Tetradon green spotted
SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION:
Class: Liverfishes,
Species: D. nigroviridis,
Binary name: Dichotomyctere nigroviridis,
Also known: bubble fish, fish ball, swollen fish, nigrovirilis.
Marion de Procé, 1822.
Water parameters for keeping green tetradone in a home aquarium:
Temperature: 22 to 26 ° C (72 to 79 ° F)
Acidity, pH: 7.0 - 7.5,
Stiffness: 5 - 12 ° H,
Aquarium sizes: from 65 liters,
Aggressiveness: aggressive fish,
Filtration is good, weekly changes of 30% water.
Tetradon green spotted photo
The generic name "Tetraodon" (Tetraodon) comes from two Greek words: tetra - four, odontos - tooth. Therefore, it is correct to call these fish tetraABOUTDon, not tetradon.
Habitat tetradon spotted
Tetradon green spotted photo
Fish can be found in freshwater and brackish waters of the tropical region of South and Southeast Asia: Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Singapore.
Adult individuals live in freshwater bodies of water and rivers with varying degrees of salinity, while juveniles live only in brackish waters of the coastline.
Description of the spotted tetradon
Tetradon green spotted photo
The body length of an adult spotted green Tetradon reaches from 7 to 14 cm. Measurements are carried out from the tip of the mouth to the posterior end of the last vertebra.
The body of the spotted green Tetradon is oblong with the back compressed from the sides. The dorsal profile is curved and has the highest point in the middle of the back. The jaws of Tetraodon are jaw teeth that are fused together, which form cutting plates separated in the middle. For this fish, the jaws are not only a means of eating, but also an effective weapon of protection.
The name already speaks of the coloring of this fish, which has a bright green body with black spots of various sizes and shapes, which can merge or be surrounded by lighter spots. The belly is white. There is a conspicuous lateral line through the whole body. From 1 to 8 dark transverse bands are present on the caudal fin. The dorsal fin has small dark spots at the base. The remaining fins are of the same color.
Using a combination of fins, tetradons achieve high maneuverability. However, by virtue of slow movement, they become easy prey for predators. Fortunately, tetradons possess both mechanical and chemical protection against predators. When a tetraodon is in danger, it instantly inflates two to three times in the body, forming a ball that is already very difficult to handle.
The secret of this amazing ability to bloat tetradon is surprisingly simple and due to the unique valve at the mouth of the fish. After filling the mouth with water, the tetradon flexes the large muscle at the base of the mouth, which stimulates the esophagus and stomach in the fish. With every sip, the green tetradone stomach becomes bigger and bigger.
It is also worth noting that during this process, on the back of the sides and the stomach, you can easily find small spikes, which are completely invisible when the fish is in a calm state. This gives a formidable awesome appearance, makes the tetradon protected from predators. This tactical technique is used only in cases of extreme necessity, since the fish becomes bloated completely helpless, turns the belly upwards, pops up and cannot move.
Compatibility of the spotted tetradon
Tetradon green spotted photo
Aggressive fish, protects its territory and bites uninvited guests. It is best to keep separate in the species aquarium.
How to feed tetraodone green
Tetradon green spotted photo
They are usually fed with shrimps, worms, small fish, algae, crustaceans and clams.
Popular and popular feed for fish, of course, are dry food. For example, hourly and everywhere can be found on the aquarium shelves of Tetra company food - the leader of the Russian market, and the company itself has an amazing range of food. In the "gastronomic arsenal" of Tetra are included as individual feeds for a certain type of fish: for goldfish, for cichlids, for loricariids, guppies, labyrinths, arovan, discus, etc. Also, Tetra has developed specialized foods, for example, to enhance color, fortified or for feeding fry. Detailed information on all Tetra feeds, you can find on the official website of the company - here.
It should be noted that when buying any dry food, you should pay attention to the date of its manufacture and shelf life, try not to buy food by weight, and also keep the food in a closed state - this will help avoid the development of pathogenic flora in it.
Article How and how much to feed aquarium fish explains in detail the basic principles of the diet and feeding regime of aquarium fish.
Terms of tetradon spotted green
Tetradon green spotted photo
Tetraodon should be kept in a spacious aquarium from 75 liters for fry and at least 150 liters for an adult individual with a large number of shelters and hard-leaved plants. In the water for every 10 liters of water, you must add 3 tablespoons of salt. It is necessary to take care of the presence in the food of a sufficient number of mollusks with shells to grind fast-growing teeth.
Cultivation and reproduction of tetraodone spotted
Tetradon green spotted photo
An adult female is able to lay between 200 and 300 eggs on a smooth surface. Parents, most often male, guard the clutch until fry hatching, which is about 7 days. At first, tadpoles stay at the bottom, it happens when a caring father takes the fry to a pre-dug hole. The fry is fed with ciliates, nauplii of Artemia, Cyclops and dry specialized feeds.
All of the above is only the fruit of observing this type of aquarium fish and collecting various information from owners and breeders. We would like to share with visitors not only information, but also living emotions, allowing fuller and thinner to penetrate the world of aquarism. Sign up for https://fanfishka.ru/forum/, participate in forum discussions, create profile topics where you will talk first-hand and first-hand about your pets, describe their habits, behavior and content, share their successes and joys with us, share experiences and learn from others. We are interested in every bit of your experience, every second of your joy, every awareness of a mistake, which makes it possible to avoid the same mistake of your comrades. The more of us, the more pure and transparent droplets of good in the life and life of our seven billion society.
Author Alexander Isakov
Tetradon green photo review
Tetradon green video review
General information
Dwarf tetradons are distant relatives of the most famous poisonous fish - fugu. Some aquarists are afraid to contain them, because they believe that their mucus also contains toxins. But this view has no official confirmation.
Dwarf tetradon in the wild nature lives in the southern Indian state of Kerala. These small freshwater fish live in a system of lakes and canals that have a muddy or sandy bottom. Their Latin name is Carinotetraodon travancoricus. The tetradon fish will never swim in the open sea, therefore, it is not necessary to add some salt to aquarium dwellers.
The tetradon has an intense yellow color. Adults reach only 2.5-3 cm in length. Yellow dwarf tetradon - the smallest of all the relatives of his family. His skin is smooth, without spines and needles on his stomach. This distinguishes him from his famous relatives.
Mature males are brighter in color. Often they have a dark band, located in the center of the tummy. Females are more rounded. The eyes of these fish rotate independently of each other. This feature of the anatomy allows you to view the world around, almost without moving. Dwarf tetradons can, depending on their mood, change their color. It varies from yellow green to almost brown with dark spots. Their stomach has a white or yellowish tint.
Dwarf tetradons are distinguished by their curiosity. They are watching with interest all that happens behind the glass. Such fish over time can recognize the owner, who feeds them daily. In good conditions, they live up to 6-7 years. The tetradon fish is still rarely on sale, but its beautiful coloring and unusual behavior are increasingly attracting the attention of aquarists.
Aquarium decoration
Dwarf tetradon, the photo of which causes delight, does not require any special adaptations in the aquarium. For him, it will be enough to plant the soil with various algae in which the fish will hide. You can also put on the bottom of the aquarium various fancy snags or branches that will serve as additional protection. A container designed in this way will provide a large field of activity for curious and high-spirited tetradons, as well as reduce the level of intraspecific aggression.
This type of fish prefers calm water, so its flow in the aquarium should have an average power. Such inhabitants require regular partial water changes. Dwarf tetradon in nature lives in reservoirs rich in various thickets and shelters, so he prefers the same conditions in aquariums. You can use floating plants to scatter sunlight. In such conditions, this species of fish is characterized by increased activity. It is preferable to plant a dwarf tetradon aquarium with thin-leaved aquatic plants such as Java moss, cabomba, and ambulia.
Conditions of detention
In a 10 L flask, you can contain no more than 3 dwarf tetradons. Accordingly, a 20-liter aquarium is suitable for a small flock of these fish, consisting of 5-6 individuals. Moreover, there should be more females than males in order to reduce the risk of their persecution by the very loving "suitors." With a higher density of population, the conditions of housing become more complicated, and the risk of fighting the fish between them increases.
A tetradon, whose content in an aquarium is hampered by its hypersensitivity to nitrates and ammonia, can only live normally in water of ideal quality. That is why it is necessary to constantly monitor the level of chemicals. You should also change the water in time. Its temperature should be in the range of 22-28 ° C. Hardness - dH 4-25 °, and acidity - pH 6.5-7.5. Fish need aeration, filtration, replacement of a third of the volume of water every week.
Content Features
A dwarf tetradon, the content of which in an aquarium is dictated by its predatory nature, can hunt various animals. It belongs to the family of chetyrezyubykh, which feed not only worms, but also mollusks, such as snails. That is why the tetradon (keeping it with various small living creatures will lead to its destruction) will not allow other fish to breed in large numbers in the aquarium.
Aquarium tetradons perfectly eat frozen and live food. In this case, they consume dry food very reluctantly, so that the finished flakes or granules will not suit them. In nature, tetradons feed on insects, small invertebrates, and snails. In the aquarium, they need to provide a similar diet.
If there are no snails in the tank with these fish, they must be given as food. Thus it is necessary to choose small individuals. Such dressing will not only enrich the diet of tetradons, but also will allow to periodically erase their ever-growing teeth. Best of all tetradons eat small snails, such as fiz, melania, reel. Of the frozen feed, these fish are best suited to the crank, daphnia, and artemia. They are very well eaten with tetradons when mixed with live microorganisms, for example, with a pipe builder.
Tetradons leave quite a lot of waste after feeding, so do not give them a lot of food at once, so as not to pollute the water. They should immediately eat their diet.
Neighborhood with other fish
Dwarf tetradon - small in size fish, but this does not prevent it from being very active and energetic. Such features allow you to fight for food with some of the larger inhabitants of the aquarium. The dwarf tetradon, the content of which is possible with large-sized mobile, but not aggressive fish, gets on well with the rass-collection of Espey, otocylus, danio Hopra, and iris.
Do not buy these inhabitants, if the aquarium there are individuals with beautiful fins. Dwarf tetradon can easily bite them and deprive the fish of an attractive appearance. Also, do not contain these predators, along with viviparous species, because in this case, the chances of seeing fry are reduced to zero.
Content with shrimp
Dwarf tetradon and shrimp get along well in a large-sized aquarium. Cherry and Amano shrimps are best suited for the neighborhood. Other freshwater species of these arthropods can also be used. Moreover, the dwarf tetradon will easily cope with dead individuals, thereby cleaning the aquarium from contamination. He can eat young shrimp.
Features tetradonov
These inhabitants of the aquarium can quickly take the form of a ball. To do this, they inflate their tummies, filling them with air or water. Most often, this behavior is a response to any threat. Some aquarists have noted an increase in cases of such behavior of tetradons in densely populated artificial reservoirs. When inflated, their size increases by 2-3 times, which allows you to scare off potential predators. Due to this peculiarity of this type of fish, they can almost never be swallowed up by large neighbors. Another characteristic feature of dwarf tetradons is their ability to turn their eyes.
Manner of hunting
Aquarium tetradons - predatory fish, which has a very interesting manner of hunting. As a rule, they are located above the potential prey and carefully consider it, carefully aim. In a small area around a potential victim, these fish may take her by surprise. Only a few seconds later the tetradon attacks its victim. Moreover, his breakthrough does not always bring good luck. Sometimes even the coretr can avoid the fatal attack. After an unsuccessful attempt, the tetradon dwarf starts hunting again from the beginning.
Schedule
Strange as it may sound, the tetradon fish keeps its daily routine. She wakes up when the lights are turned on or with the first rays of the sun at dawn. After the warm-up of the fins, these fish swim up to the front glass of the aquarium and look out for the host, who must feed them. After a stormy meal, each notebook finds itself a secluded place, and life in the artificial reservoir calms down. Grown-up adult fish fall into a light slumber, and young individuals spend all their free time in games.
Mature tetradons in the evening begin to pay attention to their other neighbors. In this case, the males acquire a darker color and begin to swim around the tufts of moss, waiting for the favors of the female and scaring off rivals. These flirtations of fish continue until about 7 pm. About 20 hours dwarf tetradons begin to settle down for the night. However, they do not pay the slightest attention to the lighting of the aquarium.
Smart and smart fish is a dwarf tetradon. Keeping it in an aquarium is not particularly difficult. He quickly becomes accustomed to the owner, and when he appears near the artificial reservoir, he begins to actively beg for food from him. In this case, the greatest agility shows females, floating along the glass. Males show more patience and calmness, but when they get feed in the water immediately jump on him.
Breeding
Fish tetradon successfully divorced in the aquarium conditions, which is pleasantly different from other relatives. For breeding take a pair of fish or the best male and several females. Aquarists note successful reproduction in fairly large flocks of dwarf tetradons. These fish are bred, provided that the tank has a small filter and a lot of fine-leaved plants. Water must be regularly replaced by small portions. Its parameters should be optimal for this type of fish. The temperature is set at the upper limit of the allowable range.
The fish are fed before spawning by a pipe maker and ice cream such as bloodworms. They are also given small snails. A male ready for breeding acquires an intense color and a brighter pattern on the body. At the same time, it flattens from the sides, becoming less rounded. The male begins caring for the female with her vigorous pursuit. Often he bites his "lady" until she shows interest in him. Courts most often end up on a plot with low vegetation, where a couple produces eggs and milt for a few seconds. Most often this occurs near various mosses. Tetradons can spawn several times in one period. This happens until the female gets rid of all the caviar.
Growing fry
Fish throw almost transparent caviar, the diameter of which is only 1 mm. It develops in those places where it fell into shelter. Each female can give up to 100 eggs. Dwarf tetradons are not averse to eat them.That is why the seed material should be moved to controlled conditions, where it can successfully develop until the larvae hatch. You can collect it with a large pipette. At the same time, it is necessary to get rid of fruitless or disease-infected eggs, which have a milky-white color.
For growing fry a small container with water from the parent aquarium is suitable. Its temperature should be the same as that of adults. For the arrangement of the aquarium use a regular airlift filter that will protect the fry from being drawn inside. At the same time, microorganisms useful for them will multiply on its surface. It is also recommended to add to the aquarium some moss used in spawning tanks.
After 5-6 days, the tetradon larvae hatch from the eggs. For 2-3 days they feed on the yolk sac. Every day the fry will become more and more active. For normal development, they need very small fodder, such as grindal (microcores) and ciliates. Further, Artemia nauplius may be included in the diet. Only a month later, the fry will be able to eat frozen bloodworms. For 2 months they grow up to 1 cm. All fry of different ages must be kept separately, since older individuals can hunt their small counterparts.
Content in an aquarium
The dwarf tetradon does not need a large aquarium, however, the data in foreign and Russian sources differ, the English-speaking speak of 10 liters per individual, and the Russians say that 30-40 liters is enough for a small flock. True, somewhere in the middle in any case we are talking about small volumes. It is important that the aquarium is balanced, and fully running, as they are very sensitive to the content of ammonia and nitrates in the water. Adding salt is not necessary and even harmful, despite the fact that such recommendation is regularly found on the Internet. The fact is that this is a new fish and there is still extremely unreliable information on it, and adding salt to the water significantly reduces the lifetime of the dwarf tetradon.
They leave a lot of waste after feeding. Try to throw a few snails and see what happens. Dwarf tetradons will attack and eat the snails, but far from complete and parts will remain to rot at the bottom. Therefore, you need to install a powerful filter and make regular water changes in the aquarium. It is very important to keep the amount of nitrate and ammonia low, especially in small aquariums. But remember, they are not important swimmers and do not like a strong current, it is better to reduce it to a minimum.
In the aquarium, they are not too demanding on the parameters of water. The main thing is to avoid extremes, they will get used to the rest. Even reports of spawning can vary considerably in the parameters of water, and they say both hard and soft, acidic and alkaline water. All this indicates a high degree of adaptation in the yellow tetradon.
If you create the correct conditions for a dwarf tetradon - clean water and good nutrition, it will delight you with its behavior for many years.
Naturally, this inhabitant of India needs warm water 24-26 C.
Regarding the toxicity, there is conflicting information. In nature, tetradons are poisonous, and the famous puffer fish is even considered a delicacy in Japan, despite its poisonousness. It is argued that the mucus from the dwarf tetradon is also poisonous, but I have never found direct evidence of this. The death of predators who swallowed the tetradon can be explained by the fact that it swells inside them, clogging up and injuring the gastrointestinal tract. In any case, it is not worth it, and grab it with your hands too.
Proper feeding of the dwarf tetradon is the greatest difficulty in its maintenance. No matter what the sellers will tell you, in reality the tetradons do not eat flakes or granules. In nature, they feed on snails, small invertebrates, and insects. In the aquarium, it is important to adhere to such food, otherwise the tetradons will begin to starve.
The best way to create a full-fledged diet is to feed the dwarf tetradon with small snails (fiz, coil, melania) and frozen food. If we talk about freezing, their favorite food is bloodworm, then daphnia and artemia.
If your tetradons refuse to eat frozen food, mix them with live ones. Nothing causes them greater appetite than living and moving food.
It is important to feed dwarf snails regularly, as they form the basis of food in nature and tetradons grind their teeth about solid snail shells. They will quickly izvestut snails in their aquarium and it is better to have spare options, for example, to grow specially in a separate aquarium. They will ignore the big snails, but will eagerly attack those they can figure out. Even solid melania shells can not always save them, and tetraodons persistently try to gnaw those that are smaller.
Feeding the shredder:
Compatibility in the aquarium
In fact, all tetradons differ in quite different behaviors in different aquariums. Some say that they successfully contain them with fish, while others complain of ragged fins and slaughtered fish. Apparently, the matter is in the nature of each fish and conditions of detention.
In general, it is recommended to keep dwarf yellow tetradons in a separate aquarium, as they are more visible, active and other fish will not suffer. Sometimes they are kept with shrimps, but remember that despite a small mouth, in nature they feed on various invertebrates, and at least small shrimps will be the target for hunting.
You can keep tetradons in a small group of 5-6 individuals, in a densely planted aquarium with a large number of shelters. In such an aquarium, intraspecific aggressiveness will be much less, it will be easier for small fish to establish their own territory and divide into pairs.
Description and features
Appearance behavior dwarf tetradon (Latin Carinotetraodon travancoricus) makes it a very attractive and popular fish. The body has a pear shape with the transition to a large head. It is quite dense with small spikes that are not visible in the fish’s calm state, but if it is scared or worried, a fish inflated as the ball and spikes become weapons and defense.
However, such a frequent transformation of it negatively affects health and it is impossible to frighten the tetradon specially.
With this size dwarf tetradon reaches 2.5 cm. The anal fin is poorly defined, the others are expressed by soft rays. Regarding the body, the fins look tiny and very mobile as wings hummingbird.
The fish has large expressive eyes that are striking in their mobility, but if the tetradon examines something, they will be standing almost motionless.
Mouth fish what resembles a bird's beak, with accreted premaxillary and maxillary bones, however, the fish is predatory and also has 4 teeth plates, two at the bottom and at the top.
To distinguish a male from a female is a very difficult task. Sexually mature male tetradons are usually colored brighter than the fish of the same age as the female and have a dark line along the abdomen. Tetradons come in a variety of colors, some of which form the names of the species of these fish.
The greatest difficulty in keeping dwarf tetradons is proper feeding. No matter what you are told at the pet store, the fish do not touch the pellets and flakes. In their natural habitat, they feed on invertebrates, snails and small insects. Therefore, at home they will have to provide them with the same diet, otherwise they will starve.
Squid (frozen) and small snails (melania, frieze) are best suited for food. The tetradons will not refuse from the bloodworms, Artemia and Daphnia. Although they still prefer live food, for which you can hunt.
Whatever food you choose, the basis of the diet of fish should be a snail. They are not only satisfied with them, but also grind their teeth on their shells. For a long time, this feed is not enough, so it is better to grow arthropods in another tank, and plant them in an aquarium for tetradons as needed. It should be noted that large snails will be ignored.
It is recommended to feed pets twice a day, giving out food in small portions. Fish are prone to overeating, so do not be zealous.
Fry content
The tetradon roe is transparent, about the size of a millimeter. On average, one female gives about a hundred eggs. Parents are not sentimental and may well eat future offspring.
Experienced aquarists collect fertilized eggs with a pipette or other devices and send them to safer conditions. Milk-white eggs are rejected, most likely they are unfertilized or diseased. A small cage with water from the general aquarium will be sufficient for the appearance of fry. Temperature and other requirements are the same as described earlier, the filter needs a special one, without the risk of swallowing eggs or fry. Algae and moss from the parental place will be useful too.
It is necessary to wait about a week and the larvae will appear from the roe - future tetradons. The first three days they do not need additional feeding due to yolk sac stocks. Living in a new place, the fry more and more resemble bold babies - tetradons, fine food such as ciliates and microhills will ensure their further development, and in a month, the little ones will try for the first time “adult” food - frozen bloodworms.
After two months, they reach the length of one centimeter and can already hunt the small inhabitants of their environment.
HABITATION IN NATURE
In recent years, a lot of fish have come from India. These are the barbers Denisoni, and Dario Dario and many other, not yet so popular species. But apart from them is a dwarf yellow tetradon. They come from Kerala, in southern India. They live in the Pamba River, which flows from the mountains and flows into Lake Vembanad (where they also live). The Pabma River has a slow current and is rich in vegetation.
This means that the dwarf tetradon is a completely freshwater fish, unlike all its relatives, who at least need salted water.
This small predator is sick very rarely. The most common cause of illness is improper care and poor conditions. Poisoning by ammonia compounds. The gills suffer the most, they become inflamed, become red in color and grow in size. The fish hardly breathes, prefers to stay closer to the surface. The problem can be fixed by installing a good filter, frequent water changes, bottom siphoning and adding zeolite to the water - a drug that absorbs excess ammonia. Nitrate poisoning. The sick fish first becomes agitated, moves irregularly, reacts to the slightest stimuli.
Then convulsions develop, the tetradon falls to the bottom. He has splayed all the fins and gills, his mouth is open. Sick fish should be immediately transplanted into a temporary aquarium with clean water, and in the permanent one, make a thorough bottom siphon, replace half of the water with fresh water, wash the filter and add substances that neutralize nitrates. Dropsy. In the tetradon the abdomen is strongly inflated, and the scales are raised. Coloring loses intensity and brightness. Most likely, your tetradon lacks food. Increase the diet, improve its quality, transfer the fish only to live food and be sure to give snails. Life Span If you keep your notebook in good conditions, he can live for about 5 years.
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