Ancistrus catfish   the birth of a new life
Channel: Aqua Paradise
Date: 08/03/2023

Ancistrus (Ancistrus sp.) are popular aquarium fish from the family of chainmail, or loricaria catfish. The name of the family comes from the word "lori-ka", the so-called armor of legionnaires in ancient Rome.
Chain catfish also have their own "armor" - the whole body is covered with fused bone plates that protect these fish from natural enemies. In the family, there are both small species, several centimeters long, and giants: some pterygoplichts can reach up to 35-40 cm in length. Most ancistrus are peaceful and very hardy fish, which will not only become an unconditional decoration of the aquarium, but will also help the aquarist in the fight against algae - the catfish's favorite food.
In our time, it is difficult to find an aquarium in which this little worker would not be found. After all, the basis of the nutrition of this catfish is a raid of algae, which often occurs on the walls of the aquarium and decorations. Thus, the fish helps to keep the aquarium clean. The homeland of the common ancistrus is the reservoirs of South America. Most often it can be found in fast-flowing mountain rivers, where a modified sucker mouth becomes a good help and allows you not only to scrape off algae, but also to stay in a strong current.
Ancistrus breed easily even in a common aquarium, but the fry in this case can be eaten by other inhabitants. Usually the female spawns in some kind of shelter - a pipe or behind the scenery, sometimes behind a filter or even inside it, if it is possible to get there. Ancistrus eggs are large, bright orange. Ancistrus males take care of the eggs, clean them with their mouths, fan them with their fins and protect them from other fish, driving the female away from the clutch.
In order to preserve Ancistrus eggs, if spawning occurred in a common aquarium, it can be moved to a separate container with the male if the eggs are deposited in a convenient place, for example, in a tube. However, sometimes the eggs are attached directly on the glass behind stones, in crevices or behind a filter, in which case you can carefully cut off the clutch with a razor blade and also move it to a suitable container, but without a male, because under severe stress he does not take care of the offspring and can even eat eggs.
Ancistrus spawning usually occurs at night. The number of eggs laid by a female can range from 30 to 200, depending on her age and size. The female sticks a bunch of orange eggs in the nest prepared by the male, after which the male drives her away and proceeds to protect the offspring. After that, the female must be removed as soon as possible, since the male shows aggression towards her and can seriously injure her.
The development of eggs occurs over 4-7 days, sometimes in order to accelerate the development, the temperature in the spawning area is increased to 26-28°C. Ancistrus male does not leave offspring even for a minute, even for food, and constantly guards the nest.
The first few days after hatching, the larvae hang in a cluster in the nest almost motionless, after which they leave it, and from this time on, the male must be transplanted. The larvae feed first using the yolk sac. You can feed the grown fry with dry food, tablets for catfish are especially convenient. It is advisable to provide regular meals at least three times a day. In an aquarium with fry, it is recommended to change 20% of the water daily, while small ancistrus will grow to the size of adults in six months, and after about 10 months they become sexually mature and can participate in reproduction themselves. #ancistrus #caviar #reproduction