Conditions for keeping speckled catfish

The speckled catfish belongs to the family of armored catfish or Callichthidae. These are small fish that live in the waters of South America. Speckled catfish have been kept in aquariums since the second half of the 19th century.

The length of the fish is 5-8 cm. Males are slightly smaller and slimmer than females. The body and fins are covered with large dark spots. Like all armored catfish, there are bony plates on the sides, and antennae near the mouth. Catfish are very unpretentious. These are peaceful, calm fish that spend most of their time at the bottom, constantly digging in the ground, sorting out the remains of food and stirring up the water. Catfish tolerate decreases and increases in temperature in the aquarium well. Fish are omnivores and take any food that sinks to the bottom.

Anxiety can lead to catfish injury and stress. The aquarium must have thickets of plants and shelters made of stones and snags. Since catfish are often kept in a common aquarium, their antennae and abdomen are damaged. They often swim to the surface of the water for a breath of air, even if the water in the aquarium is saturated with oxygen.

This observation was carried out in September and October 2008. We monitored how the behavior of catfish changes with increasing and decreasing temperatures. During the observation, we came to the following conclusions: an increase in the temperature of the water in the aquarium leads to the fact that the fish lacks oxygen, and it rises to the surface.

A decrease in temperature leads to the fact that the catfish is motionless and remains at the bottom in one position.

At the optimal water temperature in the aquarium, the fish behaves calmly, periodically swimming among algae and shells.

The influence of feeding regimen

This observation was carried out in November and December 2008. The catfish is an omnivore, but if 1-2 days of feeding are missed, it becomes restless and crawls along the bottom, looking for food and collecting its remains. When additional feeding is introduced, the catfish behaves calmly and does not look for food, but there is a danger that food residues can lead to blooming of the water. Therefore, it is imperative to monitor the amount of feed supplied and the feeding regimen. It is best to feed the fish no more than 1-2 times a day.

The influence of water purity

This observation was carried out in March and April 2009.

When the water in the aquarium is cloudy, the catfish mostly sits in the corner of the aquarium, in algae or on rocks. Rarely swims.

With clean water in the aquarium, the catfish feels good, does not worry, does not rush around the aquarium, and sometimes swims to the surface of the water for air. The catfish will feel good if you keep the aquarium, water and plants in the aquarium clean.

The influence of aquarium lighting

This observation was carried out in January and February 2009. In order to observe the effect of aquarium lighting on the behavior of the catfish, we used additional lighting. When the lamp is not on, the catfish feels good in the dark, quickly swims along the bottom of the aquarium, stirring up the water. When the lamp is turned on for a while, the catfish hides in the algae behind the pebbles. If the lamp is constantly on, then the catfish is sitting in the corner of the aquarium behind algae or shells.

Thus, when the aquarium is brightly lit, the fish hides in cover. The catfish feels more relaxed in natural light and twilight.

Influence of habitat

When we cleaned the aquarium, we had to transfer the catfish into a jar, it began to twitch, rush around the aquarium and was very difficult to catch with a net.

At first, the catfish does not feel comfortable in the jar, it is motionless. Then it adapts and behaves the same way as in the aquarium. Thus, we can conclude that catfish are very unpretentious and calm. Anxiety can lead to trauma and stress. Therefore, the aquarium needs thickets of plants and shelters made of stones, shells and driftwood.