The intricacies of keeping zebrafish fish

Novice aquarists filling their first tank are advised to turn their attention to zebrafish. The appearance of such creatures looks extremely attractive and even spectacular, and caring for them is considered quite simple.

The zebrafish is a member of the small carp family. In nature, it lives in calm waters of Southeast Asia, as well as in rice fields. The length of the fish does not exceed 6 centimeters. The body is rather narrow and elongated, and the head is small.

The mouth is at the top, which allows the creature to feed by consuming food directly from the surface of the water. The zebrafish has two pairs of antennae that are responsible for touch.

Small fins are usually devoid of any pigment. The color of different species of zebrafish is different, but almost all representatives have horizontal stripes of a blue or purple hue on the entire surface of the body. In bright light, these stripes shimmer beautifully. The body itself can be called translucent, with the ability to change color depending on the changing environment. The back is most often olive gray in color, and the sides are painted in silvery pink.

The cost of one individual varies from approximately 20 to 140 rubles, depending on the rarity of the species.

Keeping and caring for domestic zebrafish is not particularly difficult. It is customary to house fish in flocks of 5 or 6 individuals.

The tank will need a rather large one - for a flock of 5 individuals, you need from 50 to 100 liters. Fewer fish, in principle, will be accommodated in a smaller tank, but in this case, collisions and aggressive antics of neighbors are quite likely. In any case, an aquarium volume of 10 to 30 liters is considered too small. It is better to choose the shape of the vessel elongated, close to an oval.

It is more convenient to plant plants around the perimeter so that underwater inhabitants do not experience any problems with movement. The selected samples should not be too thick. Danios are quite active and constantly in motion, so there should be as few interfering objects as possible in the aquarium, for example, decor. However, a few lightweight shelters will even be useful, as sometimes pets need to hide.

If you do not take care of the lid in a timely manner, then one day the situation can end fatally. The cover for the aquarium must have ventilation holes. In addition, you will have to leave at least a 5 cm gap between the water level and this part, otherwise the pets will start hitting the top of the tank. Most of the time, fish live either in the upper or in the middle of the aquarium. Nevertheless, sometimes they prefer to hide at the bottom in the sand, which explains the need for the formation of a sand layer.

There is no particular need for constant aeration, but the lighting for the zebrafish should be of high quality. The optimal daylight hours range from 10 to 12 hours. If this indicator decreases, then the behavior of the fish and even their appearance will change for the worse. In this matter, both the location of the aquarium in the room and the provision of additional lamps play an important role.

The reservoir can be filled with tap water, but previously it has settled for 12 hours. Its temperature can range from 22 to 26 degrees Celsius, and the pH level is in the range from 6.5 to 7.5. The optimal dH does not go beyond 5-15. A filter, a compressor and lighting devices must be located inside the container. Additionally, you can place and thermometerto always be sure of the optimum temperature.

Besides, it is important to monitor the concentration of nitrites, nitrates and ammonia in water... While maintaining the temperature is important for zebrafish, small fluctuations will not do much harm to them. But the purity of the water is critical, so once a week it needs to be changed by about a third of the total volume of the tank. Once a month, the aquarium will have to be cleaned up.

In nature, zooplankton, insects and larvae, as well as seeds that fall directly into the water, are consumed by zebrafish. At home, both live and dry food can be used, but most of all the fish are disposed to eat bloodworms, tubifex and brine shrimp. It is important that all food entering the aquarium is pre-crushed, otherwise the underwater inhabitants will simply not be able to swallow it.

It is common for zebrafish to contract several well-known diseases. Plistophorosis characterized by the presence of white spots on the body, which eventually become sores. The fish is painfully losing weight, its fins look disheveled, and the movement occurs at an angle of 45 to 90 degrees.In this case, in addition to treatment, you will definitely have to disinfect the aquarium, having previously cleaned it from the soil, using a five percent solution of hydrochloric acid or chloric lime.

It could be trichopolum in the amount of 5 mg per liter of water, erythrocycline, which is used in a proportion of 50 mg per liter of liquid. In addition, can be used methylene blue solution - in this case, you need 10 mg per liter of water. If the drugs do not work, then, unfortunately, the fish will have to be destroyed.

Trichodinosis zebrafish can be contracted from ciliates. The disease is signaled by a gray plaque that covers the entire body. For treatment, the temperature in the aquarium will have to be increased to 31 degrees, and the aeration will have to be significantly increased. Ordinary table salt is added directly to the water so that a tablespoon of powder falls on 10 liters. As a rule, it will take 10 days to a month for the zebrafish to finally recover, and during this time the salt concentration should remain unchanged.

All aquarium varieties of zebrafish become a decoration of the aquarium thanks to the original and sometimes exotic colors. The leopard zebrafish is covered in specks that resemble the skin of the animal of the same name. This variety was obtained by breeder scientists.

Danio rerio is the most popular and well-known representative of the species. It can be identified by its yellowish calf and neat blue and black stripes that extend to the caudal and anal fins. The body length reaches only 5 centimeters.

The pink zebrafish (pearl) is a small fish with a body length of about 6 centimeters. The torso is tinted olive-gray and the sides look a little brighter. Along the side of the body, there is a red stripe with a blue border, which disappears over time. The anal fin is colored red, while the caudal and dorsal fin is green. Males of pink zebrafish are smaller, brightly colored, and have a cherry-colored spot right in the middle of the caudal fin.

FireflyAlso called hopra or chopra, is a small zebrafish that is barely 3 centimeters long. The color of the fish is a combination of yellow and orange tones. This variety is also characterized by the presence of a solar strip running from the head to the dorsal fin.

There is and fluorescent zebrafish, which is the result of the activities of breeders. The colored fish spreads around itself both the usual white and ultraviolet light. The body is barely more than 3 centimeters long, and the surface can be painted in shades from lilac to bright red.

There are no special differences in caring for different zebrafish, but there are still some important nuances. For example, pink zebrafish and zebrafish feel comfortable at temperatures ranging from 21 to 24 degrees. Hybrid varieties also welcome higher temperatures, reaching 30 degrees. Probably in this case a heater will need to be installed inside the aquarium.

The zebrafish caviar looks like small balls of gray color, the diameter of which does not exceed 0.7 millimeters. By the end of the spawning period, more than a hundred eggs may remain from even one female, but not all of them will be fertilized as a result.

But when they start to move, it's time to feed them with ciliates or special powdered formulations intended for fry. As soon as the zebrafish are 7 to 10 days old, you can offer them more complex feed in the form of pellets or flakes.

Due to the peaceful nature of the zebrafish, they get along with numerous neighbors.For example, scalars, cockerels, guppies, labeos, catfish, bocias and many other fish will be a good choice. Limited compatibility is observed with such representatives of the underwater world as shrimp, eels and barbs. It is strictly forbidden to lodge zebrafish in the same tank with goldfish, cichlids, koi carps and discus.

For tips on caring for pink zebrafish, see the video below.