In the world there are several thousand varieties of aquarium fish. Small and large, predatory and carnivorous, bright and not very, with lush tails, long mustaches and bizarre fins - all these inhabitants of the underwater world are attractive for their beauty, and watching their leisurely movements in the water column helps to relax and rest from everyday problems.
In an effort to create a living corner in an automated environment, residents of megacities establish an aquarium at home. Someone enjoys a miniature house for fish, where you can place 2-3 representatives of the species of waterfowl, and someone creates a real underwater world in the apartment with a volume of 200, 300 and more liters. The preferences in choosing the inhabitants of the aquarium also differ: some inhabit it in flocks of miniature fish, whose length does not even reach 2 centimeters, others grow large catfish, growing up to 1-2 kilograms, others buy piranhas and other predators that eat fresh meat.
When planning to join the ranks of lovers of the underwater world, it is important to decide which fish can be kept in one aquarium, what should be the temperature of the water, what to feed and how to care for. To answer these and many other questions will help study the characteristics of the species of pets that will be populated by the aquarium.
South American scalars
The body of the fish has a disc-shaped with an elongated dorsal fin. In artificial reservoirs, the length of the pet rarely reaches 10 centimeters. The body color of a scalar fish as a result of many years of selection work can be varied - from black to rich golden. The business card of the view is the dark vertical stripes that run throughout the body. By their saturation, we can talk about the state of health of Pterophyllum scalare. Angelfish - calm, peaceful, kept in groups of 5-7 individuals. Harmoniously coexist with small and commensurate non-aggressive waterfowl.
Optimum conditions of detention: water volume - from 100 liters. The species needs a clearing for free swimming, vegetation for shelters. As decorations and shelters, you can place intricate driftwood, labyrinths and other structures at the bottom. Prefer dark soil. Water hardness is insensitive. Suitable temperature is 25-27 degrees Celsius. The light should be dim, without sudden changes.
Dry algae prefer live food. Angelfish are prone to overeating, from which they suffer, it is important to feed systemically and portionwise.
Terra - a real decoration of the aquarium
Domestic fish of this species reach 4-5 centimeters in length. The body is slender, elongated, with a characteristic dark stripe horizontally. The caudal fin is divided in two; there is a fat fin. Anal fin slightly elongated. Body color - saturated lemon. The dorsal fin is black. Females are fuller than males, pale in color. Lemon tetra is a flock of peace-loving fish. He does not have any special requirements for the volume of the aquarium; he loves living vegetation; he needs a territory for free swimming.
Optimum conditions of detention - the soil is dark in color, you can use small pebbles or sand medium, closer to the coarse fraction. Peat filtration is shown. It is recommended to replace ¼ of the water once every 7-10 days.
Lemon tetra is unpretentious in food, prefers both dry and live food. Can eat foliage of aquarium plants. It is prone to obesity (why females suffer from infertility), so it is periodically necessary to practice preventive fasting for a day (once every two to three weeks). It is also important to provide them with enough space for active movement.
Neon of the genus Hifessobricon (Hyphessobrycon)
Fish belonging to this species are distinguished by a vertical dorsal fin. There is no scale in the fin area. The body is compressed laterally, high. The caudal fin is deeply carved, the anal fin is rectangular. Neon red is distinguished by the magnificence of its color, mobile, peaceful.
Optimal conditions of detention - a small aquarium with soft water. Representatives of the species can hardly tolerate its change, it is necessary to do this as rarely as possible. The installation of a peat filter is shown. Priority slight dimming, densely planted underwater vegetation areas should alternate with water areas for swimming. The temperature range is 22-25 degrees.
As feed, neon red prefers dry algae, bloodworms, enchitreuses, crustaceans, and small insects.
Sexual differences are poorly expressed, an experienced professional can cope with the task.
Golden Karasik - the most popular aquarium fish
The body of the waterfowl is elongated, in shape resembles its ancestor - crucian carp. The caudal fin is single, rounded, straightened, the size does not exceed ¼ of the body of the fish. The pectoral and pectoral fins are paired, anal - short, single. Goldfish have a characteristic orange-red color, rarely albino individuals are red-white.
Optimum conditions of detention - water of medium hardness and acidity, safely tolerate a decrease in temperature to 10 and increase to 28 degrees. Prefers more space for swimming. In the aquarium, bright lighting should be equipped, fine-grained soil, driftwood, stones, etc. should be used. The high endurance of the breed allows it to be kept in an open decorative pond.
Goldfish are omnivores. Use live, plant food, concentrated feed.
Fighting fish
The rooster fish got its name from aggressive males who fight among themselves like roosters. At home, in the countries of the East, they are bred for fights, and real trainers are preparing for the competitions of the participants. Representatives of the species have a body elongated in length, rounded in cross section. Mouth with swollen lips. The color is dark brown with rows of green spots with overflow. The aquarium reaches a length of six centimeters. Life expectancy is 1.5-2 years.
On one water area it is supposed to contain one male and several females. The purchase of two males involves the installation of a glass partition, otherwise victims can not be avoided. The aquarium should be closed from above so that the air above the surface of the water is warm and the pets do not catch a cold. Lighting is top, the soil is dark, thickets of living and non-living plants, houses, caves and so on. Allowable temperature is 25-27 degrees.
Cockerel prefers live food in the form of bloodworms. Practicing options for feeding a dry plant product. Representatives of the species are prone to overeating, which together with insufficient space for active swimming can cause the development of diseases. Specialists in the aquarium industry recommend arranging fasting days in the form of fasting for fighting fish no more than once a week.
Barbuses - keepers of calm and comfort in the aquarium
The body of the black representative of the oval form, elongated and squeezed on the sides. Silvery spots are located above the pectoral fin and in the tail region. A mesh pattern of scales is imprinted on the body. Black barb fish female is larger than male in size, pale color. The flock is calm. It is recommended to keep five to seven fish in the aquarium at once. Swim in the middle layers of water.
Optimum conditions of detention: in the water area it is necessary to create an atmosphere of twilight, pick up a dark image for decorating the back wall, use a dark soil background and brown algae. Mute the upper light, move it to the front wall. Homemade fish are undemanding to water quality. The temperature range of comfort is 18-28 degrees Celsius. Water properties do not matter.
Barbuses love spacious aquariums from 50 liters with places of solitude in the form of plants and structures. Recommended filtration and aeration, change of 20% of water weekly.
Fish are unpretentious in food. Use dry, lively and concentrated food.
Common catfish
The body is stocky, shortened. The back, head and fins are covered with numerous dark spots. The dorsal fin is high. The back line is curved, the abdomen is almost flat. Two pairs of antennae on the upper lip are the hallmark of all catfish. The eyes are moving. The back, head and tail are light brown in color, the abdomen is pink, with a golden tint. In captivity, males grow up to six centimeters, females - up to seven to eight. This is a flocking species, it is supposed to contain at least five to seven individuals in one water area.
Speckled catfish is one of the most unpretentious species. The range of comfortable temperature is 2-35 degrees Celsius. A special way of intestinal breathing allows the waterfowl to comfortably exist in dirty water, a small aquarium, in the absence of aeration. Permissible acidity - not more than 8.2, hardness - up to 35. Household fish do not tolerate salt water. It is worth picking up a small soil, they dig in it with pleasure. Real or artificial plants are obligatory, in the shade of which the species rests and hides. Bright light is not required, enough daylight.
Food - vegetable, live (bloodworms, coronetra, tubule). They prefer to select food that settles to the bottom.
Small and ugly guppies
Representatives of the species are viviparous fish that do not spawn, but produce lively formed fry. The described fish are one of the smallest inhabitants of the aquarium. The largest males reach 4 centimeters in length, females are larger - up to six centimeters. Guppy fish in the aquarium are presented in a wide range of species. The main difference is the color and shape of the fins. Plural, round-tailed scarf, fork and veil guppies are especially attractive for aquarists.
Optimum conditions of detention: small waterfowl safely endure adversity. The permissible temperature regime is 23-26 degrees, the daily deviation is no more than 3-5 degrees. They live in packs of 8-10 individuals. A third of the water change is recommended once a week. The maintenance of elite guppies provides for an aquarium of fifty or more liters. For a comfortable existence, a liter of water is enough for a male, two for a female. Intensive filtration and aeration are required.
They prefer dry and industrial canned food. Domestic fish can survive a week-long hunger strike, overfeeding often causes death.
Macropodus opercularis - representatives of the maze family
Representatives of the class can be recognized by an oblong, flattened laterally body. In length, individuals reach six to seven centimeters. Head and body are proportional. Fins of the back and anus of the same size, pectoralis pointed, caudal lyre-shaped. Color varies from brown to dark yellow. Cross bars running through the body tend to change color.
The volume of the aquarium should start at 20 liters. The bottom should be densely planted with plants, arrange a few snags. Representatives of the labyrinth squad have an organ, thanks to which they breathe atmospheric air, so there is no need to install an air compressor. A weekly change of 20 percent water is indicated. Those who have macropod fish at home , they are interested in compatibility. She gets along well with commensurate gouras, barbs, colises.
Predators, by their nature, prefer to eat fish fry, mollusks and invertebrates. In an aquarium, the preferred diet should consist of black mosquito larvae, tubule and bloodworms. In order to increase the brightness of the color, it is periodically worth adding carotenoids to the feed (live daphnia, shredded shrimp, cyclops).
Aquarium Fish Compatibility
The issue of combining different types of waterfowl in one water area is one of the most burning and debatable. The correct combination of species of domestic fish will provide not only the comfort of each of them, but also protect them from death. The recommendations of professionals will help protect newly-made owners of a closed ecosystem from gross, sometimes irreparable mistakes.
The key to creating a favorable microclimate in the water will be the use of knowledge and compliance with the list of compatibility criteria for waterfowl:
- The need for various environmental conditions. Inexperienced users should begin to settle the aquarium with river and marine representatives of the fauna. They are less demanding on aeration, acidity and hardness of water, will safely tolerate 1-2 days of fasting and do not need a constant water change. Exotic creatures are more demanding of living conditions, need careful care.
- Suitable temperature conditions. Cold and thermophilic fish are bad neighbors. Some will suffer from overheating, while others will freeze. Such experiments will lead to a rapid decrease in the number of inhabitants of the aquarium.
- Character. An attempt to combine aggressive and peace-loving waterfowl will result in the former attacking the latter, and in the case of physical superiority, eating. Experienced aquarists advise selecting fish that are similar in size, since cases of cannibalism are common even within the same species, when one individual is significantly larger than the other in size.
- Flocking fish require special conditions. They feel comfortable, safe, and are also ready to reproduce exclusively as part of a group. A fish in a single copy without relatives will experience severe stress and die.
It is important to understand: the acquisition of the aquarium, as well as the selection of its inhabitants should not be random. First you need to decide what kind of fauna you want to see in your own home pond - predatory, peace-loving, decorative or flocking. Assess your capabilities in the matter of care, what conditions you can create with the condition of their constant maintenance at the initial level.
After answering these questions, you can begin to choose a specific model of the aquarium, its size, functions, properties. When the equipment will be put into operation, do not fill it with inhabitants to the limit. Practice on a small number of unpretentious fish and gradually increase the population, not forgetting the basic rules of compatibility.