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Aquariumism is a favorite hobby of many, which brings satisfaction, perfectly relieves stress and brings harmony and tranquility to the fish owner’s house.
Today, catfish are the most popular type of decorative fish for keeping in aquariums at home. This material will detail the contents of such a representative of the catfish family as platidoras striped.
Where dwells
Platidoras streaky belongs to such subspecies of catfish as squamous. Basically, these fish are medium-sized, live in reservoirs of South America (pools of natural reservoirs: Amazon, Orinoco, etc.). The river estuaries of the tributaries of these rivers, where they hide in lush aquatic vegetation or at the bottom, are most preferable for the residence of Catfish Platidoras.
Catfish Description
Striped platidoras is a fairly large ornamental fish, the catfish's body is covered with alternating longitudinal stripes of different colors (brown-yellow or black-white). With age, such an original fish coloring loses its clarity.
The body shape of Platidoras is cylindrical with a small rounded abdomen. As a rule, females are slightly larger than males. Representatives of this type of fish for a home aquarium have such characteristic features of appearance: a rather large head with small bone spikes-growths that form a kind of shell-helmet, as well as fairly large eyes.
The catfish's mouth is framed by long antennae - two pairs of such antennae are located on the lower lip of the fish and one on the upper.
The catfish fins are quite developed, with the back and pectoral fin endings in the form of a beam with a frame of small spikes and hooks at its tip. These structural features of the catfish imply that its owner should be especially careful and careful, since an injection with such a spike on the fin can be quite painful. In addition, the rays of the fin due to the hooks located by them are often tangled in the net.
The average size of an adult fish in its natural habitat reaches 23-24 cm. In an aquarium, no more than 16-18 cm.
Interesting fact! Striped platidoras is often called a “singing” catfish. This effect is caused by the friction of the fins of the fish, which causes chirping sounds.
Content Features
The attractiveness of the catfish Platidoras striped is that it is a very hardy fish, which suggests that it is perfect for even a beginner aquarist, as he does not require special care or exceptional conditions.
Required conditions for keeping striped catfish in an aquarium:
- The desired size of the aquarium for the maintenance of striped platidoras is at least 120 liters.
- Required water indicators: temperature values - 23–30 ° C, hardness - 4–18, pH): 5.8–7.0. In this case, the water flow should be weak, and the water itself should be fresh (without salt).
- Mandatory coating of the bottom with gravel and clean sand, the presence of snags.
- Mandatory arrangement of artificial caves, voids and other shelters interesting for fish.
As a rule, aquarium vegetation does not attract catfish as food and, accordingly, it does not eat it. An exception in this case may be small algae.
I would also like to draw attention to the fact that the presence of dense vegetation in the aquarium with Platidoras is not necessary at all, however, in its roots this fish likes to arrange additional shelters.
Note that this catfish is more a nocturnal fish, the activity of which increases in the evening and at night. Therefore, its owner should take care of the necessary, not too bright lighting of the aquarium. An excellent solution for this is the LED backlight with a soft moonlight, located on the edge of the aquarium.
Also, do not forget about aeration and the necessary filtration of water, which will positively affect the well-being of the fish.
Care: what should be considered?
Since any aquarium, in fact, is a closed biosystem, accordingly, its owner should not intervene too often in the life of its inhabitants. It should also be borne in mind that striped platidorases are very unpretentious fish to care for and should not be changed more often than once a month (updating the third part of the volume).
If there is a need to relocate these brisk fish - for these purposes it is better to use a special container or some other vessel. The use of the net is undesirable due to the sharp edges of the fins, the fish in it can get confused.
Striped Platidoras is an omnivorous fish, respectively, the diet of representatives of this species of catfish should consist mainly of protein feed. An excellent solution would be the use of live food (bloodworms, tubule, earthworm). You can also use special feeds made in the form of sinking granules as food. This is especially important since catfish prefer to eat food collected from the bottom surface.
Important! Catfish of this species are prone to overeating, for this reason one should not forget about limiting portions of food, as well as the mandatory presence of “fasting” days.
Compatibility with other types
Platidoras has a peaceful and friendly character, so this fish can be settled in a multi-species aquarium. As a protection of catfish from more aggressive species of fish, its reliable bone carapace acts.
It is important to remember that the content of Platidoras with fry and small fish is undesirable, since the latter are perceived by the catfish as potential living food.
Behavior and lifestyle
If there are several individuals of this species in the aquarium, then in this case you should wait for frequent skirmishes, the cause of which is the struggle for territory.
Breeding
The sexual maturity of representatives of this species of the catfish family occurs from one to two years. Note that Platidoras in captivity breeds poorly, as a rule, special stimulating drugs are used for these purposes. When spawning, a fish organizes a nest (a secluded place at the bottom is selected), where the female lays several hundred eggs (up to 300 pieces). After two to three days, fry appear, which after five days begin to swim. The fry are fed live dust, microworms.
Platidoras aquarium catfish are a great addition and decoration to any home / office aquarium. Thanks to their original appearance, they attract attention and delight with their presence for many years.
Video: Platidoras striped aquarium fish
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