Home predator - shark catfish

Aquarium fish shark catfish got its name for its external resemblance to a dangerous predator. Outwardly it has an elongated body, a large head, large eyes and a mustache. Adults are black or gray, fry is bluish. The female usually grows larger, but the male has a brighter color. In a home aquarium it grows to 60 cm.

According to the nature of the catfish shark - very active and lively, but shy fish. Therefore, it is hard to survive any movement and even minor changes in the decor in the aquarium. After half an hour he gets used to it and begins to behave as usual. In a moment of panic, it can pretend to be dead, freezing up to 15 minutes in one place. Lives in the home to 10 years.

At the same time, it is better to start several individuals, however, within their collective there may be conflicts, which are manifested in damage to each other. The shark catfish gets along well with other aquarium fish, but is a predator, so it is better not to colonize small fish. Otherwise, they can become his food.

The home aquarium for it should be sufficiently spacious and closed, have good filtration and aeration. Water will have to be changed often, and 2 times a week to change partially (up to 30%). The temperature at which the shark catfish feels comfortable is 25-28 degrees. When lowering, the fish sinks to the bottom and does not eat. It prefers water of very low stiffness, as well as alkaline or acidic medium (pH = 6-8). If possible, in the aquarium, you can organize a flow in which they are very fond of swimming. In general, the sham catfish prefer the middle layer of water.

As a primer, it is recommended to use a small pebble or sand. Plants should be good at it and be large. Decoration for the aquarium is better to choose with well-defined shelters and a rather large size, but there should be enough free space for movement.

In food shark catfish is not particularly fastidious, but eats a lot, preferring live food (small fish, beef, frozen squid, bloodworm). If the main diet does include dry food, then it should contain more protein. This will allow the fish to be healthy at all times. All types of food should be of medium size so that they can fit in the mouth. Young animals need a special food so that they do not eat their fellows.

If the food falls to the bottom, the shark catfish will not touch it, it is better if it is on the water surface or in its middle layers. Appetite improves closer to the evening, because in nature this fish is an overnight predator. For the same reason, the aquarium is better to darken and avoid falling on it of sunny or simply bright light.

Sexual maturity of shark catfish reaches to 3-5 years, during spawning period it lays eggs. Under good conditions, fry can appear in a couple of days. However, in domestic aquariums reproduces extremely rarely, for sale it is specially imported from South-East Asia.

Recently, the popularity of this fish is very growing. It can be an excellent gift for any aquarist, since her mobility does not leave anyone indifferent.