Native Habitat Offers Clues for Tank Setup

In the wild, Striped Raphael catfish originate from slow-moving, vegetated rivers and streams in South America. They tend to shelter in caves and beneath driftwood and bank overhangs, coming out at night to rummage along soft, sandy bottoms seeking food. Mimicking some aspects of their natural habitat in your tank setup goes a long way toward making them feel secure.

Offering shadows and shelter for these bottom fish is key. Include tunnels made from terracotta pots or sections of PVC piping along with ample driftwood and plants. Using a fine, smooth substrate rather than gravel allows them to sift along the bottom without injuring their sensitive barbels. Dim lighting or floating plants that filter the light help create the shaded conditions they prefer.

Water parameters are also important for health. Striped Raphael catfish do best in soft, acidic water with a pH between 6.0-7.0, water hardness to 10 dGH and temperatures from 75-82° Fahrenheit. Perform regular partial water changes of 25% weekly or more often if ammonia or nitrites start to climb. Use an efficient filtration system and maintain it through monthly filter media changes and cleaning. With good water quality and places to hide, your Raphael catfish should spend more time out exploring.

Offer a Varied Diet for Optimal Health

In their natural habitat, Striped Raphael catfish feed on insects, crustaceans, plant matter and small fish. They use their sensitive barbels to probe into muddy pools and root around submerged branches and rocks seeking food. Recreating some of this varied nutrition in your home aquarium prevents fatty liver disease and supports their health.

The majority of their diet should consist of a quality sinking pellet or wafer formula specifically for catfish. Look for varieties containing at least 32% protein from quality ingredients like whole fish and seafood meals for good digestion. Supplement daily feedings with freeze-dried, frozen or live foods a couple times a week. Good options include bloodworms, brine shrimp, daphnia, mealworms, black worms, crickets and blanched vegetables like zucchini or cucumber.

Feeding only flake foods may lead to malnutrition while overfeeding causes waste issues. Follow package guidelines for amounts and frequency, tailoring to your tank’s population. Use feeding dishes sunk into the substrate rather than scattering food to monitor actual intake. Time feedings for just after lights out when they are most active. Target two feedings per day, with any uneaten portions removed after 30 minutes.

Quarantine New Additions to Avoid Spreading Disease

Striped Raphael catfish tend to be quite hardy when provided with good living conditions. They can be sensitive to poor water quality, spikes in ammonia or nitrites and inadequate shelter. Take care when introducing new tank mates to avoid bringing in contagious illnesses like ich that spread rapidly in confined spaces.

Prior to adding new fish, set up an inexpensive plastic storage bin or extra tank as a quarantine area. Maintain it bare except for a sponge filter, heater matched to the species and a couple clay pots or PVC pipes for shelter. Whenever introducing new fish, allow them to adjust and monitor health here isolated from your established tank for 2-4 weeks.

Watch closely for signs of illness like white specks, rapid breathing, clamped fins, bloating abdomen or loss of appetite. Remove and treat any sick fish in a separate hospital tank to prevent transmission. Only move healthy, disease-free fish from quarantine into the main aquarium. Careful isolation practices prevent disastrous losses and protect your Raphael catfish shoal.

Recognize Common Ailments for Timely Treatment

Even in optimal tank conditions, Striped Raphael catfish may occasionally develop health issues that require intervention for cure. Learn to recognize the most common diseases in catfish to respond with prompt, appropriate treatment:

• Fungal Infections: Cottony white or gray patches grow on skin, eyes and fins. Treat with antifungal medications containing malachite green or methylene blue and improve water quality.

• Bacterial Infections: Ulcers, fin rot and reddened streaks on skin. Use antibiotics effective against Aeromonas infections and increase water changes.

• Ich (White Spot Disease): Tiny white cysts cover body, fins and gills with fish scratching against objects. Raise heat slowly to 86° Fahrenheit and treat with medications containing formalin or malachite green.

• Intestinal Parasites: Weight loss, failure to properly digest food, bloating and loss of appetite. Treat tank with antiparasitic medications containing metronidazole or praziquantel and feed medicated fish food.

With appropriate habitat and care, most common catfish illnesses can be successfully managed. But prevention through quarantining, optimal nutrition and tank maintenance is always preferable to treat disease.

The Unusual Striped Raphael Catfish Worth Discovering

Don’t be put off by its low-key demeanor and shy nature—the Striped Raphael catfish has plenty to offer the home aquarium. Their unusual markings, sifting behaviors along the bottom and dependence on smell over sight give them an added element of mystery and individuality. Match their needs for shelter, water parameters and nutrition, and they will reward you with many years of robust health, ready to venture out once the lights go down each night.

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Kuhli loach is a special kind of small freshwater fish, which is famous for its long lifetime, easy feeding, and amazing look.

You will feel so happy and busy if you let this fish live with you because it can’t live alone, it must be with a small group of the same species, so you will never feel alone and so as the fish too.

We will tell you everything you want to know about this amazing fish in our guide today.

We can’t say that this fish can live with you for around 10 years unless you take care of it correctly.

This fish is famous for its long life term, and you can make it live with you for a long time if you treat it right, and make some small things for it.

Such as looking after the water quality, making its tank clean all the time, offering good and healthy foods for it

If you don’t do one of these small things, then you will make its lifespan very short.

You will notice that kuhli loach can’t be more than 5 inches, here is when it reaches the full-grown stage of its life.

When you make it live with you in the aquarium, you will find that it can only grow to between 3-4 inches, which is perfect.

First, you need to know that the Kuhli Loach is one of the most famous omnivorous fishes in the world.

Therefore, you will find that it can only eat small crustaceans, larvae, besides some plant material found on the river bed.

You can also offer some vegetables, fish flakes, pellets, frozen or live food for this fish, and you will notice that it will love it so much.

You have to know that Kuhli loach prefers a meat-based diet, so make sure that you give it a balanced diet.

If you decide to feed these fishes some flakes and pellets, then you make the right choice because they are perfect for them.

You will notice that the flakes can easily sink down to the substrate, which makes it easy for the fishes to eat them.

You have to know that Kuhli loach can’t search for its food correctly, it will wait until the food sinks from the water above, then search for it to eat.

Therefore, you need to make the food reachable for them as much as you can and make sure that they eat all of it.

If you want to treat this fish perfectly, then you need to feed it several times per day.

You can feed it only as much as it can eat in 2-3 minutes, so feel free to put the foods you want.

When it comes to Kuhli loach breeding, you will find that this is a very hard challenge for you, but it is not impossible at all.

You can make it done if you set up a breeding tank with some specific parameters.

We will tell you the most important parameters in the following points in order to make it easy for you.

• You must keep the water levels low as much as you can with very dim light.
• You have to provide dense vegetation for the females because this is where they will lay their eggs.
• The dense vegetation will always help the females to promote spawning.
• You should make the water hardness low with a pH of 6.5.
• Once your fish feels comfortable in your aquarium, you will find that its breeding is so easy.
• If you want to increase the chances of spawning occurring, then you need to keep the fishes in a community of their own species.
• You must offer plenty of food because it will encourage spawning, always look for live foods, they are the best for this stage.
• You have to know that this fish will reach sexual maturity at 2 years old, so you should be patient with your fish as much as you can.
• You will notice that the eggs hatch approximately 24 hours later, so you have to know what to feed the fry, it can only eat infusoria or brine shrimp, you can also present some commercially prepared fry food, which can be suitable as its first food.

It might be hard for beginners to take care of this fish because it always needs special care in order to prevent it from suffering from some serious diseases and parasitic infection.

The reason why this fish needs special care is that it doesn’t have hard scales, which can protect it from the effects of bacteria and fungi.

Therefore, it is easy to see that the diseases can easily get into its body.

Before having this fish, you have to know that this fish is very sensitive even to the changes in the water, so be careful about this point.

Thus, in order to introduce a new Kuhli loach into your aquarium, you must be very careful about water quality and temperature.

As we mentioned before, the water conditions must be perfect for this fish all the time because this is how you can make your fish feel comfortable and away from diseases.

If you want to make the water suitable for this fish, you must know that it lives in tropical slow-moving rivers, so you have to make the water in your aquarium just like the rivers.

It is highly recommended to make the temperature warm, it is perfect to be between 73 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit.

You need to know that the pH balance has to be between 5.5 and 6.5, and the water should have a hardness rating of no more than 5.0 dGH.

If you want to make your tank perfect for your new fish, then you need to choose the one that sizes only 15 gallons.

This tank will suit only one fish, but if you want to have more than one, then you need to add 3 to 5 gallons for each additional fish.

For example, if you want to have 2 fishes, then you will need a tank that sizes from18 to 20 gallons.

Now you know almost everything related to Kuhli loach fish, so we can say that you are ready to have your own.

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Suckermouth catfish or “Plecostomous” is considered the only member of the plentiful Loricariidae family, which you will find in the rivers of South America.

Some people wonder why this fish is called “The suckermouth catfish”, it is because of its specialized oral cavity, you will find that its raspy mouthparts are designed to grind up plant materials.

If you want to know more about this amazing fish, keep reading and we will give you everything you want to know.

This amazing fish can live with you from 10 to 15 years, and it will depend on the way you take care of it.

You have to know that the more you care for this fish, the more it will last with you in the tank without facing any health problems.

You can easily know the Suckermouth catfish because it has a special appearance, it is known for its scales or bony plates, which look like armor.

You will also find that sometimes these dense scales have extra ridges, which give the fish a spiky and thorny appearance.

You will also notice that its main color is brown, which you will find with darker spots or stripes.

Sometimes you will find some fish, that may have tan or yellow patterns, it is okay, they are the best too.

After knowing everything about the Suckermouth catfish, you will notice that it will be difficult to raise this fish in heavily planted tanks because you will hardly see it.

You will find that this fish can reach the max length, which is 50 cm, but generally, you will find that the common length is only 28 cm, here is when you know that it reached its full growth.

You can notice that the suckermouth catfish is like all the other fish, which are mainly herbivorous, but you will find that it needs to have a well-rounded diet, so it won’t be able to live with you on the algae in your tank alone.

You will always need to add some herbivorous fish pellets to the tank for this fish, and the best kind of it for this fish is the flat disc shape.

It will be perfect for the suckermouth catfish to mix herbivorous and omnivorous foods together, so give it what it needs.

You will have a wide variety of commercially tropical fish diets available everywhere if you want to try them with your fish.

If you want to keep your suckermouth catfish happy and healthy all the time, you can try using some supplementing with vegetables.

Although you will find a variety of fresh vegetables, which you can add to your tank, you need to make sure that you don’t add a huge quantity to its diet.

It is so easy for you to watch the suckermouth catfish breading, it will be enjoyable for you to see the male and female spawn together.

First of all, you need to add some smooth rocks on your take because they love to spawn on these rocks and divots in your substrate.

You will watch this happening in a quiet corner of the aquarium, which is not easily accessible, so you will only notice that if you keep your eye on them all the time.

You will find that once the females lay the eggs, the males will externally fertilize the eggs within the new nest.

Now, you will notice that the males will remain to guard the nest until the fry hatch.

Believe me, you will enjoy seeing this process so much.

If you want to take good care of these amazing fish, then you need to know that the most important thing you need to do is to give them enough room, which will be suitable for them when they reach full size.

Then you will need to add some important things in your tank, such as natural woods, which will be good for the fish to nibble upon.

You can’t use any type of wood, it must be a special wood, which hasn’t any toxic substances, like eucalyptus.

You have also to make it clean all the time in order to keep your fish healthy and doesn’t suffer from any diseases.

• You can easily clean the wood by allowing it to soak in chlorinated water, and leave it for at least 24 hours there.
• Now you will need to rinse it thoroughly before adding it to your aquarium.

If you find that you can’t wait all this time and won’t be able to clean it right, then you can easily buy the woods, which made specifically for aquariums.

In this case, you will only need to rinse them to remove dust, then you can use them for your aquarium safely.

You have to make sure that the water is fresh all the time because it will be the main problem for your fish, who doesn’t love dirty water, just like all other fishes, such as Kuhli loach, Pygmy cory, Panda cory, and more.

You will notice that this fish is a peaceful fish, who can live with other fishes without facing any problems; it will only need to be in soft water with a low pH in the wild.

Therefore, the water must be between 7.0 and 8.0 pH, and the alkalinity between 3° and 10° dKH, and the temperature between 74° and 80° F.

• You have to change 10% of your water every week or 25% of it every 2 weeks, and you can do that by using an aquarium water changer or you can also try siphon vacuum gravel cleaner.
• It is important to treat tap water with a water conditioner before refilling your aquarium.

Although this fish is small, it will need a huge tank, and you will notice that you must have a tank that sizes 125 gallons for every single fish in your hand.

Therefore, you will always need to create a suitable space for your fish no matter how many they are.

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Panda cory is one of the cutest species of corydoras catfish at all because of its cute appearance, you will know it when you see its off-white and pinkish body, which is famous for its three obvious black markings.

If you are wondering if you can keep Panda cory in your home or not, and want to know more about its lifespan, care, and feeding, then this comprehensive guide will help you find what you are looking for.

If you want to make this fish live with you for up to 10 years, so you need to take good care of it, and it will be with you for a very long time, unlike many other catfish.

If you don’t take good care of this small fish, it will only live with you for 3 or 4 years only.

We can’t say that the Panda corydoras is one of the cutest species of corydoras catfish without reason, its appearance is the reason why it is super cute.

You will find that it has an amazing body color, which is a mix of pink and off-white with three obvious black markings.

Its size is amazing also because it grows to around 2 inches long in captivity, but you can find some wild specimens that grow a little larger than these 2 inches.

If you wonder why it is called panda cory, it is because of the black markings around its eyes, which make it much like Panda.

You will be surprised when you know that the care level for this fish is so easy, which makes it one of the most suitable fishes for beginners.

All you need to do is to provide clean, well-oxygenated water for this cute fish and give it healthy food.

You also have to get rid of fish waste and uneaten food regularly because it is one of the most annoying things that this fish hates.

You have to consider the decomposing plant, which must be changed each week by using an aquarium vacuum.

If you do all the above steps correctly and at the perfect time, then your fish will feel so comfortable and happy with you.

Feeding this small fish will be a little bit difficult because it needs special care and eats lots of foods daily.

You will find that if you get a group of these small fish, then you need to make sure that they all get plenty to eat, and you mustn’t forget about the little ones who live at the bottom of the tank.

Therefore, if you want to feed this type of fish, you need to know that they are omnivores, so you must give them plants and vegetables, besides a fair portion of meaty foods.

You will also notice that they love daphnia, and live bloodworms, so don’t make the tank free of these amazing foods.

It will also be good for them to offer some sinking pellets or wafers to eat because they will automatically head for the bottom of the tank, which will be easy for the fishes to eat.

You can also try to offer high-quality fish flakes and frozen foods for them and they will feel so happy.

If you are wondering how much and how often to feed them, then all you need to know that this fish has to eat twice a day, and the best time for it is after the sun goes down.

It is important to know that breeding in this specific kind of fish is so hard because the male panda cory usually eats the eggs before they hatch.

Therefore, you will always need to set up a separate breeding tank for these fishes in order to make sure that the eggs will fully grow.

Also, you will find that it is hard for you to recognize the males and females because they both look pretty much the same.

The only thing that makes the males differ from the females is that they tend to be slimmer and smaller than females, and this will be a little bit difficult for beginners to notice.

When this fish reaches 12 months old, it will sexually mature, so you shouldn’t make it breed before then because it will be extremely stressful, and it can cause serious health problems and even death.

First, you have to know that panda cory fishes are known as tropical fish, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t live in cold weather.

All you have to do is make their water temperature suitable for them, and they always prefer a temperature of 68° to 77° Fahrenheit, so make sure that they get what they really want in your place.

We all know that the panda cory is one of the easiest fishes because it is very hardy and adaptable, and that is why you can look after it easily without facing any problems.

When it comes to the tank size, you will find that this small fish will be happy if it gets a 20-gallon tank with some other small groups because this cute fish won’t prefer to live alone.

If you decide to make this fish live alone, you will only need a 10-gallon tank, but it is not recommended at all to leave this fish alone.

It is so important to make the aquarium clean all the time because it can cause many diseases for the fishes when it becomes dirty.

The aquarium vacuum will make your work so easy because it will help you to clean the substrate and all the areas around the base of plants and underneath decorations.

It will also be perfect for your fish to put sand or fine gravel substrate in the aquarium, besides the lighting unit, filtration system, and some small plants for decoration.

We hope we make you know more about this cute fish, and we would like to hear your experience with this fish and tell us why you liked it.

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Therefore, if you are looking for a small and peaceful fish, which always tries to stay out of the way, then this fish will be your perfect choice, and we will tell you why in our article today.

First, you have to understand what this fish is; it is one of the most famous herbivores fishes, which can restrict what you can give them.

The best food for it all the time is algae because it is the main food for it even in the wild, so it will be good to add one of them daily in mid quantities.

Besides the algae, you can still add some other food to this fish, such as green vegetables like lettuce, spinach, and zucchini.

You can drop a small piece or two for the fish a couple of times a week, but you have to make sure that the foods sink to the bottom of the aquarium.

It is very important to go back to the tank after 24 hours in order to remove any uneaten pieces from it.

Be careful not to overfeed your fishes whether with vegetables or algae because it could make them die or suffer from many diseases.

At the beginning of time, you will feel that it is difficult for this fish to breed in the home aquarium, but by the time you will find that it can live and breed easily.

You will find that the male and female fish keep smell each other like dogs, then the female will find her way on the surface, and once the male sees her doing this, he will intertwine his body with hers.

Now the male will fertilize her eggs, then she will be able to lay her eggs all around the tank.

You will easily know which eggs are good when you see them all are transparent with a bit of dark inside.

You will know the bad eggs when you find them are fluffy white, and you must get rid of these bad eggs.

If you decided to have this fish in your place, then you need to know that it can only live for 3 or 5 years only.

This will happen if you offer them a good living condition, a clean tank, and healthy foods.

You have to know that this fish doesn’t need many things because it is a peaceful and calm fish, which can tolerate a range of conditions.

You will feel so lucky if you have this fish because it isn’t prone to any particular diseases, it only suffers from some parasitic and fungal problems, which ate popular and common among freshwater fish, such as Ich.

There are some symptoms that can show on your fish, which will tell you that it doesn’t feel so well, such as loss of appetite, an increased respiration rate, and inactivity.

All the past symptoms are popular signs of disease, which probably happen because of an unclean tank or poor diet.

Once you find out that there is a sick fish in the tank, you must separate it from the rest of the fishes to protect them all.

Otocinclus catfish needs special care because it is a sensitive type, which can die if you don’t take good care of it.

Therefore, if you want to keep this fish with you for a long time, then you need to clean its aquarium daily and feed it healthy foods.

As we said before, this fish eats algae almost all the time, and it can leave some dirt in the tank, so you must clean it well because changing water won’t completely clean all the algae you see.

It is important to provide warm water, which can slowly moving in the tank and will be well-oxygenated.

The suitable water temperature for this fish is 70°F – 78°F (21°C – 26°C), and the water hardness must be 6° to 15° dH.

This fish doesn’t need a very large tank like other freshwater species, it will only need a tank that sizes 20 gallons or larger.

It will be larger than 20 gallons if you will have a group of fishes.

If you want to create a suitable aquarium for this fish, then you need to make sure that there is a soft and sandy substrate below the water.

You must make sure that the water is clean all the time by changing it daily, and make sure that there are no foods in the tank after 24 hours of feeding the fishes.

You can add some plants to the aquarium, but don’t add a lot of them because they could prevent the light from getting to the fishes.

The best plants for this fish will be Staurogyne repens, which can be used to provide more shelter for the fishes especially if they are more than 3 fishes in one place.

You can also try to add some plants at the bottom of the tank because fishes spent almost all their time there.

This fish is famous for its peaceful behavior, it is simply a small little fish, which loves to stay out of the way.

You will also notice that it is easy for larger fishes to eat these fishes because of their peaceful behavior.

You will also find that they are afraid all the time, and when they get scared, they always dart across the tank, and this will be a problem for you when you try to catch them in a net.

We wish you could reach all the information you wanted to know about Otocinclus catfish, and we hope that we could help you know more about this amazing fish.

Related Articles:
Striped raphael catfish: Feeding, diseases & more

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It is famous for its beautiful colors, perfect size, and great personality, it is also considered one of the most popular fishes in the world, and we are here for you today to tell you everything about this amazing fish.

It can be easy for you and for everyone to take care of corydoras paleatus fishes because you will find that they eat almost everything.

They also need only a comfortable tank and aquarium, all you need to do is to fill them with cold and freshwater.

You will also find that they don’t suffer from many diseases, that is why they can live for a very long time.

You will also notice by yourself that they can mate easily without making any problems for you like many other fishes, and the mating will only last for a few seconds.

Corydoras Palateus fish live no more than 5-8 years, and it is depending on the way you take care of it, the more you feed it, it will live with you for a very long time.

Therefore, if you are looking for a fish that can live with you for many years, then you will never find a better fish than the corydoras palateus.

You can know the difference between the males and females by their colors, you will find that the males have a brighter color than females.

But in size, you will notice that the females are slightly larger than the males, all that will make it easy for you to distinguish between males and females.

If you decide to breed corydoras paleatus at home, then there are some things you have to know, such as:

• You have to keep only one female with several males in a separate aquarium, and the males can be only 3 no more.
• You have to know that this type of fish can only breed in the rainy season.
• It is important to take care of the fish during her period by feeding her live food because it is rich in protein.
• You will notice that the color of the female fish turns red when she is ready for mating.
• You will also know that the fish is ready for mating, when you find her become more active and make a marriage dance.
• In a few seconds, you will find that the male fish comes close to the female and starts to tickle the female fish, then he will release seminal fluid, and the female swallows it.

You will never face any problems with feeding this fish because you will find it accepting virtually anything offered, it is similarly adaptable in the aquarium.

The best option for you if you want to feed corydoras paleatus is artemia, bloodworm, tubule, worms, crustaceans, plant matter, and other zoobenthos.

It will be perfect for this fish to present a varied diet consisting of high-quality dried sinking food.

It will be good to make the food supplemented with regular meals of small live and frozen foods.

First, you have to know that corydoras paleatus love cold water, but the temperature mustn’t be more than 22 ° C.

You will find that this fish can also live in warm water, but it will feel 100% good in cool water.

The perfect water temperature for this fish is 70° – 80°F pH 6.0 – 8.0, after making the temperature perfect you have to make sure that the aeration is moderate.

You have to know that it is so important to make a periodic water change at least once a week.

It is also necessary to make sure that the water in the tank is fresh and contains a large amount of dissolved oxygen, so it is better to install an aerator.

The tank size for corydoras paleatus( Pepper Cory) must be 20 gallons, so the fishes can feel free when they swim.

You can make it bigger if you only will put some other fishes, but if you will be good with some small corydoras paleatus, then 20 gallons will be perfect for them.

It is important to make the aquarium size comfortable and suitable for the fish, so we recommend an aquarium, which sizes 24″ x 15″ x 12″.

It will be good for you and your fish to add an aquarium filter because it will help you to decrease the dirt that can reach the fish.

You must make sure that the aquarium has no sharp protrusions because they can hurt the fish in a very bad way.

It is also recommended to add some river sand or gravel to the aquarium, and it shouldn’t be more than 5 mm in height.

You must know that Corydoras paleatus (Pepper Cory) is like any other aquarium fish, it can have fungal and bacterial diseases, and the best way to solve this problem is by detecting the disease on time, then treat it in the right way, so the Corydoras Paleatus will live for a long time with you.

It is important for you to know that the salt is harmful to corydoras paleatus, so you mustn’t add any salt to the aquarium because this type of fish can’t tolerate it and it can kill it fast.

It is recommended to put the corydoras paleatus in a separate aquarium if you notice any weird behavior from it, which means that the fish is suffering from something wrong, so this will be the best way to protect other fish from infection.

Now you know almost everything about Corydoras paleatus, so you are ready to have one of these beautiful and cute fishes, which will be your perfect partners, and you will enjoy having them, and we hope to hear your opinion about this fish.

The post Corydoras paleatus :Feeding, Care,Tank size &more appeared first on Cory Cat Fish.

They also have many amazing facts about them, which make them one of the best corydoras fishes in the world, and we are here for you today to tell you everything you want to know about them.

There are some important things you have to know about salt before buying them, and you will know how to take care of them and treat them right.

• They are well-adapted to aquarium life.
• They have great social behavior because you will find that they are very peaceful, and they only require a school of 6 or more to thrive.
• You need also to know that their average adult size is 1.4 inches (3.5 cm), but the average purchase size is 1/2 inch (1.3 cm).
• You will also find that you can take care of them in a similar way to many other Corydoras species.

You will never face any problem with feeding salt and pepper corydoras at all because they are actually eat everything, whether dry or frozen foods such as bloodworms and Tubifex.

They can also eat adult dwarf shrimp fry, but the only adult, and you will also find that they can eat their food on the aquarium floor, so you have to make sure that this floor is comprised of sand or smooth gravel.

You have to know that you can’t use a coarse substrate because it can damage their delicate barbells and underbelly.

This type of fish is also famous for its capability to live in most tropical freshwater conditions, but you have to make sure that you perform all the standard regular maintenance.

Salt and pepper catfish (Corydoras habrosus)  are one of the most peaceful schooling fish in the world, and they don’t need a guarder, and they are famous because they are brood hider.

They are generally safe to keep, and you will find that they deposit eggs in plants, which are near to the substrate, specifically on the underside of the leaves, and they rarely placed them on top.

The spawning male does his best to keep the female safe from other males attempting to spawn with her, that is the way he can protect her.

You will also notice that Salt and pepper corydoras are compatible with almost all the nano aquarium animals.

The reproduction of salt and pepper corydoras needs special care like all the other fishes,  first of all, you have to know that it is better to have two or more males for every single female.

Once you notice that the females are visibly full of eggs, now you have to perform a large (50-70%) water change with soft and cool water.

You will also need to increase oxygenation and flow in the tank, then you will need to repeat all the past steps daily until the fish spawn.

You have to be ready to see the eggs when they are deposited on the aquarium glass, within sunken spawning mops, or among fine-leaved vegetation.

Now you will have to remove all the eggs when the spawning is complete, and you can gently remove them with a finger.

It is recommended to add a few drops of methylene blue, or you can use an alder cone or two to prevent the eggs from developing fungus.

Salt and pepper corydoras can live for 2 to 3 years, and that is one of the best things about them because many fishes can’t live for more than 2 years.

Although salt and pepper cory can live in many conditions, it will always need specific water temperature, which has to be 77°F – 80°F (25°C – 27°C), and the water hardness is 2° to 25° dH.

Therefore, you have to make sure that you can control the water temperature for this fish in order to create a suitable environment for it.

There is a minimum tank size that you should know in order to make a suitable size for the fish, and the best tank size will be 8 gallons for a group of 6 fishes.

It is better to manage the tank size correctly and make sure that it is not so small or so large for the fishes because it won’t be comfortable for them at all.

The aquarium size for salt and pepper corydoras must have special dimensions, which are 60 ∗ 30 cm, this is the best-recommended dimensions for this fish because it is unsuitable for modern ‘nano’ aquaria.

When you search for an aquarium, it is better to think about a filter because it has a water flow between 4-5 times the volume of the aquarium.

If you want to find the best filter for your aquarium, then we recommend a volume of 54 liters, and you will find that it is perfect for these species.

• You have to be very careful when you are handling these fishes because they have dangerous stiffened pectoral-fin spines, which are capable of piercing human skin, and their sting is very painful.
• The color pattern of these fishes is variable, and you will notice that they are different in terms of the number and distribution of dark markings on their body.
• You may not know that the genus Corydoras considered one of the largest catfish groups, and it currently contains more than 150 valid and different species.

We hope that we gave you all the information you want to know about salt and pepper cory, and we would like to hear your opinion about these amazing species and tell us what is the best thing you like about them and tell us why.

The post Salt and pepper corydoras: Care, breeding, Lifespan, Feeding & More appeared first on Cory Cat Fish.

It is considered one of the most interesting freshwater fish in the world because of its unique look and amazing facts about breeding, feeding, and more.

We are here for you today in order to tell you things that are more interesting about this amazing fish to help you know everything about it.

You will be lucky if you choose this fish to be in your place because it can live from 18 to 25 years, so it will be with you almost forever.

You have to know that this fish will only live for a very long time with you if you offer special care for it and present suitable foods.

You will also find that it is uncommon for some fishes to live for these long years, so it may be significantly impacted by genetic factors, so if you find this fish, don’t lose it and take good care of it.

One of the most amazing things about this type of fish is that it can grow up so fast, you will find that it will almost be about 3 inches at the beginning.

After a few years, you will find that this fish reaches two feet in length, and its weight can reach over 60 pounds, so you have to be ready for this fast change.

If you want to know the difference between females and males, you can easily notice their mature because females are larger than males and they reach sexual maturity at 56 cm, but males sexual maturity at 45 cm.

You can simply take care of this fish by cleaning its tank and water all the time, and by offering healthy foods for it in time and in a huge quantity because they love eating.

You have to know that breeding this fish is not easy at all, and need special care, so if you don’t have enough time, then it is better to look for another fish.

You will notice that all the hybrid fishes from this type growing up quicker and larger than either parent, so you have to be ready for these big hybrid fishes.

The reason why they become so big and large is that they have something called hybrid vigor, which is responsible for growing.

Therefore, you have to think twice before having the tiger shovelnose catfish hybrid.

It is important to know what this fish eats before having it in your place, this fish eats smaller fish and crustaceans, besides some meaty protein-rich foods.

So your responsibility is to offer a significant amount of food in its tank at all times because it is large fish, so it will obviously eat a lot more than any other small fish species.

It will be good for this fish to present a mix of frozen foods for it with some worms, and pellets and this will be a perfectly balanced diet.

If you want to give this fish some treats, then you can try to drop pieces of fish for it as well, and these fish treats are a good source of enrichment.

It will be a challenge for you if you decided to breed tiger shovelnose catfish because it needs special care and attention, so we will tell you what exactly you want to breed it perfectly.

Frist, you have to give it a large and comfortable tank specially if you have more than one fish from this type.

Once you notice that the fishes start to grow up and become adults, then you will need to sperate them from other fishes by puting them in another large tank.

Now you will see by yourself that the mating is not that easy for tiger shovelnose catfish because it is hard to catch, so you will see that the male and female escaping from each other all the time.

When they found each other and start to have sex, you have to know that there is no guarantee that they will be compatible or even attempt to breed in your special tank.

Although this fish can stand a flexible range of water parameters, you must make sure that the water temperature is 75°F to 82°F, no more no less.

Your duty is to try and keep things as consistent as possible as you can, so you have to make the pH levels up to 6-8 and the water hardness is 6-20 KH.

You have also to make sure that the water is clean all the time by changing it frequently because water quality considered one of the most important parts of good fish care.

You have to make sure that this special fish has a large tank because it is famous for its big size, so it is important to let it live in a comfortable big place.

Therefore, it is better for you to choose a tank that is bigger than 180 gallons and reach 200 gallons, this will suit juveniles, but for adults, you have to choose one larger than 250 gallons.

All you have to notice is that the fish is feeling comfortable because if it feels cramped, then it will live in a state of stress, which will affect its lifespan and make it very short.

Once you find out that you are unable to provide these sizes of the tank for your fish, then you have to find another fish for you.

You have to make sure that the bottom of the aquarium is always clean because it is the place where the fishes live in, so they won’t feel comfortable if they found it dirty.

In order to keep the aquarium clean, you have to manage the number of fishes on it, so it is recommended to have only 5 fishes in the same tank.

In the end, we would like to hear your opinion about tiger shovelnose catfish, Do you like it?

The post Tiger shovelnose catfish: Care , feeding & more appeared first on Cory Cat Fish.