Scleromystax barbatus

[fireopal]

Anyone has experience to share regarding the care of S. barbatus catfishes?

Are they very temperature sensitive?

[michael lai]

Hi fireopal,
Nope, I got 2 a while back from C328. Not really sensitive to temperature, just like any other cory. They grow quite big though, mature specimen about 13cm but in capitivity probably 10-11cm. Maybe your introduction to the tank was too quick. No problem as a community fish.

[fireopal]

Hi..

Thank you so much for the quick reply..
So let's say with out a chiller installed, are they able to adapt? The auntie at C328 says can, but I want to ask for opinions from more experienced cory keepers...

By the way, how did you know I introduced to my tank?

[mad scientist]

They can. Just maintain good water conditions and aerate amply.

[benny]

I used to keep them quite a while ago, but without success.

To be honest, these fishes usually comes with all kinds of external parasites if they are wild caught, as with other long nose species such as Corydoras semiaquilus. As such, if you don't clear them of these parasites, it will be difficult to keep them alive even if you have a chiller.

So if your question is a chiller necessary to keep them alive? Then the answer is no. But keeping the temperature cooler with fans will certainly help with the oxygen carrying capacity of the water. This species seems to favor oxygen rich waters.

This species has been commercial bred successfully and sometimes you can see evenly sized juvenile species going for as low as S$8 to S$10. Average price for wild caught specimens hovers around S$18 to S$28.

Cheers,

[fireopal]

They can. Just maintain good water conditions and aerate amply.

thanks for the info, have you kept them before?
find them really nice.. i kept one really really long ago, about 5 years ago.. now back into cory craze again, feels so great to be back!

To be honest, these fishes usually comes with all kinds of external parasites if they are wild caught, as with other long nose species such as Corydoras semiaquilus. As such, if you don't clear them of these parasites, it will be difficult to keep them alive even if you have a chiller.

Hi benny,

So is there any way you would recommend to clear the parasites?

[mickthefish]

hi fireopal

benny is only guessing your fish have parasites, make sure before you dose your fish with chemicals that they have them otherwise you will put your fish into more stress,
the cooler you can keep them the better as the come from a pretty cool climate.
mick

[fireopal]

hi fireopal

benny is only guessing your fish have parasites, make sure before you dose your fish with chemicals that they have them otherwise you will put your fish into more stress,
the cooler you can keep them the better as the come from a pretty cool climate.
mick

so is there any tell tale signs of them having parasites on them?
like worms and stuff is it?

[mickthefish]

you should be able to see the parasites on the body and worms if any, also patches of the body that are cloudy looking, also any redness around the gills,
the other way is to do a body scrape but for that you need a microscope,
iver bought a lot of wild caughts and touch wood have never had any problems.
mick

[fireopal]

i think i might take a skin scraping..
but need to go back to lab in order to view..
cos all the staining equipment and stuff in lab..

[mad scientist]

thanks for the info, have you kept them before?
find them really nice.. i kept one really really long ago, about 5 years ago.. now back into cory craze again, feels so great to be back!

Yes, I still have some in my tanks.

[michael lai]

Hi..

Thank you so much for the quick reply..
So let's say with out a chiller installed, are they able to adapt? The auntie at C328 says can, but I want to ask for opinions from more experienced cory keepers...

By the way, how did you know I introduced to my tank?

By the way you ask your question I think the rest have already spoken, they like cool waters lower reach of 20s and good aerated waters. Err...auntie fish are mostly wild caught, my advise quarantine them for about 2 weeks.