The content of the article
Star trophy - popular fish, whose second name is Dubois. Attention to these individuals is riveted mainly because of their unusual color, which is observed in fish mainly at a young age. Gradually, as individuals grow older, their color changes, however, it still remains beautiful and quite interesting. It is very interesting and exciting to observe how the young change their color, as their color changes very much.
Young fish have a dark color, supplemented by spots of blue throughout the body. It is for this reason that they got their name - stellate. Adults have a blue color of the head, a dark body, as well as a strip of yellow that runs throughout the body. The strip sometimes has a different color, differs mainly depending on the habitat of the fish. The strip may have different sizes, a brighter pronounced yellow color, may be white.
Trophy gained its popularity when they were first presented at the 1970 exhibition in Germany. Since then, they remain a hit. Trophies belong to varieties of cichlids, have a rather high cost and are very demanding on the conditions of their maintenance.
Natural habitat
Trophies were first identified as a separate species in 1959. In nature, they can be found in Africa, in Lake Tanganyika. Most individuals live in the north of the lake, since it is here that the predominantly rocky terrain. For these fish, this fact is extremely important, because they collect microorganisms and various algae from the rocks, and also get the opportunity to hide here in shelters.
Star trophies do not live in groups, mostly they can be found in pairs or singly. Trophy live in layers of water at a depth of 3 to 15 meters.
What do star trophies look like?
How to feed trophies?
In general, stellate trophies eat almost everything, but in natural conditions they most often eat algae particles that are extracted on rocks, and also eat various plankton from plants or marine life. At home, trophies need to be fed mainly with plant-based feeds. Special blanks for cichlids living in Africa are perfect for this purpose. This food contains a lot of fiber, as well as spirulina.
In addition, trophies can be fed with slices of various vegetables, in this case zucchini, lettuce and cucumber are suitable. In addition to plant-based feeds, live feeds can be added. Trophies eat Daphnia, Artemia and Gammarus. It is better not to feed representatives of this species with a bloodworm or a tubule, since such a feed can provoke digestive problems in fish.
You should not give a lot of food at a time to such fish, because they have a feature - a rather long digestive tract. Overfeeding can lead to digestive difficulties. It is best to feed trophies approximately 2–3 times a day in small portions.
How to contain trophies?
Star trophies are quite aggressive fish.For this reason, for their maintenance it is necessary to select a spacious aquarium, the volume of which will be from 200 liters. In this space, it is better to contain about 6 fish or more, the main thing is that in such a group there should be only one male. If there are two males, then the volume of the aquarium should be much larger. In addition, in such a space you will need to prepare as many shelters as possible, otherwise you will observe constant skirmishes.
As soil, sand is best suited. In the aquarium, you will need to make bright lighting - this is necessary in order to accelerate the growth of algae and plants. Inside the aquarium, place as many stones, snags, sandstone and coconuts as possible so that the fish have a large number of shelters. Plants in this case serve only as food, and are no longer suitable for anything. If, however, there is a desire to create a decor from plants, you should choose a more stringent option, for example, anubias.
Trophies are quite demanding fish, for them a large amount of oxygen is extremely important, as well as a low content of harmful substances - ammonia and nitrates. Also among the prerequisites is the presence of a filter in the aquarium and a daily water change of at least 15%. There must also be a siphon of soil.
Water needs to be changed daily for the reason that rare and, moreover, large substitutions, trophies tolerate very poorly. The ideal temperature for these fish are indicators from 24 to 28 degrees, ph should be in the range from 8.5 to 9, stiffness - from 10 to 12.
Neighborhood with other fish
Star trophies - fish, characterized by aggressiveness. For this reason, they are not very suitable for keeping in a common aquarium with other fish. It is best to place them in a separate container, or in the vicinity of other types of cichlids. Starfish are less prone to aggression than other trophy species. Together it is better to settle a group of fish from 6 pieces, while there should be only one male. You need to add new individuals very carefully, as they can die in such a company.
Also, in the vicinity of trophies, you can settle catfish, for example, synodontis, as well as varieties of fast fish, for example, neon rainbows. This neighborhood reduces aggression from males towards females.
Differences between different sexes
In star trophies, sexually opposite individuals have a very similar color and body structure. Distinguishing them is quite difficult. Females have only slightly smaller body sizes, as well as a slightly less bright color.
Fish farming
Before spawning, the male first pulls out a nest, into which the female then lays eggs. Then the female takes the eggs into her mouth, and the male fertilizes her. The gestation process lasts until the fry swim. Pregnancy in females lasts about a month. During all this time, the female is in shelter to protect the offspring. At the same time, the fish will eat other foods, but will not swallow the fry.
Video: aquarium fish star trophy
Submit