One of the most popular fish among aquarists is the aulonocara nyasa. Quite large flocking fish, able to recognize the owner and enter into a kind of dialogue with him, will quickly become favorites.
Endemic from Africa
These are the inhabitants of one of the deepest and cleanest lakes in the world, called Nyasa or Malawi. The tropical waters of this volcanic lake have become the source of an incredible variety of aquarium favorites.
Aulonocara nyassa (Aulonocara nyassae), a synonym is the queen of nyasa, a fish of the Cichlid family. Unlike other cichlids, nyasa is found only in the lake of the same name. It leads a benthic lifestyle in nature and feeds on insects, sifting through the soil.
A distinctive feature of the aulonocar is a rather large head, with recesses along the edge of the gill covers. The average size of sexually mature individuals is up to 15 centimeters.
The cleverest
It has long been noticed that aulonokaras are sociable and friendly. With careful maintenance, they recognize the owner, swim up to say hello. As it approaches the aquarium, they noticeably come to life and willingly make contact. These cichlids also communicate with each other in a very original way - performing intricate body movements and even using some sounds.
The most beautiful
As with all cichlids, the color of the female and male are different. Moreover, males are always brighter and more colorful. Females all have silver in colors from olive to brownish, with transverse dark stripes appearing. The fins are transparent.
Males are found in four color options: blue, ruby, yellow and multicolor. With any option, the shades of color smoothly pass into each other.
The head is always darker, and the back has an olive-green tint. When excited on the sides, stripes of dark color appear. Unpaired fins - blue with black spots. The fin on the back is long and has a bright border. The anal fin is pointed, with reddish spots. Interestingly, the closer to maturity, the brighter the color appears in males of the aulonocar nyasa. The blue color of the male during the spawning period is the most beautiful. Although other coloring options look elegant.
Aquarium for fish such as aulonocara
Nyasa blue and blue in nature live in groups. In the aquarium, both single and group maintenance is possible. For these fish, the volume of water is calculated as 50 liters per individual, but it is not the quantity of water that matters, but the size of the aquarium. It is desirable that it be long and wide. In group housing, there are several females per male. If there are several males, skirmishes cannot be avoided. Sand is preferable for the bottom of the aquarium; shelter (flat stones, shards) is mandatory. Aulonokaras filter the soil, so plants are best planted in separate pots.
Filtration and active aeration of water in the aquarium are necessary. The optimum temperature of the content is 22-30 degrees Celsius. Substitution of up to 30% of water is desirable weekly.
Attitude towards neighbors
These cichlids, although predators, are friendly to most neighbors. Although during spawning, males become very aggressive. And in and of themselves, these fish are so beautiful and entertaining that watching them is more interesting without distraction.
Spawning behavior
As already mentioned, the male, preparing to spawn, will relentlessly pursue the female and, if she is not ready, she can drive her. This requires the presence of at least a pair of females per male. The male himself chooses the territory for spawning and aggressively drives the female there. In the presence of an opponent, the fish becomes very aggressive and can cause serious injury to the enemy.
Feeding
Vegetable, animal feed will completely satisfy the fish's food appetite. Of animal feed, daphnia, cyclops, both fresh and frozen, are suitable. Special feeds for cichlids are well suited . The fish are unpretentious and eat everything.
Fish are fed twice a day. The amount of feed corresponds to eaten for two minutes. Aulonocara nyasa, when overeating, is prone to obesity and becomes inactive.
Breeding
Aulonocara nyasa becomes sexually mature at 14 months. For breeding, the presence of shelters is important, where the female can hide from the male. The female lays up to 50 eggs on a flat surface, after fertilization, takes them into her mouth. And so it will last three weeks - the female will be in shelter. After this period, fry sometimes begin to leave their shelter, but hide at night. At the beginning of life, the optimal food for fry is moina, cyclops, artemia nauplii.
Among fry, cases of cannibalism on the part of larger ones are not uncommon. Therefore, it is advisable to periodically sort the fish by size.
Content Features
Aulonokara Queen Nyasa in connection with the origin and their endemicity has some specific features of the content. What you should pay attention to:
- Water hardness indicator. Our tap water is too soft for them. To increase this indicator, marble in pebbles or chips is placed at the bottom of the aquarium.
- The water in the aquarium is prone to oxidation. Acidity is the enemy of these fish. They may begin to hurt and lose their appetite. It is advisable to buy test strips (commercially available at the pharmacy) and check the water indicators, maintaining a neutral environment.
- Water temperature may drop slightly. Adult nyasa will survive even 23 degrees Celsius. But the fry will die.
- In the volcanic lake of Malawi, the water is very clear. Therefore, as already mentioned, replacing 30% of the water once a week will protect your pets from disease.
Proper care will ensure health, good appetite and enjoyable communication with fish such as aulonokara nyasa. And, as a result, their life is up to eight years. Given the general high cost of these fish, this is in the interests of the aquarist.