Emerald armored catfish
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Emerald armored catfish ( Corydoras splendens ) |
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| ( Castelnau , 1855) |
The emerald armored catfish ( Corydoras splendens , syn .: Brochis splendens ) is a species of fish from the family of the armored catfish (Callichthyidae). The Latin species name splendens means “shiny”. He can live to be 10 to 15 years old.
features
The emerald armored catfish is unmistakable due to its size of 7 to 8 cm, its fullness and the olive to golden sheen. Like all armored catfish, it is an intestinal breather , swimming in oxygen-poor water at regular intervals to the surface of the water in order to take in atmospheric air with its mouth. Like the two other species of the former genus Brochis , the emerald armored catfish has a significantly higher number of dorsal fin rays .
- Fin formula : dorsal 1 / 11–12, anal 2/5, pectoral 1 / 8–9, ventral 1/5
ecology
Occurrence
The emerald armored catfish lives in rivers and streams, which have white water and soft, muddy ground, of tropical South America . In Brazil , Ecuador , Colombia and Peru , there in the Amazon , Río Ucayali system, Ambiyacu , Rio Tocantins , Río Paraguay , Rio Nanay and in the Río Napo system. The waters in which the emerald armored catfish occurs have the following water values:
- a pH of 6 to 8
- a GH value of 2 to 25 ° dH
- a KH value of 2 to 15 °
- and a temperature of 22 to 28 ° 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 male circles the female and twitches strongly. The female looks for well-suited places for spawning protected stones and leaves in order to then attach around 500 to 800 eggs, which are 1.5 millimeters in size, which the males then fertilize.
nutrition
The emerald armored catfish is omnivorous and feeds by looking for algae, detritus , small animals and parts of plants on and near the ground . When digging , it penetrates up to 10 millimeters into the ground.
Aquaristics
The animals are schooling fish and should be kept in groups of at least 8 animals if they are kept in an aquarium . The emerald armored catfish is very peaceful and can easily be socialized with smaller fish or shrimp. A soft, not sharp-edged substrate is important (sand is ideal), as otherwise the animals can injure their barbels. It can be kept in tanks from 112 liters.
breed
It is a species that is easy to breed. The readiness to spawn is initiated by simulating a rainy season (strong, abrupt partial water changes), but this is difficult in comparison with other Corydoras species. Successful breeding requires one female and three males. A female lays about 500 to 800 eggs one after the other, which are 1.5 millimeters in size and are glued to large leaves, stones or simply to the panes of the aquarium. 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 24 ° C, the larvae need about three to four days to hatch. The larvae are very small and almost transparent. Two to three days after hatching, when the yolk sac has been used up, the larvae can be fed with dried powdered eggs, single cells (paramecia), the finest powdered food or liquid food. Later can Artemia - nauplii , Artemia dekapsulierte, flake food will be given from algae and compound feed.
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 .
Web links
- Emerald armored catfish on Fishbase.org (English)
- Smaragdpanzerwels at www.familie-hauffe.de
- Emerald armored catfish in the ornamental fish directory
- Emerald armored catfish at aqua4you
literature
- Hans-Georg Evers : Armored catfish. Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart 1994, ISBN 3-8001-7286-0 .
- Günther Sterba : Freshwater fish in the world. Weltbild Verlag, Augsburg 2002, ISBN 3-89350-991-7 .
- Hans A. Baensch , Rüdiger Riehl : Aquariums Atlas. 12th edition. Volume 1, Mergus Verlag, Melle 2002, ISBN 3-88244-101-1 .
Individual evidence
- ^ Günther Sterba: Freshwater fish of the world . Weltbild, Augsburg 2002, ISBN 3-89350-991-7 .