Phenacogaster tegatus
Phenacogaster tegatus live in nature in the Paraná River basin, which flows in South America, across Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. The fish stick to areas with clean running water near dense aquatic vegetation. These fish are easy to keep and may be recommended to novice aquarists.
The coloration of the fish is not conspicuous, which has made them less popular among aquarists. The body is grey and translucent, so the backbone of the fish can be seen through it. The middle of the body and at the root of the tail plumage are dark spots, which in appearance resemble eyes, hence the name of the fish - shetiglazaya tetra. Sexual differences are not pronounced. Fish reach a size of 3.5-4.5 cm.
The Phenacogaster tegatus is a gregarious fish. The aquarium should preferably contain a group of fish consisting of 8-10 individuals. For such a number of fish need an aquarium volume of 40 liters. Coarse-grained river sand is used as a substrate. Placing a leaf litter at the bottom of pre-dried beech or oak leaves further simulates natural conditions, which the fish are used to, as well as it will develop a colony of bacteria, which in turn is good food for hatching fish. Several snags may be placed at the bottom and the perimeter of the aquarium should be densely planted with a variety of plants. At the same time, provide plenty of free space for the fish to swim.
Keeping Phenacogaster tegatus in a community tank with other peace-loving fish such as anio, branes, other tetra species.
Water parameters: temperature 20-28° C, hardness dH 1-12°, pH 6.0-7.5. Requires filtration, aeration and a weekly change of 1/3 of the aquarium water with fresh.
Medium, diffused and moderate light. Daily light duration of approximately 10 hours.
Their natural diet consists of small invertebrates. In aquariums, fish are fed with a variety of dry food in the form of flakes and pellets. For a variety of fish are given live and frozen artemia, daphnia, moths, etc. The food should be fed twice a day.
Reproduction
Phenacogaster tegatus breeds in the aquarium in the same way as most tetras.
During spawning, the female chaotically hatches several hundred small eggs at the bottom or in the bushes of plants. Due to the fact that the eggs are scattered throughout the aquarium, the male is unable to fertilize all the eggs. Producers do not take care of their eggs and very often, immediately after spawning, start gorging on their eggs. Due to this, the parents should be transferred to another tank immediately after spawning.
The life span of the Phenacogaster tegatus in an aquarium is about 3-4 years.
