Mouthbrooding witch catfish - Loricaria simillima

The very calm and peaceful Mouthbrooding Witch Catfish or Simillima Sand Catfish (Loricaria simillima) from South America lives in nature mainly on shallow sandbars in clear, oxygen-rich and very clean streams with strong currents. Its body shape is striking with the elongated thin abdomen and lyre-shaped caudal fin. The body color varies from gray to dark brown, some animals are also black and white marbled. Mouthbrooding witch catfishes belong to the loricariid family. A particularly striking feature is the distinctively fringed mouth.

Simillima Sand Catfish become relatively large with approx. 25 cm and should therefore be kept in aquariums from 120 cm length. A current aquarium or stream aqu arium is ideal, but also a standard community aquarium with shrimps and peaceful fish fits here very well, if the requirements of the catfish are considered.

The Mouthbrooding Witch Catfish is an extremely calm and peaceful aquarium fish and should be kept in a small group of 4 or more. Sufficient hiding places can be created for example with slate plates , tubes are also well accepted.

In an aquarium for Mouthbrooding Witch Catfish it needs soft wood as a source of rough age to scrape off - bog pine would be a good choice here. For their digestion to work well, Mouthbrooding Witch Catfish absolutely need the fiber from the wood fibers!

The males of the Mouthbrooding Witch Catfish are slender, the females have a broadened abdomen. Breeding in the aquarium is possible. Mouthbrooding Witch Catfish are - as the name suggests - mouthbrooders. After spawning, the male carries the spawning disc with about 100 eggs around for 10-12 days until the fry hatch. During this time the male eats normally.

The Mouthbrooding Witch Catfish does not have particularly high demands on the water hardness in the aquarium - the oxygen content should be high and the water should be as unpolluted and clean as possible. The temperature of the aquarium water should be between 25 and 28 °C.

Loricaria simillima is an omnivore and takes besides typical green food various short scalded vegetables and of course brown autumn leaves, frozen food and special food for loricariids in the form of wafers or tabs. Plants can be eaten, especially if not enough vegetable is fed.

Our food recommendation: The NatureHolic Catfish Feed for all aufwuchs feeding sucking catfish in the aquarium is a balanced tablet food, which does not cloud the water and the fish like to eat. The catfish tablets also contain NatureHolic active ingredient complexes, which provide the sucking catfish with everything they need for a strong immune system, healthy growth and great, contrasting coloration.

Our plant recommendation: For planting, use 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 for fish keeping 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.

Dispensing size: 5-8cm