Someone like fluffy, four-legged or feathered pets, and someone wholeheartedly loves fish. Today in apartments, restaurants and other rooms you can see aquariums of all shapes and sizes, inhabited by the most diverse and amazing types of aquatic inhabitants. Ocular macrognatus is one of them. This unusual representative of the aquarium inhabitants attracts the eyes of many visitors to pet stores. You can learn about how to properly care for such a fish from this article.
Living in nature
The order of perch-like fish contains a very unusual subspecies called proboscis. It has only one family, divided into 2 genera and approximately 50 species. The main difference between the two branches is that the first consists of Asian species, and the second of African species. A lesser known difference between them is the structure of unpaired fins. In macrognatuses, they are divided, and in mastacebellus, they are connected.
The place where eels live is the backwaters of rivers and lakes with calm water and a bottom covered with silt or sand, which has dense vegetation.
Fish are prone to activity at night. During the day, they hide in the undergrowth, hide under stones or burrow into the ground. Safety of fish is ensured by observing what is happening around. This helps a special proboscis, performing the function of the olfactory organ. At night, eels prey on fry, plankton, small crabs and caviar.
Appearance
In captivity they contain, as a rule, ocular macrognaths. Despite their unusual appearance, the fish are distinguished by grace. They have an elongated body, flat on the sides. Developing in an aquarium, the species reaches a length of 15–25 cm. The front of the body of the macrognathus is somewhat reminiscent of a fox face. The upper jaw is a small proboscis with tubular nostrils at the end. The color of the fish is pleasant, from pale beige to brown and olive. It is complemented by an unusual pattern of light transverse stripes and bright yellow dots. The whole body of the aquarium eel is divided by a strip.
The dorsal and anal fins are moved towards the tail, the pectoral fins are absent. They have a reddish or light brown color. The fin located on the back is decorated with black spots with a golden border. They are very similar to the eyes, for which the fish got their name. There are also thorns on the back. Females are always larger and thicker than males.
Behavior
The first time after moving to a new aquarium, fish can hide and be afraid of the environment, but soon they begin to develop and can swim out of shelters even in the afternoon. The group content of ocular macrognatuses at a young age is acceptable, but it is important to remember that, having matured, individuals can become more aggressive towards each other.
Compatibility
To place this species in the same aquarium with small fish is undesirable, as they are easily perceived as prey. The best compatibility of ophthalmic macrognathus is manifested with larger and more peaceful inhabitants.
The owner of the aquarium should also be careful: the pet may well bite the owner’s hand or injure him by hitting the thorns.
Aquarium
Ocular macrognathus is able to coexist with other fish, but it will be able to express itself in all its glory in a special species aquarium with tinted glass, the volume of which will be from 100 liters.
The top must not be left open. It is necessary to close it with glass, since this type of fish can get out through a small gap if the quality of the water deteriorates or it does not fit the taste. Particular attention should be paid to the corners of the aquarium, as well as areas where wires, ducts are located.
The presence of soil is necessary, since blackheads like to dig into it, leaving only eyes and nose on the surface. It is important that there are no sharp stones in it, otherwise the fish will get hurt. If you neglect the soil, then macrognatus can begin various skin diseases. It is better not to use silt, but to take soft sand. Vegetation should not be easily dug up. A great option - pots. Eels love to hide and hide, and therefore, various caves, snags should be placed in the aquarium.
Since the species is active at night and leads an underground lifestyle, fish produce a large amount of mucus so that they can calmly dig into stones. If the excess secretions are not removed, the skin becomes inflamed.
There are no special requirements for the quality of water with the content of ophthalmic macrognathus in the aquarium. It is only necessary to ensure that it is clean. The most comfortable indicators: acidity - 7–8; temperature - + 21-28 ° (reduction to +20 ° is permissible); stiffness - 6-15. Continuous aeration is required, as well as a third change of water every week. If desired, you can add 3-4 tablespoons of sea salt for every 100 liters of water.
Food
Most of all, ocular macrognatus loves live food. You can always try to enter a dry or frozen look, but often the fish refuse it. A treat for them will be the larvae of mosquitoes, earthworms, small crustaceans and invertebrates. Sometimes they can prey on smaller species of fish. Examples of feeding such fish with finely chopped squid or cod meat are known.
Diseases
Under the wrong conditions, acne macrognatus ophthalmicus may become ill. The reasons for this are poor-quality, dirty water, improper soil. In such cases, the fish does not receive enough mucus, the skin becomes inflamed, and ulcers appear.
Early treatment in the early stages can return the eel to its normal state. The temperature of the water should be gradually increased to a mark of +32 ° C, and also increase the level of salinity to 10%. Then, ericycline and griseofulvin should be added in the required dosage (agreed with the specialist), increase the number of water changes.
Following simple recommendations, you can populate the aquarium with a wide variety of fish species. The main thing is to know in advance how compatible they are and whether the conditions of keeping some pets are suitable for others.
Watching the life inside the aquarium will give you a feeling of calm and tranquility, and also diversify your leisure time. The glass structure itself with interestingly selected residents and decorations can become a highlight of the interior of the room.