June 9th, 2008
Tropical Fish Secrets specimen would be a 75g (48×18x18″), for groups of this fish allow a additional 20 gallons per fish. Can be kept in a wide range of water parameters providing you avoid the extremes of hardness and pH, temperatures can be between 23 and 30 centigrade (74-86f). Regular large water changes (30 to 40% weekly) are recommended to keep this fish in good condition. This fish is a predator and so tank mates should be at least 4″ to avoid being eaten. Feeding: The fish is a predator and so should be fed a diet of meaty foods, mussels, cockles, fish, earthworms and pellets for carnivorous fish should all be accepted, smaller specimens can be fed bloodworms until they are big enough to take larger food. Breeding: Unknown Sexing: Unknown Comments: The fish has a couple of peculiar habits which may alarm those new to keeping this fish. The first is its preferred hunting position of lining its self up vertical to tall structures within the tank while it waits for prey, this behaviour only seems to last a short while in captivity and once it adapts the fish takes on a more natural at rest position. The second is that this catfish will periodically shed the mucus coat from its body, there are several theories as to why the fish does this ranging from poor water quality to being connected with the fishes growth and even that the fish uses this as a defense mechanism when startled, I personally go with the second theory as my S.limas always seem to do this shortly before a growth spurt, it is none the less nothing to worry about and the mucus will quickly be eaten either by the fish its self or by hungry tank mates. Common Name: Skunk Cory Other Common Name: Arched Cory Scientific Name: Corydoras Arcuatus Family: Callichthyidae Adult Size: 2 inches (5 cm) Origin: South America Social: Peaceful Lifespan: 5-8 years Tank Level: Bottom dweller Minimum Tank Size: 15 gallon (IMO) Diet: Omnivore, eats most foods Breeding: Egglayer Care: Easy to Intermediate Temperature: 25 Degrees Sexing: Easiest when viewed from above as with most cories, The female has a more fuller wider body behind the pectoral fins. Notes: A healthy skunk cory will have shine over its golden brown body, Due to the similar marking to the bandit cory i’ve found them to shoal together readily. They are not as readily as available as bronze or the more common types of cories, Although you see them from time to time. Tend to be a little more delicate than other types of cory so be sure to keep up with tank maintenance.
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June 6th, 2008
Tropical Fish Secrets FamilyLoricariidae Origin: Columbia Maximum size: 3 inches Care: Needs a minimum tank size of 10 gallons, preferably bigger. Keep the temperature from 75 to 80f. Likes to hide in caves and under rocks. Prefers smooth stones and large rounded gravel. Very timid and only comes out at night or when no one is in the room. Very nice fish but you’ll only see them like once every week or so. Keep with peaceful community fish. Feeding: Algae wafers and veggies like cucumber, lettuce, and squash, some live or frozen foods. Sexing: Males have a longer dorcal fin then females and the striped pattern is more noticeable. Breeding: Unknown Common name/s: Sailfin pim, painted catfish, saddle catfish, sailfin marbled catfish Scientific name: Leiarius pictus Family: Pimelodidae Origin: Amazon basin Maximum size: 24″ to 30″ Care: Rightfully known as a true tank buster this fish requires a large tank with massive filtration, unless you have plans for a tropical pond or a tank of at least 8×3x3 feet then this is not the fish for you. The fish is not fussy of water parameters but due to the fishes massive appetite water changes of at least 50% weekly are recommended. Tank furniture needs to be large and robust and any plants should be of the floating variety as the fishes large bulk will easily move objects around the tank and uproot even the most well rooted plants. As with all pimeloids the fish is a predator and any tank mates need to be equally large, other large catfish arownas and cichlids such as oscars are suitable. Feeding: This fish isn t fussy and will accept all manor of large meaty foods; juveniles will hover up catfish pellets and bloodworm like its going out of fashion. As with all large predatory catfish once the fish has grown to 12″ it should only be fed one very large meal once a week. Breeding and sexing: Unknown Comments: The width of the tank is more important than the length for this fish; if the tank is not wide enough the fish s barbels will touch both sides of the tank at once and cause the fish to try to forcibly leave the tank! Common name/s: Shovelnose catfish, hockey stick catfish, duck bill catfish Scientific name: Sorubim lima Family: Pimelodidae Origin: Found in north western and south western parts of the Amazon and its tributaries, Venezeula to Paraguay Maximum size: 12″ is common in aquaria but some fish can grow to 20″ Care: Due to the fishes large adult size the minimum sized tank for a single
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June 3rd, 2008
Tropical Fish Secrets Care: Pretty hardy and undemanding, pH of 6.5-7.4 but closer to neutral. Temperature of 72-78. Prefers soft waters, and a shoal of at least 7 in my opinion. Be sure not to house with larger or more aggressive fish, and add some bog or driftwood into the tank. And will appreciate a fine gravel or sand substrate. Feeding: Usually not to picky about foods. Brine shrimp, blood/tubifex worms, flakes, shrimp pellets, and catfish pellets or wafers. Sexing and breeding: Females tend to be a tad wider. Breeding occurs in shoals, eggs are laid on plants. Comments: Very peaceful (like all cory’s). Will swim to low mid levels of the tank and very active. Wonderful community fish to have (in my opinion they’re better and more fun to have than normal cory’s). Some have a very low subdued metallic shine on their body while some have a very bright shine. Common name(s): Red-tailed catfish, Amazonian red-tailed catfish. Scientific name: Phractocephalus hemiliopterus Family: Pimelodidae Origin: Parts of the amazon including deeper waters through to the flooded forest in the rainy season. Maximum size: Difficult to say the max size of these fish as it changes so much. In the wild there are reports that 6-8′ cats have been caught but 5′ is more common. In captivity however, 4′ is a god size with a lot staying at 3 , a lot of public aquaria have them to 3.5′ - 4′ some may have larger. Care: As far as tropical fish go, they are actually quite a hardy fish and will adapt to captive conditions well as long as a large well filtered aquarium is provided. Eventually they will require a tank/pond of 10′x4′x4′ min but larger the better for these fish. As they grow they are best started in small 36″ tanks when 2″ long and moved up to 4′ then 6′ tanks and then up to a pond. As for water chemistry, anything between Ph6.5-7.5 and a temperature of 25-30C is fine. To keep nitrates down twice weekly water changes may be required. Feeding: While they’re small (2″-6″) they are fine on bloodworm, chopped cockle and small pieces of lance fish/smelt daily or every other day. Once they get to 8″12″ they should take whole lance fish/smelt twice a week. Once they hit 12″ bits of trout are best and fed once a week. I also add vitamins with this as mine won’t touch any green foods. Breeding: Never bred in captivity although we are starting to see red-tail/tiger shovelnose hybrids coming into the shops which IMHO are wrong. This is most likely done using hormones. Comments: This is not a good aquarium fish unless you have a fish house or are can build a huge tank in your home with an equally large filter to match. They should be left to public aquaria IMO. Never leave objects near the aquarium as anything they can swallow will be eaten. In the past, they have eaten cameras, sunglasses and mobile phobes not to mention tank mates. This is a beautiful fish if kept properly. Common name: Rubbernose Pleco / Bulldog Pleco / Rubberlip Pleco Scientific name: Chaetostoma Milesi
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May 31st, 2008
A group of five or six is good. A good water temperature can range from 70 to 78 degrees Fahrenheit. They are strictly freshwater; adding salt water to a tank of cories will stress the fish. This type of fish is also known as an armored catfish and is compatible with many other species of freshwater tropical fish. One thing to keep in mind is that every Corydoras catfish occasionally needs oxygen at the surface. They swim to the top and swallow bubbles of air to absorb oxygen internally. Feeding: Peppered cories are bottom feeders; they search the bottom for leftover food. They will eat flake food that sinks to the bottom. Shrimp pellets, in my own experience, has been the most popular food but they will eat most bottom feeder pellets. Sexing and Breeding: The female Peppered Cory Cats are usually larger and more round than the males. In nature they breed when the rivers and streams flood with fresh water. To breed in captivity do large and frequent water changes and decrease the water temperature slightly. When breeding, the female groups off with two males, she chooses which one she will mate with. The mating pair will get into the “T” position, where the female faces the males on a 90 degree angle to extract the male’s sperm. The female will then lay the eggs throughout the tank, underneath plant leaves and under rocks. Common name/s: Pictus catfish, pim pictus, angelicus pim Scientific name: Pimelodus pictus Family: Pimelodidae Origin: Amazon and its tributaries in Columbia and Peru Maximum size: 6″, 12″ in the wild Care: The fish is reasonably easy to care for, it tolerate a wide range of water conditions and will thrive in all but the most alkaline and hard water, they are best kept at temperatures from 22 to 25 Celsius. As with all pimeloid catfish the fish can be sensitive to nitrate so regular maintenance should be done, water changes of at least 25% weekly are recommended. Decorate the tank with many pieces of bogwood and rocks to form caves and structures for the fish to rest under. Pimelodus pictus is best kept in a group of 3 or more, if kept alone they become shy and will hide but if kept in just pairs they will fight. this fish is a predator and will consume any tank mates under 3″. Feeding: The fish is not fussy about food, most sinking aquarium foods will be taken, and bloodworms and catfish pellets for carnivorous fish are recommended. Breeding: Unknown Comments: There are two subspecies of Piteous pictus in the hobby, the Peruvian pictus which has large black spots and is the more commonly seen fish and the Columbian which has many smaller spots and is generally smaller. Common Names: Pygmy Cory, Pygmy Catfish Scientific Name: Corydoras Pygmaeus Origin: Brazil, in the Rio Maderia and its tributaries. Maximum size: 1 inch
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May 28th, 2008
Tropical Fish Secrets Care: Needs a tank of 10 gallons minimum. Keep at temperatures of 75-79f. A peaceful community fish. An ideal algae eater for small aquariums. This catfish likes to be in groups of three or more. A nice feature about this catfish is that it is not as shy as most species. It can often be found stuck to the sides of the tank or grazing rocks and leaves during the day. Do provide a few hiding places just in case this fish feels like a little privacy. A dark colored substrate makes this cat feel more comfortable. Feeding: Algae wafers as well as some vegetables. Loves brown algae and driftwood. Sexing: Females are larger and rounder then males. Males have slightly longer fins which aren’t really noticeable at first glance. Breeding: You need quite a few otos to get them “in the mood”. They will lay eggs on rocks and leaves. Keep the water slightly softer to encourage breeding. Comment: Be very careful when acclimating this fish and carefully monitor its care the first 2-3 weeks. Many people have a hard time acclimating the otos and getting them to eat. Common Name/s: Panda Cory Scientific Name: Corydoras panda Origin: Peru, South America Maximum Size: 2 Care: Panda Cories do the best in nice, clean water. The temperature should be between 68-78, but I ve always found them to do best in water that s about 73 75. They cannot tolerate very high temperatures for long periods of time. The p.H should be around 6.5 - 7.4. with Panda Cories, They are one of the more delicate types of Cories. Sand is best for them, as they can go about sifting through it, and picking up bits of food. Fine gravel is also okay, but then some uneaten food can fall through, and cause bad bacteria, which can cause infections in the Cories. I ve found you need to do water changes pretty often with Panda Cories, more often then you need to for other Cories. On my tank that has Pandas in it, I do water changes 2 times a week. They also will enjoy caves, or pots, where they can hide. Feeding: Flake food, sinking wafers, and most Live/Frozen/Freeze-dried foods. I ve found Bloodworms, Brine Shrimp and Tubifex Worms to be some of their favorites. Sexing: Females are more robust. It s easier to see this, when you view them from the top. The male should look more streamlined. If you happen to catch them breeding, the female will be the one carrying the eggs around. Comments: Panda Cories are great little fish. They do well in community tanks, and they are very peaceful. Common Name: Peppered Corydoras Scientific Name: Corydoras paleatus Origin: South America Average size: In captivity they can grow to be 3″ Care: Peppered cories do well in large groups because they are a schooling fish
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May 24th, 2008
Tropical Fish Secrets Origin: Widespread throughout the Amazon basin Maximum size: 7″ Care: A very easy fish to care for, the species is neither fussy of water conditions, tank mates or food, tolerates temperatures from 18 to 28 Celsius. A sand or smooth small grained gravel substrate should be used to protect the fish s barbels. The fish will not harm even the smallest fish and is the perfect addition to any community tank over 30″ in length, ideally the fish should be kept in groups of 3 or more but can be kept singularly as well. Feeding: All small foods will be taken, bloodworms and small catfish pellets are especially enjoyed, the fish may even take flake from the surface. Breeding: Spawning can be initiated by large water changes using cool water, when in breeding condition the male displays a blue/purple sheen on the under belly. The fish build a bubble nest using leaves and twigs in its construction, after spawning takes place both parents should be removed to separate tanks as the males become aggressive and both will eat eggs and fry. Comments: Hoplosternum make good clean up tank mates for medium sized and non aggressive predators like S.lima, H.platyrynchos, Osteoglossum and Astronotus, their reasonable size and armor plating makes them unappetizing and protects them from the occasional nip. Common name/s: Ornate pim Scientific name: Pimelodus ornatus Family: Pimelodidae Origin: South america, Amazon basin Max size: 12″ Care: Not fussy of water parameters as long as extremes of hardness and pH are avoided, a good regular tank maintenance schedule will keep the fish in top condition, needs the temperature to be between 24 and 25 Celsius (75-77f). A constantly active fast moving catfish the minimum sized tank to keep this fish when adult would be 5×2x2′ (120 gallon) though this size could easily handle a small group of them (3-5 fish). Does best in a group but is quite happy kept as a single specimen, as with all pimeloids the fish is a predator and fish less than half its size will be eaten. Feeding: All manor of prepared and frozen and fresh meaty foods will snapped up greedily, the fish will eat enough in one feeding to last a week! Smaller specimens can be fed on bloodworms until they are large enough to accept larger foods. The main thing to remember is to keep the diet varied. Breeding and sexing: Unknown Comments: A must have for any pimeloid catfish enthusiast; this is the fish that all other pims wish they were! Common name: Oto / Otocinclus Scientific name: Otocinclus Affinis Origin: South America Family: Loricariidae Maximum size: 2 inches
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May 21st, 2008
Tropical Fish Secrets Origin: Southeast Asia Maximum size: 4″ Care: These fish can be rather sensitive to water conditions, and thus a matured tank is required. When stocking this fish, put it in last. Soft and acidic water is needed. Nitrate levels must be kept below 40ppm. Plants are important to make this fish feel secure, or they may be extremely skittish. They can be put with pretty much any other community fish, since it is very peaceful. Be careful that there are no fish disturbing it, however, as it is easily stressed. Also, they must be kept in groups of at least 3-4, as keeping too few of this species will make it feel very insecure and stressed, and it will eventually perish. Feeding: Live foods such as bloodworms are preferred. They may take prepared food, but only do so when the food is moved by water current, or sinking. Mine never go to the top to feed. Sexing and breeding: Unknown Comments: The glass catfish can turn a milky colour when stressed. When I first bought mine, one of them turned white. It died the next day. The others, who remained translucent, survived till today. Mine hang out at a single spot in the tank all day, and when I redecorate the tank, they simply pick another spot and stay there all day. An important point to note is that there is another species of glass catfish which is similar, but not the same. Parailia pellucida is the other species, and the difference lies in the spine. Kryptopterus minor has a translucent spine, while parailia pellucida’s spine is an opaque black. Common name/s: Golden Nugget Pleco. Scientific name: Baryancistrus sp. Family: Loricariidae. Origin: Amazon, Brazil, Rio Xingu. Maximum size: 14″ has been recorded but 8″ is more likely in captivity, slow growing. Care: Excellent water conditions are required with a soft and slightly acidic PH preferred. Provide caves and bogwood as a retreat for the fish during daylight hours. They can be a territorial bottom dweller that will occupy a hiding place and keep it to itself; with other Golden Nuggets they are highly territorial. Feeding: These fish require a varied diet including meaty foods like Bloodworms, they will also except more vegetable based foods like cucumber and algae wafers. Try to feed before lights out with newly introduced fish to give them a chance to feed as they are nocturnal. Sexing and Breeding: Not detailed breeding reports, difficult to sex even in mature adults. Comments: A highly attractive fish that makes a shy but wonderful addition to a tank. There are actually three species, L018, L081 and L177. L018 believed to smaller than others reaching a maximum length of 6″. Common names/s: Brown hoplo, hoplo catfish Scientific name: Hoplosternum thoracatum Family: Callichthyidae
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May 4th, 2008
Tropical Fish Secrets “larger” cat to keep. They are bottom and middle water swimmers that you will find basking on a rock a lot, whilst swimming about together in the middle regions of the water. - Minimum Tank size would be 20G for a pair or 30G for 3+. - Can be quite fussy with water conditions so check your LFS parameters against your own and acclimatize them carefully. -They like rocks or large plants to sit on / in, along with some caved areas. Feeding: Seem to take very kindly to feeding on catfish pellets and anything else they can forage for on the bottom of the tank. A bit of vegetables is always appreciated and keeps their colours bright. Breeding: Similar to that of a cory. Requires Wet/Dry season simulation and feeding on live food or possibly frozen bloodworm throughout. Sexing: Females are much fatter than the males, easily distinguishable (unless yours are very greedy and are all fat!). Comments: I Have 2 of these and they seem very good friends, so its safe to say keep them in groups. It is usually recommended in groups of 5+ if you have the space. Never caused or been the subject of any problems, an ideal community cat. Common name/s: Frogmouth catfish Scientific name: Chaca chaca Family: Chacidae Origin: India, Sumatra, Borneo Maximum size: 8″ Care: Caring for this fish couldn t be easier, as the fish is an out and out piscavor species tank is recommended and its only requirements are a large flat rock and a sand substrate. The fish is unfussy of water parameters as long as extremes of hardness and pH are avoided, regular tank maintenance will keep the fish in good condition, and a temperature of 22 to 24 centigrade is preferred (71-75f). Frogmouths can swallow prey nearly their own size and so are recommended for a species tank only; keeping with larger fish will affect the fishes ability to hunt effectively. Feeding: FISH! This is one of the very few predators I was unable to convert to frozen foods, unless you are happy to feed live fish then this fish is not for you. As with all predatory catfish frogmouths only need to be fed one good meal a week. Breeding and sexing: Unknown Comments: Frogmouths have the strange ability to lower the pH of the water they live in, often to levels below 6. For this reason regular pH testing is recommended so corrective water changes can be carried out. Common name/s: Glass Catfish, Ghost Catfish, Asian Glass Catfish Scientific name: Kryptopterus minor Family: Siluridae
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April 30th, 2008
Tropical Fish Secrets Feeding: Blood worm and chopped mussel are fine whilst young but as they grow, they prefer meaty foods such as lance fish/smelt. Breeding: I have never heard of this fish being bred in captivity but there are reports that it is a cave spawner in the wild. Comments: So how is the electricity produced? When observed through a microscope, the electric organ is seen to be composed of a series of disc-like modified muscle cells called electroplates, stacked in piles like coins, embedded in a jelly like substance and held together by connective tissue to form a tube. Nerve fibrils connect to one surface of each electroplate, and many blood vessels supply the jelly-like material. Although the electrical potential of each electroplate is very small, the wiring of the plates in series, and the columns in parallel, means that a much higher voltage can be produced. Common name/s: Featherfin Catfish, Featherfin Syno Scientific name: Synodontis eupterus Family: Mochokidae Origin: Africa Maximum size: 8″ Care: The minimum tank size for this fish would be a 30 gallon. Quite a tough fish. Water parameters are irrelevant as long as extremes of pH and hardness are avoided. It is quite peaceful, and most fish are safe with it. It has been reported, however, that they may attack slower moving fish and are slime- suckers, especially towards bichirs. I have not personally had this problem with them, however. You can put several of this species in a tank that is large enough and has sufficient hiding spots. Large pieces of wood with many holes or caves are perfect for this purpose. Feeding: Sinking pellets and bloodworms are taken with relish. May also eat algae tablets, but this should not be used as its staple diet. Nocturnal, but in my experience, will come out at anytime of the day to feed. sexing and breeding: Sexing requires taking the fish out of the water and viewing its anal region. Breeding unknown. Comments: Juveniles and adults have very different colourations. The juvenile has a brown splotchy pattern while adults have black spots. The juvenile of this species has occasionally been confused with the upside down catfish, due to its similar patterning. Common name: Flagtailed Catfish Scientific name: Dianema urostriatum Family: Callichthyidae Origin: Brazil & other northern regions in South America in rivers and pools. Maximum size: 5″ Care: The flagtailed catfish is a peacful community cat that doesn t grow too big. You will find they can go with almost any other fish which makes them a perfect
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April 26th, 2008
Feeding: They will eat anything really. At the moment mine are eating betta flake (I forgot to buy anything else). Just make sure any flake you feed them is soaked, this will let it sink to the bottom. They keep the bottom fairly clean, but don’t use this as an excuse to overfeed. Mine will also eat cucumber, peas, bloodworms… As I said, anything. Sexing and Breeding: Sexing- The females are usually larger than the males. Also the colouring is different- The males have about 3 horizontal stripes with the top two joined together with vertical bars, the females look a lot like bronze cories. Spawning is, as far as I know, the same as other cories- condition the fish with live food, do a cool water change and allow spawning. However, I have only found a few breeding accounts, so will hopefully update in a few weeks when I’ve tried it myself. If you want a more detailed account, see the profile on the spotted cory. Common name/s: Crystal eyed catfish, black devil catfish Scientific name: Hemibagrus wyckii Family:Bagridae Origin: SE Asia Maximum size: 28″ Care: A large tank and equally large filtration are a must for keeping this large growing catfish, a minimum tank size of 120 gallons (5×2x2′) is recommended with two external canister filters or a sump style filter. The fish isn t fussy of water conditions provided extremes of hardness and pH are avoided, temperature should be kept between 22 and 25 centigrade (72-76f). A fish for the species tank only, the fish becomes increasingly aggressive with age and will attack and kill any living creature it shares a tank with. A large rock or piece of bogwood should be used as a place for the fish to hide behind. Feeding: Large meaty frozen foods and pellets for carnivorous fish will all be accepted as will large live foods, once over 12″ the fish should only be fed one large meal once a week. Sexing and breeding: Unknown Common name: Electric catfish Scientific name: Malapterurus electricus Family: Malapteruridae Origin: throughout Central Africa Maximum size: up to 39″ but usually no larger than 12″ Care: This is not a very active cat so doesn t need as much space as some of the other cats such as pims, although due to the size of this fish I would not keep them in anything less than a 48″x30″x24″deep tank. They need to be provided with plenty of hiding places such as logs/bogwood, tubes etc, dim lighting is preferred. When maintaining the tank, a great deal of care is needed not to stress the fish as these can deliver a nasty shock. I had one at 3″ which I got 2 shocks off. It is not really dangerous apart from people with heart problems and young children.
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