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Personal notes:
These Loricariidae were found in one of my
favourite shops. The owner had bought a large batch of them at a very
reasonable price, and as I was planning to setup an Amazon tank I bought
4 of them. They looked very fragile and difficult, but my fears were
unfounded. True, I lost one of them, but the 3 others are doing really
fine in my 750L South American tank. They already doubled in size, and I
expect them to become even larger in the near future. It's a delight to
see them moving and grazing around, and there isn't a single trace of
shyness to be observed, which doesn't mean they are not on the alert for
danger. These catfish are egg-layers and males should be recognized by a
temporary development of bristles during the mating season. According to
many reports they thrive in well aerated water, but they seem to do fine
in my slow current, but yet under-stocked aquarium.
The Vallisneria gigantea leaves are their favourite
algae "highways".
They clean the wood thoroughly and there is almost no
place where algae stand a chance.
I love these
Sturisoma: gentle, active and beautiful!
Click on the images to see the high resolution
pictures. Photos by Frank Panis /MCH January 2005
Update >
This species was originally presented as Sturisoma aureum but was
subsequently identified as Sturisoma festivum by David to whom
many thanks. We believe that both names are valid for this fish and we
will use both of them until some conclusive documents are received. |
