Hoplo
From Microcosm Aquarium Explorer
Male Hoplo with orange-colored pectoral spines. Aaron Norman
Overview
The Hoplo is an attractive catfish as a juvenile, with a speckled body pattern on a brown background. It is a mainstay among catfish fanciers, but it becomes less attractive with age as the colors may soften.
Its name is derived from its former scientific name, Hoplosternum thoracatum.
Family: Callichthyidae
Other common name(s):
- Bubblenest Catfish
- Brown Hoplo
Native range:
- Northern South America
- Amazon River Basin
- Orinoco River Basin
- Upper Paraguay River Basin
- Coastal Guianas
- Northern Brazil
Habitat: Prefers a planted tank with subdued lighting and lots of open swimming areas. Provide a fine-grained substrate that allows for digging without damaging the barbels. Include lots of driftwood, rocks and inverted flowerpots for hiding.
Maximum length: 15 cm (6 in)
Minimum aquarium size: 114 L (30 gal)
Water: Freshwater 22 °C (72 °F) - 26 °C (79 °F)
General swimming level: Bottom to midwater.
Feeding
Carnivore. Will accept a wide variety of commercial meaty catfish foods in the aquarium, such as flakes, pellets and sinking wafers with shrimp, as well as live and frozen foods like bloodworms and Tubifex worms. Eagerly accepts chopped earthworms. Feed first thing in the morning and just after the lights go out at night.
Aquarium Compatibility
May eat small fishes and also becomes aggressive during spawning.
Breeding/Propagation
Males develop a blue-violet sheen on their bellies, and orange-colored pectoral spines (see photo above) and build a bubblenest at the surface of the water. Male tends the nest and eggs, and then the young until they are free swimming.
Notes
The Hoplo is relatively peaceful but somewhat disruptive in quiet community tanks where its incessant digging may not be appreciated.