Metal Karpfling
| Metal Karpfling | ||||||||||||
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Metal Karpfling (female) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Girardinus metallicus | ||||||||||||
| Poey , 1854 |
The metal fish ( Girardinus metallicus ) is a wild form of the viviparous tooth carps and belongs to the genus Girardinus .
description
On the grayish beige to silvery basic color, the fish shows shiny metallic crossbands, which are much more intensely colored in the male. These are more or less darkly colored depending on the mood. The males have a relatively long gonopodium that is black in color. The females look very much like the female guppy . In the lower part of the dorsal fin (dorsal) there is a dark spot in both sexes. The females become relatively large with up to 9 cm, while the males remain relatively small with 5 cm.
Occurrence
The metal fish is endemic to Cuba . The sites are slowly flowing and stagnant water.
attitude
Aquarium size
For this peaceful but lively fish, aquariums with a capacity of approx. 80 liters and a length of 70 cm are to be regarded as the lower limit.
water
The water temperature for keeping the metal fish should be around 25 ° C. The water with a pH value of 6.5 to 7.5 can have a degree of hardness of 10 to 25 ° dGH, should be clear and flow easily.
planting
The planting of the aquarium should be dense and also contain floating plants. Suitable floating plants are rough horn leaf ( Ceratophyllum demersum ), flooding pond liverwort ( Riccia fluitans ), water lettuce ( Pistia stratiotes ) and horned ferns ( Ceratopteris ).
nutrition
The metal fish can be fed with flake food, algae and any fine live food.
breed
Breeding this species is relatively straightforward. The average gestation period is 25 days. Every 28–30 days a large female can wean up to 100 fry, which are 6–7 mm in size. The young animals initially have bluish eyes and grow quickly. A spawning box or dense planting (floating plant cover) is recommended, as the adult animals chase after the young fish.
history
The first import of the metal carrion took place in 1906 by Schroot. In the following period he disappeared again from the aquariums. Cuban exhibitors gave the zoological garden some metal sarcasm during the Leipzig trade fair in 1965. In 1984 Stallknecht succeeded in breeding out the black-bellied form through selection.
literature
- Hans A. Baensch : Aquariums Atlas. 11th edition. Volume 1, Mergus Verlag, Melle 1999, ISBN 3-88244-101-1 , pp. 592-593.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hans A. Baensch, Dr. Rüdiger Riehl: Aquariums Atlas. 11th edition. Volume 1, 9th revised paperback edition, 1999, p. 592.