Anyone who decides to purchase an aquarium faces the problem of choosing aquatic inhabitants. For beginner aquarists, zebrafish are great, keeping and caring for them is very simple. This breed belongs to the family of cyprinids, its representatives look very impressive and attractive and have a bright color. In addition, they are very playful and agile. Watching a flock of frolicing water pets brings a lot of pleasure. In addition, this species is unassuming and gets along well with other species of fish. Below we will talk more about zebrafish, keeping and care at home.
Description
The homeland of zebrafish is considered to be the eastern countries. They live in small calm waters. In Europe, this species appeared at the beginning of the 20th century, and in Russia less than fifty years ago. These small fish reach a length of about 6 centimeters. They have an elongated narrow body, a small head, and their upturned mouth allows them to feed on the surface of the water. At the mouth there are two pairs of thin mustaches. They are tactile organs. The fins are most often transparent and small in size, only in some individuals they can be dark in color with a yellow trim. There are several types of these fish. They all share a common feature - horizontal stripes on the body. For this feature they were nicknamed "ladies' stockings." Fish look especially impressive in bright light - the stripes are deliciously iridescent.
Since these aquatic inhabitants are used to living in rivers, they are very well related to the flow. Therefore, do not be surprised at the sight of a school of fish near the filter.
Types of Danio Fish
Danio rerio - the most common and famous type of aquarium fish. Individuals have a silvery body, which is decorated with bright blue horizontal stripes. In young fish, the fins are short, in older ones they are beautiful veil-like. Keeping zebrafish fish in compliance with all conditions and rules will allow them to reach a length of 7 centimeters.
Pearl zebrafish - this species is named for its incredibly beautiful shade. The color of this fish is presented in the form of a pearly blue color, and in sunlight it shimmers in different shades. The horizontal strip of the pearl zebrafish is orange or reddish and passes through not from the back, but from the middle to the tail.
The zebrafish firefly is another popular species. It is known for its lemon and bright orange colors and their various shades. In addition to rich and vibrant colors, a special feature of this species is the presence of a horizontal red strip on its side, as well as several short stripes leading to the abdomen.
Danio dangila is the largest species. Under natural conditions, you can see these fish the size of a whole palm. At home, you can grow a fish about 9 cm long. A special charm and beauty of the representatives of this aquarium breed lies in the dark horizontal stripes, which consist of spots with a frame of mother of pearl.
Pink zebrafish is the most beautiful species whose representatives grow 5 centimeters in length. The body of the fish is pink. It is decorated with white horizontal stripes and a transparent tail.
Zebrafish conditions
Danios are restless, active and known for their jumping ability. In this regard, an aquarium with fish must be equipped with a lid. And so that the fish, bouncing, do not hit the lid, you should leave 3 or 4 centimeters of free space between it and the water. Danios love to live in packs. Because of this, for home maintenance, it is best to purchase 6-8 individuals so that the fish maintain activity and do not experience stress.
Males often chase each other and constantly chase. Such behavior does not mean that they are aggressive towards relatives. This is just a manifestation of zebrafish activity and a way to survive in a flock. Fish love to frolic, so they need a capacity of 50 liters or more. An oval-shaped aquarium that is elongated is best. In this case, the fish will be able to move confidently and easily.
The bottom can be laid out with small gravel or pebbles. It is useful to make small shelters. In this case, the fish will feel good, knowing that they can hide somewhere. Also, vegetation should be present in the aquarium, it is better if it is not dense, so that the flock can freely swim. Planting vegetation at the rear and side walls is considered a good option, and the place in the middle will be the free space where the feed is fed.
How to care
This breed does not require complex maintenance and care. Zebrafish aquarium fish get along well in a wide temperature range: from 18 to 30 degrees. But best of all, pets feel at a comfortable temperature of about 18-24 degrees. This allows them to get sick less. These fish love light, so the lack of special equipment can harm them. In this case, it is better to find a well-lit place for staging an aquarium.
Danios swim in the middle and upper layers of the water, where there is a lot of oxygen. Therefore, additional aeration is not needed. The best parameters of water are hardness; dH - from 3 to 15, PH - from 6 to 7.5. The maintenance of these fish requires a weekly change of water: a quarter of the water from the aquarium is replaced by clean, settled for several days.
Other fish compatibility
Danios are considered decoration of any aquarium, including for the general. Their peaceful nature allows them to be kept with other peaceful and not large aquatic inhabitants. They get along well with swordsmen, neons, laliuses, gouras and other types of fish.
Also neighbors for zebrafish can be ampoules, snails, shrimp. It is forbidden to keep this breed with aggressive fish species and some veil fish.
Disease
Despite the high adaptability and unpretentiousness, zebrafish are susceptible to various diseases. One of them is the curvature of the spine. Most often, pathology is manifested due to fright: the gills are widened in the fish, the eyes bulge out, and the scales are raised. Unfortunately, in this case, the individual expects a sad outcome, after some time the fish dies. Often there is a disease called dropsy. This disease also leads to the death of the fish.
General diseases
Each owner of the aquarium should know information about the main ailments and methods of their treatment. Zebrafish aquarium fish, the content of which is produced in common containers, face the following diseases:
- Trichonodosis. The source of occurrence is the common ciliator. Aquarium fish rub against plants and objects inside the tank. The body is gradually covered with a coating of gray, in the form of flakes. The main preventive measure is to increase aeration. It is also recommended to increase the temperature of the water to 30-31 degrees. Salt added to the aquarium has a positive effect. The recovery period takes from two weeks to 30 days.
- Plistophorosis. The first sign of this disease is the appearance of blurry white spots on the body of the zebrafish. Without treatment, the spots turn into ulcers, and the fins become disheveled and sloppy. The body of the fish is depleted. First aid is disinfecting the soil of the aquarium. A solution of hydrochloric acid or bleach is well suited for these purposes. Fish should be treated with nutritional supplements. Medicines: Erythrocycline - 50 milligrams per liter of water, a solution of blue methylene - 10 milligrams per liter of water, Trichopol - 5 milligrams per liter of water.
zebrafish, whose condition worsens and treatment does not help, should be destroyed.
Tips for keeping and breeding zebrafish fish
Breeding zebrafish does not present any particular difficulties: the spawning of this species is simple, a lot of fry appear, they quickly grow. The fish reaches puberty by 7-8 months of life. For breeding, the most active and strongest individuals are selected. Before spawning, females and males are seated in different containers from ten liters and with a temperature of at least 20 degrees. Under these conditions, producers are fed live food for several days.
The female abdomen is rounded over this period, which means its readiness for breeding. A separate aquarium should be prepared for spawning. It should have the following parameters: the selected capacity should have a volume of 3 to 12 liters. At the bottom of the aquarium spread moss, plants and a protective net. This is necessary so that the fish themselves could not eat their eggs. The aquarium is filled with settled, clean water.
The water level is at least 5-10 cm, so that the zebrafish has 3-4 cm of free space above the vegetation lining the bottom. In spawning, the temperature is maintained a couple of degrees higher than usual. This is necessary to stimulate spawning. Manufacturers, as a rule, are two or three males and a female, are launched into the aquarium in the evening so that they can get comfortable in a new place. Capacity should be well consecrated.
Typically, breeding begins early in the morning and lasts a couple of hours. The female can sweep from 50 to 400 eggs. The amount depends on the degree of preparedness and size. After spawning, producers are sent back to the general aquarium, as they can eat caviar.
When spawning is maintained at a temperature of 23-26 degrees, fry appear on the third day. At lower temperature parameters, the appearance of offspring is possible in a week or a little more. After birth, the fry hang on plants or on glass, and then begin to swim. Immediately after their appearance, they are fed with ciliates or live dust. Then the feed is gradually enlarged and transferred to a more spacious container.
Food
In terms of feeding, this breed of fish is unpretentious. Therefore, most zebrafish owners feed them dry food. With good care, pets can live a very long time, but their immune system leaves much to be desired, and the risk of disease is quite high. For this reason, fish should be given live food at least sometimes.
Conclusion
Proper care and maintenance of the fish, varied and high-quality nutrition, a spacious aquarium - these are the guarantee of many years of zebrafish life. In addition, it is important to choose successful neighbors, since representatives of this breed cannot be settled with aggressive species of aquatic inhabitants. When these rules are followed, zebrafish will delight their owner for a long time, and breeding them will bring a lot of pleasure.