Almost every aquarist knows aquarium fish zebrafish. These small tropical fish are simple in content, bright and mobile, and also schooling. Several zebrafish will revive any aquarium, and their good-natured disposition and co-habitation with other inhabitants of the aquarium make it possible to keep them without much trouble.
Danio: Species
The zebrafish group belongs to the subfamily of carp, all the fish reach a length of about 5 cm, they have an elongated body, oblate from the sides. To date, several species of zebrafish have been bred, including voyalevostnyh fish, differing with magnificent fins. Conditions of keeping, feeding and breeding of fish are similar, it is permissible to cross different species among themselves.
The most popular are zebrafish, with blue stripes along the entire body. Not less popular are pink, pearl, leopard danios. Also known are the Malabar Danio, Cardinal, Royal, Devarion, Point, Blue, Golden, Gloufish, Light, Olive, Burmese, Orangefinch and others. There are a lot of species of this fish, they all have a love for large spaces for swimming, a schooling lifestyle and incredible mobility. Such fish will become bright sparks in your aquarium, in addition, they perfectly coexist with guppies, barbs, gouramis, Mollies, pecilia, swordfish, tetrams and other peaceful fish. It is worth noting that "hooligan" barbs can bite the fins of veil-tailed zebrafish.
What do zebrafish eat?
Most aquarium dry feeds will work for them, but it is better to give preference to those that contribute to the brightness of the coloring of fish. From live fodder, these fishes eat small moths, cyclops, daphnia well.
How do the zebrafish multiply?
These fish, like most others, spawn, but spawning requires the creation of certain conditions. First, arrange the males and females for different aquariums for several days. The water temperature in them should exceed 20 ° С, and as a forage it is best to choose a live bloodworm or a live red daphnia. Determination of readiness for spawning is determined by the abdomen of females, you will see that they expand not only near the head, but also closer to the anal fin. Once the females are rounded, you can proceed to the next stage.
As the "crossing rooms" choose small vessels, preferably glass and with a transparent bottom. At the bottom, you can put sand or fix around the perimeter washed flime or fountain. Water in the spawning area is taken fresh, settled, counting its volume so that over a layer of moss, a space of 4-5 cm is obtained. One pregnant zebrafish female and 2-3 males are taken, all of them are placed in a prepared container in the evening, and the container itself should be placed on a window or near it. Overnight fish will get used to a new habitat, and in the morning with the advent of light will spawn. The process takes about an hour, during which the males swiftly pursue the female and beat it over the abdomen, thereby knocking out eggs and fertilizing them immediately.
The appearance of fry at a high water temperature will occur for two days, whereas if the water in the spawning ground is below 20 ° C, the hatchery may hatch for a period of up to a week. For the first few days, the fry, sticking to plants or glass aquarium, just "hang" on them, and then begin to behave more actively. For their feeding use "dust" or special fodder for fry. In a couple of months the young will reach the age of sexual maturity, but transplanting fish into a common aquarium is possible from the moment when their size will allow them not to be swallowed by other inhabitants.