Aquarian fish the sword-bearer treats group karpozuby, to family petsilid. In the nature of such small fishes it is possible to meet in reservoirs of Guatemala, Central America, Mexico and Honduras. Before getting sword-bearers for the aquarium, it is necessary to study rules of their contents and food.
Description of sword-bearers
Length of a body of males reaches 8 centimeters, females – 12 centimeters, everything depends on conditions of keeping of sword-bearers. The characteristic of sword-bearers is a peculiar shoot on the lower part of a tail fin which reminds by the form a sword. Quite often hybrids meet couple of swords and also the increased back fin. Females have less bright color. The anal fin at a male is transformed to gonopody – the genital intended for reproduction. Sword-bearers amicably treat other species of fish, well get on with them in one aquarium. Females of sword-bearers has to be more, than males. The strong male quite often pursues weaker.
Keeping of sword-bearersSword-bearers are not exacting to conditions of keeping. The most optimum water temperature in an aquarium – 24-26 degrees. Fish easily transfers temporary decrease in water temperature to 16 degrees. The rigidity can vary in the big range – 8-25 dH, and here the acidity is recommended to support within 7-8 pH. At least once a week replace one third of volume of water in an aquarium, it is desirable to make water enrichment with oxygen periodically. Set an aquarium with fine-leaved plants which form dense thickets (Gear elodeya, Kabomba or Vallisneriya). Whitebaits will have an opportunity to take refuge in them from adult fish. Start up on a water surface an openwork green moss – a richchiya which forms picturesque islands. Sword-bearers are very active small fishes, they sometimes so frolic that can jump out of an aquarium. That to avoid it, cover an aquarium.
Feeding
Activity of sword-bearers, however, as well as other species of fish, depends on the healthy and good nutrition. They are absolutely unpretentious in food. The optimum food allowance has to include a vegetable and live forage: trubochnik, Artemy, water flea, spinach, seaweed, various grades of salad, crank, Cyclops, larvae of mosquitoes, pounded porridge, peas and nettle. A forage it is possible to use any, both live, and tinned, dry or frozen. If you need to be away on vacation or a business trip, it is not necessary to worry as aquarian sword-bearers easily transfer lack of a forage within one-two weeks without damage to the health. Fish eat various vodoroslevy obrastaniye which are formed on glasses of an aquarium or leaves of plants.
Reproduction
Sword-bearers treat group viviparous, they bring completely created and large whitebaits into the world. Incubation lasts about forty days, before childbirth the paunch of a female increases, gains square shape. Place a female in separate capacity with a large number of fine-leaved plants. After the delivery return it back to the general aquarium. A starting forage for whitebaits: Artemy, a nematode, the cut trubochnik, an egg yolk, industrial forages.