Lionhead cichlid - steep forehead and peaceful disposition. Lionhead Lionhead Cichlid Steatocranus casuaris wholesale sale

Keeping fish at home is an ancient tradition. And the modern home aquarium, behind the glass of which barbs frolic merrily and the veiltails importantly wave their tails, has a rich "pedigree". It goes back to Chinese and Egyptian artificial fish tanks, as well as to the ponds that decorated the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the wonders of the world. Thus, the fish were kept in captivity even before our era. During the Roman Empire, fish were kept in ponds with running water - piscina and special cages and vessels - aquariums (hence the word "aquarium", introduced into use in 1853). Peculiar vessels with fish, called "devilish", were in the Middle Ages among the Aztecs. In Europe in the 18th century, vases for fish were widespread. However, the first modern aquarium for cold water fish was made in 1841. Breeding fish in the aquarium began in 1848. From that time to the present day, the passion for aquarism continues to capture an increasing number of people. This chapter will talk about some of the fish that can be kept in aquariums and how to set up your aquarium in the best possible way.

Section 1. Goldfish and carp.

They are the main domestic fish and the only truly domestic fish (some consider the macropods to be the same, but this controversial issue).
Carp. Carps are domestic fish bred from Vietnamese carps. The first carps were bred in food ponds in China. Carp breeding was widely developed in the Middle Ages and the beginning of the 20th century in Europe. In Russia, Peter I ordered to breed carps. The main breeds of carp differ in the nature of the scaly cover, such as: scaly carp, completely covered scales; mirror carp, with small areas of the body without scales - "mirrors"; linear carp, with scales located along the midline of the body; naked carp - completely without scales. Maintenance, reproduction and feeding are similar to those of goldfish, but they are very demanding on temperature (optimal - 20-28 degrees Celsius), and maturation occurs later - from 3 to 6 years. New breeds of carp - Ukrainian framed carp, Ukrainian scaly carp, Kursk carp - are less picky about temperature than previously bred ones. There are no wild carps, but there are many feral ones.

Gold fish. Goldfish were bred in China, in the 10th century AD (the real peak of breeding these fish was under the Chinese emperor Chao-ku and after him in 960-1279). Their ancestors are silver carp. Only on the island of Mauritius live free goldfish, but they were released from the pools - that is, they are not wild, but feral. Goldfish come in a variety of colors, from pure gold to black. Here I will list the main breeds of goldfish.
Common veiltail. Among these fish, pure gold specimens are most often found, and such fish are most valued. The fins of these fish are long. The dorsal fin flutters like a banner, and the longer it is, the more valued the fish. The tail fin is forked.
Telescopic veil tail. It has Round eyes protruding from the orbits. Blueish green with golden spots. The tail fin is forked.
Comettail. Almost an ordinary veiltail (and the color is similar), only the caudal fin is not forked.
Tiger veiltail. Has no scales. Covered with colorful spots. Telescopic eyes. The tail fin is forked.
Shubunkin. Looks like a veiltail. The coloring is blue. The tail fin is forked.
Egg-shaped goldfish. The body looks like egg. The fins (including the caudal) are small, there is no dorsal fin.
Skygazer. It looks like an egg-shaped fish. The eyes are strongly convex, the pupil is directed upwards.
"Lion's head", or oranda. Close to the egg-shaped goldfish and the usual veiltail. With age, the head is covered with numerous growths resembling a lion's mane - hence the name.

Keeping goldfish. Goldfish should be kept under the following conditions: t 10-25 degrees Celsius, dH up to 20 degrees, pH 6.5-8.0, with aeration and filtration of water, a quarter of which must be changed daily.
Reproduction of goldfish. When the love games of the male and female begin (their age is 1-2 years, all earlier manifestations of "courtesy" are completely harmless), you need to catch the female, take her with a damp cloth and run the thumb of your free hand from the gill covers to the anus 5 -8 times until the caviar stops oozing. Caviar should be collected in a deep plate without water. In the same way as the caviar from the female, you need to get milk from the male. Mix milk and caviar with a glass rod, add water and place fertilized eggs in a large and very clean aquarium with clean water. If you have several pairs of goldfish, they will spawn at the same time. During incubation period(2.5 days) the temperature in the aquarium should be 22 degrees Celsius. Fry swim at the age of five. Until the yolk dissipates bag, they hang on the leaves of aquatic plants. Fry should be fed with mashed egg yolk and chopped lettuce.
(For more information about veiltail goldfish and their breeds, see AquaPark.)

Section 2. Keeping fish.

Feed aquarium fish. So that the aquarium fish does not get sick, it must be fed mainly with daphnia, cyclops (crustaceans), tubifex (worm). It is simply impossible to feed bloodworms (aquatic mosquito larvae), as it spreads diseases that are dangerous for fish. Predatory fish should be fed the same, adding a little bit of egg yolk, pieces of raw meat (beef heart is desirable for symphysodon), smaller fish can be served to piranhas. Daphnia and cyclops should be caught only in summer and only in puddles where no fish live. Tubifex must be washed daily for 10 days, and only then given to the fish. In the refrigerator, in a closed box, tubules live for half a month. For the winter, fish need to cook "porridge". To do this, you need to crank eggs or beef liver through a meat grinder, add grated daphnia, crushed bloodworms and crushed oatmeal flakes. "Kashka" should come out thick, like sour cream. Then this mixture should be placed in a tin can, put the jar in a pot of water and boil for about an hour on gas. In the cold, "porridge" can be stored for months; it is nutritious and healthy for fish. You can feed the fish with krill paste. It is sold in pet stores. There are many other artificial fish foods. Some fish, like the dollarfish, benefit from a diet of lettuce, cabbage, and other tough plant foods; for others, for example, for the scarlet barb, top dressing from vegetable feed is necessary.
Diseases . The list of the main ailments of aquarium fish includes 30 items. I will not list these diseases. Some diseases can be prevented under the right conditions. Too low or too high water temperature, lack or excess of oxygen, too low or too high pH, ​​too small aquarium size, long-term separation of males and females, inbreeding, dense population of the aquarium should not be allowed. It is impossible for the water in the aquarium to be chlorinated (even partially) and with a lack of mineral salts. The feed should be of good quality and varied, while not too high in calories; poisoning with drugs, substances released from paint and putty should not be allowed, and in general the aquarium should be as clean as possible (by the way, the now popular South American larikarid catfish, which I have already mentioned more than once, do an excellent job with the help of a suction cup with cleaning aquarium glasses and aquatic plants). I will not talk about the treatment of fish infected with viral, fungal, bacterial and other diseases, as well as those injured.
Setting up and decorating an aquarium.

Arrangement of an aquarium

For an aquarium, you need a bottom made of washed river sand with a layer of 4-6 cm, river pebbles should be beautifully placed on the sand. For a larger aquarium, you need to make a powerful bottom of pebbles about 3-20 mm long and sand. It is worth drawing furrows in the sand, making small slides of sand and granite. It is advisable to mask the aerator, thermostat and heater with sand and pebbles. You can take river or pond water, after filtering it through a dense cloth, or tap water, which needs to settle for a week. Now we need to plant the plants. Plants should preferably be flowering, not algal. They must be planted ONLY with fresh leaves, the old ones must be cut off. Immerse the roots in the ground, press the cuttings without roots with stones. It is better to plant homogeneous plants together in a grove, large ones in the background, shorter ones closer to the front wall. plant them better this way so that the fish can walk between them in flocks, and preferably between slides and sand grooves. The semi-finished product is ready. Then, when the plants grow, you get a lush garden. It is necessary to put the aquarium a meter from the east or west windows so that there is good illumination. And at the north window, you can move the underwater house close to the frames. You can also light the aquarium with an electric lamp, then it can be placed anywhere in the room. An electric lamp with a voltage of 25 watts illuminates an aquarium of 20 liters. 8 hours a day the lamp should be on, 8 hours should be "aquarium night", the other 8 hours it can be on, it can be turned off - it depends on the illumination of the room. But both stronger than necessary, and weaker than necessary, lighting will lead to the death of plants and animals in the aquarium. The water in the aquarium should be changed at least once a month. It is necessary to change no more than a quarter of all the water, like with goldfish. Aquarium sizes for some fish - in the table:

guppy female

Guppy. Guppies (a detachment of carp-tooth-shaped) were once found only in Guiana and northern Brazil, then, after Robert Guppy discovered and christened bright fish with a lush, undivided tail fin after himself, they were brought to the tropics to fight mosquitoes ... Well, now guppies are the most common aquarium fish in the world. Guppies are small, but recent times larger breeds of guppies have been bred. Male guppies are usually prettier than females. Due to their rapid reproduction, these fish have received the English nickname "million fish". Keeping guppies is easy; conditions - t 24-26 degrees Celsius, pH 6.8-8.0, water hardness up to 20 degrees, aeration, filtration, regular water changes. If guppies do not feel well, it is worth adding salt to the water - 1-2 teaspoons per 10 liters of water.
Characin-like. Among the vast suborder of characin-like fish, the most famous aquarists are luminous neon fish - the inhabitants of the Amazon. They are among the most beautiful aquarium fish. In danger, neon fish gather in a flock. Their relatives, united in the Characin family, are a variety of tetras, fish-coins, rubrostigmas, pulchers, phantoms, ornatus, heterorhabdus, artianaxes, exodons, sickles and moncusias. Among other characin-like fish, one can single out marginatuses, pecilobricons, carnigiella, sternicles, anostomes, krenuchs, neolabias, nannethiops, distichodes, mecherots, congo ... And that's NOT ALL! But what is especially surprising is that the conditions for keeping all these fish are the same: t 23-25 ​​degrees Celsius, water of medium hardness, pH 7-7.2. And in the wild, tetras live in transparent streams in the forest.
Piranhas. For keeping some piranhas in captivity, see the chapter Fish Dangerous to Humans. Biting Fish. In Russia, as aquarium fish, they first appeared in Moscow, then in St. Petersburg and Novosibirsk.

cichlids. Cichlids are very popular among aquarists. They are all very brightly colored, disc-shaped or oblong, sometimes with very long fins. The conditions of detention vary depending on the place where these fish live in the wild. On average, these conditions are as follows: dGH from 2 (only in West African and South American) to 20 degrees, pH 6.2-8.5, t 20-29 degrees Celsius.
Sword-bearers. Swordsmen come in different colors: white, yellow, red, and black. Keeping them is easy; keep the temperature above 20 degrees Celsius and change the water frequently. For the Heller's swordtail, or ordinary, the conditions are as follows: t 25-27 degrees Celsius, water hardness 12 degrees, pH 7.5. On the caudal fin "sword" is an outgrowth, hence the name. New breeds come with long, scarf-like fins.
groupers keeping in captivity is quite difficult - but what funny and smart fish they are! Conditions of keeping: dH 5-20 degrees, pH 6.5-8.0, t 10 degrees Celsius, salinity 2-5%, aquarium not less than 170 liters in volume. These are the same conditions for perch relatives - and these are ammocrypts, darters, eteostomes, peppers, perkarins, chops and our native ruffs. Agassiz perch and Castelnau perch are from a different family, not perch, but robal, because the conditions, except for dH, are different: pH 6.8-7.8, t 20-28 degrees Celsius.
Gourami very common among aquarists. These aquarium fish should be fed only soft daphnia and tubifex. They are picky about food. It is imperative to breed them, since some of them may no longer be found in nature. They (by the way, like the macropods with which they are in the same family) are kept under such conditions: dH 5-15 degrees, pH 6.0-7.5, t 22-28 degrees Celsius, water change - a quarter of a week, again aeration and filtration. Kissing gouramis stand apart among the gourami, which make up a special family of Helostomidae. The conditions for their maintenance are dH up to 20 degrees, pH 6.8-7.2, t 24-28 degrees Celsius, aeration and filtration.
Spitters. Who has not heard about "shooting" with water droplets, the technique of which these fish have perfectly comprehended! For those who are interested - in the chapter "Training and the amazing abilities of fish". I'll get down to dry facts. Conditions of detention: dH up to 30 degrees, pH 7.2-8.2, t 24-30 degrees Celsius, aeration, filtration ... No one has yet managed to breed archers in captivity.
Barbs. Barbs - very diverseaquarium fish. They need to be fed with plankton, benthos, rotifers, microworms, enchitraes, green algae, compound feed (some also, on occasion, can refresh themselves with their caviar and fry, which is better not to indulge). The conditions in the aquarium are as follows: dH up to 20 degrees, pH 6.5-7.5, t 22-26 degrees Celsius. The barbs also include the Ethiopian khramulya and the spotted horse. Some barbs are aggressive - for example, scarlet barbs bite the fins of their less mobile neighbors.
Minnows and mustards. Even fish such as minnows and mustards are sometimes kept in aquariums. Their conditions of detention resemble those of barbs, only a little softer; they need to be fed 60-80% animal food like tiny planktonic organisms. For the unusual spawning of mustards, the features of which must be taken into account when keeping them in an aquarium, see "Book of Fish Records".

Exotic fish. You can also keep exotic fish like stingrays or scorpions in aquariums. River sawfish from Australia, called Lichhard's sawfish, are kept in aquariums with a volume of at least 1000 liters under conditions: t 18-25 degrees Celsius, dH up to 20, pH 7.2-8.0, active aeration, filtration, water change. Large-mouthed notesta (scorpion family) are kept under the following conditions: t 15-25 degrees Celsius, dH up to 30", pH 7.2-8.2, an aquarium with shelters with a volume of at least 250 liters. Food for both saw-fish and there is only one scorpion - worms, molluscs, crustaceans, small fish... More about scorpions is described in the chapter "Fish Dangerous to Humans. Fish causing injury with thorns or thorns.Amazing fish of the mormiriform order (about which), among which fish with radars and fish playing ball, are kept under the following conditions: dH up to 12 degrees, pH 6.0-7.2, t 20-28 degrees Celsius (these are hymnarchs) or dH 5-15 degrees, pH 6.5-7.2, t 24-28 degrees Celsius (everyone except hymnarchs). Aquarium - as for the note. By the way, you can also keep mudskippers. They tolerate sudden changes in salinity well. Its level in the aquarium should be low. To watch fish crawl out of the water on their muscular pectoral fins, place a piece of driftwood, a few coarse rocks, or make a mound of sand above the water. Food - minced meat or fish, bloodworms, earthworms(It is better to give food out of the water).
And others... There are hundreds and hundreds of species of aquarium fish. And mollies, and scalars, and danios, and ... How many fish were left without attention! But it is impossible to tell about everything, and my book is primarily about "free" fish.

Section 4. The ocean in the room.

This section describes marine fish that can be kept at home and how they should be kept.
Algae for marine aquarium. Near the coast, where there are rocks, the cystoseira algae grows. She has strong and long - up to 1.5 m - stems. For an aquarium, you need to find a young algae that has attached itself to a small pebble. You don’t need to cut it off, it’s better to bring it home right with the stone. Not bad for a marine aquarium is dasia algae, in the thickets of which mussel mollusks like to settle. It does not hurt to settle in the aquarium and another algae - padina, which looks like faded chanterelle mushrooms.
Water and bottom. This paragraph is written for those who cannot take water for a marine aquarium from the sea. Similarity sea ​​water is a mixture of sea salt, which is sold in pharmacies, and ordinary tap water, which must be kept for a week. It is required to dissolve sea salt in a basin or bucket, stirring with a clean stick. When the salt dissolves, pour it into the aquarium and fill it to the top with tap water. Wait for the water to stop turbidity and collect it with a siphon while setting the desired water level. Now think about which sea you will take fish from, and calculate how much salt you need. One liter of water contains 4-8 g of salts in the Baltic Sea, 10-11 g in the Sea of ​​Azov, 17 g in the Black Sea, 35 g in the seas close to the ocean and in the ocean; in addition, in the Caspian Sea - 3-5 g of salts in 1 liter of water near Astrakhan and 13-14 g in the south. The bottom should be laid out with large, well-washed gravel and pebbles, adding a little sand.

Black sea seahorse

Zelenushki. These spotted green wrasses, reaching up to 30 centimeters, are common in many seas and are among those fish that are often caught in the Black Sea. In an aquarium for greenfinch, you need to build a grotto of stones or simply put large stones, plant algae. Food - mussels, small worms. Greenfinches 3 species: hazel grouse, quail and crested wrasse. Greenfinches should be kept separate from other fish.
Monk. Its deep-cut caudal fin resembles a swallow's tail. The color of the fish is purple-black or bright blue. Monk fish need a spacious aquarium. The nutrition of these fish is similar to that of greenfinches.
Seahorses and needles. Seahorses and sea needles in the aquarium should be fed with small crustaceans, bloodworms (which must be thoroughly washed and scalded with boiling water), tubifex. Keeping them is easy enough. For them, the aquarium needs a sandy bottom, on which a lot of algae grows. In the Black Sea you can meet long-nosed, or Black Sea, and short-nosed, or European, seahorses, as well as a variety of pipefish. About the amazing way of being born, characteristic of seahorses, I will tell in the chapter "Procreation". By the way, not all sea needles are marine inhabitants: once J. Durrell met one of them in a small Cameroonian stream; needles are also found in the Dnieper and Don.

Goldfish are perhaps the most famous representatives of the underwater kingdom inhabiting indoor aquariums and pools around the world. During the maintenance of these beauties in aquariums, several dozen main subspecies have been bred, each of which includes many more varieties. Thanks to such a variety of shapes and colors, any aquarist can choose a goldfish to his liking.

Bred in China around the tenth century AD. Soon they appeared in Japan and Indonesia, where many Chinese lived.

These fish came to England and Portugal from St. Helena in 1691, from where they settled throughout Europe. In the 18th century, they were already very fashionable in high society, Madame Pompadour herself kept aquariums with golden immigrants from China in her boudoir.

Goldfish are kept either in pools (in Asian countries) or in aquariums. Fish living in an aquarium are usually smaller than those living in a pool, which can reach 40 cm in length and five kilograms in weight.

Breeding goldfish is not at all easy, amateurs rarely manage to get offspring. Therefore, the main supplier of all the fry of this fish for lovers of Europe are breeding farms, the largest of which is located in France.

The variety of fish of this species is extraordinary. There are breeds of different colors, with a bizarre tail shape, bulging eyes, even without dorsal fins.

Goldfish are popular breeds

Currently, there are more than ten breeds of goldfish that amaze every lover of aquarium fish with their grace and beauty.

Veiltail

is the most common type of goldfish. It is named for the very long double fins with a large slit that hang down like a veil. Particularly prized specimens with a pure golden color.

tiger veiltail

This variety is distinguished by the presence of telescopic eyes and the absence of scales. Coloration with blue, red, white, black and golden spots.

telescopic veil tails

- have greatly enlarged and bulging eyes, for which they got their name. The color of the fish is from golden to black.

Comettail

- decorated with a long veil tail with a single fin, exceeding the length of the body. The color can be red-white or bright red. Multi-color ones are valued more than single-color ones.

Shubunkin

- usually bluish in color with black, brown, yellow, dark red spots on the body. Scales are transparent.

pearl

The pearl has a convex and round scale similar to pearls, bordered by a dark rim. The color of the fish is golden, orange-red, very rarely white.

lion head

Lionhead - wears a large growth of skin on the gill covers, resembling a mane. Such a seal, covering the entire head of the fish, appears in her at the age of three months.

Oranda

Also differs in growths on the head. The most valued white fish with a red growth (red-capped). This fish is one of the most expensive. The usual color of the oranda is variegated, golden, red, black.

Pompon

The pompom is a rare variety. Characteristically short body and fins of red-golden color. On the nose there is a fatty formation resembling a pompom, sometimes two, symmetrically located.

egg shaped goldfish

An egg-shaped goldfish with an egg-shaped body and small fins. The dorsal fin is completely absent.

Skygazer

or has an ovoid body and bulging eyes, the pupil of which is directed upwards.

These are the main, but not all breeds of goldfish that can decorate any aquarium. But keeping these finicky beauties is not at all easy. In addition to the fact that all their beauty, in the form of long veil-shaped tails and bulging eyes, is very easily damaged by other fish or sharp underwater objects, goldfish also have increased maintenance requirements.

The norm of the volume of water in the aquarium for one goldfish is 2-3 times more than for other types of fish. They are very sensitive to changes in water temperature, which for them should be 18-24 degrees Celsius. Goldfish are fond of digging in the ground, so they damage delicate live aquarium plants. And, most importantly, they are very susceptible to various diseases fish.

If you are not afraid of the difficulties associated with creating and maintaining special conditions for goldfish, you can enjoy their unique shapes and colors every day. goldfish in your aquarium.

Breeding history and appearance of the lionhead goldfish

goldfish lionhead- one of the representatives of artificially bred breeds of goldfish, by crossing and having a long, almost thousand-year history of selection. All goldfish have one ancestor - it is an ordinary mirror carp as a result of selection and various kinds of mutations of which "golden carps" appeared, as they were originally called. Countries such as China and Japan have a long history of breeding goldfish. Historically, these fish appeared in Buddhist monasteries. Out of pity for them, the monks did not eat them, there were even "ponds of mercy" with these fish. Later, the practice of breeding these purely ornamental breeds migrated to Japan, and with their innate sense of beauty, the Japanese adopted this hobby and diversified it with new breeds.

In Europe, goldfish appeared along with the discovery for Europeans Asian countries and fashion for everything oriental. The first mention of these fish dates back to the 17th century, and their cost was prohibitive at that time, so only very wealthy people could afford to keep them.

In Russia, they appeared thanks to caravan routes coming from the East. Their history in our country also includes a lot of time, from the 15th century. there are references to them, Tsar Ivan the Terrible received them repeatedly as a gift, and under Peter the Great, their content extended to the courtiers.

The lionhead is distinguished by a short silvery or red, with various shades, body with powerful scales and no dorsal fin. A distinctive and main feature of this breed are large growths in the upper part of the head, sometimes descending to the gill covers and covering even the small eyes of the fish. This growth is red, sometimes in contrast with the color of the body, which may even be in light spots. The caudal fin, like the anal fin, is bifurcated. The fish can reach 20cm. in length. With proper care and conditions, these fish, or as they are also called - "lionhead ranch", can live 15 years or more.

Conditions of keeping and behavior in the aquarium of a goldfish lionhead

As with most goldfish, a lionhead needs a spacious aquarium as large as possible, at the usual rate of 50-60 liters per individual. As professionals - breeders say: it is better not to put a goldfish in an aquarium with anyone at all, because these fish, by their nature, are peaceful and vulnerable. Even fish 10 times smaller can harm them by biting their fins and taking food.

The aquarium should be well lit, with a powerful aeration filter. But, despite this, it is still necessary to partially change the water, periodically adding fresh, without impurities. The ground can be smooth and not hurt fish that like to dig in it, plants with strong roots, because fish love to eat them. Colored glass pebbles will favorably emphasize the dignity of the fish, as well as various houses in which the fish likes to sleep or hide from the sun. The optimum temperature in the aquarium is 20-23°C, water hardness is normal - 8 - 25°, at pH = 6-8. When characteristic signs of illness appear, suspicious spots on the fins and scales, lack of appetite, etc., you can add a teaspoon of ordinary table salt in combination with a medicine for goldfish, as they tolerate high acidity very well.

How to feed your lionhead goldfish

You can feed goldfish with any food, it is advisable to diversify their diet with vegetable and animal supplements. But the main rule of their content is them, otherwise the fish may simply die. They need to be fed twice a day - in the morning and in the evening, after 10 minutes of feeding, take away the remnants of food from the aquarium, otherwise they may begin to rot and clog the water. Also quite appropriate fasting days absolutely no food.

Reproduction and feeding of lionhead fry

These fish reach sexual maturity after 2 years of life. Reproduction most often occurs during a warm period of time, when daylight hours increase. Males change in behavior, begin to swim actively for females, to care for them. In females, the stomach swells from caviar. According to these signs, it is easy to determine the readiness for spawning of fish of both sexes.

For spawning take relatively large aquarium from 50 l., put several males on one female, arrange ideal conditions, clean water, plants, soil. Spawning lasts 3-4 days, at a sufficient temperature of 20-26 ° C, the fry begin to swim after a few days. They are very helpless, so the producers must be removed immediately after spawning. , gradually transferring them to specialized food for goldfish fry. Over time, they will have to be seated in different aquariums, since their maturation does not occur evenly and there is a need to avoid cannibalism.

Ivanov Evgeny Vladimirovich

Goldfish - Lionhead (Ranchu, Shishitashira) - aquarium fish Carp family (Cyprinidae).

The goldfish lives on the Japanese islands. Bred by selection. Lionhead is also called Shishitashir or Ranchu.

Appearance and gender differences

The upper part of the head and gill covers of the fish are covered with massive growths. They appear at 3 months from thickening of the skin. The growths outwardly resemble a lion's mane or a raspberry. They are so huge that they often close the small eyes of the fish. The body of the lionhead is short, rounded. Back in the back, and upper edge tail form an acute angle. The fish does not have a dorsal fin. Anal fin and tail forked. The color of the body is varied: red with white spots, white with a red snout. The body length of the lionhead reaches 20 cm.

Sexual differences are best seen during spawning. The abdomen of the female is noticeably swollen. The male's ventral fins are slightly sharper.

Conditions of detention

By nature, the lionhead goldfish is friendly. The fish can only get along with peaceful neighbors. An aquarium of 50 liters is suitable for keeping one individual. It is preferable, of course, to have a larger volume of 100 liters, where a couple of goldfish will be comfortable. The lionhead is not averse to digging in the ground, it is better to lay coarse sand on the bottom or use pebbles so that the fish do not scatter it so easily. Place algae with large leaves in a spacious aquarium. Goldfish tender plants will quickly spoil. In addition, particles of garbage will settle on the leaves, and pollute their surface. This can be avoided by planting algae in the aquarium with hard leaves and strong roots. Roots can be additionally strengthened with stones. The most hardy algae are egg-pod, elodea, sagittaria, vallisneria. The lighting is natural.

The temperature suitable for a lion head is 18-30 degrees. Into the cold winter time indicators will be ideal - 15-18 degrees. The rest of the year - 18-23 degrees. Lionheads leave behind a lot of garbage, the aquarium should be equipped with powerful filters. Hardness - 8-25 degrees. You can use an aeration system. Acidity - 6-8. If you notice that goldfish are lethargic, they feel worse, add a little salt to the water (1 liter - 5-7 grams). Salinity of water up to 15% is perfectly tolerated by lionheads. Refresh your water regularly. Change 30% of the total capacity.

Lionheads eat a little bit of everything. The menu of goldfish should be diversified by including live and vegetable components. Don't overfeed your goldfish. Feed in the morning and evening hours. Leftover food should be cleaned out of the aquarium. With proper nutrition, lionheads can survive a week without food.

Breeding

At the age of 2, the lionhead goldfish is capable of reproduction. A separate aquarium of 40 liters is being prepared, the bottom is covered with sandy soil. Several algae bushes with small leaves are planted. One female and cavaliers in the amount of 2-3 pieces for 15-20 days are settled in different containers. The food is varied.

Speed ​​up the spawning process by raising the temperature. This should be done gradually, bringing the water to 29-30 degrees. The male knocks the eggs out of the female, chasing her around the spawning grounds. Caviar settles on the bottom or on the leaves of plants. The total offspring of a female lionhead reaches 10,000 eggs. goldfish are not the best parents, they can feast on their own caviar. To prevent this from happening, they should be deposited immediately after the end of spawning. The hatched fry are fed with live dust, after some time Artemia is added to the diet. Fry are also allowed to be given special foods sold in pet stores.

Goldfish - Lionhead (Ranchu, Shishitashira)- aquarium fishCarp family (Cyprinidae) .

area

Goldfish Lionhead - selectively bred form Goldfish (CARASSIUS AURATUS).

Appearance and gender differences

At lion heads rounded short body. The upper outer edge of the caudal fin, together with the rear part of the profile of the back, forms an acute angle. On the gill covers and the upper part of the head there are massive outgrowths formed in the fish from skin compaction at the age of three months and resembling a raspberry or a lion's mane. Unlike orandas, at the lionhead, the growth is so significant that it often covers the already small eyes of the fish. The caudal and anal fins are bifurcated, the dorsal is absent. The coloration varies, often in contrast to the color of the growths on the head. The most popular specimens in Japan with a red color. There are also such color options: red background of the body with white spots; white body background, shiny fins and snout and red gill covers. Separately, a red or Chinese lionhead is distinguished in the breed. The main differences of this fish are a massive translucent intense red outgrowth on the upper part and on the sides of the head and a forked shape of the caudal fin with 4 processes. The body color is golden or light red. The length of the lion head is up to 20 cm.

Conditions of detention

Calm in nature, peaceful lion heads get along well with the same quiet neighbors. Contain goldfish - lionheads you need a volume of at least 50 liters per one fish, it is better if it is an aquarium of at least 100 liters, in which a couple of fish will be placed. With an increase in the size of the aquarium, the population density can be slightly increased, so 3-4 fish can be placed in a 150-liter aquarium, and 5-6 in a 200-liter aquarium, etc. But with an increase in population density, attention should be paid to good aeration of the water. These aquarium fish they love to dig in the ground, so it is better to use pebbles or coarse sand as it, then fish it won't be easy to throw it away. Myself aquarium desirable specific and spacious, in which you need to place large-leaved aquarium plants. Fish quickly spoil delicate plants, or the surface of the leaves is polluted by sedimentation of particles of garbage suspended in the water. To avoid this, plant aquarium plants with a strong root system and hard leaves. Plants such as capsule , vallisneria, sagittaria, or Elodea as the most durable. Goldfish - lionheads contain in one aquarium along with calm types of aquarium fish. AT aquarium provide natural light and good filtration. To the parameters of the water in the aquarium fish not particularly sensitive. For example, allowable temperature fluctuations can be from 18 to 30 °C. Nonetheless, optimal temperature in spring and summer it is considered 18 - 23 ° C, and in winter - 15 - 18 ° C. Water hardness should be 8 - 25 °, with an acidity of 6-8. If your fish began to feel bad, then you can add 5-7 g of salt per liter of water to the water, as they tolerate well the salinity of water up to 12-15%. Part of the water in aquarium preferably replaced regularly. In food lion heads unpretentious, they eat everything and in large quantities. Their diet should contain both live and plant foods. Despite the gluttony goldfish they should not be overfed. The amount of food they consume daily should be approximately 3% of their weight. fish. Feed adults fish followed twice a day - the first time early in the morning, and the second - in the evening. The amount of feed is calculated for 10-20 minutes of feeding, then the remains of uneaten food from aquarium are removed. adults fish who receive proper nutrition, can endure a long week-long hunger strike without harm to their health.

Breeding

All goldfish - lionheads can spawn in a capacity of 20 - 30 liters. It is necessary to place sandy soil in it and plant small-leaved plants. For spawning, it is customary to plant one female for two or three two-year-old males. Before spawning, they should be kept separate for 2-3 weeks. In spawning aquarium it is recommended to maintain the temperature at 24 - 26 °C. To stimulate spawning, it is necessary to gradually heat the water until its temperature rises by 5-10 °C. At the same time, males begin to quickly rush and chase females, who lose their eggs, scattering them around the entire perimeter. aquarium, mainly found on plants. In total, the female spawns about 10,000 eggs. As soon as spawning is over, producers must be removed from aquarium. The initial food for hatched fry will be " living dust". They can also be given special foods, which are now commercially available in abundance, designed to feed fry. goldfish eg Sera Mikron.