Catfish: the birthplace of aquarium fish

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

Few aquarists know that catfish, pets and decorations of their aquarium, are the oldest fish on the planet that have survived to this day.

Catfish are cute inhabitants of aquariums

Freshwater reservoirs of the world have about two thousand different species of catfish. About 800 species have settled in aquariums. Most of these handsome men have a wide head and flattened sides. They completely lack scales, in some places they are replaced by bone plates. Catfish are bottom fish, most of them are quite unpretentious - normal aquarium conditions are enough. The homeland of the aquarium catfish is the reservoirs of the whole world, the habitat of many species varies significantly. Details of the content of some fish, their habits, differences in shapes and colors will be described in our article.

Speckled catfish

A favorite of many aquarists is the speckled catfish. The homeland of the fish is South America - Brazil, Argentina, as well as Paraguay and Uruguay. It belongs to the genus Corydoras and one of the species of Shell or Callicht catfish. Sometimes it is called ordinary catfish, simple or marble catfish. This is a typical omnivorous bottom fish, peaceful, with a nocturnal peak of activity. The speckled catfish is quite unpretentious in food, it is easy tokeep at home. Often the catfish picks up leftover food from other fish, but sometimes it is recommended to give special food in the form of a special tablet for catfish. Speckled catfish is called the "old-timer" of aquariums. His first domestic breeding was recorded in 1878.

Golden catfish

Golden catfish also belongs to the genus Corydoras. Homeland fish - South America. There, in the sandy areas of various reservoirs, he feels especially good. In aquariums, this bottom fish can reach a length of just over 7 centimeters. Coloration in yellow-brown colors. Of particular interest to everyone who watches this beautiful fish is the method of movement of the golden catfish. He moves his body from one place on the bottom to another with the help of spikes that are located on the pectoral fins.

Thoracatum

Distant visitor from the Amazon Basin - thoracatum. This catfish, whose birthplace is Brazil, can reach up to 18 centimeters in length. A feature of male thoracatums is a protruding red or orange bone spike formed from the anterior ray of the pectoral fin. Prefers twilight, often hides in shelters. This is a fairly peaceful catfish. The homeland of fish during the spawning of the thoracatum in water bodies is covered with a large number of floating nests of this original catfish. The fact is that fish build special foam nests under objects or leaves floating on the surface of the water. Moreover, they release air bubbles not with their mouths, but with gill covers. During spawning at homemost often they use a piece of foam, which, after the female has spawned, is moved along with the eggs to a separate aquarium. Or they simply remove the female from the aquarium, as the male can start to drive her away from the nest.

Shark catfish

Shark catfish, the birthplace of fish - Thailand, loves society very much. And to such an extent that often loneliness causes stress for him. A leisurely catfish does not like sudden movements and changes in lighting. If the light is suddenly turned on in the room where the aquarium is located, the shark catfish may be so frightened that it will start rushing around the aquarium and may injure its nose in an attack. This is a fairly large representative of catfish. The Siamese Shark Catfish grows up to 30 centimeters and the Highfin Catfish grows up to 50.

Ancistrus

Ancistrus is a very original catfish, the birthplace of the fish is Brazil. Ancistrus males have specific bushy leathery processes on their heads, which is very popular with children who watch these fish in an aquarium. Basically the body is dark gray, with light spots. But the color can also “turn pale”, in Ancistrus it is changeable. Often the fish stick to the glass of the aquarium and scrape off the algae. The homeland of the aquarium catfish is the Amazon River, where the habitat is soft, slightly acidic water. But the fish easily adapts to life in hard water, which needs to be cleaned and oxygenated.

Synodontis

Synodontis - African catfish. The birthplace of fish is the reservoirs of the Congo River. Synodontis are often called shifters because theythey turn upside down and swim on the surface, collecting prey with their fluffy mustaches. This catfish has a lot of color options, the birthplace of which made it “invisible” in the aquarium. Spotted color and various shades of colors make it, despite its rather large size, invisible at the bottom of the aquarium, and you need to make a lot of time to find it. The fish feel insecure if there are not enough hiding places in the water.

Brass pterygoplicht

The brocade pterygoplicht is a luxurious handsome catfish. The birthplace of the fish is the Orinoco River. It got its name thanks to a kind of brocade - evenly scattered black or dark brown spots. It has a large magnificent dorsal fin, which is shaped like a sail. The mouth is a large sucker. Recently, it has become popular with aquarists. Grows up to 30-35 centimeters. It should be borne in mind that if the Brocade Pterygoplicht is kept together with large clumsy and slow fish, it will try to stick to them, as a result, the scales may be damaged. He's probably attracted to slime. Basically it is a very peaceful fish, coexists with small species without any problems.

Sackgill catfish

Another mustachioed beauty of aquariums is the Sackgill catfish. The homeland of fish is Southeast Asia. It is the only species in its family. Color brown or black and blue. This barbel - on the jaws has 4 pairs of fairly long processes. It can grow up to 30 centimeters in length. Moreover, the females are somewhat larger than the males. A feature of the sac-gill catfish are two air sacs, which are located from the gill cavity along the entire body and play the role of lungs. In the wild, this allows the fish to survive the drought while remaining virtually waterless in the mud. Catfish is unpretentious and omnivorous. Prefers in the aquarium places with low lighting, looking for cracks and shelters. May conflict with other bottom fish in the aquarium.