Ostracion cubicus
Ostracion cubicus is naturally distributed over a wide area in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The fish can be found along the coasts of South Africa and Madagascar, in the Red Sea, off the Maldives and Seychelles, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, Indonesia, New Guinea, Micronesia, New Caledonia, the Philippines, Taiwan, China and southern Japan. Eastward, the fish are distributed as far as the islands of Tonga, Samoa, Hawaii and Tuamotu. These attractive fish can be found in coastal areas, along coral reefs, at depths from 1 to 40 meters. It should be noted that when threatened, Ostracion cubicus release toxins, making many aquarists afraid to keep them in their aquariums.
Ostracion cubicus has an unusual appearance. The body of the fish has a square cross-section and in natural conditions can reach up to 45 cm in length. As with all cuspid fish it has a carapace under the skin formed by hexagonal plates, with an opening for the eyes, mouth and fins. The dorsal fin is offset to the root of the caudal plumage. The fish maneuvers in the water mainly with the anal and dorsal fins, and uses the pectoral fins for slow maneuvers. The swimmer from this fish is poor, so the cusk cube in nature keeps near the bottom, where the current is weaker.
Young fish have black spots on their bodies. As they mature, white spots appear on the body of the fish, surrounded by small dark spots. Bright yellow coloration has females, while males take dark shades, often brownish-grayish.
Ostracion cubicus leads a solitary lifestyle and gathers in small groups only during spawning, which takes place in the spring. Each group of fish consists of 1 male and 2-4 females.
Keep fish preferably in a species aquarium, as singly, and a group in which there will be only 1 male, and the rest of the females. To keep this number of fish requires an aquarium volume of 250 liters. It is possible to keep in a common aquarium with calm, peaceful fish that will not be food competition. In the aquarium should be located a large number of different hiding places, where cousins like to hide, as well as enough space for free swimming fish.
Water parameters: temperature 25-32° C, hardness dH 8-12°, acidity pH 8,1-8,4, salinity 1.020-1.025. need powerful filtration and aeration. In the aquarium should establish a biological equilibrium, so that the fish do not get stressed when placed in it. This is very important, as with stress and even a small fright cuzovok-cubic releases poisonous toxin, which is able to poison almost any fish being in the same aquarium with him. The aquarium should be covered with a lid, as Ostracion cubicus very often jump out of the water.
In general, Ostracion cubicus omnivorous fish. In the aquarium, it can be fed ground fish meat, shrimp, squid and mollusks. It is also necessary to plant additive to the feed in the form of specialized mixtures for marine fish containing seaweed. Feed the fish should be 2-3 times a day.
Reproduction
In aquarium conditions, Ostracion cubicus does not breed. All fish are supplied to the domestic market at a young age from their natural habitat.
