Macropod aquarium fish were one of the first to breed in the aquarium. Their unusual name accurately describes the appearance. This fish is like an alien creature literally soars in an aquarium. However, despite the enormous popularity in the past, today it is rarely enough found in home aquariums. In what conditions does the macropod live? Maintenance and care, compatibility with other types of fish - all this will be discussed later.
Feature of Macropod Fish
This underwater resident has gained popularity since the beginning of the 20th century. Macropod began to be in demand in Russia, where he was given a different name - paradise fish. The homeland of these rather unusual and interesting creatures is considered to be Southeast Asia. In the natural environment, they prefer mostly stagnant and slowly flowing waters. These interesting fish can be found:
- in irrigation canals;
- swamps;
- ditches.
Since fish macropods lives in polluted and muddy waters, it eventually formed a labyrinth organ, which allows the assimilation of oxygen coming directly from the air, and not only soluble in water.
This amazing fish has an unusual and original look, but its bright representatives are rarely found in stores. It is painted completely differently, depending on the habitat. The macropod, the photo of which is presented in the article, has an elongated body, covered with alternating blue and red stripes. The ventral fins eventually transformed into a mustache. The male anal, caudal and dorsal fins have pointed ends, which gives the fish a simply luxurious look. Males living in the aquarium do not grow more than 10 centimeters, and the size of the females is no more than 8 centimeters. Their average life expectancy is not more than six years.
Varieties
Aquarium macropods have many different subspecies, differing in size, color characteristics and fin shape. Of the most popular varieties, one can distinguish the following:
- ordinary macropod;
- red back;
- 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 rarest is considered orange color.
Maintenance and care
Despite all its external beauty, paradise fish are tolerant of absolutely any living conditions. By purchasing macropods, the maintenance and care of which are very simple, you can be sure that one individual will feel great even in a small container.
However, in order to provide comfortable living conditions for an adult, it is best to select a capacity of more than 20 liters. Such an aquarium is only suitable for keeping one fish. It is not necessary to settle two males in it, as they do not get along together. If you need to settle several males in one aquarium, then its volume should be very large, and you must definitely plant a lot of plants, whose thickets will help reduce aggression. In addition, it is necessary to choose the right vegetation floating on the surface, since under it males build a nest for themselves.
Under what conditions does the macro pod feel comfortable? The content of the fish should be fully thought out and properly organized. In addition, it is advisable to run it in the aquarium at a very young age. The temperature of the water in which the fish are kept may vary. They are thermophilic and feel good at a temperature of 25-27 degrees. However, raising or lowering it by several degrees will not do any harm.
Macropods are fish that can live even without filtration and aeration, but it is imperative that there is a coverslip in the aquarium, as they like to jump very much. Since macropods have a special organ that allows them to breathe air, it is not necessary to install an air compressor in the aquarium. However, its presence can be very useful, since the device provides a small flow of water, which contributes to the better development of plants that need oxygen and carbon dioxide. During the breeding season, the compressor must be turned off, as it will prevent males from building their nest.
Care of the aquarium with macropods is quite simple. It is only necessary to thin out the plants as they grow, clean the glass from plaque and change part of the water every week.
Feeding Features
How unpretentious are macropods? Care for these fish must be ensured appropriate. In particular, it is important to ensure proper feeding. Under natural conditions, this type of fish is omnivorous, but most of their diet is animal food. As food they use:
- fry of other fish;
- insect larvae;
- small crustaceans.
When breeding in the aquarium, you can feed the fish with dry and frozen food, as well as a tubule maker, bloodworm. They show themselves very well as orderlies, since in just a few days they can quickly clear the reservoir of parasites contained in it. To strengthen the red color, feed containing carotenoids should be added to the fish diet. These include live Daphnia, sliced shrimp. You can give special feeds that increase the brightness of the color of the fish. Plant-based feeds can be omitted altogether or in small quantities. Macropods independently make up for the lack of plant foods by eating algae that appear in the aquarium.
Macro pods get along well
Before you get yourself aquarium fish, you need to study their features. With whom can a macropod live next door? Maintenance and care, compatibility and feeding characteristics - everything must be taken into account for the normal functioning of the aquarium. Macropods are quite aggressive fish that are belligerent in nature. Often they get along with peaceful and equally sized fish, but on condition that they grow together.
It is worth noting that macropods are compatible with underwater inhabitants such as:
- barbs
- zebrafish
- gurus
- ancistruses.
Each species of fish has its own character, but macropods can exist quite peacefully with them. It is recommended to avoid the proximity to slow and veil-tailed fish, as macropods will hunt them. There is very little chance that someone will survive in the vicinity of these "brawlers".
Major diseases
Macropods are fish that rarely get sick, as they can survive even in very dirty water. A significant decrease in temperature can provoke the formation of fin rot in weakened individuals . In the presence of this disease, their fins begin to completely collapse or shorten. Sometimes a violation of the integrity of the skin, falling scales, which indicates the presence of mycobacteriosis, can occur. In order to prevent the spread of diseases, everything that enters the aquarium, including feed, must undergo preliminary sanitization.
How does the reproduction of macropods occur?
Breeding of macropod fish is quite simple and does not require any special skills. This process will require a capacity of 10 liters or more with a low water level, the temperature of which should be 26-28 degrees. In the aquarium, it is necessary 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 that he carries there.
To provoke spawning, you need to transplant the male and female into the prepared container for a week, and also feed them plentifully, and only animal food should be in the diet. In addition, it is advisable to periodically replace part of the water contained in the aquarium with a warmer one.
In the prepared container, you first need to plant the male, and then the female. When the female is ready for spawning, she swells a little from the filled caviar. During spawning, the male tightly hugs the female with his body, squeezing eggs out of her, and at the same time fertilizes them. After spawning, the female needs to be transplanted back to the aquarium, since, protecting the nest, the male can cripple her. Only the male always takes care of the offspring: he replaces the eggs that have fallen out, updates the nest and removes the dead offspring. After a few days, the caviar turns into larvae, and after a while they become fry.
Growth and development of fry
When the growing offspring begins to swim, the male rushes about for a long time and tries to return the fry to the nest. In his attempts to stop them, he can even destroy part of his “children”. That is why at some point they need to be transplanted. At first, fry are fed with rotifers and infusoria, and then, as they grow, you can switch to cyclops and microworms. The offspring grows very quickly, but not quite evenly, which is why over time the fry need to be sorted by size. Macropod puberty occurs in about 5-7 months. When feeding the fry, it is necessary to ensure 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, you need to organize a weak aeration with small air bubbles.
Features of males and females
We examined what maintenance and care are required for macropods. Its compatibility with other fish raises a lot of questions among those who breed it. Males and females of macropods have characteristic differences. Fins in males are well developed, elongated, and have threadlike endings. In females they are poorly developed. The main sign by which sex can be determined is the dorsal fin, since in males it is somewhat pointed, and in females it has an oval ending.
Their coloring 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 are wide stripes of red and green.
In healthy individuals grown under good conditions, the caudal fin and filamentous processes have a saturated red color, and the remaining fins are bluish. The males are much brighter, and the females are a dull color. A feature of these fish is that the shade of their body largely depends on the conditions of detention. At a sufficiently high water temperature, the colors become much brighter, the fins straighten, and the fish behave much more actively. At low ambient temperatures, these underwater inhabitants become dimmer.
Macropods look most beautiful in the mating season, since at this time their coloration becomes as intense as possible, the fins are widely spread, and they behave majestically.
Varieties of Macropods
In order to successfully grow aquarium fish, among which there are macropods, the content, compatibility and characteristics of feeding should be considered first of all. Among these representatives of the water element, several interesting varieties can be distinguished. Black macropods look quite unusual, which got their name due to the rather dark color. In addition, they differ in size, since they are much larger than other species. They are rare enough. In general, only hybrids of various types can be found. Often there are albinos, but it’s not difficult to take care of them, just like ordinary species.
Black macropods: maintenance and care
The compatibility of this fish requires special attention. When arranging an aquarium, avoid the occurrence of gaps between stones, glasses and equipment. This must be done, as the fish can get stuck in the cracks. They cannot do without air for a long time, which is why they die quickly. Black macropods are quite thermophilic, and the optimum 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 Macropods: care, maintenance and compatibility
This is another interesting variety. Since, under natural conditions, the temperature of the water decreases significantly, then the appropriate conditions must also be created in the aquarium. If you do not withstand the temperature regime, then the macropods will cease to multiply. The main difference between the round-tailed macropods from other species of this family is that their life expectancy is only four years. They have a tendency to mycobacteriosis, which is practically not treated. That is why it is very important to ensure optimal conditions for these extraordinary fish. Then your aquarium will delight you with its wonderful underwater world for a long time.