Corydoras aquarium catfish: care and reproduction (photo)

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

Description

Catfish aquarium corydoras have a slightly elongated body, medium-sized fins and a snout with four antennae. Since this is a bottom fish, its mouth is located at the bottom. Their color is very diverse. Among other things, you can often find albino catfish.

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

It is not difficult to distinguish a female from a male corydoras. Its color is not so bright, and the dorsal fin has a rounded shape.

Care

First of all, it should be noted that the corydoras catfish is quite unpretentious both to the conditions of detention, and to the volume of the aquarium, the chemical composition of the water, as well as to the design of the space in which it lives.

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

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

Feeding

The diet of fish is quite diverse. Therefore, feeding these catfish will not give the owner much trouble. So, they can safely be called omnivores. For example, they can have a great lunch with frozen dry products, have dinner with daphnia, bloodworm, coretra or tubularia, and, so to speak, for dessert, "tablets" containing various plant components are perfect.

Catfish corydoras very interesting eats. He swims to the surface of the water and begins to eat, while making sounds similar to chomping.

Breeding

At about the age of one year, the fish reach sexual maturity. Even a novice aquarist can get a litter of corydoras at home. To do this, you need to have a small flock of 6-8 individuals. Most often, spawning occurs in the early morning, much less often at night. The beginning of this process will be noticeable by the significantly increased activity of individuals who will try to get together in a group.

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

After the breeding season is over, all the Corydoras should be returned back to the common aquarium.

Corydoras panda

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.

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

Males, unlike females, are smaller and have a slightly different body shape. The newly born fry have a single high pericarp fold and rather large pectoral fins.

Panda catfish are brave fish that can perfectly defend themselves in their shelter. 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 put such a catfish in a common aquarium. But still, you should think before you plant them in a container where too aggressive fish live.

Panda corydoras become especially active when the aquarium is warmed up to 28-30 °C. Their fun and funny bustle can be observed if you fill the container with acidic 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 what the water filtration will be, as long as it is regular.

Females are distinguished by their larger 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 the males.

Golden corydoras

This name is given to this bottom fish due to its color. The golden corydoras catfish has a calm and peaceful nature. It gets along well with almost any aquarium fish. The entire body of the catfish is covered with rows of strong bone plates, which make it almost 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 corydoras feed from the bottom of the aquarium, while eating what others have not eaten. With such catfish, there is almost no food left on the bottom. They are omnivorous and like both dry and live food.

Golden catfish do not like too bright lighting. That is why during the day they usually sit in the shade of rocks and driftwood or in shelters, and at night they become very active.

Since these fish are quite unpretentious, they are very fond of novice 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 the water from the turbidity and aerate it. As a result, golden catfish will very rarely float to the surface, as it will be quite enough for them to breathe oxygen in their habitat. You should replace the water in the container weekly by about 15-20% of its total volume.

The female golden corydoras is noticeably larger than the male, and its maximum length reaches 7.5 cm. Another distinctive feature: the body of a female individual is wider than that of a 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 one. Very rarely comes across an albino form of golden catfish. With proper maintenance, corydoras can live in aquariums for about 10 years.