A home aquarium is a small underwater world that is not only an interior decoration. Looking at him, a person calms the nerves, tunes in a positive mood, rejoices in adorable pets or admires the tranquility of the aquatic environment. When a reservoir appears in a house, the question arises, who will inhabit it? And often red fish get into the aquarium – bright, spectacular “lights”, often unpretentious and positive. They do not go unnoticed and always catch the eye.
Table of Contents
Red Color Fish Varieties For Aquarium
The most common red-colored aquarium fish include:
- red parrots;
- swordsmen;
- cherry barbs;
- cockerels;
- red platies;
- neons;
- gourami;
- chemichromis (handsome chromis);
- arowan.
Red parrots
All parrots, including red ones, which are the result of breeding work, were bred by Taiwanese zoologists. The process turned out to be painstaking, double or triple crosses were carried out. As a result, this new breed of aquarium inhabitants appeared in 1964. Until now, geneticists do not disclose details of how they managed to get such extraordinary fish.
The red parrot is an exclusively aquarium inhabitant, and it cannot be lodged with predatory fish. He has a very impressive size – in a spacious container, the size reaches 20 cm, but at the same time he is shy, loves to hide in secluded places. Representatives of the breed are long-livers, often individuals live up to 10 years.
The red parrot has a large rounded body, a very tiny mouth and small fins. Due to genetic transformation, the spine and swim bladder of these fish are deformed, so they cannot be called the most dexterous and fastest swimmers, even with the naked eye their clumsiness is noticeable. And the triangular shape and small size of the mouth make it difficult to eat.
Inexperienced aquarists can also get red parrots, they are unpretentious and picky about food. It is recommended that you feed your pet a suitable artificial diet to keep it comfortable to eat and maintain its bright colors. It is advisable to choose granular food, the particles of which sink and do not dissolve immediately – the parrot’s mouth is tilted down, and it is easier for him to pick up food from the ground.
Fish of this breed need spacious housing, the volume of which must be at least 200 liters. It will take about a year for a parrot to get used to a new place of residence and not hide in a secluded place at the slightest rustle. In the case of parrots, caves, shards, pebbles, vegetation are not just decor, but a means that relieves exotic inhabitants from diseases and stressful situations.
It is recommended to equip the tank with an external filter, as an average of a quarter of the weekly water change is required. The ground material should not be coarse. The following water parameters are preferred:
- temperature – from 25 ° to 27 ° С;
- pH – 7;
- hardness – 2–25 dGH.
Do not put small fish into the tank with parrots, as such neighbors will turn out to be an excellent meal for larger inhabitants. Despite the relationship with cichlids, they keep aloof from them. Parrots have quite friendly relations with the following representatives of the aquarium world:
- metinnis;
- congo;
- tetragonopterus;
- barbs (puntius) – Sumatran and bream-like.
Quite acceptable neighborhood of red parrots with scalars, cichlazomas: Meeka, Nicaraguan, bluish-spotted akars.
It is possible to recognize males and females among parrots only during spawning. Prospective owners should also know that these pets can spawn, but it remains unfertilized, so you should not expect offspring.
Swordsmen
This nimble and bright aquarium inhabitant has been popular with aquarists from different countries for decades. The homeland of swordsmen is Central America, here they inhabit rivers and lakes and feel great in their natural environment. Breeding swordsmen, as a separate species, were bred in the 60s of the 19th century.
Individuals of artificial origin have a brighter color than their wild relatives. The swordsmen got their name due to the lengthening of the tail fin, shaped like a sword. But only males have such a distinctive feature. The size of aquarium fish does not exceed 12 cm, and males are inferior in size to females. Most often, individuals with a red color and a black tail are found.
As a feed, you can select special ready-made rations containing a significant portion of plant components. Indeed, in nature, these fish happily eat algae containing a large amount of fiber. As a top dressing, you can give the fish frozen and live food.
Swordsmen are real zealots and need plenty of room for swimming maneuvers. Usually the volume is calculated based on 30-40 liters for one individual. The larger the tank, the more comfortable these fish will be in it. The following requirements are imposed on the aquatic environment:
- temperature from 23 ° to 25 ° С;
- hardness – medium;
- pH – from 6.5 to 7.
It is imperative that the tank be covered – it costs nothing for swordtails to jump out of it. Also, the aquarium should be equipped with an internal filter. A weekly water change is required, on average up to 20% of the total.
Swordsmen need abundant vegetation, because they hide in it from annoying or aggressive neighbors, and females reproduce offspring. These fish are viviparous, so they immediately give birth to fry, and the eggs ripen inside the female.
Representatives of this breed get along well with the same small and active inhabitants. Conflicts can arise within the family – males are quite belligerent towards brothers and can fight quite hard for the female. It is advisable to have one “gentleman” and 3-4 “brides”. It is not recommended to have a heterosexual pair of these fish – the male will constantly pester the female, harassing her with his claims.
In the same aquarium with swordsmen they can live well:
- guppy;
- mollies;
- scalars;
- neons;
- iris.
As for goldfish, they need cooler water, and it is desirable for them to have neighbors not as hyperactive as restless swordsmen.
As already noted, these beautiful fish are viviparous – in order for the offspring to appear, the male needs to fertilize the eggs that are in the female’s body. To obtain a full-fledged offspring, which relatives will not profit from, it is advisable to place the female on demolition in a separate tank. This must be done when the expectant mother increases significantly in size and a large dark speck appears in the anus.
Swords often have cases when thrifty females save the male’s milk, and later fertilization occurs independently. It is best to use small flakes containing fiber and spirulina for feeding the fry. Live food and crushed egg yolk are also suitable for these purposes.
Cherry barbs
These are beautiful red fish native to Sri Lankan waters. As a separate species, they were bred in 1929. By the end of the last century, the situation was not in favor of the breed – it ended up on the pages of the Red Book. The cherry barb is a 4-5 cm fish with a lifespan of 4-6 years. In nature, they inhabit reservoirs where the current is slow or stagnant water.
The fish got their name because of the unusual, richly scarlet, deep body color, which becomes brighter and more intense during the spawning period. Males are more showy than females. Moreover, wild representatives of the breed are not inferior in color to their aquarium counterparts. On the body of the barbs, there are dark spots, which are combined into a single strip. Outwardly, the fish resembles a torpedo with a forked tail at the end.
The barbus is a peaceful aquarium inhabitant, timid, accustomed to living in a flock. It is unpretentious and does not need complex care – it is enough to take care of the cleanliness of the aquatic environment and constant temperature. In addition, the tank should have a lot of vegetation in which the fish could hide, and this decor also provides the necessary shade and scatters bright rays.
Barbs need a varied diet, consisting of live, frozen and ready-made feed, fish are given food no more than three times a day. A school of 8-10 fish needs a 45-55 liter container:
- the aquarium must be equipped with a filter;
- the water temperature should not be colder than 23 ° С and not warmer than 25 ° С;
- pH value – 6-7.
Cherry barbs are non-conflict inhabitants of an artificial reservoir, therefore they cannot be placed in the same tank with predatory and territorial individuals. Best of all, they get along with neons and erythroses. The same calm and peaceful are thorns, brocade catfish, astronotuses.
Distinguishing between males and females is easy, in the first case the fish is round, in the second – slender, lean. Caring parents did not come out of cherry barbs, they are not averse to feasting on their own caviar. And in order for spawning to take place, they need special conditions:
- for a week and a half, males should be fed live food;
- the water in the tank must have a temperature of at least 26 ° С;
- using a filter, you need to create a weak flow;
- it is advisable to cover the soil with a warmer material;
- make lighting weaker, diffused;
- cover the bottom of the tank with a mesh with fine meshes.
As soon as the spawning process is completed, the parents should be returned to the common reservoir. And after 2 days, the eggs ripen, and fry begin to hatch from them. Newborns are fed with ciliates and microworms.
Cockerels
These fish have a very eloquent name – they are real fighters, restless, uncompromising. If, by acquiring two cockerels, the owner hopes to admire the idyllic and pacifying pictures, then he is deeply mistaken. Fish will sort things out day and night, using a variety of techniques.
The homeland of these bird fish is Southeast Asia. Like lalius, gourami and macropods, they are a labyrinthine species. Taiwanese breeders positively assessed the fighting nature of wild cockerels, therefore, they bred even more pugnacious breed representatives.
The cockerel is a small fish, the size of which does not exceed 10 cm. Males have larger dimensions than females, and are somewhat more colorful and brighter. During spawning or before battles, they become even redder and richer.
Males do not live long, 3-5 years, but they spend this time very actively. These fish do not require large aquariums; a 3-5-liter tank is enough for one individual. The following are suitable for fish water indicators:
- the temperature is from 23 ° to 25 ° C, but the fish tolerate drops of up to 18 ° C very steadily;
- hardness – 5-15;
- pH – 6-7.
Water does not need filtration purification and additional oxygenation. Cockerels are omnivorous, they can eat any food, but they gravitate towards living ones.
These fighting fish cannot be called ideal neighbors, but they can get along with swords, minors, rainbows, brocade catfish, Congo. A company of cockerels and neons, scalars, lalius or barbs will be very unpredictable, most often these inhabitants will be torn apart by constant strife.
You may be surprised, but male bettas are excellent parents, caring and attentive. For the fish to start spawning, it is enough to raise the temperature of the water in the tank by a couple of degrees. Males independently arrange “nests” for future offspring, glueing air bubbles, which are exhaled using salivary fluid.
As soon as the female lays eggs, the male radically changes his attitude towards her – he rudely evicts the mother from the nest and voluntarily becomes a single father. He vigilantly watches the eggs, catching the eggs that left the nest with his mouth, and brings them back. Usually, it takes 6-7 days for the eggs to ripen, and all this time the male staunchly performs all the duties.
Red platies
These small, adorable fish came to us from America. In nature, they can be found in American and Mexican waters. Red platies, like swordtails, live-bearer fish, belong to the genus karptooths. The size of individuals does not exceed 4-5 cm, and females are 1-1.5 cm larger than males. The color of this variety is monochromatic.
Aquarium inhabitants are active, mobile, so they feel more comfortable in a spacious tank. The container should be planted at the walls with abundant vegetation, leaving the central part free for the free movement of the inhabitants. In one 50 l tank, you can start a school of 8-12 fish. The requirements for equipping the aquarium and water indicators are as follows:
- temperature – 24 ° C, plus or minus 1 degree;
- hardness – medium;
- water can be slightly salted (no more than one pinch);
- water is changed weekly – by about 30%.
Feed red platy with the best bloodworms and daphnia, and you can also include dry rations in the diet.
Representatives of the breed are quite accommodating and not pugnacious. And with swordsmen, they not only peacefully live in the same territory, but can also have joint offspring by crossing. If it is meant to breed offspring in a common container, you should take care of the nourishing feeding of all the inhabitants so that they do not eat the babies that have just appeared.
Frying lasts about 8 weeks, and one brood may consist of 7-8 dozen individuals. Experienced owners are advised to put the expectant mother in a separate tank to preserve the offspring, and when the little ones are born, return her back. Already by the age of 5 months, the pliers turn into sexually mature individuals. You can feed the fry with microworms, cyclops, ready-made dry rations.
Neons
These schooling fish from Peru have gained popularity around the world due to their unpretentiousness, ease of care and bright, neon color. Part of the body in individuals is bluish-silvery, and the caudal fin is reddish. Neons belong to the tetras family and feel best when surrounded by relatives, so you should start such pets in a flock. They can be placed in the same aquarium with mollies, thorns, clown battles.
It is very pleasant to watch these “lively animals”, they are incredibly beautiful and mobile. But, like other small inhabitants, the lifespan of neons does not exceed 4 years. Despite a certain unpretentiousness, the fish are very demanding in some matters:
- the water should be soft, slightly acidic,
- you need to take care of cleanliness and freshness;
- dark soil is desirable;
- water change weekly, about a quarter of the total;
- the tank should be equipped with both an internal and an external filter;
- neons are thermophilic, warm water with a temperature of 25-26 ° C is suitable for them;
- abundant vegetation is a must.
What neons do not tolerate well is changes, you should not populate a flock if the tank has not “stood”. Neons eat almost everything, but they are better suited to diets with small particles. They adore bloodworms and pipe makers. Fish are peaceful, therefore they often suffer from larger, aggressive inhabitants. But the attacks of pugnacious neighbors – cockerels or swordsmen, will not be tolerated and will defend themselves.
It is not so easy to breed neons, they need certain conditions, and they relate not only to the temperature regime, but even to the bottom coating. The owner needs to set up a separate spawning grounds. If everything is done correctly, after 7 days tiny, brisk fry will appear from the eggs.
Red fish are a real decoration of the artificially created underwater world. They catch your eyes and do not leave you indifferent, charging you with positive and positive emotions. Naturally, in order for the inhabitants to please with their beauty and activity, they must be provided with suitable conditions.