Aquatic chain catfish: species, description, photo

Of the huge variety of catfish, perhaps, "Loricaria" or chain soma have the most unusual appearance. Their name originates from the word "Lori-ka". So called in ancient Rome legionnaire armor. The entire body of fish of this species is covered with symmetrically located bone plates that coalesce with each other.

Description of the catfish

The family of chain mails can be divided into five subfamilies, which number seventeen genera and more than two hundred species. Unlike catfishes of other species, Loricaria are not predators. The basis of their diet is algae, leaves of plants.

And now we will discuss in more detail the most popular types.

Ancystrum stellate

These mail catfish aquariums are relatively small. Their bodies are elongated and flattened, covered with rigid scales (only the abdomen remains free). The mouth is like a sucker. It has horn-shaped scrapers, which allow fish to scrape food from various hard surfaces (for example, algae outgrowths).

Pearl ring catfish have a body and fins, painted in dense and rich black color, with a scattering of white-blue tiny dots, which with age acquire a light brown tinge. On the fins of young individuals, you can see a wide white edge, which eventually disappears.

The male is distinguished by special leathery branched processes that are located on the sides of the head. Specialists call them tentacles. In females, such processes are absent or very poorly developed. The male is usually much larger than the female and can reach a length of 8 centimeters.

Ancistrus vulgaris

Chain catfish, the species of which are very diverse, differ from other aquatic inhabitants in a characteristic, somewhat flattened body shape. No exception is ancicus vulgaris. His body shape is drop-shaped, flattened. The head is quite large. The mouth is a sucker, with horn-shaped outgrowths (scrapers).

The whole body of this fish is covered with "armor". Sail-shaped dorsal fin is pressed to the body in a calm form. Fins are painted in different shades of gray with a light yellowish tint. Throughout the body scattered bright specks.

Externally, males are more slender body. They have a dorsal fin higher than females, and the caudal fin is much wider. Males have leathery outgrowths on their heads, which are absent in females.

Gipancister zebra

Chain catfish of this species have such a bright color that it is impossible to confuse them with other varieties. These are stripes of black and white stripes, because of which the fish was so named.

The head of the hypocystrum is elongated, the eyes are planted very high. If you look at it from above, you can see that the eyes are joined by a white wide stripe, from which four transverse ones come. The upper jaw has seven to eight long curved teeth on each side, which bifurcate to the edge. The lower jaw is equipped with only eight deeply bifurcated teeth.

The tail fins of fish have a V-shape. In adults, all the fins are decorated with white and black stripes.

Males are much larger than females. Pelvic fins have thorns. There are similar growths in the mouth area. Female differ more rounded abdomen. In a home aquarium these fish do not grow more than 9 centimeters. They live in captivity for about ten years.

Brocade Glyptorpocht

These chain-shaped catfish are the dream of every aquarist. This is due to their very impressive appearance. The brocade glypterichthite has an elongated and slightly flattened body. On its light brown background are scattered brown specks. Dorsal fin has the shape of a sail. The catfish have excellent mouth suckers, due to which they suck so closely to the surface of the aquarium glass that it is difficult to tear them away. Around the mouth, you can see the antennae thickened at the base, which are trimmed with a skin fold.

In length brocade catfish grow to 60 cm. Males are larger, slender and their color is much brighter than that of females. On the pectoral fins, thorns are clearly visible.

Content

The chain catfish live and develop fine in ordinary fresh water with a temperature of + 26 ° C. At the same time, its acidity should be neutral, slight deviations are allowed.

At registration of an aquarium artificial plants are more often used. Of the living grass is welcome with a good root system - cryptocoryn, echinodorus.

Catfish lead a solitary lifestyle, do not like bright lighting, prefer muffled. These fish need numerous shelters. They can become stones, roots of grapes, where they could retire, rest or just sleep. In the aquarium it is necessary to install driftwood, which for the catfish is a source of edible cellulose.

Feeding

These fish are omnivorous, but the basis of their diet is coretra, bloodworm, black bread, tubular, low-fat meat, daphnia, and special dry food. To ensure that the food was high-grade, feed the catfish spirulina in tablets.

Some types of mail catfish prefer vegetable fodder. Special feeding requires only pronounced predators.

Chicken catfish - breeding

During the preparation for spawning, the fish need a diverse and abundant feeding with live food. At this time, females and males are best placed in different capacities. The spawner should have a volume of at least 20 liters and a height of 20-25 cm. Fresh tap water is poured into it. Within two days, the spawning aerated. Then it can be placed a few bushes of plants that have hard and broad leaves. The water temperature decreases by 2-3 ° C, but it should not be lower than + 18 ° C.

Chain catfishes are planted in spawning in the evening, at the rate of one female for three males. Spaulence, as a rule, begins in the morning.

This type of aquarium fish has an interesting feature - they become more decorative with each subsequent spawning. Often catfishes spawn in a common aquarium. In this case, it is necessary to transfer the eggs along with the substrate to a separate container.