Cascarudo

General information

Callichthys callichthys grow up to 8 inches in length. They have the ability to tilt their eyes which looks like blinking. These fish are facultative air breathers, they have a highly vascularized intestine that facilitates uptake of atmospheric oxygen so they will often go to the surface for a gulp of air. Due to the ability for breathing atmospheric air, the aquarium should have a cover and the tank shouldn’t be filled to the top.

To keep this species in captivity, water pH should be between 5.8 and 8.3 and water temperature should range from 64ºF and 83ºF . The tank should have a sandy substrate, plants and hiding places. These fish can be kept in community aquariums and should be kept in groups of at least 5.

Callichthys callichthys are omnivorous. In the wild, they feed on worms, benthic crustaceans, insects, and plant matter. They will eat almost anything that sinks into the bottom of the tank, you can feed them dried, live and frozen foods.

The females are larger and more robust, and are a dull olive-green, while the males are brighter in color, exhibiting a delicate blue or violet sheen laterally, with a more developed and longer pectoral fin spine that is reddish-brown and edged with orange or reddish-orange.

They lays eggs in dense vegetation and adults do not guard the eggs.

Callichthys callichthys can be found in South America.

Callichthys callichthys has hardened pectoral spines that can pierce human skin so they should be handled with care and a plastic container should be used to move them, using a net is not recommended because these spines may become entangled in the mesh.

These fish are scaleless and as such they are extremely sensitive to salt, adding salt to the tank will hurt them.

These fish are nocturnal so they should be fed at lights out, however, after some time in the tank they may be “taught” to eat during the day.