Types of catfish corridor

Catfish corridors are incredibly popular among both experienced aquarists and beginners. Small size, active behavior, easy maintenance make them an excellent option for a home aquarium.

The only problem is species, which number more than 150. To choose a pet among such a variety of options to an ignorant breeder will be quite difficult. Julie and Nanus, duplicareus and brochis, Adolph corridor and trilineatus - to figure out which of them will become a real decoration of a home aquarium, we will try in this article.

Small armored catfish corridors are incredibly peace-loving fish, preferring the bottom layers of the soil and playing the role of orderlies in the tank. With such pets, when creating sufficient conditions for their maintenance, practically no problems arise. Among their subspecies there are relatively nondescript, but very hardworking and active fish. However, there are also enough handsome men with a bright, eye-catching appearance, you just need to study a little more in detail all the species available for aquarium maintenance.

Somiki corridors are small inhabitants of South American freshwater rivers, which have long ago turned into aquarium inhabitants. These fish grow up to 10 cm at home. Compact catfish has a short body with a convex back and keratinized bone plates on the surface of the body and head. They replace the scales and give the catfish another name - carapace. In addition, this species is often called shortly - measles catfish.

In addition to the protective shell, consisting of bone plates, these small fish have other means to ensure their own safety.Their pectoral fins have a lucid shape, they are hard and sharp. When transplanting with a net, care must be taken - the net may break.

The color of catfish corridors can be either solid or spotted or striped. There are albino forms deprived of pigment artificially. But most often in the aquarium, it is precisely the decorative versions with an unusual, spectacular body color that are found.

The oral apparatus of the fish is located at the bottom of the head, this allows the catfish to effectively collect food from the bottom of the aquarium. On the lips above and below there are characteristic antennae that allow you to "see" the world around even with high turbidity of the water. The respiratory system of fish is also unusual. Catfish corridors can breathe gills under water or swallow air bubbles with their mouth on the surface.

Females have a paler color, on their back there is a rounded fin. Males are brighter and their determination to achieve puberty is quite easy. Somiki measles are true centenarians. To the delight of the owner, they are able to be active and feel great up to 15 years.

Among the variety of species of catfish of the corridor, you can find quite unusual names. For example, the smallest fish, reaching no more than 3 cm in length, are called "pygmies." A catfish with a depigmented body is called an albino. Almost all varieties in the aquarium look more decorative in flocks of 5-6 individuals. Their individual features are worth considering in more detail.

A colorful fish with a cream or pale gray tint of the body has an interesting pattern of black spots on the entire surface of the head and body. Symmetrically located ornament emphasizes the originality and expressiveness of the appearance. Corridor Julie in the aquarium grows to 5 cm.

Corridor nanus has body length not exceeding 5 cm in males, females are even smaller. This view is distinguished by a silvery color of the body, an olive shade is expressed on the forehead and back, on top of which there is a clear mesh ornament in black. On the sides there are 3 distinct light stripes, males are painted brighter than females, they have a pronounced golden hue in the lower part of the caudal and ventral fins.

This species of catfish gave rise to an albino variety. Mottled corridors have a convex back, body length up to 6-7 cm, a gray-olive basic color and a yellow-pink abdomen. On the surface of the head, body, fins there are asymmetric dark spots of irregular shape. On the side there is a characteristic strip formed from transversely arranged features.

Catfish corridors with a bright golden color are also sometimes referred to as bronze or aeneuses. This species is characterized by color variability - from lemon to almost orange. Particularly saturated body color in the back. Somik is very decorative, popular among amateur aquarists, grows up to 7 cm in length.

An unusual fish with a body color resembling the coloring of the famous bear. The panda corridor grows up to 5 cm in length. His body has a pale pink or silver-yellow color with pronounced dark marks: on the eyes (in the form of a mask), on the back and at the base of the caudal fin. The unusual appearance makes these fish popular among amateur aquarists.

This species has a great resemblance to the Adolf corridor. Fish have a body length of up to 4-5 cm, a golden-orange background color, a darker back, a strip in the gill region. These marks are quite wide, all pigmentation as a whole looks quite bright.

Somiki corridor brochis are large representatives of their species. They grow up to 9 cm in length. But not large dimensions are the main advantage of this fish - corridor brochis is very brightly colored, has an unusual emerald-green hue of the shell with a bright neon tint.

The description of albinos looks quite impressive. In fact, Corydoras paleatus is a pseudo-albino obtained by artificial means. The fish has a body and head of a pink-white hue, eyes are bright red. Despite the original appearance, such a pet is well suited for keeping in small and medium aquariums, it is not sensitive to water parameters. The maximum body length of the albino variety of catfish corridors does not exceed 7 cm.

According to its external data, the trilineatus corridor is very similar to the Julie subtype, it has a body length of 5-6 cm, a beige body with contrasting black spots on the surface. The background of his body is lighter, rather, sandy. On the sides, an ornament is traced from parallel horizontal strips, and in females it reaches only half of the body.

The dwarf catfish corridor habrozus is included in the list of the three smallest species of this fish along with the pygmy and sparrow. Adult individuals have a body length of up to 2 cm, are distinguished by lively, active behavior. The main body color is light beige with a yellow tint or silver, on top it is covered with dark spotted marks. Portions of the tail and fins are brightly colored; a wide black stripe runs along the body.

There are certain selection rules that allow you to purchase a healthy and active fish for the aquarium. In the case of catfish, regardless of their type, you need to pay attention to the following points.

• The condition of the abdomen of fish. An excessively hollow belly indicates poor nutrition or the presence of helminths. A convex, swollen belly can be a sign of many diseases - it is hardly worth taking a deliberately unhealthy pet.
• The presence of mucus or inflammation in the gills. Also an alarming symptom is a darkening of the respiratory organs - they change color due to nitrogen poisoning.
• Eye condition. Turbidity, film formation is an alarming sign, such a fish may die soon enough. Convex or heavily sunken eyes can also be a symptom of the disease.
• Behavior. By nature, corridors are quite active, playful fish. If they lie motionless at the bottom, are apathetic, swim slowly and languidly, do not respond to people nearby, it is worth refusing to purchase pets.
• The condition of the fins. They should not have traces of rot, clumping, red stripes.
• Antenna integrity. They should not have traces of scrap. It is important for catfish to keep these elements intact.
• The presence of atypical formations on the body. If reddish spots are visible in the abdomen, this may indicate the presence of a bacterial infection. On the sides and back, growths, discoloration may be the result of parasitic infection or fungus.
• Features of movement. Healthy fish should not have problems with maneuvering, changing the trajectory of their movement. The manifestation of an imbalance, moving sideways, spasmodic jerks indicate that it is clearly not worth buying fish.
• Breathing features. Healthy fish easily swallows air, breathes easily, actively moves to the bottom after lifting. A sick catfish corridor will have difficulty floating up and sinking heavily to the bottom.
• The presence of dead fish in the aquarium. This is completely unacceptable, when it comes to the store, it is worth looking for another point for acquiring pets.

When choosing catfish for an aquarium It is worth giving preference to individuals of different sizes. In this case, the probability of obtaining both males and females in one batch will be much higher.

See more about the features of these fish in the next video.