Catfish

[dinoo]

[dinoo]

Otocinclus



Fish Profile


Scientific Name: Otocinclus affinis
Family: Loricariidae
Origin: Southeastern Brazil
Adult Size: 1.5 inches (4 cm)
Social: Peaceful, do not combine with large aggressive fish
Lifespan: 5 years
Tank Level: Mid to Bottom dweller
Minimum Tank Size: 5 gallon
Diet: Herbivore, provide algae
Breeding: Egglayer
Care: Moderate
pH: 5.0 - 7.5
Hardness: 2-15 dGH
Temperature: 68-79 F (20-26 C)

[dinoo]

Pictus Catfish



Fish Profile

Scientific Name: Pimelodus pictus
Other Names: Spotted Pimelodus
Family: Pimelodidae
Origin: Colombia, South America
Adult Size: 4 inches (11cm)
Social: Peaceful, suitable for Community tank
Lifespan: 8 years
Tank Level: Bottom dweller
Minimum Tank Size: 20 gallon
Diet: Omnivore, eats most foods
Breeding: Egglayer
Care: Intermediate
pH: 5.8 - 6.8
Hardness: 4-8 dGH
Temperature: 72 - 75 F (22-24C)

[dinoo]

Redtail Catfish



Fish Profile

Scientific Name: Phractocephalus hemioliopterus
Family: Pimelodidae
Origin: Brazil, Rio Negro, Venezuela
Adult Size: up to 24 inches (60 cm)
Social: Predatory, cannot be kept with smaller fish
Lifespan: 15 years
Tank Level: Bottom dweller
Minimum Tank Size: 120 gallon
Diet: Carnivore
Breeding: Not bred in captivity
Care: Difficult
pH: 5.8 - 6.8
Hardness: up to 10 dGH
Temperature: 68-79 F (20-26 C)

[dinoo]

Royal Pleco



Fish Profile

Scientific Name: Panaque nigrolineatus
Family: Loricariidae
Origin: Southern Colombia
Adult Size: 10 inches (25 cm)
Social: Peaceful, suitable for community tanks
Lifespan: 10+ years
Tank Level: Bottom dweller
Minimum Tank Size: 55 gallon
Diet: Herbivore, prefers algae
Breeding: Egglayer
Care: Difficult
pH: 6.5 - 7.5
Hardness: 2-15 dGH
Temperature: 72-79 F (22-26 C)

[dinoo]

Upside Down Catfish



Fish Profile

Scientific Name: Synodontis nigriventris
Family: Mochokidae
Origin: Zaire and Niger River basin
Adult Size: 4 inches (20 cm)
Social: Peaceful
Lifespan: 5+ years
Tank Level: All levels
Minimum Tank Size: 10 gallon
Diet: Omnivore, eats most foods
Breeding: Egglayer
Care: Easy
pH: 6 - 7.5
Hardness: 4-15 dGH
Temperature: 72-79 F (22-26 C)


Description: Numbered among the Synodontis species, the upside-down catfish is aptly named for its upside down swimming posture. They are a popular species that apparently have been admired for countless centuries, as their images have been found in ancient Egyptian art.

Considered a dwarf catfish, they reach an adult size of 3-4 inches. Like other members of the Mochikidae family, they have large eyes, a large adipose fin, forked tail, and three pairs of barbels. Their light brown colored body is covered with dark brown blotches of various sizes. Interestingly, the underside of the body is darker hued, which is the opposite of fish that swim with their belly downwards. This reverse coloration serves to camouflage them when they swim at the surface of the water.

Habitat/Care: Well suited to the aquarium environment, they are peaceful and easy to care for, but are best kept in small schools. Water should be moderately soft and slightly acidic to neutral. Temperate is not critical. A well-planted tank is ideal, preferably using broad-leafed plants, as they like to browse the undersides of leaves. Driftwood, rock arches, and caves that provide places to hide, are recommended. It is quite normal for this fish to hang out on the underside of rocks, leaves, and driftwood.

Diet: In nature the upside down catfish feeds primarily on insects at the surface of the water. They will also graze on algae to supplement their diet. In the aquarium environment they adapt readily to all types of foods, from dry to live or frozen. For optimum health, provide a varied diet that includes insect larvae when possible.

Breeding: There have been a limited number of successful spawnings in an aquarium. Females are larger, are paler in coloration, and have a plumper more rounded body, particularly when ready to spawn. Preparation with live foods, and softening the water to mimic spring rains will increase the odds for success. An overturned clay flowerpot or two, or even some PVC pipe, may be offered as a possible spawning location. Parents may be left in the tank after spawning, as they will tend to the brood.

The eggs hatch in approximately two days, and the fry will feed off the yolk sac, which they carry for four days. Upon the fourth day, they will begin eating freshly hatched brine shrimp. In two months the fry will begin swimming in the characteristic upside down fashion of adults.

[indiholic]

hey i found more on royal pleco

Royal Panaque


Range: North central South America.
Habits: Peaceful with other species but aggressive among themselves.
Water Conditions:Not critical.
Size:Usually seen at six or seven inches; much larger in nature
Food Requirements: Accepts most aquarium fare but should be provided with vegetable substances as well.
Colour Variations: Varies from grayish to brown and greenish-brown.



The most common of the loricariid Catfishes are certainly not very colorful or otherwise attractive in looks; for the most part, in fact, they are considered definitely ugly by many hobbyists. Still, they have remained popular fishes, mostly because they are very effective as removers of algal growths in the aquarium because they are able to scrub rocks and plant leaves and tank sides clean by using their rasping mouths. Therefore it seems probable that a loricariid Catfish that happens to combine efficiency as an algae remover with over a long time, however, lose some of their shyness and develop a greater tendency to come out into the light. In any event, the species should be provided with a suitable resting place within the tank, because besides being averse to bright light it also is territorial and wants a place to call its own.Panaque nigrolineatus has not yet spawned under aquarium conditions; no doubt the species requires a very large tank to house the prospective spawners, which would be very large at maturity.

Originally Posted by dinoo

Royal Pleco



Fish Profile

Scientific Name: Panaque nigrolineatus
Family: Loricariidae
Origin: Southern Colombia
Adult Size: 10 inches (25 cm)
Social: Peaceful, suitable for community tanks
Lifespan: 10+ years
Tank Level: Bottom dweller
Minimum Tank Size: 55 gallon
Diet: Herbivore, prefers algae
Breeding: Egglayer
Care: Difficult
pH: 6.5 - 7.5
Hardness: 2-15 dGH
Temperature: 72-79 F (22-26 C)

[indiholic]

again i found more on bandit cory



Bandit Catfish


Range:British Guiana.
Habits: Peaceful and active.
Water Conditions:Medium soft water, pH slightly acid to slightly alkaline.
Temperature: 26 C.
Size:6 cm
Food Requirements:Accepts all foods, particularly Tubifex worms.
Colour Variations: Reddish-tan body with broad dark stripes, one through the eye and one running backward along the back from the frontal portion of the dorsal to the caudal peduncle.

This pretty Catfish looks a lot like Corydoras arcuatus and C. myersi, and the three are often confused by hobbyists. Unfortunately, while C. metae must be given the nod over the other two in good looks, it is seen less frequently and is therefore less often available to the hobbyist who would like to own some relatively pretty Catfish. Corydoras metae will take place in a mass spawning activity in which the males and females gather around a central location and begin the ritual of laying, fertilizing and depositing the eggs. As with Corydoras paleatus, the females are more aggressive than the males in initiating the reproductive maneuvers; at the end of the courting actions, the males lie passively on their sides and allow the female to make contact between her mouth and the male's genital pore. Then the female swims to the place to deposit the eggs, usually a spot on the glass sides of the aquarium, cleans the spot with her mouth and in so doing deposits some of the sperm which she has taken from the male. With C. metae the eggs are deposited singly, and they soon become very tough and tightly bound to the surface on which they re laid. The fry, which hatch in about five days, are large.

Originally Posted by dinoo

Bandit Cory


Fish Profile

Scientific Name: Corydoras metae
Family: Callichthyidae
Origin: Colombia
Adult Size: 2 inches (5 cm)
Social: Peaceful
Lifespan: 5 years
Tank Level: Bottom dweller
Minimum Tank Size: 10 gallon
Diet: Omnivore, eats most foods
Breeding: Egglayer
Care: Easy to Intermediate
pH: 6.5-7.0
Hardness: 4-5 dGH
Temperature: 72-79 F(22-26 C)

[indiholic]

some more on bronze cory

Bronze Catfish



Range: Widely distributed over South America from Trinidad to the La Plata.
Habits: Very peaceful; constantly going over the bottom for scraps of leftover food. Useful in keeping the tank clean.
Water Conditions:Neutral to slightly alkaline; water should have no salt added to it. These fish come from absolutely fresh water.
Size:6 cm, usually a bit smaller.
Food Requirements: All dried foods are accepted, but to keep them in really good shape an occasional feeding of tubifex worms should be given.
Colour Variations: Greenish brown on the sides, darker above and a dirty yellow underneath. There is a darker zone on the sides.

This is probably the most well known among the popular Armored Catfishes, and its popularity is well deserved. They are comical fellows, their alert eyes always looking around while grubbing around the bottom in search of food. Probably their eyes are not as useful in finding food as their barbells, which are their accessory taste organs and permit them to find food where many other fishes cannot, even in the dark. this fish has little to fear from any enemies; it has sharply-spiked anal and dorsal fins, which would make a larger fish feel as though he was biting into a pincushion. His armor plates, which he wears on his body in place of scales, give a hard, bony surface to a smaller fish, which would feel inclined to nibble on him. With such protection, who needs teeth? the natives have an odd way of catching these fish. They choose a small pond where the ripples tell them that there are Catfish they're surfacing for air. Then they build a dam where the water enters and let the pond run dry. this leaves the Catfish flopping around in the mud, where the collectors can walk out and pick them up. Needless to say, they are careful not to step on them with their bare feet!

Originally Posted by dinoo

Bronze Cory



Fish Profile

Scientific Name: Corydoras aeneus
Other Names: Green Corydoras
Family: Callichthyidae
Origin: Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela
Adult Size: 2.5 inches (6 cm)
Social: Peaceful
Lifespan: 5 years
Tank Level: Bottom dweller
Minimum Tank Size: 10 gallon
Diet: Omnivore
Breeding: Egglayer
Care: Easy
pH: 5.8 - 7.0
Hardness: 2-30 dGH
Temperature: 72-79 F (22-26 C)


Description: Small, active and peaceful, the Bronze Cory is just one color variation of the same species known as the Green Cory. In addition to color variations of green, bronze, albino, and even black, this species is one of many fish that is sometimes injected with dye to enhance its color. If in doubt, do not purchase any specimens that are suspected of being color dyed. It is also wise to avoid any that have damaged barbels, or those having a sunken belly, which indicates inadequate feeding.

Like all Corydoras, this species is armored with overlapping scales known as plates. Their fins possess a leading spine, which can be locked in place to make it difficult for larger fish to swallow them. This spine can make netting them difficult, and care should be taken when doing so. In the home aquarium, Corydoras aeneus are prized for being active, peaceful, charmingly expressive and easy to care for.

Habitat/Care: Undemanding, Corydoras aeneus tolerates a wide variety of water conditions. However, they prefer an acid to neutral pH, soft to slightly hard water, and temperatures in the middle 70's. They are not tolerant of salt and should be moved if the tank is going to be salted. Like other Corys they prefer the company of their own kind, and should be kept in schools of a half dozen or more.

Because they like to dig for food and their tender barbels are easily damaged, the ideal substrate is sand or small smooth edged gravel. They tend to be shy and should be provided with hiding places (preferably of wood or stone), as well as floating plants to subdue the lighting. They prefer low water levels similar to the shallow waters near the banks of the Amazon tributaries that are their native habitat.

Diet: Corydoras aeneus are omnivorous, and will accept everything from flake to frozen foods. To maintain them in good health a variety of foods should be offered, including live foods such as worms and daphnia. They are bottom feeders, which can prove to be a problem due to the fact that other fish may consume most of the food before it reaches the bottom. Owners should observe them at feeding time to ensure they are getting a sufficient amount of food.

Breeding: Spawning Corydoras aeneus is relatively easy. Purchasing a half dozen or more young specimens at the same time will ensure having at least one or two breeding pairs. Males are usually smaller and more slender than the females, particularly when viewed from the top. Prior to breeding, they should be condiitioned with high quality flake foods, as well as fresh or frozen bloodworms and brine shrimp

Water should be on the acidic side. Rainwater is often used to lower the pH, however care should be taken to ensure that the water is not contaminated with toxins. A large water change (up to fifty percent) using water that is several degrees cooler than the breeding tank, will often trigger spawning. If having difficulties inducing spawning, try simulating rain by slowly adding water to the tank using a sprinkler.

The normally shy Corydoras aeneus becomes amazingly active during courtship. Males will pursue females throughout the aquarium at breakneck pace, stopping to rub their body and barbels against the female whenever the opportunity arises. Once the female is in the mood she will search for suitable egg laying sites, and begins cleaning several suitable locations. As the courtship progresses, the roles eventually reverse and the female begins pursuing the male.Spawning begins in earnest when the pair assumes the classic T-position, in which the male is at right angles to the female with her head against his mid-section. The male will turn his body so that he can grasp the female's barbels with his pectoral fins. This position triggers the release of sperm as well as one to ten eggs, which the female will grasp with her pelvic fins. Once fertilized, she will deposit these eggs at a site she previously cleaned. The eggs are very sticky and will adhere firmly to the nesting site. Shortly thereafter the pair will again spawn, depositing a few eggs each time. This process continues until the female has released all her eggs, which can number as many as two to three hundred. Spawning may continue over a period of several days.

Once spawning is complete, the adults should be removed, or the eggs moved to another tank where the fry can be reared. If moving the eggs, wait for twenty-four hours before moving them. Eggs are initially almost clear, but will darken as they develop. In approximately four to five days the eggs will hatch, although that may vary based on the environment. After they are hatched the fry will live on their yolk sac for another three to four days. Initially they may be fed infusoria or very fine powdered fry food, then move to freshly hatched brine shrimp, and eventually adult foods. Frequent water changes (ten percent daily or every other day) are critical during the grow out period.