Large bright fish of the Cichlids family that live in South America and sometimes found in aquariums around the world are astronotuses. Keeping them in captivity with proper feeding and care does not particularly affect life expectancy (up to 15 years), but negatively affects the maximum size. If in the wild they easily reach a length of 35-40 cm, then in the aquarium they rarely grow to 30, but there are exceptions.
Where does the name come from
The inhabitant of the Amazon got her name thanks to the characteristic pattern on the body. Despite the difference in color, depending on the specific species of fish and the conditions of detention, astronotuses bear the likeness of a star collected from spots on scales. It can be red or yellow, bright or not very, but always present (at least in wild adults). Therefore, it is called the "star" fish.
What aquarium is needed
Large and spacious. Astronotuses in the aquarium should feel quite free, and since these fish are quite large, then 100 liters per pair is considered the minimum. But experts recommend at least 200. In the presence of an aquarium of the required size, astronotuses may well be placed in it. Keeping with other fish of this species is rather difficult. In addition to their size, they are omnivorous. So they may not disdain their own neighbors. Therefore, experts recommend holding them separately for 6-8 pieces. And if you plant other species, then they are also quite large individuals, for example, cichlids, synodontis or catfish, which just will not give offense.
Temperature mode
Being tropical fish, astronotuses in the aquarium require maintaining a certain temperature. And although the permissible value can vary from 20 to 27 degrees, you can not forget about this moment. This means that if the apartment or office where the fish tank is installed is warm enough, additional heating is not required. In the case of poor heating and lowering the temperature to 18 degrees, they can suffer. Although short-term hypothermia to 15-16 degrees the fish will tolerate perfectly. But the aquarium must be equipped with a compressor and a filter, since astronotuses produce a lot of waste and constantly need a fairly large amount of oxygen.
Content Nuances
When acquiring astronotuses, you need to clearly understand that these fish are quite aggressive. Moreover, the filth of their character is proportional to size and age. That is, if it is planned to find neighbors for them, it is better to do this while the fish are small (up to 10 cm), because the older they are, the greater the likelihood that they will not get along with anyone new. Certain difficulties exist with the formation of pairs for reproduction. Astronotus is a fish whose gender in the fry is almost impossible to determine. The male coloration is brighter and longer than the fins. But at an age when this becomes clearly noticeable, it’s too late to get to know each other. They are so harmful, these astronotuses - keeping with other fish (even of the same species) is possible only from an early age. This problem is solved by acquiring 6-8 pieces at once in the hope that they will be heterosexual. Of course, if the volume of the aquarium allows.
In addition to disgusting relations with neighbors, astronotuses, the contents of which are still popular, despite all their shortcomings, do not get along well with living plants. Or rather, they just eat them. So it’s better to get artificial or do without them at all. The owner of the aquarium also needs to understand that the arrangement of the scenery in it will correspond not to his taste, but to the opinion of the fish themselves. They constantly move and move them, as they like, apparently, love the "change of scenery". Restoring order is completely useless.
Nutrition
Aquarium fish astronotus is very voracious. In the wild, the main food is insect larvae and small invertebrates. Sometimes it encroaches on small fish. In general, the creature is predatory, but does not disdain plant food. And you need to feed him often and quite a lot. Moreover, it is advisable to diversify the diet by including special dry food, as well as bloodworms, earthworms, larvae, raw meat (beef) and liver.
Particular attention should be paid to the pair before the planned breeding. In order for the offspring to be healthy and to remain intact, parents should be fed a lot and with high quality. Due to their size and gluttony, astronotuses leave a lot of waste. Therefore, the aquarium should have a good filter, and the water should be changed regularly.
Varieties
In the wild, predominantly tiger astronotuses are found. Keeping them in the aquarium is also possible, but other species are found only in captivity. As a result of selection, monochrome instances (yellow, blue, red) were bred, which does not quite correspond to the name of the "star" fish. Tiger astronotuses have a corresponding color. Their body is gray or brown, covered with stripes of yellow, orange or red.
In artificial reservoirs of America and in captivity albinos are found. Their white body is lightly strewn with red spots of various shades that gather in a traditional star or form a kind of ring. A small number of multi-colored blotches are found in monochrome specimens. As a rule, spots are red, gold or orange. Regardless of the color and pattern on the body, any instance is called the general term “astronotus”.
Captive breeding
Despite their natural predation and aggression towards their neighbors, these fish are surprisingly caring parents. To breed in captivity, they need to feel quite comfortable. Spawning is stimulated by an enhanced and varied diet, as well as an increase in water temperature by 3-4 degrees. Reproduction should take place in a separate aquarium with a capacity of at least 150 liters.
The female lays eggs on a large flat stone, which must be put to the bottom in advance. It is better if there are several of them, so that the fish can choose the most suitable.
Before proceeding directly to spawning, astronotuses will thoroughly clean the stone they like and make sure of their own safety. After about 5 days from the time of laying eggs, larvae will appear from it, and after 2-3 days - fry. Fishes are very mobile and grow fast. They can be left in the same container with their parents (if enough food is safe). In this case, the food for the cubs will be a special layer formed on the body of adult fish. And after a couple of weeks they will be happy to gobble up bloodworms or daphnia.
It is important to know that fry grow quickly, but very unevenly. After just a month, the largest can be several times larger than the rest of the brothers. They should be jailed to avoid cannibalism. In general, it is desirable to sort the fry periodically, settling in accordance with the size.
Behavior features
In addition to the fact that these fish love to eat and do not get along very well with their neighbors, there is another problem that you need to know about in advance before astronotuses appear in the aquarium. Their maintenance in captivity often ends in death outside the home. That is, they are simply thrown out. This may be due to a lack of oxygen in the water, as well as to natural instincts. In a natural environment, an astronotus often jumps out of the water, trying to grab an insect near its surface. When feeding in an aquarium, the fish, following instincts, repeats the trick and is on the floor. To avoid these troubles, you must always use the cover and do not forget about the compressor.
Astronotus is a very bright, beautiful and agile tropical fish. But in view of its size and character traits, it requires a certain amount of space and a rich diet. With neighbors is not very accommodating and can destroy the flora. This must be taken into account when setting it up.