Som plecostomus is a small aquarium fish, very popular among breeders. Often it is acquired as a “natural cleaner”. This catfish eats algae growing on stones, scrapes them from the glass of the aquarium.
The homeland of this fish is Central and South America. Soma plecostomus (abbreviated as “peklo”) is perfectly adapted for living in both fresh and slightly salty water. Fast mountain rivers and underground water bodies are the best habitat for these representatives of the fauna. The fish is very calm, so it does not cause much trouble to its owner.
Features and appearance of plectostomy catfish
The main feature of this fish is its size. The body length of a small plecostomus does not exceed 8-10 centimeters, but the fish grows quickly. Catfish can reach 50-60 cm (in the wild). As for the content in captivity, the body length of such a fish does not exceed 30-40 cm. It is necessary to take into account the rapid growth of representatives of this species when selecting an aquarium. The average life expectancy with proper care is about 15 years, but in nature they can live much longer.
Somics are inherently unique. This quality attracts the attention of most aquarists:
- The appearance of these fish confirms their ancient origin.
- Some of them have a bright and unique jaguar color.
- Soma plecostomuses are very clean, like to maintain order in their home. With their suction mouth they clean the glass of the aquarium from various growths and dirt.
There is an opinion that this catfish can survive without water during a drought for 30 hours.
Soma plecostomy, the photo of which is in the article, have an unusual structure and body shape. The dorsal fin is quite high, and the caudal fin is very similar in shape to a crescent. The catfish's mouth acts as a suction cup - it helps the fish stay in one place, despite the strong current.
On both sides of the mouth there are thin antennae that serve as a communication organ. The eyes are strongly convex and covered with a membrane. It protects them from excessively bright sunlight. Fish love low light, so their eyes are half-open during the day. At first glance, it is almost impossible to distinguish a female from a male, as they are too similar. These fish are light brown in color with small spots.
Types of plectostomy catfish
There are a large number of species of this fish (over 120). They differ in size and color. Many are large (up to 60 cm), but there are also small representatives. Fish are very diverse:
- Adult plecostomus bristlenos reaches no more than 15 cm in length.
- The plecostomus albino, which was bred artificially, is distinguished by a pale yellow or white color, and its body is covered with a dark grid of a pattern.
- The golden-faced catfish plectostomus is distinguished by a bright yellow color. The male of this species is larger and has a brighter color.
There are many varieties bred by aquarists. The color of such fish can be spotty, striped, bright (due to crossing).
Pomostomus catfish: content in the aquarium
Of course, when buying, it is worth considering the needs of the fish. Plecostomus is an aquarium catfish. Caring for it is very simple, but for beginners it is sometimes difficult to handle. All difficulties are associated with the size of the new inhabitants of the aquarium.
For the comfortable content of catfish, plecostomuses require a lot of space. Therefore, the aquarium needs to choose a large size. For young fish - at least 300 liters per individual. To keep adults, you will need a much larger aquarium - its volume should be more than 800 liters.
Pleko love clean water. The breeder needs to change it once a week and constantly filter it. Oxygen is required for this type of fish a lot. The catfish plectostomuses are quite frisky, so the aquarium should be covered with a lid, otherwise the fish will jump out of it. The bottom must be strewn with sand and add smooth pebbles so that the fish could not get hurt.
What do you need for a comfortable fish keeping?
Habitat parameters do not have such significance as water purity, but it is desirable that they be in such limits:
- The temperature regime is from 19 to 26 degrees.
- Acidity should range from 6.5 to 8.0 pH.
- Water hardness - up to 25 dGH.
In the aquarium, it is imperative to put driftwood, install grottoes and caves for daytime shelter of fish. Driftwood is of great importance because they grow algae, necessary for feeding catfish. In addition, the plecostomus will grind the snag with its suction mouth, while receiving the cellulose necessary for digestion. Soma plecostomus love to live in dense thickets. Plants such as Thai fern, Javanese moss, and echinodorus are great for planting in an aquarium.
Who can contain plecostomus?
Plecostomuses are very calm and can get along with most fish of different species. But with their relatives, they often arrange serious fights. Catfish is a territorial fish. They will perceive other males as competitors. You should not settle them together with discus and scalar. When choosing neighbors, you must consider their size. Catfish will quickly eat small fish.
Catfish prefer natural layers of water, so they can easily be adjacent to tropical fish. Great neighbors for catfish will be:
- gourami;
- barbs
- cichlids;
- tetra.
With these types of fish, plectostomuses will perfectly get along and peacefully coexist.
How and with what to feed the plecostomus?
Pleko eats plant foods. Algae are the best food for them. In the aquarium, these fish should have many different plants with growths on the surface. Fish must be fed with special food. In addition to algae, they love to feast on an earthworm, various crustaceans, as well as bloodworms.
Som plecostomus is a nocturnal fish, so feeding should be done in the evening. You can do this in the afternoon, but first you need to turn off the light in the aquarium so that the rest of the fish living with them cannot take food from him.
Breeding Features
At home, to breed this type of fish is impossible. For their reproduction, special conditions are necessary, the creation of which is possible only on specialized fish farms. The largest fish farms are in the United States (Florida), Singapore and Hong Kong. One female, spawning in a mink, can lay up to 300 eggs.