Aquarium clown fish or botia macracanthus. Botsia: a bright, cheerful beauty or an inimitable clown

Botia clown - aquarium fish, which is becoming more and more popular every day not only in Russia, but throughout the world. Bright variegated coloring, cheerful and peaceful disposition, as well as a fairly long lifespan - all this justifies the purchase of this fish. There is, perhaps, the only negative - it is a fairly high price. The cost of fish in Moscow pet stores varies from 300 to 400 rubles. But the clown botsia fish is not one of those who will live alone. Therefore, buying it in a single copy is as stupid and useless as buying one barb. Taking into account the cost, buying a flock of clown bots will cost a pretty penny. But let's not talk about sad things...

Where is the homeland

Clown loach is native to the islands of Indonesia. Initially, the habitat of this fish was the waters of Kalimantan and Sumatra. Bots prefer rivers in which the water is quite soft and acidic.

Later, these fish began to be bred on special farms in Southeast Asia. Therefore, today the fish that you buy at the pet store will most likely be of “Asian” origin.

Appearance

Clown loach is a very beautiful and unusual fish. Its body is bright yellow or orange with three wide black stripes. The botia has six fins: the upper one, located on the back, is black, and the lower ones are red. The fish's mouth is small and curved, with antennae located next to it.

An interesting feature of the clown battle is its specific spikes. They are located directly under the eyes of the fish and in a normal, calm state are hidden under the skin. When the clown loach feels danger, the spines shoot out with a clicking sound. You can see this process when catching a fish from an aquarium. At this moment she thinks she is in danger and releases her spines. And some varieties of clown bots even in calm evening time they just love to click.

By the way, about the sizes. In conditions wildlife battles reach 50 centimeters! Aquarium specimens are much smaller - no more than 26.

Botia clown: content

Despite their great popularity, these fish are quite difficult to keep. However, difficult does not mean impossible.

To make the bots feel comfortable, provide them with a voluminous and long enough aquarium. Perfect size containers for large individuals - at least 180 centimeters in length and width.

Fish of this breed are very sensitive to poor conditions. Therefore, you should not introduce them into a newly purchased aquarium. Don't forget to change the water on time. The water in the aquarium should not only be clean, but also sufficiently soft and warm (26-28 degrees Celsius).

Clown boys love freedom and space. Therefore, you should not overpopulate the aquarium with other fish. They also love to eat plants. Therefore, artificial shrubs are best suited for keeping this breed. Otherwise, you risk seeing stripped and eaten algae in your aquarium.

The bottom of the aquarium is a thin layer of substrate. The bottom filter should be excluded when keeping bots.

Choosing neighbors

One more thing needs to be taken into account before clownfish settle in your aquarium - compatibility with other fish. Bots are quite peaceful and do not suffer from aggression towards their neighbors. However, this species is very playful and active. Therefore, their behavior may cause constant stress for the more melancholic and calm inhabitants of the aquarium.

Fish with veil-shaped fins are definitely not suitable as neighbors for the clown loach: guppies, cockerels, cichlids. But barbs and other carp-like species will get along well with them.

So, the fighting clowns - peace-loving fish. But still, they should not be put into an aquarium with smaller fish. And you shouldn’t keep them one at a time. There have been cases when single fish began to show aggression towards other, smaller neighbors.

After all, the clown botsia is a schooling fish. She just needs constant communication with their relatives.

What to feed

As mentioned above, clown bots are long-lived in aquariums. Their age can reach 20 years. But in order for the fish to please you with its beauty for as long as possible, it needs to be fed well and correctly.

Bots just love to crawl around in the ground. Therefore, their ideal diet is worms and other invertebrates living in the soil.

In aquarium conditions, an alternative would be frozen bloodworms, or small chopped sea creatures(shrimp, for example). Special types of dry food are also produced for clown bots.

A sign that the fish is unhappy with its diet is a faded color.

Botia clown: reproduction

This matter is very complicated. Today, only a few manage to cope with this task at home.

But if you still decide to try, then here are some tips on breeding.

1. The spawning tank must be large enough.

2. Water parameters: hardness - up to 15 degrees, temperature - about 26 degrees, acidity - 6.5-7.2. The water should be as clean and fresh as possible.

3. An important condition for spawning is a strong current. To create it, a special “spinner” device is used. This is a kind of mechanism consisting of an electric motor with a gearbox, on the shaft of which four blades are mounted. The device is covered with a casing made of vinyl plastic or plexiglass.

4. Smooth stones or driftwood are suitable for spawning substrate. They are specially located where the strongest current passes. The power of the current directly affects the intensity of spawning.

5. For one female there are three males.

6. After the end of spawning, the breeder fish must be removed from the aquarium. In this case, it is necessary to increase the temperature to 31 degrees.

7. Fertilized eggs should be transparent, unfertilized eggs should be transparent. white. Unsuccessful eggs must be carefully removed immediately.

8. Incubation period - 18-20 hours.

9. The fry begin to eat on the fourth day. Their diet should consist of the smallest species of rotifers, Cyclops nauplii and

10. The most critical period in the life of fry is the first month. Be especially attentive to them at this time. And then by the end of the month they will begin to take on the colors of their parents.

Clown boys are now one of the most popular aquarium fish ok, many people try to keep them, but not everyone succeeds. Because of this fact, these fish have gained a reputation as a difficult species to keep, often positioned as “not a fish for beginners.” Let's try to figure out together if this is true.

The clown botia is a very beautiful fish, but novice aquarists are afraid to buy it... maybe in vain?

To be honest, this whole division of aquarium fish into categories “for beginners” and “not for beginners” - in my opinion, there is nothing more stupid. Namely, this division prevails on most Internet resources dedicated to aquarium farming. Why do I have such a dismissive opinion? Yes, because a novice aquarist who has carefully read two or three really sensible articles will be able to cope with any fish, even guppies, even discus fish, if only he has the desire and the means (where would we be without them?). Well, it is advisable to initially purchase healthy bots. The problem is precisely to select these two or three sensible articles among the outright garbage. Because the information on the Internet is extremely contradictory.

However, I digress, let's get back to our battles. What are they like for us?

Latin name of the species: Chromobotia Macracanthus
Synonyms: Botia macracanthus, Botia macracantha

Kingdom: Animals

Type: Chordata

Class: Ray-finned fish (Actinopterygii)

Squad: Cypriniformes

Family: Loaches (Botiidae)
Genus: Chromobotia
View:Botia macrocanta, or botia clown

The habitat of the clown botia includes Indonesia, in particular the islands of Sumatra, Borneo and Kalimantan. Also, a small population of bots lives on the island. Java. There are especially many of them in the Musi River in Sumatra. Usually the fish live in river beds, however, during the flood caused by the rainy season, usually in September, they penetrate into small channels. They spawn in the upper reaches of rivers.

Let's look at the fish. Her body is ridged and muscular. The mouth opening is surrounded by funny antennae. Oral apparatus Clown loachia, otherwise known as macracanths (I especially like this name), are adapted to eating benthos, in other words, to collecting food from the bottom. The coloring is bright and contrasting - coal-black stripes alternate with yellow-orange ones. Tail and pectoral fins bright red. With age, the color fades somewhat. The fish (the word “fish” is not entirely appropriate here) grows quite large, up to 20-25 cm. In nature, there are specimens up to 40 cm. But in an aquarium this is rather an exception. Distinctive feature macracanths are infraorbital spines. When the fish are calm, they are not visible. But in case of danger or stress, the bot can randomly release spines. This circumstance must be kept in mind when catching or transplanting fish - it can easily get entangled in the net. It is possible to seriously injure yourself when handling large specimens, so caution should be exercised.

Aquarium for clown botia, contents

We type “clown botsia” into the search engine, and every second resource tells us: the fish is not for beginners. Fish for beginners, fish for old people... What nonsense is this? As I already said, when the right approach You can successfully keep any fish. Regarding clown bots, it would be more correct to say that this species is not suitable for settling in a newly established area. Botsia belong to the loach family, which means they do not have strong scales that protect the fish, like armor, from aggressive factors external environment. Stable ones are extremely important to them.
Since the clown loachia can grow quite large, the aquarium for this fish should be as large as possible. Preferably from 200 l., s. large area bottom. If it is not possible to maintain a large aquarium, but you really want to take bots, then you need an aquarium with a volume of at least 100 liters. This is the bare minimum. Although, at my work, in the office of the operational duty officer, in a 60-liter aquarium, there lives a quite decent-sized macracanthus, and, apparently, it feels quite comfortable. But be prepared for the fact that in such volumes the fish will not grow to the size it could grow to. The soil can be anything. As I already mentioned, stable water parameters are important for macracanths. Since the scales on the body are very small and there are no scales on the head at all, if present in water or poisoning occurs very quickly. Therefore, good biofiltration is essential. This means it’s better to get an external filter. Like all fish living in an aquarium, they need weekly cleaning. Only in this case, you should be more careful about preparing the water - let it sit for at least two days, and it is also advisable to add conditioner. The last measure may be reinsurance, but for the reason already known to us, it does not seem superfluous. Anyway, peace of mind- it is priceless, so it is better to use air conditioning.

The homeland of the clown botsiya is Indonesia, which means that these fish need warm water- 25-27°C. Clowns prefer soft, slightly acidic water, with 6.5-7.0, but if other parameters are normal, they can adapt to slightly acidic water without any problems. alkaline water with a pH of up to 7.6, due to the fact that in nature, in the habitats of these fish, there are seasonal pH fluctuations during migration. Fish are also sensitive to, so good aeration is necessary around the clock. If you doubt whether the oxygen regime in your aquarium is suitable for clown loaches, measure the oxygen content with a special test - it should be at least 5 mg/l.
Macracanthas love shelter. Therefore, plants, snags, grottoes, thickets - the more, the better. Ceramic tubes sold in stores are very good, but they have one drawback - they quickly outgrow them. Make sure that the aquarium decorations do not have sharp protrusions that could injure the fish. Well-fed warriors spend a lot of time in shelter. Moreover, if you haven’t seen your fish for several days, don’t rush to get upset; perhaps in a day or two, to your delight, it will crawl out of some completely unimaginable crevice. By the way, interesting feature clown fighters is that they have a “reverse gear”. Simply put, a fish can move tail first. This helps them avoid getting stuck in the tight spaces they like to get into, both in nature and in the aquarium. Yes, an important addition - there should be enough shelter for everyone. That is, if, in addition to bots, your aquarium contains other fish that gravitate towards shelters (for example, ancistrus) - everyone should have a place where they can hide.

Clown loaches are schooling fish; it is best to keep them in numbers from 3 to 5 pieces. But if this is not possible, then get at least a couple. When alone, fish often get sick and die. Although, returning to the same aquarium in the office of the duty officer - the bot living there has been for about 7 years, and the lack of company does not seem to upset her at all. By the way, macracanths are long-livers - in good conditions can live up to 18, and even up to 20 years. However, it is worth noting that this is possible if the fish has lived in optimal conditions throughout its entire life, starting from hatching from the egg.

There is a saying among aquarists: “if you take the bots, get ready for the semolina.” Indeed, due to their thin and small scales, clowns very easily catch other external dirty tricks on themselves. Newly acquired fish, whose immunity is weakened due to the stress of transportation and relocation, are especially vulnerable. But in principle, with suitable water parameters and good feeding, the bots demonstrate very good health, allowing them to adapt to both slightly alkaline water and small volumes. Main - complete absence and, to even insignificant concentrations of which they are extremely sensitive. But if the fish get sick, the choice of medications must be approached with extreme caution, since, again, due to the very thin scales, not all medications are well tolerated by them.

We buy clown fighters

What to look for when purchasing? The fish should be active and have a bright color. It is better to choose the most well-fed specimens; such fish have a much better chance of successfully surviving capture, transportation, relocation to another aquarium, and the adaptation period. Covers should not be damaged. After settling, it makes sense to take a course of vitamins for fish (Sera Fishtamin or JBL Atvitol). This will support your pets' immunity, facilitate adaptation and help avoid illness. By the way, due to the difficulties of reproduction in captivity (more on this below), a large percentage of store-bought fish are caught in the wild. So it is possible that the fish you are admiring in the aquarium once swam in the rivers of Indonesia, then was caught, passed through resellers, then to the store, and finally fell into your, no doubt, caring hands.

What to feed clown bots

These fish are practically omnivorous. Willingly eat branded tablet food for bottom fish, as well as frozen bloodworms of any size, brine shrimp. Sometimes you can pamper your pets with a piece of cucumber, previously scalded with boiling water. At balanced diet plants are not damaged. Usually clown loaches collect food from the bottom, but quickly learn to take it even from the surface of the water. Macracanthas love to eat, so the “”, which are so actively recommended to beginning aquarists, is out of the question. If suddenly your clowns begin to eat plants, it means that most likely you are simply underfeeding them. In a word - do not keep your macracanths from hand to mouth. Sometimes it is not clear whether the fish are collecting food or simply moving their muzzle along the bottom. It’s easy to clarify - a couple of minutes after you give the food, pay attention to the belly of the fish. If it is satisfyingly rounded, everything is in order.

Clown Botsy Compatibility

In some places you can hear the statement that clown warriors are aggressive. This is not true. They are never the first to show aggression, even towards those smaller than themselves. They can even get along with such bottom-dwelling phlegmatic creatures as Corydoras. It would be more correct to say that these are fish that can stand up for themselves. An adult macracantha is a large and strong fish. You can house them with any peaceful fish that are suitable for the water parameters, and even with soft-water cichlids, because, as I already said, the clown loachia will not allow itself to be offended. Only in this case will it be necessary to take into account the size of the fish - the size of the battles must correspond to the size of the neighbors. For example, I have a pair of macracanths cohabiting peacefully with the Calabar calamoicht and angelfish.

Behavior of clown boys

Now we've gotten to the most interesting part. Behavior of clown boys. It is so interesting and exciting that it is worth keeping these fish just for this reason (subject to the appropriate conditions, of course!).

If you read reviews from experienced aquarists about keeping these fish, you won’t find any diametrically opposed information! Yes, clown fish are very bright individuals; the behavior of each fish depends on its own temperament and character. Pisces with intelligence, that's right! Here’s one who writes that his flock of bots creates excellent animation in the aquarium, the fish rush around, fuss, and don’t let anyone get bored. But another person reports that he sees his fish only during feeding, the rest of the time they spend in the grotto, so the owner doesn’t even really know how many there are. For some, they terrorize large cichlids, while for others they coexist peacefully almost with guppies. Some fish are bolder, others are more timid and shy. The former will run all day throughout the aquarium, the latter will sit out in shelters until feeding time. By the way, if you feed your fish at the same time, then you will notice that the macracanths very quickly remember the feeding mode, and an hour and a half before the dacha, the coma begins to float to the middle and even upper layers of the water, often chasing other inhabitants. Moreover, they can avoid your gaze all day, but when food time approaches, they lose all fear.

In addition, clown fighters are healthy fish. With the help of a truly magnificent sense of smell and sensitive antennae, they will collect everything tiny particles feed, preventing it from sinking into the ground and rotting, which, in turn, will save you from problems. Have you overcome? Reels? Melania? Take the boots! They will quickly reduce the number of shellfish to a minimum level, or even completely clear your aquarium of them. A large macracanthus can cope with even a fairly large ampoule. The fish grabs the protruding mollusk by any part of the body and shakes it with such force that the house literally flies off the snail, which the loach eats with appetite. For a long time I could not understand how a fish that has no teeth manages the melania snail. After observing, I concluded that the botia is literally sucking the snail out of the house.

In addition, macracanths are excellent indicator fish. If something is wrong in your aquarium, they will be the first to feel unwell. If the water becomes poor in oxygen, the loach's gill covers will immediately start working at the pace of a machine gun. This is exactly how my battles appeared - it was important for me to find out whether there was an infection in my aquarium or not. The experiment was a little cruel, but it worked brilliantly, and I became the proud owner of a pair of truly stunning fish. Periodically observe the fish's breathing in the middle of the day (not immediately after feeding). Rapid breathing - immediately look at the water for oxygen and... How to determine that the bots are comfortable in your aquarium? Everything is simple here: bright color, good appetite and rapid growth will leave no reason for doubt. But don’t focus too much on the activity of the fish - as I already said, behavior can vary greatly from individual to individual.

Let's say in the morning you look into the aquarium, and there - oh horror! - just yesterday, an active and full of strength warrior was lying on her side, or even on her back! Relax, the fish is not dead! Clowns are one of those very few fish that know how to rest, lying on their sides, or even with their bellies up. There is a version that that is why her name is clown. And not just for the bright colors. So don't rush to bury the fish. Although, I don’t argue, even when you have been holding these fish for some time, your heart still skips a beat when you see such a sight, even though it has become familiar.

Clown bots see what is happening outside the aquarium and react to these events. So, they are able to recognize their owner. And react to his appearance. One day I looked into the aquarium and saw one of my macracanths calmly devouring a melania snail. The fish realized that it had been noticed, and the expression on its face began to resemble the face of a naughty boy who had been caught doing something unseemly. Botsia spat out the snail, and with a look of “This is not mine, they slipped it to me,” turning on “reverse gear,” she disappeared tail first behind a snag. Then she appeared on the side of her, looked at me, froze for a few seconds, and disappeared again. The look, which was clearer than any words, said: “Sorry, boss, it’s not my fault.” In general, they instantly recognize when someone is looking at them. Get a clown boy, don’t be lazy to watch - and scenes like this will more than once make you smile and cheer you up after a hard day.

Also, clown warriors can make sounds. Yes, yes, audible even outside the aquarium. These are sharp, distinct clicks, so distinct that they can sometimes be heard even from the other end of the room. You can usually hear them during feeding. Usually, bots use clicks to express their pleasure when eating food. This way you can determine which foods they like best. But it happens that two fish begin to argue over a particularly tasty morsel. Then they, pushing and shoving, begin to click especially loudly, apparently in this way expressing their indignation. During feeding, these comrades will not miss theirs - thirty seconds - and they already have a noticeable belly. They don’t chase anyone away from food, but it’s easy to push away a less efficient neighbor with your muzzle, regardless of the latter’s species.

In addition, clown loaches, like many loaches, love to dig. They do not develop this instinct immediately, but as they grow older. My students started having fun in this way after about a couple of months. Moreover, I was unable to identify any pattern. They may not remember this habit of theirs for a week. But then it occurs to some of them that there is apparently a treasure buried at the bottom of the aquarium - and now they are already burrowing into the ground to the very edges of the gill covers. You approach the aquarium, see the rising turbidity, and understand that the macracanths were again engaged in “treasure hunting.”

You can also observe such a phenomenon as the dance of bots. This is possible if there are five to seven individuals in the aquarium. The fish begin to swim one after another along the perimeter of the side wall of the aquarium. This can last from several minutes to several hours. This phenomenon can be triggered by feeding, changing water, or even a change in atmospheric pressure.

Sexual differences and reproduction

Sexual demorphism in macracanths is weakly expressed. Females are larger than males, taller, and have a more rounded abdomen. Males are slimmer, more “thin”. Spawning of clown loaches in an aquarium is an extremely rare phenomenon, observed literally in isolated cases. Therefore, there is no reliable information on this matter. We can only say that the spawning aquarium should be large, densely overgrown with plants, have soft, slightly acidic water and a noticeable current. In hatcheries, hormonal injections are usually used to stimulate spawning.

Sergey Rzyanin (on the ThreeDognight forum)

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How often does life home aquarium becomes bright and diverse when a new resident appears in it. Almost always such a positive effect is brought by the clown botia - a fish that has its own character and is loved by many aquarists.

A little history

The history of this aquarium inhabitant goes back to the distant 18th century. Discovered in 1852 in the waters of Kalimantan and Sumatra, due to its extraordinary appearance it received the name makracanth, which means “clown”. His behavior is really characterized by a cheerful disposition, and appearance- confirmation of natural originality.

Over time, specimens were brought to Europe, where they won well-deserved love.

A little later (in 1865), Botia modesta was described. It gained its fame thanks to the rivers of Cambodia and Vietnam, as well as Thailand and Laos. The gray representative of the species, often acquiring green or blue shades, leaves no one indifferent to this day.

Since 1912, the lochakata botia, a reticulated representative of the loach family, has appeared on the aquarium Olympus. Her homeland is India, Nepal, Pakistan. But today it is a frequent guest of our Russian aquariums.

The year 1920 is known as the date of description of another worthy representative - Botius striata. This striped beast has a second name of Russian origin - zebra botsia. Black and yellow stripes made it recognizable among other battles.

The same year gave aquarium gourmets a marble botia. Its discovery is the work of Narayan Rao, who drew attention to the unusual striped color skin: dark, vertical strokes on a silver background.

Almost all varieties of bots have a long history. Specimens that have survived to this day are capable of changing their characteristics depending on the conditions of detention. However, they all have the same quality: expressive appearance and cheerful disposition.

Characteristics

The size of a fish cannot be its constant characteristic. Growing in nature up to 40cm, in artificial conditions it rarely reaches more than 20-25cm (marble - no more than 7cm). It grows in the first two years of life, then growth stops and the size does not change.

The tendency to live in a school requires conditions such as a large aquarium (from 250 liters). The exception is the dwarf version of the fish.

Many types of bots are colored. At in a certain way in selected lighting they may appear pink or blue, but the pattern on the body is always present.

The number of individuals should be limited to a minimum of four to five. Collective games are the norm for them. Swimming in a flock and creating streams of water around them, they enjoy freedom and choose their own entertainment. The fighting dogs enjoy “hide and seek” and chases; they like to hide in thickets and unexpectedly scare their fellows.

The clown botsia fish can also exhibit extraordinary actions, for example, sleep on the bottom on its side or swim slowly in the middle or on the surface of the water surface with its belly up.

The body is elongated and laterally flattened. The mouth is turned downwards, surrounded at the edges by four unusual antennae, giving the specimens, especially the striata, a resemblance to catfishes. These mustaches are " weak point» fish. They often get injured in this place, because they want to try everything with such a tactile organ.

In addition to the antennae, thin and weak scales (rather, a specific mucous coating) are potentially dangerous for injury. It is this that makes fish susceptible to diseases, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, infections, and injuries from other fish.

Under the eyes there are two protective spikes with which the fish tends to defend itself in case of danger. In a calm state, the spines may be invisible. However, when irritated or in the event of danger, the spines appear in a noticeable manner.

Among characteristic features can also be called almost transparent fins. True, the lohakat has black dots on them (similar to those located on its mesh), while the dorsal modesta can have bright shades. Kubotai (chess fighting dog) boasts light fins decorated with bluish-black stripes.

Botia is an aquarium fish that leads more night look life. This must be taken into account when creating a feeding regimen. She should not enter into night games hungry: she should be fed at the end daylight hours. The exception is the same kubatae and histrionics - they frolic during the day and feel naturally safe.

About the conditions of detention

You can get an emotional and beautiful aquarium “friend” by providing necessary conditions its maintenance and proper care. In order for the warrior to feel confident and not experience a shortage of anything, the following is necessary:

stable water parameters;
special food recommended for feeding bottom-dwelling fish;
suitable design and plant green decoration of the water house;
sandy soft soil;
diffuse and low lighting;
aeration;
intensive filtration;
regularly replacing a third of the available water.

Botsia is a clown, the content of which does not differ from the classic ones. She demands:

water temperature in the range 24 o -30 o C;
soft environment with a pH of 6-6.5;
intensive saturation of water with oxygen (using powerful pumps).

And tiger botia does not accept nitrate impurities in water.

However, there are also such nuances as the need to cover the aquarium with a lid: common feature is the ability to jump out.

The nature of the royal fighting dog has a tendency to hide. Therefore, in her aquarium the presence large number grottoes, stones and rocky similarities are necessary.

In general, bots are fish with a peaceful character. They are compatible with any non-aggressive species if their living conditions are organized correctly. True, the dwarf sidhimunok does not need to be at risk of being eaten by large species of fish.
What is the diet?

The result of breeding bots clearly depends on the nature of feeding. They can safely be called eaters of all types of food, including dry, frozen, artificial and live. For example, the tiger eats so much that it is prone to obesity. Therefore, its appearance largely depends on the accuracy of feeding.

A peculiarity of keeping marbled and red-finned loaches during the breeding season is their feeding of plant foods, which are quite light and healthy. IN progress is underway aquatic vegetation and even snails living in its greenery.

It is worth adding bloodworms, coretra, tubifex, and brine shrimp to the menu.

One of the most beautiful bots, the beardmore, will retain its brightness and attractiveness if it is fed correctly. The balance of the food set should be based on the number of fish, their age, and period of life. So, the fry should be fed more often, be sure to add plant foods: finely chopped cucumber, zucchini, spinach. It is also possible to use special tablets.

Fish pick up food from the bottom, so it is logical to use sinking granules.

They love to eat snails.

By observing the behavior of fish during feeding, you can objectively assess how much they like the food. If so, then you can clearly hear a characteristic loud clicking sound. For example, the clown loachfish expresses its pleasure when it eats chopped shrimp. True, such sounds often frighten neighbors in the aquarium, especially small individuals.

The duration of feeding should not exceed 20 minutes. This is exactly the amount of time needed for full saturation. Uneaten remains will most likely become limp and settle to the bottom, creating the preconditions for rotting processes.

About reproduction

For example, Beardmore requires the presence of a gonadotropic hormone to reproduce the reproduction process under artificial conditions. According to available information, this is how the functioning of the gonads is regulated.

Describing the process of reproduction of offspring as a whole, we should dwell on the nuances:

the size of the spawning tank is not less than 150 l;
fresh water is required and powerful current(possibly created by special equipment);
water parameters: temperature 29-32 o C, pH 6.7-7.0
periodic temperature changes;
the presence of three males per female;
plant food for producers and special, improved food for fry.

The preparatory process begins with seating the female and male in different aquariums and feeding them mainly with plant foods.

At this time, a volumetric spawning tank is being prepared, into which a separator mesh is laid.

At the bottom, it is desirable to have stones with smooth surfaces and driftwood.

After complete preparation, the spawners are placed in the spawning tank and carefully monitored. The female lays 4-6 thousand eggs. After swelling, the size of the eggs is 2-2.5 mm.

The incubation period must be at least 18 hours. At this time, the water temperature cannot drop below 28 o C.

From the moment the fry appear, the “parents” should be removed, preventing them from eating their offspring. And the fry will have to be carefully looked after. Their diet requires:

Small rotifers;
Cyclops;
Euglena green and other natural ingredients.

They eat from the fourth day of their life. If nutrition is organized correctly, in a month their size will be one and a half cm.

How to determine whether eggs have been fertilized? Look at it carefully: fertilized eggs become transparent. Those that are whitish in color should be removed from the aquarium as failed. They will pollute the aquarium ecology.

The process of reproduction of bots in artificial conditions is rarely seen. Many aquarists have an idea about it only from videos or photos on the Internet.

Botsia are not cheap fish, so it is better to immediately begin to indulge their whims.

For example, in interior design it is better to eliminate as much as possible all cracks and narrow openings. Otherwise, they will certainly want to squeeze in there and will not always be able to get back out.

It is desirable to have vegetation that floats freely in the water column and on its surface. So, the bots will happily hide in elodea and cryptocoryne, and, if desired, they will feast on them.

Bright artificial light is not desirable for these species. They are afraid of him and are constantly in a state of stress. Lighting must be organized so that the rays fall scatteredly, without forming concentrated light spots.

Particular attention to the soil. The peculiarity of the scales, or, more precisely, its complete absence, dictate the requirements for the quality of the bottom and design elements. We need the most smooth and soft surfaces, no sharp corners and stones, floating algae.

Artificially created water world– it’s always interesting. And when it is inhabited by such inhabitants as the Botians, it is also responsible. Fish with a good, positive character are potential prey for predators and night hunters. Therefore, it is unacceptable to leave the maintenance of such an aquarium to chance. Indeed, not to mention justifying the high price, their well-being is the emphasis that is so important for aquarium lovers.

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The aquarium fish clown loach or macracanthus (lat. Chromobotia macracanthus) is one of the most beautiful loach fish that is kept in the aquarium. They love her for her bright colors and her pronounced personality.
For the clown bot you need a spacious aquarium, as it grows quite large up to 16-20 cm in length. She loves aquariums a large number plants and various shelters. As a rule, loaches are nocturnal fish that are practically invisible during the day, however, this does not apply to the clown loach. She is quite active during the day, although a little timid. They love the company of their own kind, but can also be kept with other fish.

Chromobotia macracanthus (formerly Botia macrocanthus) was first described by Blecker in 1852. Its homeland is in Southeast Asia: in Indonesia, on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. In 2004, Maurice Kottelat identified this species as a separate species from the genus Botias.

In nature, it inhabits rivers almost all the time, migrating only during spawning. It lives in places with both standing water and currents, usually gathering in large flocks. During the monsoons they migrate to the flooded plains. Depending on the habitat areas, macracanthus lives in both very clean and very dirty water. It feeds on insects, their larvae and plant foods.
Although most sources say that the clown botia grows to a size of about 30 cm, in nature there are individuals of about 40 cm, and it can live for quite a long time, up to 20 years. In many regions it is caught as commercial fish and is used for food.

Description

It's very beautiful big fish. The bodies of the clown wolf are elongated and laterally compressed. The mouth is directed downwards and has four pairs of whiskers. The clown loach also has spines that are located under the eyes and serve to protect against predatory fish. Botia exposes them at the moment of danger, which can be a problem when catching, since they cling to the net. Better to use plastic container.
It is reported that in nature, clown bots grow up to 40 cm, but in an aquarium they are smaller, about 20-25 cm. They are long-lived, and under good conditions they can live up to 20 years.

The graceful clown bot has a bright yellow-orange body color with three wide black stripes, for which English it was named Tiger Loach. One stripe goes through the eyes, the second just in front of the dorsal fin, and the third captures part of the dorsal fin and goes further behind it. All together, they form a very beautiful and eye-catching color. True, the clown botia is most brightly colored in at a young age, and as it grows older it turns pale, but does not lose its beauty.

Difficulty in content

If kept properly, it is a fairly hardy fish. Not recommended for beginners, as they are large, active, and require stable water parameters. They also have very small scales, which makes them sensitive to disease and drug treatment.

IN community aquarium:

Feeding

In nature, maracantha feeds on worms, larvae, beetles and plants. Omnivores, they eat all types of food in the aquarium - live, frozen, artificial. They especially love tablets and freezing, as they feed from the bottom. In principle, there are no problems with feeding, the main thing is to feed it varied so that the fish is healthy. They can make clicking sounds, especially when they are happy, and you can easily understand what type of food they like.

Since clown bots help by actively eating them. If you want the snail population to become significantly smaller, then just get a clown bot.

Clicking noises while eating:

And their negative skills are that they eat plants with pleasure, and even gnaw holes in echinodorus. You can reduce cravings by adding significant amounts of plant foods to your diet. These can be either tablets or vegetables - zucchini, cucumbers, lettuce. In general, for bots, the amount of plant food in the diet should reach up to 40%.

Aquarium maintenance and behavior

Macracans spend most of their time at the bottom, but can also rise to the middle layers, especially when they are accustomed to the aquarium and are not afraid. Since they grow quite large, and they need to be kept in a flock, a large aquarium is needed for clown bots, with a volume of 250 liters or more. Minimum quantity, which needs to be kept in an aquarium - 3. But more is better, since in nature they live in very large flocks. Accordingly, for a flock of 5 fish, you need an aquarium with a capacity of about 400.

They feel best in soft water (5 - 12 dGH) with ph: 6.0-6.5 and water temperature 24-30°C. Also, the aquarium should have many secluded corners and shelters so that the fish can take refuge in case of fear or conflict. The soil is better soft - sand or fine gravel.

Never introduce macracanthus into a newly established aquarium. In such an aquarium, the water parameters change too much, and clowns need stability. They love the current and large number dissolved oxygen in water. For this purpose, it is advisable to use a fairly powerful external filter, with the help of which it is quite simple to create a flow.

It is important to regularly change the water and monitor the amount of ammonia and nitrates, since the bots have very small scales, poisoning occurs very quickly. They jump well, you need to cover the aquarium.
The type of aquarium does not matter and depends entirely on your taste. If you want to create a biotope, then it is better to put sand or fine gravel on the bottom, since clowns have very sensitive whiskers that are easy to injure. You can use large stones and large snags where the bots can hide. They really love shelters that they can barely squeeze into; ceramic and plastic pipes. Sometimes they can dig caves for themselves under snags or stones, make sure that they do not collapse anything. Floating plants can be placed on the surface of the water, which will create more diffused light.

Clown boys can do strange things. Not many people know that they sleep on their side, or even upside down, and when they see this, they think that the fish has already died. However, this is quite normal for them. As well as the fact that at one moment the battle may disappear, only to crawl out of some completely unimaginable crevice after a while.

25 cm fighting clown:

Compatibility with other fish

Large fish, but very active. They can be kept in a community aquarium, but preferably not with small fish or fish with long fins. Botia macracanthus can tear them off.
They love company, it is important to keep several clown battles. The minimum quantity is 3, but it is better from 5 individuals. In such a flock, its own hierarchy is established, in which the dominant male drives the weaker ones away from food.

Eating snail:

Sex differences

There are no special differences between males and females of the clown bot. The only thing is that sexually mature females are somewhat plumper, with a rounded abdomen. There are many theories regarding the shape of the caudal fin in females and males, but this is all in the realm of speculation. It is believed that males have sharp ends of the caudal fin, while females have more rounded ends.

Reproduction

Clown botia is very rarely bred in a home aquarium. There are only a few reports of spawning in a home aquarium, and even then, most of the eggs were not fertilized. Individuals that go on sale are bred using gonadotropic drugs on farms in Southeast Asia. It is very difficult to reproduce this in a home aquarium, apparently this is the reason for such rare cases of spawning.

Moreover, not everyone succeeds in breeding it in captivity; the most common practice is that the fry are caught in the wild and raised to adult size. So it is quite possible that those fish that swim in your aquarium once lived in nature.

Diseases

One of the most commonplace and most dangerous diseases for the clone bot is semolina. It looks like white dots running along the body and fins of the fish. Gradually their number increases until the fish dies from exhaustion. The fact is that fish without scales or with very small scales suffer the most from it, and the botia is one of these. When treating, the main thing is not to hesitate! First of all, you need to raise the water temperature above 30 degrees Celsius (30-31), then add medicinal preparations to the water. Their choice is now quite large, and the active substances are often the same and differ only in proportions. But even with timely treatment, it is not always possible to save the fish, since there are now many resistant strains of semolina.

Jun 23, 2014 admin

Hello dear readers! Today we will talk about the clown fighter. Botia clown is very active and schooling fish. therefore, it would be best to keep it in small flocks: 6 pieces maximum. These striped fish get along well with other species, as they are very peaceful and calm. Other residents of the aquarium should worry about being in the neighborhood with such big fish It’s not worth it, because they don’t hurt anyone.

The clown boy has one interesting feature: They may lie on their back or side for some time, as if dead. However, don’t worry, this is a normal state for them during rest. In addition, clowns can make strange clicking sounds in the evening. The bots have spines on their fins, which they shoot out like a knife, but due to the fact that the fish are very territorial, they will not be able to harm their neighbors. However, when catching bots in a net, they can get entangled in it or prick the hand of an unwary aquarist.

The clown botia has very thin scales that literally grow into the body. This is somewhat of a problem, since the fish’s skin practically does not protect it from toxic substances dissolved in aquarium water. For this reason, when changing water, it is better to add settled water and try not to add various medications to the aquarium that are designed to affect the scales of the fish.

Fish sizes: about 15 centimeters
Water temperature: 24-30 degrees Celsius
Water hardness: 5-10 units
Acidity: 6-8 pH

Botia clown prefers spacious and large aquariums with enough space for free swimming. For these fish, dim lighting is best, but not so dim that they will suffer from lack of light. If you plan to keep a clown loach in an aquarium, try to create several shelters from or stones in it. It is better to choose aquarium plants that are stronger and tougher, as fish can damage them. You may encounter a similar problem when maintaining .

For the clown botia, you need to choose a soft aquarium soil that is not capable of harming the fish, because they are terrible lovers of digging around in the soil to get food for themselves. If you do, then the botia may accidentally get hurt on it. It’s interesting to watch the fighting dogs when they lie down on a snag, so don’t deny them this pleasure. There should be no problems with feeding the bots, since they are omnivores and can eat the food that you give to the rest of the fish. Sometimes give them brine shrimp, bloodworms and tubifex.

Breeding

To successfully breed clown bots at home, try to acquire a large spawning tank. Aquarium water in a spawning aquarium should have the following parameters: hardness of about 15 units, pH level 6.5-7.5 and water temperature 24-26 degrees Celsius. Place a good filter in the spawning tank for high-quality cleaning. In order for the bots to reproduce successfully, the spawning tank must contain old water with a slight replacement with fresh water (1/5-1/6 of the total volume), the water hardness must be around 6 units, the pH level must be around 7, and the temperature will have to be increased to 32 degrees Celsius. If you don’t know what equipment is available for aquariums, read this post.

An important and most important condition for the spawning of bots is a strong current, which can be created thanks to a device called a “spinner”. As a rule, to create such a device you need to take an electric motor with a gearbox. Install 4 blades on the electric motor shaft, and the entire device must be covered with plexiglass, lawn wire mesh or vinyl plastic. To successfully work with such a device, you will have to slightly modernize the spawning chamber (cover the corners of the aquarium with sheets of plexiglass so that the flow is not muffled in dead zones).

Do not use airlifts or mechanical pumps under any circumstances, since the eggs of the loachia, as well as the eggs of Gyrinocheilus and Labeo, are transferred by the current from one part of the aquarium to another. Driftwood or smooth stones, which you will need to install in place, will serve well as a spawning substrate. fast current. The quality and intensity of spawning of the clown loach depends on the strength of the current. During spawning, 4 males and one female are placed in the spawning tank. If you are going to do hormonal injections, then do them in fractional doses.

Upon completion of spawning, the spawners are removed from the aquarium with the spinner; the device itself must be turned off and additional sprayers installed. If the water temperature is acceptable (about 30 degrees), then after a couple of hours you will be able to see the eggs. Fertilized eggs will be transparent, but unfertilized eggs will be white. If there is one, it must be quickly removed from the aquarium. Incubation period eggs are 18-20 hours long. The hatched fish will be so tiny that they are difficult to see and will hide in the darkest corners of the aquarium. After four days, the fry will begin to eat. Green euglena, the smallest rotifers and cyclops nauplii are suitable as food for small fish.

The most critical time for young animals is the first month. During this period, carefully monitor your food and condition. aquarium water in an aquarium. After a month, the young clown bots will be about 15 millimeters long and gradually take on the colors of their parents.