Botsi: species of aquarium fish and features of their content

Botsi are very cheerful and fervent fish that are distinguished by activity, curiosity and indefatigable temperament. They come from the warm waters of Southeast Asia, but when creating a favorable habitat, they can also delight their owners with interesting appearance and funny behavior in aquariums for many years.

Aquarium fish Bocia maracantha was discovered in Indonesia in 1852, then its famous description was given by the famous biologist Blacker. This fish attracted the attention of a scientist in a bright color, so very soon the botsia migrated to artificial reservoirs of the countries of the Old World, and from there it spread to Russia.

Botia is a big fish, in the natural environment it grows up to 40 cm, but in artificial reservoirs it is half as much. The length of the adult is approximately 20-25 cm. There is no pronounced sexual dimorphism, only specialists can distinguish a male from a female, and only at that time when the fish becomes sexually mature.

The body is elongated, squeezed at the sides, a mustache is located near the mouth, usually lowered down. Spikes are located under the eye sockets, which serve as protection against aquatic predators. In the normal state, they are hardly noticeable, since they are covered with a dense leathery bag, but under stress and at the time of danger they quickly go outside. It lasts no more than a second. Nonetheless, when fishing, extreme care must be taken - the spikes can become entangled in the net and this will harm the fish.

The botsiei look very impressive, they have a bright and rich color: three dark contrasting strips, the tail and lower fins are bright red against a yellowish-red background, which gives it even more decorativeness. Young individuals look especially colorful.

Botsi are popular not only because of their appearance. Of great interest is the behavior of fish. You must admit that not every aquarist can calmly watch his pet swim upside down, and the bots are sleeping in a similar position. They also love to rest on their sides, mainly at the very bottom of the aquarium. If you do not know about such fish manners, then these pranks can seriously scare its owner.

For breeding in the aquarium, several varieties of bots are used.

• Chess. Fish was discovered at the beginning of this century, and already 10 years later it gained great popularity among aquarists. Grows to 10 cm.
• Burmese. This is one of the small representatives of fish, which in an adult state does not exceed 10 cm. Usually lives in a pack of 4-6 individuals, is distinguished by activity and exceptional aggressiveness.
• Botsia zebra. In science, it is known under the name botsia striatus. These are pretty cute fish, the length of which in captivity does not exceed 8 cm. Unlike chess varieties, zebras are peaceful and friendly in nature, and any artificial pond can decorate their appearance.
• Imperial. By nature, this is a peaceful fish, but if there are no shelters in the aquarium, it will show aggression.
• Marble. The specimen is up to 8 cm long, naturally peaceful, but inside the school fish can arrange fights, although for other species they are not dangerous.
• Clown. The most common and recognizable variety of bots, which is distinguished by its bright color, unusual behavior and excellent health. In captivity, grows up to 20 cm, therefore, needs spacious containers.
• Modesta. Another common subspecies. It grows to 22 cm. It is characterized by extreme aggressiveness, which can only be reduced by constructing a large number of various shelters.

Care for the battles is simple. In the natural environment, they live in rivers with clean water, so a large accumulation of organic matter, as it happens in a closed biocenosis of the aquarium, does not suit them. These pets require regular water changes. The fluid should be renewed every 7-10 days by about a third.

Botsii need a lot of oxygen, so a powerful compressor must be present in the aquarium, creating effective aeration. Breeders should constantly monitor the level of ammonia and nitrites - optimally so that it is zero. With any signs of increased performance water should be replaced promptly by 45-50%.

Maracantas are bottom animals, so they prefer to spend time in the lower layers of water. Soft soils are suitable for them, it is advisable to fill in fine-grained pebbles or sand into it. Gravel should be run in. If the corners are sharp, then the fish will very quickly erase their antennae. In the absence of shelter, even the most peace-loving individuals are able to show aggression, so stones, snags and other decorations should be placed in the aquarium. For this, it is advisable to use shelters made of granite, quartz or mica. But sedimentary rocks, marble and lava will not work.

Bots are not picky about plants - it does not matter to them whether they will be alive or plastic. However, keep in mind that they really like plant foods therefore, any representatives of the aquatic flora in your aquarium will not live long - the bots will dig, pinch and drag them around the tank. It is unlikely that such a picture will correspond to your ideas about the aesthetics of an artificial reservoir.

They are not picky about food. You can feed your pets dry cereal, frozen seafood and live insects - the most important thing is that the menu is balanced and the fish get all the nutrients they need, useful micro and macro elements. Therefore, it is extremely important that bloodworms, worms, lettuce, as well as spinach and fresh vegetables (preferably zucchini and cucumbers) are always present in their diet.

Most varieties of bots are peaceful in nature, so these fish coexist quite well with many other aquatic inhabitants. However, it is unlikely that at least one of the maracanths can not refrain from biting the long tail of a goldfish or veiltail, so you should not put them in one tank. Small fish are also best kept separately - loud clicking of the bots can frighten them.

Bots clowns have their own specifics - they are distinguished by extreme activityTherefore, it is difficult to get along with other fish, especially if the neighbors are as active and lively. No need to breed bots, males or guppies in one tank, these fish will not find contact with cichlids. But representatives of cyprinids and loaches can become ideal companions - in such a tandem there will never be conflicts.

Do not forget that Bots are flocks of fish, so you should not start them one by one, it is extremely important for them to communicate with "brothers in mind." If they always have their own company, then they will be friendly towards their neighbors.

At home, breeding a maracantha is quite difficult, due to the fact that these fish need to recreate very specific conditions for spawning. For many decades, many famous clubs tried to bring their fry clown and other bots, but their attempts failed one after another. Nowadays, artificial spawning sites are being created, whose biocenosis is as close to natural as possible, Strong hormonal preparations are introduced to fish, but few can boast of the fact that these fish are successfully bred.

Even on highly specialized farms, breeding of bots is considered a labor-intensive process, which does not always end successfully. In most cases, the bots entering the aquarium were caught in their natural habitat and were already in captivity grown from fry.

To date, only one case of successful breeding of bots in the aquarium is officially recognized, this was done more than 30 years ago by the aquarium-maker from Montreal Werner Novak. Once this breeder, having taken out a bush of echinodorus from the tank, found about 40 clown fry grown under him.

It is known that a powerful filter plant with peat filling was placed in an artificial pond, acidity was 6.2, pH, water hardness was kept at 2 units, the temperature was set at 28-29 degrees.

The aquarist never found out exactly how the spawning occurred, as the fish constantly took refuge among snags and grottoes, going out only in the evening to eat. As the main feed, they received granular formulations with shrimp and mashed beef heart.

Based on observations of fights in wildlife, we can conclude that eggs incubation lasts about 18-20 hours. Hatching larvae are rather small and prefer to gather in the most shaded areas of the reservoir. After 4-5 days, the fry begins to swim.

The first month of life is most critical for young animals. By the end of this period, the bots reach 7-15 mm and begin to acquire their parental colors.

About the features of Botsia see below.