Alestopetersius smykalai
The tetra blue diamond or Alestopetersius smykalai is naturally found in the Niger River in Nigeria, Africa. The fish stay in small streams and creeks that run through the rainforest. The bottom of such water bodies is covered with a thick layer of fallen tree leaves and there is a lot of snags and aquatic vegetation. Today, Nigeria has lost 95% of its original rainforest cover, its rivers are densely dammed by hydroelectric power stations, and chronic habitat degradation is widespread in the oil-rich Niger Delta region. All of this has ultimately resulted in the great fortune of encountering these fish in the wild. According to many aquarists, the number of these fish kept in aquariums is considerably higher than in the wild. These fish are not often found in hobby aquariums, primarily due to the fact that they are hardly ever imported from their natural habitat.
Alestopetersius smykalai has a silvery coloration with a bluish metallic sheen. There is a rather large dark spot at the root of the tail plumage. Mature males are more brightly coloured and usually slightly larger than females. Males also have elongated dorsal, pelvic, anal and caudal fins, while females have only a few anterior rays of the dorsal fin slightly elongated. The size of the fish reaches 6 cm.
The Alestopetersius smykalai is a peaceful, nimble but somewhat shy fish. Keep these fish, preferably a small flock of at least 8-10 individuals. In this case, the fish are less shy and with interest, you can watch as males compete with each other for the attention of females. Blue tetras are excellent cohabitants in a community tank with other peace-loving fish.
The fish can be kept in an aquarium of 100 liters. It is desirable to recreate natural conditions with a substrate of a mixture of sand with fine gravel, snags and large stones. The perimeter of the aquarium should be densely planted.
Water parameters: temperature 20-28° C, hardness dH 2-20°, pH 5,0-7,0. Need filtration, aeration and weekly replacement of 1/3 of the aquarium water with fresh. It is advisable to create a small water current in the aquarium. These fish are very sensitive to high organic content of water and should not be introduced in an aquarium that has not yet established biological equilibrium.
The diet of the bluefin tetra in the wild consists of small insects, crustaceans and plant seeds that have fallen into the water. Under aquarium conditions the fish are fed artemites, daphnia and bloodworms. Do not refuse and dry pelleted and flake food containing spirulina. Feed the fish twice a day.
Reproduction
Due to the low prevalence of Alestopetersius smykalai among aquarists, very little information about breeding these fish in captivity. It is known that the producers scatter the eggs among the leaves of the plants during the spawning process. To save the eggs from the desire of fish to eat them immediately at the bottom have a separator mesh. Immediately after spawning, the fish are left. The eggs are incubated for about 5 days.
Hatchlings are fed live dust and 10 days later begin to give nauplii artemium. The food is given at least 4 times a day.
