Few aquarists know that this tiny, bright fish belongs to the cyprinid family, which also includes the not-so-small goldfish and Koi carps.
But the Brigitta microsorting fish (Rasbora brigittae) grows to only 2.5 cm. In a home aquarium densely populated with plants for shelters, a flock of these fish will look very harmonious. Aquarists love them for their unpretentiousness and interesting behavior. The fun-worn tiny lights can be watched for hours.
Natural habitat
In nature, this species lives in streams and rivers flowing in the swampy forests of Indonesia and the island of Borneo. The water of these rivers is called black; it contains a lot of decaying organic matter, leaves and branches. Because of this, the water is very dark in it rarely the rays of the sun. In addition, the high crowns of trees, between which rivers slowly flow, do not let the sun pass.
There is practically no living vegetation in such rivers; in case of danger, the fish hide among stones and fallen branches. Although in a home aquarium, a flock of Brigitte microseeds feels great among plants.
Appearance and coloring
The body of the fish painted in red or orange divides across a strip of dark green color. Some large strong males acquire a rich red color, the color of which only increases with age.
In small fish, it is usually difficult to distinguish between a male and a female. But in the case of Brigitte microparsing, the opposite is true: the fins of the males are red with a noticeable black border, and in the females they are pink or orange. In addition, males are noticeably brighter and more contrast than pale females. In nature, this color serves to attract females in dark water among the thickets.
Among young fish, the differences between males in the school are almost invisible. After about a year, the dominant male gains a brighter color and becomes saturated red. This feature can be used for breeding, planting this particular individual to the females.
Behavior features
This type of fish is very popular among aquarists. Despite the tiny size of the fish, the flock needs an aquarium of 50-70 liters for normal life. When maintaining Brigitte microparsing, it is necessary to take into account the characteristics of these fish. If you place less than a dozen individuals in an aquarium, they will behave very timidly, rarely floating out of shelters.
In a flock of 12 individuals, the behavior of the fish is fully revealed. Surprisingly, the dominant male will control about a quarter of the aquarium, chasing opponents with aggression unexpected for a tiny fish.
His battles with competitors are usually bloodless: the leader turns to the opponent and begins to sway rather threateningly with his body and fins. At the same time, its color becomes noticeably brighter, and the small body seems to swell. Usually such a demonstration is enough to keep rivals at a distance.
Aquarium device
Despite the fact that in nature, fish microsorting live in rivers where there are few living plants, vegetation is simply necessary in a home reservoir. Thickets from Microsorum pteropus and Cryptocorynes are well suited. The front zone of the aquarium must be left free for comfortable swimming of the fish. Experienced aquarists advise using a different type of moss in the design of the aquarium, among which tiny fry will hide.
For a comfortable micro-analysis content, you can use floating plants that will dim the light of aquarium lamps.
Soil should be selected shallow, without sharp corners. Coarse light sand, as close as possible to the biotype, is well suited. But the background for the rear window is better to choose a dark one, on it bright fish will be clearly visible.
The filter can be used both external and internal, only you need to adjust the flow of water. In nature, Brigitte microassays live in slowly flowing waters, and a strong stream can simply carry small fish.
Water parameters
Small tender fish are very sensitive to water parameters. Even a small jump in the level of nitrates or ammonia can destroy them. Therefore, you need to take care of the aquarium carefully, changing the water in time and avoiding overfeeding. Or place small shrimp in the aquarium, who will be happy to pick up leftover food from the ground.
Water should be soft, with low acidity. You need to add Tetra ToruMin or other professional preparations with peat extracts to it. This will not only create the effect of dark tropical water in the aquarium, but also increase the color intensity of the fish. Yes, and get rid of unwanted algae will help.
It is useful to put dry oak leaves on the bottom (or buy Indiania almonds Terminalia catappa from a pet store). The leaves will serve as food for the colony of bacteria with which fry eat with pleasure. The leaves, decomposing, emit natural tannins, which soften the water and increase the immunity of the inhabitants.
Reproduction in the aquarium
By about a year, the fish reach puberty and are ready for reproduction. Basically, the dominant male deals with this, the rest are afraid of him and rarely touch the females.
The male, ready for pairing, pushes the female that has attracted her into a secluded corner and begins a peculiar courtship. Surprisingly, spawning usually occurs at dawn, at the first rays of the sun. The female throws eggs on the leaves of the plants, sometimes amusingly turning her belly up and attaching the eggs to the back of the leaf.
Given the size of the female, there are very few eggs, 30-50 pieces. This fact must be taken into account when planning breeding Brigitte microsamples. Although without planning, in a well-planted aquarium you can get a small amount of active live fry.
The eggs are very small, slightly yellowish. Most of them safely stick to the leaves, but some fall to the bottom, where they are eaten by adult fish. Egg fry appear one day after spawning, but continue to hang, attaching to the leaf. They begin to swim on the 4th-5th day from the moment of birth, holding on to the flock and collecting microscopic feed in the thickets.
Scheduled breeding
If you want to try to get offspring from the selected pair of fish, then microparsing will have to be prepared in advance for breeding. Selected producers need to start feeding live food about 4 weeks before the planned spawning.
You will need a small aquarium, about 20 liters in which you need to start the aeration system in advance and install a small filter. So that newborn fry are not sucked into the filter, it must be covered with a new nylon toe. Put several plants with fleshy leaves into the spawning grounds, and put more Javanese moss from the general aquarium at the bottom. Microorganisms live in it, which tiny fry will feed on.
In the prepared aquarium, several selected pairs of Brigitte microparsing should be deposited. Spawning usually begins in 2-3 days. The female does not always immediately spawn all the eggs, so you should not immediately plant the parents. Although, having completed spawning, they completely lose interest in caviar and can even eat it.
The smallest ciliates will be the starting food for the fry; in a couple of weeks, the young can be fed with Artemia nauplii. You can give crushed egg yolk, but very little: the fry will not be able to eat it to the end, and the rest will spoil the water.
When the fry grow to 0.5 cm, they can be transferred to a common aquarium. It is surprising that they will not join a flock of adult fish, but will create their own, separate flock.