Apistogram content
There are many artificially bred forms with bright colors.coloring, but in addition to beauty, such fish acquire weak immunity and a predisposition to many diseases. Therefore, you should not get carried away by too unusual and spectacular species.
Apistogramma are beautiful and easy to care for. Photo:Getty The fish is often called a "butterfly" because of the beautiful shade of its scales and the graceful shape of its body and fins. It has an oval body of a yellow-brown shade with a reddish tint. Bright blue sparkles are scattered on the scales of the males. The abdomen of the female is painted crimson. The size of the fish is small - 5-6 cm. Under favorable conditions, they live in captivity for about 4 years. Keeping an apistogram is easy. It is undemanding to water parameters, but does not like sudden changes in temperature and pressure. Experienced aquarists advise maintaining the temperature at 24-28 ° C. At higher temperatures, life expectancy drops sharply. Apistograms do not like bright light, so the aquarium should be shaded or floating plants should be placed on the surface of the water. Every week, you need to siphon the soil and change the water. It is better to pour sand or small gravel on the bottom of the aquarium and decorate it with snags, stones, plants. The fish is omnivorous, so there are no problems with feeding. The menu includes moths, frozen food and granules. The food should be rich in proteins. The amount of food should be controlled, since the "butterfly" is prone to overeating. It collects food both from the surface of the water and from the bottom. During feeding, you need to ensure that the fish have time to eat. They are timid and can give way to more lively neighbors.
Apistogram compatibility with other inhabitants of the aquarium
"Butterflies" get along well with all aquarium inhabitants, but larger fish may offend it. Good neighbors for it:
- neons;
- rodostomuses;
- swordsmen;
- gourami;
- ornatus;
- black mollies;
- guppy.
The fish don't touch the big shrimps, but the small onesperceives as food. Fish of this species do not spoil aquarium plants. The fish can live alone or in pairs. A pair needs 30-35 liters of water. Therefore, if you want to keep several pairs, the aquarium should be spacious enough so that everyone has their own territory. Otherwise, the pairs will fight among themselves for territorial boundaries. Apistogramma are spectacular and unpretentious fish that are well suited for beginner hobbyists. Interesting
