Starting a home aquarium, we strive not only to decorate our interior, but also to bring a piece of the living underwater world into it. It is interesting to watch the fish, they have a calming effect on the mind, which has long been proved by psychologists. But over time, almost every aquarist has a desire not just to maintain them, but to breed and raise offspring.
One of the most popular aquarium fish are scalars, the reproduction of which is also available to the novice aquarist. But in order for the offspring to retain all the signs and beauty of their parents, it is important to do everything right - this will be discussed below.
General description of the species
The birthplace of the scalar is the Amazon River, and the species itself belongs to the cichlid family.
The fish is quite large, the body can reach 15 cm in length and up to 26 cm in height, but the size to which it grows depends on the volume of the aquarium. The dorsal and anal fins are very elongated, which gives the scalar a crescent shape. The pectoral fins are threadlike, rather long, and their fish are used for touch.
The color of the body can be the most diverse, since today many variations in the color and shape of the fins are derived. Note that it is better to start breeding scalars at home with species with ordinary rather than veil fins.
Gender differences
One of the problems that a novice aquarist may encounter when breeding is determining sex. But still there are a number of signs by which one can distinguish a male from a female, but only in adulthood. Here they are:
- The male has a larger body, but at the same time he is slimmer than the female.
- Paying attention to the front fin, you can distinguish the sex of the fish - the male is bifurcated, but the female does not.
- Near the anus there is a small organ; in the male, it has a pointed shape.
- The most important difference is the forehead. In the female, it is even, while in the male it has a convex shape.
And do not rush to conclusions by examining the fish, because even an experienced aquarist can make mistakes in his assumptions.
Hierarchy of fish and conditions
Care for scalars and breeding of these fish are highly interconnected. It often happens that with comfortable care they lay eggs in a common aquarium. To create such conditions at home, you should know how to care for them.
The best water for them is considered to be soft, but they are easily adaptable to its other parameters. Lighting should be bright, the water temperature should be within 25-27 degrees, without sharp fluctuations.
The volume of the aquarium for a couple is 100 liters, for a group of fish - from 200. Moreover, it is important to choose high aquariums (at least 45-50 cm), then the fish will be able to grow completely, and will not remain dwarfs.
The aquarium should have filtration and aeration, but keep in mind that fish do not like a strong current. Water is changed once a week, approximately 30% of the volume. All factors influence the content and reproduction of scalars, which affects the quality of their offspring in the future.
The hierarchy in the group is built independently, the largest pair occupies a dominant position. They control the best, in their opinion, section of the aquarium, other places are occupied by the remaining pairs. But for loners it is not very sweet - they are all oppressed, and they get less food.
Compatibility
Although scalars are predatory species, they are peace-loving fish. They show aggression only during the breeding season and to small species, which they consider as food (neons, guppies, etc.).
Angelfish themselves may suffer from barbs, which can bite off their long fins. Therefore, think in advance about who your fishes will have to live with in order to avoid such situations.
Fish are also incompatible with small crustaceans (crayfish, aquarium shrimp), as well as other aggressive cichlids.
Manufacturer's selection
Although scalar breeding occurs in a common aquarium, which may catch the aquarist by surprise, targeted breeding requires a special approach.
So, many cichlids have such a peculiarity inherent in scalars, when they choose their own partner and almost spend their whole lives with him. The pair must form on its own, with these fish artificial selection of producers will not work.
Experienced aquarists recommend purchasing a small group of young fish (6-10) and raising them together for this. By the age of 10 months, the scalars become sexually mature and they will be divided into pairs, it remains to choose 1-2 pairs for themselves, and give or sell unnecessary fish.
Do not leave only one pair, not making sure that it is capable of giving offspring.
Preparing fish for spawning
A pair selected for spawning should be abundantly fed with a live bloodworm, tubule maker, and corvette. It is better to start fattening a week before moving to a spawning aquarium.
The aquarium itself, in which the propagation of scalars is planned, should be a volume of 80 liters or more. Water should be similar in parameters to that in which fish usually live. Inside the aquarium, only a plexiglass or ceramic plate is placed (approximately at an angle of 45 degrees), manufacturers will spawn on it.
Spawning should be equipped with a filter and air purge. And about a day after placing the fish in the aquarium, 1/3 of the volume of water must be replaced with fresh, settled water.
The temperature in the spawning aquarium should be 30 degrees, this together with the change of water should stimulate the laying of eggs. It is important to constantly keep the lighting on, daylight for a spawning couple should be at least 10 hours.
Spawning
You can understand that the couple is ready for spawning, by the rounded abdomen of the female and by the way the fish violently begin to drive away the other inhabitants of the aquarium from their intended spawning place. At this point, they are placed in a spawning ground.
Reproduction of scalars at home for the first time usually occurs spontaneously, and caviar itself is eaten by manufacturers. But with the acquisition of experience, the fish begin to spawn regularly, and this behavior does not repeat if there is no external stimulus.
Spawning can go unnoticed by an aquarist, he will already notice, only as parents look after the eggs. The number of eggs laid by a female depends on her age and size - on average, it is 100-500 eggs. The male fertilizes the eggs, and then the parents begin to care for her.
Hatching offspring
The maintenance, reproduction of scalars and the care of offspring are very interesting, especially if you are observing this for the first time. Parents alternately fan their eggs with their fins, periodically removing whitened (not fertilized) eggs from it.
It lasts 2-3 days, after which the fry begin to hatch. A pair of them gently moves to the bottom, continuing to further care for the remaining caviar. From the moment when the fry dissolves the egg bag, they begin to feed. At first it can be nauplii, brine shrimp, later you can give daphnia and cyclops.
The fry grow quickly, and they need to be sorted by size, separating large from smaller ones. If this is not done, then cannibalism is possible, which is typical for fry of any spawning fish.
Parents can be left with fry for up to a month, but this will affect their subsequent reproduction. This is the peculiarity of their content: the departure of the scalar from posterity takes a significant part of their strength. If they are planted earlier, then repeated spawning can be expected in the same month.
Caviar selection from parents
Sometimes you have to deal with the independent withdrawal of fry, this is done in two cases:
- If you plan to raise as many fry as possible, then it is beneficial for you to take the substrate with caviar from the fish. Thus, you stimulate the producers to a new spawning, and the number of fry is usually higher with this method.
- The second case occurs when you come across negligent parents who can eat caviar and juveniles. Here it is better not to take risks, but to pick up caviar in advance.
Having selected the substrate, it is placed in another aquarium with similar water parameters. A spray is placed near the eggs and water is actively purged. A stream of water blows through the eggs, removing dirt and dead caviar from them.
From the moment the fry emerge, they are fed in exactly the same way as if they were looked after by their parents.
How many scalars live?
It is noted that the larger the fish, the longer it lives. Scalaria, although they are not such long-livers as goldfish, but under favorable conditions they can live 10-12 years.