Aquariums are kept at home by many wildlife enthusiasts. And not only because they adorn the interior. The inhabitants of glass houses are very interesting to watch, with certain skills it is easy to care for, they make no sounds, do not spoil housekeeping slippers and do not bite the legs of a rare chair. You can say - perfect pets. And to make the aquarium look more fun and elegant, beautiful and vibrant fish are brought in, including the marble botsia. We will talk about it.
Appearance and habits
In fact, marble is not the brightest of the bots. However, other subspecies are rather shy and hide during the day, which is why some not very experienced aquarists are considered nocturnal or twilight fish. But marble botsia can decorate a glass house. Her general body color is silver, and stripes are located on this background - mostly vertical, but can be located at an angle, and even along the body. Since marble botia is a near-bottom fish, its mouth is turned down and equipped with antennae for food. This is another reason for misconceptions - many attribute the fish to catfish, although it is a pronounced loach.
Botia marble has several interesting behavioral features. Frightened, she turns pale throughout her body. In some cases, the stripes even merge with the general background. And if far from shelter, the fish successfully pretends to be dead. The second curiosity is the ability to foresee the rain. Interested aquarists, who are happy to watch their pets, quite accurately determine the time of rain on the basis of increased activity. And the third interesting detail: marble bots violates the tradition and knows how to "talk", emitting clearly audible clicks.
Content Rules
Nothing particularly complicated fish do not require. The main and main condition is a spacious aquarium, as they are pack animals, and become aggressive alone. If you liked marble botsia, maintenance begins with equipping the house with filters and aeration. It would be nice to attach a constant thermometer so as not to catch the inhabitants of the aquarium, which can happen at temperatures below 20 degrees, and not to overheat if it rises above 28. The bottom soil is also obligatory, which marble bots remove mucus from the body - it does not boast of scales can. Dense plantings are indispensable, among which the fish hide, and when there is a lack of food, they eat them. It would be nice to lay down artificial shelters on the bottom, which are necessary not only for hide and seek, but also as a subject of research. And, of course, it is necessary to monitor the purity of water: every week it should be updated by a third. Last warning: buy a landing net with a dense, harsh and fine-mesh net, because in another (when transplanting) fish can catch on pectoral fins.
Nutrition
It is worth noting that they are very voracious, especially in their youth. Fish eat any food, but if they have a choice, they prefer invertebrates and snails. What is good for the “pool” fish is the marble botsia, because it picks up food that is not eaten by other fish from the bottom, and thus maintains cleanliness in the aquarium. If one of the individuals liked the taste of the plantation, you need to add oatmeal, spinach or cucumbers to the food - otherwise the aquarium may be left without vegetation. However, you still need to monitor the amount of feed - the boats cannot stop eating, and therefore often gobble up. It would be nice for youngsters to arrange sometimes a “fasting” day.
Spawning
Those who have been engaged in battles for a long time are very controversial regarding breeding. Many argue that in captivity, fish do not breed - not only at home, but also among professionals. At the same time, some aquarists talk about the beauty of spawning in bots, during which males help the ladies rise to the surface, where the caviar rushes about. And in the literature there are cases of spontaneous spawning during increased physical activity before rain. So if you are interested in this question - look for the answer on your own. If, nevertheless, you notice preparation for spawning, drop the "non-spawning" fish into another aquarium - they can devour caviar.
The vitality of bots
By themselves, these fish are quite friendly and non-aggressive. Of course, with a flocking lifestyle, an alpha male necessarily exists, which puts the rest in place. However, during such a showdown, there are not even injuries, not to mention deaths. We already talked about loneliness - the main thing is that in the aquarium there should not be only one marble bobia. Compatibility with other fish is very good. With predators it is better not to put them in the same house - they will simply be eaten. Small fishes should also not be launched to the bots - the small fry cannot tolerate the clicking of the latter. As neighbors, scalars, mollies, gourami, swordsmen, iris, rassbory, barbs are recommended. In no case should you combine astronotus bots in one aquarium - they will not get along.