Shark catfish. Shark catfish aquarium

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Shark catfish comes from Thailand. In the people it is called the Siamese pangasius, aquarium or Colombian shark. There are two types - an aggressive predator (large) and aquarium (small). With proper care, they can grow up to 60 cm. Fish will only breed if they are properly kept.

Description

Shark catfish looks like a killer whale. The head is slightly flattened, the body is long, the mouth has a mustache, the eyes are round, bulging and large. There is a dorsal fin, exactly like a shark's, a tail with two blades. See what a young shark catfish looks like in the photo.

Young fish differ from adults in color, from the gills to the tail there are two silvery edging. The older they get, the less stripes. As a result, in adult fish, the color changes to a darker color, and the edging is preserved only at the end of the fins or tail.

Contents

Shark catfish is a shy fish that is afraid even of its own shadow. But it is very mobile, and therefore it is quite crowded in a small aquarium. There should be so much space for a catfish that there is whereroam. For comfortable conditions, the aquarium shark catfish must be provided with complete care. The aquarium for young individuals should be large, which can hold at least 500 liters of clean water. The older the fish, the more water it needs.

A must-buy filter for cleaning. Otherwise, the catfish will develop many diseases. Pay attention to the water temperature. The optimum temperature is from 23 to 28 degrees. Do not pour cold and not settled water. Place large, but not sharp, stones and driftwood in the aquarium so that the fish do not get hurt, and the plants should have a thick root system. The bottom is strewn with sand or gravel.

Food

Cats are predators by nature, and therefore they always have a good appetite. You need to feed three times a day in the right amount, depending on the age of the pet. The menu should contain all useful vitamins and minerals: protein, chopped beef, lean fish, shrimp, vegetables (cucumbers, cabbage, potatoes), buckwheat or rice porridge. Catfish will never refuse food, so try not to overfeed. After all, he often suffers from obesity, which is quite problematic to cure. Twice a week arrange fasting days on which the catfish should not receive food.

Behavior

These are moving fish, whose behavior is very interesting to watch. When the shark catfish first appears in the aquarium, it will begin to rush about in a state of shock and not understanding where it is. It can even lie on algae andpretend to be dumb. But as soon as you touch him, he will be noticed again. These are shy fish, and you will often see them somewhere near the far wall of the aquarium. If they hear the sound of foreign objects, they try to hide in the algae.

Diseases

Proper care and maintenance will save fish from various terrible diseases. Still, sometimes you can notice that the shark catfish has become less mobile. In this case, keep an eye on it. Sometimes you can see:

• ulcerative formations all over the body;
• redness near fins;
• antennae and some fins missing;
• does not eat well or stopped eating altogether;
• fungal formations appeared on the surface of the body, outwardly similar to semolina.

With ulcerative formations, the body is lubricated with potassium permanganate three times a day. Also, the fish can be moved for several days in a saline solution. If some fins with antennae are missing, then the wrong care is being applied. Poor nutrition in fish can be at low water temperatures. The fungus is treated with a solution of green malachite. But with redness near the fins, take the catfish to the veterinary clinic.

Shark catfish: compatibility with other fish

This type of fish feels comfortable in a flock. Loneliness is unacceptable for them. However, there should not be too many fish in the aquarium. Neighbors should be almost the same size as catfish. As a rule, predators sooner or later begin to destroy fish that are much smallerthem by size. After adding neighbors, always make sure that the catfish is not hungry.

Breeding

Aquarium shark catfish spawning begins in June and lasts until late autumn. Fish are ready for breeding at the age of 3-6 years. The couple should be in a separate container where a lot of algae grows, as the female lays her eggs in the grass. For the successful breeding of fish, you need to slightly increase the temperature of the water, and at low degrees, fertilization will not occur.

A female catfish manages to lay almost 100,000 small eggs, after which the incubation period takes place during the day. At this time, constantly monitor the temperature, it should not be lower than 30 degrees. After the fry appear, they are transplanted into an aquarium and fed with special food, which is sold in pet stores. With insufficient nutrition, fish eat a weaker neighbor. At home, shark catfish breed extremely rarely. But still worth a try. Moreover, they can breed in the aquarium, if you increase the temperature to the right degrees.