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Aspidoras Goia


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Aspidoras Goia

The aspidoras goia is from Brasil

Gets to 4 cm or 1 ½”

Ph 6.5 – 7.2

Temp 22 – 25 or 71-77 F

I keep mine at a pH of 7.0 and temp around 74 F. Also I find they like strong to moderate filtration and spend a majority of their time in the current. This small catfish is much like corydoras but aside from its long slender body and fewer dorsal rays; it has very small eyes. I feed my aspidoras, brine shrimp, grindal worms, small mysis, crushed flake and pellets. Since they have small mouths a white worm would simply rot on the bottom. They seem to have no spawning condition time and spawn freely whether before, after a water change or often in between. This is a great beginner fish for spawning and a very forgiving fish just for the beginner to own.

As for spawning, Males are notably smaller, shorter and skinnier, females seem to be very active at most times where as the male is a lot more laid back. Before a spawn the females go through a ritual of cleaning the entire tank at high speed, they may even come out and clean your house as well. They swim sideways back and forth across the tank opposite the filter flow in a sort of frenzy shortly before laying eggs. After that they go into the typical cory spawning position where the male forms a T- shape in front of the female and shimmers against her barbels to stimulate her. The egg is then pushed out into the females egg basket and fertilized there before it is time to lay. The worst part is that they lay eggs one at a time and scatter them everywhere. I find that in a small breeding tank though that the eggs are more in uniform and clustered atleast in the same general area, it is in the display tank that one with all the plants that is almost impossible to collect from. I have though had them spawn right inside my aquaclear 500, also I’ve had fry hatch in the maintenance tank and make it to adulthood how long it lived in the aquaclear filter I don’t know. Whether mine spawn in typical aspidora fashion or not I can’t tell except that this is what I have observed in my own tank with 2 generations now.

Raising the fry is simple; I collect the eggs and place them in a small sterile vase. I add one drop of blue meth to about 1 litre of tank water and a good steady supply of air bubbles but just enough to move the eggs. You don’t want eggs flying all around just shimmering. Depending on the temperature the eggs should hatch in 4-5 days, usually 4 but that also depends on when you find the eggs, as these guys are not too big on caviar. Once hatched I wait 3 days and then begin the microworms as soon as they are free swimming and the egg sacs are depleted. They will eat sera micro at birth but the survival rate drops in this manner. Feeding micros for a good 3-5 days after free swimming guarantees a good healthy fry rate. They grow fast after that on BBS and good quality fry powder. Even as fry you will notice they are always busy and always hunting for food, this behavior never seems to stop right through adult hood. Note; without a fine substrate on the bottom of the rearing tank the fry tend to develop a fungus on their bellies and pass away quite rapidly.

Why should one keep the aspidoras goia? Why not? Thy are one of the cutest little fish I have ever kept. At the same time they have earned my heart when one of my young females began to follow my hand every time it was in the tank, even to the point that one day she laid an egg in my hand, not once but twice. Don’t believe it? Good thing I got the camera on the second one and have a picture to prove it. She still chases my hand and lays in it when I let her and has since been moved to my special fish tank in the office. I can’t guarantee yours would do the same but I can guarantee that you will enjoy this little catfish regardless of who you are.

Give em a try, that is if you ever find them in the stores again. Oh yeah, a word of warning, keep your substrate dark or you may even forget you have these little fellows in there. If you are looking for a small catfish that is active, cute and easy to breed this one is for you. A great community fish for a gentle community an even better addition to a nicely planted tank. By the way, anyone looking to swap a few for stronger strains get ahold of me anytime.

Written only by personal experience

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