Neptun
Pipefish is a species of small bristle worms. It has long been used by aquarists to feed aquarium fish. This type of live food for aquarium fish is very nutritious and caloric. Also for fish pipefish common is a treat, and sometimes without it and sometimes you can not do without it at all. A lot of advantages has a common trumpet as food for aquarium fish, but because of the peculiarities of its habitat may not be safe for your underwater world. How to minimize the risk when using this live food read in this article.
| kingdom | Animals |
| type | Ringworms |
| class | Belts |
| Subclass | Minor bristle worms |
| division | Гаплотаксид |
| Family | Tubificidae |
| genus | Tubifex |
| species | Common Pipefish |
Latin: Tubifex tubifex
Habitat.: Widespread. It inhabits standing or slow-flowing waters. Inhabits ponds, as well as backwaters with mud bottoms. Occasionally occurs in ponds with sandy bottoms.
Tubeworm Description
Pipefish are thin threadlike ringworms of pink color, which is due to the presence of hemoglobin in the blood. The length, depending on the subspecies and habitat, can vary from one to ten centimeters. There are four bristles on each segment of the body. Only the mouth and pre-mouth segments are devoid of bristles. It prefers very polluted places with organic residues and is therefore a kind of living indicator of environmental pollution.
It is most often found near sewage disposal sites. Where it forms whole colonies that make the ground appear red. Each individual arranges for itself a peculiar burrow of slime glued silt. Its head end is immersed in this mink, and the tail section equipped with gills is above the silt and makes oscillating movements, especially when there is a lack of oxygen. It feeds by passing through the silt rich in bacteria. Thus, is a natural purifier of the environment. Reproduction is only sexual. In the fall, the female lays several eggs, and the hatched young hibernate in the mud until spring.
How to get Pipefish?
It is relatively easy to extract it. You just need to find a suitable body of water. Or look for places close to the discharge of domestic wastewater rich in organic matter. For fishing you need to get a sieve with a stainless steel mesh or fishing line. The diameter of the sieve should be approximately equal to twenty – twenty-five centimeters. The height of the side of the sieve is about one and a half centimeters. The mesh size of the grid is 1×1 – 1,5×1,5 millimeters. For convenience, a long handle should be attached to the sieve. This sieve is used to scoop silt from the bottom. Then the primary washing of the catch from silt is carried out in the same sieve.
Очищаем от мелкого мусора
Large debris such as leaves and branches can be picked out by hand. The remaining tangle is transferred to a clean dish with a thin layer of water. To clean out small debris they are placed on a baking tray or the bottom of a canning jar. Cover the top with gauze, and put a jar of warm water at the bottom. Fleeing from the heat worms, will get through the holes in the gauze, and all the debris will remain below. But give fish this food is too early. Since the common trumpet worm lives in places heavily contaminated with organic residues, its intestines are just as teeming with pathogens.
Therefore, if you throw a freshly caught worm into the aquarium, there is a high probability of a bacterial outbreak, which can end in a massive fish kill. Therefore, before giving it to aquarium fish should be to clean his intestines from the sludge and bacteria that it contains. Keep it in a shallow dish with a thin layer of water over it at a temperature of 5 – 10 degrees Celsius. Three to four times a day rinse with running water. And only after 3 – 7 days of such cleaning can give it to aquarium fish. Such cleaning should be carried out not only worms caught independently, but also bought on the market.
How do you choose a Pipefish at the bazaar?
In order to choose the right common trumpet fish at the bazaar, you should pay attention to its color, which should be light pink. Red-brown or white color indicates the beginning of rotting processes. There should not be extensive oslizheniya, which can speak of their death. Tubifex tubifex in the pile you have selected should shrink when the container in which they are kept is shaken.
This is their reflex to danger. Finally, the pile you have looked for should not contain debris (leaves, branches). Common pipefish bought at the market should also be washed for three to five days, as well as self-caught, before giving it to fish.
Pipefish is a very caloric live food. It contains about 5% protein and about 1% lipids. But this food is not rich in vitamins. Therefore, you should either enrich it with vitamin supplements or alternate with other food.
Is chimney sweep useful?
Many aquarists refuse to use this aquarium fish food. The reason for this is the high probability of introducing pathogens into the aquarium. But nevertheless, there are cases where it is difficult enough to do without it. For example, when feeding young fish some fish. Or when keeping fish that eat only live food, and moreover brought from Asia, where they were accustomed to it still on the fish farm.
For example, elite specimens of discus. It is quite difficult to train them to take other food. At least, it takes time. Then you should follow all the rules outlined above and perform all the steps to clean the intestines of the worm from the sludge from its native pond.
It is sometimes recommended to freeze this food. This helps to sanitize it and allows it to be stored for a long time. However, the tissues of this animal are very delicate and ice crystals are very destructive. Freezing can only have satisfactory results with large specimens and not always.
How do you separate small trumpetfish from large trumpetfish?
For feeding young fish, large worms can be cut neatly into several pieces with a safety razor blade. Cut Tubifex tubifex, as well as whole ones, should be washed with a stream of water in a dense cloth net immediately before feeding. A method of separating large individuals from small ones is also described. This method is based on the fact that larger specimens sink to the bottom faster than smaller ones.
To do this, at the bottom of a three-liter jar put a ball of worms and under a slight pressure fill the jar with water. If it is cloudy, then, after letting the animals settle on the bottom, it is carefully drained. This procedure is repeated until the water becomes transparent. Then as well under pressure, the jar is again filled with water and, letting settle on the bottom of large specimens, pour the top layer with floating in it small specimens in an empty three-liter jar. Then, after waiting for the little things to sink to the bottom, drain the water from this jar. These operations are repeated until in the first jar will not remain large specimens, and in the second small ones suitable for feeding young fish.
How do you store Pipefish?
It should be stored in a shallow dish with a thin layer of water over it. The water should be changed at least twice a day. You can also drain all the water and cover the ball of worms with a paper towel, which will prevent them from drying out or suffocating. In both cases, the storage temperature should be kept at 5 – 10 degrees Celsius. For this purpose, the container with the feed can be placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.
Fish should be given either in small portions, or through special feeders, such as for moths – a net fixed on a floating base. Through this netting ordinary trubichnik will be gradually penetrate and fish will have time to eat it before it hits the bottom.
Что будет если трубочник зароется в грунт?
Tubifex tubifex should not reach the bottom and burrow into the soil. If they die there and begin to decompose, they will greatly spoil the microclimate in the aquarium. Therefore, after the meal is not eaten remains of food should be removed with the help of a siphon, tube or net. When using this food should remember the basic rule of feeding – do not overfeed. If you give fish only trubichnika they may begin to suffer from obesity. Therefore, it is better to alternate it with other types of food.
Pipefish is a nutritious, calorie-dense food that is a favorite of many fish. However, because of its biological features of existence can be unsafe for the inhabitants of your aquarium. Therefore, sometimes it is better, perhaps, to do without dry food, rather than resort to feeding trubichnikom. If there is still a need to use this particular live food, then try to follow the above recommendations more carefully. Hopefully, this will keep you and your pets out of trouble.
