Sky eye or stargazer aquarium fish. Sky eye or stargazer stargazer aquarium fish

20/07/2016, 12:56 2.6k Views 316 Like

Vacationers on a beach in Virginia were shocked when they saw this terrible creature sticking its head out of the sand. He had a massive head, a huge mouth with sharp teeth, and wide-set bulging eyes! None of those gathered on the beach had seen so much before. As it turned out, people found fish Astrologer(Stargazer). She got this name because of the eyes, which are directed vertically upwards, as if the fish is always looking at the sky. In addition to the eyes, her mouth is also directed upwards.

This unusually ugly fish spends most of its time buried in the sand. As a rule, only her eyes look out of the sand, which look out for the next victim. As soon as a small fish approaches a sufficient distance, the Stargazer abruptly jumps out of the sand, grabbing its prey with sharp teeth. As a rule, it preys on small bottom fish and invertebrates.

The stargazer is actually a poisonous fish. It has two poisonous spines located behind its pectoral fins. Some of the stargazer species within the genus Astroscopus can also shock their prey with electric shocks. By the way, this one is also found in the Black Sea, we call it - "Sea cow".

Goldfish Stargazer or heavenly eye - aquarium fish Carp family (Cyprinidae) .

area

Gold fish - heavenly eye or astrologer - selectively bred form Goldfish (CARASSIUS AURATUS).

Appearance and gender differences

At astrologer rounded, ovoid body with a low back, the profiles of the head and back joining smoothly. Telescopic eyes are directed slightly forward and upward. The dorsal fin is missing, the caudal and anal fins are bifurcated. All fins are short. The edge of the upper lobe of show fish should not be lower than the line of the back. There is a veil form of the heavenly eye. Although this is considered a departure from the ideal, these fish are very beautiful. Stargazers are often orange-gold in color. Stargazer up to 15 cm long.

Conditions of detention

Contain goldfish - stargazers 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. However, stargazers quickly spoil delicate plants, or the surface of the leaves is polluted by sedimentation of particles of garbage suspended in water. To avoid this, plant aquarium plants with strong root systems hard leaves. Plants such as capsule , vallisneria, sagittaria, or Elodea as the most durable. Goldfish - heavenly eye contain in one aquarium along with calm types of aquarium fish. AT aquarium provide natural light and good filtration. All varieties of this species prefer good aeration. 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, optimum 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 stargazers unpretentious, they eat everything and in large quantities. Their diet should contain both live and plant foods. They require less protein than tropical fish of this species, and more carbohydrates. Therefore, many firms specifically for feeding these fish produce a special diet in the form of granules and flakes. If you use them regularly, you can get good results, because in addition to the necessary nutrients containing a high percentage of carbohydrates, these foods are balanced and contain natural additives that help improve the yellow, red and orange color small fish. It is very important to know that dry food should be given in small portions several times during the day. Otherwise, getting into the esophagus in a humid environment fish, food swells and greatly increases in size, causing constipation and other disturbances in normal functioning digestive system fish. As a result, she may die. You can preliminarily hold the food in water for 10 seconds - if it is flakes, and 20-30 seconds - if it is granules, and only after that give it fish. 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. Goldfish - stargazers live for about 15 years.

Breeding

All goldfish - heavenly eye 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.

Stargazer (Carassius gibelio forma auratus)- a kind of goldfish, which, due to the characteristic structure of the eyes, was nicknamed heavenly eye, this is an artificially derived form. The body of the stargazer fish is ovoid, rounded, with smooth outlines of the back. Her eyes are very remarkable in her appearance - they have a telescopic shape and are directed upwards. Because of this feature, stargazers cannot be kept with fast and predatory fish.

photo: Goldfish stargazer or heavenly eye

The Stargazer goldfish does not have a dorsal fin, but the anal and caudal fins are slightly forked and short. There is also a veil form, although some breeders believe that this is a deviation. The main color of the body of the stargazer is orange-gold, against the background of dark soil, these fish look just fine. Representatives of this species grow up to 15 centimeters.

It is recommended to keep fish in flocks of 6-8 individuals in an aquarium of 50 liters or more, equipped with aeration and filtration. A 15 liter aquarium can accommodate one or two adult fish. It is better to choose a large soil - pebbles or sand, since individuals love to dig in it. It is better to choose plants with a powerful root system - these are elodea, vallisneria, sagittaria.

a photo: A stargazer or celestial eye goldfish grows up to 15 cm.

The temperature in the aquarium can be 20-25 degrees, the hardness is up to 23, stargazers tolerate salt water, weekly you need to change up to a quarter of the water. Stargazers can be fed with both plant and live food; specialized food is also sold. These fish are quite gluttonous, so give them food, wait 15-20 minutes and remove the leftovers. Stargazers spawn in an aquarium of 20-30 liters, plant one female and a couple of males, before that they are kept separately and fed abundantly. The female can throw up to 10,000 eggs, but, of course, not all fry will survive. After 4-5 days, the larvae turn into fish and begin to swim, they are fed with “live dust”.

a photo: Stargazer or celestial eye goldfish can live up to 15 years

• Adults without damage to health can starve for about a week;
• In captivity, stargazers can live up to 15 years, they are centenarians of the aquarium world;
• It is very difficult to breed an ideal stargazer, out of hundreds of fish, only 10-15 will meet all the characteristics;
• It is believed that this breed of fish was bred in a Buddhist monastery, and the eyes that are directed upwards gave the astrologer the opportunity to contemplate God.

Description:

The stargazer, or her name is also the celestial eye, is one of the fish included in the so-called "Goldfish" family. The stargazer has a round, ovoid body. A feature of the fish is its telescopic eyes directed slightly forward and upward. Although this is considered a departure from the ideal, these fish are very beautiful. The color of the stargazers is orange-gold. The fish reaches a length of up to 15 cm.

Stargazers must be kept in an aquarium of at least 100 liters per pair. In a 200 liter aquarium, 5-6 individuals can be kept.

Comfortable water parameters for maintenance are: 18 - 23 ° C, hardness 8 - 25 °, with acidity 6-8. Aeration filtration is MANDATORY.

Stargazers are compatible with all peaceful fish. You should not keep them with fish capable of aggression against them (barbs, especially cichlids), because. this will lead to the fact that only tattered feathers will remain from beautiful fins.

A feature of the fish is that it loves to dig in the ground. As a soil, it is better to use coarse sand or pebbles, which are not so easily scattered by fish. The aquarium itself should be spacious and specific, with large-leaved plants. Therefore, it is better to plant plants with hard leaves and a good root system in an aquarium with goldfish.

Fish are unpretentious in terms of food . They eat quite a lot and willingly, so remember that it is better to underfeed the fish than to overfeed them. The amount of food given daily should not exceed 3% of the weight of the fish. Adult fish are fed twice a day - early in the morning and in the evening. Food is given as much as they can eat in ten to twenty minutes, and the remains of uneaten food should be removed. Their diet must include both live and plant foods.

Properly fed adult fish can survive a week-long fast without harm. It must be remembered that when feeding with dry food, they should be given in small portions several times a day, since when it enters a humid environment, in the esophagus of a fish, it swells, significantly increases in size and can cause constipation and disruption of the normal functioning of the digestive organs of the fish, resulting in the death of the fish. To do this, you can first hold dry food for some time (10 seconds - flakes, 20-30 seconds - granules) in water and only then give them to the fish.

Breeding

Reproduction of the Heavenly Eye is simple. However, it is very difficult to obtain specimens of this fish that would meet all breed standards. Such fish grow only two per hundred. Others have many flaws that devalue them to varying degrees. Therefore, the Heavenly Eye, which fully meets all the requirements of the breed, is a rarity in our time and is very expensive. Another difficulty of breeding is that it is possible to determine the compliance of the fish with all the requirements only when the Celestial Eye reaches one year of age.

Conditions of keeping and behavior of golden fish "heavenly eye" in the aquarium

It is worth noting that the “heavenly eye” is a fish of the carp family, and its content is not much different in content from other goldfish. In an aquarium of 50 liters with constant aeration, 1-2 individuals can be kept. It is better to put coarse soil or sand on the bottom of the aquarium, because the fish are very fond of digging in it. Plants must be planted with a well-developed root system and tough leaves, as they spoil tender plants, and the leaves become soiled due to sedimentation of garbage on them. The following plants are suitable: vallisneria, sagittaria, egg-pod, or elodea (the hardiest).

How to feed a goldfish "heavenly eye" in an aquarium

In food, these fish are not picky, they eat any food. The diet should include both animal and plant foods. Since they need more carbohydrates and less protein than other fish, many companies produce specialized feeds for these fish. These feeds are balanced supplements to the basic diet and have a beneficial effect on the overall health and color of the fish.

It is advisable to pre-moisten dry food in water and then only give it to the fish, otherwise they will swell in their stomach, you should not overfeed them, adults eat once a day, in the morning and in the evening. After 20 minutes of feeding, the remains must be removed from the aquarium. They can live up to 15 years.

Joint keeping of golden fish of the "heavenly eye" or "stargazer" breeding form with other fish in the aquarium

Stargazers (heavenly eye) can be kept with exceptionally peaceful fish species. And it is better only with goldfish, it is advisable to choose fish by size. Catfish and sucker catfish will make them a good company. The aquarium should be provided with natural light and good filtration. These fish are not particularly sensitive to direct water parameters.

Permissible temperature range is 15-30 °C, average - 18-23 °C, water hardness 8-25. Part of the water must be periodically replaced with fresh water, if you get sick, throw them 5-10 grams of salt, they tolerate water saturation with salt up to 10-12% very well.

How to feed fry of goldfish "heavenly eye" or "stargazer"

The female can produce about 10,000 eggs. Fry should first be fed with “live dust”, and then with specialized feeds that are in abundance on the shelves of pet stores. Later, you can feed with a tubifex, boiled fish meat is also suitable.

Like many other varieties of goldfish, the stargazer is an artificially cultivated ornamental fish. Does not occur in wildlife. Distinctive feature from other fish is not only the eyes directed upwards, but also a rare feature - the absence of the upper fin. Original appearance very attractive to aquarists. Especially those who deal specifically with goldfish.

However, they were not always so popular. Once upon a time they were banned from being exported from Asian countries. There it is believed that the eyes turned upwards enable the fish to look at the god. Buddhist monks breed starfish in park ponds.

It is believed that such a placement of large eyes was achieved not with the help of selection, but because of the keeping of fish in opaque porcelain vessels, where light penetrated only from above. But this is just guesswork. How the stargazer fish or the heavenly eye really turned out is still unknown.

It is worth noting that this fish is often confused with the water eye fish. But they are completely different fish. Although they belong to the same family of cyprinids.

The average life expectancy of a stargazer fish is about 10 years. But only in experienced hands with the right content.

When arranging an aquarium for a stargazer, it is necessary to abandon decorations that have elongated corners, sharp ends, and all other objects that a fish can damage its large eyes.

A common problem is the loss of eyes, like telescope fish. But the telescope has a different view. And at the heavenly eye, the eyes always look up, which makes it even more difficult to see. When feeding, you also need to take into account the peculiarity of the eyes, since they see food only above their heads.

Like other fish, the celestial eye loves to dig the ground. If she is lucky, she will find food in the ground, but it is very difficult for her to do this.

In addition, these fish are highly susceptible to bacterial and fungal diseases. In general, the fish is not suitable for beginners.

The maximum fish size is 15 cm. As a rule, 2 liters are taken into account. Water to 1 cm. fish with tail. That is, at least 30 liters per 1 individual. It should also be taken into account that the internal filter, soil and decorations in the aquarium take up volume. Therefore, for one astrologer they launch an aquarium of 50 liters, 100 liters. for 2 individuals, then the landing can be compacted. For 150 l. plant not 3 stargazers, but 4.

With any goldfish, it is better not to keep anyone. They do not get along well with small fish, hooligan, such as barbs, and even more so with predatory ones. The only fish that do well with goldfish are catfish.

How to equip an aquarium for stargazer fish?

From the equipment we need a powerful filter. And do not forget that goldfish are always sorting through the soil, raising turbidity in the aquarium. Good aeration is also required. Especially in summer, because the warmer the water, the less oxygen it contains. A heater is also needed to keep the water at the ideal temperature. The ideal temperature is between 18 and 22 degrees.

The last thing you need in an aquarium is lighting. The heavenly eye loves bright lighting with a total power of 0.5W per 1 liter.

From the inventory you will need a siphon, which will weekly change the water to fresh at least 20% of the total volume.

Pebbles, river sand or fine rounded gravel can be used as soil. It is not advisable to plant plants because of the eternal desire of goldfish to dig in the ground. However, plants can be planted along the walls of the aquarium (usually along the back wall). It is best if these are plants with a powerful root system.

What does the astrologer or celestial eye eat?

In feeding, the fish are not whimsical. They eat everything that fits in their mouth, including small fish. Pet stores sell a huge number of different foods specifically for goldfish: flakes, chips, various granules.

Often aquarists prepare food for the fish themselves. You can feed live and frozen food. It should be borne in mind that the stargazer's diet must necessarily contain plant foods at least 25% of the main diet. It can be nettle, lettuce, spinach, dandelion, cucumber. Before serving, be sure to pour boiling water over.

How do stargazer goldfish breed?

They are easy to breed. They can be considered sexually mature from 12 months of age. Sizes do not matter, but the larger they are, the more caviar you can expect. The limit is 10,000 eggs. Usually 3,000. Of course, not everyone survives. In spawning, you need to raise the temperature to 25 degrees.

It is advisable to keep the male and female separately from each other and feed plentifully. After that they are planted in the spawning ground. It is desirable that the water is slightly softer than in the general aquarium. Spawning may also be triggered by a large water change. It is desirable that there are floating plants in the spawning ground. For example, Javanese moss, hornwort.

The male will chase the female, beat her, drive her into a corner. You should not be afraid of this, as it stimulates her to spawn. After that, the male fertilizes it, then the parents are removed from the spawning ground so that they do not eat their caviar. Unfertilized eggs turn white on the second day and become covered with a fungus. Such caviar must be removed. And so that the fungus does not hit healthy caviar, it must be treated with a solution of methylene blue solution.

After 5 days, a fry appears. He eats from the yolk sac for another 3 days, and after 3 days he swims in search of food. The best food at this time is live dust, ciliates or rotifers. As they grow, they give daphnia and cyclops. Feed the fry in small portions, but often. Up to 5 times a day.