|
| |
|
FAQs on Callichthyid Catfish Identification Related Articles: Callichthyid Catfishes, Summer
loving: cats in the garden, kittens in the kitchen by Neale Monks,
Related Catfish FAQs: Callichthyids
1, Callichthyids
2, Callichthyid Behavior,
Callichthyid Compatibility,
Callichthyid Selection,
Callichthyid Systems,
Callichthyid Feeding,
Callichthyid Disease,
Callichthyid Reproduction, Catfish: Identification,
Behavior, Compatibility,
Selection, Systems,
Feeding, Disease,
Reproduction,
Who am I? |
 |
Corydoras ID
-11/18/07
Lord, I hate to bother you all again. But I've spent several days at
planetcatfish.com trying to ID this little Corydoras catfish and can't
seem to find what he/she is.
I ordered Corydoras trilineatus and 2 of these came in the same batch.
I'm putting them all in the 125 gal with the Severum (after 4 wks
quarantine). I'd like to get a few more of this species because I
noticed Corys seem to hang out with their own species pretty often and I
want them to be comfortable. If you can ID him for me I'd certainly be
grateful and so would the little Cory. Thank you all, you're the most
wonderful group of volunteers I've ever encountered.
Mitzi
<Hello Mitzi. Your catfish could well be Corydoras trilineatus. As you
perhaps realise, Corydoras trilineatus and Corydoras julii are routinely
mixed up. In fact many catfish experts reckon that most of the fish sold
as Corydoras julii are actually Corydoras trilineatus. The give-away is
the head: Corydoras trilineatus has black worm-like markings on its
head, whereas Corydoras julii has discrete, approximately circular
spots. Because your fish doesn't seem to have those spots on its head, I
don't think it is Corydoras julii. I agree with you that Corydoras are
happiest in big groups. Six specimens seems to be the minimum to really
get the most from them. Kept like that, they are less shy and more
entertaining, as well as easier to breed. Thanks for the kind words, and
hope this helps. Cheers, Neale.>
Corydoras ID/tank height -11/18/07
I have a PS to the email below I just sent. I just read a quote from
Neale at wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/callcatdisfaq2.htm saying
"<Circulation of the water is important. But also how deep is the tank?
Corydoras are obligate air breathers, and they will literally drown in
an aquarium too deep for them. For the smaller species, around 30 cm is
about right. Anything over 45 cm is dodgy, in my opinion.>"
This had occurred to me before but now I'm extremely concerned. The 125
gal tank I planned to put 12 Corydoras into is 22" tall (or 60 cm). Is
that going to be too tall for them?? If it is I'll just buy them a 40
gal long and put some Hatchet fish in with them.
Just when I think I'm done worrying I find out I'm not :-( I'd love to
hear your opinions.
Mitzi
<Hello Mitzi. In deep tanks, small Corydoras may struggle to reach the
surface. In a plain aquarium, 45 cm may be taken as a safe depth of
water for medium- to large-sized species like Corydoras panda and
Corydoras aeneus. Smaller species, like Corydoras hastatus, shouldn't
really be kept at more than 30 cm depth. In deeper tanks, it's generally
recommended you go with Brochis rather than Corydoras spp; Brochis are
altogether stronger swimmers and naturally come from relatively deep
waters. Corydoras are very much shallow water fish that inhabit creeks
and streams rather than rivers. My peppered Corydoras live in a tank
where the water is about 40 cm deep, and they seem fine. What I have
noticed is they often rest half-way on stiff plants such as Anubias. So,
if your tank is unusually deep, you might incorporate such resting
places so that their life isn't too difficult. Do note that I'm talking
about the depth of water rather than the depth of the tank; by the time
you allow for the depth of substrate and the air space at the top of the
tank, your 60 cm aquarium will likely only contain around 50 cm of water
depth. While still deeper than the optimum, with a few robust plants,
bogwood roots, or rocky ledges, your catfish should be fine. Cheers,
Neale.> |
|
 |
Platy - Gourami mix revisited: this time, +cats! 2/2/06
Hi crew!
Thanks for your quick+informative reply regarding my platies! The little guys
look very happy! I followed your advice and bought a test kit: all very good
readings:
Ammonia: 0
Nitrate:0
Nitrite:25 - 50
<These last two are crossed-over... and nitrate's a bit high. Do try to keep
below 20 ppm... means covered on WWM>
Ph: not sure, as it was a funny light blue colour, but I'm guessing it was
about 7.5, and they told me not to worry about it at my local fish store place.
<Is likely fine... also covered>
I did not buy the gouramis, as planned, but instead bought 2 little cats. I
hope to get the gouramis later.
My question is about my cats. In the shop, they were labeled as "speckled
cats", but when I got them home and looked in a fish book, there was a picture
of them... Labeled as peppered cories! I can't send a pic. with this, but I'm
working on it! They seem very peaceful and fun loving, could they be the
peppered cories?
<Are very likely a species of Corydoras... maybe paleatus... covered on
WWM... fine here>
Thanks for replying to my email, and once again, thanks for your great site!
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>
Corydoras Correction on the FW Web Site
I will pass along your link request and ID correction.
Thanks,
Steven Pro
Hello Steve,
I was just checking out the WWM web site, very nice. I would definitely like to link with the site. Let me know if that would be possible or how to go about it.
Also, some helpful input, I noticed on the page below:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/callichthyids.htm
that the Corydoras catfish captioned "Corydoras barbatus" at the top of the page isn't correct. It appears to be a Corydoras semiaquilus, nowhere near a C. barbatus.
Hope that helps a bit,
Thanks,
Eric
<Thank you for this. Will check, re-label tomorrow. Bob Fenner>
| |
|
