Echio Cychlasma - care and maintenance in an aquarium

Eliot cichlasoma is understood as a fish with a bright patterned color, which is distinguished by its peculiar behavior. Aquarium pets are not classified as large, they are rather average, they can be as long as 12 cm. Tsichlazoma of this breed has a peaceful temper, it is easy to live with other neighbors. Fans of aquarium fish are happy to get on with different types of tsikhlaz, but today we look at the subspecies of Eliot.

Description

1. Fish prefer to live in slow-flowing rivers, they are seen in Central America and in the east of Mexico. As a rule, tsikhlazomy prefer to stray into flocks, live near river banks. They prefer the bottom with fine sand, snags and foliage that fall from the trees. Do not like plants, transparent water will prefer more turbid.
2. As for the external data, the fish in their form are similar to all the inhabitants of this species.Tsikhlasoma is not famous for its large size, but it has an interesting elongated shape. As for the color, there are stripes on a dark brownish-gray background. The abdominal region is bright red, in the area of ​​the tail a shade of blue. In fish, spots of a blue shade are located all over the body.
3. Tsichlazoma is famous for its large fins, posterior and on the back have pointed tips. The fish can live for about 10 years, so these pets give birth, as they say, for the long term. In length, they reach 12 cm. Therefore, they are classified as medium-sized.
4. As for the difficulties with the content, they are absent. Fish get along with their neighbors without any problems. The only thing that during spawning become aggressive and dissolve fins. But such behavior is characteristic of all fish, in general, a peaceful disposition is characteristic of tsichlazom.
5. Many ask questions about how to distinguish the representatives of the male half from the female. There are no differences in terms of color coloring, males are much larger than females, they have large fins.

Content

1. All tsikhlazomy prefer a soft bottom, so lining it with appropriate soil. The ideal option is the river or sea sand (fine).You can do it yourself, boiling and drying, or buy ready-made soil in the store.
2. To maximize imitate natural conditions, place snags and plants with large, powerful roots in an aquarium. Fish often tear green shrubs, so make sure that they are firmly seated in the ground. Put almond or oak leaves on the bottom, pre-scalded with boiling water.
3. It cannot be said that members of the Eliot family are afraid of their neighbors. No, they do not hide, but move freely around the aquarium and like to be shown on the eyes. Therefore, you can put more plants in the foreground so that the fish swim between them and delight everyone around.
4. It is necessary to siphon the soil weekly, this is important. Since the representatives of this subspecies collect everything from the bottom, it is desirable to line the extremely fine sand.
5. Cychlasmas are quite sensitive to impurities that may be present in water. In particular, we are talking about ammonia, nitrates and other toxins that cause illness and even death. Water must first defend or use the purchase (filtered).
6. There are certain requirements for housing: a couple of fish have about 150–200 l. water. Every week you need to pour out a quarter of the volume and replace it with a new one. At the same time the temperature is maintained at around 24-28 degrees. The acidity of the aquatic environment is also important, the indicators should not deviate from the norm (pH = 7.5-8).
7. Tsihlazoma get along with their relatives, among which are many peaceful cichlids. We are talking about the North, Meek, Nicaraguan and Spotted Akara. If the fish are large, there may be conflicts. It is not necessary to contain the Eliot with small fish.
8. It has already been mentioned that the fish are benevolent, but when preparing for spawning and during the process itself they can become evil. Fish protect the fry and the territory, so you should keep them in a separate aquarium without strangers.
9. Meals should be purchased, it is important that there is less moth in the diet. Because of him, tsihlazom appears disorder of the esophagus. We advise you to include in the menu a choke, gammarus, tubule, artemia. Also, vegetable food in the form of spirulina, cucumbers, zucchini, etc. will not be superfluous.

Feeding

1. Considered representatives of the species are omnivorous. The only thing that should be noted, it is recommended to be careful with a live feed. This is especially true moth. The problem is that tsikhlazomy do not experience a feeling of fullness, so they can overeat. Often gluttony leads to serious diseases.
2. Tsikhlaz can be fed with koretra, motyl, artemia, daphnia, pipe-maker and gammarus. In addition to live food, fish can be offered artificial. Among them should be distinguished granules, flakes and tablets. In the diet of fish are allowed to include pieces of zucchini, cucumbers and other vegetables.

Compatibility

1. Separately, it should be mentioned that during spawning, tsikhlazomy become territorial. For the rest of the time, they show no aggression. Sometimes tsikhlazomy can arrange disputes with other inhabitants of the aquarium. Fish can argue about who is more beautiful and more beautiful.
2. Representatives of the species in question simply fluff the fins and throat. Thus, the fish show how cool and beautiful they are. It is not recommended to keep tsihlazom in the same aquarium with snooty and larger cichlids (flower horn, astronotus).The case will end badly for the tsihlaz considered.
3. In the rest of the presented fish themselves are not pugnacious and quite peaceful. It is recommended to keep them with the same tsikhlazomami or peaceful cichlids. They get along well with the bluish-mottled Akara, tsikhlazomoy meeka and the north, the Nicaraguan tsikhlazomoy.
4. Nevertheless, it is not necessary to contain the representatives of the species under consideration with other small fish such as neon. Otherwise, tsihlazom will be a great temptation to eat them. Some people recommend keeping cichlase with swordtails. The latter stand out by increased activity and encourage others to be more courageous.

Breeding

1. It is recommended to keep such fish in small schools. If you buy a female and a male, it does not mean at all that they will have fry. The fact is that the fish themselves choose a pair. It is recommended to acquire about 8-10 juveniles that will grow together. As soon as they grow up, they will choose a couple for themselves.
2. Tsichlazomy become sexually mature, as soon as they reach a length of 7-8 cm in the body. At the same time, the fish will breed without any problems. Once a pair is formed, she will choose the territory for herself.On such an area must be a smooth and flat stone. At the same time the place should be quite secluded.
3. If there is no such stone in the aquarium, a piece of a pot from a flower will be an alternative. In this case, the female on the plane will be able to postpone from 100 to 500 eggs. After each laying, the male will fertilize the eggs. Fry hatch after 3 days.

Eliot are distinguished by their freedom-loving and kind disposition, it is easy to keep them in aquarium conditions even for a beginner. However, it is important to know that with larger fish, it is not worth keeping the cychlosis, otherwise the latter may die. In order for the fish to be healthy, certain aspects of the content should be considered.

Video: aquarium fish tsiklazom Eliot