Almost every more or less experienced aquarist knows about zebrafish. But his distant relative Danio Malabar is much less known. And in vain - this is a pretty easy to breed and maintain a fish that can decorate an aquarium not only for an experienced aquarist, but also for a beginner just taking his first steps in this amazing hobby.
Appearance
In size, the Danio Malabar fish is much larger than most of its relatives - in the wild, the most outstanding specimens grow up to 15 centimeters! Of course, they are smaller in aquariums, but still many fish grow up to 10 centimeters.
The color palette is quite rich - there are individuals of green and blue colors, as well as various shades. Most of the body is silver and in the middle of the sides are elegant horizontal stripes of the above colors. Sometimes the stripes are even, stretching almost from the tail to the gills. In other instances, they are intermittent, rather resembling a string of colored dots.
The fins are usually transparent or with a barely noticeable grayish tint.
Habitat
In the wild, Malabar zebrafish is found in India, as well as in neighboring countries - Bangladesh and Pakistan. These fish are inhabited by rivers with a weak and medium course. Usually they live in large schools - it is easier to avoid the teeth of predators.
Prefer areas near the coast, overgrown with algae. They are kept in the upper layer of water, grabbing small insects falling to the surface.
How to distinguish a male from a female?
To determine exactly where the male and where is the female, you must either be an experienced aquarist who has been breeding Malabar zebrafish for more than one year, or have several individuals in front of your eyes so that you can compare them with each other. Yes, there are no such striking differences as some other fish.
Usually males are more slender, while females have large tummies. In addition, males boast bright colors. If the caudal fin is not transparent, but pink or even reddish, most likely you are dealing with a male.
According to some experts, another difference is the location of the strips. In males, they pass exactly in the middle of the body, while in females they are usually shifted up.
Optimal conditions
Talking about the content of the zebrafish of Malabar, it is first of all worth noting their activity. Fish love to swim. Do not even swim, but rather rush around the aquarium. Therefore, the volume should be sufficient - at least 120-140 liters. True, this capacity is enough for a fairly large flock. From above it is desirable to cover it with a lid. Otherwise, the played fish may well jump out of the aquarium and fall to the floor.
It is advisable to buy not one or two pairs, but eight to ten fish at once. It is with such flocks that they most often stay in wildlife. Therefore, this will provide them with the greatest comfort, which means that the fish will live a long time and have a great mood.
And even more so you should not populate one pair in the aquarium, where other fish already live. In this case, smart zebrafish will make the rest join in their endless game - catch-up. This may well lead to stress, illness, and even death of less mobile individuals. But when zebrafish live in a flock, they usually spend all their time free from food and sleep in games, chasing each other and at the same time not seeming to notice their neighbors.
If the aquarium is equipped with a filter - generally great. Turn it on to medium power to create a peculiar flow. And the zebrafish will simply be delighted with such an addition, frolicing and swimming in the jets of water.
Part of the volume near the walls (about a quarter in total) is preferably planted with dense algae with small leaves. A good choice can be an elodea. In the free space you can lay a snag, underwater castle or other decorations. The main thing is not to excessively litter the aquarium: there should be enough space for swimming.
It is better to choose a small and dark soil - against such a background, the fish look especially impressive.
The optimum water temperature is about 21-25 degrees Celsius. You also need to regularly change the water in the aquarium - about 20% per week.
Suitable diet
In general, the Malabar zebrafish, the photo of which you see in the article, is a rather unpretentious fish. She can eat one dry food for a long time - gammarus or daphnia is suitable. But, of course, it is advisable to pamper them with live or frozen food at least two or three times a week.
When choosing a diet, preference should be given to feeds that hold on the surface of the water for a long time. After all, the Malabar zebrafish mainly inhabits the upper third of the volume of the aquarium. Food falling down usually does not attract them and as a result may well go bad.
Breeding rules
Malabar zebrafish are ready for breeding at the age of 8-12 months. In general, the procedure itself is quite simple, but you still need to prepare for it.
Spawning needs to be prepared accordingly. A round aquarium is best suited for this. If such a tank is not at hand, then you can take a regular one and, having poured fine washed sand onto the bottom, make a noticeable tilt to the center of the aquarium. Here it is worth densely planting several bushes of algae - elodea, hornwort or other, the same dense.
Better to plant three fish - two males and one female. The latter should have a pronounced abdomen - a sure sign that the fish is ready for spawning.
Before breeding, they are planted in different aquariums for one week. All this time it is desirable to feed them with live food. Then the fish are planted in a spawning place, where after a few hours they begin to lay eggs and fertilize them.
Falling to the ground, eggs will slide into the center, under the protection of dense algae. This is very important - if you do not provide suitable conditions, parents may well enjoy their own future cubs.
After spawning (the female lays 50 to 400 eggs at a time, depending on age and size) adult fish should be returned to the aquarium.
Fry hatch after 3-4 days. After another 5-7 days, they begin to eat. The best food can be live dust or ciliates. Over time, you can switch to cyclops, and then to dry food. Of course, it will be necessary to grind it especially carefully so that young growth can eat it normally.
Choosing neighbors
As already mentioned, Malabar zebrafish is a very active and agile fish. But it’s quite peaceful. Therefore, it is advisable to choose the same neighbors - not aggressive, but not timid, who like to constantly swim.
Since they live mainly in the upper part of the aquarium, the best neighbors are fish who prefer to stay at the bottom of the tank. Then, as a result of a kind of "stratification", they will not interfere with each other. And the food that the Malabar zebrafish does not have time to eat will not disappear - the near-bottom inhabitants will enjoy it with pleasure. This means that the water will spoil less.
But neighbors should not be too small. Otherwise, they can become a dinner for large partners - the habit of eating a zebrafish that is smaller than them can be a serious problem for the aquarist.
A good choice can be called thorns, Congo, ornatuses and diamond tetras.
