If you have ever seen this fish in a store, you will never forget and you will probably want to run the same in your aquarium. Large, spectacular, with attractive coloring, handsome chromis is a real peacock of the underwater kingdom. In order for your acquaintance to be mutually enjoyable, before buying, study the features of caring for him.
Description
Belongs to the cichlid family, another name is Hemichromis bimaculatus. This pet came to us from African rivers. A fairly large fish in the aquarium grows up to 15 centimeters (usually 10-12). A massive, large body is painted in bright red color and strewn with shiny dots of green or blue, than the handsome chromis attracts attention.
Two dark blurry spots serve both to decorate and intimidate opponents. The head is pointed, with a large mouth, resembles a perch with whom they are relatives.
Gender differences
Externally, the fish are very similar to each other. Usually the male is slightly larger than the female, although there are exceptions. The outfit of the female is almost completely red and orange shades, with a small amount of sparkles. Males, on the contrary, are decorated like a Christmas tree, cast in blue-green colors. The fins of the stronger sex are longer and brighter.
Habitat and living conditions
If you decide to buy such an interesting fish as handsome chromis, the content may surprise you with its ease. The aquarium should be quite spacious, preferably more than 60 liters (for one pair). Pay attention to the equipment, for normal life, chromis needs good filtration and aeration of water, maintaining a constant temperature. The optimum temperature is 21-25 ° C, hardness up to 20 ° F, PH 7.0.
When buying soil, remember that these fish actively dig in it, especially during the spawning season. Therefore, sand and other fine fractions will not work. It is best to take large gravel, and plants are well strengthened with large stones.
In the aquarium there is always quite a lot of organics (food residues, biological waste), which forms turbidity on the ground. Due to the activity of fish, it will constantly rise, therefore, regular soil purging and weekly water change (25 - 30%) are required.
Tender algae with a fragile root system coexists poorly with these fish, being several times carelessly dug, they die. Anubius, which withstands any test, is well suited. Or, alternatively, plant the plants in a flower pot, which they dig into the soil.
Character, behavior
Chromis-handsome fish far from being quiet and cutie, as it might seem. As in every species, there are some individuals quite calm, and others that attack everything that moves. In any case, the proximity to them can be expensive for fish of another species.
These fish are monogamous, a stable couple is formed, which shares among themselves all the hardships of caring for offspring. Therefore, it makes sense to buy an aquarium with a volume of 120 liters and make two pairs. It will be very interesting to observe the redistribution of the territory between them, you can also facilitate their task by dividing the bottom with a high snag. The main habitat of chromis is the bottom area, so this is how you draw a clear line.
Underwater structures made of stones, crafts in the form of sunken ships will serve as shelters, where the formed pair can retire. This helps to avoid territorial hassles when several individuals live in the aquarium.
Living with neighbors
As already mentioned, the character of the fish is complex, so initially it is worth taking care of the safety of all underwater inhabitants. Definitely, the handsome chromis is not suitable for a hostel with small popular fish: guppies, neons and others. Ragged fins and broken eyes are the least that can happen.
An unsafe neighborhood is represented by chromis for snails. A large one, such as an ampullarium, can be easily bitten off by an antennae, while a small one will be eaten by shaking it out of its shell. From the experience of many experienced aquarists, it can be said that they coexist peacefully with large catfish and barbs.
Food
It must be remembered that prolonged feeding with inappropriate or unbalanced food can lead to illness or death of the pet. The basis of nutrition of these fish is protein. It is easiest for a novice aquarist to buy specialized, balanced mixes for cichlids. It should be noted a serious plus of this approach.
Such bright representatives of the species as handsome chromis need food with a high content of pigment. It is he who, accumulating in the tissues, maintains the juiciness of the color. Living in artificial conditions, fish have one opportunity to obtain a sufficient amount of pigment - from special mixtures.
Based on some experience, you can combine different feeds, providing optimal feeding. It should contain:
- live food: tubule, bloodworm, fish fry and earthworms ;
- meat food: shredded meat of beef, shrimp;
- dry food, including small additives of vegetable food, for example spirulina.
A cichlid can be fed 2 times a day a little, or 1 time. The amount of food is determined empirically, depending on the number of individuals and the type of food (dry mixes are much less nutritious than meat). Serving should be eaten in 20 seconds, from this start on the next feeding.
Another important factor is age. Fry and young individuals necessarily need 3-4 meals a day. With good nutrition, they will reach maturity by about 6 months.
Breeding
One of the most exciting and long-awaited moments for every aquarist is to create a pair of fish and breed offspring, especially if you have a beautiful chromis. Reproduction begins with the fact that individuals change color, the female becomes raspberry red, the blue-green spots begin to shine in the male.
The first time they bring offspring of fish at the age of about 9 months.
The couple chooses a place for spawning, driving away all guests from it. The nursery usually becomes a flat stone, the walls of the aquarium or a model of a sunken ship. Having marked the caviar, the parents guard it in turn, providing the flow of water with the movements of the fins.
One clutch counts from 300 to 500 eggs. Development is fast, after 4 days fry hatch. For another week, the kids remain in place, during this time they will finally develop and begin to try themselves in independent swimming. Parents continue to accompany offspring here.
Another 10 days will pass, and the fry will reach a length of about 1 centimeter. Now it is already possible to separate children from their parents by planting them in a growth aquarium, where adult chromis will swim in six months. Reproduction, as you see, does not carry any special difficulties.
Baby Care
The rate of development depends for the most part on good feeding. The conditions of detention do not differ from those in which the parents live. Feeding begins with zooplankton, gradually shifting to daphnia and finely chopped tubule.
Even being very young, the fry of the handsome chromis already show their aggressive disposition. As you grow up, you need to constantly separate the weakest individuals, otherwise they will be killed by brothers and sisters. By the age of 6-7 months, it is necessary to prepare future housing for all fish, so that, becoming sexually mature, they do not fight for the redistribution of the territory.
Compliance with such simple rules will give you the opportunity to observe the life of the brightest representative of the cichlid family day after day. Acquainted with them, many lovers put their aquariums in a monopoly regime, where one or more pairs of handsome chromis live.