Ophthalmic astronotus is a bright and beautiful aquarium fish. This tropical inhabitant belonging to the order of cichlids grows up to 25 cm at home. In the wild, they usually reach 35 cm. Since many owners of aquariums are interested in this amazing fish, it is worth learning about the conditions of its maintenance, about the features of its nature and about which species of astronotuses are found in pet stores.
Description
Astronotuses belong to the largest aquarium fish. Their body is oval with slightly compressed sides. The fins are relatively large and slightly oblong, but their size depends on the variety of astronotuses. These fish are distinguished by a convex forehead, a large head and eyes. The color of the ocular astronotus can be different and, as a rule, uneven. The pattern is in the form of spots or stains of yellow color, often with black bordering. The basic tone of the fish is from light brown to black. Near the caudal fin there is a large black spot, which is framed by
orange. This part may resemble a
large eye, which is why the fish got the name Ophthalmic astronotus. In males, the color is slightly brighter.
Types of Astronotus
In nature, there are three types of ocular astrontus. These are “albino”, “tiger” and “red”. All other known species have been bred by humans through crossbreeding. Between themselves, they can differ greatly in color, fin shape and even body contours. This inhabitant is known under the names Oscar and Peacock Eye, but the international name is Ophthalmic Astronotus.
The maintenance, feeding, breeding of any of the varieties of these fish is practically no different. Only albinos poorly tolerate bright lighting. It is important for them that the light be dim.
"Wild"
These individuals have a natural color. Usually it is not bright and can be pale green, gray, light yellow. These astronotuses have various discreet stripes and an admixture of other shades.
Tiger
This ophthalmic astronotus has a contrasting color. More often the main tones are red and black. The name speaks for itself, the pattern resembles a tiger color.
"Red Astronotus"
The main dark color of these fish has a slight red or orange coating. This variety does not have a pronounced pattern or clear contrasting lines. The Thai fish farmer was able to get a red Oscar, which differed from the rest in the absence of a black spot in the caudal fin, resembling an eye.
"Albino"
Natural albino is white. Red or orange spots appear on the body, which seem to give a hue to the whole fish. Natural albino has pink, sometimes orange, eyes. If they are ordinary dark, even if there are no dark pigments on the body, this is the lutino astronotus. Albinos never have green, brown and black shades.
Lutino
This ophthalmic astronotus is very reminiscent of albino, but still they can be distinguished. Lutino has spots in the fins and tail area a little darker. He also has dark eyes. All coloring is more reminiscent of the color of red or tiger astronotus.
"Veil"
This breed has beautifully enlarged fins and a tail. The color can be light and dark, often it is contrasting.
Golden Oscar
This type of astronotus is very rare. Its coloring resembles a red Oscar, it also does not have clear lines and spots. But the main tones here are golden or yellow.
Ophthalmic astronotus - a fish that inspires respect of its owner
If you already have fish in your aquarium, you should think carefully before acquiring this inhabitant. This species is distinguished by an imperious character, even aggressive. In addition, they scare other fish and can eat smaller neighbors. Therefore, it is worth keeping the fish with those breeds that are not afraid of attacks and are close in size to them.
But in this breed there is one important feature. The fish is able to recognize its owner and even over time can learn to take food from his hands. Seeing its owner, the pet can wag its tail and move its head. This is one of the few fish that is not afraid of humans and allows you to stroke yourself. But sometimes she can bite unexpectedly, leaving a small scratch on her finger from small teeth.
Conditions of detention
For these fish, a large aquarium is important. The minimum size is 80 cm in length. Ideally, when the volume of the tank is more than 200 liters. Gravel or coarse sand is laid at the bottom . It is important that the water is well filtered, saturated with oxygen and regularly changed. The temperature can be up to 30 degrees, but not less than 22. Large stones and driftwood are suitable for decorating the aquarium. Ophthalmic astronotus from the family of cichlids in a special way relates to landscaping. Algae with long stems, these fish break off, so floating plants are suitable. You can also plant greenery with the help of hard-leaved algae, for example, you can get painbitis and Thai fern.
Astronotus Feeding
In the wild in the rivers, these fish feed on a small fish. Therefore, the basis of food in astronotus is live protein food. They prefer large bloodworms, grasshoppers, tadpoles, ordinary worms, artificial food, pieces of fish meat.
Fish farming
Maturation in astronotus occurs after two years of age (provided that the fish has a body of at least 12 cm). This breed is very fastidious to a partner, therefore, to form a pair, you need a group of Oscars, in which at least four individuals, well, if there are more. If the fish is aggressive, it is better to reset it.
For the entire period, poor continuous lighting is provided. They lay eggs (from 300 to 1800 eggs depending on the size of the fish) on flat stones. Both the female and the male take care of the welfare of the offspring, therefore it is better not to disturb them during this period, otherwise the producers may destroy their own masonry. If possible, you can immediately transfer the eggs to the incubator. Fry begin to swim after a few days (from 6 to 11, depending on temperature). They receive initial nutrition from their parents. If the fry are incubator, they are fed with small plankton. When they grow up, they are sorted. The coloring of the kids is very different from the parent.
additional information
The beauty of this fish is fascinating, so many in the aquarium already have an ocular astronotus. The price of this fish varies greatly. Depending on the size, its cost starts from 50 rubles.
If you plan to keep astronotuses together with other aquarium inhabitants, it is better to train them from a youth. By an adult pair, it is very difficult to add other individuals. Other cichlids, chain catfish, and six-lane distichodes are suitable for the neighborhood.
The life span of an astronotus is approximately 10 years.