Beauty from Loricariidae
Sturisoma panamense is a distinctly long and slender fish that grows to about 20 centimeters in length. Typical for this species are the head outgrowths that resemble whiskers, which are significantly more developed in males than in females. The body color is usually brown with olive-green and darker stripes or spots. This makes them very well camouflaged in their natural habitat.
Sturisomas like to settle in flowing rivers or streams with clear, clean water and plenty of vegetation. Their diet consists mainly of algae and biofilms, which they collect in aquariums from glass, stones, and wood. Wood is absolutely essential for their digestion and must be present in any aquarium they inhabit.
Sturisoma panamense is known for its peaceful behavior. They are suitable for community aquariums. In an aquarium environment, it is important to provide enough space (in my opinion at least 150 liters) and a sufficient number of hiding places in the form of roots and branches that mimic their natural habitat. They also like to rest on leaves or stones.
In my 333-liter aquarium, I have two females and one male. I often just watch them seemingly levitating in the water, especially how well the male takes care of the eggs. He has a lot to do, fanning them and simultaneously keeping away the eager females who have a gourmet interest in the eggs. The newly hatched sturisomas are incredibly well-equipped. They immediately move to the place with the strongest current and wait there (unless a faster tank mate comes along), until I transfer them to the nursery, where everything is set up for a successful start. Of course, this can also be managed less complicatedly by removing the eggs just before hatching.
They are tiny black copies of their parents and at night they turn almost translucent, which at first scared me a few times, thinking they had somehow escaped from the small nursery in the tank. In fact, they did manage to escape, but not all of them, and I returned most to where they belong. The biggest shock we had with our young ones was one late evening when we were quietly watching a movie, and suddenly there was a huge bang. First, the cat got scared, then I did. The bang clearly came from the aquarium. After a moment of chaos, with the cat and my partner loudly expressing themselves, I identified the source. The female had noticed that I had forgotten to close the nursery and jumped into it. She had to overcome about 5 cm in height. Since then, I make sure to secure the nursery against the curious intruder of their own kind.
Overall, the presence of sturisomas in the aquarium is very useful not only as an ornament admired by every visitor but also as a cleaner. I am thrilled that I no longer have to take much care of the glass of my Optiwhite aquarium. Honestly, despite my efforts and the purchase of special tools, I have a few scratches, and now cleanliness is simply taken care of. I am very happy that I can keep them, and I am also grateful to Michal Klack, who introduced me to this species and gave me valuable breeding advice, without which my breeding would not be so successful.
