Golden catfish: keeping and breeding in an aquarium

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-17 18:33

Goldfish was everyone's childhood dream. Remember how everyone thought that she would definitely grant any wish?

Unfortunately, such magical animals do not exist, but there are outwardly similar golden catfish. Looking at them, you can imagine that they appeared in your house straight from a children's fairy tale.

Do you want to become the owner of a goldfish? In this article, you will learn a lot about this wonderful inhabitant of the underwater world.

A bit of history

In some countries of South America, catfish is indeed considered a fish that brings happiness. Many people think that the reason for everything is its color, reminiscent of gold, so they wind it up as a money talisman.

And some residents pass on from generation to generation one story about how golden catfish helped one person in a difficult situation.

By the way, this legend is in many ways similar to our fairy tale about the goldfish.

Only there appears one fisherman who owes a huge amount to a local robber. The robber threatened the man with the death of his only daughter. Almost sobbing, the fisherman brought him a recent catch, consisting of a single catfish, he had nothing else. But the robber, when he saw the net with the fish, returned the daughter to the father. The man wondered for a long time about the reason for such a strange act. After a long time, when the robber had already gone to the other world, among his things they found a figurine of a fish made of pure gold. Then the fisherman realized that the catfish had turned into a piece of precious metal in order to save his daughter.

In gratitude for this, the man told this story to everyone in the settlement.

Whether this is true or not, only you can judge. But in any case, with your care, the catfish can really become a talisman and bring good luck.

General Description

Golden catfish belong to the genus Corydoras. The body of such fish is covered with bone plates that protect them from external influences.

In nature, they live in Central and South America.

Because the fish feeds on the remains of food that has sunk to the bottom of the reservoir, it has special spikes on its fins to move along the sandy bottom.

The gender difference lies in the shape of the fins. Males have a pointed tip, while females have a more rounded one. As a rule, females are larger, so they are easy to distinguish from each other.

Interesting moments

Corridors come in all sorts of shades, from albino to blue-black. But you need to be careful when choosing them. If you see that the color of the fish is too bright and saturated, then it is better to refuse to buy a catfish. Unscrupulous sellers often use harmful chemicals to change the color of the scales. Make a choice in favor of natural and natural colors, one of which has a golden catfish. This type of fish will decorate your aquarium. The sun's rays reflected in the water will make its color bright and iridescent.

The golden catfish pictured below is indeed a fish worth breeding!

He does not require constant attention, but everyone is interested in watching him!

Aquarium keeping

The peaceful behavior of catfish perfectly contributes to the neighborhood with other aquarium fish that are friendly. It is better to organize a company of six comrades for him.

This fish is unpretentious, but needs suitable conditions for its life.

Golden catfish are aquarium inhabitants who need shade. It can be created using stones, large curved sticks, and other natural materials that you can buy at any pet store or bring from the nearest forest. Of course, if you decide to use the second option, then the blanks for the aquarium must be thoroughly rinsed.

It will also be good to place a plant with wide leaves in the future home of the fish, which will create a shadow.

The love of constantly digging up the ground in search of food can harm the tendrils. Therefore, it is better to pour inaquarium fine sand, which is safe for such a whim of a fish.

Water should have a neutral pH balance, and the temperature should not exceed 25 degrees.

Food

You can use the most ordinary food, which you will find on the store shelf, but you should take into account the fact that the fish likes to eat its remains that have already settled into the ground. It’s better to buy a natural and proven version after asking for advice from a consultant in a pet store.

Golden catfish, which does not require much maintenance, will give you a good mood!

Breeding

Reproduction in catfish occurs after the onset of their puberty. It can start at eight months or twelve.

Golden catfish, the breeding of which is quite simple, during the spawning period is very active. Although during normal times he behaves modestly in the aquarium.

It is recommended to feed the fish abundantly with protein food before spawning. Worms or insects are suitable for this, but special tablets can also be used.

Now you need to create the most comfortable conditions for spawning. Golden catfish, which breeds before the start of the rainy season, is used to lower water temperatures. Still need to provide him with a slightly acidic environment.

It is not always possible to create the necessary conditions for the fish the first time. But you can try again and again adding fresh water and lowering its temperature.

Spawningoccurs when the males begin to chase the female around the aquarium. They tickle her with their whiskers until she finds a suitable place to lay her eggs.

Mating begins when the male releases milk to the eggs already deposited in the female's ventral fins.

Next, the female carries the eggs to a place prepared in advance for this. There, mating takes place again, continuing until the female sweeps away all the eggs.

After the end of spawning, which can last a couple of days, the fish should be removed from the aquarium. If this is not done, then they themselves can eat caviar, which is marked on plants or the walls of the aquarium.

Three days later, larvae may appear (they do not need to be fed, as they feed on their yolk sac), which turn into fry after five days. They should already be fed catfish food, which should first be ground in a blender or coffee grinder. Also, for this, many use a mortar.

When the fry grow up, you can gradually introduce finely chopped shrimp into their diet, and then try to give a complete catfish food.

General information

As you can see, golden catfish can live in the most ordinary conditions, so their breeding is not difficult even for beginners in this business. The main thing is to remember that fish also need love and care, then they will delight you for a long time! When choosing food or tackle for an aquarium, it is advisable to consult with a pet store representative.