Corridor panda: description and features of the content

Among aquarists, an unusual catfish called the panda corridor, which is distinguished by its unusual appearance and unpretentiousness, is very popular. This pet is a great option for beginner lovers of home ponds, since it is undemanding to conditions of keeping and food, in addition, due to its peaceful nature. he gets along well with many other inhabitants of aquariums.

The corridor got its unusual name due to its resemblance to the panda; the fish is also known as the veil catfish. These pets are distinguished by a light, pale pink color, they have three dark spots on the sides, and they are located in strictly defined places, namely:

• around eyes;
• near the tails;
• on the back.

On the head there are rather large eyes, a little lower - a large mouth. The entire body is covered with small scales; bony plates are expressed on the sides. Like all catfish, there are three pairs of antennae around the mouth of the corridors - they help the fish navigate in the water and get food. To protect the animal, there are pointed thorns near the eyes and on the dorsal fin, with which these little pandas repel all aquatic predators. The body length of an adult fish reaches 5.5 cm, while creating a comfortable habitat in the aquarium, the corridor can live up to 15 years.

The corridor catfish is distinguished by its extreme unpretentiousness in habitat conditions, but even for such unpretentious fish, high-quality water with stable parameters is required. It is imperative that the tank is well filtered and aerated. The liquid should be renewed by one third once a week. During each change, it is necessary to additionally siphon the soil to clean it from organic matter - waste products, as well as uneaten food residues.

The permissible temperature for corridors is heating up to +22 degrees. Catfish can withstand a short-term drop in temperature up to +12 degrees, although this will become more stressful for the fish and can lead to a deterioration in the health of the animal.

Particular attention must be paid to the soil. It is better to use as a substrate sand or fine gravel - the use of a substrate that is too coarse or too soft is not recommended. In the natural environment, the waters in which pandas swim contain almost no minerals, they are soft, with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction, therefore when breeding corridors, it is desirable to reproduce such indicators.

When choosing aquarium vegetation, preference best for floating or shading bushes. It should be noted that catfish do not impose special requirements on the underwater flora, for them it is of great importance to have a place where they can hide, so it will not be superfluous to place all kinds of snags, grottoes, caves and stones at the bottom where the catfish can spend time. In the same time do not overload the tank - these fish like to rise to the surface in order to breathe atmospheric air, therefore, it is important to ensure that they always have free access to the top..

The aquarium must be equipped with a filter and a compressor, it is necessary to create a moderate flow in it. Do not forget to monitor the behavior of the corridors - if they rise too often to the surface, it is necessary to increase the aeration of the water. Pandas are unpretentious about lighting, although by their nature they are nocturnal inhabitants and prefer to spend time in shaded places.

In nature, catfish swim in flocks, therefore, it is better to keep several individuals at once in an artificial reservoir. Alone, the fish begin to hurt, so they will not live long. For a small "squad" of four pandas, a 10 liter aquarium will be enough. Catfish get along well with most medium-sized fish, as well as with bottom inhabitants, therefore they can be kept together with fish such as:

• barbs;
• tetras;
• analysis;
• scalars;
• iris;
• swordtails.

The corridor panda is considered an omnivorous fish that is able to swallow everything that falls to the bottom. To make the fish feel good it is very important to provide her with a variety of diet. For example, you should alternate dry food in the form of flakes with frozen shrimp, chopped seafood, and it will also be useful to include brine shrimp, daphnia and bloodworms in the menu. However, these aquatic pandas will eagerly eat cyclops, worms and tubifex.

When organizing feeding do not forget that catfish feed mainly from the bottom, so you need to carefully monitor that they have enough food - if other fish live in the aquarium, there may be nothing left for the corridors. It is best to use special melting granules and tablets for catfish.

Corridor panda reproduces very easily at home, but every breeder needs to know a few basic points.

• For spawning, it is necessary to equip a spawning box, the volume of which will vary depending on the number of spawning individuals. It is recommended to use containers with a volume of 30 liters or more. For one female, two males must be taken.Distinguishing females from males is not difficult at all - the former have a more rounded abdomen, in addition, they are larger and wider.
• The temperature in the spawning grounds should be + 23– + 24 degrees. Make sure that it does not rise above +25 degrees. It is advisable to send the bottom with Javanese moss, and in addition, you will need a filter with a sponge, which is responsible for mechanical cleaning of the aquarium.
• To stimulate the onset of spawning, the corridors must be abundantly fed with live food. In addition, the water should be changed by 70% daily, and each time the new water should be poured so that it is several degrees cooler than the old one - such manipulations are carried out until the fish begin to spawn.
• When the female feels ready for spawning, she picks up the milk released by the male into her mouth and treats the surface chosen for the spawn with them, and then carefully sticks the eggs there. As a rule, catfish fix their eggs on the leaves of aquatic vegetation, so their presence in the reservoir is mandatory.

During spawning, one the female lays about 100 eggs, after which the parent individuals should be returned back to the aquarium. To prevent fungus from growing in the water, you should add a few drops of methylene blue to the spawning grounds. If trouble could not be avoided, all affected eggs must be thrown out as quickly as possible. Usually fry appear on days 3-5, during this period it is important to avoid temperature fluctuations. Young animals are fed with ciliates or special live dust.

Usually the corridor panda gets sick very rarely, but it is necessary to keep the condition of your pets under control and, if unfavorable signs appear, to take action promptly. So, the beginning of the pathological process can be indicated by the appearance of spots on the scales, mucus and growths - usually they indicate a fungal disease or parasite infection. If the catfish begins to breathe heavily, with difficulty and tries to rise to the surface, there is a high probability that the panda has been poisoned with nitrogen or is experiencing oxygen starvation.

The greatest danger to fish is represented by various bacterial infections. In this case, reddish spots are noticeable on the tummy, such a fish should be planted immediately, since the disease is very dangerous and contagious.

When pathology occurs you need to contact a professional doctor who will prescribe the correct treatment, the use of "grandmother's" means in the form of salt baths and copper preparations is unacceptable.

Most of the problems with the corridors are associated with violations of the conditions of their detention - violation of filtration and aeration, overcrowding and other factors... The consequence of these negative phenomena is the excessive accumulation of fish waste, which leads to an increase in the concentration of nitrates, nitrites and ammonia in the water - these substances have a detrimental effect on pets, the catfish's immunity drops sharply, it starts to hurt.

That's why If the fish in your aquarium start to die, first of all do water tests and normalize the content of acceptable macronutrients in them. Many catfish get sick due to the aggressive action of their neighbors in the aquatic environment, therefore, the main thing when maintaining panda corridors is to create comfortable living conditions for them, in this case, many problems with their health will disappear by themselves.

For information on how to keep, breed, feed and care for the catfish corridor from the panda, see the next video.