Diamond Tsichlasoma - care and maintenance in an aquarium

Today we look at the diamond cihlazou - a mysterious representative of the cichlid family. Pisces are loved by many for external data. Scales shimmer under the lamps, so these aquatic inhabitants are often in species aquariums. Fish are suitable for keeping professionals or beginners, because there are no strict requirements for care. The main thing is to gain some theoretical knowledge and begin to practice. We will help you with this.

Description

Diamond tsikhlazomy occupy a leading position among other similar fish from the family of cichlids. Fish living in natural conditions can grow up to 35 cm. If we are talking about individuals living in an aquarium, they reach 15-20 cm. For this reason, fish are classified as medium-sized.

The main characteristics include a strong and elongated body of the correct oval shape.The fish is flattened on the sides, the head is large, the frontal part is steep. Eyes are voluminous, lips compact and prominent. Due to the latter characteristic, fish often dig the ground, pull out plants.

The background color may be different depending on the age category, gender and nutritional characteristics of the cychlasoma. The most common individuals are light gray, brownish and dark tones. On the general background there is a scattering of glitter of emerald, blue, silver.

Gill covers of fish are decorated by analogy with divorce. When an individual is in the stage of caring for offspring, the chest and abdominal zone are painted black.

If you notice that in the middle part of the body a dark speck has appeared on the cychlasm, it means that the fish is angry and is getting ready to start the attack. In cases of unnatural pallor, on the contrary, it is suppressed, in stress. Dorsal fin long, caudal - smooth, with shiny edging, black.

Content

1. Aquarium fish moderately large, they need a spacious home. About 150–200 l are allotted to one individual. water. If you keep a couple or plan to start it, choose an aquarium with a volume of 400 liters or more. and more.Of course, many aquarists do not spend on such a large dwelling, but tsikhlazomy love space. Then it will grow, and not stop developing. The larger the aquarium, the larger the fish.
2. Take care of the presence of a filter for cleaning, which at the same time will provide the fish with oxygen. Weekly it is necessary to drain 1 / 3-1 / 4 of the water, and instead pour a new one. As the process of eating fish leaves trash behind, siphon the bottom or lay the soil in a thick layer. Gravel stone or river sand will be suitable for bedding.
3. Plants need to be chosen with a strong root system, because other “weak” variants of the fish will be dug up or torn out. To reduce damage from tsikhlazom, you can plant seedlings in pots and put in an aquarium. Fine-leaved species are excellent for this purpose.
4. Little attention is paid to shelters because the diamond representatives of the cichlids do not like to hide very much. They better provide enough space for swimming. As light shelters, you can install snags, large pebbles or clay pots.
5. Aquarium is chosen strictly with a lid.Despite the fact that the fish swim most of the time at the bottom or in the middle part, with excessive curiosity they can jump out of the water space.
6. As for the water characteristics, pets are not demanding. Stiffness should be about 9-14 units, temperature regime - 23 degrees, acid-base balance - 6.5-8 pH.

Compatibility

1. Despite the fact that diamond cichlasomes are large representatives of cichlids, they are relatively calm in relation to other inhabitants. It is allowed to contain medium-sized fish, which are also famous for their goodwill. Small fish up to 3-5 cm are excluded, so that tsikhlazomy did not have the desire to eat them.
2. In fact, the question regarding the survivability of diamond representatives is quite controversial. It all depends on the temperament of a particular individual. It is necessary to experiment, once again without risking. One thing you need to understand for sure - tsikhlazomy males fight, constantly fighting for territorial property.
3. Choose a neighborhood taking into account the pedigree character. Peace loving cichlids are perfect.If you provide all the conditions, a spacious aquarium, regular feeding, then all the fish will exist with comfort. You can hook these catfish to these fish, they get along perfectly.

Feeding

1. Diamond tsikhlazomy will eat absolutely everything that you can offer them. Such fish are omnivorous. They are not picky about food. In the wild habitats, representatives of this species feed on all sorts of insect larvae, plants, mollusks and fry of other fish.
2. Keeping at home suggests giving a clowner and bloodworm to cichlids. Older individuals are encouraged to offer gammarus. Such feeds are allowed to be given in fresh-frozen or live form.
3. It is recommended to regularly dilute the diet with various balanced feeds intended for cichlids. Diamond tsikhlazomy without problems get along only with bottom catfish.

Breeding

1. In aquarium conditions, breeding cichlids is not difficult. You will not need to take any complicated actions on your part. Representatives of this species reach sexual maturity in 10-15 months.It is quite easy to distinguish a female and a male.
2. Strong cichlids are much larger and have a brighter color. In males, the fins are elongated and long. Females, on the contrary, have more rounded fins. The males have a pronounced fat callus (convex tubercle).
3. Also in the mating season, the male has a sharp anal fin. In females, on the contrary, you can see the anal egg-deposit in the form of a truncated pyramid. Spawning can take place absolutely naturally, on your part no intervention is required.
4. The only thing that can be done to speed up the spawning process is to raise the temperature in the aquarium to a comfortable 28 degrees. At the same time do not forget to replace water twice a week. The female can spawn all year round. In this case, the frequency will be only 2 months.
5. A couple can be left in the general aquarium or transplanted into a special container for spawning. The volume of the second aquarium should not be 150 liters. If you want to keep the maximum number of offspring, you should still keep a couple apart.
6. It is worth understanding that frequent spawning reduces the number of eggs each time.Therefore, the female will be able to produce a maximum of up to 200 eggs at a time. That is why it is recommended to separate the fish sometimes in order to make seasonal pauses.

Diamond representatives of cichlids have a beautiful appearance and a peculiar character. Before you start such fish, be sure to learn all the details of care and maintenance. Get a large aquarium and decorate it according to the rules. Fish should be as comfortable as possible.

Video: diamond aquarium tsikhlasoma fish