Fairy catfish - Acanthicus adonis

Fairy catfish - Acanthicus adonis

The wonderfully pretty Elf Catfish (Acanthicus adonis), also called White-spotted Elf Cat fish, originates from the Rio Tocantins in the Brazilian state of Para in South America. The pattern of the pretty loricariid catfish is unusual and particularly beautiful: adult Elf Catfish have striking white to cream-colored dots on a very dark brown to black background; the catfish have a dark belly, which is still brightly dotted in juvenile Elf Catfish. A particularly attractive feature of the Elf Catfish is the elongated upper surface of the caudal fin, the filament of which floats elegantly behind the catfish.

The Elf Catfish can grow to be 100 to over 120 cm long as it ages, and even 2 m long specimens have been observed in the wild. Since the Elf Catfish belongs to the genus Acanthicus, the cactus catfish, it displays rows of distinct spines on its body.

As a juvenile catfish, the very large growing Elf Catfish is still a group fish, with increasing age the males should become territorial towards conspecifics. Acanthicus adonis is peaceful towards other fish. In an appropriately very large community tank from 300 cm edge length or an even larger display aquarium you can keep the White-spotted Elf Catfish without problems with other fish. With robust shrimps the elf catfish is also well compatible. In large South America display aquariums, Fairy Catfish sometimes like to be kept with large Disc Tetras, this combination seems to work well.

The aquarium footprint needs to be especially well structured if you want to keep multiple Elf Catfish. Large tubes, clay drainage pipes, and stone structures with appropriately sized spaces provide cover. Dark hiding places are preferred by the White-spotted Elf Catfish. Slate slabs can be used to divide the aquarium into territories and to create different levels on which the White-spotted Fairy Catfish like to hang out. Wooden roots are grazed and gnawed on with enthusiasm, they provide the fairy catfish with important raw fibers for their digestion. You can plant the aquarium.

The elf catfish is a white water fish and therefore has no special demands on the water quality. Soft to hard water is fine, but a high oxygen content is important. The water should be clean with little organic pollutants. Use a diffuser, oxydator or bubble stone to give the beautiful cactus catfish enough oxygen. The aquarium temperature should be 25-30 °C, the pH 6.5 to 7.5.

The sexes are quite easy to distinguish in the White-spotted Elf Catfish , the males have a thicker pectoral fin ray and also a strong odontode growth on the gill covers. A few offspring of Acanthicus adonis are known from aquaristic literature. Clutches of 1,000 eggs and breeding pairs of 70 cm body length are reported.

Acanthicus adonis are omnivores. Therefore, elf catfish in the aquarium not only need vegetable food such as soft vegetables , they also like to eat frozen food, sinking live food and special catfish sticks, granules for omnivorous aquarium fish and so on very much. It is important that the white-spotted elf catfish always have soft woody roots available, so that the fiber can keep its digestion going.