speckled catfish). The entire body of the catfish is covered with bony plates and resembles a shell. The dorsal fin is high and straight, slightly rounded in females. The body color is brownish-gray with yellow on top, with a slight metallic sheen, and the catfish’s abdomen is yellow-pink.

An albino form of the speckled catfish has been bred - it is pale pink in color with red eyes, like all albinos. Easily crosses with the regular form. The lifespan of speckled catfish is approximately six to eight years.

The optimal conditions for keeping speckled catfish are as follows: temperature - 20-25 ° C, pH - 6.0-7.5, water hardness up to 20 °. Catfish do not like water temperatures that are too high. You need to install a good filter in the aquarium, and change about 30% of the water to fresh water every week. Catfish love to live in a flock, so it is better to have several pairs at once, this will make them much more comfortable. It’s better to choose something small and not sharp, because this fish loves to dig for it. In addition, the soil layer must be of decent thickness.

Speckled catfish also like to lie in the shade of plants, so don't forget about that. , or are perfect for these creatures. It’s also a good idea to decorate your aquarium with driftwood and stones - this will improve the design of your small aquatic world and the inhabitants will be more comfortable. It should also be added that the speckled catfish is a rather clumsy fish and therefore there should be no places in the aquarium where the fish can get stuck.

Breeding speckled catfish is also not very difficult and is accessible even to novice aquarists. Perhaps beginners should even try their hand at these fish, because there is nothing difficult about it. An aquarium of ten liters or more is suitable for spawning. Spawning of speckled catfish begins when several conditions are met, namely: a decrease in water temperature, increased aeration and regular water changes. The soil in the spawning area is not necessary; it is enough to press down any plant with a medium-sized stone. Usually one female and two or three males are released for spawning. Producers are placed in the aquarium in the evening, spawning itself occurs in the morning. It is advisable to place the aquarium so that the rays of the sun fall on it, then reproduction will occur with the sunrise.

The fry are quite large, feeding them is not difficult, and they are as unpretentious as adults. Any food for fry or finely ground food for adult fish will do. With normal nutrition and housing conditions, by a month the fry reach a centimeter length.

Striped platidoras

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Striped platidoras- a species of catfish of the armored family. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. Lives in the Amazon, Tocantins, Parnaiba, Orinoco and Essequibo river basins in French Guiana and Suriname.

In nature, the size of these catfish can reach 24 cm, and their age, according to some sources, is up to 20 years. In an aquarium it grows up to 15-18 cm and reaches an age of 12-15 years.

The abdomen is rounded. Males are generally smaller but slimmer than females. The pectoral fins of the fish are very developed. The front ray of the catfish is covered with small spines and ends with a sharp hook. There are three pairs of antennae. Two pairs are located on the lower jaw: two central ones 2-3 cm long and two outer ones 4-5 cm long. On the upper jaw there is one pair of antennae up to 7-8 cm long. The body is covered with longitudinal yellow and brown lines. Young individuals tend to be brighter in color than older ones.

The first year of life of catfish can be observed throughout the day. There are cases when the platidor floats to the surface, turns over with its belly up and thus collects food from the water surface. But with age, fish begin to lead a more secretive nocturnal lifestyle, becoming more active only late in the evening. If there is a lack of food, they eat smaller fish.

It is better to catch catfish using a jar or vessel, as they can very easily become entangled in the net due to the rather sharp rays of the fins. When fishing, you should be careful, as the sting from their spines is painful.

They are omnivores, so they are not picky about food. In nature, they feed on mollusks, crustaceans, and various aquatic insects. For aquarium catfish, food should contain a lot of protein. About 20-30% of the diet should be plant foods. Earthworms are suitable as food. Since these fish feed from the bottom, you should give them sinking granules or tablets.

Sexual maturity and the ability to reproduce occurs at the age of one year. The spawning tank must have a volume of 100 liters or more. Aeration, filtration and creation of water flow are required. Water for dilution: GH up to 6°; pH 6.5-7.0; t 27-29 °C. Carbonate hardness is minimal. As a rule, the spawning process is activated by the injection of gonadotropic hormones. Catfish can build a small nest (3 to 10 cm in diameter) from pieces of plants. After this, they lay eggs and attach them to the substrate. You can use synthetic threads and small-leaved aquatic plants.

The female lays up to 300 eggs. After spawning, the catfish are removed. The eggs develop within 2.5-3 days. Juveniles begin to swim at 5-6 days. Fry should be fed with live dust and microworms.

Tarakatum

photo can be enlarged

Catfish Tarakatum is an excellent choice for those who prefer to keep an aquarium with large unusual fish at home. Despite their size, these pets are very unpretentious, have a reputation as kind and peaceful neighbors, and watching catfish swarm in the aquarium is a pleasure.

At home, the Tarakatum catfish grows to a decent size - 14-16 centimeters, and combined with restlessness, this produces a very funny impression. Many breeders kindly compare these cute catfish with cockroaches, because similar name. Their resemblance to insects is also given by their long, spectacular antennae, restless nature and ability to survive in any “aquarium” conditions.

The aquarium catfish has a large elongated body, covered with strong bone plates, a high back and a straight abdomen. The main feature of these fish is the movable antennae on the wide head: long on the upper jaw and shorter on the lower jaw. Males, as is usually the case with fish, are slimmer and smaller; they can be recognized by the long ray of the pectoral fin, usually of a reddish hue.

The wide distribution area also provided a noticeable difference in the color of the fish. If you want to know what a cockroach looks like, the photos will show cute hulks with the same long antennae, but completely different colors. Most often you can find a dark, almost black color, with light streaks throughout the body. There are spotted and striped “aquarium cockroaches”, also known as “tiger” and “leopard”. Such catfish have a light gray, greenish or pink body color, with darker spots scattered throughout.

Aquarium fish cockroaches are ideal for inexperienced owners: they are friendly, unpretentious and quickly get used to new conditions. The main and basic requirement for your mustachioed aquatic pets is a large aquarium, at least 100 liters (or more). The soil is better sandy or small rocky - playful catfish love to rummage in the ground for a long time, and sharp stones can injure their antennae or head.

Tarakatums prefer to frolic at night, but quickly get used to it and can be active at any time of the day. These are sociable animals, so it’s worth keeping a small flock of catfish at home to constantly admire their games. A particularly beautiful sight is aquarium cockroaches on vacation - large fish naturally lay side by side on the bottom and resemble a group fur seals on vacation. However, such calm is only a temporary phenomenon, so do not forget to close the aquarium with a lid - not only can a naughty cockroach jump out of the water, all surfaces near the vessel will be splashed.

IN wildlife in tarakatum fish, reproduction occurs as follows: catfish choose a flat leaf of a plant that floats on the surface, and the male builds a foam nest under it, where the female lays eggs. IN home aquarium such a sheet successfully replaces a piece of polystyrene foam 15 by 7 centimeters and about 2 centimeters thick, which is attached to the corner with suction cups. If you have 3-4 pairs of cockroaches or one male for several females, there should be 1-2 more pieces of foam than required - this will help to avoid a fight for space.

Breeding cockroaches begins with preparing the aquarium - the temperature is slightly increased, and the water is changed more often. After the female lays eggs, the male and the foam nest are placed in the spawning area (if the female is not removed, the male cockroach himself will begin to drive her away from the eggs). After 4-5 days, the fry appear; you can feed them with brine shrimp, small tubifex, and it is better to keep them in low light.

Catfish panda

photo can be enlarged

Panda catfish are peaceful, schooling fish that live in the Paquitea, Rio Paciteo, and Ucayali rivers, which flow in South America. IN aquarium conditions these catfish can live with any non-aggressive fish, even those larger in size. The neighbors in the pond do not seem to notice the pandas, and they, in turn, also do not show any interest in them. That is why teenage pandas can be placed in a community aquarium as early as 2 months of age.

Corydoras pandas have additional intestinal respiration, which is why they sometimes swim to the surface of the water and swallow air, after which they calmly swim to the bottom again. It is at the bottom that pandas spend most of their time.

It should be noted that these catfish are not “orderlies” of the aquarium; they do not eat leftover food from other fish. Panda catfish eat live, frozen food, flakes, and catfish tablets. Food is taken mainly from the bottom. Breeders of these catfish believe that if the juveniles of these fish are not given live food, namely well-washed tubifex, then the catfish turn out to be tight and small. By the way, the length of an adult healthy panda catfish should be about 5-5.5 cm.

The optimal water temperature for keeping these catfish is 22-26℃; pH 5.8-7.5; hardness 5-16°. Filtration, aeration and weekly water changes are required.

Panda corydoras reach sexual maturity at 10 months. The females of these catfish are larger than the males, their dorsal fin is rounded, and the abdominal line has an arched profile. In males, the abdominal line is straight, the dorsal fin has a pointed shape.

Glass catfish

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The glass catfish gets its name from its transparent body. Through the skeleton of the fish you can see the background of the aquarium. The body is elongated and laterally compressed. Both the skeleton and swim bladder are clearly visible. The remaining internal organs are located in the front of the body and are not visible. Depending on the light, the body may acquire blue tints. Like all catfish, the fish has a pair of antennae on its upper jaw.

Glass catfish is a small fish and in an aquarium reaches up to 10 cm in length, so it can be content with a relatively small volume of water. For a school of fish of six individuals, an aquarium of about 80 liters is suitable. Keeping a smaller number of fish is not recommended, as the fish become shy and lose their appetite due to stress.

An aquarium for glass catfish must be planted with a large number of live plants. Catfish swim in the middle layers of water, and unlike other relatives, they do not hide in shelters. Fish love shaded areas, so it is advisable to place floating plants in the aquarium. Lighting should be dim as bright light can cause unnecessary stress for the fish.

As for water parameters, glass catfish are very sensitive to water purity, so you need to take care of good filtration in the aquarium. Aeration is also desirable. The optimal water parameters are: acidity 6.5-7.5 pH, hardness 4-15° dH, temperature 23-26ºC. It is better to change water weekly, approximately 20-30% of the total volume.

For feeding, you can use live food and some high-quality dry food. The diet should be varied. These aquarium catfish have a peaceful character, so you can choose calm small fish for company.

To breed glass catfish at home, first lower the water temperature by several degrees and the water level in the aquarium to half. After this, soft water is added every day in small portions. To stimulate spawning, fish are fed large amounts of live food before spawning. After spawning, the producers are removed from the aquarium. If it was possible to stimulate spawning, the female will spawn eggs on the plants. Imitating the rainy season will also help the eggs develop. The starting food for fry is encapsulated brine shrimp.

Catfish changeling

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The shifter catfish belongs to the fringed catfish. It has a characteristic body, almost triangular in cross-section, a semicircular mouth and powerful spines in the dorsal and pectoral fins. It has three pairs of antennae, two of which are feathery, as if fringed.

In nature, this catfish feeds mainly on insects (that have fallen on the surface of the water), but has a lower mouth, so it often has to swim upside down to collect food from the surface of the water. Hence the name - catfish changeling.

In an aquarium, it is better to feed the changeling live, and only sometimes with dry balanced food. Catfish will collect food from both the surface and the bottom. In summer you can feed various small insects. Fish are prone to obesity; leave them without food one day a week.

During the day, the catfish mainly hides among snags, in various caves; at night it begins to become active, looking for food. Large aquariums with various shelters, snags, grottoes, and plants are suitable for keeping catfish shifters. Water temperature +22-+27 ºС. Aeration, filtration and water changes of 1/3 volume weekly are required.

Synodontis changeling is a schooling fish, this must be taken into account. But the most important thing that needs to be taken into account when purchasing these fish is that many of them (or rather, the majority) are active predators and they will not swim peacefully next to their small neighbors, they will certainly devour them. It is better to keep them with cichlids or similar large fish.

Sacbranch catfish

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Under natural conditions, this catfish is widespread in Asian countries - Iran and Pakistan, India and Nepal, Sri Lanka and Myanmar. Catfish prefers large and small reservoirs with stagnant water, muddy channels with weak currents, and is occasionally found in brackish water.

If an ordinary river catfish has a flat body, compressed at the top, then Heteropneustes fossilis is a bit like an eel. Its body is compressed laterally, and only its muzzle is flat, equipped with four pairs of long, stiff whiskers. He swims like an eel, wriggling his whole body. The color of the fish is unremarkable: dark brown or gray, but there are also albino catfish with off-white skin color.

This catfish is a fairly large fish, during the life of which a lot of waste is generated. Accordingly, good filtration and medium intensity aeration are necessary. Water changes should be done 1-2 times a week (10-15% of the total volume).

A feature of home keeping is the fact that the catfish acquires body length in accordance with the size of the aquarium. For example, in a 200-liter jar it can grow up to 35-40 cm. In a small volume, the length of the fish will be shorter. You need to create shelters in the aquarium - grottoes and caves, driftwood, fragments of ceramic pipes or upside down clay pots with side hole. But the bottom of the artificial reservoir should not be cluttered - at night, when the owners are sleeping, the catfish actively swims and hunts.

The predator is unpretentious in food. It can be fed frozen dry food, worms, meat, fish fillets, and shrimp. Commercial feeds include Neon BloodWorms, Sera Viformo, Tetra PlekoMin, Tetra TabiMin and some others. Under optimal conditions, catfish can live in an aquarium for up to 20 years.

Asian catfish become sexually mature at the age of 2 years. Under natural conditions they spawn during rainy periods. In artificial home reservoirs, spawning is induced by injection of a special drug - gonadotropin.

Shark catfish

photo can be enlarged

In nature, the shark catfish is quite impressive in size: it reaches a length of more than 1 meter, and in aquariums it grows up to 50-70 cm. If you watch a video with a shark catfish, you will see how similar this fish really is to a real large predator.

The homeland of this fish is the lakes and rivers of Vietnam. Initially, aquarists were not interested in it, but food industry Shark catfish Siamese pangasius played a big role, and not by chance - the fact is that the catfish is capable of gaining up to 40 kg in a short period of time. However, later aquarists paid close attention to the beauty and unusualness of this fish.

When these aquarium fish are still young, their body is colored silver-gray and has discreet dark longitudinal stripes. Over time, the color of the fish becomes monochromatic. Two pairs of long whiskers still make it possible to distinguish this fish from a small shark, big eyes located on the sides of the head. Females are slightly larger than males, and their color is paler.

Shark catfish are not only large, they are also very active fish, and mainly like to be in the middle layers of water. Therefore, the optimal tanks for them are aquariums of at least 400 liters, elongated in length. The aquarium should have a lot of space, free from decorations, provided for the free swimming of its inhabitants. Adult fish can only be kept in huge public aquariums with a volume of several thousand liters. While catfish are still young, they can live in aquariums as long as 1.2 m, but keep in mind that freshwater sharks grow very quickly, so they will soon need a new home. All decorations with sharp edges must be removed from the aquarium, since this species tends to make sudden lunges, as a result of which the freshwater shark can damage the skin.

It is worth saying that freshwater sharks eat quite a lot. However, they only grab the food that is in the water column next to them. Therefore, in order to maintain cleanliness in the aquarium, it is advisable to have fish that will pick up food particles from the bottom - then there will be much less pollution in the aqua. Feed freshwater sharks should be in the evening. It happens that they refuse to eat if there is too much light in the room - in this case, the lighting should be reduced.

The optimal water parameters for keeping shark catfish are the following: temperature - 22-27 °C, hardness - dH 2-20, acidity - pH 6.5 - 7.5. It is necessary to change a third of the water volume every week. In addition, organize powerful filtration and aeration of the water, since in old water the fish will feel uncomfortable and may even get sick. It is especially worthwhile to ensure that the level of nitrites, ammonia and nitrates remains low, and other components do not play a big role.

Common catfish, speckled catfish, corydoras - all these names refer to representatives of the family of callichtidae, or armored catfish. This species inhabits freshwater bodies of dense vegetation in Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and other countries of South America. Many of the representatives of the Corydoras species have taken a strong place among experienced aquarists and hobbyists thanks to their interesting behavior, peculiar appearance and unique color scheme.

It is not possible to list all representatives of Corydorus catfish in one article, so we focus only on those who have gained great popularity among aquarists.

Venezuelan (lat. Corydoras aeneus var. venezuelanus orange)

Size: up to 5 cm. Water for keeping this type of catfish should be soft with low acidity, with a constant temperature of 25 to 27 ° C. To obtain maximum color saturation of the fish, most of the aquarium must be densely planted with plants.

Catfish avoid open space and do not like bright lighting, as well as increased attention, and hide, so it is better to feed them in twilight lighting, in the evening.

When the water changes with a decrease in temperature, spawning is stimulated. Each female lays 30-40 eggs, which hatch after four days and after another three days the fry can be fed.

Venezuelan corridors.

Golden (lat. Corydoras aeneus)

Size: up to 6 cm. This species should be kept in soft water (up to 10 parts of calcium oxide) at a temperature range from 23 to 25°C.

The armored catfish is very mobile and active during the day, unpretentious to water quality and gets along well with its neighbors.

Easily reproduces in a community aquarium. Spawning often occurs at night. The female is very productive and lays up to 500 eggs, from which the larvae emerge after three days. After another three days, the fry can be switched to feeding with cultivated microorganisms. Known various options the color of these catfish and it has not yet been determined whether they can be classified as a species of golden corydoras.

Golden Corridor.

Axelrod (lat. Corydoras axelrodi)

Size: up to 5 cm. They feel most comfortable in soft water with a temperature of 24 to 26°C. Axelrod's catfish is well known and common among aquarists. Care is not difficult; acclimatized catfish spend their days searching for food, for which there are no special requirements.

With abundant and regular feeding, females quickly go to spawn. The number of eggs in a clutch is about 40, but cases of spawning up to 100 eggs are known. The eggs are small, 1.5 mm in diameter, and are attached by the female to the underside of plant leaves. The hatching of the fry from the eggs occurs after four days, and after three days of its formation, feeding with brine shrimp is recommended.

Axelrod's corridor.

Spotted tail (lat. Corydoras caudimaculatus)

Size: up to 6 cm. Recommended water temperature for spotted-tailed catfish is from 20 to 26°C. A catfish that prefers soft, clear water with low acidity, as well as without nitrates and weekly replacement of up to 30% of the total volume of the aquarium.

With a varied diet, they spawn very willingly and regularly without lowering the water temperature. The eggs are about 2 mm in size, mature for three days, after which the larvae emerge, which feed on the yolk sac for three days, and after another two days they successfully cope with the planktonic organism - ciliates. The growth of this species is most noticeable in the first two months after hatching, and when the size reaches 2 cm, the growth rate slows down.

Gossie (lat. Corydoras gossei)

Size: up to 6 cm. For keeping this type of catfish, soft water with a temperature of 24 to 26°C is preferred. After mastering its permanent habitat, it is not too demanding in maintenance, so it is suitable even for not very experienced aquarists. In darkened aquariums with a large number of plants, it acquires a contrasting color, which is characteristic even of fry.

Female gossy catfish are very productive and, depending on size, age and condition, can lay between 80 and 300 eggs. Three days after maturation, larvae emerge from the eggs, which, after two days of adaptation, successfully eat Artemia nauplii and enchiteria worms.

Corridoras gossi.

Diagonally striped (lat. Corydoras melini)

Size: up to 6 cm. It should be kept in soft water, the temperature of which is between 20 and 26°C. The soil should be sandy, coarse sand or fine stone without sharp edges.

When breeding, it is recommended to transplant it into a separate aquarium, where the female scatters eggs all over the bottom. The hatching of the larvae occurs after two days, and after they have absorbed the yolk sac (three days), the fry are best fed with Artemia nauplii.

Diagonally striped corridor.

Napo (lat. Corydoras napoensis)

Size: up to 5 cm. The water temperature for maintenance should be in the range from 23 to 25 ° C with a calcium content of up to 10% (soft).

A distinctive feature of this species is the appearance of clear and full color in a darkened aquarium with plants floating on the surface of the water. Unlike other representatives of corydoras with a similar color, napos have black spots on the caudal fin.

These catfish should not be kept with large fish of other species. Spawning takes place in free water, in close proximity to the surface. During the mating season, the sides of males are lilac.

Females lay up to 300 eggs 1 mm in size in and near plant bushes. The ripening of eggs takes four days; three days after the larvae emerge, the fry are ready to eat microscopic worms and ciliates. The growth rate of napo catfish is very slow.

Corridoras napo.

Speckled (lat. Corydoras paleatus)

Size: up to 6 cm. For comfortable maintenance, the water should be soft, with a temperature of 22 to 26°C. Speckled catfish are active during the day and can be kept with most species of peace-loving fish.

Cool water is suitable for reproduction (in warm water the rate of fertilization sharply decreases). The female lays up to 250 eggs, from which the larvae emerge after four days, and after another two days the fry begin to feed on their own, preferring artemia nauplii in food. The rapid growth rate after 2-3 months gives a high similarity to the parents.

Speckled Corridor.

Panda (lat. Corydoras panda)

Size: up to 5 cm. Soft water with a temperature of 22 to 25°C ensures this species good health and active behavior in the aquarium. Panda catfish need good aeration, filtration and regular water changes, as well as shelter and several places shaded by plants. Pandas have shown the ability to be kept with a variety of small tetras and dwarf cichlids.

Reproduction in panda catfishes is all-season. The female lays up to 20 eggs in fine-feathered plants or Java moss. After four days, larvae emerge and begin feeding on Artemia nauplii after another two days. This species of Corydoras is characterized by a very slow growth rate.

Due to its interesting color and behavior, the panda catfish has firmly established itself among aquarists and has become very widespread.

Panda corridor.

Sterba (lat. Corydoras sterbai)

Size: up to 6 cm. Heat-loving species of catfish that prefers clear water (soft with low acidity) and water temperature from 24 to 28°C. To successfully keep Sterba catfish, good aeration is necessary. A carefully designed diet is important for Corydoras Sterba. This species does not tolerate starvation well, so it needs to be fed frequently and in a timely manner.

Large females of this species can lay up to 200 eggs, if possible attaching them to a substrate located on the current. After four days of ripening the eggs, the larvae hatch, and on the third day they can move freely around the aquarium and eat the starter food.

It is necessary to note that fry react very sensitively to an increase in pH, so the purity and consistency of the water composition in the first three weeks will ensure good survival of the young. At the age of one month, the fry become more resilient and less demanding of water, and their further maintenance does not present serious problems.

Sterba corridor.

Corridors: care and maintenance

The presented species of corydoros should be grouped in groups of 5-20 pieces. The size of a species aquarium for catfish must be at least 54 liters; when keeping the same flock in a common aquarium, the volume must be at least 160 liters, with the exception of panda catfish, which require a smaller volume of the general aquarium - 112 liters.

Females are distinguished by their larger size and wider back. And only two species have other, more pronounced differences - male corydoras are smaller than females and have a clearer pattern, and male speckled catfish are much smaller and more graceful.

The diet for all presented types of corydoras is recommended to consist of dry, frozen and.

Like labyrinths, corydoras can also breathe atmospheric air. They do not have a labyrinth apparatus, so catfish swim to the surface of the water, swallow an air bubble and absorb oxygen through the gastrointestinal tract.

Corydoras do not tolerate salt water well, so it is not recommended to use salt in an aquarium with them for the treatment and prevention of diseases.

Although some species have slight differences in the spawning process, in general it is the same. The incentive is an increase in protein feed in the diet, a decrease in temperature and frequent water changes. Spawning is usually group, males begin to chase females, and they, in turn, choose a male, collect his milt in their mouths and lay eggs in special pockets on the fins. After this, she selects the most attractive surface for laying, lubricates it with the male’s milk and lays the eggs on it.

Parents do not care about their offspring and may even pose a danger to them, so adult fish are removed from the spawning grounds after breeding. If spawning took place in a common aquarium, then the eggs are carefully removed from the surfaces or removed with a blade if the eggs are stuck to the glass.

Dwarf, or the smallest catfish

The most popular among dwarf catfish are:

• sparrow catfish (eye-tailed catfish, sickle-shaped catfish);
• pygmy catfish;
• Habrosus catfish (crumb korydoras).

These representatives are species of armored corydoras found in South America.

It is better to keep the smallest catfish in schools of 10-30 pieces, the volume of the species aquarium is 40 liters, and the total aquarium is 54 liters, and good aeration and water filtration must be ensured.

When creating the interior of an aquarium, it is necessary to plant a plentiful number of plants, add shelter and driftwood. As a soil, you can use fine-grained stones without sharp edges and coarse sand.

Variety with veil fins.

Pygmy catfish (lat. Corydoras pygmaeus)

The maximum size of the catfish reaches 3 cm. This type of corydoras prefers the middle layers of soft water with a temperature of 20 to 26°C. Many small species of tetras and other types of small fish can be kept with Corydoras pygmy. It is better to add small or finely chopped live or frozen food to the regular diet.

Reproduction in a species aquarium with an abundance of plants is most effective. One female lays up to 50 very small eggs, which are scattered throughout the aquarium. The maturation period lasts four days, after which the larvae appear, which feed for the first three days yolk sac, and then the fry successfully eat ciliates or brine shrimp larvae.

The development of young individuals occurs at a very rapid pace in the first three weeks, after which it stops, and then they grow slowly. Pygmy catfish fry are strikingly different from adults.

Pygmy corridor.

Habrosus catfish (lat. Corydoras habrosus)

The size of this species reaches 3 cm. Chabrosus catfish prefers the bottom layers of soft and medium-soft slightly acidic water with a temperature of 20 to 26 ° C and a weekly change of up to 30%.

The difference between a female and a male is its larger size and wider back.

Habrosus are peaceful and many calm fish with the same character and small size will become their neighbors.

Habrosus catfish feeds from the bottom; it prefers fresh or frozen food; it can be fed with dry food and spirulina tablets.

When breeding, the female lays up to 100 eggs in and around small bushy plants, Java moss. The larvae hatch after three days, the fry after two days begin to move freely around the aquarium and eat artemia. After six weeks, young habrosus begin to acquire adult coloration. The growth rate in the first two months is rapid, and at this age their size reaches 1 cm, and then slows down. Sexual maturity occurs at 10-12 months.

Sparrow catfish (lat. Corydoras hasstatus)

The size of this species does not exceed 3 cm. For comfortable keeping of sparrow catfish in an aquarium, you need soft, clean water with a temperature of 20 to 26°C, with good aeration and filtration.

The female is different from the male large size. By nature they are peaceful and get along well with fish of similar nature and size. They are not picky about their diet and consume live, frozen and dry food, as well as various substitutes.

Before spawning, the difference between the male and the female is obvious: the belly is more curved and full, the dorsal fin of the female is rounded, and that of the male is pointed. During spawning, the female lays up to 80 eggs on glass, the underside of plant leaves or another suitable place. The period of maturation of eggs lasts four days, after which larvae appear, which after two days begin to move independently around the aquarium and can successfully eat aquarium plankton (brine shrimp, etc.).

During the first month of life, the growth rate of the fry is rapid (size reaches up to 1 cm), and then decreases. By the age of one year they reach the size of their parents and reach sexual maturity.

And just a little video about speckled catfish and the rules for keeping it:

The catfish family is an extensive group of aquarium catfish from the order Catfish, numbering one and a half hundred genera and about one thousand two hundred species, including selection ones. These interesting creatures are one of the the most ancient representatives freshwater fauna. The feature that sets them apart from their relatives is not only their unusual body shape, many of them lack scales or skin protected by bone plates. They live in the lower layers. They get along well with their neighbors and are easy to maintain. They have original behavioral forms, which is interesting to observe. Here are the most known species aquarium catfish among aquarium enthusiasts:

• corridors
• synodontis
• chainmail (loricaria)
• clariaceae
• armored

Behavior and nutrition

Catfish lead a bottom-dwelling lifestyle. They carefully examine the surface of the soil for the presence of food. These fish, in a sense, are “orderlies”, picking up leftover food from the bottom. Despite this, an aquarium containing these original creatures requires a high degree of cleaning. Most of them dig in the ground, raising clouds of suspended matter from the silt. That is why their maintenance requires a good filtration installation, which will allow them to preserve clean water in an aquarium. Aquarium cleaner catfish mostly lead an evening or nocturnal lifestyle. So, in bright light you will not see them often. They feed on all food that has fallen to the bottom, without exception.

Species compatibility

Aquarium catfish fish get along well with all species. They do not experience aggression towards their relatives. Depending on the species, the optimal temperature range is from 18°C ​​to 26°C. Despite their peaceful nature, it is impossible to keep large catfish with very small inhabitants. Fish that are noticeably different in size will be perceived as live food. Based on this, neighbors of similar sizes should be selected. Average duration their life span is from five to ten years. Below are aquarium catfish belonging to different breeds with photos and names.

Arrangement of the aquarium

Catfish feel comfortable when the aquarium is replete with bottom shelters made of stones, snags, dense plants, caves, etc. Only in the absence of shelters can tension arise between their own kind. When everyone has their own small shelter, the territory will be divided and the sign of conflict will decrease. The soil should be chosen without sharp corners so that the fish do not get injured, given their tendency to dig into it. Aquarium catfish require little, average care for different breeds: acidity – neutral or close to it, hardness from 6dH to 12dH. Catfishes are predominantly dark colors with a pattern: spotted, marbled, striped. The color is dominated by light brown, dark brown, beige, there are black, light orange (albinos) and even transparent ones.

Breeding at home

If you keep only individuals of this species, then there is no need for a separate spawning area. In aquarium catfish, reproduction goes well, but some species require hormonal injections. Several factors stimulate spawning: large water changes, aeration and smooth temperature fluctuations over several days. This is done in order to simulate the rainy season. No special conditions are required for breeding. They plant a female and a couple of males, up to three or four. The optimal temperature is from 18°C ​​to 21°C. Spawning often occurs early in the morning. Females lay eggs on plants. The fry are large and grow very quickly. You can start feeding with brine shrimp and chopped tubifex, bloodworms.

List of aquarium catfish species

Corridors

They usually grow to 7–8 cm. They are not picky when it comes to food; they pick up all the food that has fallen to the bottom. They have a peaceful character, get along even with small neons, and need shelter. They can do without aeration and filtration, but the latter must be installed for reasons of maintaining cleanliness. Preferred temperature is 20°C to 25°C. Acidity at 6 pH – 6.5 pH, optimal hardness from 5 dH to 19 dH. For spawning, you need a separate tank with a displacement of at least fifty liters. Corydoras come in a variety of colors. More details about the types here.

Synodontis

Unusual representatives of the catfish order clearly stand out among their relatives. Their peculiarity is that they often swim with their belly up, and turn over only when feeding, when they pick up food from the bottom. They have a peaceful disposition and are fully compatible with all species. But when they reach large sizes, they can perceive small fish as food. They are not picky about food, they eat any food found at the bottom. The main part of the menu should be live food (at least 75%). Synodontis feel normal in an aquarium of 65 liters or more with an average temperature of 23°C to 25°C. Breeding at home is very difficult. The starting food for fry is live dust. Growth and development is extremely slow.

Loricariaceae

The most friendly and compatible with others are loricariids. Their peacefulness is so great that they can even be kept with fry. Their feature is oral apparatus, having the shape of a suction cup, with which they scrape off growths from various surfaces. The basis of the diet should be food plant origin. Feeding with dry food is possible. Average temperature for loricariids 23°C to 25°C. Loricariids come in mostly dark colors (light brown, dark brown, beige, gray), but there are also albinos with a light color. Very sensitive to ammonia, nitrates, nitrites (they should not be in the water at all).