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Catfish
/ Aspredinidae / Banjo Catfish
Banjo Catfish
Dysichthys coracoideus | Pictures
Dysichthys coracoideus
Synonyms: Bunocephalus
bicolor, B. coracoideus
Physical description:
A flattened fish having a rounded head and a body decreasing in width after the pectoral
fins.
There is a pair of barbels extending from the upper jaw.
The small caudal is fan-shaped.
The
front part of the body is brown, and the rear part of the body is dark brown.
The coloration and shape of this species
make it resemble a dead, decaying leaf.
Size/Length: To 6" (15 cm)
Similar species: Other Dysichthys
species
H: Inhabits areas of leaf liter in still and slow-moving waters in South America; Amazon
River.
A: bottom
Aquarium: A 30" (76 cm) or 20-30 gallon (76-114 L) tank is suggested. Shallow tanks are preferred.
The
substrate should be dark peat, sand, or fine gravel.
The tank can be planted with well-rooted plants.
Water chemistry: pH 5.5-8 (7.0), 2-20 dH (10), 68-84°F (20-29°F)
Social behavior: This peaceful, nocturnal species can be kept in a community tank not having small,
slender fish, as these may be consumed.
Remains mostly inactive during the daytime.
Social behavior: Angelfish, Severum,
Apistogramma, Geophagus, Gymnogeophagus, Leporinus.
FOOD: Live; Tubifex
, insect larvae, crustaceans; tablets; flake
Suggested companions: Unknown, although females are plumper when carrying eggs.
Breeding techniques: Spawning is initiated with the lowering of the water level and a reduction in water
temperature to 68-72°F (20-22°C).
This species spawns in pairs or in groups.
Each female lays up to 3000 eggs on
rocks and the substrate.
The parents guard the young until they hatch.
The parents should then be removed and
the young can be fed Rotifers and tablets.
Later, the fry can be given white worms and
Tubifex.
Breeding potential: 9.
Breeding is unusual and difficult.
Remarks: This species is the most commonly available of its family.
Difficulty of care: 5.
This quiet species is suggested for the community
tank having medium sized fish.
Recent articles about fish
Overfishing may hurt Amazon forest trees
(2/5/2008) Overfishing is reducing the effectiveness of seed dispersal by fish in the Brazilian Pantanal, reports Nature. The research suggests that fishing practices can affect forest health.
Scientists find fish that literally lives in trees
(10/17/2007) Scientists have found a fish that literally lives in trees, according to research published in The American Naturalist and highlighted in New Scientist Magazine.
Piranhas originated when Amazon was flooded by seawater
(12/4/2007) South America's piranha family of fish -- notorious as eaters of flesh -- can be traced back to a single ancestor which dispersed when the Amazon was flooded by seawater some five million years ago, report researchers from the Institut de Recherche Pour le Developpement (IRD). Today piranhas are exclusively freshwater fish found from the Orinoco River basin in Venezuela to the Parana in Argentina.
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