Terence caramel: keeping and caring for aquarium fish

In aquariums they grow and contain a variety of aquatic inhabitants. But if everyone heard about goldfish and guppies, then the thornsia caramel is much less known. This does not mean, however, that she deserved less attention.

The third caramel has a size of not more than 0.06 m. In this species, the body resembles a rhombus. In addition to the fin with a point located in the main part of the back, there is also a modest fat protrusion on the tail. The fin in the anal part is elongated and looks like a "skirt". All fins are partially transparent.

A variety of colors is characteristic of this species:

• blue;
• pink;
• green;
• yellow;
• purple;
• red and other tones.

Among other aquarium fish, thorns are distinguished by 3 bands running across the body. One is located near the eye, the other in the region of the gills, and the third is exactly in the middle of the body. The thorns differ at the same time in physical activity and peacefulness. Only occasionally do they bite fins in other individuals.

In the aquarium, as in natural conditions, these fish are grouped into schools of 8 or more. They live about 3 years. According to biologists, thorns are included in a large group of haracin fish. It includes more than 160 species. Compared to the natural version of thorns, caramels are characterized by weaker immunity.

In European countries, thorns appeared in the 1930s. In 1946, they were brought to us. Over the past time, this species has become so widespread that it can now be purchased at any pet store.

There is a thorn from the rivers of South America. However, color specimens are mostly brought from special fish farms. Almost all of them are concentrated in Vietnam. A long journey additionally harms the health of caramels. Therefore, you have to carefully prepare for their settlement in the aquarium and equip it in accordance with all the rules.

As in many other cases, when removing thorns, they began to use genetic modification technologies. It is this approach that allows you to achieve red, green, blue and yellow. Although the usual chemical methods continue to apply.

It must be emphasized that all these fish are painted artificially. This makes it possible to give them extremely diverse tones. However, even the best and carefully selected paints are harmful to health. The life span of any colored specimen is less than that of a naturally developing specimen. The classic version of the thornsia caramel is painted pink.

This is also the most popular type. Albinos have a white, with a slight pinkish tint, color. And veiled thorns are found in Europe very widely. True, in other regions of the world they are very rare, which is associated with difficulties in breeding. Sometimes there are black individuals.

As practice shows, thorns get along in an aquarium with almost any other species of fish. But at the same time, careful care is required, since without it, aggressiveness can be very noticeable. Good neighbors are danios, black neons. Caramels are also compatible with cardinals. You can try to breed other fish with them, the main thing is that they also lead an active lifestyle.

In addition to the listed species of fish, you can combine thorns with:

• Pecilia
• molliesia;
• a barbecue;
• the iris;
• plecostomus;
• tetra;
• ancistrus;
• corridor.

Caramel thorns are poorly compatible with decorative varieties. Such fish are often subjected to aggression. In turn, caramels themselves can suffer from cichlomas and astronotuses. There will be no fatal cases, but injuries will appear constantly. When a large flock is formed, the thorns will communicate with each other and ignore most of the other inhabitants.

Caramels do not differ in any particular whimsicality. However, compared with unpainted specimens, they require more complex care. Be sure to provide access to clean water. The conditions in the aquarium must be stable. Only by observing this requirement are any problems excluded.

The thorns caramel can be kept in a small aquarium. For flocks of normal sizes, a tank with a capacity of at least 60 liters is required. Another indispensable moment in the maintenance of this species at home is the organization of shelters. The necessary shelters are diverse: these are grottoes, and ordinary stones, and snags, and pipes, and pots made of ceramics.

Since the fish are very active, they should have enough space for free swimming. The water in the aquarium should be kept at a temperature of at least 22 and not more than 28 degrees. Acceptable acidity is from 6.5 to 8.5 units. Water should not move too fast, but stagnation is unacceptable. Important: the presence of mineral salts is not allowed (you can add only fresh water).

The rigidity of the aquarium environment is strictly limited - from 5 to 20 dGH. Every 7 days it is required to replace 25% of the total volume of water.It should be defended and have regulatory parameters. Soil should also be siphoned weekly, otherwise the quality of the medium will be too low for a thorn.

Caramels necessarily need a large number of plants. “Hide and seek” in the thicket is a natural behavior for this species. The fish should be kept in a dim light. Therefore, among water plants, only shade-tolerant ones are suitable, such as:

• limnophile;
• cryptocorin;
• urut (pinnacle);
• moss of any kind;
• fern;
• Anubias.

The soil should have a dark color. It is allowed to use both sandy and consisting of large particles of soil. The thorns themselves will not bury themselves in the bottom - they mainly swim in the middle and upper tiers of the aquarium. Filters can be taken easier, without relying on a strong flow of water. A compressor is also necessary, but a heater will be needed only if the aquarium is in an unheated room.

Lighting is organized as follows:

• provide dim light;
• at night, the lamps are turned off (the lamp should not work continuously);
• limit the exposure of sunlight to the walls of the aquarium to a minimum.

If the aquarium is poorly maintained, the fish may be poisoned or suffer from hypoxia. You can also be afraid of the occurrence of:

• boneosis;
• microbacteriosis;
• ichthyophthyroidism;
• oodyiniumosis.

The best prevention of such ailments, respectively, will be rational care according to all the rules. The diet is made as diverse as possible. Siphon soil once a week, with the same regularity will have to change the water. As often as possible, they check to see if the fish are sick and, if necessary, immediately take treatment. All new individuals are first placed in “quarantine”, and only if the result is positive, they are released into the general aquarium.

You should not be afraid of any problems. Even novice aquarists, with due diligence, can easily cope with all the tasks that arise. When transplanting purchased fish, water from the aquarium into the transport package must be added in limited portions, with an interval of 10 or 15 minutes. If you hurry too much, the thorns will be very stressed. Important: all new individuals are placed in the aquarium at night when other fish are inactive.

Siphons with transparent inserts advise cleaning the aquarium. Such a device greatly facilitates cleaning. But metal scrapers absolutely will not work. If you want to reduce the pressure of the water passing through the filter, it is mounted on a wide wall of the aquarium.

They usually try to keep Ternetius in aquariums with a capacity of 50-500 liters. Sometimes you can find indications that these fish, due to their vitality, can tolerate a temperature of 18-28 degrees. But it’s better to maintain the standard value of 23 degrees. Then there will be no problems with other species that also inhabit the aquarium. The algae in the aquarium are distributed evenly, so that there are both areas for rest, and places where thorns can show their activity.

Since caramels form flocks, it does not make sense to launch them alone in an artificial pond. It is best to use 5-8 individuals at once. Note: solitary fish do not just survive stress - often they show strong aggression. Coloring may be lost after a few months of maintenance. All beginner aquarists should be ready for this.

Since caramels contain in flocks at least 5-8 pieces, and each individual should have 10 liters of water, the capacity of the aquarium should be at least 50 liters. But usually aquarists contain other fish with them. Therefore, in most cases, it is required to provide a tank capacity of at least 100 liters. You can stack stones in the aquarium in bulk in the sand. The use of fallen leaves is allowed.

Filtering and aerating equipment use a standard sample. They recommend orienting water jets along the walls.For lighting, it is advisable to use not too powerful fluorescent lamps. With their help, daylight hours are increased to 10 hours and above. Attempting to install lights too powerful can cause burns.

Caramel fish are omnivorous. They can be given both dry and live food. Frozen food is also suitable. Great options are:

• medium-sized bloodworm;
• daphnia;
• rotifers;
• Cyclops;
• Artemia
• pipe maker.

The use of factory feed is also allowed. But still with dry food you need to be careful. After eating, the granules quickly swell. As a result, there may be problems with swimming bladders, and sometimes the fish die at all. What is beyond doubt is that dry food is unsuitable for constant nutrition.

Medium-sized crustaceans must also be included in the diet, since without their chitin the digestion of thorns will be unbalanced. Feed should be given 1 or 2 times a day. They fill it up just enough so that everything is eaten in 1-2 minutes maximum. Live food needs to be processed, and freezing is considered the best option in this regard.

If for some reason this option is not suitable, you can use methylene blue or an unsaturated solution of potassium permanganate. When using dry feed, it is recommended to carefully check the date of manufacture and store in a closed container. Sometimes they even eat human food, such as:

• shrimp
• salads;
• spinach;
• zucchini;
• cucumbers
• fish fillet.

There are no differences in color between them. Both in their natural form, and in the "processed" they have completely identical colors. In females, the abdomen is larger and slightly rounded. Sex can be determined by the type of fins. In females, it is rounded, while in males it is elongated and has a characteristic sharpening.

Anyone who decides to breed this fish should take into account that the colors will not be transmitted genetically. Each new instance should be given additionally. The period suitable for reproduction is from 8 months to 2 years. Spawning is possible regardless of the season. For 1 pair of fish, spawners of 30 l are needed; if there are more individuals, then more spawning is needed.

Be sure to prepare shelters and plant plants. To spawn more efficiently, the water temperature is raised by 2 or 3 degrees. For this purpose, more protein food is added than usual.

On day 3 and later, fry should be fed:

• ciliates;
• crushed egg yolk;
• nauplii artemia;
• pulverized feed, usually intended for adults.

In spawning, they use toshnyak and Javanese moss. When spawning occurs, thorns should be given live food. In the active phase, the fish swim very quickly. You can expect the appearance of fry after 6-7 days. They are given food once every 6 hours, they use ciliates and rotifers.

There is a special food intended for fry. It has all the substances necessary for the normal cultivation of thorns. Important: follow the manufacturers' instructions as strictly as possible. Deviations from them can lead to very unpleasant consequences. With the help of mineral additives, it is possible to maintain the attractive color of the thorns of caramel for longer.

To create twilight in the spawning grounds, you can use sheets of paper. The water level inside should be 0.07-0.08 m. It is necessary to defend water before pouring into this vessel for several days. Water should contain a significant amount of oxygen. To saturate it with tannins, apply:

• peat extracts;
• willow roots;
• alder cones;
• oak bark;
• weak black tea.

See even more about the features of these fish in the next video.