Armored Catfishes

The family of armored catfish has the scientific name Callichthyidae. These fish, unlike many others, have no scales. They protect their bodies with large bony plates that lie beneath the mucous membrane. The bony plates protect these fish as a kind of armor, to which they owe their common name.

Family

The family distinguishes a number of genera:

Aspidoras
Brochis
Callichthys
Corydoras
Dianema
Hoplosternum
Lepthoplosternum
Megalechis
Scleromystax

In the aquarium trade, the Corydoras is the most commonly offered and therefore most commonly kept in aquariums.

From the shape of the body and the undershot mouth, it is already evident that armored catfish live mainly on the bottom. With their barbels, they root through the soft soil in search of some edible food. When setting up the aquarium, be sure to use a soft bottom such as sand. With coarse gravel, dirt can accumulate which can cause the beard threads to disappear due to contamination.