Monochrome armored catfish
Monochrome armored catfish | ||||||||||||
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Systematics | ||||||||||||
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Scientific name | ||||||||||||
Corydoras concolor | ||||||||||||
Weitzman , 1961 |
The monochrome armored catfish ( Corydoras concolor ) (Latin concolor = with uniform color, monochrome, same color) is one of the darkest freshwater ornamental fish of the genus Corydoras . It becomes 7 to 8 centimeters long and can live to be 8 to 13 years old.
features
The monochrome armored catfish is very dark in color and got its name from the uniformity of the blue-gray-brown color. Like all Corydoras species, it is an intestinal breather who swims to the surface of the water at regular intervals in order to take in atmospheric air with its mouth.
ecology
Occurrence
The monochrome armored catfish lives in rivers and streams, which have muddy ground, of tropical South America . In Venezuela , there in the Orinoco system . The waters in which the monochrome armored catfish occur have the following water values:
- a pH of 5.5 to 7
- a GH value of 2 to 20 ° d
- a KH value of 2 to 10 °
- and a temperature of 22 to 27 ° C.
Reproduction
In the wild, the armored catfish perform their typical mating behavior after the rainy season , when the water has warmed up again. After the rainy season there are a lot of suspended matter and therefore also prey in the water. The animals perform a special mating behavior in which the males circle the females and twitch strongly. The females look for places that are well suited to spawning, such as protected stones and leaves, and then attach the 30 or so eggs to them, which the males then fertilize.
nutrition
The monochrome armored catfish is omnivorous and feeds by looking for algae, detritus , small animals and parts of plants on and near the ground .
Aquaristics
The animals are schooling fish and should be kept in groups of at least eight if they are kept in an aquarium . The monochrome armored catfish is very peaceful and can easily be kept with smaller fish or shrimp. A soft, non-sharp-edged substrate is important (sand is ideal), as the animals can otherwise injure their barbels. It can be kept in tanks from 50 liters. Keeping them is not very easy, the monochrome armored catfish is very resentful when it comes to keeping it incorrectly, and it is important to ensure that the water is changed frequently and is always fresh, clear and clean. So the filtering has to be excellent. The light should be dimmed and there should be plenty of hiding places.
breed
It is a species that is moderately easy to breed. Readiness for spawning is initiated by simulating a rainy season (strong, abrupt partial water changes), but this is more difficult compared to other Corydoras species, as the water also cools slightly (by 1 to 2 ° C) and needs to be slightly acidified (pH value below 6). Successful breeding requires one female and two males. A female lays around 30 eggs one after the other, which are spawned on the spawning substrate provided and fertilized by the males. The fertilization rate is only about 50 percent. The females are characterized by their fullness and size, compared to the smaller, slimmer males. The eggs should be separated from the adults after a short time. At 23 to 24 ° C, the larvae need about four days to hatch. The larvae are very small and almost transparent. Two to three days after hatching, when the yolk sac is used up, the larvae can Artemia - nauplii are fed. The finest flake feed made from algae and compound feed can be given later.
Lining
The following food is also suitable in the aquarium: Live food (Artemia, mosquito larvae , Grindal worms ), frozen food ( Cyclops ) and dry food (tablets, food flakes). He's always looking for something to eat on the floor and rummaging through it with his barbels .
swell
literature
- Hans-Georg Evers : Armored catfish. Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart 1994, ISBN 3800172860 .
- Günther Sterba : Freshwater fish in the world. Weltbild Verlag, Augsburg 2002, ISBN 3-89350-991-7 .
- Rüdiger Riehl , Hans A. Baensch : Aquariums Atlas. Volume 1, Mergus Verlag, Melle 1997, ISBN 3882441011 .