What kind of pets do not contain in their homes people: dogs and cats, snakes and hamsters, birds and, of course, aquarium fish. Silent, not requiring complex care and a large territory, the inhabitants of the underwater world attract many nature lovers. Popular aquarium fish get along well with their neighbors and take root in different conditions. We will introduce some of them in this review. We hope that experienced aquarists in the comments to the article will expand this list and give tips on the content of your favorite species.
Antsistrus
The most popular catfish that are kept in the aquarium. Both beginners and pros know and love them. They have received such attention due to their unique properties. Antsistrus in the aquarium is called a nurse. These fish are unpretentious in content, attract extraordinary behavior, and the structure of the mouth-sucker distinguishes them from many other fish.
Meanwhile, this species can hardly be called handsome. Warty growths on the head, an unusual mouth, a too dark color, in addition, they often hide in grottoes and snags. These relatively peaceful catfishes love to feast on algae, they also eat dead organics. Antsistrams need a large aquarium equipped with a powerful filter. Sometimes small catfishes are confused with brocade pterigoplichitis - a larger fish.
Apistogram
The group of South American cichlids includes more than a hundred species. They are united by color with a horizontal strip that crosses the body of the fish. The size of dwarf cichlids does not exceed 8 cm. The apistogram is a non-conflict fish, although clashes between males of the same species are possible. Algae and driftwood, water mosses close to the natural habitat are most suitable for filling the aquarium.
Elizabeth
A small fish that belongs to the American dwarf cichlids. There are many varieties that differ in appearance, mainly in color: from blue to red and yellow. These fish are sensitive to the amount of organic waste in the water. It is not worth it to populate them in a biologically immature aquarium - it must first undergo a full launch. Water for the aquarium should be soft with little carbonate hardness. The Apistagram Elizabeth should not be kept in the same container as representatives of other species. They can be kept singly, in pairs, or in the vicinity of some types of tetras, nanostomuses, and other characins.
Barbs
Quite often, these fish can be seen in aquariums. Barbus fish prefer a flocking lifestyle. Most of them are small mobile pets, about 6 cm in size. These are peaceful inhabitants of aquariums. Aggressiveness on their part is not common, although in some cases it can lead to the destruction of other fish. They are active, constantly in motion, looking for something and chasing each other.
Mutant
This variety (Puntius tetrazona) has a few more names barbus green, barbus mossy. Today it is widespread. This species impresses with a fluorescent blue-green or green color. There is also a red color: on the outside of the fins on the back, tail and abdomen. During spawning, the muzzle turns bright red.
The barbus mutant is a nimble and attractive fish that decorates the aquarium. The mutant barbus has a rounded body with a pointed head and high back. These are small fish, reaching a length of not more than 7 cm in natural conditions, and in the aquarium they are slightly smaller. With proper care live 6-7 years.
Guppy fish: care, maintenance and compatibility
Perhaps this is one of the smallest aquarium fish. Caring for them is quite interesting since no other fish have such species diversity. Experienced aquarists recommend starting with them the acquaintance with the inhabitants of the underwater world. Today guppies are the most common and popular aquarium fish.
Bred 13 selection forms. Conventionally, they are divided into subgroups in accordance with the characteristics of the tail: in many species it is very beautiful, veil. The body sizes of the guppies are from 1.5 to 4 cm. These live-bearing fish are unpretentious in care, undemanding to feed. To make your little pets comfortable, provide them with a spacious glass house in which the water level should be more than forty centimeters.
Plants with small leaves are suitable for aquarium design: small guppies look better on their background. It is important not to overdo it with the amount of greenery, because it can cause pH differences at different times of the day, and this is harmful to the health of underwater inhabitants. Some aquarists wonder if greens and soil are needed for guppies.
There are no strict rules in this regard, but it is advisable to use one plant. This is an Indian fern.
Danio
Small and elegant fish from the carp family. belong to social groups, so they should be kept in flocks of 5-6 individuals. Aquarium zebrafish are unpretentious and hardy, do not require complicated maintenance. They, like guppies, are recommended to be given to beginners in the aquarium.
When calculating the required volume of the aquarium, use the following scheme - each fish up to 5 cm in size requires four liters of water. Since zebrafish contain groups of 6-8 copies, they need an aquarium with a volume of at least 30 liters. For larger fish, you may need a capacity of 50 to 100 liters.
It is desirable to choose an elongated aquarium to contain such a moving flock. Zebrafish aquarium fish, as a rule, feed from the surface of the water, as well as in its upper layers, almost without picking up food from the bottom. Therefore, floating species are more suitable for them, give preference to live food. In specialized stores today you can buy frozen bloodworms, daphnia, cyclops. Packaging (100 g) costs about 600 rubles.
gold fish
Today, there are over 120 species of goldfish. The main color of their body and fins is red-golden, the back is slightly darker than the abdomen. There are other varieties of color: red and pale pink, black and white, black and blue and dark bronze, yellow and fiery red.
The goldfish has an elongated body, slightly compressed laterally. Sexual differences are noticeable only during the spawning period - in females the abdomen is rounded, and on the pectoral fins and gills in males white specks appear. It is important to know how to care for a goldfish in an aquarium. Such pets prefer a spacious container filled with oxygenated water.
To keep these fish, it is advisable to use a container with a volume of at least 50 liters. Short-bodied species (telescopes, veil-tails) need more water than long-bodied species (comet, simple goldfish, shubunkin). With an increase in volume, you can slightly increase the landing density. For example, in a volume of 100 liters, two or three fish will feel comfortable, but in the latter case, powerful filtration and frequent water changes will be required. In 150 liters 3-4 goldfish will comfortably coexist, in 200 liters - 5-6, in 250 liters - 6-8. This recommendation is relevant provided that your pets are at least 7 cm long, not including the tail.
Subject to the conditions of detention, troubles, as a rule, do not occur with these fish. They get along well with all non-aggressive pets. In this case, species content is desirable. A feature of this popular aquarium fish is its constant desire to dig in the ground. Most of all, coarse sand or pebbles are suitable as soil, since the mistresses of the aquarium swallow less and scatter it.
Corridor
Small and non-conflict catfish corridors. Their maintenance does not cause serious problems even for beginners. They get along well with most peaceful aquarium fish, are unpretentious and omnivorous. In addition, corridors clear the ground when they swim along the bottom in search of food. These fish love the shadow. Beginning aquarists can safely consider these cute fish for sharing in their underwater home.
When keeping catfish of corridors, it is important to consider the number of inhabitants of the aquarium. They do not need too much capacity. A volume of 50-60 liters is enough for a group of eight fish. For these catfishes, the bottom is extremely important, where they constantly swarm, so that each inhabitant has enough space and does not interfere with others.
For lighting, dim lamps are suitable. It is necessary to create shading using floating plants. Decorative caves and snags will be a great design for the aquarium. However, it is important not to overdo it with their installation: each fish should have enough free space. The aquarium should be equipped with a filter and aerator. The amount of water should be adjusted so that corridors float to the surface behind a breath of air. A quarter of the volume of water must be changed every week. Twice a month, the soil should be cleaned. Make sure that there are no fragments of decorations or sharp pebbles at the bottom that can damage the antennae and mouth of the corridors.
Viviparous fish
Mollinesia and Pecilia are among the most popular in this group. Small mollies will not grow longer than 10 cm. Its maintenance and breeding does not require much experience. The main colors of molliesia are silver and golden, green and dark. Silver scales with black dots are a feature of the Dalmatian mollies.
Beginner aquarists should pay attention to varieties with short fins.
Another popular aquarium fish that is suitable for beginners is Pecilia. It is small in size fish with a bright color. This variety does not require complicated maintenance. They can be kept both in large aquariums and in very small ones. The variety of species and colors will allow everyone to choose a pet to their taste.
Swordsman
Even novice aquarists know these fish. They got the name because of the outgrowth on the tail, which resembles a sword in shape. This is a small viviparous fish, characterized by various color combinations in color, ease of care and high survival. Swordsmen are generally not aggressive. They are compatible with all peaceful, not very large fish. Sword-bearers do not get along in an aquarium with large and aggressive neighbors who will hunt them, for example, with cichlids (cancer, astronotuses, diamond cichlazomas, etc.). In addition, they should not be planted with "veil" fish. They are very slow and swordsmen can damage their flapping fins.
These are quite large fish. They should be kept in the ratio: 1 male and two females. The size of the aquarium for such a group is desirable more than 50 liters. In this case, the capacity should be wide. Swordsmen need good aeration and filtration, weekly change to 1/4 of the volume of water. The aquarium should be covered with a lid, as these frisky fish can jump out.
Cockerel
So, how to care for a cockerel fish? The volume of the aquarium for these fish should be at least 5-10 liters for one individual. It should install a mini-filter, beautifully equip. Plant aquarium plants, adjust your bio-balance. In a large aquarium (from 50 l), you can plant a second male or divide the container with transparent partitions by drilling holes in them for water circulation.
You can decorate it with snags, stones, living plants. Lighting should not be too bright. The aquarium itself should not be filled to the brim with water. Leave 7-10 cm to the top and cover.
Even knowing how to care for a cockerel fish, pay attention to another aspect. All labyrinth fishes, including males, breathe the air that they swallow from the surface of the water. In the absence of access to the surface of the water, the fish will die. A cover is necessary so that the air being swallowed is not too cold.
Angelfish
Common among aquarists are cichlids with a spectacular appearance. They have a flat body shape and large fins. The most common species are bred by breeding. This explains the variety of colors and patterns of scales.
Angelfish are predisposed to various diseases, and therefore urgently need clean water with a small course. Sometimes quite aggressive. Who does scalar fish get along with in an aquarium? We should not forget that these are predators, and therefore, the choice of neighbors should be taken very seriously. These fish are compatible with calm neighbors, as experienced experts in the underwater world say, with angels:
- Gourami.
- Soma.
- Mollinesia.
- Botsi.
- Iris
- Pecilia.
- Labeo.
- Parsing.
- Tetra.
These species are more suitable than others for predatory scalar species.
Terence
Small representatives of the haracin family. The body of these schooling flocks does not exceed 5 cm in length and is usually painted silver. Two vertical dark stripes are clearly visible on the scales. Today you can see artificially bred species with a bright color.
When caring for thorns, attention should be paid to timely water changes and maintaining cleanliness in the aquarium.
Black knife
This lonely predator belongs to the aperonot family. In nature, grows up to 50 cm, in an aquarium - up to 40 cm. The shape of his body resembles a knife. It is fully painted in saturated black. A predator's peculiarity is an electric organ, which helps him a lot in hunting. This fish feeds on fry and aquatic insects. Needs a spacious aquarium with good filtration.
You should not keep it with representatives of the same species: relatives are hostile to each other, and with other large species, the fish behaves quite decently.
Neon
So, the blue neon fish naturally lives in South America, mainly in the waters of Colombia. The body size of this tiny fish does not exceed 3.5 centimeters. Females are slightly larger than males, which grow up to just two centimeters. Along the whole body of the neon runs a blue neon and barely noticeable and faded, red strip.
These are peaceful, schooling fish that prefer to stay in the open. As a rule, they float at the surface, but can sink to the very bottom. For breeding these fish, it is advisable to use small dimly lit spawning aquariums with a volume of not more than 20 liters. Attention should be paid to water parameters: dH 1-4 °, pH 5.0-5.5, temperature around +26 ° C.
Spawning, as a rule, occurs in the late afternoon, and is preceded by exhausting and lengthy races. Females spawn eggs over a plant substrate. Larvae appear on the sixth day. By the end of the third week, juveniles show the first signs of coloration.
Cichlazoma black-banded
Perhaps this is the most popular fish from the cichlase family. Unpretentious small fish with a beautiful, refined body color. They are practically non-aggressive and easy to care for. Despite the fact that experienced aquarists claim that the peak of their popularity has already passed, many of them are happy to contain them.
Care Tips
It is necessary to take a responsible approach to the selection of fish for the aquarium. They all differ in the conditions of detention, but aquarists with experience offer beginners universal tips for caring for pets:
- the capacity of the aquarium can be calculated taking into account the size of the fish: it will take two liters of water for every 5 cm of the body;
- in the absence of experience in keeping fish it is not recommended to acquire exotic expensive species;
- a container with fish that does not require constant access of oxygen should be covered with a lid;
- it is necessary to remove the remains of uneaten feed from the tank in time;
- Do not overfeed the fish, so as not to cause health problems: the feed should be so much that the inhabitants cope with it in five minutes;
- do not allow sudden changes in water temperature and changes in acid-base balance.