Vibrant and eye-catching Pecilia are some of the most popular fish preferred by aquarists around the world. And this is not surprising. After all, they are extremely unpretentious, and monitoring their behavior is a very interesting and fascinating activity that allows you to relax from everyday worries.
Description
Aquarium feces, the maintenance and care of which are quite simple, have a length of 3.5 to 5 cm. Some individuals can also reach 7 cm. Their lifespan is 5 years, and maturity with adequate nutrition is achieved three months after birth.
In nature, these fish look much less spectacular and colorful than their aquarium counterparts, which appeared as a result of the painstaking work of breeders. “Wild” Pecilia, which is also commonly called mollies, have a brownish-yellow color with two dark spots in front of the caudal fin. All derived species retained their unchanged body shape. Moreover, they have an extremely diverse color. Wild forms are slightly reminiscent of Pecilia, but their body is more elongated and rounded.
In Europe, the spotted varieties of these fish, which gave rise to new breeding species, appeared only at the end of the 19th century, and in the post-war years in the Old World a completely black specy appeared, which was brought out by aquarists from the USA.
Interestingly, over time, fish belonging to this genus change sex, thus regulating the ratio of females and males in an isolated pond or aquarium.
Aquarium fish. Pecilia: types
Maintenance and care is carried out without any problems, regardless of their type. In general, there are 33 species of Pecilia. In addition to the “real”, there is a fish that is mistakenly attributed to the genus Poecilia. It is called the dancepeople, but in fact it belongs to the swordsmen. Among the most popular species of these fish, sailing mollies can be noted, which does not apply to breeding and has retained its appearance in captivity as its “wild” counterparts living on the Yucatan Peninsula. There are also many who want to settle in their aquarium guppies - a freshwater fish of the genus Poecilia, which is naturally distributed on the islands of Barbados and Trinidad, in northern Brazil, in Venezuela and in Guiana.
Pecilia: Contents
Care, breeding, feeding and rearing of these fish are the issues that most concern aquarists. I must say that they are extremely accommodating and unpretentious. For their maintenance a normal aquarium with a capacity of 40-50 liters is enough, however, it will be convenient for the fish if it is larger in size. Between themselves, individuals of Pecilia are not aggressive. The ideal option is when the ratio of the number of females to the number of males is 3: 1 in the aquarium.
Water
Pecilia, the maintenance, reproduction and care of which does not require special knowledge, lives in nature in the lower reaches of freshwater rivers flowing through the territory of Guatemala and Southern Mexico and flowing into the Atlantic Ocean. This means that the water parameters are not too important for them. In particular, “ordinary” water of medium hardness (15-30 dGH) and with an acidity in the range of pH 7.0–8.3 would be an acceptable option for them. As for temperature, it needs to be maintained at 22-25 degrees. It is important that the water is fresh and clean, so you should replace up to 20% of the aquarium contents weekly. Aeration and filtration are desirable, but not necessary, that is, if the number of fish is small, then these procedures can be neglected. By the way, it is categorically not recommended to add salt to water, since it is proved that the pecilia contained even in a very weak saline solution is more likely to get sick due to a decrease in immunity.
Feeding
In nature, pecilia, the maintenance and care of which is quite simple, feed on algae and insects. Once in the aquarium, they are happy to absorb various types of plant and animal feed. Experts advise to include in the diet of these fish feed containing fiber, for example, boiled vegetables (cucumbers, spinach, squash) and cereal. In general, in the wild, Pecilia often feed on algae, so they need plant food for the normal functioning of the digestive tract. Also, these aquarium fish require animal feed, such as brine shrimp, bloodworms, tubule and corpetra.
Breeding
Females and males of Pecilia have pronounced gender differences. In particular, females are usually significantly larger, have a fuller and rounded abdomen and are not as brightly colored as males. In addition, males have a small pointed gonopodia resembling the anal fin, which is present in a broader form in the female Pecilia. Fish (keeping, breeding and care are described in detail in this article) from the genus Poecilia are viviparous. In order for the females to become pregnant, the owner of the aquarium does not need to create any special conditions.
In the presence of fish of both sexes in the aquarium, Pecilia give birth to well-formed fry every 28 days. The pregnancy of a female, which, depending on the species, lasts from ten days to two months, is determined by the dark spot that appears near the anal fin and a rounded abdomen. The births of females are simple, and in front of them it is enough to plant them and add plants to the aquarium. During this period, Pecilian fish do not need to be disturbed, and it is better to temporarily close the front glass with paper.
Baby Care
If you have Pecilia in your aquarium, keeping and caring for it also includes protecting newborns. The fact is that “mothers” and “fathers” have a bad habit of eating their offspring. That is why, before the birth of the fry, it is necessary to ensure a sufficient number of plants in the aquarium and as soon as possible to plant offspring from the female. You can feed the kids with chopped egg yolk, dry food or special feeds for fry.
Now you know that if you have pecilia fish settled in your aquarium, keeping and caring for them will not require much time and effort, and you also know how to feed them and how to breed them.