Carinotetraodon irrubesco
The Carinotetraodon irrubesco naturally inhabits the lower basin of the Banjuasin River in South Sumatra (Sumatera Selatan) in Sumatra and in the Sambas River in West Kalimantan (Kalimantan Barat) in Borneo. The water in these areas is quite turbid with a brown tint. The fish stay in the shade of the coastal vegetation. This fish species is rarely seen in aquariums.
The male Carinotetraodon irrubesco has a grayish body colour with weakly contrasting spots. From the eye to the root of the tail plumage runs a broad, light-colored stripe. All males have a broad red mid-belly stripe, sometimes of the same colour as their backs. The pectoral and anal fins are usually transparent, sometimes with a red tint, and the dorsal and caudal fins are red. Females have a slightly lighter body with the same broad pale lateral stripe as males, but it is often interrupted and may contain irregular brownish markings. The body has two or three additional wavy light stripes that form an irregular grid pattern. The abdomen is whitish with a number of brownish stripes separated by a number of smaller markings. They also have a darker spot just in front of the anal fin root. The fins are mostly transparent, but faint streaks are visible on the back, and the tail is yellowish with reticulated markings and several dark bands. Both males and females have red eyes. The maximum size of the fish is 4-4.5 cm.
Borneo red-eyed tetraodon less aggressive than some members of his genus, but, nevertheless, these fish are best kept alone or together with a group of peaceful gregarious fish family carps, large enough in size not to become prey for tetradon, but small enough not to pose a threat and competition to the latter.
The red-eyed Borneo fish tetraodon is very territorial and can only live in a small group if there are sufficient shelters in the aquarium.
This type of fish requires an aquarium of 80 liters with numerous shelters at the bottom in the form of snags and boulders. The aquarium should be densely planted, including floating on the water surface, which will create shady areas in which the fish will hide during the day.
Adding dried oak leaves on the bottom will further simulate natural conditions, and furthermore encourage the development of bacterial colonies, which may become a valuable source of starter food for the fry.
Water parameters: temperature 22-28° C, hardness dH 6-16°, acidity pH 6,0-7,5. Filtration and aeration should not be strong. Pisces are sensitive to high concentrations of ammonia and nitrite in the water. need a weekly change of 1/5 of the aquarium water with fresh.
Carinotetraodon irrubesco have no real teeth and their jawbone itself is converted into four fused toothed structures. They continuously grow at an astonishing rate, so constantly offer the fish food from shell-cleared invertebrates such as snails, small crab legs, clams, etc., to keep them at a reasonable length.
Additional foods can include crushed clams, small earthworms, live or frozen bloodworms, artemia nauplii etc. Dry food should not constitute the main diet, although pelleted and tablet food with a very solid consistency can be useful. It is best to feed early in the morning or at dusk, before lights out.
Reproduction
Carinotetraodon irrubesco does not breed in aquariums. At least we know of only one documented case.
Spawning is preceded by the male courting the female. At this time, he unfolds all his fins and takes on a dark coloration. Following this, the female hatches several hundred eggs among the leaves of plants and scenery. Immediately after spawning, the producers were set aside.
The larvae hatch after 65 hours and within 3 days they were feeding on substances from their yolk sacs. Infusoria served as starter food for the fry. After 1.5 weeks, the fry were fed with rotifers. It is not known for certain what happened to the fry afterwards...
