How and what to feed catfish in an aquarium?

A distinctive feature of aquarium catfish is a special suction cup, thanks to which the fish move around the aquarium by crawling. By adhering to the walls of the aquarium, catfish remove the green plaque from algae, and it is their food. However, such food is unable to provide a complete diet, so fish often need additional food. This article will focus on proper feeding: how and what to feed catfish, and what should be considered when feeding in a shared aquarium.

Catfish feed on green bloom and food residues found at the bottom of the aquarium. At the same time, they not only feed, but also facilitate cleaning the aquarium. The containers where catfish live are less often cleaned.

It should be noted that catfish are a species of fish with unique habits and tastes. Many hobbyists buy catfish precisely so that they clean off plaque from the walls of the aquarium, feed on the remains of fish and pieces of uneaten food, and eat algae. But the misconception that this type of fish does not need additional feeding leads to sad consequences.

Catfish are rather shy fish. With constant observation, you will notice that during the day they hide in various shelters.

In addition, one should take into account the fact that it is almost impossible to accustom catfish to feeding in the daytime. Therefore, food poured into the aquarium during the day may deteriorate by the evening.If food remains on the bottom for more than 8 hours, they should be removed with a net or a soil cleaner. Spoiled food leads to water pollution and fish poisoning.

Catfish are able to remember who feeds them. The high intelligence of the fish makes it possible to achieve hand-feeding over time. Also for fish be sure to find food at the bottom. Food can be buried or attached to the ground of the aquarium.

Some fish species can overeat, so it is necessary to strictly dose the feed. It is necessary to feed the catfish a couple of times a day. But sometimes it is worth arranging fasting days. If it is not possible to feed the fish at one time or another of the day, you can use a special feeder. The auto feeder provides feeding at the right time, you just need to set a timer.

The adherent also feeds on fry, frozen food, meat, pills, plates, and other small fish species. Therefore, before launching catfish into a common reservoir, you should study the proximity of adhering to other species of inhabitants.

Today, there are ready-made feeds on sale designed specifically for catfish. The food pellets are hard and large to prevent other fish from eating them. Heavy feed particles sink rapidly to the bottom, gradually becoming soft. Universal feed for catfish is developed according to a special formula that takes into account the characteristics of the species and the characteristics of the lifestyle.

Consider options for a ready-made diet for catfish.

• Tetra TabiMin. Tablets intended for feeding fish that live at the bottom of the aquarium. Feeding prevents malnutrition and stunting. The complex of vitamins is supplemented with a component to attract fish.

• Tetra Water Mix... Food for all types of catfish. The packaging contains various granules that sink quickly. At the same time, there are several types of granules in the composition: for herbivores (with spirulina) and for carnivorous catfish (with shrimp meat).

• Tetra Pleco Wafers. Plate food is suitable for sticky herbivorous species. The plates sink quickly and settle to the bottom, dissolve slowly and do not pollute the aquarium.

• Sera Vipagran. A specialized diet for different types of fish, which is also used for feeding catfish. It should be borne in mind that the feed pellets sink slowly, therefore, to feed the catfish, you need to pour a lot of feed so that it does not remain on the surface.

When feeding herbivores, you should also pay attention to balanced nutrition in the form of chips. The food contains useful amino acids and plant concentrates, which have a beneficial effect on the immune system. With this feeding, the water remains clean. If only catfish live in the aquarium, then tablets and plates can be used when feeding. The finished feed quickly settles to the bottom and softens. Catfish are a bottom type of fish, it is more convenient for them to take food from the ground.

Catfish love to peel off plaque from the walls of the aquarium, so tablets or plates can be glued to the walls. In a softened state, such food is easy to apply and stick to surfaces. However, care should be taken to ensure that it is convenient for the catfish to collect food on their own.

Sticky aquarium species eat both plant food and live food. Catfish are always happy to feast on bloodworms, daphnia, cyclops, tubule, live-bearer. In addition, natural feeding stimulates the rapid emergence of eggs. The fry that have been born must first be fed with ciliates. Feeding microworms and brine shrimp promotes proper growth and development of fry.

In feeding catfish, the presence of chicken, fish, shrimp, eggs, black bread, cucumber, lettuce or cabbage is allowed. Any type of meat should be lean, the egg can only be given once a week. All food needs to be cut small pieces so that it is convenient for the fish to swallow. But you must remember that such food contributes to the rapid pollution of the aquarium.

For a safe neighborhood of catfish and other fish species, everyone should be provided with proper feeding, since some predatory species of catfish eat their cohabitants. For example, the red-tailed catfish is able to eat fish that are smaller than its mouth and swim slowly. To prevent this from happening malnutrition must be prevented.

When feeding fish in a common tank several types of food should be used at once: for catfish and for other fish.

However, catfish do not mind eating regular food. Therefore, during feeding, you can sometimes notice that catfish swim up to the feeder and feed on food from there. Catfish are very fond of live food, and bloodworms and tubifex should sometimes be purchased. Such food is necessarily buried in the ground, and catfish like to dig it up. Live plants are a source of plant food. If the aquarium contains such plants as, for example, anubias, then additional complementary food is not needed.

In conclusion, I would like to remind you that you should not start catfish only as "scavengers", to eat the remnants of food and clean the aquarium. Fish need care, additional feeding and comfortable living conditions. When feeding catfish, you should also take into account the specific biorhythm. In search of food, catfish go out at night, so it is necessary to provide feeding in the evening. This should include special lighting. This will eliminate unpleasant situations when other inhabitants of the aquarium eat catfish food.

For information on how to feed catfish in an aquarium, see below.