Sterba corridor: content in the aquarium

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

In our time, many aquarists have a pet called the Sterba corridor - a small armored catfish from the Callicht family. This unusual fish, whose birthplace is Brazil, is found naturally in many fresh waters of South America.

Appearance

The first thing that catches your eye is the coloring and bizarre shape of the catfish. Many types of aquarium fish are able to amaze with their amazing beauty and original colors. But the corridor stands out among them. Unlike other fish of this species, it is the smallest - its length does not exceed 8 cm. The body has a round shape and gradually tapers towards the caudal fin. At the same time, the abdomen remains flat.

The color of the catfish is quite unusual - on a dark brown background, white spots with a cream tint are scattered about the same size, but completely different in shape. The pattern is located linearly on the sides and randomly on the back and head. The most expressive fins (bright orange) are on the belly and breast. They look transparent, but they also show a bitmap.

The tail is divided intotwo blades. Near the mouth there is a row of whiskers that play the role of receptors. They are very helpful to catfish in search of food.

Distinguishing fish by gender is easy. Males are smaller and more graceful. Females have a pronounced round tummy.

Home maintenance

Sterba Corydoras belongs to herd fish. To get these inhabitants in an aquarium, it is recommended to purchase from 5 to 10 individuals at once. They work well together and live in harmony with each other.

Another feature of catfish is that they are bottom fish. It is important to take care that the aquarium has a large bottom area, wide enough, it can be elongated (about 70 cm). This contributes to the normal life of pets. Height does not really matter, but catfish will feel much better in an aquarium lower. Volume - not less than 50 liters. It is better to increase it as the young ones appear, since this species of fish is very active, they need enough space to roam.

For the inhabitants of warm waters, the appropriate temperature is of great importance. Optimal - 28 ⁰С. Acidity - 6-7pH, although small fluctuations are acceptable. S alt, any chemicals or medicines should be avoided in the water - the Sterba corridor is very sensitive to such substances.

Since these are bottom fish, they spend most of their lives rummaging in the ground and looking for food. Therefore, it is best to fill the bottom with fine gravel, pebbles or sand.

For comfortaquarium catfish need vegetation with broad leaves (echinodorus, anubias), well fortified in advance, otherwise it can be dug by energetic inhabitants. All kinds of decorations will serve as a shelter from the fish that live in the neighborhood. Free areas of the bottom will allow these cheerful, amusing inhabitants of the aquarium to roam.

For breathing, the catfish uses not only the gills, but also the intestines, therefore it swims to the surface of the water, breathing atmospheric oxygen. This is a common occurrence and shouldn't be cause for concern. However, aeration is still necessary.

Water requirements

Reacts quite sharply to various changes in the habitat composition of the Sterba corridor. Keeping these fish in an aquarium requires constant monitoring of the state of the water. If it becomes unsuitable, the fish swim to the vegetation that has reached the surface and begin to take in air. In this way, they tell the owner that the percentage of oxygen has dropped and it's time to change the water, siphon the bottom and rinse the filter.

When you have to move the fish to another aquarium, you need to transfer them very carefully, after creating acceptable conditions in the new habitat.

Feeding

Like many types of aquarium fish, catfish are very unpretentious in food. They are happy to eat small crustaceans, worms, as well as dry food and plants. You need to make sure that there is always something to eat at the bottom. If there are cohabitants nearby, they can get ahead. In this case, sinking pellets will come to the rescue.

Compatibility

In the wild, armored catfish live in packs. They have a calm, peaceful disposition. The same behavior persists at home.

Pecilia, hospitants, parsings will be good neighbors. Corydoras can do some harm by eating fry and eggs of other fish. Therefore, at the time of spawning, they are planted in a separate tank. The main thing is to avoid combining with bottom predatory fish (cichlids, swordtails), which can attack catfish. But if necessary, he is able to stand up for himself (thanks to the sharp spikes possessed by the Sterba corridor).

Breeding

You will need a separate tank to get offspring. Spawning is stimulated by water changes (50%) every day with a decrease in its temperature by several degrees and abundant feeding with live food. Several males are planted to one female rounded from caviar. Spawning begins in about a day.

The result depends on the age of the female and the habitat. At one time, she can lay from 30 to 200 eggs. At the end of the process, the participants return "home". The eggs are incubated for up to 7 days. Acceptable temperature is 25-26 ⁰С. The fry will swim in two days. Initially, they feed on microfeed, ciliates. Later, brine shrimp larvae are suitable for this. The fry become mature only after a year.

In good conditions, the Sterba corridor catfish can live for about eight years, delivering a lot of positive emotions to its owner!