the tank-catfish is a South American one, above all for the aquarianist interesting catfish-family with approximately 130 types. Most types become only few centimeters big. it, beside its modesty, made this to popular aquarium fish. One always should socialize it to several. they then constantly comb the ground-reasons like small search-troops after feed and prevent the undoing of feed-rests so.
Shape The most-groomed tank-catfish of the types Brochis and Corydoras are very similar in the shape for itself. they have a penetrated one, some high-re-y physique. The body is protected jederseits from roof tile-nicely ordered bone-plates, that are ordered in two rows and gave its name to these catfish. Brochis and Corydoras differ in the lacking back-bulge-armor plate, d, from the other types. h. the bone-plates push between the back - and the dorsal fin not together.
The representatives of the more rarely in the habit of tank-catfish-types Dianema, Hoplosternum and Callichthys are from gestreckterem, almost cylindrical physique. Also, its tail fluke, with exception of Dianema, is as strongly as with the two first-named types incised not or not.
Types The color and drawing-patterns of the Corydoras-Arten are very diverse. One knows brownish forms, whose sides gleam metallic, like Z. B. the metal-tank-catfish (Corydoras aeneus). A multiplicity of types is with point, strips, or stain-patterns covers, the reason-color is sallow, whitish or silvery. These types partially find themselves very similarly. Is the dotted the familiar tank-catfish (C). paleatus, the leopard-tank-catfish, C. julii, the sickle-stain-tank-catfish, C. hastatus, and the dwarf-tank-catfish (C). pygmaeus. The Art of Brochis coeruleus has splendid emerald-shiny sides. The predominantly night-active Dianema, Hoplosternum, and Callichthys-Arten are dim, usually dunkeloliv or dark-gray, colored.
With all tank-catfish stands at the waiter, and lower jaws Barteln, that as feel, and taste-organs when rummaging in the ground-reasons serve. All fins carry a thorn. With the flipper-thorns, the tank-catfish can even defend themselves.
Way of life Tank-catfish are capable for the air-respiration. they press air into the intestine where the oxygen of finely branched blood-vessels is picked up. After the gas-exchange, the spent air is secret from the anus. This way, the tank-catfish are capable to endure also an extreme oxygen-poverty during the hot season; they can live even some time on moist sand. Also in the good aerated, Aquarienwasser oxygen-are enough one sees now and then swim it upward and gasp for air.
Spread The spread of the tank-catfish is limited on the tropics and subtropics of South America. they prefer sandy and muddy arms, ponds and seas, where some types occur in large flocks. By the Native Americans, tank-catfish are eaten gladly, they toast it in its solid bone-tank and crack it afterwards.
Reproduction The male clings to the female after vehement combination-games, at which also more males are involved, and gives away a sperm-cloud. With it, the males develop perform courtship display an extremely blustery nature, that one expects this somewhat clumsy looking ground-stools not at all. The females take the leaving eggs between its stomach-fins, come off from the male and then swim with the eggs through the water enriched with sperm.
Differently from this behavior, the males of the callus-catfish (Callichthys callichthys) and the Hoplosternum-Arten foam-nests build, who remind of those of the labyrinth-fish. Also here, several males perform courtship display about a female. The females also hold on to the fertilized eggs with the stomach-fins and then set aside it in the foam-nest.
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