Rat Fish
Ratfish has now been discovered by a large number of hobbyists and has become a kind of aquarium fish. It is native to South America, and rat fish can be found in almost every main and tributary water system of the Amazon River. This kind of fish is named "rat fish" because it has two cute little "beards" growing on the left and right sides of its mouth, which resemble small mice swimming in the water.
1. Introduction to species
1. Sharp-nose armored catfish group: Among them, the important representative species of ratfish are: black shadow rat (flagship rat), long-waisted rat, gray armored rat (Brock rat) , black quiver, emperor rat, white fox rat, red-scaled rat, and Fuli's rat; among them, the golden-winged emperor rat likes to live in groups, has strong adaptability to the living environment, and is suitable for fine and dark sand to protect them of tentacles. Omnivorous, it can be fed either frozen live bait or specialized ratfish sinking food.
2. Catfish group
The representative species of important rat fish include elf rat, blue moon rat, moonlight rat, golden-spotted rat, celebrity rat, and black-rumped rat (melon rat);
3. Bearded Catfish Group
The importance of this Representative species of rat fish include blue rats, space squirrels, chip rats, and green hornet rats;
4. The representative species of the sharp-nose catfish group
include the important ratfish species, the red-scale rat, the emperor rat, the black arrow rat, and the long-waisted rat. , Black Shadow Rat (Flagship Rat), Grey-armored Rat (Brock Rat), White Fox Rat, Foley Rat;
5. Olive-armed catfish group
Among them, the important representative species of ratfish include red twill rat, Ingo rat, red-headed rat, New red twill rat, golden-winged emperor rat, panda rat, Indian rat (bow rat), XO rat, spotted-back rat, giant red-headed rat, long-snouted red-headed rat, sweet rat (baby rat), Obergen rat, red There are black daisy rats, coffee rats, and humpback rats (mask rats); among them, panda rats are small and well-known species of rat fish, with black daisies crossing the eyes, and black freckles on the caudal peduncle and dorsal fin. , just like the red panda, it is very funny and cute, and it is a lively and lively species. It can be covered with pebbles in the aquarium, just like the original resting place.
6. Catfish group
The important representative species of ratfish among them are , treasure rat, king leopard rat, flying phoenix rat, sesame rat, red sail rat, Mickey Mouse, white leopard rat, black bean leopard rat, violet rat, black-winged leopard rat, black-spotted leopard rat, Batman rat, pirate Rat, Agassiz rat, large spotted rat, three-line leopard rat, Julie leopard rat, golden pearl rat
Two. , The choice of rat fish
There are two ways to buy rat fish. The first is to go to the store to choose. The second is online delivery. You can check out the selection when buying in the store, and you can choose a special one. As long as it is not a new arrival, you generally don’t need to go through it if you don’t know the situation of the store. It is safer to keep poor individuals alone for quarantine. Choose fish that are active, quick to respond, and have no body damage. There should be no sunken eyes and stomachs, and the fins should be transparent and free of foreign objects. There is absolutely no need to take any extra steps. If the fish is sent in bad condition, you can only try your best to save it. Pay attention to the sunken eyes. Do not buy chipmunks. The pectoral fin spines of chipmunks can penetrate venom, which will cause chronic poisoning of chipmunks when melted in water. However, chipmunks do not become poisonous just by packing them in a bag. Generally speaking, only chipmunks that are severely frightened will infiltrate the venom. Therefore, poor fishing techniques before packaging can cause stress to chipmunks, and packaging density that is too high will cause chipmunks to be poisoned. The poison penetrates the venom, but it is difficult to identify the poisoned chipmunk in a short period of time. What is worse is that the survival rate of the chipmunk that has been poisoned is almost zero. If you can wait for it to be stored in the aquarium for one to two weeks, it will definitely be a healthy individual. It would be best to buy it back again. However, if it is a rare species and it is necessary to buy it, you may want to carefully observe the swimming posture and breathing conditions of the rat fish to get a general idea.Don't.
3. New fish crossing the water
After the fish is brought home, it is first ready to cross the water. You can put the bag directly into the water or put the fish into a small box to pass through the water. The time for passing through the water depends on the condition of the fish. Generally, ratfish purchased locally are in good condition and generally need half an hour to cross the water, while fish in poor condition will need a little longer. The adaptive ability of rat fish is still very strong. When crossing the water, you can add a gas head to dry oxygen to help, and slowly replace all the water brought by the fish purchased. You can briefly sterilize the dried fish before placing it in the tank. My drying method is to use potassium permanganate to turn the water into a slightly pink color. The fish stays in the water for about 15-30 seconds, then fishes it out and puts it in the tank.
4. Feeding situation
The water temperature for raising rat fish is 20-26℃, and the water quality requirements are not strict. The bait includes water fleas, water worms, etc. It is a bottom-dwelling fish that feeds on leftover bait at the bottom of the water and is known as a scavenger. Juvenile fish need to be 9 months old to reach sexual maturity. The growth water temperature is 22-23°C, the quality is neutral soft water, and smooth stone slabs or marble slabs are used for nesting. The male fish ejaculates first, and the fish ovulates immediately. The sperm and eggs adhere to the nest, and the eggs are larger. The larvae hatch in 3-4 days. Female fish often lay 50-100 eggs.
5. Quarantine of new fish
After the fish enters the tank, it will show symptoms such as accelerated breathing and pale complexion in a short period of time. These are normal manifestations during the process, so don’t worry. The fish tank used for quarantine does not need to be too large, and a naked tank is a good choice. You can simply place some aquatic plants and dead wood in the tank. This can make the rat fish feel safe. Filtering can use waterfall plug-in or water fairy. The water flow should not be too strong, just allow the fish to shrink and swim unnecessarily. If you buy a lot of fish at one time, you can add a gas head to the tank to help with dry oxygen. During the adaptation phase of new fish, try to avoid surprises and bright lights.
6. Feeding
New fish can be fed their first opening feed 1-2 dawn after entering the quarantine tank. You may wish to use old shrimp larvae or dry old shrimp and grind them into powder for feeding. Do not feed too much the first time. At this time, the fish’s digestive system is not fully adapted to your fish tank, and eating too much is not a good idea.thing. Generally speaking, live adult shrimp larvae can easily make rat fish eat food, so do not try artificial feed. Most rat fish have never eaten these feeds. When they are hungry, it is better to let them recover as much as possible and then try feeding them artificial feed. If your new fish has a sunken belly, don't worry that it has an internal problem. This situation is usually caused by long-distance transportation control and feeding, so it can be maintained and recovered. As for those with sunken eyes, I have not come across them, so I cannot make any assumptions here. Some fish show difficulty in breathing, such as sticking their heads out of the water when breathing. This situation is often caused by the oxygenation of the bag during transportation and generally does not cause harm, but it should still be avoided as much as possible. If you buy fish locally, don't oxygenate it.
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