Aquarium fish petsilia: varieties, selection and content

Pecilia is an aquarium fish of the Pecilia family. Unpretentious, friendly and peaceful, its content is suitable for novice aquarists. The fish are viviparous and reproduce easily, do not cause much trouble to the owners and please with an unusual variable color. The petsilia aquarium is eye-catching and interesting to watch.

This fish is a great option for a species aquarium. Pecilia are beautiful and bright, they reproduce easily and are undemanding to the conditions of keeping. Homeland - reservoirs of Central and North America. Wild species appear duller: pale yellow body with brown specks. But thanks to the painstaking work of breeders, many decorative breeds of the most incredible shades have been bred. There are more than 30 species of pecilia. They differ in color, body shape and fins, but they also have common features:

• platies size from 4 to 12 cm;
• viviparous;
• can change gender;
• unpretentious;
• live in an aquarium from 3 to 5 years.

The lifespan of platies depends on the type and conditions of detention.

Plates have many varieties, each breeder will be able to choose the fish to their liking. We will take a look at 12 species that are most commonly found in an aquarium.

• Balloon (disc). The fish has a pronounced rounded belly and a hunched back, the body is short and resembles a barrel. This structure has arisen due to the curved spine. The color can be different, there are silver, black, red and spotted individuals.Fish grow up to 10 cm and live no more than 4 years. Due to the curved spine, the balloon is more likely to have health problems than other species, so it needs good care.

• Radish. A unique feature of this species is a black tail of an unusual shape, elongated in the middle part. The body color is most often red. Pecilia radish is distinguished by its endurance and unpretentiousness.

• Black. An active, nimble fish with a peaceful character. The abdomen is black, with beautiful iridescent scales, and the fins and head are colored orange. These fish can be crossed with other species and get fry of the original color.

• Tricolor. Despite its small size (the fish grows to only 5 cm in length), it requires a lot of space. The aquarium should be planted with dense vegetation in which the fish like to hide. These platies are multi-colored, their color consists of a combination of several colors: yellow, green, blue, silver, orange and black.

• Sailing velifer. It features a beautiful large sail-like dorsal fin. The fish can be colored in different ways - there are red, chocolate, silver, black and marble individuals.

• Spotted. This species is closest to the wild species and requires a spacious, deep aquarium. The color is very diverse - more than 30 varieties of varieties. Breeders love to keep spotted platies for the reason that by crossing individuals with each other, you can get fish of different shades ..

• Yellow. A sunfish with a yellow belly and a bright scarlet tail. In females, the caudal fin may be only slightly colored. This pecilia is unpretentious, has a lively and funny character.

• Rainbow (neon). An individual of this species is fascinating with its original color. The silvery scales shimmer in the sun in blue, blue and turquoise hues. The fish are gregarious, so it is better to populate them in a group - 6-10 pieces each.

• Black-tailed. The fish resembles swordtails in appearance: an orange body and a black tail. They grow large enough for a petsilia - up to 12 cm. This species needs live food more than others.

• Mickey Mouse. The fish got its name thanks to the pattern at the base of the tail fin: three black spots resemble the head of a cartoon mouse. The color of the calf is silver or orange.

• Sunset. The color is heterogeneous: lemon shades smoothly turn into scarlet or bright orange. There may be dark specks on the sides. These petsilia are not found in nature.

• Tuxedo. Silver or red fish with large black spots on the sides, merging into a wide strip. They are mobile and peaceful.

It is better to buy fish in a small flock - 4–6 fish will be enough for the first purchase. Choose healthy individuals:

• the fish must move actively;
• fins are even, without damage;
• the color of the calf is bright, without any growths;
• the body is straight, proportional, with a small belly, with the exception of the balloon, which, as a result of the curved spine, have an unusual shape.

Since the lifespan of the petsilia is short, it is better to choose young fish. In order to distinguish adolescents from adults, you need to pay attention to the color: in young animals, it is usually paler. Age and fins will tell you: in fry they are not so long. When choosing platies, take a good look at the specimens in bright light. In old fish, the scales become coarse, the fins split, the shape of the mouth may change and the eyes may dim.

There are several significant differences between male and female, by which you can determine the sex of an individual:

• the color of males is brighter and richer;
• females are usually larger than males;
• near the anal fin in males there is a gonopodium - an elongated genital organ, in a female it is absent;
• females are "pot-bellied", especially if the fish is carrying fry;
• the dorsal fin of the female is more neat, it is smaller and narrower than that of the male.

It should be noted that petsilia can change sex.Such an unusual feature of the fish from a scientific point of view is explained by the need for survival and procreation. There are cases when females in a whole group were reborn into males when the conditions of care changed.

Plants are easy to keep, they can even live in 10-liter jars. However, it is worth considering that each fish requires 1.5–2 liters of water. It is best to provide them with an aquarium with a volume of 40 liters or more. Even if the reservoir is small, the main thing is that it is deep, since the fish spend most of their life in the middle layer of water.

It is recommended to fill the bottom with dark soil - against its background, bright platys will look more spectacular. Grottoes and artificial decorations are required - curious fish will be happy to explore their surroundings. You can choose from plants:

• cryptocoryne;
• elodea;
• vallisneria;
• echinodorus;
• riccia;
• hornwort.

Algae are placed along the back wall and sides of the tank. Any few snails are planted in the aquarium, which will keep it clean. The container should be closed with a lid, as fish can jump out of the water. Aeration is necessary only in a densely populated aquarium, but if there are few fish and they have enough space, they are comfortable without additional oxygen enrichment. Daylight is enough for pecilia, artificial lighting is required only if the aquarium is in a dark place.

The temperature of the water in the aquarium should be kept around 21-25 degrees. Pecilia are sensitive to water hardness, it should be in the region of 10-30 dH. In too soft water, fish get sick, therefore, if necessary, use marble chips and a solution of magnesia. These agents increase the stiffness.

Partial water changes are required weekly. Using a hose or a ladle, drain 20-30% of the liquid into an empty bucket and fill the aquarium with clean, settled water. A complete water change is not recommended, as it can disturb the microclimate of the aquarium. Such a radical measure is resorted to only in cases of infection of fish with viral and bacterial infections.

Petsilia are not picky and happily eat specialized dry food. They feed the fish 2 times a day, in small portions. Flakes containing plant components are preferred. Do not forget about natural food, you can give:

• bloodworms;
• brine shrimp;
• tubifex;
• daphnia;
• corotra.

Live food is an excellent source of protein for viviparous fish. It should be purchased only in specialized stores, as it can be a source of the spread of dangerous infections.

Pecilia must be fed with plant products: cucumber, zucchini, spinach, cabbage and lettuce leaves. Previously, vegetables must be washed and scalded with boiling water. They love platys and feast on duckweed. The main thing is to clean the aquarium of food debris: if a piece of cucumber has not been eaten within 12 hours, it must be removed from the aquarium.

Petsilia are distinguished by good health, but various ailments do not bypass them either. A sick fish lies at the bottom, eats poorly, atypical formations and plaque may appear on the body. Poor care is the root cause of many illnesses:

• overcrowded aquarium;
• poor quality feed and non-compliance with the diet;
• the content of fish in water that does not meet the required parameters.

Most often, petsilia is subject to the following diseases.

• Fungus. It looks like a fluffy coating on the body. Salt will save the fish (100 g per 5 l). Sick individuals are immersed in a reservoir of saline solution for 20 minutes.
• Fin rot. A sign of infection is clouding of the fins and their subsequent destruction.At the initial stage of the disease, the fish are treated with table salt, and in advanced cases, antibiotics are used.
• White-skinned. It is accompanied by the appearance of white spots on the body, the color of the fish turns pale, the diseased individual stays at the surface of the water. Infected platies are quarantined and treated with chloramphenicol for five days.

To prevent the spread of infections, platies with suspicious, but indistinct symptoms are deposited from a common aquarium and a medicinal bath is prepared for them. To do this, dissolve one tablet of biomycin in a 5-liter vessel and immerse the fish in this medium for 12 hours. For these purposes, table salt is also used.

Pecilia are viviparous fish and reproduce well in the general aquarium. The female can bear up to 60 fry. If there are enough shelters in the "water world", then most of the kids survive, the other part can be eaten by adults. The best shelter for young fish is dense algae. In order to avoid eating the offspring, it is better to plant a pregnant individual; a regular 3-liter jar is suitable for this. After the fry appear, the female is returned to the aquarium, and the babies are kept there until they grow up.

Many aquarists want unusual hybrid forms with a variety of color combinations. To do this, choose a pair of the most beautiful and healthy fish, which are at least 6 months old. The female and the male must be deposited in a separate tank and create comfortable conditions:

• the volume of the spawning box is not less than 20 liters;
• the water temperature is 2-3 degrees higher than in the general aquarium;
• the tank is equipped with an aeration system and good lighting.

After fertilization, the female's abdomen is rounded, and a dark spot forms near the anal fin. At this point, the male is returned to the aquarium. After 4 weeks, fry appear, which begin to swim all over the space in search of food. The female is removed, and the children are fed with live dust or dry food for fry. They give food often - 5-6 times a day, in small portions. Over time, the frequency of feeding is gradually reduced to 3 times a day.

Petsilia, as noted above, are peaceful, they do not bother neighbors and get along well with other types of fish:

• guppy;
• cockerels;
• scalars;
• zebrafish;
• tetras;
• barbs;
• rainbows;
• gourami;
• macropods;
• discus;
• swordsmen.

They cannot be kept together with cichlids, astronotus and gold. These aquarium fish will chase defenseless platies. Much also depends on the individual character traits of individuals, for example, sometimes a conflict can arise with swordsmen or barbs. Therefore, when replanting new neighbors, the first time you should watch the fish.

You can see about platies in the video below.