Red tetra or minor fish: features of the content in the aquarium
Among a large variety of aquarium fishpeople prefer beautiful and unusual specimens. The rarest and exotic species are mined in remote corners of the planet, where nature creates ideal conditions for their existence. Among them, a minor - a fish, which belongs to the family of haracin and inhabits the water bodies of Brazil (from Guyana to the Paraguay river).
Description
Minors live and breed in the southern regionsthe Amazon basin (South America). Their length reaches 5 centimeters. The body is elongated along the length, and on the sides is compressed. The back of the fish is colored brownish-olive, the side has a rich red hue, behind the gill cover there may be a small black spot. The dorsal fin has a black contour along the edges, the tip of which remains white. Other fins are painted in a red-ruby color.
The females are much denser than males and have lessbright and saturated color. Aquarium fish of a minor has another name - red tetra. These are schooly and peaceful representatives of the underwater world, who like to swim in the lower water layers.
Features
Minors have a playful character and preferto rest in dense thickets. Fishes enter the age of sexual maturity by 8 months, but do not create steam. But in a single copy the minor fish can become aggressive. She begins to hunt for smaller representatives or enters a fight with calmer fish.
Minor - the fish is active, and therefore it needs a similar environment or fish, which will be stress-resistant to its mobility. You can choose barbs, rasborov, catfish, pecilia, labeo and iris.
Content
A flock of minors (5-6 individuals) can be kept inaquarium, which has a length of 60 centimeters. It is better to have live algae, thickets and floating plants that will create shady places. They like to relax in red tetra. But the water accessories should not clutter the free place for swimming.
Unobtrusive small fish, the content of whichis limited to minimal comfort, prefers weekly water substitution (by 25% of the total volume). The temperature in the aquarium should not be below + 22ºC. One fish should have about 10 liters of water. Water in the aquarium should be filtered.
For minors, it is better to select a dark soil, which is recommended to decorate Thai ferns, Javanese moss and echinodorus.
Shy and slow-moving fish can feel bad in the company of the red tetra. And all because minors like to start brawls and bite the long fins of their neighbors.
In good conditions and with the right content, red tetra can live up to 6 years.
Breeding
In order for the minor fish to reproduce, for herA spawning aquarium is needed, the bottom of which covers an area of 700 square centimeters. A separator net, a small bush of small-leaved plants, should be present in the vessel. The water temperature should be at least + 30ºC. The lighting of the aquarium should be made dim, and the light itself - diffused. For spawning, fresh or peated water can be used.
In the prepared aquarium in the evening placeselected pair. As a rule, spawning begins in the morning and ends at sunrise. It takes several days for mating. During the spawning period, the couple can not be fed. Only after pairing the fish can you give a small handful of small bloodworms.
The female minor swallows about 250 small eggs,having a grayish color. They sink to the bottom and settle in thickets of plants. After the spawning is complete, the separator grid and the plants from which the eggs are shaken are removed from the aquarium. After this, the aquarium container is darkened so that direct rays of light do not get there.
Eggs are extremely sensitive to touch,so they should not be touched. The incubation period lasts about 30 hours. After 4-5 days the fry must swim. After that, the aquarium can include lighting and aeration.
Varieties
Minor is a fish, photo of which is represented invarious sources about the underwater world, can become unrecognizable. The fact is that minors can easily mate with similar species of fish. As a result, unusual specimens are obtained, the kind of which can only be determined by an experienced aquarist. At some fans it turns out to deduce in aquariums veil and albino forms.
Minorities have the following varieties:
- Hyphessobrycon serape.
- Hyphessobrycon haraldschultzi.
- Hyphessobrycon minor.
They differ in the size of the black spot and the height of the body itself.
Red tetra is a real decoration of the aquarium. Playful character of fish, their exotic color pleases the eye and cheers up.
