The Calabar kalamoicht or, as it is popularly called, the snake fish can rightfully be considered one of the most unusual aquarium fish. The name “kalamoikht” itself comes from the place where it was first discovered in 1865. Usually, in order to surprise your friends and acquaintances who share your hobbies, you need to take drastic measures and build a large aquarium of 400 liters and buy the appropriate equipment. But having such a pet “snake”, no additional effort is needed. So what is so unique about this fish, why is it called that?
General information and features
Acantophthalmus belongs to the loach family of fish. A feature that distinguishes them from other representatives of the underwater kingdom is their elongated body shape, similar to a snake. The appearance does not in any way resemble peace-loving fish.
Acanthopthalmus also has a second name - spiny eyes. They are named so because near the eyes there are spines that are curved backwards. It turns out that they help their owners in many ways.
The spines perform 2 useful functions:
- Protective. When predators attack acanthophthalmus, the spines protrude and pierce the enemy, protecting and freeing their owner. Predatory fish, knowing this feature, rarely attack representatives of the Loach family, since many of them died as a result of such attacks.
- Conductor. The spines help the owner get into hard-to-reach places. Finding itself in a narrow space where the fish cannot bend its body to move forward, it can cling to nearby objects with its spines and, thus, push itself forward, closer to the target.
Mastacembelus armatus
Mastacembelus armored is another representative of the proboscis family, similar in appearance to macrognathus, but has a more aggressive character and grows up to 90 cm. The homeland of Mastacembelus is the reservoirs of Asia. The fish has an elastic, long body, slightly compressed from the sides. The upper jaw also ends in a sensitive proboscis. The fish got its name “shell” for its specific color: on the dark body there are lighter brown spots, reminiscent of a turtle shell.
Mastacembelus is an ambush predator, tasting everything that fits into its mouth. Adults should be kept alone; they are aggressive and territorial towards their relatives. Mastacembelus look unusual and exotic in large aquariums and show aquariums. Among their neighbors, large, agile fish are suitable.
History of the origin of acanthophthalmus
The tropical loach is native to Southeast Asia and India. Distributed in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore.
Small ponds are a natural aquarium for snakes. Loaches prefer slow currents and soft muddy bottoms. They love to spend time hiding under snags or fallen leaves. They are not considered schooling fish.
In 1846, the fish received its first description. And this was done by the French zoologist Achille Valenciennes. The first fish appeared on Russian territory in 1970, and 3 years later they began to be bred.
Southeast Asia and India
Common loach (Misgurnus fossilis)
The common loach is a peaceful, non-conflict, unusual fish native to the reservoirs of Europe and Asia. Loaches have a long, round body covered with small scales. The mouth is “lower”, it is bordered by five pairs of sensitive antennae. The color is light brown or sand. Loaches grow up to 30 cm. These fish are very unpretentious and can be kept in a school both in an aquarium and in a garden pond. They live mainly at the bottom. More active in the evening. Loaches are suitable for community aquariums with peaceful fish.
Description of the fish
Acantophthalmus has its own distinctive features in body structure and behavior.
Appearance
Nature has given acanthophthalmus a unique body. Thanks to its distinctive feature, the fish became like a snake.
In addition to its length, the body is characterized by its shape - it is flattened on both sides in the tail area. When kept at home, the length of the fish does not exceed 12-14 cm. On the small head near the mouth there are 3 pairs of sensitive whiskers. With their help, loaches feel for food.
Compatibility
Such a pet is non-conflicting. He never shows aggression, he is open and friendly. Spends a lot of time near the front part of the artificial pond. Therefore, as neighbors he needs not very active and militant fish - acara, astranotus.
Very small fish should not be placed next to this snake, as it will chase them and use them as prey. Guppies and neons, snails and shrimp are not suitable. Good neighbors are angelfish, barbs, and labidochrimis.
Types of acanthophthalmus
Acantophthalmus is the most common type of snake fish for breeding in aquariums. Aquarists are attracted not only by their interesting appearance, but also by the behavior of representatives of the underwater kingdom.
The homeland of acanthophthalmus is Indochina. In the 1970s, these fish appeared on the territory of the former USSR.
Acanthopthalmus fish
Acantophthalmus culea
The appearance of the pangio acanthophtalmus kuhli fish resembles a flattened snake. The body is colored yellow-pink. Along the yellow-orange body, near the head, there are black-brown stripes. Some individuals may have bifurcated stripes.
The body length reaches 14 cm. A notable feature is its secretive lifestyle. Fish love to hide their bodies under different shelters, and they also love to burrow into the ground. Distribution area: water bodies of the Malay Peninsula and Indonesia.
When breeding at home, they feel better in a flock, so it is recommended to stock at least 3 Acanthopthalmus culae in the aquarium. The fish are very active: they can play catch for a long time, and then lie on the leaves, curled up in a ball. Dilution is possible only if optimal water parameters are maintained.
Acantophthalmus culea
Acantophthalmus myers
In its natural habitat, it is distributed in rivers of Thailand, which are characterized by slow flows. The body of Myers, when kept in an aquarium, does not exceed 9 cm in length. The fish is colored yellow-red. There are black stripes all over the body. Depending on the age of acanthophthalmus, their number varies from 10 to 24 pieces. Prefers dim light and likes to hide in shelters.
Acantophthalmus myers
Acantophthalmus semi-girdled
It has an unusual sandy body color with interrupted black stripes. The species is characterized by the absence of scales on the head. The small eyes are covered with a thin film that serves as protection. The dorsal fin is shifted towards the tail.
Acantophthalmus semi-girdled
Red snakehead (Channa micropeltes)
The red snakehead is a colorful predator native to the waters of Asia. The snakehead has a long (up to 1 meter) powerful body. The flattened head has large, round eyes and a capacious mouth. An attractive sandy coloration with red and black horizontal stripes is characteristic only of juveniles; adult fish are more modestly colored, gray-black. Snakeheads can be kept in a flock until a certain age. Sexually mature fish become aggressive towards their relatives. An aquarium of 500 liters or more with free space for swimming and shelters is suitable for them. The lid of such an aquarium must be tightly closed! Of the neighbors with the red snakehead, comparable pacu, pangasius and other fish can get along.
© Aqua Logo Evgeniya Stepanova
Fields marked with * are required.
Contents of acanthophthalmus
In order for acanthophthalmus to feel good in a home aquarium, they need conditions close to natural ones. Therefore, you should properly equip the tank for breeding snake fish.
Attention! Keeping in an aquarium is allowed only in dim light, since this species does not tolerate bright lighting. Therefore, the aquarium can be placed even in a dark room.
Feeding is not difficult. They love to swim along the bottom of the tank and feed on leftovers.
Aquarium
Due to the fact that the aquarium fish Acanthopthalmus leads a bottom-dwelling lifestyle, the shape of the aquarium should be rectangular or square. Round tanks are not suitable for fish with a snake-like body, as they do not contain enough usable space.
If you plan to breed 5-6 acanthophthalmus, then this amount will require 70 liters.
The reservoir must be covered with a lid or mesh. The safety of pets depends on this. The lid will prevent them from jumping out of the water and dying unattended.
However, the violent temperament of fish does not always require the creation of cover. Loaches are real barometers, and when they begin to sense changes associated with atmospheric pressure, they begin to swim chaotically throughout the aquarium. Often such activity leads to the fact that the thorns, as they are also called, jump out of the water and break into nearby objects.
Aquarium with acanthophthalmus
Water parameters
The optimal temperature for breeding acanthophthalmus varies from +22°C to +28°C. At low temperatures, individuals get sick. Hardness level – 5 dH, acidity – 6.5 pH.
Small and adult inhabitants are sensitive to water indicators; if they don’t like something, they float to the surface. This behavior is not typical for this species, since acanthophthalmus prefers a bottom lifestyle.
Reproduction of acanthophthalmus
Spawning occurs during the rainy season. Rare cases of reproduction of Kühl fish are known in captivity. To create favorable conditions for breeding, you first need to buy a huge aquarium. It is possible that hormones will need to be administered.
The difference between a female and a male
Dimorphism is pronounced. Females and males reach sexual maturity by 12 months. The body of the female is 2 cm longer than the body of the male, the abdomen is more rounded and large.
Female and male acanthophthalmus
To obtain offspring, it is recommended to carry out a number of actions:
- first you need to buy a spawning tank - a tank with a volume of at least 1000 liters;
- fill the tank with water no more than 20 cm in height;
- you will need to plant living plants, both rooted in the ground and self-floating;
- It is recommended to cover the bottom of the tank with a separator mesh;
- care must be taken to create dim lighting;
- check the water for compliance with the following parameters: hardness, acidity and temperature.
During spawning, it is necessary to change the water daily, 1/10 of the total volume.
Only experienced aquarists can inject their pets. To do this, you need to put the adults in a jar and add novocaine. As soon as the fish become numb, it is necessary to inject a solution of gonadropine into the dorsal muscle at the rate of 60-150 IU. per one individual. For 6 hours the fish will be motionless.
Feeding
Acantophthalmus are considered omnivores. They happily eat dry, frozen, vegetable, and live food. They eat leftover food that sinks to the bottom.
The diet requires bloodworms, small snails, spirulina, brine shrimp, tubifex, cyclops, and daphnia. In specialized stores it is recommended to purchase food containing carotenoids to enhance body coloring.
Before giving live food, it is recommended to keep Ichthyphorus in the solution for a few seconds so as not to infect the aquarium. Frozen food is not dangerous, but you should be aware that when frozen, some of the nutrients are lost.
On a note! Acantophthalmus are peculiar cleaners of the reservoir, as they eat the remaining food from other inhabitants of the underwater world. Even the soil becomes clean after them, and replacements have to be done less often.
You need to feed 3 hours before darkening. The portion should be of such a volume that the loaches in the aquarium can eat it within 5 minutes. The ideal food is dry food in tablet form. In this form, they quickly sink to the bottom, where the inhabitants of the underwater world await them.
Dry food in tablet form for acanthophthalmus
How to choose?
Most snake fish that are sold in specialized zoological stores are taken from natural bodies of water. Therefore, their further maintenance will require adaptation to artificial conditions. Sometimes it lasts up to 30 days. However, many sellers often do not adhere to this rule, which is why fish may even die in new conditions.
To prevent this from happening, you need to pay attention to their skin when purchasing. If there are small spots on the body, this indicates poor health of the sea creature.
Acanthopthalmus diseases
Despite good immunity, acanthus still has health problems. Many diseases develop as a result of improper care.
The first thing that acanthophthalmus is prone to is obesity. Acanthus are so voracious, if you do not control the feeding process and portions, they will become clumsy. It is recommended not to feed your pets once every 7 days, giving them a fasting day.
The second most common disease is ichthyophthyriosis. This is a contagious disease of an infectious nature. If a ciliated ciliate gets into the aquarium, it’s a disaster, all the individuals will get sick. Symptoms of the disease are the presence of small white bumps throughout the body.
Reviews
Sooner or later, aquarists catch themselves thinking that they want to have a peace-loving creature with an unusual body shape in the aquarium. After a long search, they choose acanthophthalmus. However, before you get yourself benthic inhabitants, it is recommended to study information about their habits and preferences so that breeding does not cause trouble.
Have you ever wanted to purchase an unusual inhabitant for your aquarium? Share in the comments!
