Each person involved in breeding and simply contemplating fish always keeps at least one catfish in his home aquarium. And this is not surprising: representatives of this type of fish were among the first to appear in makeshift improvised apartment ponds. These fish themselves, more precisely, catfish, are very interesting not only externally, but also in their behavior. In today's article, we would like to pay attention not to all representatives of a large family of catfish, but to one specific species. It will be about a very interesting inhabitant of the water world - catfish tarakatum and all that concerns its competent maintenance and breeding at home.
Not handsome, but with a catchy look
Many will agree that catfish cannot be called handsome. At the first acquaintance with them (especially with adults), baleen fish with an elongated body evoke a feeling of disgust rather than sympathy. It often happens that the choice of this inhabitant for your aquarium is due to some features. For example, a person wants the soil and the walls of his improvised pond enclosed in glass to always be clean, and catfish or ancistrus soms can easily cope with such tasks. In the process of raising pets and close observation of them, they win hearts with their original uniqueness. Most of them are predators. The antennae located on the head help to find food. This is a kind of locators that characterize the specific appearance of the fish of this large family.
Appearance Features
Males of aquarium catfish of tarakatum have a light belly (often it is not white, but rather a cream shade), which acquires a bluish sheen during spawning. But in females, the abdomen is always painted white, which undoubtedly greatly facilitates the task of the aquarist to distinguish representatives of the opposite sexes of this species.
The fish has a light brown color, replete with dark spots. It creates a special perception that the catfish is not only covered with round, almost black peas, but also painted with stripes, like a zebra. It is worth saying that among the representatives of the species there are exceptions - albinos, which are completely white in color with rare small dark spots located along the sides of the body. Taracatum during puberty reaches a maximum body length of 13-15 cm. As a rule, for the comfortable existence of such an aquarium resident requires at least 100 liters of water per individual. If you want to keep two soms in such a volume, you will need frequent water changes and a full cleaning of the aquarium more often than usual.
In aquarium
Som tarakatum is a very active fish that loves warm water. Ideally, the temperature should be 24–28 degrees Celsius. But catfish of this species are very unpretentious in terms of water parameters. They can live in both hard and soft water. There is an opinion among aquarists that sea pebbles can increase water hardness artificially. Despite this, many still choose natural material as soil in homemade home ponds. With cockroaches, you can safely experiment with the design of aquariums, without fear for the health of catfish. For them, it will be worthwhile to use snags, grottoes and other possible shelters.
The minimum volume is 100 liters
The salinity level of the water also does not play a key role, but it is still better to reduce it to a minimum. In general, there is nothing complicated in the content of catfish of tarakatum. The main thing is to comply with the above rules and keep fish in large spaces. One or two individuals can feel more comfortable in those volumes that start at 100 liters. With good care, catfish can live 5 years, and sometimes a little more. By the way, water must be changed 20 percent once a week, because these fish are very voracious, and as a result, they quickly enough pollute the space provided for them to live. Keeping clean will give longevity and health to selected pets. This is an important nuance that must be implemented.
Feature
The beauties that this article is dedicated to have a special intestinal structure. It allows fish to get air from the atmosphere. However, do not assume that they do not need oxygen. Taracatum catfish are prone to jumping out of aquariums. This is explained by the fact that they take strong acceleration from the bottom, where they prefer to stay most of the time in order to breathe oxygen.
Therefore, it is important to take care of precautions. You can use a net, coverslip or other devices to prevent the pet from jumping out of the water. Outside the aquarium, the taracatum will simply die.
In general, such catfish are fidgets with peculiar behavior, which are interesting to watch. It is believed that the mustachioed aquarium inhabitants prefer to hide in shelters and not fall into the eyes of the owner once again. However, cockroaches often violate this principle, delighting the owner even by swimming on the surface, which is rare among representatives of the catfish family.
Breeding
The main question that worries many aquarists is breeding catfish of cockroaches at home. In this regard, catfish also differs from all of their brethren. The male builds a nest on the surface of the water. In nature, he uses foam and plants for these purposes, but in the aquarium, the taracatum will be happy with the pieces of foam that the caring owner himself will put inside an impromptu home reservoir. The height of the nest for the upcoming spawning can reach 3 cm.
When the nest is built, the male pursues the female, forcing him to pay attention not only to himself, but also to the special structure he built. The female evaluates the design and, if everything satisfies her needs, spawns eggs. The male fertilizes them, and then fastens them with blisters equipped with mucus.
We already mentioned above how to distinguish a female from a male in tarakatum catfish, but there are some more signs that make it easy to determine the gender of a particular individual. In males, the pectoral fins are elongated, have a triangular shape. The first ray with a thickening. Females are equipped with short pectoral fins. In practice, the differences are very obvious that even a beginner can handle it and easily distinguish individuals of the opposite sex.
Breeding catfish tarakatumov
Some families of aquarium fish rarely produce offspring, so breeders experience difficulties: either the laid eggs are eaten by the parents themselves overnight, or they simply die. But there are no special problems with cockroaches. It is simply important that ideal conditions are created during spawning, one of which, regarding the construction of the nest, we described above. By the way, to increase the chances of obtaining full-fledged offspring from catfish of this species, the temperature of the water in the aquarium must be raised to 37 ° C.
In tarakatum, it is the head of the family that is a kind of brood, which carefully protects the offspring and closely monitors all potential enemies that pose a danger to laid eggs. To avoid deaths, the male during this period must be left in the aquarium in splendid isolation with a built nest. Four days after the fertilization of the eggs, fry appear that spend the first two days of their lives in the nest, and then leave it, going to the bottom.
Who gets along with?
In general, catfish of this species are very peaceful. They are considered to be big good. Most often they are hooked to medium-sized fish, similar in temperament. When talking about how many catfish to keep in an aquarium, it is important to consider two nuances:
- The first is the volume of the aquarium (from 100 liters or more).
- The second one is based on the understanding that it is better to place several females and one male together, otherwise males can cripple and even kill each other during spawning.
By the way, tarakatum catfish, the compatibility of which to a greater extent depends on the conditions of detention and the volume of the dwelling, will become ideal companions for medium and large sized non-predatory fish. If there is enough space and shelter for everyone, then conflicts are minimized. However, it is always necessary to monitor the behavior of fish, and in case of conflict, be ready to resettle opponents. It is important to remember that the compatibility of fish directly affects their health and well-being.
Feeding
Any fish in the aquarium should receive a balanced diet. Therefore, the question of how to feed the catfish taracatum is very relevant. You can purchase special feeds at pet stores. They will provide a complete diet without the hassle of the owner. But sometimes, as a treat and feeding catfish, you can give the meat of shrimp, frozen bloodworms, daphnia, coronet and even earthworms. Do not forget that during spawning, feeding is necessary to diversify and significantly increase the volume of servings. However, under normal conditions, it is better to keep the fish slightly underfed, which will significantly extend the life of your beloved pet.