A large beautiful aquarium is the dream of many. Observing the peaceful life of colorful fish in the glass of the aquarium brings peace and tranquility. Carried away by this venture, novice fish lovers select the inhabitants of their home aquarium, guided only by their aesthetic preferences. And then disappointment comes: the fish do not get along or feel really bad. The thing is that before deciding to share your house with a water mini-kingdom, you should carefully study the features and find out how to care for the fish of every species you like.
Zebra but not black and white
Where to start choosing aquarium fish? Define your priorities: what kind of fish you would like to watch every day. Not too small, but also small, bright in color, quite active and moderately aggressive? Then you should pay attention to the aquarium zebra.
An amazing kind of fish called pseudotrophy zebra can decorate any home aquarium. This species was compared with the black and white namesake due to the presence of characteristic transverse black stripes. In nature, there are fish of this type of various colors, but for aquariums, most often choose a blue or red zebra.
Fish species of pseudotrophyus zebra belong to the cichlid family. Their natural habitat is Africa, or rather Lake Malawi. In their natural environment, these fish prefer to choose rocky places rich in algae.
Aquarium zebra is perfect for introducing young children to the world of fish: its appearance is fully consistent with the presentation and drawings of the kids. This fish has an elongated body, a large head and eyes, full lips. The size of the zebra can vary depending on gender and color, but rarely exceeds 15 cm in length.
The color of this type of fish is extremely interesting and fundamentally different in gender and age. The male pseudotrophyus blue zebra has a color from bright blue to deep blue. Also, an adult male can be distinguished by the presence of a characteristic fat pad on the forehead. The age of the male of this species can also be judged by color. The bright blue color of the male zebra pales with age and becomes less saturated. A female of the same species is distinguished by a pale yellow color, may have spots on the fins of a dark brown color.
Pseudotrophyus zebra red can be colored in shades of red: from saturated scarlet to variations of red-orange. In this species of fish, male and female fry from birth differ in color. Males are born dark red, almost brown, and females - pale pink.
In what conditions does an aquarium zebra live comfortably?
In order for zebras to feel great and delight the eyes of their owner, studying information on how to care for fish of this species, special attention should be paid to the conditions of their maintenance. Zebras are not too whimsical to care for, but there are several requirements for the aquarium, which are mandatory.
First of all, size: an aquarium with zebras should be at least 60 liters in volume for one fish and not less than 150 liters, if you plan to place a group. If you want to populate your aquarium with not only representatives of the pseudotrophyus zebra species, then you should make sure that the size of the aquarium is 200 liters or more.
Fish of this species are very sensitive to the composition and purity of water. Therefore, it is worth taking care of the good filtration of water in the aquarium and its daily replacement. In order for the fish to feel comfortable, it is necessary to replace at least a third of the aquarium water every day.
In nature, zebras choose rocky habitats because of the love of burying in the ground. This is worth remembering, settling them at home. Make sure that the aquarium has enough stones and algae with strong roots. The presence of such a decoration will not only create convenient conditions for fish, but will also reduce their rather high natural aggression. And the addition of corals and sand to your aquarium will allow you to maintain the proper pH level: for a zebra this value should be in the range of 7.2-8.5.
In addition to timely cleaning and water flow, its temperature is no less important. For fish of this species, the temperature range of 24-28 degrees is comfortable.
Useful and tasty: how to feed a zebra?
Nutrition is another extremely important aspect for the successful maintenance of pseudotrophyus zebra fish in a home aquarium. They can not be called too picky in food, but their proper nutrition has its own characteristics. For the healthy functioning of the digestive system, fish should eat plant-derived foods every day: vegetables or similar foods. Adding fortified nutrition to food will help maintain a bright color: this can be a specialized food for fish of the species of cichlids or spirulina.
It is allowed to feed fish with animal feed, such as shrimp. The feeding regimen should be established on the principle of "often, but a little bit." Surprisingly, the fish can also be prone to overweight, so you should not feed them too abundantly.
Pleasant neighborhood: who else can place a zebra in the aquarium?
This beautiful fish is not very friendly. If you want various colorful fish to get along in your aquarium, then follow a few simple rules for zebra coexistence.
First of all, the group should contain one male and several females, optimally two or three. This will reduce the inborn level of zebra aggression. If you plan to populate the aquarium with fish of different species, then for the neighborhood with zebras it is worth picking up African fish. The less aggressive inhabitants of the African lake of Malawi are best suited. Fish should be of different sizes and vary in color, otherwise zebras will "divide the territory" and constantly quarrel.
Striped family: features of zebra breeding
If you plan to increase the number of your aquarium zebras, then you should prepare them in advance the appropriate conditions for this. Readiness for breeding fish of this species show at the age of 8-12 months. They begin to show interest in individuals of the opposite sex and actively care for them.
It happens that you look forward to posterity from your bright aquarium inhabitants, but this does not happen. Perhaps it’s worth relocating a too aggressive neighbor in the aquarium: the fact is that zebras need a calm atmosphere to spawn. Also, accelerated nutrition can help speed up the process of procreation in mature animals: try feeding your fish a little more often than usual.
The female tosses eggs and hides in her mouth. Their number varies between 20-35 pieces. With the right temperature and comfortable conditions, the fry will appear in the aquarium in 2-3 weeks.
Pseudotrophyus zebra is an amazingly beautiful aquarium fish, which can contain both an experienced aquarist and an amateur. Having learned the simple features of caring for this type of fish, you can always enjoy watching the bright and moving inhabitants of the water kingdom.