Cardinal: keeping and caring for aquarium fish

The cardinal is a fairly popular aquarium fish that has practically disappeared in recent years and is only raised in captivity. Aquarists appreciate her for her attractive appearance and peaceful nature. It does not cause any difficulties in leaving, it is very easy to get divorced, not picky about food, and also "gets along" with most of the underwater "neighbors".

The cardinal is a very small aquarium fish, which usually does not exceed 4 centimeters in length, although if excluded, it can stretch up to 6 centimeters. The fish lives from one to one and a half years, which is generally typical for all small fish.

In nature, they prefer the upper layers of water and almost completely ignore the lower ones. Therefore, the cardinal most often picks up food from the surface of the water, which is also helped by his mouth directed upward. The creature has no antennae, and the dorsal and anal fins are located on the same line of the body.

The tummy is painted in more faded colors than the rest of the body, and the fins are covered with red spots. Some individuals have other artificial colors. The Cardinals are characterized by a very peaceful disposition and calm demeanor. They feel great in a small flock, but alone they become nervous and fearful and even become paler.

Experts distinguish several main types of cardinals.

• Cardinal golden has an elongated and rather thin body shape. His color is very beautiful, which is a mixture between gold and orange. The gills and fins contain a large amount of red pigment, which makes them the most striking part of the body. The length of the goldfish does not exceed 3-4 centimeters.

• Veil cardinal differs from fellows in silvery-red color. The unusual name is derived from the presence of graceful fins that develop during movement.

• Albino cardinal is a variety artificially obtained by breeders. In fact, he does not have a pronounced body coloration.

Thus, fry are easy to purchase at a price of 5 to 8 rubles per individual, and for an adult fish you will have to pay from 15 to 20 rubles.

It is better to settle cardinals in flocks, the number of members of which reaches more than 15 individuals. A small number of inhabitants of the aquarium negatively affects their condition. By themselves, these fish are very peaceful, not posing a danger even to their own fry, therefore it is recommended to keep them with the same calm and good-natured creatures. It is categorically impossible to settle them together with aggressive or just large fish that will hunt.

Despite the fact that some people lodge cardinals with goldfish, this should not be done., since the latter quite often eat the former. Do not put Chinese zebrafish in the aquarium., since they are rather passive and practically unable to participate in the struggle for territory. In this case, not the cardinals themselves will suffer, but their cohabitants. Besides, it is dangerous to place fish together with predators such as piranhas, scalars and astronotuses.

Keeping cardinals in an aquarium and caring for them is not particularly difficult, since these fish are considered unpretentious. The main condition is to never use warm water, since it not only does not like the cardinals, but also shortens their life. Moreover, it is believed that at a lower temperature, the color of the creature becomes brighter. The optimum temperature of the liquid ranges from +18 to +20 degrees, and the hardness does not go beyond the range of 4–20... Ideal the acidity level is 6–8.

The tank volume can be small. As a rule, for a flock of 7 individuals, only a thirty-liter capacity is enough. The recommended water level varies from 20 to 30 centimeters.

It is better to select dark soil, consisting of ordinary river sand or finely crushed pebbles. Necessary be sure to put a filter, as well as a device for aerating water... Cardinals welcome strong currents, so you can take a powerful compressor.

It should also be mentioned that These fish are quite sensitive to the content of copper in the water, so the use of preparations with this component should be extremely careful. The lighting should be bright, especially during the winter season. To decorate the aquarium, driftwood, stones and ceramic figurines are suitable.

To achieve the optimum level, you will need to install artificial light sources. In this case, incandescent lamps will have to be abandoned, since they quickly heat up the water, and, as already mentioned, cardinals do not tolerate heated liquid well.Aquarium plants should be planted in such a way that so that they do not obstruct the lighting of the interior of the tank, and the fish have enough space to move and play.

The infection can be introduced into the aquarium by other fish, or through dirty water or non-decontaminated soil. Parasites are the result of poor quality feed or poor pet care. Stomach problems occur in fish due to improper nutrition. Therefore, the prevention of all diseases, in fact, is regular hygiene measures and preparation of high-quality feed.

Cardinals are happy to consume all kinds of food, that is, live and frozen food, pellets and flakes. Under natural conditions, fish consume insects, therefore, in captivity, they will be pleased with an assortment of bloodworms, tubifex and brine shrimp, to which purchased flakes are added.

Experts advise to cook scraped for fish from time to time beef heart, which is quite nutritious and practically does not spoil the water. From vegetable feed, it makes sense to pay attention to steamed semolina and chopped crumb of white bread.

Outwardly, males and females do not have any pronounced differences. However, males are still slightly smaller in size, and their color is slightly richer. As for the females, they have a pronounced rounded abdomen. Cardinals become sexually mature between 6 and 13 months of age. You can understand that the time has come by the behavior of the males, who begin to arrange "performances", attracting the attention of females. This variety is capable of throwing caviar throughout the year.

Breeding cardinals is recommended for beginner hobbyists as the whole process is fairly straightforward. There are two main methods. In the first case, the aquarium contains only large numbers of cardinals, so the entire spawning process can be carried out directly in the tank. In the second case, a separate spawning ground is formed, the volume of which ranges from 20 to 40 liters. Several males and five females are transplanted into this container.

Comfortable water temperature ranges from +18 to +22, and the acidity level does not go beyond 6.5–7.5. There is no need for soil in the spawning grounds, but it is better to put an internal filter. Shortly before spawning, the cardinals will have to be fed more satisfying and nutritious food, preferably live food: shrimp or tubifex.

The process itself will last from 2 to 3 days, after which the female lays from 20 to 30 eggs in a prepared nest. Having rested for 1–2 weeks, the fish is able to lay as much caviar.

After spawning and the appearance of eggs, the fish can be returned to the main aquarium. In a maximum of 2 days, the larvae will already appear, but the exact time is determined depending on the temperature of the water in the tank. After a few days, they are transformed into full-fledged fry. It is necessary to feed the offspring in a special way, for example, with egg yolk, ciliates or rotifers.

All major components it is imperative to grind it almost to the state of dust. It is not recommended to move babies to a shared aquarium until they are fully grown.

For the content of the cardinals, see below.