Chilodus is a very interesting fish from the characin family. Occurs nowadays in aquariums is quite rare. Perhaps this is due to the necessary for their content of a large aquarium volume. And maybe with the complexity of breeding. Either way, the fish is beautiful with interesting features of behavior. Therefore, we think the information about it will be interesting to beginner aquarists selecting species composition for their room lake.
Chilodus was first described by Muller and Troschel in 1845. This fish inhabits the basins of the Orinoco, Rio Negro, upper and middle Amazon rivers.
Fish mobile and large enough – adults reach a size of about ten centimeters. In addition, hilodus – gregarious fish, like most other characinov. Therefore, the tank in which will be contained flock of a dozen representatives of this species should be a volume of at least two hundred liters.
To the design of the aquarium Chilodus punctatus in contrast to most other species have certain requirements. So part of the aquarium is desirable to plant dense thickets of plants. What exactly it will be plants does not matter. You can use those that you like more or those that simply happened to be in your possession. Probably better to plant plants in the back of the aquarium. The second part of the aquarium must necessarily be free of any obstacles that interfere with free swimming.
Also part of the aquarium, planted with plants is better to illuminate somewhat dimmed light. That in turn imposes still some restrictions on the choice of plants. They should be not demanding lighting.
Feeding chilodus
Chilodus punctatus is relatively fastidious in the choice of coma, but still prefer live feed. The choice of food for them is subject to general rules, namely, the feed should correspond to their size and properly alternate. You can use small moths, well washed finely chopped tubeworm, daphnia. As for canned and dry food, then here you should pick up each of them separately giving small portions and watching how hilodusy it takes. Remains of food should be removed from the aquarium in a timely manner.
The tank in which the chilodus will be kept should be equipped with additional filtration, aeration and heating. The optimal temperature for the content of hilodus can be considered 22-25 degrees Celsius.
Neighbors chilodus
Hilodus fish is very peaceful and can safely coexist with very many species of fish. You should only refrain from keeping them with cichlids, which are not characterized by a peaceful disposition. As you can see, the content of hilodusov relatively simple. Except for the placement of a two-hundred-liter aquarium in a small apartment does not have other problems. Otherwise, things are different if you want to get offspring from this fish.
Chilodus breeding
A few females with rounded abdomens should be selected from the flock for spawning. Several males of large or medium size. During this period, the temperature in the spawning tank should be the same as in the main aquarium. You can even reduce the temperature by one to two degrees. This will reduce the likelihood of premature spawning. However, if you have enough free space and there are two suitable containers, then you can separate males and females.
So they are kept one two weeks. During this period, they should be intensively fed a variety of live food.
Spawning ground preparation
Now you need a container with a bottom area of one and a half to two thousand square centimeters and a layer of water about twenty-five centimeters.
Next, the water must be prepared. It should be old water passed through a peat filter. Its pH should be 5.5 – 6.1. Water should be soft for which it is diluted with distilled water to obtain a hardness of 2 – 4 degrees. The temperature in the spawning tank should be maintained at 25 – 28 degrees Celsius.
The bottom is covered with a net, leaving about one third of the bottom area free. This is necessary in case spawning does not occur in the first day. Then the fish will have to feed in the spawning tank. Feed should be thrown on the bottom area not covered by the net. In this case, it will be easier to remove the remnants of food after feeding.
On the center of the net should be placed spawning substrate, as which can be used Thai moss or well-washed willow roots. Producers (the most favorable pair) are placed in the spawning tank in the evening. At night it should be illuminated with a strongly dimmed light.
Overnight, the fish will get used to it and if you have chosen the right pair, then in the middle of the next day spawning will take place. The fish should not be disturbed during spawning.
The male begins to court the female. They press against each other and spawning takes place. On average, hatched from 50 to 300 eggs about a millimeter in diameter. After about three hours, the eggs swell and reach three millimeters in diameter.
Caviar care
Since the eggs lie very compactly on the bottom, they are relatively easy to transfer with a tube to the incubator. The incubator can be a container with a volume of three to five liters. The layer of water is about five centimeters. Every day the eggs should be picked over with glass tubes with a diameter of about five millimeters. Non-viable eggs should be removed.
By about the end of 4-5 days, the movements of the developed embryos can be clearly seen through the transparent shell. By this time, the outer shell will thin, and formed fry will come out. Sometimes the output of fry delayed then it is necessary to raise the temperature by one to two degrees. After that, as a rule, in thirty to sixty minutes there is a hatching. After hatching should reduce the intensity of aeration.
Fry immediately take characteristic for adult fish inclined position with the head end down. For the first few weeks, the fry can swim both head and tail forward.
Feeding of fry
Starter food “live dust”, Artemia salina nauplii. As the fry grow, you should feed increasingly larger feed. They grow quickly, but not evenly. However, cannibalism among them is not observed.
Once a well-matched pair of producers should not be separated in the future. Otherwise, it is possible to try gregarious spawning.
Here is such an interesting fish. If you liked the article about it, you can share it in your social networks.
