Small Fish Telescope: Varieties and Care Tips

Telescopes are peaceful, bug-eyed fish with a magnificent tail. The aquarium with them looks original and attracts views. In vivo they cannot be met, they live exclusively in captivity. Were bred from a goldfish as a result of selection. It is believed that they first appeared in the 16th-17th centuries in China, where they were called the dragon eye or the dragon fish. Since then, their appearance has not changed.

You can recognize the "dragon" by huge eyes - this is their main difference from goldfish. The shape and direction of the visual organs can be different, but most often there are spherical, cylindrical and conical eyes. The body of the fish is short, rounded, and the head is quite voluminous. One of the advantages of an aquarium fish is its gorgeous fins and tail, which, when moving, flutter beautifully, like a veil.

The life span is 15 years, although 20-year-old centenarians are also found. If you create good conditions for the fish, they will live long enough. The size of individuals depends heavily on the volume of the aquarium in which they live. Typically, telescopes reach 10 cm in length, but if they are kept in a large tank of 500 liters or more, they can grow up to 20 cm. The color of the body is different, it can be monophonic or colorful, depending on the type of telescope.

There are a huge number of subspecies of these fish. The criterion for separation are 3 signs:

1. Size and shape of fins. Short-fin, skirt and tape breeds are distinguished.
2. A feature of scales, there are two main subspecies: scaly and scaleless. The latter have a plain velvety abdomen without a metallic tint.
3. Body color. Telescopes come in different colors; the most common are black, red and gold.

Given these signs, it is possible to determine the "breed" of the bug-eyed fish. The easiest way to do this is by its color. The following types of telescopes can be found in aquariums:

• black moor - This is a telescope of a rich coal color, with neat fins and a small tail, can change color over time;
• panda - It is distinguished by black-and-white symmetrical spots and a velvety, scaleless body;
• orange telescope - has a uniform color of varying intensity;
• chintz - at these individuals on a white-silver body scattered many colored spots of different sizes;
• red chinese The telescope has a bright scarlet color;
• magpie - a fish with black fins and a white body;
• brindle - the color of the telescope looks like a striped tiger skin;
• veiled tail - It features beautiful elongated fins and a magnificent tail.

It is impossible to determine the sex of the "little dragons"; males and females look the same and do not differ at all by their fins or size. Only during the spawning period distinctive features are manifested: in males on the head and in the area of ​​gills white tuberous spots form, and in females the body becomes rounder.

If the telescopes are properly maintained, they will delight the aquarist with a bright color and large size. Fish are considered unpretentious, but still the basic rules of detention should not be neglected:

• choose and prepare the aquarium correctly;
• water temperature - 22–27 degrees; if necessary, a heater can be used;
• mandatory installation of a filtration and aeration system;
• acidity (pH) - 6.0-8.0;
• hardness (dH) - 8–25 °;
• follow the rules of feeding.

Do this with a bucket or hose. Only need to be poured into the aquarium water defended for 3 days. In water pipes there are a lot of harmful chemical compounds, which in the process of settling settle to the bottom. Besides, the temperature of the water becomes room temperature and corresponds to the climate of the aquarium. And this reduces the likelihood of stress in fish.

The huge eyes of the telescopes see almost nothing, except for this, the fish have a very tender abdomen - you need to equip the aquarium with these features in mind. It is forbidden to decorate the tank with grottoes, snags and decor items with pointed ends. The bottom is covered with smooth pebbles of small size, all sharp pebbles and shells must be removed. This point in the content of telescopes is very important, as the fish are tender and can get hurt, and sometimes even be left without an eye.

The best decorations for an aquarium with telescopes are plants. They are planted along the back wall of the tank, leaving more free space for the comfortable movement of fish.

Algae with wide dense leaves and a powerful, well-developed root system are chosen:

• sagittaria;
• hygrophil;
• apogonetone;
• a small egg;
• bolbitis;
• Elodea.

The aquarium for keeping fish should be spacious - at least 80 liters, and even better - about 300 liters, because the size of the tank depends on the size of the fish. They will be comfortable in a wide, low aquarium.

Telescopes love to eat well, they can eat too much food, which is harmful to their health. They do not have a feeling of fullness, therefore it is necessary to give food in small parts, twice a day: in the morning and in the evening. The main diet consists of granular artificial feed that you can buy at a pet store. Due to their weak vision, it is difficult for fish to find particles of food, especially if it is donkey at the bottom.

Artificial granules are light, they do not bury in the thickness of the soil, so it is easier for fish to detect them.

Fish need high-quality protein and a variety of diets, so a couple of times a month they should be pampered with natural food. Most suitable:

• daphnia - a small crustacean, contains many useful vitamins and minerals;
• artemia - the species of crustaceans, which all species of fish eat with pleasure;
• bloodworm - nutritious high protein feed;
• coretra - mosquito larva, which is well absorbed in the body of fish.

Telescopes adore plant foods. Leaves of lettuce, cabbage or nettle are scalded with boiling water and placed in an aquarium. "Little dragons" with pleasure will chew fresh greens.

Tender telescopes can get sick. We list the most common ailments that affect these fish.

• Swelling of the bladder. The fish cannot take a stable position in the water: it pops up with its left side or stomach up, the abdomen swells, the spine is bent. It is treated with a 3-day hunger strike and fever in the aquarium to 28 degrees.
• Obesity. Accompanied by passivity and apathy, the abdomen bulges unnaturally. It is treated by fasting and subsequent diet.
• Bacterial infections and fungus. White plaque or mucus appears on the body, the fish can itch on the stones, and in advanced cases it almost always lies at the bottom. In this case, the water in the aquarium is completely changed and antibacterial drugs are used.
• Smallpox - a dangerous viral disease. White-pink formations appear on the body, head and fins. There is no cure for this ailment.
• Oxygen starvationin which the fish often rises to the surface of the water to swallow air. In this case, increase aeration and thoroughly clean the aquarium of food debris and rotted plants. In some cases, reduce the temperature of the water.
• Infection with parasites. Telescopes refuse to eat, become lethargic, dark spots appear on the body. Antiparasitic drugs are used for treatment.
• Cold. The abdomen acquires an earthy color, scales can exfoliate. For treatment, the water temperature is raised to 26–27 degrees, if necessary, you can use a special heater.

Telescopes become sexually mature by the age of two. As noted above, females that are ready for mating are noticeably rounded, and white specks form on the gills of males. 1 female and several males are transplanted into a spawning ground. Mating games most often begin in the morning.The female spawns, and the males fertilize her. Up to 2,000 eggs can be laid at a time, but not all of them are viable. The dead caviar whitens and becomes covered with a coating.

In order for the fish to spawn, they create special conditions:

• spawning volume - not less than 30 l;
• the water level should be low, so choose an aquarium wide;
• water temperature - within 24–27 degrees;
• the aquarium is equipped with good aeration;
• it is necessary to take care of a sufficiently bright lighting;
• it is desirable to cover the spawning bottom with Javanese moss;
• To protect the eggs from eating, use a plastic mesh, it is installed 2 cm above the bottom.

Immediately after spawning, adults are sent to a common aquarium. The maternal instinct for telescopes is not developed, so they can eat future offspring. But do not rush too much - the male must have time to fertilize the eggs. It is necessary to carefully monitor the fish, the entire spawning process usually takes from 3 to 5 days.

After 2–5 days, larvae hatch from the eggs, and a couple of days later fry appear. They begin to swim around the aquarium and need food. At this point, they can begin to feed live dust (ciliates). The liquid with the feed is poured directly into the aquarium using a syringe without a needle. Gradually, you can include in the diet and dry food, for example, TetraMin Baby. These micro flakes are suitable for feeding babies up to 1 cm in size.

Dragon fish have a hard time picking up neighbors. You can’t keep them together with cichlids, arovans and piranhas - these predators can cause serious damage or even kill. Barbuses and some shark representatives will nibble their beautiful fins. The neighborhood with nimble fish will also be unsuccessful; they will begin to take food from clumsy and slow telescopes.

Nevertheless, the “dragons” do not like to be alone and get along well with their own kind, therefore it is recommended to keep them in a flock.

More about the fish telescope awaits you in the video below.