Sucker is the most needed aquarium fish. Other species only adorn the aquarium, and suckers work for the good of him. Sucker fish thoroughly cleans the reservoir of green growths and algae.
In the article we will talk about the types of adhering, the maintenance and care of them.
general characteristics
Looking at the photos of sucker fish in the aquarium, we can get an idea of its appearance. These fish are extremely beneficial. They are natural cleaners, as noted above.
Suckers, or sticks, belong to chain catfish. Stick - the second name of the fish. Thanks to the unusual sucker-like mouth, the underwater creature sticks to the glass of the aquarium. And so strong that it is simply impossible to remove it without damaging it.
The main characteristics of chain catfish:
Thick scales, similar to chain mail. For which the fish got their name.
Plant nutrition. Some types of adherent are preferred only by algae. Others will not be from live food.
Appearance. Representatives of chain catfish, despite various sizes, have a common body structure. It is elongated, flattened. The head of a sucker fish is well developed. A distinctive feature is the structure of the mouth. Large, round, equipped with a kind of "grater". It allows the fish to clean the aquarium glass from green growths.
Sucker fish in the aquarium love to have many shelters. Somics live at the bottom of the tank, preferring to hide under snags or in other decorations that serve as shelters for them.
Views
We will talk about the most common and unpretentious species. Aquarists with experience recommend them to beginners. Representatives of species are undemanding in care, easily adapt to various living conditions, live long enough.
We are talking about glyptoperichtis, ancistrus, sturisoma, otocinclus.
Gliptopericht
One of the most beautiful types of sucker fish. Large brocade catfish, capable of reaching 60-70 centimeters in length. The aquarium needs appropriate sizes to make the fish comfortable. For the content of one catfish, a tank of 200 liters or more is needed.
The male is more mobile and does a better job of a cleaner. It is easy to distinguish from a female. The body is longer and slimmer, the color is brighter than that of females. On the pectoral fins there are noticeable spikes. Females have none.
For the comfortable maintenance of the gliptopericht, shelters are required. The catfish reaches a large size, so the decoration-shelter should be large. So that the fish does not get stuck in them when it hides.
Be sure the presence of driftwood. By stripping it, the catfish gets the pulp he needs.
The nutrition of this sucker fish is mixed. Her diet consists of plant and animal feed. There are special pills for this type of catfish, they include spirulina and animal protein. It is recommended that they feed gliptopericht.
This catfish leads a nocturnal lifestyle. He is given food at night, with the lights off.
He likes clean water with good aeration. Water change is carried out once a week, within 50% of the total volume of the aquarium.
Glyptoperichtes are good-natured. They get along well with large, peace-loving fish. As for the neighborhood with cichlids, one should refrain from it. Catfish will be easy prey for agile and aggressive cichlids.
Somik is able to live 10 years. With good care, survives to 15-17 years.
Antsistrus
Another aquarium sucker fish, whose name is Antsistrus, is distinguished by its rare unpretentiousness.
Antsistrus is suitable for keeping in medium aquariums. The minimum volume required by the som is 80 liters. The representative of the species is quite small, it barely reaches 15 centimeters. But the fish is very mobile and active, it needs an area where you can "turn around".
Aquarists love Antsistrus for his appetite. This fish can only be content with what grows on the walls of the aquarium. She eats fouling, but does not disdain food. When buying food, you should consider the "vegetarianism" of Antsistrus. Spirulina tablets are perfect for him. A nice addition to the diet are lettuce, slices of zucchini, cucumber and fresh cabbage.
Like other types of chain catfish, Antsistrus loves clean water. It is replaced once a week, 30% of the total volume of the aquarium. In addition, the representative of the species is thermophilic. The temperature optimal for him is 23-26 degrees.
Getting along with small fish species. It can be guppies, swordsmen, pecilia, neons. The basic requirement for neighbors is good nature. Antsistrus will not be able to live together in predatory fish, they will eat him.
The average life expectancy of ancistrus is 6-8 years. With proper care, they survive to 10 years of age.
Ototsinklus
Ototsinkljus shown in the photo, a small sucker fish. This is the smallest view listed in the article. The length of the fish is 5 centimeters. Despite this, otocinclus does an excellent job of cleaning the aquarium.
The fish is native to Brazil. He likes warm and clean water, but is especially undemanding to the conditions of detention. It is enough to make a water change once a week, in the amount of 30% of the total volume of the aquarium. Ototsinklusy live in flocks. The larger the pack, the calmer the fish feel. The minimum number of catfish in a pack of 5 pieces.
The volume of the aquarium for a small flock is from 50 liters. This is subject to the content of otocinclus without neighbors. As for the latter, the catfish of this species are extremely peaceful. Suitable for living together with all types of fish, including gold. In addition to predators, of course. They will quickly destroy a flock of small catfish.
Ototsinklusy absolutely undemanding in food. Satisfied with what grows on the walls of the aquarium. And if the tank is too overgrown, this is an ideal place for this type of chain mail. Carefully scrape away and eat up everything that comes in their way. Fouling is the main type of food for otocinclus. Fresh vegetables are suitable as a treat: zucchini and cucumber.
They live in captivity for 5-7 years. As a rule, their life limit is 7 years.
Sturisoma
This sucker fish is from Panama. She is amazing in appearance.
Sturisoma reaches 20 centimeters. Her body resembles an arrow. The upper part is widened, and the lower one is quite narrow. The color of the fish is quite bright. Large fins, like the rest of the body, are red-yellow. A brown strip runs along the body. And the belly of the fish is silver-white.
The male differs from the "lady" in a brighter color. In addition, the location of his eyes is much lower than that of a female.
A large tank is needed to keep such a catfish. The minimum volume of the aquarium is 250 liters. Sturisoma very easily adapts to water hardness. But an essential role is played by its oxygen saturation. This type of catfish needs good aeration of the water. Its comfort is also affected by water temperature. Sturisoma prefers a temperature of 24 to 30 degrees above zero.
The fish is good-natured, adjacent to other peaceful inhabitants of the aquarium. The only condition: they must not compete with catfish over food. The latter requires a large amount of food. It feeds on both plant foods and artemia or bloodworms. As a top dressing, ground beef is used in its raw form. Sturisoma respects minced seafood, you can occasionally indulge it with this delicacy. In addition to vegetable food, cucumber, zucchini and lettuce serve.
The lifespan of this sucker fish is about 8 years.
Breeding
For chain catfish listed in the article, there are general breeding rules. It is worth starting with the fact that the fish easily spawn in captivity. The intervention of the owner as such is not required.
Basic conditions for spawning of sucker fish:
Feeding with a bloodworm or daphnia.
Lowering the temperature of water by 1-2 degrees.
Reproduction takes place in a common aquarium. But for better preservation of eggs, experienced owners recommend putting future parents in spawning.
The presence of shelters.
A fairly large number of algae are used by fish as food.
As soon as the owner noticed that the catfish invitingly hits its tail in the water, revolves around the female and mercilessly drives her around the aquarium, it is time to prepare a spawning ground. It must have numerous shelters. The male responsible for creating the nest selects one of them. He carefully cleans the future nest. When the preparation of the nest is over, the male invites the female there. She lays eggs. The eggs of the chain-catfish are quite large. Their color can vary from white to bright orange.
The appearance of fry
After the female has laid eggs, she is returned to the general aquarium. "Lady" is able to eat eggs, which is why it is planted. Male takes care of caviar. During this period, the ancistruses cease to eat, and the glyptoperichtes behave aggressively, driving away from the host spawning.
The fry are born 10 to 20 days after laying eggs. Now the male can be jailed, he has done his job. Kids are hiding in plants, and for several days they are not visible. Children feed on their own supplies from the yolk sac. After everything is eaten, juveniles begin to emerge from the shelters. From this moment it is necessary to feed them with special food for fry.
Sparrow fish
In ponds of Denmark a fish lives with a suction cup on its belly. It is called sparrow fish or stone fish. The first name is associated with the appearance of the fish. When they catch it, it looks like a sparrow is sitting in front of a man.
A suction cup on the stomach is necessary in order to gnaw stones. Fish sticks to them.
As an aquarium inhabitant is not suitable. "Sparrow" is valued for its caviar, which is popular in Denmark. The fish fillet is watery, practically not consumed in food.
Conclusion
The names of the aquarium sucker fish are given in the article. It briefly describes the conditions of detention necessary for them.
How to feed catfish, what is necessary for their breeding - we talked about this in the material. As for the life expectancy of these fish species, on average it is from 5 to 10 years.
Sucker fish are suitable for both experienced aquarists and beginners.