Carinotetraodon salivator
Carinotetraodon salivator lives naturally in water bodies of Malaysia and Borneo. Carinotetraodon salivator prefers to stay in small currents, along clay banks, among tree roots and aquatic shrubs. The soil in the habitat of these fish is a mixture of silt, sand, fallen tree leaves and logs. Fish can be found at a depth of about 2 meters.
Male carinotetraodon salivator possess well-developed anal and dorsal plumage, which the fish spreads wide in a fan when threatening or courting a female. The body of males is red with 3-5 transverse stripes. Females are cream-colored with dark stripes. The maximum size of the fish is 5 cm.
To keep Carinotetraodon salivator, given their relatively small size, you need an aquarium of 30 liters. The aquarium should be decorated with snags and tree branches. The perimeter of the aquarium should be densely planted with aquarium plants. On the surface of the water it is desirable to place several bushes of floating plants that will act as a kind of light filter and in the shadow of which are very fond of being tetraodona striped. Placement on the bottom of oak leaves maximally copies the natural places where fish live. In addition, in the process of decomposition in these leaves begin to develop colonies of microbes that serve as excellent food for fry in the first days of their lives.
Carinotetraodon salivator is less aggressive than some fish of its family. Nevertheless, it is best to keep these fish alone, or in a common aquarium with larger fish, which in case of what will be able to stand up for themselves, but at the same time will not be a competition or threat to tetraodon. If you want to contain together several tetraodon, then in this case, the aquarium should be spacious enough and the entire territory in it should be broken into parts with the help of bushes plants and large stones.
Water parameters: temperature 20-28° C, hardness dH 2-15°, acidity pH 5,0-7,5. Due to the fact that this type of fish is very sensitive to water quality is necessary biological filtration, as well as aeration and weekly replacement of 1/3 of the aquarium water fresh. It is also desirable to create a small water current in the aquarium.
The teeth of Carinotetraodon salivator are four bony plates that are constantly growing at a high rate, so the fish are regularly given snails, clams, crab claws to sharpen their teeth.
There is evidence that in nature algae make up a significant proportion of the diet of these fish, so it may be worthwhile to stimulate the development of algae in the aquarium, for example, by placing large stones in the most lighted areas of the aquarium. Fish can also be fed small earthworms, live and frozen moths, artemia. Eat Carinotetraodon salivator and dry pelleted food, but still it can act as an additive to live food, but not as the main. Feed the fish should be 2 times a day.
Reproduction
In aquarium conditions Carinotetraodon salivator does not breed. In the wild, fish spawn among the thick of plants. The male guards the clutch until the fry hatch.
Life expectancy of Carinotetraodon salivator in aquarium conditions is about 10 years.
