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Hemiodontichthys acipenserinus - Knobnose Whiptail CatfishMagyarul / Hungarian
Hemiodontichthys acipenserinus - Knobnose Whiptail CatfishHemiodontichthys acipenserinus - Knobnose Whiptail CatfishHemiodontichthys acipenserinus - Knobnose Whiptail CatfishHemiodontichthys acipenserinus - Knobnose Whiptail CatfishHemiodontichthys acipenserinus - Knobnose Whiptail Catfish
  • Scientific name: Hemiodontichthys acipenserinus
  • Synonyms: Hemiodon acipenserinus
  • Common name: Knobnose Whiptail Catfish, Pinocchio Whiptail Catfish
  • Group: Catfishes
  • Habitat: South America; Guyana, French Guyana, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil
  • Size: 13,5 cm
  • Biotope: It lives on sand substrate in flowing rivers
  • Social behavior: Peaceful, very shy and retiring catfish. Can be kept with small characins and dwarf cichlids.
  • Diet: Omnivorous; mainly eats aquatic invertebrates in nature, so live and frozen foods can be the basic aquarium food for them. Dried foods are also accepted.
  • Breeding: Quite easy
  • Tank: Minimum 70 litres
  • Population: 4 fish for 150 litres
  • Decoration: The most important is the sand substrate as the catfish partially buries itself in the substrate as a form of camouflage. The water must be well oxigenated with a medium water-current. Twisted roots and dried leaves can be added to the aquarium.
  • Temperature: 24-28 °C
  • pH: 6-7
  • Hardness: 2-12 NK°
  • Lifespan: 5-8 years

Description: Broadly distributed through South America, therefore, there are more color morphs. Hemiodontichthys acipenserinus has distinctive diamond shaped body with a long nose when viewed from above. Unlike most Loricariidae, they don't have well developed odontodes on the snout and pectoral fins. Knobnose Whiptail Catfish is a sand dweller that lives partially buried in the substrate, its cryptic coloration and flat body shape providing efficient camouflage. Unfortunately Knobnose Whiptail Catfish is quite rare in the hobby, but it's not a rare fish in the wild. The main problem is that losses are often high during the import. It is recommended that Hemiodontichthys be the only bottom-dweller in the aquarium, lest they fall victims to a more active food competitor. The Knobnose whiptail is very sensitive to bacterial fin rot, a consequence of substandard maintenance conditions.

Mature males develop a huge labial veil and have teeth with spoon-shaped crowns, while females and juveniles have pointed ones. Hemiodontichthys acipenserinus has been bred in an aquarium, but not regularly. Breeding is quite easy as long as some basic conditions are met (good water management, sand bottom with sufficient open area). Spawning occurs during the night but the exact details are unknown. Eggs are laid in a mass and held by the male in the fold made by its lips, which they provide with ventilation during movement. It is best to remove the male to a separate tank. The males carry the egg cluster for 12-14 days. Young males quickly release the cluster when disturbed, but they calm down by themselves in time, and after repeated spawns, usually carry the egg cluster to term. Nevertheless, 15-20 young have to be considered a good result. Once the fry hatch, broodcare is finished. Newly hatched fry will need another 2-3 days to absorb their yolk sacs before they require feeding. At this point they're big enough to take small live foods. Young fish are very sensitive to changes in water chemistry. A male may carry a cluster up to five times during the spawning season, before taking a hiatus of several months. If the egg cluster is taken away from effectively brooding males, it can happen that they look for a substitute and adopt for example a ramshorn snail for hours.

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