Admiral fish: description, conditions of detention

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Many are wondering: who are admiral fish? These creatures are called Synodontis elenae Kocheto. They are bred and kept in aquariums. They have an interesting coloration. Let's take a closer look at this type of fish.

Description

Admiral catfish is a fish native to Africa. Adults grow up to 8-9 cm. The fish received such an interesting name due to its characteristic color. On her body there is a wide white stripe that resembles admiral's epaulettes. The main color is brown. Closer to the tail there are numerous dark spots. The life cycle is up to 8 years. Maturity is reached at the age of 10-16 months.

The body of the admiral fish (see photo above) is quite massive, elongated in shape. It is not difficult to distinguish a female from a male. It is larger in size and has a characteristic feature - a pendulous abdomen.

There is a mustache on the head under the mouth. The upper fin is vaguely shaped like a shark. It is also bulging up. Located near the head. Another one follows him. It is oblong, not very high, reaches the tail. Black dots are also clearly visible on these fins.

Aquarium keeping

Admiral catfish is a fish that is kept in an aquarium. It belongs to the flock type. If there is a desire to acquire such a copy in your collection, then this fact must be taken into account. There should be a cheerful company of fringed whiskers in the aquarium. Males sometimes fight. The results of contractions can be seen on the body. The losing fish have bleeding lips, wounds appear on the body and fins. Fights between males can only be avoided if many different shelters are built in the aquarium. If that doesn't help, hardcore opponents should be seated.

Surprisingly, admiral fish can float belly up. This, of course, scares the owners. But do not get upset ahead of time, such a phenomenon is natural behavior. In their natural habitat, they collect insects from the surface of the water in this way.

For those who breed this type of fish, it is important to know that they do not like bright light. They need shelters, caves where they can hide. They emerge from shelters only during feeding.

Requirements

Admiral catfish is a fish that prefers a meat diet. In addition to special dry food, bloodworms, scraped meat, liver (heart) must be added to the menu. It is also worth introducing herbal supplements into the diet. Their number should not exceed 20%.

There are no special requirements for the water that fills the aquarium. Any composition of the liquid is allowed. This does not affect the he alth of Synthodontis. The water temperature may fluctuaterange +20…+30 °С. The optimal capacity of the aquarium is 70 liters or more.

Admiral catfish is a fish with strong immunity. This type is practically not sick. A fungus may form, but it is easy to remove. To do this, methylene blue solution and s alt are added to the water.

Breeding

Injections are used to breed this species. Sexual products are decanted, then it is necessary to take care of the eggs. This artificial method is quite complicated, so many people prefer to create conditions for natural reproduction. To do this, you need a separate container where spawning will take place. It is equipped with shelters and subdued light. Water should be oxygenated regularly.

In catfish-admirals, the breeding season begins in mid-summer (July) and ends in early autumn (September). It is desirable that two males be used to fertilize the female. From this, marriage games will become more active and fun. During spawning, the female can lay up to 500 eggs. Embryos develop in a place where light does not penetrate. Under no circumstances should the container be shaken. Fry from eggs will appear in 32-35 hours. They grow quickly, reaching 1.5 cm in size in 30 days.