Tropical Fish Hobbyist - October 2010

schooling fish, try keeping as many as possible of a single species, rather than mixing lots of different individuals. In aquaria as small as 5 gallons, two species of pygmy Corydoras make excellent subjects: C. pygmaeus and C. hastatus. They are less than an inch long as adults and look best in a heavily aquascaped aquarium where the schools of catfishes weave in and out of the plants and other decorations. Forlargertanksof20 gallonsormore, the rest of the representatives of the Corydoras genus and their close relatives, Aspidoras, Brochis, and Scleromystax species, are all charming aquarium inhabitants. Most of these will stick to the bottom, but you’ll also see them playing during the day in the open areas of the substrate. Some of them are colorful, such as Corydoras sterbai and C. “laser green,” or beautifully patterned,

Mark Smith

Gold nugget pleco Baryancistrus sp.

spots. Back to a more predatory species, arguably the most prized of the predatory cats that can be maintained in larger aquaria, is the tigrinus catfish Brachyplatystoma tigrinum (don’t confuse it with the tiger shovelnose, a much larger fish that is inappropriate for the home aquarium). The tigrinus is rare and expensive due to scarcity and collection restrictions, but captive-raised specimens are sometimes available. They have regular black and white stripes, akin to a zebra pleco, but grow to 2 feet or so.

Iggy Tavares

Ugly Catfishes

The term “ugly” is used advisedly. Have you ever heard the expression “so tacky it’s cool”? In this case, these fishes are so ugly they’re beautiful in their own bizarre way. My favorite from this group is the Medusa pleco Ancistrus ranunculus. Its stout body is all black, the armor plating is visible along its sides, and stubby, conical tentacles ornament its head.

There’s a catfish that looks like a plastic doggy-doo gag—Amaralia hypsiura. These fish curl into a familiar shape to very successfully make themselves look unappetizing to any prospective predator.

And then there’s a catfish that is often described as an uncooked, bloated sausage—the African electric catfish Malapterurus electricus. Besides its lack of good looks, the real reason not to keep the fish is because it can—as its common name suggests—generate up to 350 volts, which can result in a nasty shock to anyone who might put their hands in its tank!

Corydoras hastatus is a small schooling cory that can work in smaller tanks.

Schooling Catfishes

Though there is a common conception of catfish as being reclusive bottom dwellers, schooling cats are quite different. They are active during the day and can be visible in many areas of the tank. Most of these species should be kept in groups of at least six to appreciate their dynamic behavior.

One of my favorite examples is a
100-gallon tub that was filled with dozens
of salt-and-pepper catfish Corydoras
paleatus. They moved like waves crashing
across the bottom of the tub. For a truly
dramatic display of these, and any other
like C. trilineatus and C. reticulatus, or just
plain cute, like C. panda.