An aquarium is a wonderful decoration of our house and an interesting hobby for its owner. When we think about having this wonderful undersea world our fears, first of all, relate to the fact that it will be very difficult to maintain it so that it always remains clean and beautiful ...

As the proverb says “you can’t even pull the fish out of the pond without difficulty ...”, the aquarium needs your care (feeding the fish, changing the water and controlling its quality, cleaning glass and decorations, caring for plants, etc.), but in a properly running and balanced aquarium with adjusted lighting, it will not take you much time. If you are willing to spend about forty minutes a week on the aquarium (not counting the time for feeding the fish), this will be enough.

Everyone knows the problem that over time, algae develop in the aquarium, which significantly spoil its appearance. Usually they are a brown or dark green coating that covers the walls of the aquarium, soil, stones and aquarium plants. Also, algae can be in the form of dark or light green threads, tassels, fringe, formed in the same places. If you are a novice aquarist, then when such “decorations” appear in your aquarium, you should seek the advice of specialists, because. some types of algae are destroyed only with the help of chemicals. But in most cases, cleaner fish or water-eaters help well in the fight against overgrowth in the aquarium.

Let's dwell on them in more detail:

There are several dozen species of various algae-eating fish, including a large number of catfish, certain types from the carp family and other herbivorous species.

Blackmollies Poecilia sphenops , belonging to the family of viviparous fish, perfectly destroys green filamentous algae (filamentous). This fish does well in aquariums with dense vegetation and plenty of free space. It should be remembered that it can not only destroy algae, but, with a shortage of vegetarian feed, eat the shoots of young plants.

Recommended for beginner aquarists catfish-corridors (genus Corydoras) . This variety of armored catfish is compatible with any peaceful tropical fish, but in a poorly balanced aquarium, it can stir up the water and eat the rest of the fish. These fish are more suitable for living in an aquarium designed in the style of a rainforest reservoir.

Girinocheil Siamese Gyrinocheilus aymonieri - a cute, very mobile fish that has won in Lately great popularity as an indomitable algae fighter. Fits perfectly into the ichthyocommunity of any warm-water aquarium with civilians. Cleans stones and driftwood well. Young individuals are peaceful, diligently clean the algae, the old ones are more aggressive and, with a shortage of space, periodically arrange intraspecific skirmishes. They can stick and damage the skin of other fish. It is advisable to keep in aquariums with well aerated water and low lighting.

Ancistrus vulgaris Ancistrus cirrhosus - one of the most popular catfish in decorative aquaristics. A typical inhabitant of the bottom layers of water, unpretentious, activated at dusk, compatible with almost any tropical fish. It cleans well the walls of the aquarium, stones, driftwood in aquariums with a lot of vegetation, in rare cases it can change its food habits and spoil the leaves of aquarium plants, as well as Girinocheil and Pterygoplicht.

Pterygoplichts perfectly polish stones and driftwood, feed not only on aquatic vegetation, but also on wood. They need to be given special food for chain catfish so that if there is not enough algae, they will not destroy the leaves of your aquarium plants. Compatible with large tropical fish that live in the middle and upper layers of the water. Territorial, do not like competitors claiming the bottom territory. Pterygoplichts grow to large sizes, so it makes sense to settle them in large aquariums. It should be borne in mind that their excrement, which in the usual case serves as a good top dressing for plants, in large quantities may be harmful to aquarium fish. Large pterygoplichts and panaks should not be kept together, because. they will put up fights.

Panak (genus ) , especially Panak royal Panaque nigrolineatus grows to large sizes, so it will feel comfortable in a large aquarium (one individual per aquarium from 200 liters) This is a woody and herbivorous species, it cleans snags well. In youth, they are distinguished by a calm disposition, but with age they become more territorial. Neighbors should be chosen carefully - active and aggressive fish can eat them long fins. The best neighbors are peaceful haracins.

Crossocheil (Epalceorhynchus) Siamese - a moderately large carp fish that has gained popularity as a tireless algae fighter. Well destroys the so-called "Vietnamese" (dark tassels on the leaves of plants, stones, etc.) and green algae. Peaceful in relation to proportionate neighbors, mobile, active during daylight hours. Does not require large volumes for maintenance, is content with modest care. Perfectly frees from algae plaque not only plants, but also any other aquarium interior items. With a shortage of space and food supply, it conflicts with relatives, such as labeo.

Labeo labeo bicolor And- large, dynamic, bright fish. A good candidate for moving into a spacious aquarium with inhabitants of similar sizes and habits. Bully in relation to individuals of his own species, territorial.

Otocinclus Otocinclus vittatus, Otocinclus sp."negros"- dwarf catfish-algae, belongs to the family of chain catfish. Able to get along in an aquarium with large predatory fish. Perfectly destroys brown-brown diatoms, so 4-6 fish are able to keep a 100-liter aquarium clean. It is popular due to its unpretentiousness, peacefulness, contrasting color. A typical inhabitant of the bottom layers of water. Activated at dusk, compatible with any peaceful tropical fish. Works great in an aquarium together with epalceorhynchus.

Japanese pond shrimp, or Amano shrimp they can also act as algae fighters, but for effective work, a large number of shrimp are needed (about 1 pc. for every 1-2 liters of volume). Cladophora balls or Cladophora aegagrophila velveteen balls are excellent for cleaning, which get dirty very quickly, collecting all the smallest dirt in the aquarium on their thin hairs. Amano shrimp get along well with otocincluss, but they should not be kept in an aquarium with large fish.

In aquariums where predators can attack shrimps and otocincluss, it is better to use epalceorhynchus, gyrinocheils, ancistrus and pterygoplichts.

Here are just some representatives of aquarium orderlies, because. it is very difficult to describe in detail these wonderful aquarist assistants within the framework of one article. It is important to remember that the purchase of such fish will not completely solve the problem of algae control, because. The successful existence of an aquarium biosystem largely depends on humans. It is very important to correctly select and adjust the equipment and lighting, properly start the aquarium and regularly monitor the water parameters and the condition of its inhabitants. As long as the plants in your tank are comfortable and the fish are fed on time and don't overeat, orderly fish can easily deal with minor algae growths.

Privezentseva Alexandra

A clean and well-maintained aquarium is not only beauty, but also a guarantee of a long and healthy life its inhabitants. But sometimes, despite the efforts of the owner and even the work of high-tech equipment, the home reservoir is covered from the inside with a brown or dark green coating, tassels, fringe or threads. This is algae. If this problem overtook you, then do not rush to grab immediately for chemicals. Try hosting algae eaters, for whom eating such “garbage” is one of the natural physiological processes. About which orderlies of the aquarium are known and against which algae they are most effective, read in our article.

Most often in aquariums of amateurs there are these "cleanliness workers"

catfish

Particularly good "cleaners" are:

  • pterygoplicht (brocade catfish);
  • ordinary;
  • (pygmy catfish), which prefers diatoms.

With their suction cup, they thoroughly clean everything (bacterial film, algae growth, other polluting organics), starting from the walls of the aquarium, soil, stones and ending with snags and large plant leaves. At the same time, they themselves are quite unpretentious, which is a definite plus.

Of the minuses, it is worth canceling the large sizes and bad character some of the catfish.

  • For example, an adult pterygoplicht can grow up to 40-45 cm and begin to behave aggressively towards other inhabitants.
  • With insufficient food, some owners of "suckers" may begin to feed on the mucus of clumsy large fish that are attacked under cover of night.
  • Sometimes catfish, overly enthusiastic about cleaning, damage young tender tops of plants or make holes in young leaves.
  • And some individuals with age begin to be lazy and perform their "duties" poorly.

The pygmy catfish or algae-eating otocinclus from the chain catfish family does best with brown diatoms. A flock of five fish can easily keep a 100 liter aquarium clean. "Dwarf" is unpretentious, peaceful, able to get along even with large predators.

The “janitor”, which can be seen less often, but this does not make it worse: the royal panak, belonging to the chain catfish family. big fish, for which you need a 200-liter (not less) aquarium. Young individuals are calm, but with age their character noticeably deteriorates. They get along well with peaceful haracins. Best of all, panak cleans driftwood.

A suction cup with which chain catfish cleans fouling from surfaces.

Girinocheilaceae

This family includes only three types of fish, the most popular of which are.

Their lips are like a sucker with folds on the inside. These bends form a kind of "grater".

Thanks to this design, fish can stay on the rocks even in strong currents, while at the same time scraping algae from their surface.

This food is not very nutritious, so the Girinoheylus have to “scrape” a lot.

All filamentous algae, such as filamentous algae and blackbeard, they cannot eat.

The negative points are

  • damage to the leaves, on which furrows and holes may remain after “harvesting”;
  • a small number of fish is not enough to keep the aquarium clean;
  • in large numbers, they are aggressive and constantly attack their own kind, as they are territorial.

It is very difficult to achieve peace among them. Neighbors also need to be carefully selected, it is absolutely impossible to take slow fish.

Girinocheilus take them for inanimate objects, they can “clean” and severely damage the scales. They also have a bad attitude towards animals that have an elongated body and a dark color - they perceive them as brothers and try to drive them as far as possible.

Gyrinocheilus.

viviparous

Many of them have a strongly developed lower jaw, which resembles a scraper that easily removes plaque from the walls, soil and plants.

The most popular live-bearer cleaners are the guppies, the mollies, and the swordtail. Some breeders claim that these fish can survive even without additional food, eating only green thread.

But they are good only as assistants to other algae eaters, since they are extremely reluctant to eat unwanted fouling.

Live-bearing guppy fish.

Carp

The most tireless fighter against algae from this family is the Siamese algae eater (aka Crossoheil Siamese, or Crossohelius Siamese, or Siamese epalceorhynchus).

His strong point is green algae and the so-called "Vietnamese" or "black beard" (these are growths in the form of dark tassels on stones, plant leaves and other places).

It also copes well with other algae in the form of a fluff, since its mouth is most adapted for this. To keep a 100-liter aquarium perfectly clean, it is enough to have only two (even the smallest) Siamese algae eaters.

The advantages of these fish are also activity, mobility, a rather peaceful disposition, a small volume of the vessel for a normal existence and modest care.

It was not without its shortcomings. After the length of the fish becomes more than 4 centimeters, they can begin to eat Javanese moss, if it grows in an aquarium, and much more willingly than algae.

The way out of this situation is to plant larger mosses such as fissidens.

It has also been observed that as Siamese algae eaters grow, they gradually become accustomed to fish food and over time may lose interest in fouling altogether.

Another couple of "cleaners" from this family are two-color labeo (bicolor) and green (frenatus). Their oral apparatus turned down. Of course, they eat algae and fouling, but not as well as the previous ones. It's more of a hobby, so to speak. Their big minus is the increased aggressiveness and territoriality in relation to both other fish and their own kind.

Siamese watersled in its typical stance. Carefully study the fish and remember its appearance, as pet stores often sell other species under this name.

Shrimp fighting algae

These arthropods are deservedly called champions of cleanliness. Particularly good freshwater shrimp, whose bodies are equipped with special "fans".

These outgrowths filter the water and extract from it uneaten food, particles of plants and what is left of the dead inhabitants. Males loosen the soil and filter the dregs that have risen at the same time. Females clean dirt from the bottom surface.

In addition to filtering water, these creatures remove fleecy algae from plant leaves and all other surfaces, and much more successfully than fish.

The reason is simple - shrimp, especially cherry ones, can get into the smallest nooks and crannies of the aquarium.

Negative points:

  • a small shrimp can only handle a small amount of work;
  • to make the aquarium really clean, you will need a lot of shrimp (one individual per liter);
  • they are very defenseless and can be eaten by fish, as a result of which neighbors must be selected especially carefully, plus a lot of reliable shelters should be created.

In addition to cherries, amano shrimp are good at fighting algae. Perfectly keep balls of kladorfs clean, eat thread.

Important! The efficiency of "work" is affected by their size. The larger the shrimp, the tougher strings of algae it can eat. Four-centimeter arthropods are considered the best.

Enough 5 of these pieces for 200 liters. Three-centimeter will need 1 individual for every 10 liters of water. Small ones need even more (1-2 for each liter). The last option is the most unproductive and the most expensive. It is also worth noting that these shrimp do not eat xenococus and other green algae in the form of plaque. Black beard is also used reluctantly.

Another species is neocaridina. They are most common among hobbyists, as they are very easy to breed. They are small, only 1-2 cm long, so a lot of “combat units” will be required (one individual per liter). Preference is given to soft filamentous algae such as Rhizoclinium. Neocaridines are best choice for planted aquariums. They are also indispensable in a newly launched aquarium, as they help to establish balance. In maturity, they maintain balance.

Amano shrimp.

Snails fighting algae

Although mollusks are not so successful in the role of orderlies, they strong point is the ability to consume almost all pollution (leftover food, excrement of living and dead inhabitants, rotten plants, mucus and plaque on all surfaces, a film from the surface of the water).

And the well-being and behavior of some species serves as a kind of indicator of the purity of the soil and water.

The bad thing is that the number of snails is almost impossible to control, and they multiply very quickly.

Then their large army begins to "harm", eating plants and flooding everything around with their mucus.

But among aquarium mollusks there are not only rapidly breeding pests. Some of the snails cannot breed at all in captivity, others bring a small number of offspring, and still others are interesting and cute, so they will not only be willingly taken away at the nearest pet store, but they may also give something in return.

Here are the cleaner snails most commonly found in home aquariums:

Neretina zebra(tiger snail), Neretina hedgehog, Neretina black ear. They remove plaque from glass, stones, snags, decor and large leaves without damaging them. It seems that they never get tired. Minus - they leave unaesthetic clutches of eggs on the glass of the aquarium, from which juveniles do not hatch.

Neretina zebra.

Neretina horned. This crumb (1-1.5 cm) is able to crawl into the most inaccessible places and clean them to a shine. Works great with diatoms.

Septaria or turtle snail with a flat shell. It is very slow, but despite this, it copes well with algal fouling and Vietnamese. Plants are not damaged. The disadvantage is characteristic - caviar, hung on the scenery.

Corbicula. This is a three-centimeter snail. It is also called the yellow Javanese ball or the golden bivalve. Helps to cope with water turbidity, suspension and flowering, as it is a filter. This means that the mollusk passes water through itself (up to 5 liters per hour!), Eating the microorganisms contained in it. Interestingly, in aquariums with carbicles, fish do not get sick, as they somehow trap their cysts. For an aquarium of 100 liters, you need from 1 to 3 of these snails. The negative points include plowing the soil and digging up plants with weak roots.

ampoule. Pretty large lungfish. It picks up the remains of food, dead fish and other snails, actively eats fouling from the walls of the aquarium. One of the disadvantages is that it produces a large amount of waste, so it is imperative to install powerful filtration in a container with this snail.

Theodoxus. These are small beautiful freshwater snails. There are several types. They can live in both freshwater and saltwater home waters. They feed only on fouling, preferring brown and green algae. They even compete with gerinocheilus for superiority in the effectiveness of the fight against xenococus. But they don't like the "beard". Plants don't spoil.

In conclusion, let us say that the aquarium biosystem can successfully exist only with the help of man. Competent selection and adjustment of equipment and lighting, proper start-up of the aquarium, regular monitoring of water parameters and the condition of the inhabitants are very important. Fish, shrimps and snails are helpers in solving the problem of algae control, not the main characters. Of course, here we have only briefly described only some representatives of aquarium orderlies, since in one article it is impossible to talk about everything in detail. We will be grateful for interesting additions.

The beauty of an aquarium is largely determined by the purity of its glass walls, the transparency of the water, and the shiny surface of plant leaves. However, for beginners (and not only) a real misfortune can be the dominance of the aquarium by lower plants - algae. As biological method to combat the increase in most types of algae, planting fish in the aquarium is used, for which lower plants are natural food. Their mouthparts are adapted to scrape off growths on rocks, plants, and aquarium walls.

Like other catfish cleaners from the chain mail family, nature provided the otocinclus with a mouth of a special structure - in the form of a powerful sucker. The rough inner surface of the mouth and the powerful muscles of the jaws help it easily scrape algae from any surface.

The advantages of this small, modest and slightly shy fish were highly appreciated by the "guru" of all aquarists Takashi Amano. It is this that he recommends to settle in a new aquarium with plants immediately upon launch, since outbreaks of an increase in the number of diatoms are very often observed there. If proper measures are not taken, all surfaces in the aquarium will soon be covered with a slimy brownish mass.

But for otocincluss, the best food is not needed - they selflessly eat representatives of diatoms from the surfaces, do not disdain green algae. True, these sucker catfish have a peculiarity - for food they often choose the leaves of plants and avoid the walls of the aquarium.

Description of the fish and content

Otocinclus - in literally small representatives of a large and diverse family of chain mail, their length rarely reaches more than 6 cm. They have a not particularly remarkable coloration - a dark back and a light abdomen, transparent fins, an elongated body and, of course, there are whiskers - like a real catfish. Of the 20 species of otocincluss, aquarists most of all fell in love with affinis, negros, macrospilus, arnoldi, kakoma.

Cleaner catfish are nocturnal fish, they prefer diffused light, in the daytime they stay near the bottom, near shelters (you should worry about their device in advance). We should not forget that otocincluss - they need at least a minimum "company" of 5 - 7 individuals. Such a flock can keep a 100 liter aquarium clean.

Otocincluss are peaceful creatures, they can become good neighbors for, and other peaceful small fish.

These aquarium keepers love cleanliness, daily water changes of about a third, filtration and aeration are a must for them. It is also necessary to monitor the level of nitrates (no more than 10.0 mg/l). Otherwise, the requirements for the conditions for keeping fish are not strict.

In a clean aquarium, cleaners are fed artificial algae-based food, scalded spinach, lettuce, blanched zucchini.

Siamese algae eater

This is another small and at first glance inconspicuous fish, which is an implacable enemy of algae in the aquarium. Its peculiarity is the fact that the fish eats even those algae that are "too tough" for other cleaners, including the notorious "", or, as it is also called "black beard".

Like otocinclus, does not hurt ornamental plants in an aquarium, unlike other cleaner fish. The exception is, it is often a delicacy for adults.

It is worth noting that only young individuals of the Siamese algae eater actively devour algae. Adult fish often lose interest in them and switch to artificial or live food, especially when kept together with other fish species.

Description of the fish and content

This is a small cute fish with a light body and longitudinal dark stripes on the sides. The stripes continue on the caudal fin and have a serrated pattern. This feature distinguishes them from close relatives - more aggressive false algae eaters, or Siamese flying foxes, which are also considered good cleaners.

The average size is about 7 cm, but adults under proper conditions can reach 15 cm. Despite their considerable size, Siamese algae eaters are absolutely not conflict and do not show aggression even to small fish. An exception may be - as the main food competitors (only lazier), and fish with veil-like fins - the Siamese simply bite them.

In nature, the algae eater lives in streams and small rivers, so it is advisable to install a pump in the aquarium - to create the usual flow for the fish. Algae eaters are not picky about the conditions of detention, pure water of neutral acidity or slightly acidified is the main condition for them.

Despite the fact that Siamese algae eaters stay near the bottom or in the middle layers of the aquarium, they are able to jump to a considerable height, which means that open aquariums are not suitable for them.

Siamese algae eaters schooling fish, but they feel good enough already with three or five of them. This amount is enough to keep a 150-liter aquarium in order. A flock of lively Siamese greatly enlivens the leisurely aquarium life.

- aquarium chain catfish, which is able to clean off growths from all surfaces of the aquarium. In this occupation, he is tireless. For a 200-300 liter aquarium, just a couple of individuals are enough to keep the amount of algae to a minimum. Among the shortcomings of the fish, its gluttony can be called - with a lack of nutrition, it can damage the delicate parts of ornamental plants.

Description of the fish and content

Ancistrus has not only excellent qualities as a cleaner, but also a remarkable appearance. The most common is its simplest form, but there are also veiled forms, albinos, and dark ancistrus are also popular.

In aquariums, Ancistrus rarely grow more than 15 cm, but because of its activity (mostly caused by food requirements), the fish need a fairly spacious aquarium with places to hide.

From necessary conditions you can add enough oxygen, a powerful filtration system - ancistrus actively feed and emit a lot of waste. And yet - for the full digestion of food, they need lignin, the wood of the snag at the bottom of the aquarium will become its source for this catfish.

Ancistrus is fed with artificial feed with spirulina, vegetables, as a treat they can be pampered with bloodworms.

This representative of the chain catfish family is also called brocade. It has an extremely strong suction cup - it is very difficult to tear off a fish that has stuck to the wall of the aquarium.

Description of the fish and content

The glyptoperichthus has an interesting spotted "outfit" and a high dorsal wig in the form of a sail. This cleaner catfish can reach a significant size (up to 60 cm), and therefore it is simply necessary for it - with a volume of at least 200 liters.

The fish gets along well with any fish. The only neighbor that the male glyptopericht will not tolerate is another such male, fights will constantly arise between them.

Otherwise, the conditions for keeping brocade catfish do not differ from the conditions for keeping other sucker catfish. Like ancistrus, glyptoperichthus needs to gnaw on a snag for the normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.

Red Sea, Indian and Pacific Oceans is an amazingly diverse world, but our understanding of the processes that influence it is still quite limited.

For example, it has been accurately established that cleaning fish have a huge impact on many aspects of life in this habitat. In addition, they are a prime example of mutually beneficial symbiosis. And what is it and what “professions” does the cleaner fish own, you will learn further.

What a cleaner fish does can be understood by observing how its “office” works. In reefs you can often find queues of different types marine life patiently waiting for the opportunity to get the help they need. Sometimes, of course, as in human clinics, there may be quarrels for the right to be the first to be cleaned, but, basically, the fish are sedately waiting in the wings.

It is interesting that at this time even something like a truce is announced. That is predatory moray eels can calmly be near their potential victims, without showing the slightest interest in them.

What fish are cleaners

The most common cleaner fish is a member of the Wrasse family (the so-called wrasse). The "profession" of wrasses is due to the shape of their mouths, similar to tubes and armed with teeth of a special design, resembling tweezers, which allows them to most effectively examine every centimeter of the "patient's" body.

Two species of fish from this family, Thalassoma lunare and Thalassoma amblycephalum, are incredibly sociable by nature, often working in large flocks, similar to a swarm of bees. They surround, for example, a huge stingray lazily hovering above them and rejoice at this meeting no less than he does. After all, there is mutually beneficial cooperation here: the stingray turns into a huge dining table for fish, receiving, in turn, a clean body and, accordingly, health.

Medical "professions" of cleaner fish

Cleaners are absolutely insatiable. It has been verified that they can "accept" about 300 fish per day, diligently collecting their unwanted lodgers. At the same time, they do not forget about the remnants of food between the teeth of huge brothers. In addition, they eat algae growing on large bodies warm water fish, clean wounds by picking up dead skin, bacteria and fungi.

The fish that came "to the reception" calmly open their mouths, relax their gill slits and patiently, and sometimes even with obvious pleasure, wait for the end of the process.

How fish behave when using the services of cleaners

When the "patient" feels that he no longer needs help, he can signal the cleaner by closing his mouth for a while. But don't be afraid, he won't eat his "doctor", it's just that he's letting you know he's in a hurry.

But sometimes the cleaner fish cannot resist the temptation to eat a piece of nutritious mucus that covers the patient's body (it must be said that this is her favorite delicacy), and then the indignant "client" shakes off the incompetent "doctor" and swims away. But, mind you, it does not try to swallow it for the edification of the rest of the "medical" brethren.

Why a pair of cleaners is better than one fish

Researchers from Stockholm University, figuring out what "professions" a cleaner fish has, found Interesting Facts. It turns out that fish that work alone are more likely to bite off the mucus. If a pair works, and best of all - a male and a female, then such excesses are not observed. Why?

As it turned out, the cleaners are watching each other. And if the male (he is usually larger in size) discovers that the female has broken the rule, he pursues her to punish her. Like this! But females, thanks to this, work much better, and "clients" are more willing to go to such mixed pairs of underwater "doctors".

And what other “professions” does a cleaner fish own?

But the most surprising thing is that, according to researchers, he is also a peacemaker. In reefs where cleaners live, the aggressiveness of predators decreases. Even in the aquariums where these fish were kept, predatory individuals behaved much calmer.

As you can see, several answers can be given to the question of what “professions” a cleaner fish owns.

Ancistrus, or, as it is popularly called, sucker catfish, lives in the Amazon River, which is located in South America. These catfish are common aquarium fish.

They are popular not because of their appearance, but rather original behavior. They move in jumps and, with the help of a sucker mouth, are attached to the glass of the aquarium, stones and plants.

Ancitruses have horn-shaped scrapers in their mouths, with the help of which the fish scrape off various formations from the glasses and underwater objects of the aquarium, thereby cleaning it. In nature, they live in stagnant ponds and fast-flowing rivers.

Description of ancistrus

The shape of the body is drop-shaped. From above it is covered with a shell of keratinized plates.

Adult ancistrus in an aquarium grow up to 10 cm. The maximum body length depends on the temperature of the content than it higher, the smaller sizes ancistrus.

In addition to ordinary ancistrus, there is a veil form, distinctive feature which is a long tail and enlarged fins. As always there are albinos. Also bred star ancistrus with well-defined white dots on a dark body.

As a rule, ancistrus are not kept alone, they are planted in several individuals in an aquarium as cleaners. Keeping these catfish is quite simple. These are peaceful fish that get along well with almost all fish that are kept in tropical freshwater aquariums.


In an aquarium with catfish, suckers maintain the temperature in the range of 22-26 degrees. But they are able to withstand temperature fluctuations from 18 to 33 degrees. Catfish have adapted to live in aquariums with almost any composition of water, although in natural conditions prefer slightly acidic water. Ancistrus love clean water with a high oxygen content, therefore intensive aeration is recommended.

Plants should grow quite densely in the aquarium. Also, for ancistrus, it is necessary to equip various shelters in which catfish like to hide. It is desirable to have stones and snags that ancistrus will be happy to scrape off.


On the oral sucker there are keratinized tubercles, like a grater, designed to scrape and eat plant and animal "growths" on the surface of various objects.

Males show territorial behavior and actively defend their chosen shelters. The peak of activity in ancistrus is observed in the evening. They eat a variety of fouling from numerous aquarium surfaces. If there is not enough food, catfish can begin to spoil plants, especially young shoots. Partially, they eat the remnants of food that remain from other inhabitants of the aquarium.

If a group of catfish is kept, or they live in small aquariums, pets need additional feeding with plant foods. As such food, they can be given cabbage or lettuce scalded with boiling water. You can also use ready-made feed for herbivorous fish in the form of tablets.

Ancistrus breeding

Breeding these sucker catfish is quite simple. Males can be distinguished by the presence of horns on their heads - leathery processes. Females do not have such horns at all or they are poorly developed.


In addition, the physique of males is more slender. Under favorable conditions, ancistrus lay eggs even in common aquariums, in secluded shelters. But fry in the general aquarium is almost impossible to survive. If there is a specific task - to breed ancistrus, then group or pair spawning is used.

If catfish are kept in a group, then there should be 2 males and 4-6 females. The aquarium is taken with a volume of more than 40 liters. Be sure to have shelters in it. Bamboo or ceramic pipes work well for this purpose, but you can also put driftwood and stones in the aquarium.

The spawning process is stimulated by replacing one-third of the water, lowering the temperature and increasing aeration. When the female is ready to spawn, she becomes fatter. If spawning does not occur, then right in the spawning ground they are fed with plant food. Be sure to remove the leftover food, as they will rot.


As a rule, spawning in ancistrus occurs in the dark. The male chooses a place suitable for laying and carefully clean it, his chosen one lays 40-200 eggs there. Masonry has a type of bunch Pink colour. After spawning, the female should be removed from the spawning ground, and the male should be left to guard the offspring. It will clean the eggs and create a stream of water.

Caviar maturation occurs in about a week, depending on what water temperature is maintained. During this time, the catfish does not eat.

If the eggs were laid in a common aquarium, then you can try to catch them. Caviar, together with the object to which it is attached, is transferred to a new aquarium. If the caviar is attached to the glass, they try to carefully separate it.


The larvae hatch and initially feed on the contents of the yolk sac. When the bags dissolve and the larvae begin to swim around the aquarium, the male is planted. From now on, the fry are given food. You can feed them ready-made fry food. Tablets for catfish are well suited, you can also give them finely ground food or live dust.

The larvae are fed regularly 3 times a day. The cleanliness of the aquarium will have to be well monitored and replaced every day with a fifth. Under such conditions, the fry develop rapidly. At 10 months, young individuals are already capable of producing offspring themselves.

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