Tetradon pygmy: contents and photos. Fish tetradon: description

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Recently, you can buy a variety of exotic fish in pet stores. One of the most unusual, but very remarkable inhabitants of aquariums is the dwarf tetradon. Many people know very little about this cute and funny fish, so they often make mistakes when keeping them.

General information

Dwarf tetradons are distant relatives of the most famous poisonous fish - fugu. Some aquarists are afraid to keep them because they believe that their mucus also contains toxins. But there is no official confirmation of this opinion.

Tetradon pygmy in the wild lives in the southern Indian state of Kerala. These small freshwater fish live in a system of lakes and canals with a muddy or sandy bottom. Their Latin name is Carinotetraodon travancoricus. The tetradon fish will never swim into the open sea, so there is no need to add s alt to the water for aquarium inhabitants.

Tetradon has an intense yellow color. Adults reach only 2.5-3 cm in length. Tetradonyellow dwarf - the smallest of all relatives of its family. Its skin is smooth, without spines and needles on the abdomen. In this he differs from his famous relatives.

Mature males are more brightly colored. Often they have a dark stripe located in the center of the tummy. The females are more rounded. The eyes of these fish rotate independently of each other. This feature of the anatomy allows you to consider the world around you, almost without moving. Dwarf tetradons are able to change their color depending on their mood. It varies from yellow-green to almost brown with dark spots. Their belly is white or yellowish.

Dwarf tetradons are distinguished by their curiosity. They watch with interest everything that happens behind the glass. Such fish over time can recognize the owner who feeds them daily. In good conditions, they live up to 6-7 years. The tetradon fish is still rarely seen on sale, but its beautiful coloration and unusual behavior are increasingly attracting the attention of aquarists.

Aquarium decoration

Tetradon dwarf, whose photo is delightful, does not require any special equipment in the aquarium. For him, it will be enough to plant the soil with various algae, in which the fish will hide. You can also put various fancy snags or branches on the bottom of the aquarium, which will serve as additional protection. A container designed in this way will provide a large field of activity for curious and frisky tetradons, as well as reduce the level of intraspecific aggression.

This type of fish prefers calm water, so its flow in the aquarium should be of medium power. For such inhabitants, regular partial water changes are required. Dwarf tetradon in nature lives in reservoirs rich in various thickets and shelters, so it prefers the same conditions in aquariums. Floating plants can be used to diffuse sunlight. In such conditions, this species of fish is characterized by increased activity. An aquarium with dwarf tetradons is preferable to plant with thin-leaved aquatic plants, such as Javanese moss, cabomba, ambulia.

Containment conditions

A 10-liter flask can contain no more than 3 dwarf tetradons. Accordingly, a 20-liter aquarium is suitable for a small flock of these fish, consisting of 5-6 individuals. Moreover, there should be more females than males in order to reduce the risk of their persecution by very loving "suitors". With greater population density, conditions become more difficult, and the risk of fish fighting among themselves increases.

Tetradon, whose maintenance in an aquarium is hampered by its increased sensitivity to nitrates and ammonia, can live normally only in ideal water quality. That is why it is necessary to constantly monitor the level of chemicals. You should also change the water on time. Its temperature should be in the range of 22-28 °C. The hardness is dH 4-25°, and the acidity is pH 6.5-7.5. Fish need aeration, filtration, a third of the water change every week.

Content Features

Dwarf tetradon, the content of which in the aquarium is dictated by its predatory nature, can prey on various living creatures. It belongs to the four-tooth family, which feed not only on worms, but also on mollusks such as snails. That is why tetradon (keeping it with various small living creatures will lead to its extermination) will not allow other fish to breed in large quantities in the aquarium.

Diet

Aquarium tetradons perfectly eat frozen and live food. At the same time, they eat dry food very reluctantly, so ready-made flakes or granules will not suit them. In nature, tetradons feed on insects, small invertebrates, and snails. In the aquarium, they should be provided with a similar diet.

If there are no snails in the tank with these fish, they must be given as food. In this case, you should choose small individuals. Such top dressing will not only enrich the diet of tetradons, but also allow you to periodically wash their constantly growing teeth. Best of all, tetradons eat small snails, such as fiza, melania, coil. Of the frozen foods, bloodworms, daphnia, and brine shrimp are most suitable for these fish. They are very well eaten by tetradons when mixed with living microorganisms, such as tubifex.

Tetradons leave quite a lot of waste after feeding, so do not give them a lot of food at once, so as not to pollute the water. They should eat their ration immediately.

Neighbourhood with other fish

Dwarf tetradon is a small fish, but this does not prevent it from being very active and energetic. Such features allow you to fight for food with some of the larger inhabitants of the aquarium. Dwarf tetradon, which can be kept with large, mobile, but not aggressive fish, gets along well with Espey parsing, otociclus, zebrafish Khopra, iris.

You should not buy such inhabitants if there are individuals with beautiful fins in the aquarium. Dwarf tetradon can easily bite them and deprive the fish of an attractive appearance. Also, do not keep these predators together with viviparous species, since in this case the chances of seeing fry are reduced to zero.

Shrimp content

Dwarf tetradon and shrimp get along well in a large aquarium. Cherry and Amano shrimp are most suitable for the neighborhood. You can also use other freshwater species of these arthropods. Moreover, the dwarf tetradon can easily cope with the fallen individuals, thereby clearing the aquarium of pollution. He can also eat young shrimp.

Features of tetradons

These aquarium inhabitants can quickly turn into a ball shape. To do this, they inflate their tummies, filling them with air or water. Most often, this behavior is a response to some kind of threat. Some aquarists have noted an increase in cases of this behavior of tetradons in densely populated artificial reservoirs. When inflated, their size increases by 2-3 times, which allows you to scare away potential predators. Thanks to thisfeatures of this species of fish, they can almost never be swallowed by large neighbors. Another characteristic feature of dwarf tetradons is their ability to turn their eyes.

Hunting style

Aquarium tetradons are predatory fish with a very interesting hunting style. As a rule, they are located above potential prey and carefully consider it, carefully aim. In a small area around a potential prey, these fish can take them by surprise. Only a few seconds later, the tetradon attacks its prey. However, his breakthrough does not always bring good luck. Sometimes even a coretra manages to avoid a fatal attack. After an unsuccessful attempt, the pygmy tetradon starts hunting again from the beginning.

Daily routine

Strange as it may sound, tetradon fish sticks to its daily routine. She wakes up when the lights are turned on or with the first rays of the sun at dawn. After warming up the fins, these fish swim up to the front glass of the aquarium and look out for the owner, who must feed them. After a stormy meal, each notebook finds a secluded place for itself, and life in an artificial reservoir calms down. Fully fed adult fish fall into a light nap, and young individuals spend all their free time in games.

Mature tetradons in the late afternoon begin to pay attention to their other neighbors. At the same time, the males acquire a darker color and begin to swim around the tufts of moss, waiting for the favor of the female.and scaring off rivals. Such flirting fish continue until about 7 pm. At about 20:00, dwarf tetradons begin to settle down for the night. However, they do not pay the slightest attention to the lighting of the aquarium.

Intelligence

Smart and intelligent fish is a dwarf tetradon. Keeping it in the aquarium is not particularly difficult. He quickly gets used to the owner and when he appears near an artificial reservoir, he begins to actively beg for food from him. At the same time, females swimming along the glass show the greatest agility. Males show more patience and calmness, but when food gets into the water, they immediately pounce on it.

Reproduction

The tetradon fish is successfully bred in aquarium conditions, which is a pleasant difference from other relatives. For breeding, they take a pair of fish or the best male and several females. Aquarists note successful reproduction in rather large flocks of dwarf tetradons. These fish breed, provided that the tank has a small filter and a lot of thin-leaved plants. Water must be changed regularly in small portions. Its parameters should be optimal for this type of fish. The temperature is set within the upper limit of the allowable range.

The fish are fed before spawning with tubifex and such frozen food as bloodworms. They are also given small snails. The male, ready for breeding, acquires an intense color and a brighter pattern on the body. At the same time, it flattens from the sides, becomes less rounded. Malebegins courting the female with vigorous pursuit of her. Often he bites his "lady" until she shows interest in him. Courtship most often ends in an area with low vegetation, where a couple releases eggs and milk for several seconds. Most often this occurs near various mosses. Tetradons can spawn several times in one period. This happens until the female gets rid of all the eggs.

Fry rearing

The fish spawn almost transparent eggs, the diameter of which is only 1 mm. It develops in those places where it fell into cover. Each female can produce up to 100 eggs. Dwarf tetradons are not averse to eating them. That is why the seed material should be moved to controlled conditions where it can successfully develop until the larvae hatch. You can collect it with a large pipette. In this case, it is necessary to get rid of barren or disease-infected eggs that have a milky white color.

A small container of water from the parent aquarium is suitable for growing fry. Its temperature should be the same as in adults. To equip the aquarium, a conventional airlift filter is used, which will protect the fry from being drawn in. At the same time, beneficial microorganisms will multiply on its surface. It is also recommended to add some moss used in spawning containers to the aquarium.

Tetradon larvae hatch from the eggs in 5-6 days. Within 2-3 daysthey feed on the yolk sac. Every day the fry will become more and more active. For normal development, they need very small food, such as grindal (microworms) and ciliates. Further, Artemia nauplii can be included in the diet. Only a month later, the fry will be able to eat frozen bloodworms. Within 2 months, they grow up to 1 cm. All fry of different ages should be kept separately, as older individuals can prey on their smaller counterparts.