Astronotus Aquarium Fish - Care and Maintenance

Astronotus is understood as a large fish, which is distinguished by its dimensional features and external data. Otherwise, these aquatic inhabitants are called ophthalmic astronotus. They belong to the family of cichlids, live preferably in South America. In addition to its aesthetic data and size, the fish is interested in behavior and intellectual abilities. She can remember the person who constantly brings food, as well as watching from the aquarium the actions of the owner. But this is not all aspects affecting the breed.

Habitat

1. For the first time the fish of the represented breed group was described back in 1830. South America is considered the birthplace of aquatic inhabitants. They are met in a dangerous and so diverse Amazon, off the coast of Rio Negro and Rio Paraguay.
2. Artificially, these fish were transferred to Australia, China, Florida.They quickly went through a period of acclimatization and began to study the water space.
3. In its natural habitat, this species of fish is caught for food and other types of fisheries. Tastes are excellent, people are happy to consume astronotus in food.
4. In their natural habitats, these aquatic inhabitants inhabit large rivers, canals, reservoirs, lakes and other water sources with sand or silt on the bottom. They eat insects and their larvae, crayfish, small fish, worms.

Description

1. These fish have a powerful body, which in its form resembles an oval. The head is large and eye-catching, it looks harmoniously on the main background. The lips are fleshy, the eyes are round and large. In the natural habitat reach a length of 36 cm and more, but in an aquarium environment the length of the body hardly reaches 25 cm. As for the duration of life, representatives of the aquatic family exist in the order of 10-15 years.
2. Individuals not surviving in the aquarium environment are dull in color. This is due to the fact that they need to disguise themselves as a natural biotope.The fish are painted in a dark tone; there are orange specks on the body. On the tail is a black circle with an orange edging.
3. All forms of astronotus are famous for their ability to change color depending on the situation. For example, a fish is under stress, hungry or does not feel well, it will necessarily affect external data.
4. Juveniles differ from large individuals. The younger generation is also dark, but specks of whitish hue are scattered all over the body. There are many colors of the body, in particular, fish can be tiger, albino, reddish, marble.

Features of the form

1. Under the aquarium astronotus refers to a fish with high intellectual abilities. These aquatic pets will recognize the host when it comes to the reservoir. Also, the fish can closely observe a person, trying to repeat his movements with his whole body. Looks funny and very cute.
2. This breed can be tamed, then it will rub against the hand when your palm is in the aquarium. Fishes receive true pleasure from stroking.In this regard, their behavior resembles a cat or a dog. However, feed from the hands is not worth it, because individuals hurt bite.
3. There are many popular forms of these fish, including tiger, fawn, albino, etc. But in essence, they are all derived from the common astronotus. Despite the varieties, in content, these pets are the same. They are prone to certain diseases and are demanding to the aquatic environment.
4. Beginners fit this type, the main thing to consider all the details of care. The problem may be in the overall features, that is, the fish need a lot of space. If you have the opportunity to pick up a large reservoir, then you can safely keep individuals. Fish are kept one by one in a reservoir of 400 l., As well as all large-caliber cichlids.

Content

1. Keeping these fish is easy if you follow all the recommendations and regularly make water changes in the tank. Since, in its characteristics, the aquarium environment is a closed system, it is necessary to monitor it and ensure constant cleanliness. Otherwise, nitrite and ammonia will accumulate in the water space, fish will begin to ache.
2. Since all the diseases of the discussed representatives of the family develop precisely against the background of a polluted environment, substitutions are carried out at frequent intervals. Every week a third or a quarter of the liquid is drained, a new one is added instead. Then the astronotus will not be sick.
3. After the meal, there is a lot of waste from these fish, which sink to the bottom and begin to decompose. Some fish just spit out some of the food, although they eat the tablet feed completely. Therefore, when feeding live food, for example, small fish or worms, siphon soil is necessary constantly at the same time with water changes.
4. If you bought a young stock, a 100 liter tank is enough for him. on the individual. Larger guests will have to pick up an aquarium from 400 liters. For a couple or in combination with other large inhabitants will have to find an even more spacious reservoir in order to avoid fights for territorial affiliation.
5. These fish are accustomed to be in an aquatic environment with a high oxygen content, so a special attention is paid to aeration. You can supply oxygen using a flute, or install a powerful external filter type.Additionally, it will create a current.
6. Water guests are large, often demolishing everything in their path when they start to frolic. Therefore, all the decorations are set tightly. Choose a vegetation with a strong root system so that the fish will not pull it out. It is also preferable to send floating plants to the aquarium.
7. These fish spoil the equipment for the aquarium, so it is carefully concealed by decorations, snags, and other objects for distraction. As for the litter, sand is chosen as the soil. These fish love to dig, so all the vegetation is planted not in the ground, and is distributed in pots.
8. Since the representatives of the species are powerful and strong, they often jump out of the aquatic environment. For this purpose, the tank is covered with a lid. Important and water indicators. For example, keep the stiffness up to 22 units, the acidity is within 7 units, and the temperature regime is 23-25 ​​degrees.
9. As you already understood, astronotus is quite a simple fish in its content, and at the same time it is very interesting. Consider the size of individuals in the juvenile age when they share their neighbors. In addition, the considered fish have a peaceful temperament.Often, such individuals are sold in the order of 4 cm. At this time, the fish are kept in the general aquarium.
10. However, it is worth noting that you should not acquire the individual in question into a common aquarium with a size of up to 100 l. The problem is that such fish have a characteristic feature to grow very quickly. In order for the individuals in question to develop normally, they need to provide an aquarium with a volume of at least 400 liters.
11. Do not forget that individuals need high-quality and expensive food. Therefore, feed should be purchased from a balanced and trusted manufacturer. Keep in mind, these fish are predators. Therefore, they should be kept in pairs and with rather large neighbors. The rest of the content will not be any problems.

Feeding

1. In terms of wild habitat, the individuals represented are omnivores. They get their own kind of food. Fish feed on larvae, insects, algae, zooplankton, plants, small fish, amphibians, and various invertebrates.
2. As for the aquarium content, there will be no problems, the individuals are quite unpretentious.Nevertheless, it is worth mentioning that such fish in most cases need exactly animal feed. Individuals are recommended to give high-quality artificial feed, which are designed for large cichlids.
3. Among the varieties of such popular food can be distinguished tablets, pellets and granules. In the modern world you will not have problems with the choice of such products. You can choose the feed, depending on the budget and the country of origin.
4. Surely indulge new pets with fresh-frozen or live food. These fish are very fond of earthworms, crickets, crawls, shrimp, mussels, fish fillets, grasshoppers, tadpoles and similar representatives of the fauna.
5. In addition, astronotus give small fish. Voiletails and guppies are very popular as feed. Keep in mind that such food can be given only if you are completely sure that the food fish are not sick and are completely healthy.
6. It is worth noting that the individuals in question are rather insatiable and greedy. It is for this reason that they should not overfeed. Otherwise, the astronotus begins to seriously hurt. As a result, death is inevitable.
7. As soon as such individuals began to be kept in domestic aquariums, the breeders even fed them mammalian meat. However, such actions should be avoided. The problem is that such products contain a high concentration of fats and proteins. Fish simply can not digest such food. Obesity is developing.

Compatibility

1. It is worth noting the confirmed fact that it is better not to keep such individuals in common aquariums. Of course, one cannot say that the individuals in question show increased aggression towards all neighbors. Yet smaller fish, they are quite able to swallow.
2. To avoid any problems and skirmishes, astronotus is best kept in a separate container and a pair. However, do not forget about compatibility with other large fish. In this case there may be an exception.
3. Many owners of the individuals in question contain them without any problems with black paca, arovanas, three-hybrid parrots, large plecostomus, Managuan and eight-band tsikhlazomami.
4. However, it is necessary to take into account the individual character of each individual. Fish may occasionally conflict with each other.Do not forget that the astronotuses simply love to break the ground. It is for this reason that plants should be planted in separate pots. Take care in advance of the decoration of the aquarium. Fish are so smart that they are able to recognize their master.

Astronotus can be attributed to a separate category of fish. Such individuals are distinguished by excellent intelligence and unique characteristic qualities. The fish in question can even be ironed and hand fed. However, in this case, extreme caution should be exercised. The problem is that an individual may accidentally bite you, while the sensations are quite painful.

Video: aquarium astronotus fish