Speckled Catfish: description and features of the content

Smoked catfish is a very common aquarium fish. It is characterized by extreme unpretentiousness and simplicity of content. Therefore, the breeding of this species can be recommended to aquarists-beginners. You can buy fish almost at any pet store or in the market. The only drawback of breeding is that the fish constantly moves the soil, raising the turbidity, so without a filter can not do.

In nature, the speckled catfish was widespread in South America, in the basin of the La Plata River. He likes to stay in shallow water, where there is soft soil, digging out various worms and insect larvae from there. In natural conditions, the female can reach a length of 8 centimeters, the males are smaller - 6 cm, and in small aquariums the fish size decreases by one and a half times.

The body of the spotted catfish, like the other somomoid, is short enough, the back line convex, and the abdomen is straight. Male from female differ both in size and dorsal fin. In a male, it is pointed, and the female is round, while the male specimen looks more slender. The abdomen of the fish is light, in the natural habitat orange-yellow. On the downwardly directed mouth there are two pairs of tendrils used to search for food. The water creature conducts a daily life, as a result of which it is possible to freely observe its behavior.

A mottled catfish is very unpretentious in care. The optimum temperature for its vital activity can fluctuate within wide limits (18-28 degrees), it is even possible to leave this range for a short time. For fish, the amount of oxygen dissolved in water is insignificant, since this species can use for its breathing atmospheric air, the oxygen from which is absorbed in fish in the large intestine.

To feed fish, aquariums can use almost any food that falls on the bottom. Water can be used of any quality, it is important that it is not salty. Individuals can not tolerate table salt, even the one used to treat other fish. It is necessary to provide water filtration, because plants and other inhabitants of the aquarium will suffer first of all from the mud.

A speckled catfish is a schooly species, therefore it is best to take several individuals (5-6 pieces) for maintenance. And for the neighborhood, you can start any fish that have a peaceful character, with similar dimensions. In the aquarium should be equipped with shelters or organize thickets of plants, in which fish are very fond of hiding from annoying neighbors. On the bottom it is better to sprinkle a small soil in which water creatures will rummage.

Of all the spawning fish spawned, the spotted catfish is most easily bred. For a spawner, an aquarium of 10 liters is suitable. For reproduction, it is necessary to enrich the water with oxygen by putting aeration. The optimum water temperature should be about 20 degrees. For spawning place separately one female and a pair of males. In total, a female specimen sweeps out several hundred transparent large eggs. Caviar develops about a week, large fry out of it, which grow rapidly and mature to 8 months. The lifespan of catfish in captivity is 8 years.