Ornatus: varieties and recommendations for content

Ornatus is a popular aquarium fish, which has become in demand among aquarists because of its unusual appearance and unpretentiousness in terms of keeping conditions. Interest also lies in the differences in the appearance of different types of ornatus. In order for the fish to delight its owner as long as possible, you need to study the basic rules for caring for it.

You can populate the following types of ornatus in the aquarium.

It lives in water bodies from the east of Guyana to the lower Amazon. It has a darkish color, the back is closer to olive brown, the side is yellowish with a reddish tint. In comfortable conditions, the color may turn red. The abdomen is silvery with a yellow tint; a gray, shiny stripe is sometimes observed on the posterior part. The tail has red blotches, and the dorsal fin and the upper part of the anal fin are framed in white.

In males, a black spot is observed on the dorsal fin, and in general the color of the male is more saturated than the color of the female. In addition, ladies have more graceful proportions and smaller sizes. A black stripe can be seen on the dorsal fin. In the natural environment, ornatus grows up to 6 cm in length, in aquarium conditions - no more than 4 cm.

Has the same body shape as the common variety. The color is deep black. A lighter shade is noticeable on the abdomen, and the sides are also slightly lightened. Females can be distinguished by their reddish fins and brown bodies.

In length, this species reaches 5 cm.The coloration is silvery, the pointed dorsal fin is milky white, and the caudal fin is reddish-orange. Other fins are white with a red border.

It has almost the same proportions as the Ornatus ordinary, however, it is painted in a light pink shade, the upper part has a more saturated color, the abdomen is golden. The dorsal, caudal, and anal fins shine in scarlet tones. The size of the red ornatus is 4–5 cm.

In nature, this fish prefers to settle in shaded reservoirs filled with a variety of flora and bottom objects such as stones and snags. In such areas, the water is soft and full of turbidity. To bring the aquarium conditions closer to natural conditions, aquarists recommend filling the ornatus tank with water with the following indicators:

• hardness - maximum 10 dH;

• temperature limits - + 22-27 degrees;

• acidity - 6–7.5 pH.

Be sure to equip the aquarium with a high-quality filter and aeration systems, as well as place a grotto, caves, driftwood on the bottom, which will serve as shelter and shaded areas for the fish.

During the game, frisky fish can jump out of the aquarium. To avoid tragic accidents, be sure to take care of the cover. These are solitary creatures, however, it is recommended to keep them in the aquarium in a group of 6-7 individuals, since in case of danger, they feel more comfortable in a flock. At the same time, a struggle for leadership can begin in the "team", the aquarist can observe battles between males.

Ornatus are unpretentious to the ground, but it is better to choose dark-colored pebbles so that the amazing color of the fish looks even more spectacular against a dark background. To create turbidity in the water, you can use oak or birch leaves scalded with boiling water.

A change of 30% of the water volume is performed once a week. It is required to drain part of the container by means of a siphon and fill in fresh water that has settled during the day, containing peat extract. Also, the rules of care include weekly cleaning of the filter. It is important to thoroughly rinse all hoses, tubes and sponges. If this is an external unit, then it can be cleaned a little less often.

Ornatus are picky about the diet. Most often, aquarists include bloodworms, tubifex or other animal foods in their menu. Ready-made dry food is also quite suitable, but during the spawning period it is important to treat the fish with protein animal food in order to obtain high-quality healthy offspring.

Ornatus are quite peaceful and friendly creatures that easily get along with a wide variety of fish. Try not to settle these creatures with aggressive large fish, for which the ornatus will become an object of hunting. Also, active nimble fish will not work, which will interfere with the measured existence of ornatus and can damage their fins.

The most favorable neighbors are thorns, ancitruses, acanthophthalmus, marble gourami, neons, cockerels, lalius, macropods, tetras, synodontis, speckled and golden catfish, cardinals, barbs, zebrafish, labeo, guppies, swordtails. It is better to avoid the joint keeping of orantus and parrots, eleotes, labidochromis yellows and other cichlids. Consider the conditions of keeping the fish. So, ornatus get along well with platies, however, it is recommended to use hard water for platies, and softer water for ornatus.

Individuals become sexually mature at the age of 8-10 months.To stimulate spawning, they reduce the hardness of the water and raise the temperature up to 28 degrees. Also, water is softened by adding peat. A couple of weeks before spawning, the fish are fed a high protein animal feed. A container with a volume of 10-30 liters is suitable as a spawning box. It is important to plant green spaces at the bottom and lay a separator mesh. As soon as the fish are placed in the spawning grounds, they do not need food.

It is not difficult to determine that ornatus are ready to spawn. During this period, the fish are covered with a more saturated color, and the males begin to flirt with their lovers, after which the females begin spawning. Eggs are brown in color, their number is 100-400 units. As soon as the eggs are fertilized, the producers are returned to the common aquarium, since the parents will not mind feasting on their own offspring.

While the eggs are developing, it is important for the owner to take care of the spawning grounds. For example, you need to remove dead eggs - they are whitish and float to the surface. To prevent the appearance of bacteria, special preparations, for example, "Erythromycin", can be added to the water. The product must be crushed into powder, poured into a bag and placed in the aquarium.

Fry will begin to emerge in 36–48 hours. The first 3-4 days they feed on the yolk sac, after which they begin to swim independently in search of food. During this period, babies can be fed with "live dust", cyclops and brine shrimp nauplii. At this age, the cubs are fed every 2-3 hours in small portions - this way the fish will grow faster. By the plump pink belly, you can understand that the offered portion is enough for the fry. At the age of one month, the fish are transferred to a more "adult" food.

You can learn how to properly keep ornatus in an aquarium from the video below.