Catfish - Learn about the hardworking "cleaners" of the aquarium

Catfish are small, gentle, colorful ornamental fish that can help clean the bottom of the tank, very popular in aquariums.

Catfish are one of the most popular freshwater ornamental fish today. They often appear in aquariums because of their small, beautiful appearance, low price, and are also diligent "cleaners" that help keep the bottom of the tank clean.

In today's article, let's go deeper with Nice Fish to learn more about the origin, habits, and effective care of catfish to help you confidently try this ornamental fish.

Origin of catfish

Catfish are native to South America.

Catfish is the common name for a group of small ornamental fish belonging to the family Callichthyidae, originating from South America, often found in large rivers such as the Amazon River, Orinoco River...

In nature, catfish live in freshwater streams, slow-moving rivers, riverbeds with fallen leaves, tree roots and soft mud, where they can easily search for food debris, organic matter, small insects,...

In the early 20th century, catfish were introduced into the aquarium world because of their beautiful appearance, gentleness and ability to "clean" the bottom of the tank very well. Then they were widely bred in Asia such as Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia.

Currently, after many breeding and crossbreeding processes, there are more than 150 different species of catfish.

Physical characteristics of mouse fish

The catfish has very special whiskers in front of its mouth.

The catfish is a small ornamental fish with a cute appearance and many different color variations. Let's learn more about the physical characteristics of this aquarium cleaning fish.

• Size : Small, only 3 - 7 cm.
• Shape : Elongated body, round belly, looks quite plump and lovely.
• Mouth : Pointing downwards, there are 2 - 3 pairs of short whiskers around the mouth to help them better detect food at the bottom of the tank, and this is also the identifying feature of this fish species.
• Eyes : Large, round, flexible, helping them see in dark environments or at the bottom of the tank.
• Scaleless : This fish does not have scales like normal fish, but instead has two rows of hard bony plates running along both sides of its body.
• Fins : Small, soft, triangular dorsal fin, short pectoral and pelvic fins.
• Color : Very diverse, popular colors are silver gray, brown, yellow, striped, black, panda, coffee, white mouse,...

Behavior of catfish

Catfish like to live in schools of 5 - 10 fish.

The catfish is an ornamental fish with very interesting habits. It is considered a hard-working fish that cleans the tank and often appears in aquariums. Let's learn about some of the special habits of this fish.

Works at the bottom, likes to "clean up"

Catfish mainly swim and forage at the bottom of the aquarium, using their whiskers to diligently search for food that has fallen to the bottom of the tank or in crevices in rocks. They are omnivorous and like to eat organic debris at the bottom, so people also jokingly call them "hardworking cleaners".

Gentle

The catfish has a very gentle nature, it never fights for territory or is aggressive with other fish in the tank, very suitable for keeping in an aquarium with Neon Tetra fish , angelfish , triangle fish,...

Like to live in a pack

Mice love to live in groups, they always gather in small groups of 3-10 or more. If kept alone, the fish will feel stressed, timid and lazy, so please note to keep this fish in groups.

Can breathe through the intestines

Although they like to live and move at the bottom of the tank, catfish will occasionally come up to the surface and dive down to get oxygen directly from the air by swallowing bubbles and absorbing it through their intestines. So if you see fish swimming to the surface of the water, it is a completely normal sign.

Detailed guide to raising catfish for beginners

Catfish usually live at the bottom of the tank.

The catfish is a beautiful, gentle and quite easy to raise fish, very suitable for beginners in aquatic life or ornamental fish. However, to help this fish stay healthy and live long, please follow the instructions below.

Prepare the tank for raising catfish

Catfish is a small fish species, only 5 - 7 cm in size, but it has the habit of living in schools, so when designing a tank to raise them, you need to pay attention to the following:

• Tank size : Minimum 40 L, for a school of 5 - 6 fish, if raised with other fish species, must be over 60L.
• Tank floor : Catfish like to be active at the bottom, so you should spread a layer of fine sand or round gravel on the tank floor to protect the fish from injury and make it easier to find food.
• Filtration system : Required, should choose membrane filter or external filter for gentle flow.

Water parameters suitable for raising catfish

Catfish are quite sensitive to the water environment, especially when the water is dirty, so if you want this fish to grow well and live long, you need to pay attention to the following basic water parameters:

• Temperature : 22 - 27 degrees Celsius.
• pH : 6.5 - 7.5
• Hardness : 5 - 12 dGH.
• Ammonia, Nitrite : Must always be 0.
• Dissolved oxygen : 6 - 8 mg/L, the higher the better.
• Change water : Change 20 - 30% of the water in the tank every week to help keep the water quality up to standard without shocking the fish.

What do catfish eat?

Catfish are omnivorous and they mainly eat bottom-feeding food. Here are some good foods suitable for catfish. Let's learn more.

• Industrial pellets : This is the most convenient type of food. You can use sinking pellets specifically for bottom fish, compressed pellets specifically for Corydoras or slow-release pellets.
• Live food : Bloodworms, daphnia, artemia, red worms, chopped earthworms.
• Vegetables : Occasionally add cooked vegetables such as spinach, carrots, pumpkin, cucumber...

Common diseases in catfish and how to treat them

Although catfish are quite healthy ornamental fish, they can still get some diseases due to dirty water and unsuitable environment. Specifically as follows:

10 most beautiful and popular catfish species in Vietnam

Right below are the 10 most beautiful and popular types of catfish in the Vietnamese ornamental fish village. Let's find out together.

Coffee Mouse

Coffee catfish has a coffee brown color.

• Scientific name : Corydoras aeneus
• English name : Bronze Corydoras / Coffee Cory
• Origin : South America
• Size : 5 - 7 cm

The coffee catfish is one of the most common catfish species. The name "coffee" comes from its dark brown or coppery brown body that resembles the color of coffee. The body is plump, the head is large, the adult fish is 5 - 7 cm long.

Star catfish

Star fish.

• Scientific name : Corydoras sterbai
• English name : Sterbai Corydoras / Starry Cory
• Origin : South America - Guapore River Basin.
• Size : 5 - 6 cm

This is one of the most beautiful and outstanding species of catfish in the Corydoras family with tiny white spots on a brown or gray body that look like stars in the sky. Their heads have white stripes running horizontally, pectoral fins have orange or light red edges, adults are 5 - 6 cm long.

Pygmy catfish

Pygmy catfish.

• Scientific name : Corydoras pygmaeus
• English name : Pygmy Corydoras
• Size : Average 2 - 2.5 cm
• Origin : South America
• Lifespan : 3 years

This is one of the smallest catfish species with an adult size of only 2 - 2.5 cm, often kept together in mini aquariums. They have a silver or slightly metallic body, combined with a black stripe running from head to tail, transparent fins.

Panda catfish

Panda fish.

• Scientific name : Corydoras panda
• English name : Panda Corydoras
• Origin : Peru
• Size : 4 - 5 cm

This is one of the most popular beautiful American catfish because they have an extremely adorable appearance with a light pink-white body, black-ringed eyes that look like a Panda, in addition, the fins and near the tail are also black, the average size when mature is from 4 - 5 cm.

Albino Cory

Red eyed albino catfish.

• Scientific name : Corydoras aeneus albino
• English name : Albino Corydoras
• Origin : South America
• Size : 5 - 7 cm

The Albino Cory is an albino variant of the Corydoras aeneus species. Their bodies are pinkish-white or creamy yellow, with red eyes, and they grow to about 5-7 cm in size when fully grown. Because of their unique coloration, albino Cory is also very popular in aquariums.

Catfish

Appearance of the horse ma catfish.

• Scientific name : Corydoras trilineatus
• English name : Three-line Corydoras
• Origin : Amazon River basin in countries such as Peru, Brazil, Colombia.
• Size : 5 - 6 cm.

Pegasus catfish is one of the most beautiful and impressive Corydoras species with black stripes running along the body combined with black spots in the shape of a net or broken lines that look like a "barcode" or "pegasus" in motion. The body is silver or has a light metallic sheen, measuring 5 - 6 cm in size, and the dorsal fin is very pointed.

Green catfish

Beautiful green catfish.

• Scientific name : Corydoras aeneus (metallic blue variant)
• English name : Green Corydoras / Emerald Cory
• Origin : South America, Amazon River, Venezuela.
• Size : 6 - 7 cm.

Green catfish, also known as metallic green catfish, is one of the most beautiful and popular catfish in the aquarium world. They have a plump body, emerald green or iridescent green color under the light, looking like emeralds at the bottom of the tank.

Metae Catfish

Metae Mousefish.

• Scientific name : Corydoras metae
• English name : Bandit Corydoras / Masked Cory
• Origin : Meta River - Colombia, South America
• Size : 5 - 6 cm

This is also one of the 10 most popular catfish species in the aquarium world in Vietnam. They have a prominent body with a black streak running through the eye, looking like they are wearing a mask - quite similar to the Panda mouse, but it also has another black stripe running from the fin to the end of the body.

Skunk Fish

A skunk fish is foraging at the bottom of the tank.

• Scientific name : Corydoras arcuatus
• English name : Skunk Corydoras / Arched Cory
• Origin : Amazon River, Peru, Brazil.
• Size : 4 - 6 cm

Skunk fish, also known as Skunk fish, is a rare species of fish with a unique color pattern with a curved black stripe from the top of the head along the spine to the base of the tail, looking like the dorsal stripes of a skunk, hence its humorous name.

Salt and pepper catfish

A salt and pepper catfish.

• Scientific name: Corydoras paleatus
• Origin: South America, Amazon River basin.
• Size : 4-6 cm

Salt and pepper catfish is also a popular catfish in Vietnam. It has a striking appearance with a silver background, dotted with black patches, dotted like salt and pepper. This fish has an average size of only 4 - 6 cm, and is cheaper than other catfish species.

How much is a mouse fish?

Mouse fish have many different prices, depending on species, size, color, origin, store of purchase,... Below is the newly updated mouse fish price list, please refer to it.

Common mistakes when raising catfish

Catfish should not be kept alone but in groups.

Here are some mistakes that you often make when raising catfish, let's refer to them to learn from experience.

• Raising too few fish, only 1 - 2 : catfish live in schools of 5 - 10, so if you raise too few, your fish will be stressed.
• Not feeding properly and sufficiently : Many people think that catfish only need to eat leftover food from other fish, but this is completely wrong. You need to feed them separate food, otherwise your fish will become stunted and weak.
• Co-breeding in an aquarium with many aggressive fish species : If you co-breed catfish with aggressive fish such as flowerhorn or red parrot, they can be attacked and lead to stress.

Q&A about catfish

Is the rainbow catfish a member of the catfish genus ?

Although it is called the rainbow catfish, it is not a species of catfish belonging to the genus Corydoras, it is a fish belonging to the carp family.

What fish species should be kept with catfish?

You should only raise catfish with gentle fish such as Neon, guppies, rainbow fish...

Through the above article, nicefish.net has shared a lot of information about catfish . This is a beautiful ornamental fish that also helps keep the tank clean, very suitable for raising in aquariums.

If you love and are passionate about ornamental fish, please visit our Blog section every day to read more interesting and useful information about other fish species.