Catfish tarakatum: description, compatibility, maintenance and breeding in an aquarium

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

Every person who breeds and simply contemplates fish always keeps at least one catfish in his home aquarium. And this is not surprising: representatives of this species of fish were among the first to appear in impromptu home-made apartment ponds. These fish themselves, more precisely catfish, are very interesting not only in appearance, but also in their behavior. In today's article, we would like to pay attention not to all representatives of the numerous catfish family, but to one specific species. We will talk about a very interesting inhabitant of the water world - catfish tarakatum and everything related to its competent maintenance and breeding at home.

Not handsome, but with a memorable appearance

Many will agree that catfish cannot be called handsome. At the first acquaintance with them (especially with adults), baleen fish with an elongated body evoke a feeling of disgust rather than sympathy. It often happens that the choice of a given inhabitant for your aquarium is due to some features. For example,a person wants the soil and walls of his improvised reservoir, enclosed in glass, to always be clean, and catfish tarakatums or ancistrus can easily cope with such tasks. In the process of raising pets and closely observing them, they win hearts with their original uniqueness. Most of them are predators. The antennae located on the head help to find food. These are a kind of locators that characterize the specifics of the external appearance of fish of this numerous family.

Appearance features

Male tarakatum catfish have a light belly (often not white, but rather creamy), which acquires a bluish sheen during spawning. But in females, the abdomen is always painted white, which, undoubtedly, greatly facilitates the task of the aquarist to distinguish between representatives of the opposite sexes of this species.

The fish has a light brown color, replete with dark spots. A special perception is created that the catfish is not only covered with round, almost black peas, but also painted with stripes, like a zebra. It is worth saying that among the representatives of the species there are exceptions - albinos, which are completely white in color with rare small dark spots located along the body on the sides. Tarakatums during puberty reach a maximum body length of 13-15 cm. As a rule, for the comfortable existence of such an aquarium inhabitant, at least 100 liters of water per individual is required. If you want to keep two catfish in such a volume, frequent changes will be requiredwater and full cleaning of the aquarium more often than usual.

In the aquarium

Catfish tarakatum is a very active fish that loves warm water. Ideally, the temperature should be 24-28 degrees Celsius. But the catfish of this species are very unpretentious to the parameters of the water. They can live in both hard and soft water. There is an opinion among aquarists that sea pebbles can artificially increase the hardness of water. Despite this, many still choose natural material as soil in home-made ponds. With cockroaches, you can safely experiment with the design of aquariums without fear for the he alth of catfish. For them, it will be useful to use snags, grottoes and other possible shelters.

Minimum volume - 100 liters

The level of water salinity also does not play a key role, but it is still better to reduce it to a minimum. In general, there is nothing complicated in keeping tarakatum catfish. The main thing is to follow the above rules and keep the fish in large spaces. One or two individuals may feel more comfortable in those volumes that start from 100 liters. With good care, catfish can live for 5 years, and sometimes a little more. By the way, the water must be replaced by 20 percent once a week, because these fish are very voracious, and as a result, they quickly pollute the space provided for them to live. Keeping it clean will give longevity and he alth to selected pets. This is an important nuance that must be implemented.

Feature

The beauties, to whom today's article is dedicated, have a special structure of the intestine. It allows the fish to get air from the atmosphere. However, do not assume that they do not require oxygen supply. Tarakatum catfish are prone to jumping out of aquariums. This is explained by the fact that they take a strong acceleration from the bottom, where they prefer to be most of the time to get oxygen.

So it's important to take precautions. You can use a net, coverslip, or other device to keep your pet from jumping out of the water. Outside the aquarium, the tarakatum will simply die.

In general, such catfish are fidgets with peculiar behavior, which are interesting to watch. It is generally accepted that mustachioed aquarium inhabitants prefer to hide in shelters and not catch the eye of the owner once again. However, tarakatums often violate this principle, delighting the owner even by swimming on the surface, which is rare among representatives of the catfish family.

Reproduction

The main issue that worries many aquarists is breeding catfish tarakatums at home. In this regard, catfish also differs from all its counterparts. The male builds a nest on the surface of the water. In nature, for these purposes, he uses foam and plants, but in an aquarium, a tarakatum will be happy with pieces of foam that a caring owner himself will put inside an impromptu home pond. The height of the nest for the upcoming spawning can reach3 see

When the nest is built, the male chases the female, forcing her to pay attention not only to herself, but also to the special structure he built. The female evaluates the design and, if everything satisfies her needs, lays eggs. The male, on the other hand, fertilizes them, and then fastens them with bubbles supplied with mucus.

We have already mentioned above how to distinguish a female from a male in tarakatum catfish, but there are still some signs by which it is easy to determine the gender of a particular individual. In males, the pectoral fins are elongated and triangular in shape. The first beam with a thickening. Females are equipped with short pectoral fins. In practice, the differences are quite obvious that even a beginner can handle and easily distinguish between individuals of the opposite sex.

Catfish breeding tarakatum

Some families of aquarium fish very rarely give offspring, so breeders experience difficulties: either the laid eggs are eaten overnight by the parents themselves, or they simply die. But there are no special problems with cockroaches. It is simply important that ideal conditions are created during spawning, one of which, regarding the construction of a nest, we described above. By the way, to increase the chances of getting full-fledged offspring from catfish of this species, the water temperature in the aquarium must be raised to 37 ° C.

In tarakatums, it is the head of the family that is a kind of hen, which tremblingly guards offspring and closely monitors all potential enemies that pose a danger to laid eggs. To avoiddeaths, the male during this period must be left in the aquarium in splendid isolation with a built nest. Four days after the fertilization of the eggs, fry appear, which spend the first two days of their lives in the nest, and then leave it, going to the bottom.

Who does he get along with?

In general, catfish of this species are very peaceful. They are considered to be big good people. Most often they are hooked up to medium-sized fish, similar in temperament. When talking about how many catfish to keep in an aquarium, it is important to consider two nuances:

1. The first is the volume of the aquarium (from 100 liters or more).
2. The second one is based on the understanding that it is better to put several females and one male together, otherwise males can cripple and even kill each other during spawning.

By the way, tarakatum catfish, the compatibility of which largely depends on the conditions of detention and the volume of the dwelling, will become ideal companions for non-predatory fish of medium and large sizes. If there is enough space and shelter for everyone, then conflicts are minimized. However, it is always necessary to monitor the behavior of fish and, in case of conflicts, be ready to resettle opponents. It is important to remember that the compatibility of fish directly affects their he alth and well-being.

Feeding

Any fish in an aquarium should receive a balanced diet. Therefore, the question of how to feed the catfish tarakatum is very relevant. You can buy special foods at pet stores. They provide a complete diet without the hassle ofowner. But sometimes, as a treat and top dressing, catfish can be given shrimp meat, frozen bloodworms, daphnia, coretra, and even earthworms. Do not forget that during spawning, feeding should be diversified and the portion size should be significantly increased. Under normal conditions, however, it is better to keep the fish slightly underfed, which will significantly prolong the life of your beloved pet.