Labeo two-color - a fish of the cyprinid family, popular among aquarists. In nature, it lives in fresh waters of Africa, Southeast and South Asia. It prefers shallow rivers, streams and flowing lakes overgrown with aquatic plants .
Two-color Labeo is a rather large fish, in captivity growing up to 20 cm in length. Her body is elongated, slender, her back is bent. The head is cylindrical, small. The mouth is lower. There are 2 pairs of sensitive antennae. The body of the fish has a dark blue color. All fins are painted in the same color except the caudal, which is bright red. At night, as well as under stress, the labeos become pale, sometimes almost white.
The fish are mobile, active, sometimes even aggressive. In the reservoir occupy the middle and lower layers. They guard the territory by attacking other aquarium inhabitants, especially those with a reddish color. Intraspecific aggression is often manifested, resulting in skirmishes and quarrels. A clear hierarchy is formed in the flock, while the leader easily appears on someone else's territory, but does not let anyone into his own. Peaceful large fish like scalars, which can inadvertently disturb the labeos, especially get it.
Compatibility is a very important point in keeping these fish. When choosing Labeo neighbors, you need to study their character and lifestyle well in order to avoid sad consequences. Representatives of other active, moderately aggressive species coexist best with them. These are Sumatran and bream-shaped barbs, gourami (gold, marble, blue), macropods, sharks.
In the aquarium where the two-color labe lives, there should be many aquatic plants, including large-leaved ones (such as echinodorus), driftwood, labyrinths, caves and stones. In these shelters, more peaceful and weaker individuals will be able to escape from aggressive neighbors. Separate shelters should be organized so that the fish settled in them can not see each other. It is important that there is enough space in the artificial pond for all of its inhabitants, as crowding creates quarrels. Ideally, 80 gallons of water is needed per labeo.
Labeau aquarium fish prefer dark soil and low diffuse lighting. The water parameters are as follows: pH 6.5-7.5, hardness 5-15 °, temperature 23–27 ° C. Aeration, filtration, replacement of approximately 20% of the volume of water weekly will be required.
The two-color Labeo eagerly eats both live (coretre, bloodworms, small gammarus, tubule) and plant food, as well as artificial mixtures. If algae grows on the walls of the aquarium, the fish will be happy to clean them. You can also periodically place a sheet of glass overgrown with algae in the water - this will be a treat for the laboe.
Breeding these fish is a difficult process due to the small number of males in litters and the need for large tanks for spawning. Labeo reach puberty in 1-1.5 years. For breeding, you need an aquarium with a capacity of 500 liters with many shelters, thickets of plants and dim light. One female ideally has two males. 2 weeks before spawning, they begin to feed them with Daphnia, Cyclops, bloodworms, tubifex, frozen spinach and scalded lettuce leaves. Keep them separate. The productivity of a female two-color labeo is up to 1000 eggs. Up to 50% of fry die in the first 2 weeks of life, but with the rest of the difficulties, as a rule, they do not arise.