Rasbora caudimaculata
The Rasbora caudimaculata inhabits naturally in the waters of Southeast Asia, in an area bounded by the islands of Sumatra and Borneo and peninsular Malaysia. The fish inhabit fast-flowing forest streams, with a substrate of boulders, small stones, gravel and sand, as well as peat bogs whose bottoms consist of a thick layer of fallen leaves and tree branches. In the first case, the water is clear and has a pH of 6.5-7.5, while in the second it has a brownish colour due to the release of tannins and other chemicals from the decomposition of organics at the bottom. Such sites are in the shade of trees and the acidity of the water is pH 4.0-6.0.
The colour of Rasbora caudimaculata is silvery. Only the tips of the tail plumage have small dots of pale red or pale orange. Adult males are usually noticeably slimmer than females and have a yellowish anal fin. The females are slightly larger than the males. The maximum size of fish is 15 cm.
The Rasbora caudimaculata is very peaceful, which makes it an ideal neighbour in a community aquarium with other peace-loving fish. They are by nature a gregarious fish, and should be kept in a group of at least 6 specimens. Keeping in a small group makes the fish less fearful and their behavior looks more natural.
Keep the variegated seabream in an aquarium with a capacity of 300 liters. Ensure free space in the tank for the fish to swim. The choice of decoration is not as critical, the requirements for water quality. The perimeter of the aquarium should be densely planted with various plants, including those floating on the water surface. A mixture of gravel and sand can be used as a substrate. Large stones in the corners of the aquarium should preferably be placed.
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Make sure to cover the tank with a cover, as these fish spend most of their time near the water surface and often jump out of it.
When buying spotted-tailed sea catfish from a retailer, ask about their origin, as fish imported from their natural habitat may require higher or lower water acidity than in the aquarium. Captive-bred fish are adapted to both conditions and these problems do not exist with them. Do not introduce fish into an aquarium that has not yet established biological equilibrium.
Water parameters: temperature 20-26° C, hardness dH 2-10°, pH 5,0-7,5. Requires filtration, aeration and weekly change of ¼ of the aquarium water with fresh.
In nature, the mottled rasbora feeds mainly on invertebrates, both aquatic and terrestrial insects. In an aquarium, they are fed with live and frozen daphnia, artemia and chironomids. Also, to improve their colouring, the fish can be fed with flake and pelleted food. The fish need to be fed at least twice a day.
Reproduction
Rasbora caudimaculata in the spawning process hatch eggs in the water column. The males immediately fertilize the eggs and then they are presented to themselves. The eggs that fall to the bottom, and subsequently the fry, often become a delicacy for their parents, so the number of surviving juveniles will be small.
To take control of the breeding process need to apply the spawning aquarium. in this case it will be possible to save most of the fry. The volume of spawning aquarium should be about 100 liters. At the bottom must be placed on a separator grid or large gravel, which will be among the splits of the eggs, thus becoming inaccessible to fish.
Several pairs of spawners are placed in the spawning tank. A sign that the females are ready to spawn is their visibly rounded abdomen. Spawning is stimulated by adding cooler water to the spawning tank. Spawning usually takes place at dawn. Once the females have spawned, all producers are removed from the spawning tank. The eggs are incubated for 18-48 hours and after 1-2 days, fry begin to swim and feed.
The fry are fed with various special dry feedings for carp fry, and after 7-10 days are given artemii.
The lifespan of the Rasbora caudimaculata in an aquarium is 3-5 years.
