Recently, in pet stores you can buy a variety of exotic fish. One of the most unusual, but very remarkable inhabitants of the aquariums is dwarf tetradon. Many people know very little about this cute and funny fish , therefore they often make mistakes when keeping them.
General information
Dwarf tetradons are distant relatives of the most famous poisonous fish - puffer. Some aquarists are afraid to contain them because they believe that their mucus also contains toxins. But this opinion has no official evidence.
Dwarf tetradon in the wild lives in the southern Indian state of Kerala. These small freshwater fish live in a system of lakes and canals that have a muddy or sandy bottom. Their Latin name is Carinotetraodon travancoricus. The tetradon fish will never swim in the open sea, so for aquarium inhabitants it is not necessary to add salt to the water.
Tetradon has an intense yellow color. Adults reach only 2.5-3 cm in length. The yellow dwarf tetradon is the smallest of all the relatives of its family. His skin is smooth, without spines and needles on his stomach. In this he differs from his famous relatives.
Mature males have a brighter color. Often they have a dark strip located in the center of the tummy. Females have a more rounded shape. The eyes of these fish rotate independently of each other. This feature of anatomy allows you to view the world around you, almost without moving. Dwarf tetradons are able to change their color depending on their mood. It ranges from yellow-green to almost brown with dark spots. Their stomach has a white or yellowish tint.
Dwarf tetradons are distinguished by their curiosity. They watch with interest everything that happens behind the glass. Such fish can eventually recognize the owner who feeds them daily. In good conditions, they live up to 6-7 years. The tetradon fish is still rarely found on sale, but its beautiful color and unusual behavior are increasingly attracting the attention of aquarists.
Aquarium decoration
The dwarf tetradon, whose photo is delightful, does not require any special adaptations in the aquarium. It will be enough for him to plant the soil with various algae, in which the fish will hide. You can also put various fancy snags or branches on the bottom of the aquarium, which will serve as additional protection. A container so designed will provide a large field of activity for curious and frisky tetradons, as well as reduce the level of intraspecific aggression.
This type of fish prefers calm water, so its flow in the aquarium should have medium power. Such inhabitants require regular partial water changes. Dwarf tetradon in nature lives in reservoirs rich in various thickets and shelters, therefore it prefers the same conditions in aquariums. Floating plants can be used to diffuse sunlight. In such conditions, this species of fish is characterized by increased activity. An aquarium with dwarf tetradons is preferable to plant thin-leaved aquatic plants, such as Javanese moss, kabomba, ambulia.
Conditions of detention
A 10 L flask can contain no more than 3 dwarf tetradons. Accordingly, a 20-liter aquarium is suitable for a small flock of these fish, consisting of 5-6 individuals. Moreover, there should be more females than males in order to reduce the risk of their pursuit on the part of very loving "suitors". With a greater population density, conditions of detention become more complicated, and the risk of fish fighting among themselves increases.
Tetradon, the content in the aquarium of which is hampered by its increased sensitivity to nitrates and ammonia, can only live normally in water of ideal quality. That is why it is necessary to constantly monitor the level of chemicals. You should also change the water on time. Its temperature should be in the range of 22-28 ° C. Hardness - dH 4-25 °, and acidity - pH 6.5-7.5. Fish need aeration, filtration, and a third of the volume of water replaced every week.
Content Features
Dwarf tetradon, the content of which in the aquarium is dictated by its predatory nature, can prey on various animals. It belongs to the four-toothed family, which feed not only on worms, but also on mollusks, such as snails. That is why tetradon (keeping it with various small animals will lead to its extermination) will not allow other fish to breed in large quantities in the aquarium.
Diet
Aquarium tetradons excellently eat frozen and live food. At the same time, they use dry food very reluctantly, so that prepared cereals or granules will not suit them. In nature, tetradons feed on insects, small invertebrates, snails. In the aquarium, they need to provide a similar diet.
If there are no snails in the container with these fish, they must be given as feed. In this case, you should choose small individuals. Such top dressing will not only enrich the diet of tetradones, but also allow you to periodically wash their constantly growing teeth. Best of all, tetradons eat small snails, such as fiza, melania, reel. Of the frozen food, bloodworms, daphnia, artemia are most suitable for these fish. They are very well eaten by tetradones when mixed with live microorganisms, for example, with a tubule.
Tetradons leave quite a lot of waste after feeding, so you should not give them a lot of food at once, so as not to pollute the water. They should eat their diet right away.
Neighborhood with other fish
Dwarf tetradon is a small fish in size, but this does not prevent it from being very active and energetic. Such features allow you to fight for food with some of the larger inhabitants of the aquarium. Dwarf tetradon, the content of which is possible with large-sized mobile, but not aggressive fish, gets along well with the analysis of Espei, otocyclus, Danio Hopra, and the iris.
You should not buy such inhabitants if there are individuals with beautiful fins in the aquarium. Dwarf tetradon can easily bite them and deprive fish of an attractive appearance. Also, do not keep these predators together with viviparous species, since in this case the chances of seeing fry are reduced to zero.
Shrimp Content
Dwarf tetradon and shrimp get along well in a large aquarium. Shrimp Cherry and Amano are most suitable for the neighborhood. Other freshwater species of these arthropods can also be used. Moreover, dwarf tetradon can easily cope with fallen individuals, thereby cleaning the aquarium from pollution. He can also enjoy young shrimp.
Features of tetradons
These aquarium inhabitants can quickly take the shape of a ball. To do this, they inflate their tummies, filling them with air or water. Most often, this behavior is a response to any threat. Some aquarists have noted an increase in the occurrence of such behavior of tetradons in densely populated artificial reservoirs. When inflated, their size increases by 2-3 times, which allows you to scare away potential predators. Due to this feature of this fish species, they can almost never be swallowed by large neighbors. Another characteristic feature of dwarf tetradons is their ability to turn their eyes.
Manner of hunting
Aquarium tetradons are predatory fish, which has a very interesting manner of hunting. As a rule, they are located above potential prey and carefully consider it, carefully aim. In a small area around a potential victim, these fish may catch her by surprise. Only a few seconds later the tetradon attacks its victim. However, his jerk does not always bring luck. Sometimes even a coretre manages to avoid a fatal attack. After an unsuccessful attempt, the dwarf tetradon starts hunting again from the beginning.
Schedule
Oddly enough it sounds, but the tetradon fish adheres to its daily routine. She wakes up when the lights are turned on or with the first rays of the sun at dawn. After warming up the fins, these fish swim to the front glass of the aquarium and look out for the owner who should feed them. After a tumultuous meal, each notebook finds a secluded place, and life in an artificial reservoir calms down. Gorged adult fish fall into a light nap, and young individuals spend all their free time in games.
Late afternoon tetradons begin to pay attention to their other neighbors. At the same time, males acquire a darker color and begin to swim around bunches of moss, waiting for the favor of the female and scaring off rivals. Such flirting fish lasts until about 7 pm. About 20 hours dwarf tetradons begin to settle for the night. However, they do not pay the slightest attention to the lighting of the aquarium.
Intelligence
A smart and smart fish is a dwarf tetradon. Keeping it in an aquarium is not particularly difficult. He quickly gets used to the owner and when he appears near an artificial reservoir, he begins to actively beg for food from him. In this case, females swimming along the glass show the greatest agility. Males show more patience and calmness, but when food enters the water, they immediately attack it.
Breeding
The tetradon fish is successfully bred in aquarium conditions, which is pleasantly different from other relatives. For breeding take a couple of fish or the best male and several females. Aquarists note successful breeding in rather large flocks of dwarf tetradons. These fish breed, provided that the tank has a small filter and many thin-leaved plants. Water is necessarily regularly replaced in small portions. Its parameters should be optimal for this type of fish. The temperature is set in the limit of the upper limit of the allowable range.
They feed the fish before spawning with a tubifex and such frozen food as bloodworms. They are also given small snails. The male ready for breeding acquires an intense coloration and a brighter pattern on the body. At the same time, it is flattened laterally, becoming less rounded. The male begins courtship of the female with her vigorous pursuit. Often, he bites his "lady" until she shows interest in him. Courtships most often end in a section with low vegetation, where a couple releases eggs and milk for several seconds. Most often this happens near various mosses. Tetradons can spawn several times in one period. This happens until the female gets rid of all the caviar.
Growing fry
Fish toss almost transparent caviar, the diameter of which is only 1 mm. It develops in those places where it fell into shelter. Each female can give up to 100 eggs. Dwarf tetradons are not averse to feasting on them. That is why the seed should be moved to controlled conditions, where it can successfully develop before hatching larvae. You can collect it using a large pipette. In this case, it is necessary to get rid of infertile or disease-infected eggs that have a milky white color.
For growing fry, a small container with water from the parent aquarium is suitable. Its temperature should be the same as in adults. To equip the aquarium, use a conventional airlift filter, which will protect the fry from being drawn in. At the same time, beneficial microorganisms will multiply on its surface. It is also recommended that some moss used in spawning tanks be added to the aquarium.
After 5-6 days, tetradon larvae hatch from eggs. For 2-3 days they eat a yolk sac. Every day the fry will become more and more active. For normal development, they need very small food, such as grindal (microworms) and ciliates. Further, the diet can include nauplii artemia. Only a month later, the fry will be able to eat frozen bloodworms. Over 2 months, they grow to 1 cm. All fry of different ages should be kept separately, since older individuals can hunt their small counterparts.