A distinctive feature of aquarium catfish is a special suction cup, thanks to which the fish crawl around the aquarium. Adhering to the walls of the aquarium, catfish cleanse the green coating from algae, and it is their food. However, such food is not able to provide a complete diet, so fish often need additional food. This article will focus on proper feeding: how and how to feed catfish, and what should be considered when feeding in a common aquarium.
Features
Catfish feed on green bloom and feed residues found at the bottom of the aquarium. At the same time, they not only eat, but also facilitate the cleaning of the aquarium. Tanks where catfish live are less likely to be cleaned.
It should be noted that catfish is a species of fish with unique habits and taste preferences. Many aquarium enthusiasts buy catfish precisely so that they clean off plaque from the walls of the aquarium, eat fish debris and slices of half-eaten food, and eat algae. But the erroneous opinion that this species of fish does not need additional feeding leads to sad consequences.
Catfish are rather shy fish. With constant observation, you will notice that during the day they are hiding in various shelters.
Proper feeding of catfish is carried out in the evening. In this case, turn off the lighting and wait until all the inhabitants of the aquarium fall asleep. Otherwise, feed intended for catfish can be eaten by its “neighbors”.
In addition, the fact that It’s almost impossible to train catfish in the daytime. Therefore, feed poured into the aquarium during the day can deteriorate in the evening.If the food remains are at the bottom for more than 8 hours, they should be removed with a net or a dirt cleaner. Spoiled food leads to water pollution and poisoning of fish.
Somes are able to remember who feeds them. The high intelligence of the fish allows you to achieve hand-fed feeding over time. Also for fish sure to find food at the bottom. Food can be buried or attached to the soil of the aquarium.
Some species of fish may overeat, therefore It is necessary to strictly dose the feed. Feed the catfish a couple of times a day. But sometimes it’s worth arranging fasting days. If it is not possible to feed the fish at one time or another, you can use a special feeder. An auto-feeder provides feeding at the right time, you only need to set a timer.
Adhesives also feed on fry, frozen food, meat, pills, plates and other small fish species. Therefore, before launching catfish into a common tank, one should study the neighborhood adhered to other species of inhabitants.
In addition, for catfish, you can cook special food yourself. You can feed them with meat, chopped seafood, seaweed, spirulina.
Finished feed
Today, there are ready-made feeds designed specifically for catfish. The feed pellets are hard and large, which prevents them from being eaten by other fish. Heavy feed particles quickly sink to the bottom, gradually becoming soft. Universal food for catfish is developed according to a special formula that takes into account the characteristics of the species and lifestyle features.
Consider the options for a finished diet for catfish.
- Tetra TabiMin. Tablets designed to feed fish that live at the bottom of the aquarium. Feeding prevents malnutrition and stunting. The vitamin complex is supplemented with a component to attract fish.
- Tetra water mix. Food for all varieties of catfish. The package contains various granules that sink quickly. At the same time, there are several types of granules in the composition: for herbivores (with spirulina) and for predatory catfish (containing shrimp meat).
- Tetra Pleco Wafers. Feed in the form of plates suitable for herbivore varieties sticking. The plates quickly sink and sink to the bottom, dissolve slowly and do not pollute the aquarium.
- Sera Vipagran. A specialized diet for different types of fish, which is also used to feed catfish. It should be borne in mind that feed pellets are slowly sinking, therefore, to feed catfish, you need to pour a lot of feed so that it does not remain on the surface.
When feeding herbivores, you should also pay attention to balanced nutrition in the form of chips. The feed contains beneficial amino acids and plant concentrates, beneficially affecting the immune system. With this feeding, the water remains clean. If only catfish live in the aquarium, then when feeding, you can use tablets and plates. Ready food quickly settles to the bottom and softens. Soma is a bottom type of fish, it is more convenient for them to take food from the ground.
Catfish love to scrape away plaque from the walls of the aquarium, so tablets or plates can be glued to the walls. When softened, such food is easily applied and adhered to surfaces. However, you should make sure that the catfish is convenient to collect food on their own.
When choosing a balanced feed, you need to choose high-quality producers. Indeed, the well-being and development of pets depends on the quality of the products. Preference should be given to feed from trusted manufacturers. Do not save on eating fish.
Natural food
Aquarium species sticking eat both plant foods and live ones. Somics are always happy to feast on bloodworms, daphnia, cyclops, tubule, livestock. Everything else, natural feeding stimulates the rapid appearance of caviar. Fry that was born to begin with must be fed with infusoria. Feeding with microworms and artemia promotes proper growth and development of fry.
In the feeding of catfish, the presence of chicken, fish, shrimp, eggs, black bread, cucumber, lettuce or cabbage is allowed. Any kind of meat should be lean, an egg can be given only once a week. All food needs to be cut in small pieces so that it is convenient for the fish to swallow. But you need to remember that such food contributes to the rapid pollution of the aquarium.
Various driftwood is also an excellent food. Somics eat around the rotten bark, bringing the surface of the driftwood to a shine.
Rules in a common aquarium
For a safe neighborhood of catfish and other species of fish, proper feeding should be provided for everyone, since some predatory species of catfish eat their cohabitants. For example, red-tailed catfish can eat fish that are smaller than its mouth and swim slowly. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to prevent malnutrition of individuals.
When feeding fish in a common tank several varieties of feed should be used at once: for catfish and for other fish.
Heavy granules for catfish quickly sink and settle at the bottom, which provides the most convenient use. At the same time, other fish will be fed without the intervention of catfish, as the second type of food does not sink so quickly and floats on the surface for a long time.
However, catfish do not mind eating the usual food. Therefore, during feeding, you can sometimes notice that catfish swim to the feeder and feed on food from there. Catfish are very fond of live food, and you should sometimes buy bloodworms and tubule. Such food is necessarily buried in the ground, and catfish like to dig it out. Living plants are a source of plant food. If in the aquarium there are such plants as, for example, anubias, then additional feeding is not needed.
In conclusion, I want to remind you that you should not start catfish only as "scavengers", for eating leftover food and cleaning the aquarium. Fish need care, additional feeding and comfortable living conditions. When feeding catfish, a specific biorhythm should also be considered. In search of food, catfish go out at night, so it is necessary to provide feeding in the evening. This should include special lighting. This will eliminate unpleasant situations when other inhabitants of the aquarium eat food intended for catfish.
See how to feed catfish in an aquarium.
