Shark catfish comes from Thailand. The people call it the Siamese Pangasius, aquarium or Colombian shark. There are two types - aggressive predator (large) and aquarium (small). With proper care, they can grow up to 60 cm. Fish reproduce only if they have the appropriate content.
Description
Shark catfish looks like a killer whale. The head is slightly flattened, the body is long, the mouth with a mustache, the eyes are round, convex and large. There is a dorsal fin, exactly like that of a shark, a tail with two blades. See how the young shark catfish looks in the photo.
Young fish differ in color from adults, from the gills to the tail pass two silver edging. The older they get, the fewer stripes. As a result, in adult fish, the color changes to a darker color, and the edging remains only at the end of the fins or tail.
Content
Shark catfish is a shy fish that is afraid even of its shadow. But she is very mobile, and therefore in a small aquarium she is quite crowded. There should be so much room for a catfish to have a place to roam. For comfortable conditions, aquarium shark soma needs to be provided with full care. The aquarium for young individuals should be large, which holds a minimum of 500 liters of clean water. The older the fish, the more water it needs.
Be sure to purchase a filter for cleaning. Otherwise, many diseases will begin to develop in the catfish. Pay attention to the temperature of the water. The optimum temperature is from 23 to 28 degrees. It is forbidden to pour cold and not settled water. Place stones and driftwood of large sizes in the aquarium, but not sharp so that the fish does not hurt, and the plants should be with a thick root system. The bottom is sprinkled with sand or gravel.
Nutrition
Soma are predators by nature, and therefore they always have a good appetite. You need to feed three times a day in the right amount, depending on the age of the pet. The menu should contain all the useful vitamins and minerals: protein, minced beef, low-fat fish, shrimp, vegetables (cucumbers, cabbage, potatoes), buckwheat or rice porridge. Catfish will never give up food, so try not to overfeed. After all, he often suffers from obesity, which is quite problematic to cure. Twice a week, arrange fasting days on which catfish should not receive food.
Behavior
These are moving fish, the behavior of which is very interesting to observe. When the shark catfish first appears in the aquarium, it will begin to rush about in shock and a lack of understanding where it is. It can even lie on algae and pretend to be dead. But once you touch him, he will be noticed again. These are shy fish, and often you will observe them somewhere near the far wall of the aquarium. If they hear the clatter of foreign objects, try to hide in the algae.
Disease
Proper care and maintenance will save fish from various terrible diseases. Nevertheless, sometimes you can notice that the shark catfish has become less mobile. In this case, watch him. Sometimes you can see:
- ulcerous formations on the entire surface of the body;
- redness near the fins;
- antennae and some fins missing;
- eating poorly or completely stopped eating;
- fungal formations appeared on the surface of the body, similar in appearance to semolina.
With ulcerative formations, the body is smeared with potassium permanganate three times a day. Also, the fish can be moved for several days in saline. If some fins with antennae have disappeared, then improper care is applied. Poor nutrition in fish can occur at low water temperatures. The fungus is treated with a solution of green malachite. But with redness near the fins, take the catfish to the veterinary clinic.
Shark catfish: compatibility with other fish
This type of fish feels comfortable in a school. Loneliness is unacceptable to them. However, there should not be too many fish in the aquarium. The neighbors should be almost the same size as the catfish. As a rule, predators sooner or later begin to destroy fish, which are much smaller in size. After the neighbors share, always make sure that the catfish is not hungry.
Breeding
In aquarium shark catfish, spawning begins in June and lasts until late autumn. Fish are ready for breeding at the age of 3-6 years. The steam should be in a separate container where a lot of algae grows, as the female lays eggs in the grass. For successful fish farming, you need to slightly increase the temperature of the water, and at low degrees of fertilization will not occur.
In the female catfish, it turns out to lay almost 100,000 small eggs, after which a period of incubation occurs during the day. At this time, constantly monitor the temperature, it should be at least 30 degrees. After the appearance of fry, they are transplanted into the aquarium and fed with special food, which is sold in pet stores. With insufficient nutrition, fish eat a weaker neighbor. At home, shark catfish breed extremely rarely. But still worth a try. Moreover, they can multiply in the aquarium, if you increase the temperature to the desired degrees.