Apistogram ramirezi electric blue: maintenance, breeding and care

The electric blue apistogram was artificially bred. This infinitely cute and beautiful fish has a peaceful nature and is able to get along with other types of fish. Since the underwater inhabitant is predisposed to certain diseases, you need to know the rules of care, otherwise breeding will be associated with many difficulties.

Ramirezi Electric Blue is a type of dwarf cichlid. This small predatory fish has a bright blue color. Its head casts a dark orange tint, and its eyes are red and have a large black pupil. The fish become especially bright when spawning begins.

Despite the equally beautiful colors, males and females have noticeable differences... Boys are larger than girls, they have a longer fin ray on their back, painted in black. Also, sexually mature males have a convex forehead, which cannot be said about their partners. In an artificial environment, the body length of a fish is 2.5 cm, although in nature it can reach 5-6 cm. The approximate life span is 3-4 years under suitable conditions.

The electric blue was recently bred, so there is not yet enough complete information about its content, however, judging by the statements of the aquarists, the care of the fish is about the same as for other ramirezi apistograms. But beginners will have to strictly adhere to important requirements for the fish to feel comfortable and produce offspring.

For a couple of fish, a small 40-liter aquarium with vegetation stylized as a tropical jungle is quite suitable... Since apistograms move in all layers of water, they need enough free space to swim.

Environment parameters:

• hardness - from 1 to 14 units;
• temperature - 25 to 32 degrees;
• acidity - 5.4–7.5 units.

Unlike some other species, cool water does not increase, but decreases the life of the fish, so it should not be allowed to fall below 25 degrees.

A feature of the dwarf cichlid is weak immune system, therefore it is useful to place cones or dry alder leaves in the aquarium, which slightly acidify the water, have antibacterial and antifungal properties. But for this they are pre-dried in the open sun or on a battery. Enough 1-2 cones or a few leaves for a small aquarium.

For the bottom, you can use fine quartz sand, by the way, it is better to choose dark shades on which the electric blue looks especially advantageous. Rounded stones are suitable for decoration. From vegetation, various types of ambulia, Caroline, long-stemmed, silvery or marble kabombs are preferred.

The installed heater will help maintain a constant temperature.... In addition, fish need good lighting. Based on the habits of an electrician blue, they need to create small shelters, which become especially relevant when the female is about to spawn. If there are 2-3 pairs, then you will need several such nooks.

The apistogram can be given any kind of food, it is considered omnivorous, but since it is a predator, it needs animal protein. Therefore, it is recommended to feed live and frozen food in the form of bloodworms and cut tubifex. Large pieces of food can lead to death of the animal, therefore all food must be carefully chopped.

Suitable for fish and dry types of ready-made food, for example, flakes designed specifically for dwarf cichlids.

Ramireses are prone to poisoning and obesity, and due to illiterate care they can get sick with hexamitosis... If the fish's body has darkened, the abdomen is swollen, there is no appetite, and the excrement resembles whitish threads, it must be urgently transferred to another aquarium so that it does not infect other aquatic inhabitants. In this case you should consult your veterinarian for advice.

Experts advise to obtain fry to acquire 8-10 young apistograms and keep them together. The fish choose their own mate and form a stable union, becoming reproductive at 6-8 months. As a rule, before spawning, they find themselves a secluded place where the female lays 150-200 gray eggs on a smooth stone or dense leaf of the plant, and the male fertilizes the clutch. This happens 1 time in 10-15 days.

After that, the larvae first appear, which the male drags into the dug hole, and after another two days the larvae are transformed into fry. At this time, it is better to transfer the female to another tank.

The "father of the family" takes care of the babies for three weeks, after which he is also placed in another container. This is done then to protect babies from being eaten by their own parents, who have not lost their predatory habits. The fry are fed with "live dust" (ciliates), microscopic particles of boiled egg yolk, a little later they give small plankton, gill-footed crustaceans, their larvae (nauplii), freshwater crustaceans - cyclops.

The electric blue apistogram is perfectly combined with the following types of aquarium fish:

• neon from the genus ray-finned fish;
• Indian ghost catfish (glass catfish);
• a fish from the labyrinth family - lalius;
• micro-collection of the carp family;
• other representatives of dwarf cichlids.

Guppies, swordtails, parrotfish, scalars, gourami can become ramireza's neighbors. but do not keep an electrician blue with piranhas, goldfish and large aggressive representatives of the aquatic fauna. Apistograms are unlikely to maintain an even relationship with shrimp. The same can be said about such species as neocaridines, crystals. This is due to the fact that they hunt these animals.

The electric blue behaves calmly in relation to the aquarium vegetation, does not damage the stems and leaves, and he digs the soil only to hide the larvae, therefore is considered the ideal aquarium fish.

In the next video you can watch the electric blue ramirezi apistogram in the aquarium.