Catfish: the birthplace of aquarium fish

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

Catfish-cute inhabitants of aquariums

Freshwater reservoirs of the world number about two thousand different types of catfish. About 800 species have been introduced to aquariums. These cute animals mostly have a wide head and flattened sides. They completely lack scales, in some places it is replaced by bone plates. Catfish are bottom-dwelling fish, most of them are quite unpretentious – normal aquarium conditions are enough. The birthplace of the aquarium catfish is the reservoirs of the whole world, the habitat of many species varies significantly. The details of the content of some fish, their habits, differences in shapes and colors will be described in our article.

Speckled catfish

The pet of many aquarists is the speckled catfish. The fish is native to South America - Brazil, Argentina, as well as Paraguay and Uruguay. It belongs to the genus of Corydoras and one of the types of Armored or Kellytoy kgs. Sometimes it is called a catfish ordinary, simple or marble catfish. It is a typical omnivorous bottom-dwelling fish, peaceful, with a nocturnal peak of activity. Speckled catfish is quite unpretentious in food, it is easy to keep it at home. Often the catfish picks up the leftover food of other fish, but sometimes it is recommended to give special food in the form of a special tablet for catfish. The speckled catfish is called the "old-timer" of aquariums. Its first breeding at home was recorded in 1878.

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Golden catfish

The golden catfish also belongs to the genus Corydoras. The birthplace of fish is South America. There, on the sandy areas of various reservoirs, it feels especially good. In aquariums, this bottom fish can reach a length of just over 7 centimeters. Color in yellow-brown colors. Of particular interest to all who watch this beautiful fish is the way the golden catfish moves. It moves its body from one place on the bottom to another with the help of spines, which are located on the pectoral fins.

Thoracatum

Far from the Amazon river Basin - tarkatan. This catfish, which is native to Brazil, can reach a length of up to 18 centimeters. A special feature of the male torakulov is formed from the anterior ray of the pectoral fin, bone protruding tongue is red or orange. Prefers semi-darkness, often hides in shelters. This is a fairly peaceful catfish. The homeland of the fish during the spawning of the thoracatum on the reservoirs 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 by mouth, but by gill covers. During spawning at home, a piece of foam is most often used, which, after the female has swept the eggs, is moved along with the eggs to a separate aquarium. Or simply put the female out of the aquarium, as the male can start to drive her away from the nest.

Shark Catfish

The shark catfish, the birthplace of the fish-Thailand, loves society very much. And to such an extent that loneliness often causes him stress. A slow catfish does not like sudden movements and changes in lighting. If you turn on the light abruptly in the room where the aquarium is located, the shark catfish may be so scared that it will start rushing around the aquarium and may damage its nose in an attack. This is a fairly large representative of catfish. The Siamese shark catfish grows up to 30 centimeters, and the high – finned catfish grows up to 50.

Ancistrus

Ancistrus is a very original catfish, the birthplace of the fish is Brazil. Male ancistrus have specific bushy leathery appendages on their heads, which is very popular with children who watch these fish in the aquarium. The body is mostly dark gray in color, with light spots. But the color can also "turn pale", in Ancistrus it is variable. Often the fish stick to the glass of the aquarium and are engaged in scraping algae. The birthplace 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 must be cleaned and saturated with oxygen.

Synodontis

Synodontis-African catfish. The birthplace of fish is the reservoirs of the Congo River. Synodontiss are often called shifters, because they turn their belly up and swim on the surface, collecting prey with fluffy whiskers. There are a lot of color options for this catfish, whose homeland made it "invisible" in the aquarium. The mottled color and various shades of colors make it, despite its rather large size, invisible at the bottom of the aquarium, and it takes a lot of time to find it. The fish feels unprotected if there are not enough shelters in the water.

Brocade pterygoplicht

Brocade pterygoplichthys - luxury beauty-catfish. The birthplace of the fish is the Orinoco River. It got its name due 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 suction cup. Recently, it has been popular with aquarists. It grows to 30-35 centimeters. It should be borne in mind that if the Brocade pterygoplicht is kept together with large clumsy and slow-moving fish, it will try to stick to them, as a result, the scales may be damaged. Probably attracted to the slime. Basically, this is a very peaceful fish, it gets along with small species without any problems.

Bag catfish

Another mustachioed beauty of aquariums is the Meshkozhaberny catfish. The fish is native to Southeast Asia. It is the only species in its family. Color: brown or black and blue. A real barbel-on the jaws has 4 pairs of fairly long appendages. It can grow up to 30 centimeters in length. And the females are slightly larger than the males. A special feature of the Sac-gill catfish is the 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, remaining virtually without water in the mud. Catfish is unpretentious and omnivorous. Prefers places with low light in the aquarium, looking for cracks and shelters. It can come into conflict with other bottom fish in the aquarium.