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A bad fish will not be called a cardinal, and indeed - this waterfowl has an amazing appearance. Cardinal (or in Latin - Tanichthys albonubes) is called a small aquarium fish. It would seem that a miniature appearance - and such a loud nickname as "Cardinal"! In fact, this word was specially devised by the merchants to make this fish better sold in their stores.
And why the Cardinal, and not the Lion King? The fact is that in the coloring of the individual there is a lot of red color, which in its image resembles the mantle of Cardinal.
Those who like to get fish like the cardinal very much, he is respected not only for his appearance, but also for his amazing endurance, few of the fish can survive temperature drops and other water disasters.
Pedigree
Cardinal's homeland is China and Vietnam, but today it is almost gone in the wild. Many even thought that the Cardinal was no longer on planet Earth. However, a number of fish were found in China, and in particular - in the province of Guangdong, on the island of Hanyang. Also, several specimens were found in Vietnam in the province of Quang Nin.
Earlier, this fish lived in Asian mountain streams, but then it was decided to bring it to Europe, this event occurred in 1938. Many Europeans liked the fish, they decided to domesticate it and as a result today these funny fish are sold all over the world.
At the moment, Cardinal trying to re-adapt to the external, wild environment. The Chinese government is doing everything possible to inhabit this breed of its reservoirs. Most of the fish today grow up in captivity, they are grown by people for sale.
External characteristics, life expectancy
The cardinal's lips are directed upwards, which means that the fish picks up insects from the surface of the water. The mustache was not found, it has a fin on its back, which is parallel to the fin on the lower side of the body. Externally, the fish is of a bronze-brown color, but on its backs there are horizontal iridescent lines, overshadowing a significant part of the body.
On the tail in the center is a red, dispersed point. The corners of the tail are transparent in color. Also, red spots are found on the dorsal and anal fins. In stores you can find different color variations of cardinals, for example, albino fish, grown in artificial environment.
How do cardinals relate to other inhabitants of the underwater kingdom?
The Cardinals need a pack, they are nowhere without it: there must be at least 15 fish bodies in the pack. If there is no normal flock, then the fish lose their color and begin to hide behind various aquarium decorations.
Too peaceful, do not even touch their small relatives and get along well with other non-aggressive fish.You can not keep big fish with them, because the big ones can start attacking cardinals. Look great with other beautiful fish, for example, with danios margaritatus.
Some people recommend adding goldfish to the cardinals, since both breeds like cold water. But gold loves to eat cardinals, their mouth is too big. You should not get cardinals if you have lively or omnivorous individuals in the aquarium.
Aquarium and Cardinals
The fish has good endurance and is able to adapt to changing conditions, it is recommended to start for beginners. However, we must remember that the cardinals hate warm water, they prefer coolness - from 18 to 22 degrees.
Of course, they can be kept in 25 degree water and 30 degree water, but they will not last long. It is also worth noting that the cardinal becomes much more colorful if kept in cooler water, the best option would be a temperature with a twenty degree mark.
Preferences
Cardinals love an aquarium with black soil and an abundant amount of various decorations, whether stones, snags or plants.The parameters of the water are almost irrelevant to them, but the volume of the aquarium should be as large as possible so that the fish can freely travel through the water.
Watch for the copper content in water, often copper is added to medicines for fish. The cardinal does not tolerate copper, but he is very fond of light, he needs to allocate as much light as possible.
In Asian countries, the cardinal can be seen in ponds, they are often kept there for beauty and in order to eat mosquitoes. However, you need to know that they can not be kept with a large pond fish.
Nutrition
The fish eats everything, even frozen, though live food. Previously, when they were not yet bred, they lived in the mountains and fed exclusively on insects, but now, when they have been domesticated, they can afford raspberry and other thin, non-greasy living creatures.
It must be remembered that the Cardinals have a very small mouth and are pointing up - they will not eat large food! It is best to feed them with food that slowly reaches the bottom, for example, bloodworms will do.
Gender Differences
There are no obvious differences among males and females.However, the sex of mature individuals is easy to identify - everything is simple, the males have a brighter color and they are smaller, while females have a more round and full belly.
By the age of one year, all individuals reach sexual maturity. How to understand that they grew up? It's simple - the males brag about their colors in front of each other, so they not only show their dominant, but also try to make an impression on the females looking at them.
Breeding
It is easy to dissolve cardinals even to inexperienced people who only practice in aquarism. Fish can spawn for a whole year, so that at any time you can get an influx of new cardinals in your water kingdom. And you can even unconsciously breed a sea of cardinals, as the fish do not need to create any special conditions for spawning.
Is it possible to breed fish in your tank? Yes, you can, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with two options:
- Remove all the fish from the aquarium, leaving only the cardinals and admire the result! In a few months you will have the whole aquarium filled with this breed of fish.
- We find a volume vessel with a volume of up to 50 liters; we place a couple of males there (note: the brightest) and with five females.The soil is not needed, only the plants so that the females leave their eggs there.
Fish must be fattened before fertilization, then the fry will be complete, and they will be all strong and healthy. It is best to live feed those fish that are going to spawn. As soon as the spawn is over, you need to wait about 40 hours, after which the young cardinals will crawl out into the white. Females and males can be immediately relocated after spawning, it will not make anyone worse.
Juveniles will not eat moths, give him ciliates, egg yolks and rotifers. New residents are growing very quickly, so that only at an early stage will they need individual feed.
Video: aquarium fish cardinal
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