Care
Scleromystax barbatus is an ideal bottom dweller for the temperate community aquarium. This
species should only be added to a mature tank where the temperature does not
exceed 25 deg C. As these fish frequently like to root about in search of food
items, the aquarium should have a soft sand substrate which will help to
protect the delicate sensory barbels. Provide plenty of shady hiding places and
visual barriers amongst the décor, which could include driftwood, rocky caves,
and robust aquatic plants such as
Anubias
sp. or Java Fern which can be anchored to the wood. It is important that the
tank is well-filtered and has areas of decent current to help provide good
levels of oxygenation. High water quality is a must, so regular partial water
changes are essential. Although this is a generally considered a peaceful
species, keep only one male with several females, unless the tank is more than
3ft long. This is a naturally shoaling species, so it is best to purchase a good
sized group, but be aware that mature males can be surprisingly aggressive
towards one another, and there will need to be adequate space, territories and
visual barriers if more than one male is to be housed in the same aquarium. As
the fish come in to spawning condition, the aggression between males can really
heighten, and they can cause great damage to each other, and this has even be known
to have a fatal outcome on some occasions. This is why many fishkeepers choose
to house one male with a harem of females. However, these catfish are completely
peaceable towards other fish species and can be kept safely alongside other
temperate species such as some of the dwarf cichlids, tetras, danios, and
barbs.
Scleromystax spp. have the
ability to breathe air intestinally, so a small gap should be left between the
surface of the water and the cover slides in order for the fish to come up to
the surface and take air in. It may do this numerous times per day. This fish
was formerly known as
Corydoras barbatus,
and you may still see them on sale under this old synonym.
Feeding
Sinking catfish pellets/granules,
frozen foods such as bloodworm, white mosquito larvae, daphnia, and vitamin-enriched
brineshrimp.
Breeding
S. barbatus
has been bred in the home aquarium. To attempt breeding, the water should be
soft and acidic with a pH of around 6 and general hardness of <5dH. This
species will breed in harder, more alkaline water, but problems can later arise
when the fry try to emerge from the eggs. Mature pairs can be triggered into
spawning by performing a large, slightly cooler water change. The pair will
adopt the classic ‘T position’ where the male fertilises the eggs that are held
between the female’s pelvic fins. The adhesive eggs will then be deposited onto
plants, décor, or the sides of the aquarium etc and the process repeated until the
female is spent of eggs (which can number anywhere from 10-70 depending on
size/age of the female). The eggs generally take 4-5 days to hatch, and after a
further 2-3 days, the fry will become free-swimming and can be offered finely
powdered first foods. A few days later they will be able to take newly hatched
brineshrimp and microworm. To avoid predation and ensure a higher success rate,
many fishkeepers move the parents to another aquarium after the eggs have all
been deposited.