Cockerel aquarium fish - care and maintenance

Cockerel fish loved by many for their external data. They are suitable for content for beginners without special skills in the conduct of such activities. Professionals argue that grooming is easy, most importantly, adhere to general principles. Despite the unusual appearance, members of the family may occasionally show aggression towards other guests of the reservoir. To prevent skirmishes, special attention is paid to the selection of the neighborhood. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, we will study everything in turn.

Origin and Habitat

1. For the first time this fish was found in South-East Asia, later it migrated to other countries and wandered around in aquariums of private houses and farms. Fish prefers warm climatic regions with some tropics like Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia.
2. Breeders heard about fish in the 1800s. It happened by chance.People have noticed that cockerels are prone to manifestation of aggression towards the relatives of their group and the same gender.
3. Members of the family began to breed, so that they participated in specially organized fish battles. They bet on individuals, the owner of the winning fish received a reward.
4. In European countries, these fish were in the late 1800s. At first they were delivered only to Germany and Finland, then to other states. When the fish bored everyone, they began to work with them and brought out a color version.
5. They described these fish in 1910. It was said that Thailand is considered the official country of origin, but this statement later became controversial. Theories were put forward that allegedly representatives of the family were first discovered in Kombodzha or Indonesia, but this fact has not yet been established. In Japan, fish are called Betta, and in Asia - Placad (biting fish).
6. To date, more than 70 varieties of these pets are known, but 10 of them have not been studied due to their rarity. The females are divided into several groups: the first ones grow fry in the nest created by the male from water bubbles. Others carry offspring in their mouths.
7. Males love standing or slowly flowing water sources. They need abundant vegetation to hide and feed. Fish of the family can be found in large rivers, lakes, rice fields, canals and other bodies of water. Fishes belong to the labyrinth family, they can breathe atmospheric oxygen, so they often stick their lips out of the water.

Types and description

1. As soon as they do not call these pets: cockerels, Siamese cockerels, fighting cocks, betta, etc. Earlier it was mentioned that individuals belong to a labyrinth family. Breathing with atmospheric air allows them to survive even in the most severe conditions, when the water is polluted or insufficiently saturated with oxygen.
2. In its format, the roosters are squeezed from the side parts, but elongated in length. They are rather oval than rounded. As for size, despite the obstinate temper and cockiness, the fish are small. Females hardly grow to 5 cm, and males up to 6 cm. But experienced breeders were met by representatives of the subspecies, which grew to 8-10 cm. This is a rarity, not the norm. These inhabitants live in the aquarium environment for 3 years.
3. Of course, fish are remembered by all their unusual external data. They have a pectoral fin with a sharp tip. And the upper and tail fins are rounded. Males have larger fins than females.
4. Discussed individuals by color will help to compete with the brightest representatives of the aquatic environment. Chickens monochromatic, bicolor or multi-color. In this case, all look the same beautiful and stand out against the general background. It has already been said that males are richer than females.
5. Coloring depends on the state of health of the fish. What kind of lighting is installed in the water tank, what is the emotional mood of the animal. When males start a dredge, they immediately become brighter. The same can be said about the spawning period.
6. Fish are classified according to their size, color, and shape of fins. They can be delta tails, tail tails, round tails, two tails and others. It’s pointless to list everyone, because as a result of crossing it is difficult to find a purebred individual of a certain type.
7. Inexperienced aquarists who are just starting to learn about themselves in this field are asking questions about gender differences. This is easy to do if you carefully examine the fish.Males are saturated and large, with large fins. Females have a rounded abdominal area, behave modestly and once again do not protrude.

Content

1. We have already said that fish, with the exception of constant fights between males, do not require certain skills for their content. But it is necessary to equip the home with all the subtleties. In terms of volume, the reservoir is selected so that it is assumed that 3-5 liters are used per fish. water. Accordingly, if you keep 10 individuals, then pick them more spacious tank.
2. If several males are simultaneously contained, it is highly undesirable to keep them in a body of water that is not divided by partitions. Install partitions, and plant vegetation along them so that males do not see each other.
3. Males brisk, jump out of the aquarium for one or two. Therefore, make sure that there is a lid on the tank. But do not close the aquarium close, leave a gap of 1-2 cm for oxygen. It is also important to install a filter to remove waste.
4. As for the temperature of the aquatic environment, cockerels love tropical conditions.Keep them at 24-28 degrees. If the mark drops to 18 units, do not worry, the fish tolerate a cold snap perfectly. But you can not keep them in the cold for a long time, just in case, buy heating. Otherwise, the fish have no special requirements for the aquatic environment.
5. Maintain stiffness within 5-14 units. Regarding the replacement of water, weekly drain one-third of the liquid, fill in a new one. In the pet stores sold salt for fish, which prevents many serious pathologies. You can purchase it, then add 7 grams. on 3 l. water (the exact amount indicated in the instructions).
6. In order to make the cockerels feel most comfortable in the tank, it is recommended to use small river gravel or sand as soil. In addition, it is allowed to add the purchase of primer, which is additionally painted. Do not forget that before placing the fish in a new container, it should be sterilized in advance.
7. As for plants, the males does not matter what they will be. You can plant live algae or artificial. Consider, if you chose the latter option, it is not recommended to acquire plants with pointed edges on the leaves. The problem is that individuals can get hurt and die.
8. An excellent option in this case are products that are made of lye. However, one should not overlook the fact that living algae will still be better. The bottom line is that such plants preserve the biological environment in the aquarium. The amount of algae should be 30% of the total volume of the aquarium.
9. In this case, you should not forget that you also need to take care of the living algae in a timely manner. Thus they will not die. Do not forget to get rid of rotten leaves. Replant the algae in pots or soil in a timely manner.
10. In terms of scenery should show imagination. The individuals in question adore swimming among all sorts of obstacles. Therefore, you need to make various shelters. To do this, make moves, this will help you stones and snags. Keep in mind that there should be no sharp corners in the tank. It is also recommended to come up with subdued lighting in the aquarium.

Nutrition

1. Consider, these individuals are not picky at all in food, so they will eat almost everything that you offer them. The fish will be great to eat both live and artificial food.It is also allowed to give fresh-frozen raw materials.
2. But in this case, there are some subtleties. The main part of the diet of cockerels still have to be exactly live food. Therefore, regularly indulge your pet with a pipe worker, cyclops, daphnia and moth. From time to time let the fish feast on flat and flatworms. Males love zooplankton and snails.
3. Feed the inhabitants of the aquarium should be no more than 2 times a day. Take into account, you need to throw food in such an amount that the fish can eat it for 6-7 minutes. After that, the remnants must be removed immediately. It is strictly forbidden to overfeed the fish, otherwise they die from obesity. Not superfluous will spend fasting days.

Compatibility

1. As for compatibility, these individuals will conflict with similar fish. Males often arrange skirmishes because of the female or during the division of the territory. If you have a small aquarium, it is strongly recommended to start a couple of different-sex males.
2. Males of the considered individuals never get along with peaceful inhabitants. Therefore, keep this in mind when sharing your neighbors. In particular, cockerels do not like guppies and constantly cut off their fins.
3. As for the females, they show much less aggression towards all the inhabitants of the aquarium. The representatives in question can get along with black mollies, swordtails, petillias, rassams, ternets, minors, naggers, speckled and brocade catfish.
4. Often, these fish cut off fins and conflict with neons, barbs, guppies, spotted, pearl and marble gouras, cardinals, labo. In addition, individuals do not get along with Akaras, piranhas, astronotuses, parrots, tetradons and lineatuses.

Breeding

1. If you have no idea how to distinguish individuals among themselves by gender, you will not have any particular problems. Males have a fairly bright color, slim and long fins. The female is distinguished by its small size, short fins and a white grain on its belly. For breeding individuals are needed from 8 months.
2. Individuals can produce offspring in the general capacity, but in order to protect the young, the procedure is best carried out in a separate capacity. In the breeding ground should not be ground. A few plants are enough, a small water level and dim light. Maintain medium temperature within 29 degrees.

Males are quite interesting individuals. Despite their small size, such individuals may show excessive aggression. Therefore, when choosing neighbors, consider who such individuals can live with. Do not forget about the high-quality, balanced diet. Try to provide the fish with maximum comfort in the aquarium.

Video: cockerel aquarium fish