Killer whale Siamese compatibility. Aquarium catfish
The Siamese killer whale (pseudomystus siamensis, leiocassis siamensis), not the killer whale as found in most search queries, is a member of the killer whale catfish family, which is found exclusively in freshwater bodies of South Asia.
In an aquarium it reaches a maximum of 12cm, in nature it can grow up to 20cm. Sexual dimorphism is weakly expressed; it is possible to distinguish a male from a female only by its smaller and more slender body.
The lifespan of the Siamese killer whale catfish (correctly Orca) is about 5-6 years.
Conditions
This kind aquarium fish loves space – the aquarium is selected from 100 liters, while long length height is preferred. In a large, spacious tank, the number of fights between males is reduced to a minimum, which allows breeding larger number these catfish. The aquarium should also come with a filter, a compressor and a lid (orcas are very active, playful and jumping).
The water must be clean and fresh (no salt!), its parameters: temperature 20-25°C, hardness up to 15°dH and acidity 6.5-7.5pH. Change the water once a week, about a third of the total volume.
Soil - coarse sand, pebbles, gravel, no coral or marble chips, they are suitable only for cichlids, as they increase rigidity. Lighting is moderate, diffused, the Siamese killer whale (a killer whale is a bird, a swallow) does not like bright light and tries to hide from it in all sorts of crevices. Decorations - grottoes, broken pots, tubes in which you can hide (not too narrow or small, otherwise your pets have a good chance of getting stuck there).
This type of catfish prefers to swim in the water column in its active phase (which begins with the arrival of twilight). The fish can sometimes be seen hanging upright among thickets of plants, so a small number of them (Vallisneria works well) will be quite appropriate.
Feeding
Siamese killer whales do not overeat their food; they eat dry, frozen, and, of course, live food. The killer whale catfish (orca) loves to eat bloodworms. Since this catfish is a nocturnal creature, it is advisable to feed it in the late afternoon or at night.
Compatibility with other fish
Killer whale fish rarely exhibit their predatory instincts and, as a rule, coexist peacefully with most calm species of similar sizes. However, in order to avoid problems, it is better to exclude too small representatives from the aquarium water world. Killer whales can also pose a danger to fry.
The catfish itself can only be threatened by large and predatory fish.
Reproduction
Dilute in home aquarium Unfortunately, an amateur aquarist will not be able to create a Siamese killer whale. Despite the conditions that are quite accessible to create (spawning tank - 100 liters or more, water with a temperature of 26-28 ° C and hardness up to 10 ° dH, spawning substrate, plants, imitation of the rainy season to stimulate spawning - daily replacement of part of the water with fresh water), these fish refuse to spawn without additional stimulation in the form of hormone injections.
However, even when using injections, eggs from females and milt from males have to be squeezed out manually, after which fertilization is carried out independently. The amount of caviar obtained in this way is 500-800 eggs. They ripen in an incubator at the bottom, without additional aeration, for two to three days.
The juveniles are quite large and are fed by rotifers and small plankton. Adults are considered to be individuals over the age of one year.
Video: Siamese killer whale
The Siamese killer whale (pseudomystus siamensis, leiocassis siamensis), not the killer whale as found in most search queries, is a member of the killer whale catfish family, which is found exclusively in freshwater bodies of South Asia.
In an aquarium it reaches a maximum of 12cm, in nature it can grow up to 20cm. Sexual dimorphism is weakly expressed; it is possible to distinguish a male from a female only by its smaller and more slender body.
The lifespan of the Siamese killer whale catfish (correctly Orca) is about 5-6 years.
Conditions
This type of aquarium fish loves space - an aquarium is selected from 100 liters, with greater length being preferable to height. In a large, spacious tank, the number of fights between males is minimized, which makes it possible to breed a larger number of these catfish. The aquarium should also come with a filter, a compressor and a lid (orcas are very active, playful and jumping).
The water must be clean and fresh (no salt!), its parameters: temperature 20-25°C, hardness up to 15°dH and acidity 6.5-7.5pH. Change the water once a week, about a third of the total volume.
Soil - coarse sand, pebbles, gravel, no coral or marble chips, they are suitable only for cichlids, as they increase rigidity. Lighting is moderate, diffused, the Siamese killer whale (a killer whale is a bird, a swallow) does not like bright light and tries to hide from it in all sorts of crevices. Decorations - grottoes, broken pots, tubes in which you can hide (not too narrow or small, otherwise your pets have a good chance of getting stuck there).
This type of catfish prefers to swim in the water column in its active phase (which begins with the arrival of twilight). The fish can sometimes be seen hanging in an upright position among the thickets of plants, the poet
A small amount of them (vallisneria is a good choice) would be very appropriate.
Spreading: as the name suggests, these catfish live in freshwater rivers and reservoirs of Thailand and Kampuchea, hence the name “Siamese”.
Description: The Siamese killer whale has an elongated body of a yellow-silver color, darker fins, and covered with spines on the back and chest. On the sides of the body, depending on age, maybe. wide dark stripes. There are whiskers on the lower jaw. They can make creaking sounds from the articulation of their jagged fins. There is another common species of Siamese killer whale - the catfish. It floats belly up, which is why it got its name. These catfish have no scales. This subspecies is more timid, and can only be seen at night, and then it will immediately hide in a shelter. Due to the fact that they do not have scales, these catfish are covered with mucus, which, while performing protective functions, is poisonous.
Dimensions: grow up to 20 cm (in an aquarium - up to 12 cm)
Feeding/types of food: They eat any frozen and dry food, you can feed them with tubifex and bloodworms. Feed or part of the feed must be given at night, since this species leads night look life.
Basic parameters of the aquarium:
- Temperature 21-25°C
- Acidity level pH 6.5-7.5
- Hardness dH up to 15
The aquarium must be at least 100 liters. The lighting is dim. Catfish can jump out, so it is necessary to cover the “jar”. In the reservoir itself there should be a lot of shelters, snags, various cylinders, etc. Also, there must be enough vegetation for Siamese killer whales to hide in it. This species loves clean, oxygenated water. Therefore, appropriate measures must be taken (aeration, filtration, replacement of part of the water).
Social behavior: fish are peaceful, but can also be predatory. In general, the content in community aquarium quite acceptable, but we must take into account that the other inhabitants must be no smaller than these catfish, and the proximity of veiled fish is also not recommended - the tails and fins will be bitten. The fish are active at night. If two males do not divide the territory, there will be fights.
The Siamese killer whale is nocturnal. If you want to see this fish more often, then you need to create dim lighting in the aquarium, since the fish hides from bright light.
Sex differences: females larger than males and more complete.
Breeding
To breed Siamese Killer Whale, you need a spawning aquarium with a volume of at least 100 liters. In females, before spawning, the abdomen becomes significantly fuller. Usually, in preparation for spawning, pituitary injections are used, then eggs are collected manually from the female and milt from the males. Fertilization of eggs occurs artificially in a separate container. There are no facts of successful breeding of Siamese Killer Whale in an amateur aquarium yet. With professional breeding, it is possible to achieve numerous laying of eggs with a diameter of 1 mm. In this case, an important condition for spawning is an increase in temperature in the spawning area. Siamese killer whale fry are fed rotifers.
Killer whale catfish is amazing fish, the varieties of which amaze with their diversity. Perhaps the most common species is the Siamese killer whale. The brightness of the color of such a fish depends on its age and size. Females are larger than males, and their abdomen is fuller.
The body of such a fish is elongated, and the caudal fin has well-developed blades and an adipose fin. The fins on the back and chest are covered with spines. The body color is yellow-silver, with wide dark stripes on the sides. Siamese killer whales grow up to 20 cm and live 5-6 years in captivity.
These are peaceful, but sometimes predatory inhabitants of the aquarium. Active at night. If two males are cramped in one aquarium, they will defend their territory. This species prefers the middle layer of water.
The Siamese killer whale catfish needs a species aquarium with a volume of at least 100 liters with a closed lid and dim light.
These fish can be kept in a community aquarium, but neighbors should be of the same size and similar character. It is not recommended to keep small species of aquarium fish, as well as those with long fins, together.
The killer whale catfish (aquarium) loves when the aquarium has driftwood, shelters, and polyvinyl tubes.
The joints of the jagged rays of the fins emit creaking sounds and change color intensity. Many skinwalkers are covered with yellowish mucus, which is often poisonous. Males are larger, brighter and slimmer than females, plus, their fins are more developed and their heads are more massive.
He loves natural algae and clean and aerated water. For such fish, replacement is done by a third of the volume - weekly. These killer whales are fed live food (daphnia, frozen shrimp, bloodworms, insects, bark) and dry food. Adults are fed in the evening or at night, often, but little by little.
To breed this species you will need an aquarium of at least 100 liters. Just before spawning, the females' abdomen noticeably thickens. When preparing to replenish a fish family, the owner should use the method of pituitary injections, and then select the eggs manually, as well as the milt from the males. Fertilization itself occurs artificially in a container specially designed for this purpose. In the “maternity house” the water hardness should be up to 10°, the temperature should be 26-28°C, and the acidity should be 7.0. Little ones aquarium killer whales fed with rotifers.
Another common species is the catfish (killer whale, just like the Siamese species, but with its own characteristics).
This is an unusually beautiful and unusual catfish, but during the day it is not visible at all: at this time it hides in secluded places in the aquarium, and emerges only at night. If during night walk If you turn on the light for a catfish in a room with an aquarium, it will quickly swim back to its shelter.
Most of these fish species home care do not need special conditions, what must be there is shelter.
These aquarium killer whales have no scales. The pectoral and dorsal fins have hard, jagged spines.
The species of these fish were not bred artificially, they were domesticated. Motherland aquarium catfish killer whales - fresh waters of Asia and Africa. So this look was done big way on his way to fame as an aquarium pet. He gained his popularity quite quickly due to his interesting “appearance”.
This subspecies can grow up to 25 cm. However, it is not interesting for this, but for its method of movement around the aquarium: the changeling swims belly up, which is apparently why it got its funny nickname. If you keep such a fish in a low aquarium, then when he falls asleep, you can stroke his soft tummy, but he will not wake up immediately.
This catfish, unlike the Siamese species, is an active predator, therefore it is necessary to select large individuals as neighbors that will not allow themselves to be offended.
Amazing changelings can be kept alone or in company, although they can sort things out with representatives of their own species, but this does not pose a serious danger.
For a complete healthy life Such fish need to change the water at least once every six months. Aeration and filtration must be effective, and the volume of the “dwelling” itself must be at least 300 liters.
This species is fed only close-up view food: shrimp, tadpoles, and small fish and so on.
Even though these catfish are very hardy and can survive for a long time without frequent water changes and soil cleaning, you should not tempt fate. After all, such a pet can not only decorate an aquarium, but also become a full-fledged pet for a person!
Siamese killer whale or Leiocassis Siamensis - detailed description, photos, videos, features of keeping and breeding in a home aquarium
Description of the genus “Leiocassis”
Order: Cypriniformes
Suborder: Catfish (Siluroidei)
Family: Orcas (Bagridae)
Siamese killer whale: keeping and breeding fish.
Size up to 12 cm.
Lives in reservoirs of Thailand and Kampuchea.
The male is smaller and slimmer than the female.
Leads a twilight lifestyle, likes to hide in cracks and shelters, especially in brightly lit aquariums. Takes any live and dry food. Can be kept with small fish species.
Water for maintenance: dH up to 15°; pH 6.5-7.5; t 2 1-25 °C.
Water for dilution: dH up to 10°; pH 7.0; t 26-28 °C Carbonate hardness is minimal.
The spawning tank is equipped as for the previous type, but with a capacity of 100 liters or more. Dilution only by pituitary injection method.
Starter food for fry- rotifer. The female lays up to 500 eggs.
Video
11 & 12cm Asian Bumblebee Catfish (Leiocassis Siamensis) Fish
Orca catfish fighting
catfish-killer whales.avi
Mystus striped is a non-aggressive and active fish. It has another name - Indian som-killer whale. In nature, this playful representative underwater world lives in fresh waters Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and other South Asian countries, but it may be suitable for keeping in an aquarium with other fish. If you organize proper care, the pet will delight others with its cheerful disposition and activity for 5-6 years.
Mystus striped is a non-aggressive catfish that lives in warm waters
general description
The correct Latin name for the species is mistus tenggara. It was studied and described back in early XIX century. Representatives of the species grow up to 45 cm in natural conditions and up to 16-25 cm in captivity. In addition to transparent dorsal fin they have another one - fatty. The fins on the chest and abdomen are small and the tail is long.
On a big head with large bulging eyes There are three pairs of whiskers. One pair grows upper lip, and the other two, shorter ones, extend from the bottom. Thanks to these organs of touch, the fish feels great in the dark or thickets.
The spindle-shaped body of an adult representative is slightly flattened on the sides, has a pinkish-yellow color with tints of blue-violet. There are dark stripes on the body that merge with the main color during times of stress in the fish, and on gill covers there are black spots. In fry, this coloring does not appear immediately; at first they are uniformly silver, which is why they are easily confused with other species of the genus Mystus. But even representatives that have recently emerged from eggs have an interesting distinguishing feature- they can creak, creating sound with their pectoral fins.
The sex of catfish can be easily determined when the fish reach three months of age. Females grow larger and thicker, they have a clearly defined white belly, but the color is not very contrasting. Males are distinguished by their slenderness and a special process called the urogenital papilla.The character of catfish is changeable. During the day he is calm, spends his time hiding in grottoes and eating young leaves. aquatic plants, can float on the surface with its belly up. For this reason it is also called the catfish-shifter. At night he becomes cocky and plays games with other inhabitants of the aquarium, which can sometimes develop into a fight. To prevent the fish from injuring each other, the Mystus's neighbors need to be selected carefully, giving preference to calm representatives of the underwater world. But small fish are not suitable, as the catfish will begin to hunt them.
Its health, life expectancy and behavior depend on how comfortable a pet is in captivity. In a suitable environment, the Indian catfish feels great and shows the best traits of its character, in unfavorable conditions- suffers and becomes withdrawn and aggressive.
In order for mystus to be healthy and active, you need to equip the aquarium with decorations for games (for example, grottoes for hide and seek) and devices that maintain the necessary conditions for life, feed the pet properly and keep it together with other inhabitants of the underwater world.
Choosing an aquarium
An adult, fully formed mystus needs space for active swimming, so it will need a wide, low aquarium with a volume of 120-150 liters or even more. The container must be equipped with a lid, otherwise its inhabitants will jump out. To make the fish comfortable in their new place of residence, you need to put stones and driftwood on the bottom, and plant plants in the ground. To prevent the resident from completely destroying the green leaves by gnawing them, it is necessary to sometimes feed him with plant food.
Although in nature mystus sometimes swims into sea bays and feels great in a brackish environment, the water in the aquarium should be fresh and settled , and also meet the following requirements:
- temperature - from 22 °C to 28 °C;
- pH - from 6.0 to 7.4;
- hardness - from 5 to 25 dH.
The water should be changed weekly by draining a quarter of the volume and compensating for it with fresh liquid. You can also drain the water completely and rinse the aquarium once every two weeks. This is a very important requirement for caring for mystus, since it likes to be at the bottom of its home, where nitrogenous pollution accumulates. If you do not change the fish’s habitat in time, it may develop health problems.
Changing the water regularly is very important when keeping catfish.
Optional equipment
Mistuses are not very difficult to keep at home, however, some optional equipment they will need it. First of all, you will have to purchase the following designs:
An oxygen compressor is absolutely necessary, since the fish are quite large and without a special installation they will not have enough oxygen dissolved in the water. Since the aquarium for mistuses needs a volumetric one, and the device must have a power of 60-75 W, it can be placed inside the container and decorated with plants. But you should remember 2 rules:
- the device must be located so as not to create cramped conditions for fish;
- it cannot be turned off at night, since it is at this time of day that the lack of oxygen is felt most acutely.
The filter system must be chosen external. Firstly, it will not take up space in the aquarium, since such structures are located outside the tank. And secondly, it will create a flow of water similar to the natural flow of a river.
If the quality of filtered water is not completely satisfactory, you can install an additional internal device. The main thing is that the equipment comes with replaceable filters, since passing water through contaminated and expired fillers is dangerous to the health of the fish.
The water heater must maintain the heat required for comfortable life fish This is especially important if the owner wants to start breeding aquarium inhabitants, for which it is necessary to maintain the temperature at within strict limits accurate to the nearest degree. The device is equipped with a thermostat, which turns on heating when there is insufficient warm water and turns off when the set value is reached.
Nevertheless, the operation of even the highest quality and most expensive heater needs to be checked from time to time using a thermometer purchased separately. If the device fails, the water turns out to be too hot or cold, it can cost your pets not only their health, but also their lives.
Lighting will be needed not only for mistuses, but also aquarium plants. When choosing lamps, you should give preference to lighting devices that provide a color temperature in the range from 5.5 to 6.5 thousand Kelvin.
It is important to check the water temperature in the aquarium from time to time
Proper feeding
A complete and varied diet is the key to the health of living beings. If they don't receive sufficient quantity nutrients, their immunity will decrease, and the body will begin to deplete. In nature, mystus hunts all living creatures that it can swallow. IN aquarium conditions the pet should be given live, frozen or dry food, nutritional tablets for bottom fish, herbal ingredients and healthy supplements.
When choosing food, you need to pay attention to its expiration dates and storage conditions. The food is kept in a closed container in a dark place. It is better not to take the product by weight, since no one can guarantee that it has not expired and was stored correctly.
It also doesn’t hurt to purchase vitamin supplements at the pet store. The most useful substances for fish are the following:
- Vitamin A for cell growth and stress reduction in captivity;
- group B to support metabolism;
- C and D for the formation and development of the skeletal system;
- E to normalize reproductive function;
- H for cell development;
- K to support the circulatory system;
- M to improve coloring.
Supplements may also contain useful minerals eg magnesium and iodine.
Vitamins in liquid form are added to water or food at the rate of 6 drops per individual. It is especially important to use drugs during pet illness and immediately after their recovery, during transportation and relocation, during fish breeding and fry growth, and when changing seasons.
From time to time, fish should be pampered with salad, oatmeal and worms. But all portions should be small, since the catfish tends to eat every last crumb and pick up leftover food from other aquarium inhabitants. Overeating can lead to bloating and constipation, so you need to remember the rule of the ideal portion: it should be completely eaten by the fish within 3-5 minutes.
Feeding should be done once a day. During the week you need to alternate between dry and live food; the latter would be brine shrimp, bloodworms, daphnia, coretra, tubifex, rotifer or gammarus. It is important not to introduce pathogenic bacteria or viruses along with living organisms. To do this, fish food must be thoroughly washed or soaked in methylene blue.
There is no need to give catfish too much food, as they are prone to gluttony.
Compatibility with other fish
The Indian catfish cannot feel at ease alone. He becomes either fearful or aggressive. But settling different types fish in one container, you need to take into account their compatibility. Mystus striped feels best in the company of 3-5 relatives, since this species is a gregarious species. If you plan to keep other fish in the same aquarium, it is worth remembering that the catfish quite aggressively guards its territory, so its neighbors must be comparable or larger so that it does not injure them. Cichlids, astronotuses and macrognaths are suitable for him.
So popular aquarium inhabitants, like rasboras, guppies, danios or neons, will not get along with largemouth catfish, which will quickly swallow them. Decorative fish with veil fins and tails will also not be able to exist in the same place with mystus, since it will chase them, plucking the fluttering swimming organs.
Cichlids are suitable as aquarium neighbors for catfish
Breeding rules
Having grown halfway, the catfish already becomes sexually mature. But breeding mystus in aquarium conditions is not an easy task, since in captivity the male and female are practically not interested in each other. Reproduction can be stimulated only with the help of pituitary injections.
In addition, you need to set up a special 100-liter spawning tank with a substrate in the form of a sponge or moss. Water parameters must differ from those maintained under standard conditions. The requirements for them are:
- temperature strictly 26 °C;
- pH 6.0;
- hardness 4 dH.
You can put one female and several males or just a couple of fish in the tank. They need to be provided with enhanced and varied nutrition and active aeration in the aquarium. If everything is done correctly, the female will collect eggs, after which all producers need to be injected with a mixture of human chorionic gonadotropin and bream pituitary gland. IN best case scenario the female will be able to lay up to 500 eggs, from which in 30 hours the fry will develop, feeding not only on microplankton, but also on each other. To avoid this, catfish striped mystus need to be sorted by size and fed with Artemia nauplii.
Mystuses themselves practically do not reproduce in captivity
This entire procedure can only be carried out by professionals in specialized nurseries, from where the bred fish are sold. The difficulty is that in addition to the specific conditions that need to be created for breeding, very complex manipulations may be needed in case of difficulties, for example, expressing eggs from a female or bringing the water to a normal state when it is clouded with milk.
The striped catfish is unusual in appearance, interesting in behavior and an aquarium inhabitant that interacts with other fish. It adapts well to living conditions in captivity and actively responds to changes environment, has the rudiments of intelligence and can recognize the owner. At night, it swims with its belly to the surface, allowing itself to be petted, and when the light is turned on, it quickly hides in shelters at the bottom.
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