Akysis hendricksoni
Akysis hendricksoni in the wild inhabits water bodies in Malaysia and Thailand, South-East Asia. The fish stay in fast currents. The soil in these areas is a mixture of sand, gravel and rock. Aquatic plants are almost non-existent in these areas, there are only isolated islands of submerged snags overgrown with moss and ferns. Fish are generally obnoxious and leading nocturnal life, which has predetermined their low popularity among aquarists.
Akysis hendricksoni has a yellow-brown colouration, which can vary considerably depending on where the fish live. The dorsal and pectoral fins have sharp spines at the front, which protect the fish from predators. Sexual differences are not pronounced. The maximum size of the fish is 5 cm.
Akysis hendricksoni is a peaceful fish. He will not cause trouble for anyone and never competes with more active fish, which must be taken into account when feeding. Keep catfish can be kept as singly or in a group of 4-6 individuals. Can be kept in a common aquarium with other peace-loving fish occupying the upper and middle layers of water, such as tetras, danio and rasboy. Catfish do not harm the shrimp, so they can be kept together.
Fish are not difficult to keep. An aquarium should have a capacity of at least 50 liters. As the soil is desirable to use coarse river sand, as catfish in the daytime are fully buried in the soil, leaving only their bulging eyes on its surface. Also, fish like to squeeze into crevices between rocks and other hard surfaces, so the bottom should be placed piles of stones and snags. Plant shrubs can be planted in the aquarium, although it is not necessary. Another place at the bottom of a bed of pre-dried oak or beech leaves and in the future to replace it with fresh every 2-3 weeks.
Water parameters: temperature 16-24° C, hardness dH 2-12°, pH 6,0-7,2. Pisces are very sensitive to the accumulation of organic matter in the water, so you need good filtration and increased aeration of water. Substitution of approximately ½ of the aquarium water with fresh water each week is also required.
Akysis hendricksoni leads a crepuscular lifestyle, so food should be given before lights in the aquarium are turned off. In nature, the catfish feeds on worms, insect larvae and small crustaceans. In an aquarium, live or frozen Artemia, Daphnia and chironomid moths are fed. You can feed the fish and dry food that sinks to the bottom, but first fish need to gradually become accustomed to them.
Reproduction
There is very little information about the successful breeding of Akysis hendricksoni in captivity. This is primarily due to the fact that it is very difficult to determine the sex of the fish, so you initially need to purchase a large number of fish to increase the likelihood that the group will be fish of both sexes.
Moreover, spawning takes place at the beginning of the rainy season when the water temperature in the river drops considerably (to 7° C), which is rather difficult to simulate in a home aquarium.
In the wild, the eggs incubate for 4 days. The hatched larvae feed on substances from their yolk sac for the first four days of their lives, and after 10 days begin to eat other small food.
