What does "scavenger" mean? A detailed explanation of its meaning
The scavenger originally referred to a city cleaner in old times. What people commonly call the scavenger today is an aquarium species native to South America. Because it feeds mainly on waste and algae in fish tanks, it can to a certain extent clean and purify the water environment, so it is called the "cleaner" of the aquarium, and thus it also got the name scavenger.
What kind of fish is the scavenger?
The scavenger is the common trade name for the multiradiate armored catfish and the suckermouth catfish of the subfamily Hypostominae under the family Loricariidae, also known as the sucker fish, garbage fish, pipa fish, etc. It has very strong adaptability and can survive almost anywhere there is water. It often attaches to aquarium walls or aquatic plants and licks off moss. As an adult it has a huge appetite; besides eating moss and other algae, it often feeds on the eggs of other fish, and can eat 3000 to 5000 eggs a day, and can also devour large numbers of fry.
Morphological characteristics of the scavenger
The scavenger has a grayish-black body all over, with black-and-white alternating patterns. Its body surface is rough with shield scales, its head is flat, its dorsal fin is tall, its tail is laterally compressed, its snout is round and blunt, its mouth is inferior, and it has abundant suckers. It has 1 pair of barbels, and the spines on its pectoral and ventral fins can support its body and let it crawl on land. The fish body is semi-cylindrical, wide at the sides, and the caudal fin is slightly forked. The mouth is inferior. The dorsal fin is broad, the abdomen is flat, and the left and right pelvic fins connect to form a round fan-shaped sucker. Seen from the ventral side, it looks very much like a small pipa, hence it is also called the pipa fish. The fish body is dark brown, covered with black spots. The body length can reach 250 mm, and it will turn white.
Breeding varieties of the scavenger
1. Common scavenger: The common scavenger is also called the king pleco, and can also be called the suckermouth catfish. Its place of origin is Paraguay in South America. People keep scavengers to remove fish feces, leftover feed and other dirt at the bottom of fish tanks. Because the scavenger fish is a very omnivorous aquarium organism, whether it is algae, dead fish carcasses, moss or fish insects, as long as it is edible it will not refuse any of it and will eat it all.
2. Ornamental scavenger: Ornamental scavengers actually include many kinds, such as the leopard-print scavenger, the red scavenger and the golden scavenger, which are variant varieties of the king pleco. The leopard-print scavenger mainly refers to scavengers with a leopard-print pattern on their bodies. Like the common scavenger, it is very easy to keep, and the patterns on its body are attractive, but it will not suck on fish like the common scavenger does, making it more suitable for household breeding to beautify the home. The red scavenger and golden scavenger have merely had their body colors changed through mutation to better cater to people's various needs, so you can make diverse choices according to your own interests and hobbies.