Catfish aquarium corridor: care and reproduction (photo)

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

Catfish corridor is one of the smallest representatives of the fauna that lives in the water depths of the subtropical and tropical parts of South America. The fish reaches a length of only 3-10 cm, so you don’t have to buy huge aquariums for it.

Description

Catfish aquarium corridors have a slightly elongated body, medium-sized fins and a stigma with four antennae. Since this is a bottom fish, her mouth is at the bottom. Their coloration is very varied. Among other things, you can often meet albino catfish.

The body of these small fish is covered with bony scales, which is why they are also called armored catfish. Interestingly, fish belonging to this species have two types of respiratory system - gill and intestinal.

Distinguishing a female from a male is easy. Its coloration is not so bright, and the dorsal fin has a rounded shape.

Care

dwells.

I must say that this fish, in addition to its decorative purpose, can also perform such an important job as cleaning the ground from uneaten food left by other inhabitants of the aquarium. This is due to the fact that the corridor catfish prefers to be at the bottom most of the time, and it mainly floats to the surface only to take a little breath of fresh air. After that, he again falls to the ground.

Catfish corridors, photos of some species of which can be found in this article, like to dig in the ground, so they often pick up all the dregs from the bottom of the aquarium. To purify water, you need to install a filter.

Feeding

The diet of fish is quite diverse. Therefore, feeding these catfish will not cause much trouble to the owner. So, they can safely be called omnivores. For example, with great pleasure they can dine with frozen dry foods, dine with daphnia, bloodworms, coretra or tubifex, and, so to speak, “pills” containing various plant components in their composition are perfect for dessert.

Catfish corridor eats very interestingly. He swims to the surface of the water and starts eating, while making sounds similar to champing.

Breeding

At about the age of one year, fish reach sexual maturity. Even a novice aquarist can get offspring of corridors at home. To do this, you need to have a small flock of 6-8 individuals. Most often, spawning occurs in the early morning, muchless frequently at night. The beginning of this process will become noticeable by the significantly increased activity of individuals that will try to stray into a group.

For spawning, it is best to use a separate container, where you should place the right amount of fish. The vessel can be filled with both fresh and water taken from the general aquarium. The latter will need to be changed at least half. A separate container will ensure the smooth passage of spawning and good adaptation of the fish to changing conditions, as well as prevent oxygen starvation of the embryos.

After the breeding season is over, all corridors should be returned to the community tank.

Panda corridor

These fish with an unusual appearance reach a length of no more than 5 cm. In nature, they can be found in the tributaries of the Ucayali River, located in Peru. The current here is slow, and the water is saturated with oxygen.

Cosmic catfish panda is immediately remembered for its interesting color, which has some resemblance to Chinese bears. The fish have a light body, and there are three black spots on the fins and around the eyes: the first is on the head, the second is near the tail, and the third is near the dorsal fin.

Males, unlike females, are smaller and have a slightly different body shape. Newly born fry have a single high perifin fold and fairly large pectoral fins.

Panda catfish are brave fish that can perfectly keepdefense. In addition, they are not afraid to swim up to even the largest inhabitants of the underwater world in search of food. Therefore, you can safely place such a catfish in a common aquarium. But still, you should think before putting them in a tank where too aggressive fish live.

Panda corridors become especially active when the aquarium is warmed up to 28-30⁰С. Their cheerful and funny fuss can be observed if you fill the container with sour water at room temperature.

Decorative pond for catfish should be well filtered and often change the water in it. Despite the fact that the fish are quite unpretentious, they do not like it when there is too much dissolved organic matter and mechanical suspension in their habitat. It does not matter how the water will be filtered, the main thing is that it be regular.

Females are distinguished by their large size, more rounded sides and the line of the abdomen, which has an arched profile. In addition, there is a difference in the shape of the fins located on the abdomen. They are somewhat rounder and larger than those of males.

Golden corridors

This bottom fish got its name due to its color. Catfish corridor golden has a calm and peaceful character. It gets along well with almost any aquarium fish. The entire body of a catfish is covered with rows of strong bone plates, which make it practically invulnerable to larger and more aggressive individuals. But it is best to keep representatives of this species in the same container with fish of the same size.

Golden corridors feed from the bottom of the aquarium, whileeating what others have not eaten. With such catfish, there is almost no food leftovers at the bottom. They are omnivores and love both dry and live food.

Golden catfish don't like too much light. That is why during the day they usually sit in the shade of stones and snags or in shelters, and at night they become very active.

Since these fish are quite unpretentious, they are very fond of beginner aquarists. Like panda catfish, they have not only gill respiration, but also intestinal respiration. Therefore, sometimes they float to the surface to breathe atmospheric air. You can equip the aquarium with a special filter pump. It will purify water from turbidity and aerate it. As a result, golden catfish will very rarely float to the surface, since it will be quite enough for them to breathe the oxygen in their habitat. The water in the tank should be changed weekly by about 15-20% of its total volume.

The female of the golden corridor is noticeably larger than the male, and its maximum length reaches 7.5 cm. Another distinguishing feature: the body of the female is wider than that of the male fish. Sometimes they are distinguished by the shape of the fins. For example, the male has a sharp dorsal fin, while the female has a rounded dorsal fin. Very rarely comes across an albino form of golden catfish. With proper care, Corydoras can live in aquariums for about 10 years.