Siamese killer whale catfish. Siamese killer whale (Leiocassis Siamensis)
Black bagrus (lat. Mystus leucophasis or Heterobagrus leucophasis), which is also called black killer whale, changeling killer whale, black mystus, is an interesting, but rarely found on sale catfish.
Outwardly he looks classic representative catfish - four pairs of whiskers reaching the length of almost half the body, a long dorsal fin, a body shape typical of a predator.
A peculiarity of the black bargus is that, like synodontis, it often turns over and swims upside down, for which English called Asian upside down catfish.
The black mistus lives in Myanmar, in largest river The Irrawaddy and its tributaries. Typical river catfish, active at night.
Description
Black bagus catfish can grow up to 30 cm, although in aquariums it is smaller, usually less than 20 cm.
The body color is black; when viewed from a distance, up close you can see silvery spots running along the body.
As the fish grows, the spots also increase, and over time it looks like it has been dusted with flour.
At first it is active only at night, but as it adapts, it begins to swim during the day. Since the black bargus swims very actively, it is not suitable for an aquarium with a large number plants, as they will be broken and dug up.
It is also not suitable for common aquariums; neighbors need to be selected very carefully. Ideally, this is a fish for species-specific keeping, separately in an aquarium.
The shapeshifting killer whale is only suitable for experienced aquarists and is not recommended for beginners.
Water parameters are not too important, but ideal would be: water temperature 23-27°C, pH: 6.0-8.0, hardness 5-20°H. They love strong currents, like all river inhabitants.
They jump well, so the aquarium needs to be covered. Considering the rather large size of adult catfish, it is advisable to keep an aquarium of at least 400 liters
Large quantity They spend time in an upside-down position, so when buying them they are often confused with the catfish-shifter. However, black bugrus is a different color (it’s easy to guess which one), larger, and most importantly, much less suitable for general aquariums.
Feeding
Unpretentious in feeding, black bagus eats live, frozen and artificial food. Maybe there is small fish.
Compatibility
They can be territorial and aggressive, depending on the nature of the individual. He eats small fish with pleasure, and bothers slow and leisurely neighbors, constantly feeling them with his whiskers (to see if the object will fit into his mouth or not).
However, it can get along with fast and large fish, for example, with the bream barb, large cichlids, even with African mbuna (as long as the size of the fish does not allow it to be swallowed).
Usually they cannot tolerate their relatives; it is better to keep one black mystus or several in an aquarium, but in a very spacious one.
Sex differences
Mature females are larger and have a more rounded abdomen than males.
Breeding
They periodically spawn in the aquarium, but there is no sufficiently complete data. The bulk is bred on farms in Asia or imported from nature.
Post navigationComes from the vast Mekong River basin - the largest in Southeast Asia, from the territory of modern Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Lives in waters with slow flow among the flooded trees and their roots. During the daytime it stays close to shelters, and at night it comes out in search of food.
Brief information:
- Aquarium volume - from 100 l.
- Temperature - 20–26°C
- pH value - 5.8–7.8
- Water hardness - from soft to hard (5–25 dGH)
- Substrate type - any soft
- Lighting - dim
- Brackish water - acceptable in a concentration of 1 teaspoon of salt per 10 liters
- Water movement - weak
- The size of the fish is up to 12 cm.
- Nutrition - protein (meat) diet
- Temperament - relatively peaceful
- Content alone or in small group if there are shelters
Description
Adults reach a length of about 15 cm. The main color is a dark chocolate shade with several vertical and diagonal stripes of a yellowish tint. A similar drawing was reflected in one of the folk names this species is a “bumblebee catfish”. Sexual dimorphism is weakly expressed, males have more contrasting colors, and females are somewhat stockier than their partners.
Nutrition
It belongs to the carnivorous species, and in part can be called miniature predators. The Siamese catfish preys on small fish, aquatic insects and their larvae, worms, crustaceans, etc. home aquarium can adapt to eating fresh meat and frozen foods such as meat freshwater shrimp, mussels, pieces of white fish, earthworms.
You should not serve meat of animal origin; they are difficult to digest and can cause digestive problems.
Maintenance and care, arrangement of the aquarium
The optimal aquarium size for one catfish starts from 100 liters. Since this is a shy and nocturnal inhabitant, the design should include dim lighting and the presence of shelters (driftwood, ceramic pots, scraps of plastic tubes, etc.). When kept together with other catfish, provide several areas with shelters so that each of them can create their own territory. Any soft substrate, plants are not required, but if desired, you can use some shade-loving plants unpretentious plants and mosses.
When placing the equipment, place the heaters away from the hiding places and, especially, do not combine them so that the catfish do not accidentally overheat. Otherwise, the Asian bumblebee catfish is completely unpretentious and is able to successfully adapt to various water conditions, occurs naturally even in brackish systems.
Behavior and Compatibility
If you do not keep it with small fish, then there will be no problems with compatibility with other species. Catfish goes well with large and medium-sized cyprinids, peaceful cichlids and many others. Regarding intraspecific relationships, then there is competition for territory and if there is not enough space, skirmishes are possible
Breeding/reproduction
In nature mating season occurs with the arrival of the rainy season, when significant changes in the composition of the water occur, which in turn is a stimulus for spawning. In a home aquarium, it is almost impossible to reproduce natural cycles without the use of hormonal injections used on fish farms.
Fish diseases
The main cause of health problems is unsuitable living environment. If the first symptoms are detected, you should check the water parameters and the presence of high concentrations hazardous substances(ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, etc.), if necessary, bring the indicators back to normal and only then begin treatment. Read more about symptoms and treatment methods in the section "
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 closed lid and dim light.
These fish can also be kept in community aquarium, but neighbors should be selected of the same size and similar character. With small species aquarium fish, as well as those with long fins, are not recommended to be kept 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. In the chest and dorsal fins there are hard jagged spines.
The species of these fish were not bred artificially, they were domesticated. Motherland aquarium catfish killer whales - fresh waters 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 etc.
Even though these catfish are very hardy and can go 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!
Mystus tengara
In my opinion, Mystus striped is undeservedly ignored by lovers of aquarium exotics. This is a very attractive fish in appearance and interesting in behavior. The white belly and stripes on the body shine with mother-of-pearl, long whiskers and winking eyes give the fish a very extravagant appearance.
Features of keeping mistuses
It is best to keep these catfish in a flock of three or more, then they will show themselves in all their glory. Mistuses grow very quickly, they maximum size reaches up to twenty centimeters, so you should choose a large aquarium for them - from 150 liters and above, and its length should be much greater than its height. It should also be taken into account that catfish are very active and love to race around the aquarium. It also needs shelter in the form of various snags and grottoes - for example, my young mystus somehow hid under half a toothless shell.
Nevertheless, mystuses are visible almost all the time during the day, but their activity does not decrease at night either. At the same time, they can misbehave and bite the long fins of other fish - my handsome one left his tails mollies without their original lyres.
When getting mistuses, you should clearly know that they are predators, so everything small fish, if there are any in your aquariums, will sooner or later be eaten by catfish. Therefore, it is best to keep them in company large fish, mine, for example, lives with astronotuses .
There is evidence that these catfish can spoil living plants by gnawing on their tender young leaves. You can try to “make friends” of catfish with plants by feeding them plant foods: lettuce leaves, scalded nettles.
Feeding mystus
Mistuses are very fond of special tablets for catfish. When I feed them to my mystus, he rushes like lightning into a pile of fish, grabs the tablet and runs away. After about five minutes he usually loses it and swims for another. These catfish are unpretentious in food, they eat absolutely everything: dry, frozen, and live food.
Water for mistuses
They require standard settled water with a temperature of about 25 degrees; it is enough to change it once every two weeks.
Mistus breeding
You can try and breed them, but this requires stimulation of the fish using pituitary injections, which, of course, is not available to all hobbyists. Therefore, it would be better to just watch these catfish and get aesthetic pleasure from them.
Shifter killer whale (Mystus leucophasis, Heterobagrus leucophasis)
No matter how beautiful and unusual this catfish is in appearance, it is so uninteresting in behavior. During the day it is not visible, since at this time of day it sits out in secluded places in the aquarium, under snags and in grottoes, and the catfish emerges from them only at night. If at this moment you turn on the light in the room, then it rushes like lightning into the shelter, sweeping away everything in its path.
Features of keeping killer whales
The catfish-shifter grows up to twenty-five centimeters. Its method of movement around the aquarium is interesting - the catfish constantly swims with its belly up. If you keep a changeling in a low aquarium, then when he falls asleep, you can even stroke his soft belly - he does not wake up immediately.
It should be borne in mind that this catfish is an active predator, so it is necessary to select large fish that can fend for themselves as neighbors. My catfish manages to bite the fins of even such giants as my astronotus at night.
You can keep shifters either alone or in a group, but sometimes they can sort things out among themselves, but this usually does not lead to serious injuries.
It should be noted that the shapeshifting killer whale is an almost unkillable fish. My catfish came to me at the age of five from a very dysfunctional aquarium, in which siphoning and replacement were not carried out for several months, there was more waste there than soil, and yet the fish were fed twice a day.
The catfish sat for three weeks in a forty-liter aquarium while my old one was being repaired; during catching, two antennae on the upper jaw were damaged - they turned white and fell off completely, and a large antennae was also damaged and broken. So, within a week, everything that fell off my catfish completely grew back and was restored.
The Siamese killer whale (pseudomystus siamensis, leiocassis siamensis), and not the killer whale, as is found in most searches, is a representative of the killer whale catfish family, which is found exclusively in fresh water 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.
Terms
This type of 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
Orca 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
Unfortunately, an amateur aquarist will not be able to breed a Siamese killer whale in a home aquarium. 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