Mountain stream catfish - Chaetostoma thomasi

Growing up to 10 cm in size, the Mountain Brook Cat fish or Mountain Hare Catfish(Chaetostoma thomasi, synonym Chaetostoma thomsoni) from Colombia is armored with impressive bone plates. In its natural biotopes, this beautiful, compatible and peaceful catfish lives in strongly flowing stream sections. Its sucking mouth is adapted to these conditions and is remarkably large.The basic color of the catfish is light brown to sandy, the scale seams can be darker edged, also the catfish can have darker irregular spots.

In the aquarium, the current-loving catfish needs plenty of oxygen and a good current, just like in the biotope. Optimally the mountain brook catfish is suitable for example for a brook aquarium. Since these are very compatible and active catfish, a group size of 4 or more is recommended for an aquarium with an edge length of 80-100 cm or more.

A well structured aquarium base with lots of roots made of real wood and with smooth stones for grazing is recommended. The Mountain Brook Catfish needs hiding places in the form of Catfish caves or appropriate stone structures. Real wood roots for aquariums, for example Bog pine, provide fiber that the loricariid catfish need for healthy, well-functioning digestion .

The Mountain Brook Catfish is quite active and beautiful to watch, but it is still a calm, compatible and extremely peaceful aquarium fish that can be socialized very well with all other peaceful fish and also with shrimps, provided of course that the requirements for the water values match.

The mountain loricarius needs soft to medium hard water with a high oxygen content. The temperature of the water in the aquarium should be between 20 and 26 °C. A heater is not needed in most cases. Regular weekly water changes are important for the well-being of these catfish - they need clean, preferably uncontaminated water.

The males of the Mountain Brook Catfish tend to be somewhat slimmer and have a comparatively larger head, while the abdominal area of the females is noticeably broader. Breeding in the aquarium has been successful, but not much experience is available.

Chaetostoma thomasi is an omnivore and eats - typical for loricariids - not only green food, but also soft or scalded vegetables and brown autumn leaves, but also animal food like frozen food is taken with pleasure. You can't go wrong with a food designed specifically for loricariid catfish in the form of wafers or tabs. Healthy plants tend not to be eaten, especially if the catfish are provided with sufficient plant food.

Our food recommendation: The NatureHolic Catfish Feed is a professionally formulated complete food especially for all sucking catfish. The food tabs contain important dietary fib ers such as chitin and plant fibers, which are essential for catfish survival for a well-functioning digest ion. With strong proteins from insect larvae as well as carbohydrate-rich vegetables NatureHolic Catfish Feed provides all sucking catfish optimally with all important building materials for a fast and healthy growth. The extra hard chips can be scraped off by the catfish close to nature - here they really have to do something for their food! An occupation like in nature.

Our plant recommendation: Use for the planting NatureHolic InVitros. These are free of snails, planarians and other unwanted co-inhabitants. Also free of algae spores, bacteria and fungi.

Expert Tip: We recommend when keeping fish the NatureHolic 3 Phase Liquid. The care set offers the best all-round protection for your animals. It ensures optimal conditions for successful breeding and keeping.