Cultivation of aquarium fishes is a process which demands both knowledge and experience, and patience and time. Each species of fish has the characteristics, it concerns also "clever" astronotus.
Astronotusa are large fishes of family of a tsikhlida who differ in intelligence, advanced for fishes, and reach in length of 35-40 cm. In spite of the fact that astronotus is not only large, but also predatory fish, many aquarians lovingly call it "astrochka". Experienced breeders of this fish manage to accustom pets to swim to a hand of the owner and to receive delicacy directly from hands.
The body of astronotus has the ellipse form compressed from sides. These fishes reaching a maturity, begin to form couples. It is observed at the size of individuals about 12 cm.
Selection of couple for cultivationFor reproduction of astronotus it is necessary to get several young individuals, and at achievement of mature age they choose to themselves partners. In case there are not picked up couples, then males and females need to be seated in different aquariums, approximately for 2 weeks and to feed in the strengthened mode.
As stimulation of spawning the various feeding of fish is recommended, it has to be also plentiful. One more stimulating parameter is increase in water temperature by several degrees.
The spacious aquarium approximately on 400-500 liters is necessary for spawning. Water temperature has to vary in limits 24-30os. For good spawning on an aquarian bottom place several flat large stones, they act as substrate, fishes lay caviar for them. Just before spawning the female of an astronotus will carefully clean the stone chosen by her and will lay out rather turbid white berries in number from 300 to 2000 pieces. Then there comes the turn of a male, he has to water with milts vymetanny caviar. Astronotusa are careful parents owing to what couple protects and looks after caviar, brushes away it with fins, deletes the died berries and also drives away other fishes.
If couple spawned in the general aquarium, then it is better to transfer a laying to other capacity which has good aeration. In nerestovik it is necessary to add methylene blue that will prevent death of berries.
Care for whitebaitsFor 4 – 8 days, whitebaits who are attached to a parental body by means of sticky threads are pecked out, some time they eat an epithelial secret (releases of leather) of parents. After whitebaits begin to swim freely, they need to be transplanted from parents. After division of whitebaits feed with live dust, an egg yolk, nematodes, a trubochnik the cut, small Cyclops. Whitebaits of astronotus grow unevenly owing to what they need to be sorted as large individuals will eat smaller. Astronotusa are predators since the birth. Approximately in a month the para-manufacturing it is again ready to spawning.