Aquarium catfish: varieties, tips for care and reproduction

Aquarium catfish are amazing creatures, the exotic beauty of which can be admired endlessly. Their appearance completely destroys the human idea of ​​what a fish should look like. They do not have scales - instead, their body is protected by mucus-covered skin, or an intricate shell, consisting of bony plates. However, this feature does not make them unattractive at all. On the contrary, each representative of the huge species diversity of catfish is unusual and even charming in its own way. What types of these fish are popular with aquarists? What conditions do they need? What are the features of caring for aquarium catfish? Let's talk about everything in this article.

According to a number of sources, aquarium catfish are one of the oldest fish species found in the home.

The species diversity of aquarium catfish is unusually great. There are also very tiny representatives of the aquarium fauna, whose dimensions do not exceed a couple of centimeters, and relatively large individuals, reaching a length of 35-40 centimeters or more. There are also giant catfish that can reach 1-2 meters in length, but they are not kept at home.

These amazing inhabitants of home waters come in a variety of colors. Their bodies often have unusual shapes. However, almost all aquarium catfish have several common features. Firstly, they all lead a benthic life, preferring to stay at depth. Secondly, for aquarium catfish, evening or night activity is characteristic. With the onset of darkness, they, like their larger relatives living in the wild, swim out of hiding in search of food.

Another specific feature inherent in all catfish is the presence of a bundle of sensitive antennae located at the mouth. They help the fish navigate the environment and get food.

Most aquarium catfish are peaceful in nature. They are able to get along without any problems with many representatives of the world of the aquarium fauna. However, among them there are also real aggressors that can pose a threat to other inhabitants of the aquarium.

Aquarium catfish are often referred to as "cleaners" or "aquarium orderlies". Actually, By picking up leftover and semi-decomposed food from the bottom, these fish help to keep the tank clean... This feature is often misinterpreted by inexperienced aquarists. Considering that pets have enough food debris from the bottom and algae to exist, they do not pay attention to a full diet of catfish.

In general, catfish are very unpretentious creatures, the care of which does not cause any particular difficulties. Having provided them with comfortable living conditions, the aquarist can create a fabulously beautiful and harmonious underwater kingdom in his home reservoir.

Many types of catfish are popular with both novice hobbyist and professional aquarists. Representatives of some species are valued for their harmless and peaceful disposition, others for bright and exotic colors, and still others for bizarre body shapes. Below are the names of the most popular types of aquarium catfish.

Agamix or star-shaped catfish - one of the most unpretentious varieties of aquarium catfish, easily getting along with almost all types of fish (with the exception of large cichlids). The body sizes of adults vary from 10 to 12 centimeters in length. These creatures have a powerful and slightly elongated body, a large triangular head. The body and fins of the fish are coffee-brown, covered with small round specks. On the caudal fin, the spots merge into transverse stripes. Antennae - striped, with alternating dark and light areas. Agamix can live up to 10 years.

Corridors - a genus of representatives of the order catfish, found in their natural habitat in the basins of the Amazon and Orinoco rivers. In total, about 150 species of these small peace-loving fish are known.

Pygmy - a dwarf representative of the genus corridors, whose body length is only 2-2.5 centimeters. This fish has a graceful elongated body, a humped back and a two-lobed tail fin with pointed ends. The fins are transparent, grayish in color. The body color of the pygmy corridor is silvery gray or grayish brown. 2 narrow dark stripes run along the body and lower abdomen on both sides. Pygmy corridors are schooling fish, they need the presence of congeners.

Leopard catfish Is another attractive little member of the corridor genus.The body size of adults is about 6 centimeters. The fish have a very remarkable leopard color: all of their grayish-yellow body is decorated with numerous sinuous black patterns. Three dark lines, consisting of dark dots and strokes, stretch along the central line of the body of the leopard catfish. For this feature, these fish are also called "three-line". Another characteristic feature of their appearance is the presence of a rounded black spot on the dorsal fin.

Venezuela Orange - a very effective representative of the genus of corridors, notable for its bright colors, peaceful and good-natured disposition. The body length of the Venezuelan orange corridors does not exceed 7.5 centimeters. The fish have a very attractive color, combining gray-turquoise and juicy orange colors. The dorsal and caudal fins are transparent, pale orange in color. The head is painted turquoise gray with lilac strokes.

Siamese killer whale - freshwater aquarium catfish, whose size does not exceed 12 centimeters. This fish is distinguished by its mobility and energy. When kept in an aquarium with other fish, she rarely shows aggression. However, being a predator, the Siamese killer whale still poses a threat to small aquarium fish and fry. The body color of the killer whale is brown-black, diluted with three transverse stripes of a light shade. The fin on the back is dark in color, and the tail fin is light yellow.

Panak - a spectacular freshwater representative of chain mail catfish. The body length of these fish, depending on the species, can vary from 7.5 to 40 centimeters or more. The back and sides of the Panaki are covered with dark colored bone plates. The dorsal and pectoral fins are studded with sharp spines. These fish lead a benthic life, hiding in shelters during the day and hunting at night. Panaki, being predators, pose a threat to small fish. However, they do not disdain both algae and the remains of invertebrates.

Somik-anchor - a rather unpretentious miniature catfish, whose body length does not exceed 3 centimeters. The outline of his body visually resembles an anchor. The color ranges from light coffee to dark brown. These fish are distinguished by a very peaceful and calm disposition, they get along well with other types of fish of a similar size.

Emerald brochis - a very attractive representative of the shell catfish. The body size of an adult is about 8 centimeters. The fish has a beautiful color, changing from a delicate emerald color on the back to a light beige shade on the abdomen. Brochises are schooling fish, so they should be kept in several numbers in the aquarium.

Synodontis Dalmatian - a very effective aquarium catfish, which, with proper care, can live for about 15 years. The body size of adults can reach 20 centimeters. The fish has an elongated, graceful body of light color with dark spots. The tips of the fins are bluish. Dalmatians are considered to be excellent aquarium cleaners.

Jaguar synodont - another beautiful representative of the order of catfish, found in the wild in the freshwater areas of West Africa. It is notable for its white-gold color, diluted with a marble pattern of brown stripes. The fish can reach a length of 12-18 centimeters.

Gunther's catfish, Peacock catfish or Peacock's eye are an elegant and agile fish, unpretentious to the conditions of detention. It has a slightly elongated gray-silver body with a spectacular mark near the gills, resembling a spot from a peacock's tail. There are 4 pairs of antennae in the mouth area. When breeding these catfish, it should be borne in mind that they are gregarious.

Sackgill catfish - a large predatory fish that grows up to 30-40 centimeters under artificial conditions.Its amazing feature is the presence of two primitive lungs that allow the fish to survive in the absence of water for several hours. Body color ranges from brownish black to pale brown. Albino sack gill catfish are very rare. When breeding sack-gill catfish, it should be remembered that there are poisonous thorns on their body, an injection of which causes severe pain and numbness of the limbs.

Otozinklus - a small representative of the catfish family, especially appreciated among aquarists. This fish is an active algae eater, helping to keep the aquarium clean. Their body sizes can vary from 2.5 to 5.5 centimeters. Body coloration - golden brown. The upper part of the body in the head area is colored marsh brown. A dark stripe runs along the body on both sides. The average lifespan of ototsinkluses is about 5 years.

Gerinocheilus yellow or chanterelle catfish - a small freshwater fish that grows up to 12-15 centimeters in aquarium conditions. Body coloration - light or rich yellow. A characteristic feature of these fish is a sucker mouth, with which they clean the space of the aquarium from algae. However, in adulthood, these creatures can pose a threat to the rest of the inhabitants of the aquarium. By sucking on the body of another fish, gerinocheilus can cause fatal damage to it.

Pirara or red-tailed catfish - one of the oldest species of large catfish, in its natural habitat capable of reaching two meters in length. The fish is notable for its interesting coloration. The back of this catfish can be brown-brown, terracotta or almost black in color. The sides are painted in a pale yellow tint, the belly is white. Caudal fin and upper dorsal fin are orange-red. This fish is considered to be quite voracious, very active, but very clumsy at the same time.

Striped Platidoras or Singing Catfish Is one of the most beautiful fish that are especially popular among aquarists. They are peaceful, hardy, calm. However, their unique feature lies in the ability to make unusual sounds. Striped Platydoras can withstand harsh environmental conditions without any problems. In addition, they easily get along with other non-aggressive medium-sized fish.

Olive catfish Is a large freshwater fish of the Ictaluridae family. The body length of an adult can reach 1.6 meters, and therefore these predatory creatures are usually raised not in decorative, but in public aquariums. The traditional color is solid olive gray. The belly is colored pearl gray. The long gray whiskers around the wide mouth give these fish a slightly intimidating yet very expressive look.

Brachyplatistoma or tiger catfish Is a large carnivorous predator that feeds on fish and large crustaceans. When kept in a built environment, it requires a lot of free space. The color of this spectacular fish, which combines dark and light stripes, resembles a tiger's skin. The tiger catfish has an elongated curved body, a flattened and slightly wedge-shaped head.

Specific differences between female catfish and males depend on the species and characteristics of these aquarium fish. However, there are a number of specific generalized criteria by which one can distinguish the catfish of a boy from a girl.

Usually, female catfish are larger than their counterparts of the opposite sex. They have a more massive body. The abdominal line in females is often curved downward. Males, as a rule, have a slender, slightly elongated body. Their coloration is almost always brighter and more spectacular than that of females.

One of the characteristic features of males is the presence of a noticeable tubercle near the anus on the abdomen. In females, there is a small, depressed oval-shaped hole in this place.

When planning to become the proud owner of aquarium catfish in the near future, it is worth considering a number of important parameters. The first thing to consider is the behavior of a particular species of fish. Some species of catfish are capable of peacefully sheltering in rocks all day, while others - more restless and impulsive - can easily destroy the interior of the aquarium.

It is extremely important to consider whether the fish is predatory. This condition must be taken into account if the catfish are planned to be kept in a common aquarium with other fish. At the same time, the small size of the catfish does not at all state about its safety for other inhabitants of the aquarium.

Adult size is another important criterion to consider when choosing an aquarium catfish. So, beautiful and small fry of red-tailed catfish initially measure about 5-8 centimeters. In the future, these creatures are able to grow up to one and a half meters in length.

Another parameter to be guided by when choosing catfish is health. So, when buying, you should pay attention to the behavior of the fish, its color and external condition. A healthy catfish usually behaves calmly and phlegmatic, has a color corresponding to the standard of its species, and has no visual damage on the body.

Aquarium catfish are unpretentious creatures. However, their health and life expectancy directly depend on the conditions of detention.

Considering that catfish are bottom fish and spend most of their time at depth, they should be kept in spacious, wide aquariums.

Most catfish easily tolerate slight turbidity of water, a decrease in oxygen levels and temperature. However, disturbances in the biological balance in the aquarium, an excess of salts and nitrates in the water can cause discomfort and deterioration in their well-being.

To provide pets with a comfortable existence, it is necessary to control the temperature of the water, the level of its hardness and acidity. It is preferable that the temperature of the water in the aquarium is maintained at 18-26 ° C. The recommended level of hardness is 6-8 units.

When keeping catfish, it is advisable to carry out regular surface cleaning of the aquarium. They do not disturb the well-established ecosystem of the reservoir and do not cause radical changes in biological equilibrium.

The diet of catfish depends on their type. Most benthic fish are omnivores. They readily absorb both dry and live food, and their semi-decomposed remains. With great appetite, aquarium catfish eat bloodworms, tubifex, daphnia, cyclops, koretra. It is recommended to feed predatory catfish with pieces of lean meat. To maintain the well-being of pets, it is advisable to periodically treat them with tableted spirulina.

Often, novice aquarists are faced with situations where catfish begin to get sick or die for no apparent reason. Such consequences are usually caused by gross disturbances in the biological balance in the aquarium. Another reason leading to the death of catfish is a change in the level of acidity of water and the content of salts in it.

It is not uncommon for catfish to jump out of the aquarium. This suggests that the oxygen level in the water has dropped critically.In this case, the situation can be corrected with the help of an aerator, which will restore the oxygen level in the water to normal.

To obtain offspring from some species of aquarium catfish, they often resort to the help of spawning grounds. It is equipped from a wide basin of clean water. The water temperature in the basin should be 19-21 °. A piece of plexiglass is placed at the bottom of the pelvis, to which the female will later glue the eggs.

Then 3-4 young males and 1 young female are launched into the pelvis. The fish should be well fed beforehand. The pelvis is covered with a clean cloth, leaving a narrow slit for air.

The spawning progress must be carefully monitored. Once the female has finished laying eggs, she and the males should be transplanted back into the aquarium without delay. Then the temperature of the water in the basin should be raised to 27 °, which will ensure optimal incubation conditions, and wait for the fry to appear.

Most catfish are peaceful and calm in nature. However, some of their species are recommended to be kept separately from other fish. So, some catfish can pose a threat to the rest of the inhabitants of the aquarium, while others can become a victim of their more aggressive neighbors. For example, it is not allowed to keep small catfish with large cichlids, and large predatory catfish with any small fish and fry.

Catfish in the daytime prefer to be in shelter. To create the most comfortable conditions for them, you can put a snag on the bottom of the aquarium, install an artificial grotto or an underwater cave.

When equipping the aquarium, it is important to remember that there should be no sharp objects at its bottom - stones or decor with cutting edges.

For more on aquarium catfish, see the video below.