Aquarium fish with a long nose. Macrognathus is a personal decorative eel in your home. Is it possible to breed in an aquarium

natural area macrognathus habitats India, Myanmar, Thailand. With whom just do not confuse this unusual fish whatever it is called. She happens to be an eel, and a catfish, and a loach. But it has nothing to do with them, except that she is also a fish. There is only one family in the proboscis-snout order - probosciss, sometimes they are called "prickly eels", but this is figurative.

Macrognathuses grow large up to 40 cm, at home it is a delicacy. In an aquarium, macrognathuses are usually smaller, about 20-25 cm. peaceful fish with twilight and nocturnal activity. They feed on various invertebrates, the favorite food of mosquito larvae, tubifex and earthworms. For caution with adults, do not keep small fish not to be eaten. Not all individuals get used to eating non-living food, especially dry food. We have some fish ate squid and cod meat, cut into long slices. But there were individuals of Macrognathus, eating only live food.

For Macrognathus, the soil in the aquarium is mandatory, and there should not be pebbles with sharp edges. Fish love to burrow with only their noses sticking out of the ground. If you deprive them of this opportunity, they may begin skin diseases. In connection with the underground way of life of mucus, fish produce an excess amount with the expectation of rubbing against stones during burrowing. When kept without soil, the mucus is not wiped off, which causes inflammation of the skin. The aquarium must be tightly covered, because. it happens that fish crawl out, especially at the corners of the aquarium, equipment wires and air ducts. A photo of Macrognathus can be seen on the right.

Fish breeding is difficult. Although spontaneous spawnings do occur, gonadotropic injections usually have to be resorted to. Macrognatus reach sexual maturity after a year. A mature female Macrognathus is much fuller than a male, you can even see the eggs through the skin. During the spawning period, the anus of the fish swells, the female has an ovipositor, and the male has a vas deferens. The activity of macrognathus increases significantly, they almost do not dig into the ground, males constantly pursue females. A pair of fish is planted for spawning or two males per female. In order to avoid eating caviar, producers place a plastic mesh on the bottom. It is necessary to provide powerful aeration and flow, the water must be clean and fresh, Ph about 7, temperature 26C. the female spawns about a thousand eggs (fertility depends on the size of the spawners). Incubation lasts 3 days, after another 3 days the fry begin to swim. The babies of Macrognathus are fed with a rotifer, Artemia and Cyclops nauplii, then with a microworm, small Cyclops, Artemia.

IN natural environment Macrognathus lives in Burma, India, Thailand, where it lives in fresh and brackish waters. This is a rather long fish, resembling an eel with a mobile and graceful muzzle. The body length of Macrognathus is up to 40 centimeters in natural conditions, and in aquariums - 20-25. beautiful fish very fond of aquarists. It is interesting to observe how this water worm burrows, like an ostrich, into the ground and its muzzle sticks out from there. So, what is needed to create Macrognathus good conditions life in an aquarium? How should it be fed and bred?

The graceful Macrognathus has a fox-like face. This fish is completely different from the traditional ones. aquarium fish. Her body, like the body of an eel, is strongly elongated in length. Its color is coffee-beige with original stains of light and shiny stripes. The belly of the fish is light. A light stripe runs along the body of Macrognathus. Yellow dots and strokes are randomly scattered on his head and body. The fins of the fish are colored red. But the dorsal fin is decorated with black peacock eyes, edged with gold. A feature of the appearance of females is the visual visibility of eggs through the skin. Adult females are always larger than males.

Macrognathus should be kept in a large aquarium, based on the size of its body. There must be a lot of hiding places. Desirable and aquarium plants. The soil can be river sand. Very often, Macrognathuses are completely buried in the ground, and only the muzzle of the fish sticks out on its surface, or rather its nose. For this reason, the ground should not contain sharp stones that would hurt the fish. If Macrognathus do not have the opportunity to burrow into the ground, then they can simply get sick. They are prone to making a large number mucus, which, when buried in the ground, the fish wipe. When Macrognathus is kept without soil, such a process of natural cleansing of mucus is not possible, and then it causes inflammation of the skin.

Fish must be kept in a closed aquarium because they can get out of it through the wires of the filtration and aeration system. The following water parameters are optimal for keeping Macrognathus in an aquarium: temperature - 22-26 ° C, acidity - up to 7 pH, hardness - 5-10 °. Filtration and aeration of water in the aquarium are required. It is also advisable to add sea salt to the water at the rate of three tablespoons per 100 liters of water. Macrognathuses eat all types of live food, including frozen ones.

Breeding

The fish reaches its sexual maturity by the age of two. You should be aware that Macrognathus spawning rarely occurs without hormonal stimulation. The success of its breeding also depends on the preparedness of the producers and the level of cleanliness in the spawning grounds.

The spawning aquarium should have a capacity of approximately 250 liters, its length is preferably at least a meter.

After thorough washing, the spawning ground is filled with water. Its acidity and hardness special significance in the process of spawning do not have. But in practice top scores occur during spawning in water with medium hardness. In the spawning aquarium, the water temperature should be maintained at 26-28°C. Fragments can serve as shelters for spawners (1 female and 2 males) flower pots, drainage pipes, snags. As a substrate, you can take a bush of bolbitis or microzorium.

Preparation of producers consists in keeping them under optimal water parameters and careful feeding. A sign of readiness for spawning is the swelling of the female's abdomen. Before planting fish for spawning, they are usually given an injection of choriogonin or gonadotropin.

During the spawning period, the aquarium is shaded and the producers are not disturbed. The female of Macrognathus usually starts spawning in pairs, and then another male joins her. With a decrease in activity, the fish begin to hide in shelters, they move less. This is a signal to remove them from the spawning grounds. After 24 hours, larvae hatch from the eggs. Young fish are fed with plankton. As the fry grow, they are sorted and seated in nursery ponds. At the bottom of the aquarium it is necessary to lay out the washed sand in a thin layer, and also place Javanese moss, install a cleaning filter.

This aquarium dweller cannot be called a written handsome man, but he definitely adds a hundred exotic points to the interior “reservoir”. Ocellated prickly macrognathus is an eel, at the sight of which you are unlikely to be delighted, but it will not leave you indifferent either.

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Description

Aquarium fish macrognatus belong to the suborder of proboscis-snouts of the perch-like order. The suborder is represented by one family, in which there are two genera: macrognatus and mastatzembelus. Together, they number about 50 species.

Eels live in India, Asia and Africa, in calm muddy rivers and lakes overgrown with dense vegetation. Found in both fresh and salt water.

Eels prefer to lead night image life. At night they hunt for fry, small crabs, caviar and plankton. During the day, they wait, digging into the ground or hiding in plants.

In length, eels reach 40 cm, but the usual dimensions do not exceed 20-25 cm. These original creatures have an elongated and laterally flattened body. The "front end" looks like a fox's muzzle, and the upper jaw resembles a proboscis with nostrils. Anal and dorsal fins moved back. Some rays of the fins form spines - seen in the photo.

The color of the fish is coffee-beige, olive or brown. The body is decorated with dotted and striated patterns. An expressive light strip runs along the body. The dorsal fin is decorated by nature with dark spots with a golden border. The spots are associated with the eyes, hence the name of the genus.

On sale comes across Siamese macrognathus - a relative ocellar acne. This variety differs from the hero of the article by a similar dark spot located at the base of the caudal fin. Macrognathus males are smaller and leaner. Fish live 8-18 years.

"Night butterflies" after entering the aquarium may be afraid of appearing in public for some time. But after a few days they reveal themselves to the world and by day.

Owners of eels should be more careful with their pets. Not the most peaceful macrognatus may well injure with thorns, or even bite. The volume of the container should not be less than one hundred liters.

• acidity (pH) 6.5 - 7.5;
• temperature 24-28C;
• hardness (dH) 10-20.

Fine smooth ground is recommended. It is best to use soft sand. The macrognathus fish is a lover of plants with a powerful root system. Filtration and regular water changes are essential. If the quality of the habitat deteriorates, the eels try to crawl out. It is advisable to cover the aquarium in any case.

Feeding

Macrognathus ocellar - carnivorous aquarium fish. Under natural conditions - a predator. In captivity, it prefers frozen or live food. Small fish are almost guaranteed to be accepted as food. Some specimens get used to dry food, but the latter should not be most acne diet.

Who do they get along with?

Keeping with small fish is not recommended - eels can foolishly mistake them for prey. And macrognathuses get along well with large neighbors. Provided that colleagues are not aggressive. Although mixed keeping is possible, it is still advisable to keep the eels in a separate species tank.

Diseases

If eels do not have the opportunity to burrow into the ground, they are overcome by skin diseases. The normal production of mucus is disrupted, and ulcers form on the body of macrognathus. You can heal the fish only at the initial stage of the disease. To do this, water changes are increased, griseofulvin and / or erycycline are added, salinity is increased to 10% and temperature is up to 32 degrees.

reproduction

In captivity, the Macrognathus eel breeds very poorly. In most cases, breeding without the use of gonadotropic injections is not possible. By the year, the fish finishes puberty and the differences mentioned in the "Description" section appear.

During the spawning period, males stop hiding and start chasing females. The formed pair of eels is planted in a separate container. The last one should be:

• shaded;
• aerated;
• from clean water with the following parameters: acidity - 7, temperature - 26 degrees.

A plastic mesh should be placed at the bottom of the container. After spawning, the parents are removed.

Fry

Acne babies appear in 1-3 days. Microworms, brine shrimp, rotifers are suitable for feeding. Grown up fry are planted in an "adult" aquarium.

Photo gallery

Video "Macrognatus ocellus - content"

At first glance, macrognathus looks rather unusual (and it is also called). Someone calls this fish a snake, someone a worm, in general, as soon as they do not offend. But we, experienced aquarists, respect every “amphibian creature,” therefore, this miracle of nature is officially called macrognathus or macrognathus oculiform.

Features of the maintenance of macrognathus in the aquarium

The fish originate from the rivers South-East Asia, and lives there on the border of the river-sea, that is, the water can be slightly salted. But here you need to take care of other fish, that is, find out how they relate to salted water.

In general, it is recommended even for completely freshwater fish to occasionally add salt to the water - this hardens their body and improves the immune system (the main thing is not to overdo it with salt). I myself never added salt to the water and the Macrognats felt great in it. As for the quality of water, they get along in any turbidity, because. they create it themselves :), so they don’t need anything special and extravagant.

The peculiarity of the fish is such that it leads a secretive lifestyle and hides in the ground. If instead of soil in an aquarium large stones, then a small macrognate cannot burrow into them, but when it grows up, then stones with a fraction of 0.5-1.5 cm are not a problem for him.

Given that Macrognathus does not weakly plow the bottom of the aquarium, then the vegetation must be approached responsibly. Plants should have a highly developed root system, which will allow them to stay in place, and not pop up periodically when the fish are active. good option such a plant is anubias. Thanks to its tenacious roots, it literally clings to the ground like tentacles. Regarding the soil, so that everything is more or less balanced in the aquarium, it is better to use stone soil with a fine and medium fraction with macrognathus. Sand, etc. definitely not suitable, because it will constantly create haze in the aquarium when the fish are active.

Macrognathus behavior

Macrognath also burrows not just like that, but in order to clean off the mucus that forms on its skin. If it is not possible to do this, then the fish may soon wither away. Yes, and very nervous when the body is not hidden under the ground. That is why it is also recommended for this individual to throw all sorts of oblong tubes into the aquarium so that there is where to attach the macrognate. It is worth noting that macrognath is a rather shy fish, it starts to get nervous and rush around the aquarium at any stressful situation, for example, they turned on the light or another fish accidentally touched it.

Concerning getting along with other fish, then this creature is quite neutral towards other individuals, so you can keep in the aquarium different kinds fish, which diversifies the fauna of the aquarium and gives a unique flavor to its inhabitants

If you decide to start such a lively fish as a macrognathus, then you should weigh the pros and cons, since with such a “fidget” you will have to periodically correct the aquarium decorations and, possibly, plant pop-up plants. And another such moment! The fish can bite, it is not fatal and may not hurt very much, but the owner will get stress :).

In terms of activity, at a stressful moment, the fish manages to make 3-5 laps in a 120-liter aquarium in a couple of seconds. A good plus from an active-shubut fish is that it raises all the slag from under the ground, which you need to have time to collect with a siphon :).

If the fish accidentally jumped out of the aquarium in your absence, then it will still last a couple of hours in the air, so the macrognathus is quite tenacious.

To sum up, you can do following output: if you want extreme and dynamics in the aquarium, then this is your choice. If the aquarium is needed for meditation and calming the soul, then it is better not to start a macrognat.

All the inhabitants of the aquarium can be divided into good-natured, open creatures and mysterious individuals with a difficult character and exotic appearance. The second group includes the aquarium eel, a representative of the proboscis perciformes. It is unusual and mysterious, not like classic aquarium fish and endowed by nature with a number of specific properties. For those who find mutual language with macrognathus, it will not be boring.

Who is this unusual inhabitant of the aquarium?

Having mastered general rules caring for the inhabitants of home aquariums, you can set yourself the task of taming such a creature as an ocellated macrognathus. To do this, you need to study well the habits and character of the fish, its habits and addictions. It is important to know the biological rhythms and features of the life cycle.

So, mastacembelidae has an elongated body, flattened laterally, and an elongated head with a modified upper lip, similar to a proboscis. This is the organ of smell, with the help of which the fish is oriented in the external environment.

The color is dull, prone to mimicry: brown, chestnut, olive or gray-greenish. A light longitudinal stripe and bright contrast points are clearly distinguished, resembling numerous eyes (hence the corresponding name - “eyed”). The skin is tough and has many spikes that act as a mechanical protection against more large predators. The fins, despite the elongated shape of the body, are shifted to the rear, the dorsal and anal fins practically pass into the tail.

In an aquarium, it can grow up to 25 cm, subject to a large volume of water and full regular nutrition. In nature, similar species are larger - up to 50 cm.

What living conditions do they prefer?

Aquarium eel is selfish and picky. He does not enjoy neighbors who take a lot of free space and having fun on any occasion. This is a serious and calm individual, preferring clean, aerated water, with the following indicators:

• hardness - from 6 to 15;
• water temperature - from 20 to 25 o;
• acidity - 7-8.

Will not be ocellated against lightly salted water (3 tablespoons for every 100 liters of water).

The features of the skin are such that the soil must be selected carefully: fine sand will be good, but with the active activity of the fish it will make the water cloudy. Soil with sharp small pebbles can damage the skin of fish that lead a benthic lifestyle, and in some places can even crawl from place to place.

Therefore, fine gravel, preferably dark in color, is suitable.

Plants are best placed in pots or pick up species firmly rooted in the ground. Having undermining the bottom among their favorite pastimes, mastacembelidae can pull them out, than create a mess and disturb comfort.

Lighting should not be intense, and it is better to shade the walls of the aquarium. The fish does not tolerate bright light and fuss. It is in her nature to explore the secluded corners of underwater castles and caves, to tour among snags and stone structures. Leading a nocturnal lifestyle, during the day the fish lurks in dense thickets watching what is happening. Goes hunting at night. But this is in nature. Responding to regime moments aquarium life, ocular can change its usual foundations and transfer the active life phase for a day.

What does this fish eat?

Being a predator, she prefers to build her diet from food of animal origin: small fish, caviar, crabs, plankton. It is clear that minced meat or fish will be appreciated, and chopped shrimp will delight, if you can imagine it in the performance of macrognathus.

The macrognatus fish picks up food from the bottom, but it is possible to accustom it to eating by the hour in upper layers water. He hears the smell of his favorite food, even being in the most distal parts of the aquarium, but because of his slowness, he is not able to quickly start eating it. Therefore, if there are more efficient neighbors, it can often remain hungry. Based on this, food can be purposefully placed in its habitats.

Some aquarists manage to feed these aquatic creatures dry food, frozen concentrates and dry food for certain types. But this does not always happen and can lead to loss of health and mood.

Is it possible to breed in an aquarium?

An eel in an aquarium is unlikely to bring the desired offspring. Theoretically, this is possible, but with the implementation of hormonal stimulation of individuals to spawn. The injection of special preparations will enhance the reproductive reflex, but even then the process will not go without special efforts. An appropriate spawning aquarium, softness of the water, a certain level of light, highly aerated water and powerful filtration - but this may not be enough.

What neighbors can you live with?

In the company of eel macrognathus can take
large calm fish with a peaceful character. Suitable options are: synodontis, mastzembels, mistuses, large catfish. It is not contraindicated to stay together with the inhabitants of the middle layers of the water in the aquarium, for example, calm angelfish and large goldfish. The main thing is that the interests of the inhabitants do not intersect and the aquarium has an appropriate design.

Today macrognathus is not the most popular fish. It can only be purchased at reputable pet stores, sometimes on order. But for those who feel that they are ready to make friends with him and fall in love with him, it is worth a try. After all, everything that is insufficiently known and studied is always of interest.

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