What is hypostomus plecostomus?
Hypostomus plecostomus (Linnaeus, 1758) is a species of fish in the genus Hypostomus plecostomus (Linnaeus, 1758). The whole body is covered with black ripples, the fins are wide and beautiful, the eyes are bulging, the head is flat and wide with two eye holes on the top, the mouth is on the underside of the head, the belly is wide and the back is pointed. It is a carnivorous and aggressive fish species with a mixed diet. When it grows up, it eats a lot. It often swallows fish food, fish and insects that fall on the bottom of the tank, and sometimes picks up fish carcasses.
What does hypostomus plecostomus look like?
In wild conditions, the maximum length is 60 cm, generally 30 cm. In the fish tank, due to the lack of bait and water conditions, the common catfish is smaller. The body shape is semi-cylindrical, the head and chest are flat and wide, and the tail is flat on the side. The lower part of the mouth is round, and the lips are developed like suction cups, which can adsorb on stones and glass to stabilize the body and suck algae. It is the most diligent sweeper in the fish tank, and also eats benthic organisms such as silk earthworms.
The dorsal fin is wide, standing upright on the back, and the side looks like a crown, so it is also known as the crown pipa, and it is also called the pipa mouse fish. The caudal fin is also wider, the upper and lower fins are slightly pointed at the ends, and the edges are slightly concave. The leading edge of each fin has a hard spine. The whole body is covered with shield scales, and the body color often varies slightly depending on the environment and other conditions, generally gray-black or light brown, covered with dark and light spots and small spots.
hypostomus plecostomus living habits
The catfish is suitable for weak alkaline and slightly hard water, low temperature resistance, and the most suitable water temperature is 22-28 ℃. Also a nocturnal fish. Because it is a large fish, it is strong, grows fast, and is easy to raise. However, it is difficult to meet the needs of its growth and development only by sucking the algae attached to the glass of the aquarium, so it is also necessary to feed some animal bait. Juveniles are mild and can be mixed; adults are rough and should not be mixed with small fish, nor with goldfish.
In polyculture, if there is a skin disease in the fish, a large amount of mucus is secreted on the body surface. Even if it is a fast-swimming dragon fish, the catfish will be adsorbed on its wound and suck its mucus. Therefore, the catfish must be removed in time. It should be kept separately, so that the sick fish will not be sucked by it and the wound will be enlarged. It is difficult to treat if all the healthy fish are in the polyculture. This situation will not happen, and the catfish will never be adsorbed to the body of the healthy fish.
hypostomus plecostomus rearing
Catfish feeding is very simple, almost as long as water can feed them. But to keep them well, it is best to give them mildly acidic soft water or neutral water. The suitable water temperature is above 20℃.
The catfish is often adsorbed on the aquarium wall or aquatic plants, licking the moss, and is the best “scavenger” in the aquarium. Sometimes there are fights between the same species, and it can be mixed with large tropical fish. It is difficult to identify males and females, and the abdomen of sexually mature females is slightly swollen than that of males.
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