LICENSE FOR FISH/FISHING IN KATTEGATT

 Catfish cleaner. Fish that clean the aquarium fish cleaner.

Catfish in the aquarium play the role of cleaners, picking up food scraps from the bottom and cleaning the walls from algae. All experienced apiarists must keep these fish. Catfish ancistrus (Ancistrum) is a well-known representative of chain catfish. It is often called sticky or sucker. Today, this aquarium workaholic is kept all over the world and is loved for its unpretentiousness and liveliness.

Catfish in the aquarium play the role of cleaners, picking up food scraps from the bottom and cleaning the walls from algae.

Description and varieties

The size of the ancistrus catfish in the aquarium does not exceed 15 cm in length, while the females grow larger than the males. In the males, when they get older, peculiar mustaches are formed, which can be up to 2 cm long. The fish have a flattened head shape and the same front part of the body. The sides are covered with bony lamellar outgrowths. The dorsal fin is high, there is a pair of pectoral and pelvic fins.

The mouth is rounded, and there are horn-shaped sugars on the lips, which gives the ancistrus a funny and slightly scary look. They can hold it on the rocky bottom of fast flowing rivers. The oral sucker is similar in structure to a grater and serves to scrape algae from plants and other objects. There are various growths that act as food for ancistrus in nature.

Ancistrus aquarium catfish can have a different color :

Some people think that since these fish are not large, a very small aquarium is enough for them, but this is not the case. Ancistrus are active at night. , and during the day they prefer to sit under cover. It is better if their housing is from 80 liters. The exception is red ancistrus, they need a 50-liter aquarium for a pair. A mixture of sand and fine gravel is ideal as soil.

Blue catfish ancists require the following water parameters:

• temperature - 20−28°C;
• hardness - up to 20 ° dH;
• acidity - 6-7.5 pH.

An aquarium for these fish must be equipped with a powerful filter and aeration. As protection, snags and other elements of aqua design can be provided. The fish is considered non-aggressive, but fights are possible between males, so it is important for catfish to have a place where they can hide. It is good if the hook is natural, not ceramic. Wood acts as a cellulose source for ancistrus , which improves their digestion.

Given the fact that catfish love to dig up the ground , plants are best planted in pots, but you should not completely abandon them. Fish can use vegetables as a supplement to their main food. In addition, living plants produce oxygen in the aquarium and participate in the formation of the correct balance in the water system by absorbing nitrates. Lighting for ancistrus does not matter because of the nocturnal lifestyle, in this matter you need to focus on the needs of its neighbors.

Catfish love clean water. Water changes should take place every week, 1/5 of the total volume is updated at a time. At the same time, it is necessary to siphon the soil with a special device, clean it of excrement. Once a year it is advisable to do a general cleaning in the aquarium. with a complete washing of the soil, decorations and plants. Large water systems can be left undisturbed for years.

Compatibility with other fish

Ancistrus themselves are peaceful fish, but they can become victims of aggressive neighbors. It is best not to have them with cichlids and other large fish. Due to the special structure of the mouth, ancistrus can stick to scaleless fish or slow-moving "scrofula" and damage their skin. Intraspecific aggression will manifest itself only in a small aquarium with an insufficient number of shelters.

Ancistrus feeding

The catfish are fed in the evening before the lights go out. Given that these are bottom-dwelling fish, special tablets are purchased for their nutrition. The food sinks to the bottom, the ancistrus finds it and eats it. Although this catfish prefers vegetable food, its diet should contain 20% protein. It could be frozen bloodworm or coretra. The larvae are frozen and thrown into the aquarium in small portions.

As plant food, catfish can be offered slices of zucchini and cucumber, broccoli, lettuce. Pieces of carrots or pumpkins are pre-blanched in boiling water to soften them. Remains of uneaten vegetables from the aquarium should be removed the next day so that they do not spoil the water. At the top, ancistrus simply cannot see the food. Aquarists recommend piercing a cucumber or zucchini with a fork and lowering it to the bottom in this form so that the vegetable is kept there.

Breeding in an aquarium

Spawning of sticky catfish should take place in a separate aquarium. Ancistrus, like some other types of fish, has an interesting feature. In the absence of a male, one of the females may change sex to male in order to reproduce offspring. Sometimes ancistrus lay eggs in the general aquarium, if the area allows and the conditions are suitable. For this, the female uses a high stump or hook. In the playground, they install a pipe specially designed for this.

In natural reservoirs, the beginning of the rainy season becomes a signal for spawning for ancistrus. In an aquarium, these conditions can be mimicked by increased aeration and more frequent water changes. When a pair chooses a site for spawning, the male cleans it with his soss and the female begins spawning.

In natural reservoirs, the beginning of the rainy season becomes a signal for spawning for ancistrus.

The male's role is reduced to protecting the masonry and fanning the eggs with his fins. Thus, the father catfish increases aeration to supply the eggs with more oxygen. The young hatch after 5-6 days and immediately hide in a shelter. When they start swimming away, you should start feeding them and remove the male from the play area.f the water volume are required. Under such conditions, small fish will begin to grow and develop rapidly. Ancistrus can have offspring up to 6 times per year.  Everyone likes clean aquariums with crystal clear walls, bright, smooth and shiny plant leaves and water that resembles mountain stream streams. But this idyllic image constantly strives to break the algae. They cover the glass with a brown-green film, form a disgusting pile on the plants and give the water the color and smell of a swamp. And the aquarist has to deal with them. It's good that in this fight he has allies - algae-eating fish.