▷ Sturgeon catfish in the aquarium | All information and details

Data sheet sturgeon catfish

German name:
sturgeon catfish

Scientific name:
Sturisoma aureum

Origin:
South America (Amazon, Rio Paraná, Orinoco, Guiana)

Size:
Body length 12cm – 25cm

Aquarium

Length:
Length from 100 cm width

Contents:
from 300 liters

water values

Temperature:
24°-27° C

pH:
6 – 7.5

GH:
5° dH

Behave

Area:
lower to middle range

Lining:
Herbivores (preferably green fodder such as algae, bog pine root, spinach), dead wood

Behave:
Schooling fish, calm, not fond of swimming, sociable, sensitive to changes, active at dusk

Number:
Group housing of 5 animals

Difficulty level:
normal

Sturisoma are easy to keep. However, the water values ​​should not fluctuate greatly. That’s why they have to be acclimated carefully. Temperatures up to 30°C are tolerated. Approx. 26°C is permanently suitable.

Sturisoma can change color

Adolescent Sturisoma sometimes turn gray. After some time, they return to their original color. Also, when frightened or uncomfortable, they sometimes turn gray.

The sex differences in Sturisoma

Sexually mature Sturisoma males have whiskers. Females do not have whiskers. Sturisoma aureum, for example, are sexually mature after a year with a size of approx. 10 centimetres.

Food for Sturisoma

Sturisoma eat bloodworms and tablet food. But they are mainly herbivores. If they are to remain healthy in the long term, they must be fed accordingly.

If they have the choice between green fodder and other fodder, then they are occupied with the green fodder all day long. There should always be some food available. Long periods of starvation are poorly tolerated. Under these conditions, the animals are active all day and can actually always be seen.

Some Sturisoma eat plants. Echinodorus are particularly endangered. To prevent them from attacking plants, green fodder can be given as a preventive measure.

Discus with secretion for the offspring are very happy to be tackled and grated by Sturisoma.

Diskus Quick is very popular. If this feeding takes place for a weekend, spawning occurs about 2 weeks later.

Instructions for rearing

Sturisoma panamense Source: Image on Wikimedia Commons License: CC Attr. SA 2.5 Copyright: OpenCage

For the rearing of Sturisoma it is crucial that the young get enough food. In large aquaria with little food, they usually starve to death.

In the first few weeks, the young just suck themselves on somewhere and move very little. An active intake of food can hardly be observed. Also at night. According to a report from probably the Datz, Sturisomas are filter feeders in the first few weeks. The report included micrographs of the Sturisoma’s mouth, showing that they initially had no teeth at all.
According to other reports, the young cannot access the available food at first because they do not have the necessary enzymes. Initially, they have to remove these from their parents’ droppings or from muddy filter mats, etc.

If the eggs are well guarded by the male catfish, wait until the young have hatched. The young like to hang on the upper edge of the aquarium glass 1 to 3 days after hatching. From there the young are intercepted and placed in a rearing tank.

If one knows more precisely the time of hatching after a few spawning rounds, the leaf or the object on which the eggs are located can be placed in the rearing tank one day before hatching.

While the young hatch, it is necessary to check whether the young manage to hatch on their own. Otherwise, you can carefully help with a small, soft brush. After 2 to 3 days the yolk sac is consumed.

A plexiglass tank can be glued as a rearing tank, which can be hung in the aquarium. About the same as the spawning boxes for guppies etc., but 3 times as big. On one side the basin is provided with small holes.
Alternatively, a small plastic tank, such as a fauna box from a pet store, can be hung in the aquarium. A 30mm hole is drilled in one side for water exchange. A piece of filter mat is inserted into the hole.

Sturisoma aureum Source: Image on Wikimedia Commons License: CC Attr. SA 2.5 Author: Richard Bartz

A constant supply of fresh water and therefore also oxygen is important in the rearing tank. To do this, a branch can be routed from the filter outlet of the aquarium to the surface of the rearing tank.

For example, a thin air hose is inserted into the outlet pipe of an external filter. This is attached to the edge of the rearing tank with a clothespin so that water constantly flows into the small tank and out again through the holes or the foam cork.

In such containers, the young can swim in the feed. Very fine feed is necessary in the first few weeks.
You can feed them with, for example, shaken up Sera micron. So much is fed several times a day that the young swim in a really green cloud. Green, algae-covered water is also good.

Due to the size of the aquarium in which the tank is hanging and its filter, the water deterioration is not very great. Provided that the aquarium is not too small.

Otherwise, feed residues are vacuumed off again and again and the floor is cleaned daily with a brush. A few small snails can be placed in the breeding tank to support them.

The breeding tank does not necessarily have to be in the aquarium. A stand-alone rearing tank can also be used. The tank should be well aerated and filtered.

There should be a piece of root wood in the breeding tank. Some dried oak or beech leaves can be placed in the rearing tank. When dissolved, oak and beech leaves have a fungicidal, germ-inhibiting effect and thus meet the needs of many forest fish. Foliage covers the bottom of Amazonian waters, providing excellent sun protection and security for young Sturisoma. Young ancistors, loricariids, for example, often die of intestinal parasites in the first few days of life.

The adult catfish also constantly rasp the leaves.

When the young are a few centimeters long, after about 3 weeks, there comes a critical point at which some of the young die for unknown reasons. This can be counteracted by varied feeding with green fodder, vegetables, food tablets, spirulina tablets, artemia nauplii, etc.
For some species, algae are important as food because the young, even several centimeters in size, only eat algae. Even if the parents eat every food.
If there is not enough algae in the breeding tank, stones or plant parts covered with algae from another tank can be placed in the breeding tank. After some time, the old parts are replaced.

Another option is to mix different types of feed into a paste, smear it on a stone and then dry it. The stone is then placed in the breeding tank.

Young Sturisoma eat Artemia shells, but do not tolerate them. If shells get into the breeding tank, they will die.

One unconfirmed tip is to use a clothespin to clip boiled dandelion to the hose of an air stone, right into the air bubbles. This is to help the young get food and grow up.

Food for young Sturisoma

A paste is mixed from powdered feed with water. The pulp smeared on a stone and then dried. The stone is then placed in the breeding tank.

Frozen or canned peas can be bruised so that the hard outer skin comes off. The skin is thrown away. Alternatively, the peas can be shelled. The insides of some peas are smeared on a flat stone and left to dry a little. Then the stone is placed in the basin. This also works with spinach.

Spinach, peas and lamb’s lettuce are pureed with a blender and frozen. If necessary, the mass is thawed and smeared on small, flat, rough stones and dried. After that it is fed.

Frozen carrots with potatoes or spinach with potatoes in an ice cube maker and fed as needed.

Zucchini, cucumbers, boiled egg yolk and egg white, fresh lettuce, bananas and red peppers are also suitable as food for young Sturisoma. Vitamins can also be added to the water. The young also rasp on wood, stones covered with algae and on the aquarium glass.

General information about Sturisoma aureum

Sturisoma aureum Photo: Philippe Coulon

Sturisoma aureum, golden bearded catfish, grow to about 30 centimeters and need aquariums longer than 120 centimeters.

They are algae and herbivores.

Algae and green fodder, eg thawed, pureed, frozen peas are necessary as feed.

The animals breed on a substrate, eg plants.

They behave slightly territorial towards conspecifics. They need good water quality and strong water movement.

General information about Sturisoma cf. panamense

Sturisoma cf. panamense prefer soft and acidic water. Temperatures should be 26 to 29°C.

They are diurnal and rarely hide. Despite the activities during the day, it is essential that there are shelters and places to hide. The catfish then become trusting and are not at all frightened.

Virtually any animal or vegetable food will do well, especially spinach and cucumber. Algae are also eaten.

Tips for rearing Sturisoma panamense

Sturisoma panamense Source: Image on Wikimedia Commons License: CC Attr. SA 2.5 Copyright: OpenCage

On the 7th day after spawning, at the latest when the first young catfish hatch, the clutch is transferred to a separate bowl. If not all the remaining young hatch, use a pipette or a brush to help.

The bowl is allowed to float in the normal maintenance tank. For example, plastic bowls with a capacity of approx. 3 liters are suitable. The bowl is vigorously aerated with an oxygen stone. At least 1 time and if possible 2 times, 80 to 90% water is sucked out of the bowl with a thin hose. At the same time, the bottom of the bowl is brushed with a brush. The bowl is refilled with water from the aquarium.

When the yolk sacs of the young are used up on the 2nd or 3rd day, they are fed 2 to 3 times a day with a little powdered food, eg Sera micron. Finely ground flake food or food tablets are better than powdered food. From about the 10th day, half a tablet of Sera Premium Plankton Tab is placed in the bowl in the morning.

When the catfish are around 2 to 2.5 centimeters in size, they are placed in the holding tank. At the latest when there are dead young in the shell, the young that are still alive are placed in the aquarium.