Neon rainbow - care and maintenance in the aquarium

Neon iris is understood to mean a beautiful individual located in size between a small and medium group. Otherwise, representatives of the family are called dwarf, since in length they do not exceed 6 cm. But, about everything in order of priority.

Description

1. The iris is called melanotenia, the fish was described for the first time by Verber in the distant 1922. However, keeping it under aquarium conditions began only in the 1990s, then family representatives gained popularity and became very popular.
2. Fish from New Guinea prefers to live in fast-flowing rivers and streams. Irises show themselves fully, being in transparent water with a temperature regime of about 25 degrees. At the same time, they love an alkaline environment, which is within 6-7 units.
3. Small-sized individuals eat eggs, plants, fry, insects. Since this area of ​​habitat is little studied, nothing threatens the iris of this species.
4. The neon iris is understood as an ordinary representative of the family of sebaceous, which differs from its counterparts only in size. Earlier it was mentioned that fish grow up to 5-6 cm. Therefore, they are called dwarf.
5. Despite their small size, fish live for about 4 years. But with proper conditions, their age can go up to 5 years. The body is elongated, oblate from the side parts, the fin on the back is divided into 2 sections.
6. The main difference between the representatives of this species is that their fins have a certain shade. For example, in females they are yellowish, in males - red. It looks very beautiful, if you take into account the color of the case with a blue tint. When the fish is under different lighting, it iridescently shimmers.

Feeding

1. By their natural characteristics, fish can eat equally both plant and animal food. When kept in aquarium conditions, representatives of this subspecies are happy to feast on purchased feed.
2. Neons do not have the peculiarity of collecting food from the ground. Therefore, the choice of feed must be approached thoroughly. It is important that he does not sink, but floats freely on the surface.
3. Naturally, rainbow beauties cannot be overfed, they die of obesity. Frozen foods, such as a tubule moth, moth, artemia, etc., are given as an addition. Of the vegetable, it is worth treating the fish with salad leaves, spirulina, cucumber and zucchini.

Content

1. There are no special difficulties in the maintenance. But beginners must first gain experience and knowledge in order to have an idea of ​​the requirements of fish and their health. Fish love space and clean water, they are kept exclusively in packs, so immediately get 10 or more individuals.
2. Fish are famous for their activity, agility and the ability to jump out of the water. Make sure that the aquarium is covered with a glass lid. Otherwise, you risk finding rainbows on the floor during your next look at the aquarium. Choosing a home should be like this: 100 liters rely on 8 individuals. water.
3. Water should be fresh and crystal clear. As for the temperature regime, keep the indicators at around 25 degrees. At this temperature, the fish will quickly develop and strengthen. Particular attention is paid to acid balance (7 units), stiffness (6-14 units).
4. In natural conditions, fish prefer to swim in fast-flowing rivers. Therefore, it will be nice if you arrange underwater current in the aquarium with a powerful filter. As the soil you need to choose sand of a dark color. It is necessary to put driftwood in the aquarium, to plant various vegetation.Heaters are also installed if necessary.
5. In the wild, the considered individuals feed mainly on living and plant foods. As for the artificial content, the fish will be happy to eat ready-made store food. Granules that are slowly drowning are highly recommended.
6. The problem is that such fish do not collect food from the bottom. On the contrary, they will eat it gradually, while it stays afloat. In addition, neon melanotenia perfectly eat live bloodworms, tubule and artemia. From vegetable feed, you can give compounds with spirulina or scalded salad leaves, slices of cucumbers, zucchini.

Compatibility

1. Such fish get along well with small peaceful individuals. Separately, it is worth considering that neon melanotenia is a school of flock. This criterion is especially important to consider when the ratio of females to male in breeding.
2. If you are going to contain such individuals solely for beauty, it is recommended to acquire exclusively males. They have larger sizes and bright colors. Therefore, it costs about 5 individuals of the same sex to start.
3. If you are going to start fish for breeding, each individual should have a pair. For example, get 10 neon melanotenia - 5 pairs. Breeders recommend in the pack to contain exactly 10 individuals. It is best for the male to have more females. Otherwise, the fish may be subject to constant stress.
4. The presented irises belong to omnivorous fish, so they eat almost everything. Separately, it is worth mentioning that such individuals do not pick up food from the bottom. Therefore, consider this fact when feeding. Because of this same feature, it is necessary to clean the soil much more often. Alternatively, you can get catfish.
5. Such fish will be happy to clean the bottom of the aquarium. As for the other inhabitants, keeping rainbows is recommended with fast small fish. They get along well with the fiery, black and Sumatran barbs. You can also add thorns and mossy barbs.

Breeding

1. During the breeding season, fish should be transplanted into a separate aquarium for spawning. It is necessary to install an internal filter in it. Also, be sure to put a large number of small-leaved plants at the bottom. As an alternative, a ball of synthetic threads is suitable.
2. Before spawning, fish should be carefully fed with vegetable and live food. This procedure mimics the onset of seasonal rains that occur in the wild. It is during this period that an enhanced diet is observed in fish. Therefore, it is worth taking care of this before breeding.
3. As soon as the female is ready to throw eggs, the couple is transplanted into a separate specially prepared aquarium. The individuals mate, and the male fertilizes the eggs. After this, after a few days, fry begin to appear.
4. Do not allow too frequent spawning, the female will be greatly depleted, so the individuals should be separated for a while. In the early days of the appearance of fry, they need to be given special liquid feed or ciliates. Then they will eat artemia or microworms.

Rainbows are suitable for professional aquarists and amateurs. But the fish are whimsical to water, you need to observe all the subtleties in the content and arrangement of the home. Since the iris is very jumping, they are kept strictly in the aquarium with a lid.

Video: neon iris (melanotaenia praecox)