Aquarium fish macro: the maintenance and care, compatibility with other fish

Aquarium fish macro-pops began to divorce in the aquarium one of the first. Their unusual name accurately describes the appearance. This fish like an alien creature literally soars in an aquarium. However, despite the huge popularity in the past, today it is rarely enough to be found in domestic aquariums. In what conditions does the macropod live? The maintenance and care, compatibility with other types of fish - all this will be considered further.

Macro fish feature

This underwater resident acquired popularity from the beginning of the 20th century. Macropod was in demand in Russia, where he was given another name - a paradise fish. The homeland of these rather unusual and interesting creatures is considered to be South-East Asia. In a natural environment, they prefer mostly standing and slowly flowing waters. These interesting fish can be found:

• In irrigation canals;
• Bogs;
• Ditches.

Since the macroporous fish lives in polluted and turbid waters, a labyrinth organ has formed over time, allowing the assimilation of oxygen coming directly from the air, not only soluble in water.

This amazing fish has an unusual and original look, however, there are rarely any bright representatives in stores. It can be painted very differently, depending on the habitat. Macropod, the photo of which is presented in the article, has an elongated body, covered with alternating blue and red stripes. Pelvic fins eventually transformed into a mustache. The male anal, caudal and dorsal fins have pointed ends, which gives the fish a magnificent appearance. Males living in the aquarium do not grow more than 10 centimeters, and the size of females is no more than 8 centimeters. The average life expectancy is no more than six years.

Varieties

Aquarium macropods have many different subspecies, differing in size, peculiarities of color and form of fins. Among the most popular varieties, we can distinguish the following:

• Ordinary macro;
• Red-spinning;
• the black;
• Chinese.

In addition to its classic red-blue color, the fish has several more color variations, namely red, blue, orange and white. The orange color is considered to be the most rare.

Maintenance and care

Despite all its external beauty, paradise fish are tolerant of absolutely any living conditions. By purchasing macropods, the content and care of which are very simple, you can be sure that one individual will feel great even in a small capacity.

However, in order to provide comfortable conditions for an adult to live, it is best to choose a capacity of more than 20 liters. Such an aquarium is only suitable for keeping one fish. It is not necessary to settle in it two males, because they do not get along together. If you need to accommodate several males in one aquarium, its volume should be very large, and it is necessary to plant many plants, thick thickets of which will help reduce aggression. In addition, it is necessary to choose the correct vegetation, floating on the surface, because under it the male individuals build a nest.

Under what conditions does macropod feel comfortable? The content of the fish should be thoroughly thought out and correctly organized. In addition, it is advisable to run it into the aquarium at a very young age. The temperature of the water in which the fish are kept may be different. They are thermophilic and feel good at a temperature of 25-27 degrees. However, raising or lowering it by several degrees will do no harm.

Macropods are fish that can live even without filtration and aeration, but it is necessary to have a cover glass in the aquarium, since they are very fond of jumping. Since macropods have a special organ that allows them to breathe air, it is not necessary to install an air compressor in an aquarium. However, its presence can be very useful, since the device provides a small water flow, which contributes to the better development of plants that need oxygen and carbon dioxide. During the breeding season, the compressor must be switched off, as it will prevent the males from building their nest.

Care for the aquarium with macro-simple enough. It is only necessary to thin out the plants as the plants grow, to clean the glasses from the plaque and to change part of the water every week.

Features of feeding

How unpretentious are the macroposodes? Care for these fish need to provide appropriate. In particular, it is important to take care of proper feeding. In natural conditions, this species of fish is omnivorous, but most of their diet is animal food. As feed they use:

• Fry of other fish;
• Insect larvae;
• Small crustaceans.

When breeding in an aquarium, you can feed fish with dry and frozen fodder, as well as tubular, bloodworm. They very well manifest themselves as nurses, since in a few days they can quickly clear the pond of the parasites contained in it. To enhance the red color, you need to add to the diet of fish fodder containing carotenoids. These include live daphnia, cut shrimp. You can give and special foods that increase the brightness of the color of fish. Feeds of vegetable origin can not be given at all or enter them in the diet in an insignificant amount. Macropods alone make up for the lack of plant food, eating algae that appears in the aquarium.

With whom the macropods get along well

Before you get aquarium fish, you need to study their features. With whom can a macro live next door? Maintenance and care, compatibility and feeding characteristics - everything must be considered for the normal functioning of the aquarium. Macropods are quite aggressive fish that are characterized by a bellicose nature. Often they get on with peaceful and uniform sized fishes, but on condition that they grow together.

It is worth noting that macro compatibility is with such underwater inhabitants as:

• Barbs;
• Zebrafish;
• Gurus;
• Ancistrus.

Each type of fish has its own character, but macro-pops can quite peacefully exist with them. It is recommended to avoid neighborhood with sluggish and valelecht fish, since macro-pops will hunt them. Very few chances that in the neighborhood with these "fighters" will survive someone's male.

Major diseases

Macropods are fish, which are seldom sick, as they are able to survive even in very dirty water. A significant decrease in temperature may provoke the formation of fin rot in weakened individuals . In the presence of this disease, they begin to completely collapse or shorten the fins. Sometimes there may be a violation of the integrity of the skin, falling of scales, which indicates the presence of mycobacteriosis. To prevent the spread of diseases, everything that enters the aquarium, including feed, must undergo preliminary sanitization.

How does the multiplication of macropods occur?

Breeding fish macro-simple enough and requires no special skills. This process requires a capacity of 10 liters with a low water level, the temperature of which should be 26-28 degrees. In the aquarium you need to provide for the presence of vegetation, including floating. It is under such plants that the male often equips himself with a nest, enriching it with air bubbles, which he carries there.

To provoke spawning, it is necessary to transplant the male and female in prepared capacity for a week, and also to feed them abundantly, and only the animal food should be in the diet. In addition, it is desirable to periodically replace part of the water contained in the aquarium, the warmer.

In the prepared container, you first need to lay the male, and then the female. When the female is ready to spawn, it swells a little from the filled caviar. During spawning, the male tightly clasps the female with its body, squeezing out the eggs from it, and at the same time fertilizes them. After spawning, the female needs to be transplanted back into the aquarium, since, guarding the nest, the male can cripple it. The offspring are always cared for only by the male: returns the eggs to the place, updates the nest and removes the dead offspring. A few days later the roe turns into larvae, and after a while they become fry.

Growth and development of fry

When the grown-up offspring begins to swim, the male for a long time rushes and tries to return the fry to the nest. In their attempts to stop them, he can even destroy part of his "children". That's why at some point they need to be transplanted. At first, the fry are fed with tulips and infusoria, and then, as you grow, you can go to the Cyclops and the micro-cherry. The offspring grow very fast, but not quite evenly, which is why the fry must be sorted according to size over time. Sexual maturity in macropods occurs approximately in 5-7 months. When feeding fry, it is necessary to provide a high oxygen content in the water, since the labyrinth organ begins to form in them only by 3-4 weeks. In a container containing fry, it is necessary to organize a weak aeration with small air bubbles.

Features of males and females

We examined what kind of macro support and care. Compatibility with other fish causes a lot of questions among those who breed it. Male and female macropores have characteristic differences. The fins of the males are well developed, elongated, and have filiform endings. In females, they are poorly developed. The main feature on which it is possible to determine sex is the dorsal fin, since in males it is somewhat pointed, and in females it has an oval ending.

Coloring them is quite interesting and attracts with its uniqueness and variety of shades. The general background of the body ranges from light brown to green. Throughout the body there are wide bands of red and green.

In healthy individuals grown in good conditions, the caudal fin and filiform processes have a rich red color, and the remaining fins are bluish. Males are much brighter, and females are dull in color. The peculiarity of these fish is that the shade of their body largely depends on the conditions of their maintenance. At a sufficiently high water temperature, the colors become much brighter, the fins straighten out, and the fish behave much more actively. At a low ambient temperature, these underwater inhabitants become more dim.

The most beautiful look macropods in the mating season, because at this time their color becomes as intense as possible, the fins are widely spread, and they behave majestically.

Macropods

In order to successfully grow aquarium fish, including macro-pops, the content, compatibility and feeding characteristics must be taken into account first. Among these representatives of the water element can be identified several interesting varieties. Quite unusual are black macropods, which got their name due to a rather dark color. In addition, they differ in size, since they are much larger than other species. They are rare enough. In general, you can find only hybrids of different species. Often there are also albinos, and they are not difficult to take care of, just like for normal species.

Black macro: maintenance and care

Compatibility of this fish requires special attention. When equipping an aquarium, it is necessary to avoid the occurrence of cracks between stones, windows and equipment. This must be done, as the fish can get stuck in the cracks. They can not do without air for a long time, which is why they quickly die. Black macropods are fairly thermophilic, and the optimal water temperature for them is 30 degrees. They are much calmer than other species, which makes it possible to keep them even in a small aquarium. These fish get along well with other species that are as large as they are, or larger.

Round-tailed macro-areas: care, content and compatibility

This is another interesting variety. Since in natural conditions the temperature of the water is significantly reduced, then the corresponding conditions must be created in the aquarium. If the temperature regime is not maintained, then the macropods will stop multiplying. The main difference between round-tailed macro-subpopulations from other species of this family is that their life span is only four years. They have a propensity for mycobacteriosis, which is practically not treated. That is why it is very important to provide these unusual fish with optimal living conditions. Then your aquarium will for a long time please you with its wonderful underwater world.