Glass catfish. fish for aquarium

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

Do you want to add some originality to your aquarium? Looking for a fish that will surprise you? An excellent candidate for the role of "local original" is glass catfish. Some admire the appearance of this fish, others consider it pale. Everyone has different tastes, it's impossible to please everyone. But one thing is certain - this catfish is one of the most unusual fish. If you are one of those who like such unusual creatures, you should learn more about the candidate for pets, because the conditions for keeping this creature are quite strict, and not every aquarist can comply with them.

Appearance

Indian glass catfish is sometimes called ghost catfish. Of course, the first thing that catches your eye in the appearance of this fish is its absolute transparency. So, you can see all the bones and internal organs. But the glass catfish was nicknamed not only for its appearance. His fragility extends to the conditions of detention to which hevery sensitive.

In nature, ghosts live in the rivers of Indonesia and Thailand. They mostly live in streams or rivers with a weak current. A flock of fish rises upstream, catching prey passing by. Under natural conditions, catfish grow up to 25 centimeters in length.

Only the catfish's head and "bag" with internal organs are opaque. A pair of very long whiskers grows from the upper lip of the fish. At first glance, it seems that the catfish does not have a dorsal fin, but in fact it is, only a very small one. This aquarium fish does not have an adipose fin.

Aquarium

To begin with, let's decide on the size of the aquarium. In general, glass catfish is a small creature, in captivity it does not grow more than 10 cm, so a small aquarium will suit it. But if the purpose of the acquisition is to create not just tolerable conditions, but to organize a cozy and comfortable world for these amazing creatures, then you need to carefully approach the arrangement of the home.

This catfish is a schooling fish. For a family of 6 individuals, the aquarium should be at least 80 liters. It is not recommended to buy a smaller group, because then the fish become more nervous, their appetite worsens, and as a result, due to stress, they can start to get sick.

In the requirement for the form of housing, these beautiful aquarium fish differ from their relatives. The fact is that they prefer aquariums elongated in length, in which there are many plants and water circulation is ensured. The algae will make the fish feel more comfortable becausein case of the slightest, even imaginary, danger, catfish hide in dense bushes. A flock of "glasses" swims mainly in the middle layers, not hiding in snags and bushes, like most catfish of other species. They love our catfish and floating plants that create such a nice shade.

Lighting fish prefer subdued. Bright light is a strong stressful situation. These aquarium fish need at least a few shady areas.

Water

As already mentioned, the glass catfish is very demanding on the conditions of detention. It is extremely important for him that the water parameters remain constant or fluctuate very little.

Glass catfish, the maintenance of which for a beginner will be almost impossible, needs clean water. Powerful filters should be installed in the aquarium, which will produce biological cleaning around the clock. It is advisable to buy an external filter. In addition, aeration of the water in the aquarium is necessary.

For water, the following parameters must be observed: hardness within 4-15 °, acidity pH 6, 5-7, 5, and the water temperature must always be within 23-26 degrees. It has already been said above that a current resembling a natural one will be a wonderful gift for a pet. In addition, at least 20% water changes should be done weekly.

To understand that the conditions of detention are not suitable for fish, it is quite simple: they lose their usual transparency, suddenly gaining color. Therefore, carefully monitor the condition of the water and the fish themselves - the appearance of a “body” indicatesnot only for discomfort, but can also become a symptom of serious illness.

Feeding

Almost all catfish pick up food from the bottom. In addition, most of them are nocturnal. But the glass catfish is unique in this as well. It is active during the daytime, and looks for food in the same place where it is located most of the time - in the middle layers. The catfish definitely does not intend to pick up food from the "ground". He's too aristocratic for that. Therefore, live food will be ideal for feeding him: insect larvae, daphnia, and so on. Of course, these fish also eat good dry food, but you can’t limit the “glass” to such a diet. Diversity is very important to them. By the way, despite the apparent slowness and lethargy, the catfish is at the feeder before all the other inhabitants of the aquarium.

Dry or kibble should be small in size as catfish have a very small mouth. In addition, in an aquarium with other fish, catfish can open the hunt for other people's fry, because in natural conditions they eat this way.

Compatibility

These beautiful aquarium fish are quite peaceful creatures. They are completely indifferent to their neighbors. However, this does not apply to shrimp or fry - here the catfish will not miss its own. But still, for the company of "glasses" it is better to choose a calm fish that will not irritate them with its activity. Neons, rhodostomuses and other characins will be excellent neighbors. Although the ideal option for glass catfish would be individual housing, wherethey will be able to feel like absolute masters.

Breeding

The glass catfish has been known to aquarists all over the world for almost 100 years, but so far no one has managed to put catfish breeding on stream. In this species, the process of reproduction is practically not studied. There are, of course, cases when fry of glass catfish are hatched at home, but this is rather an accident, and the owners themselves cannot explain what they did that made the fish start breeding.

Differences between the sexes are also not found at the moment. When keeping fish in a flock of more than 10 individuals, there is a high probability of being the owner of heterosexual fish. Perhaps you will be lucky and you will be able to get offspring from them.