Indian knife fish - care and maintenance in the aquarium

When professional aquarists hear the word “knife”, they are presented with not a cold weapon, but a variety of fish. The family was first described in 1831, to this day aquatic pets are eaten and kept to decorate the aquarium. Fish are famous for their aggressiveness, so they usually swim in one individual. But if you choose a pet good-natured in temperament, it is quite possible that it will be possible to create a common beautiful aquarium. However, we will not look ahead, we will consider the main characteristics in more detail.

Description

The name of the family was due to the unusual external data of individuals of this species. If you look closely at the fish, then it will seem to you similar to a knife blade.

The tail fin has fused to the bottom, creating a single cascade that resembles a knife. Individuals move precisely because of this structure. The scales are small in size, black spots are observed throughout the body.

Albino fish are found in nature and aquariums; they have white spots on the side of the hull. Under natural conditions, members of the family can grow up to 1 m long with a mass of 5-10 kg. However, in aquarium conditions, the growth of pets is 25-50 cm. Therefore, a decent volume of the tank is required.

Fish of this breed group is considered a long-liver. If she provides all the conditions for a comfortable existence, then she will live 10-15 years.

Otherwise, representatives of the family are called hitals, they spend most of wakefulness at the bottom. Rarely rise in the middle or upper lane, except that the pet needs to breathe atmospheric air or eat food floating on the surface of the water.

All fish from the family of knifes prefer to stay awake at night. But if the fish adapts to the aquarium environment, it will feel good during the day. If the tank is large, the fish-knife will grow more than the declared parameters.

Maintenance and care

1. When choosing a home for a pet, you should be guided by the rule: the more the better. Young growth feels comfortable in a 300-liter vessel, but as it grows, it will be necessary to change the house to a 1000-liter. This volume, again, is enough for a couple of hits.
2. Since fish love the flow, they need to install a powerful filter that drives enough water in an hour. The family of knives prefers to eat feeds in which there are a lot of protein compounds. Such food contaminates the water, so take care of the filter with UV sterilization.
3. Fish hunt at night, we have already mentioned this. Therefore, until the pet adapts to wakefulness during the day, it needs a lot of shelters for daylight hours. As places of solitude, you can choose pipes, driftwood, dense vegetation, caves and other paraphernalia.
4. Despite the fact that to some extent the fish are aggressive, at first they are afraid of everything. If they do not find their nook (shelter), then they will fall into a stressful state. This is fatal. It is recommended to populate the aquarium with plants of a floating species in order to arouse a sense of security in the aquatic inhabitant.
5. As for the parameters of water, these fish will feel good in a softened environment (hardness - 5.5-7.5 units). In addition, the temperature regime is important, which should not go beyond 25–33 degrees.
6. To all of the above, it is worth making a logical conclusion. In order for your fish to feel alert and adapt quickly, create a comfortable and sheltered home for them. Pure water, shelters, middle reaches, vegetation, twilight - that's all the knives need.

Difficulties and features of the content

1. Breeders recommend starting just one individual. As an alternative, two fish can be kept in different aquariums. Remember, each individual should have its own. In addition to devouring their brethren, fish prey on small inhabitants.
2. However, it is worth noting that the knives can easily get along with stingrays, arovans, shark ball, pangasiuses, plekostomusy and kissing gouras. Do not forget that hitals are predators. Therefore, in the wild, they feed on various fish, shrimp and snails.
3. For this reason, it is recommended to feed the knives with a similar live food. In addition, breeders recommend giving such individuals all kinds of meat dishes. Among these, worms, invertebrates, and small fish are great.
4. It is also recommended to feed hitals mainly in the evening. However, individuals that have already adapted and have taken root in the aquarium can eat quietly in the daytime. Keep in mind that arranging an aquarium requires some experience.
5. The bottom line is that you need to recreate as close as possible conditions to wild life. Only in this way can the knife feel extremely comfortable. Do not forget that such individuals are most active at night.
6. Therefore, such fish in the aquarium need large stones and thick algae. In the daytime, hitals will hide in them. Shelters and the likeness of caves are also needed. Fish should feel as comfortable as possible. You can purchase decorative houses.
7. Keep in mind that the comfortable temperature of the water for the knives will be within 26 degrees. Young individuals may be hypersensitive to water. If the conditions are not met properly, the young growth will simply die from the shock state.
8. With age, hitals become more resistant to various environmental changes. In any case, cleaning the aquarium should be strictly carried out once a week. The problem is that knives leave a large amount of waste after themselves. During cleaning, it is enough to change 70% of the total volume of water in the aquarium.

Hitals belong to the peculiar aquatic inhabitants. They are not recommended to start for beginners. In addition, fish should not contain more than 1 individual in one aquarium. Hitals are very demanding on the conditions of detention. They need to ensure a proper and balanced diet. They will eat exclusively live food.

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