Caring for Catfish

The Catfish are not recommended to be kept together with other types of fish, as they might eat them. While they are a favorite of many, Catfish are difficult to keep. One of the Catfish types that are available is the Black Spotted Corydoras. A lot of people buy Catfish because they are so good at cleaning the aquarium from algae. They also clean the aquarium of dead fish and other types of debris.

This fish can usually be found in Guiana and Venezuela and it will reach a length of 6cm (2.5 inches). It’s colored silver and has black spots, just like the name suggests. You can tell which is the Black Spotted Catfish by its wedge shaped neck and the black stripes found around the eyes and head. Their behavior is good, so you can rest easy if you put them together with other fish. They will not attack other fish. They enjoy eating white worms, dried food and Tubifex.

A fish found in Brazil and the La Plata Basin, the Peppered Corydoras can get up to 7cm (2.75) inches in length. Their body is colored olive/brown and it has black marks on it. It’s a fish that belongs to the Corydoras aeneus family.

If you look at the Peppered catfish, you will notice that his eyes seem to be moving towards you. They can easily be kept in a communal aquarium.

What they eat
You can feed Peppered Catfish with dried foods, white worms and Tubifex.

The type of water
These fish will enjoy a neutral water condition. They can also stay in hard water. They will not enjoy staying in saltwater.

A relative of this fish is the Leopard Corydoras. They received their name at the beginning of the 20th century. They belong to the Corydoras julii family. They can be found in the lower Amazon areas, especially in the Tributary region. They can get up to 6cm (2.5 inches) in length. Their frame is colored silver/gray and has stripes that are dark spotted. They are peaceful fish and can easily be kept in a communal aquarium.

This species of fish can be found in South America, specifically in the central and northern parts. They belong to the family called Callichthyidae and they are armor catfish, because they have bony plates on their body. They have a flat head, with the mouth located under it. They have rounded and wide lips. They are also known as sucking fish. They will eat algae, so they keep the aquarium clean. That’s why it’s good to keep at least one of these fish in your communal tank. That doesn’t mean you don’t have to clean the aquarium, but they do make it easier.

Bronze Corydoras (Corydoras Aeneus)

The fish called Bronze Corydoras belongs to the Corydoras Aeneus genus and it has a number of other names that people use for it: Bronze Catfish, Bronze Cory, Wavy Catfish, Albino Cory and Lightspot Corydoras.

The main areas where they can be found is Venezuela and Trinidad, in South America. They can get to a length of 7 centimeters (2.8 inches) and they will eat dried food, worms, plant matter, insects and crustaceans. They should be kept in a tank that has at least 45 centimeters (18 inches) in length, with the water temperature between 19 and 26 degrees Celsius.

Out of all the Corydoras species, this is the one that most people keep in their aquarium. This species is hardy and quite useful, though it doesn’t look that great. A lot of people like about this species that it’s a scavenger, spending a lot of time going through the aquarium’s bottom, sorting the debris.

As the name suggests, the color of the fish is bronze, though in some cases it comes in an albino version (white). This species of fish is quite sociable and you should have six or more of the same type in your aquarium.

The water in which you keep the Bronze Corydoras should have some plants in it, though they’re not that fussy about its quality.

The Bronze Corydoras female is usually a bit longer compared to the male and more robust. When it comes to spawn the eggs, it will usually do it on a rock or on a plant’s leaves.

After the male fish clasps the female, it deposits the sperm. Next, the eggs will be glued by the female to the site it chooses.

They will do the reproduction process a few times, and this can go on for a few hours. Since it can be hard for the male to fertilize all 200 eggs, sometimes there are two of them taking part. It takes around five days for the eggs to hatch.