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 because of their 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, so 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.

If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

Comes from South America from the territory of Peru. Occurs in the basins of the rivers Ucayali (lower course) and Marañon up to the mouth. They live in the main channel of rivers and their tributaries, prefer areas with a slow current. They keep close to the shore among dense aquatic vegetation.

Brief information:

  • The volume of the aquarium - from 40 liters.
  • Temperature - 21–25°C
  • pH value - 6.0–7.5
  • Water hardness - soft (2–10 dGH)
  • Substrate type - any
  • Lighting - moderate
  • Brackish water - no
  • Water movement is weak
  • The size of the fish is about 4 cm.
  • Nutrition - only plant foods
  • Temperament - peaceful
  • Content in a group of at least 6–8 individuals

Description

Adult females reach a length of about 4.5 cm, males are somewhat smaller and rarely exceed 3.5 cm. Otherwise, sexual dimorphism is weakly expressed, therefore, in mixed age group Determining the sex of the fish is very problematic. They may be roughly equal. Coloring silvery with large dark pattern. Fins and tail are translucent with black strokes.

Nutrition

Cleaner Catfish is an exceptional vegetarian. Eats plant foods. In the aquarium, he can be offered pieces of vegetables (spinach, zucchini, cucumber, etc.) or special food based on dried algae in the form of sinking flakes or granules. In addition, catfish will eat algae growing on glass, plant leaves and decoration, thereby cleaning their surface. Safe for most ornamental aquatic plants.

Maintenance and care, decoration of the aquarium

The minimum aquarium size for a group of 6-8 fish starts at 40 liters. The design should provide for a lot of shelters, for example, in the form of snags and other decorative elements, as well as areas with dense vegetation. Natural wood objects (roots, branches) will serve not only as a natural decoration, but also as a basis for the growth of algae - an additional source of food.
Otherwise, a very unpretentious species, provided that it is kept in stable water conditions and regular aquarium maintenance (water changes and removal of organic waste).

Behavior and Compatibility

Calm peaceful fish, compatible with other non-aggressive species of similar size. Larger and overly active neighbors will be bad company for such a modest Somik. Preferably content in a group of at least 6-8 individuals.

Fish diseases

The main cause of most diseases is unsuitable living conditions and poor quality food. If the first symptoms are detected, the water parameters and the presence of high concentrations should be checked. hazardous substances(ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, etc.), if necessary, bring the indicators back to normal and only then proceed to treatment. Read more about symptoms and treatments in the section "

Few would argue with the statement that an aquarium is one of the brightest and most memorable decorations in any room. Therefore, it is not surprising that more and more more people they begin to get involved in aquarium and place beautifully decorated artificial reservoirs at home. But thinking about the placement of such beauty, almost no one thinks about the difficulties associated with maintaining both cleanliness in the aquarium and its beautiful appearance.

This truth is confirmed by the well-known proverb, which says that without even a small effort, it becomes impossible to achieve any result. The same applies to an aquarium that requires constant care, water changes, quality control and, of course, cleaning.

Why you need to clean your aquarium

Everyone who is engaged in aquarism is familiar with such a problem as the appearance of algae inside an artificial reservoir, which not only restricts the access of the sun's rays, but can also cause many diseases that cause irreparable harm to all living inhabitants in the aquarium. As a rule, many methods have been developed to combat unwanted vegetation, including both the use chemical substances, change of parameters of water and ozonation of water.

But the biological method is considered the most effective and safe, in which the so-called cleaner fish are used, which eat algae and thereby rid the artificial reservoir of their presence. Let us consider in more detail which fish can be considered a kind of aquarium orderlies.

The Siamese algae eater feels comfortable at a water temperature of 24-26 degrees and a hardness of 6.5-8.0. It is also worth noting that representatives of this species may show some aggression towards relatives, while remaining friendly to other types of fish.

This catfish from the chain mail squad has already gained high popularity among both experienced and beginner aquarists. And the point here is not the ease of their maintenance and peaceful nature, but to a greater extent because of their tireless work aimed at cleaning the aquarium from "biological" garbage.

They destroy algae not only from the walls of an artificial reservoir, its decorative elements, but also directly from the vegetation itself, which, for example, not every catfish from ancistrus does. As for nutrition, although they can feed themselves, it is still recommended to feed them. plant food with the addition of delicacies in the form of:

  • spinach;
  • scalded lettuce leaves;
  • fresh cucumbers.

Ancistrus or catfish sucker

It is probably difficult to find at least one artificial reservoir where there would not be a catfish of this species from the chain mail family. These fish deservedly gained such high popularity due to their “sanitary” activities, unpretentiousness in keeping and, of course, their unique mouth structure, resembling a sucker. By the way, precisely because of such distinguishing feature, which stand out noticeably from the entire catfish family, this fish is sometimes also called sucker catfish.

In addition, if we talk about the appearance, then the Ancistrus catfish is probably one of the strangest aquarium fish. The original mouth apparatus, growths on the muzzle that are somewhat reminiscent of warts and a dark color, together with a hidden lifestyle, really create a certain halo of mystery for Ancistrus. This catfish feels most comfortable at water temperatures from 20 to 28 degrees.

Also, as mentioned above, having a peaceful nature, they get along well with almost any kind of fish. The only danger to them, especially during spawning, is represented by large territorial czehlids.

An interesting fact is that when creating optimal conditions, this catfish can live for more than 7 years.

Pterygoplicht or brocade catfish

Quite beautiful and in high demand among many aquarists, this fish was first discovered back in 1854 in the shallows of the Amazon River in South America. It has a rather impressive dorsal fin, brown body color and protruding nostrils. The maximum size of an adult is 550 mm. Average duration life 15-20 years.

Due to their peaceful nature, these aquarium cleaners get along well with almost any kind of fish. But it is worth noting that they can eat the scales of slow fish. For example, scalar.

As for the content, this catfish feels great in a spacious artificial pond with a volume of at least 400 liters. It is also recommended to place 2 snags at the bottom of the vessel. This is necessary in order for these fish to be able to scrape off various fouling from them, which is one of the main sources of their food.

Important! It is necessary to feed the brocade catfish at night or a few minutes before turning off the lights.

Panak or king catfish

As a rule, this catfish has a rather bright color and is a representative of the Loricaria family. This fish, unlike other representatives of catfish, is rather hostile to encroachments on its territory. That is why, the only option when settling a panak in a vessel is to pre-equip the bottom with all kinds of shelters, one of which later becomes his house.

Remember that panaki love to spend most of their time moving in various shelters, often getting stuck in them, which can lead to their premature death if the fish is not removed from it in time.

As for nutrition, these catfish are omnivores. But as delicacies for them, you can use scalded lettuce or other greens. They get along well with peaceful haracins.

Mollies Poecilia

These viviparous fish actively cope with green filamentous algae. In order to feel comfortable in an artificial reservoir, she needs free space and areas with dense vegetation. But also we should not forget that these fish can destroy not only unwanted algae, but in some cases even shoots of young vegetation. But this happens, as a rule, only with insufficient feeding with vegetarian food.

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 arrangement 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. The algae eater is not picky about the conditions of detention, pure water neutral acidity or slightly acidified - 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.

Catfish are interesting, beautiful and useful inhabitants home aquarium. Callicht species establish their own order: they dig the ground, move buildings, helping the owner to create a unique design. Chainmail - remove the young growth of algae from the walls of the aquarium, plants, snags and buildings. A variety of colors and dissimilarity with other inhabitants made them the favorites of aquarists.

The most popular are catfish with suckers of two types - common ancitrus and star ancitrus. These species belong to the chain catfish, widely distributed in the Rio Negro river system and the streams of Brazil. The main difference is the absence of a swim bladder, the presence oral apparatus sucker and large quantity dorsal fin rays (8-10 instead of 7-8 in most other species). Ancitrus ordinary reaches a length of up to 15 cm, and star-shaped up to 8 cm. Contain both types better in pairs or harems, where there are several females for one male. The recommended volume of the species aquarium (for one pair of fish) for:

  • - 80 l;
  • - 60 l.

If the aquarium is common for Ancitrus and other fish species, then the volume must be increased by 20 liters for each type of catfish.

Temperature range of content for:

  • common ancitrus - from 22 to 27 ° C;
  • star ancitrus - from 20 to 28 ° C.

Ancistrus oral apparatus.

Catering for ancitrus

The diet of sucker catfish is based on small-celled algae that form on the walls of the aquarium and make up the design of an artificial reservoir. Thanks to their sucker mouth apparatus, the fish effectively remove green growth from various elements in the aquarium and plants, so they are purchased as.

With a lack of feeding, they begin to eat the soft leaves of plants, leaving gnawed holes in them.

The diet for chain catfish must be selected as for herbivores. Tableted spirulina works well (most commonly used) and can also be fed with dry, live and frozen food. Boiled cucumber, cabbage, lettuce, apple, banana and many other vegetables and fruits are used as treats. When feeding natural vegetables and fruits, uneaten fish must be removed from the aquarium after 2-6 hours to prevent water damage.

Star ancistrus.

Sex differences and reproduction of ancitrus

The main difference between a male and a female is:

  • the difference in size (the male is much larger, the common ancitrus can reach 15 cm);
  • males have bristle-like growths on the snout, the female has only the beginnings of such growths.

Soft water with a pH value of 4.5-6 is required for successful and long-term keeping and breeding of Ancitrus. In special shelters made of wood, clay or slate, coconut shell, the female lays up to 200 eggs, and then leaves the nest. The male protects the clutch and the larvae that appear later until they begin to swim on their own. You can feed the fry with nutritional tablets or plant derivatives.

Male common ancistrus and its processes on the upper jaw.

catfish brochis

By origin, brochis are natives of South America and represent the Calicht family. Six species have been identified in the genus Brochis. The most popular among aquarists have gained the following:

  • Britsky's brochis (the body is pink, the fins are red or light brown, the back is blue-green with a metallic sheen);
  • nosy (catfish with a sharp nose, the main color is greenish-gray, the head is yellowish, the belly is pinkish);
  • emerald (shiny, emerald, green), has a golden-green metallic luster, the abdomen is light, beige-yellow, dorsal, adipose and caudal fins are brown.

Description of catfish

These catfish are peaceful, unpretentious and stay mainly in the bottom layers of water, looking for food at the bottom in the ground or in plant bushes. The greatest activity and playfulness is shown at twilight lighting.

Brochis have a voluminous head with three pairs of whiskers, an elongated mouth opening directed downwards, which makes it convenient to pick up food from the bottom, a high body, squeezed on the sides by two rows of bone plates. The adipose fin is equipped with a sharp spike. The main difference of this genus of catfish from other species of the family is the greater number of rays on the dorsal fin - in the emerald brochis 10-12, in the nosed and Britsky - from 15 to 18 rays.

Brochis is nosy.

Conditions of detention

Brochis catfish are quite large, about 8 cm in size, and require a spacious aquarium. The species aquarium should be at least 112 liters, and the general one - from 240 liters.

You need to put a lid on the aquarium to avoid catfish jumping out.

Brochis are schooling fish, and it is better to keep from 5 to 10 pieces, if the number of fish is less than five, then they will feel insecure and hide constantly in shelters.

Brochis spend all their time looking for food, digging on the bottom, which makes it necessary to have good filtration and choose fine-grained rounded substrate in the aquarium.

Plants should be chosen with a good root system and floating (will create some shade in the aquarium).

The water temperature should be maintained at a level of 24 to 26 ° C, with low softness, and weekly change up to 30% of the volume of the aquarium.

Good aeration and a slight current will be useful when arranging an aquarium.

Driftwood, large stones, grottoes or other shelters will be excellent shelters, without which the brochis are uncomfortable in the aquarium.

For feeding, it is better to use: tubifex, bloodworms, etc. Brochis are very gluttonous and require abundant nutrition, but are not picky in food.

Emerald brochis.

Sex differences and reproduction

Brochis females are much larger and rounder than males. Depending on the state of health and age, the female can lay from 300 to 600 eggs with a diameter of 1 mm. Caviar is deposited throughout the aquarium. The maturation period is five days, after which the larvae appear. After four days, they begin to eat small live food.

The fry go through three distinct phases of development before they acquire their permanent emerald color. Initially, they are mottled with a reddish dorsal fin, then other color changes occur until the full development of the color.

They become sexually mature at the age of 1.5 to 2 years. In breeding, they are not the easiest, and in amateur aquariums they spawn extremely rarely.

View features

Features include:

  • very close view;
  • do not tolerate salting water;
  • when using intestinal breathing, brochises rise to the surface and take in air, sometimes emerging with their whole body;
  • shy and irritable.

Armored Catfish Aquarium

Armored (sea bream), armored catfish or lateral catfish are a separate family of catfish characterized by the presence of large bone plates that cover the entire body of the catfish, except for the abdominal region. Along the entire body, on the sides, a line of bone spikes stretches. Some fins also have hard bony rays.

When danger arises, the catfish spread their fins and secrete toxic mucus, which, when pricked, causes pain and also prevents the wound from regenerating for a long time.

Also, this family is interesting for its ability to make various sounds, due to which some species are called singing.

Description of lateral catfish

Bronyaki live in the swampy areas of South America in the Amazon and Orinoco rivers. This family includes about 100 species, and is represented by aquarium and commercial catfish with sizes from 5 to 120 cm. large species grow very quickly, and aquariums become unsuitable for their maintenance. The most widespread are the following types of aquarium armor:

  • agamixis white-spotted;
  • acantodoras stellate;
  • chocolate acanthadoras;
  • amblidoras of Hancock;
  • doras Eigenmann;
  • striped platidoras.

Bronyaki lead a nocturnal lifestyle and, accordingly, do not like bright light. All daytime they try to spend in shelters. To do this, the aquarium must be equipped with a grotto, snags or piles. large stones with abundant vegetation.

It is necessary to pay attention to the fact that catfish grow, and there should be no impassable pipes or hollow stumps as shelters.

The soil should be selected from rounded stones of various fractions, preferably dark in color, and coarse-grained river sand can also be used.

Due to the fact that catfish secrete a large number of products of vital activity, it is necessary to ensure good water filtration and replace up to 25% of water weekly (with tap water separated from chlorine or specially filtered).

In feeding, they are omnivorous and willingly eat live, frozen and dry food (worms, bloodworms, tubifex, granulated and tableted food with various additives), and also successfully hunt snails. To avoid various incidents with other inhabitants of the aquarium, you need to remember that catfish eat those fish that they can swallow with their mouthparts.

Popular types of armor

Platidoras striped: maintenance and care

Platidoras (platidor, prickly, grunting or singing catfish) is a peaceful fish that inhabits the upper reaches of the Amazon and Orinoco rivers, is found in Brazil, Colombia, Peru and Venezuela. They are called grumbling or singing because they can make sounds in the water, which allow them to find their own kind. Sounds are produced by the pectoral fins and swim bladder.

Grunting catfish can be found in an aquarium both alone and in a group. The size of the platidoras reaches 27 cm and can live in an aquarium for up to 20 years. Mostly they are nocturnal, but they are also interesting during the day, because they spend a lot of time exploring the bottom. At night, they pose a danger to other fish species, especially those smaller than 5 cm.

They willingly eat dry, live and frozen food, but prefer protein food, that is, live food. In the first year of life, they turn upside down and eat food from the surface or from the underside of plant leaves.

Sexual differences and reproduction of platydoras

The differences between male and female are manifested in the shape of the body. The male is more graceful and slimmer, and its coloration is also more pronounced. In case of danger, the female has a bright dark brown color, only a light stripe of bone spikes remains in its color. Puberty achieved at the age of one year.

In captivity, Platidoras breed very difficult, usually due to the artificial administration of hormones. Spawning should be about 100 liters in volume with a temperature of 25 to 29 ° C. The male builds a nest from the leaves of plants up to 10 cm in diameter. The female lays up to 1000 colorless eggs.

At a temperature of 25°C, the fry emerge after 40-45 hours and eat the remains of the yolk sac for the next two days. After 4-6 days, the young successfully swim and move around in the aquarium, feeding on brine shrimp and rotifers. The growth of fry is fast, and at the age of 2 months they reach 4 cm.

Features of platidoras

  • prone to overeating (floats to the top with the belly);
  • when catching, it is necessary to use a container made of glass or plastic (due to sharp spikes, injury is possible).

Agamixis white-spotted: description and content

Agamiks white-spotted, speckled or star-shaped, singing and grumbling is a representative of the agamix species, the armored family. Lives in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia and Peru in water bodies with slow flow. Grunting or singing catfish - agamixes - make loud sounds with their pectoral fins and swim bladder, which makes it easier for them to find females during mating season and relatives.

Stealth in behavior and nocturnal lifestyle are the main characteristic features of this squad. It has a dark color and white specks on the body (in catfish under the age of 1 year, these specks shine). In aquariums, it grows up to 18 cm and is a long-liver (lives up to 20 years). For species content, a capacity of 120 liters or more is suitable, and for general content, from 160 liters.

Water should be soft, temperature - from 24 to 29 ° C.

Artificial shelters, snags and dense vegetation with twilight illumination will provide this catfish with the necessary comfort for living. According to the content of the fish are simple and picky.

Sexual differences and reproduction of agamixes

Sexual maturity of this genus is reached at the age of 2-3 years. Females and males are very similar, but the males are smaller and more graceful, and the female has a shapeless large abdomen. Successful breeding of agamixes occurs in a 100 l spawning tank, it is also worth using hormonal stimulation. The female lays up to 1000 light green eggs with a diameter of 1.2 to 1.5 mm. After 40 hours, the larvae emerge. After two days, the fry begin to move around the aquarium on their own. Starter food is brine shrimp, rotifers and other food corresponding to the mouth apparatus.

Video story about the content of ancistrus: