Aquarium fish comet: care, maintenance

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

Comet fish, belonging to the Cyprinidae family, is considered to be the decoration of any aquarium. In addition, this peaceful creature gets along well with many equally calm neighbors.

Comet fish, the photo of which you can see below, will appeal to all lovers of underwater inhabitants with a bright color. The comet is beautiful and also unpretentious in care. This species was bred by selective breeding, and today it is well known throughout the world.

History of the species

The birthplace of the fish has not yet been precisely established. The comet, according to some sources, appeared in the United States in the early eighties of the XIX century thanks to the efforts of the breeder Mulette. But in the book Aquaria, which was published in 1898, the comet is called a Japanese fish. It also explains that she came to America in 1872. Moreover, Mullet, in her book, which was published in 1883, also confirms her Japanese origin.

However, the Japanese do not claim to be the developers of this species. Therefore, experts are inclined to believe that Mullet brought the American species from individuals brought from Japan. Today there is no exact data on the question of which fish were involved in breeding work inUSA.

External Features

Comet fish (aquarium) has a bright and memorable appearance. Its body is slightly elongated, with a luxurious forked tail, which is usually several times the size of the body. The price of this fish depends on its length - the longer it is, the more expensive the cost of an individual.

The elongated lower and dorsal fins add grace to the appearance of the comet. The length of the fish is 18 centimeters. It belongs to the centenarians of the aquarium. With proper care, she lives 14 years. Comet fish can have a different color - from light yellow with small white patches to very dark, almost black. Color is affected by:

• lighting of the aquarium;
• feed;
• variety and number of plants;
• presence of shaded areas.

And although the color can be quite diverse, fish whose fin color differs from the body color are of particular value. Today, yellow, silver or gold individuals are common. Silvery comets have orange spots on their bodies.

A silvery comet with a bright red tail is considered very valuable. More often this species has a red-orange body interspersed with yellow or white. Interestingly, due to lighting or nutrition, this fish is able to change its color. To keep it in its original form, you must follow the simple rules of its content. We will talk about them further.

Comet Fish Contents

Comet feels quite comfortable in a common aquarium (if there are calm neighbors). The favorite pastime of these beauties is to dig in the ground. Despite the unpretentiousness in keeping these fish, there is one feature of their behavior that can cause problems for the owner - they often jump out of the aquarium. And the rest of the maintenance of comets is not difficult. They can even be kept in small artificial ponds in the country.

Comet fish at home is kept in aquariums with a volume of at least fifty liters. The size of the container largely depends on the density of its population, which must be taken into account. The more spacious the aquarium, the more comfortable your comet will feel. With an increase in the number of underwater inhabitants, do not forget about aeration of the water. The substrate in the aquarium can be coarse sand or pebbles.

Plants

Comet fish needs large-leaved plant species. More precisely, they are suitable for any, but more delicate varieties of comets quickly spoil. In addition, natural waste accumulates on their surface, giving the aquarium an untidy look. Therefore, it is better to use plants with hard leaves and strong roots. The most suitable are sagittaria, capsule or elodea.

Lighting

Comets prefer natural light. However, they should have hiding places in which the fish sometimes hide.

Temperature conditions

In spring and summer, it is recommended to keep the water temperature around +23 °C, and in winter it is lowered to +18 °C. Acidity is standard - 6-8 pH. If youIf you notice that normally active fish become lethargic, add five grams of s alt per liter of water to the water. Weekly water changes (up to 20%) are required. Its hardness can vary from 8 to 25 dH.

Feeding

The comet fish does not suffer from lack of appetite. Moreover, she is gluttonous, and if you feed her enough, you can provoke various intestinal diseases. Therefore, it is necessary to observe the norm and terms of feeding.

The diet should contain both plant and live food. Its amount should not exceed three percent of the weight of the fish. This is the daily rate. They feed the comet twice a day - in the morning and in the evening. It is advisable to do this at about the same time. Feeding is given from 10 to 20 minutes. After the meal is over, food remains from the aquarium are removed.

Compatibility

Comet is a wonderful fish with a peaceful character. She gets along well with many peaceful species of underwater inhabitants. The only exceptions are aggressive and too small fish, which the comet can accidentally swallow.

Calm catfish are suitable for this species, which not only will not cause scandals in the underwater world, but will also clean the aquarium.

Reproduction

These beautiful fish breed well at home. To do this, you will need a spawning aquarium in which you need to create a favorable microclimate.

Spawning tank should be at least thirty liters in volume, with small-leaved plants and sandy soil. The water temperature is maintained around +26 °C. To stimulate spawningit must be heated, gradually increasing its value by 5-10 ° C per day.

For spawning choose two males at the age of two years and one female. Initially, they are seated for 2 weeks in different aquariums and are well fed with their usual food. Then the fish are sent to the spawning grounds. After the temperature reaches values that are comfortable for spawning, the males begin to actively show signs of attention to the female, chasing her around the aquarium.

Caviar females scatter throughout the aquarium. Most of the eggs settle on plants. During spawning, the comet produces up to 10,000 eggs. At the same time, a protective net for caviar, which develops within four days, should be placed on the bottom of the container. On the fifth day, fry are born. They should be fed live dust. After their appearance, the spawners should be removed from the spawning ground.