The origin of fish, varieties of tetraodon and their features, keeping aggressive fish at home, acquiring a spherical friend. If the thought suddenly came to your bright mind that you dreamed of having an aquarium in your house all your conscious life, or suddenly your friends gave it to you, and you don’t know who to put it in, turn your attention to such a creation nature, like a fish ball.
This unusual fish does not quite belong to aquarium species, we can even say that it does not belong to them at all, but this fact does not stop some inveterate lovers of everything original, unique and exotic for a second. And today this representative of the marine fauna can increasingly be found in city apartments, country houses, and even in offices and restaurants.
Probably, he earned such popularity and demand for his very peculiar appearance, especially when the fish is scared, at these moments it inflates its small body, which makes it look more like a round balloon than a predatory fearless queen of reservoirs. If you first saw this eccentric who knows how to swell, you may get the impression that this is not a very active fish, that it is slow and defenseless, but this conclusion is very erroneous. Charotel is a very mobile representative of the world fauna, who is not very familiar with the concept of "friendship", but the whole point is in its not quite complaisant nature.
Therefore, before bringing this cute spherical predator into the house, you should get to know him better.
The origin and depths of the Therodon
Every day and year, scientists are working more and more diligently, studying the amazing underwater world of the seas and oceans, namely its inhabitants. If someone comes across any photographs, pictures or just illustrations, then they will definitely not leave anyone indifferent. All new, hitherto unknown, amazing inhabitants of the oceanic depths are constantly opening up to the world, which fascinate with their mere appearance, considering which one can easily doubt the reality of the existence of these living beings.
So, for example, a ball fish, or, as it is also called, tetraodon, blowfish and ballfish. This truly intricate living creation of nature was first described by people of science in 1822. This fish belongs to the family of four-toothed.
The geographical distribution of the tetraodon is quite wide; this spherical representative of the world fauna plows the slightly brackish and fresh water bodies of the African continent, South and Southeast Asia and South America. But today it is increasingly possible to find it in home aquariums.
Varieties of ball fish
According to some sources in nature, there are more than 110 of the most diverse species of ball-shaped swimming predator, the most popular, studied and suitable species for keeping at home are presented to your attention.
Green or river tetraodon
This aggressive eccentric, probably more than anyone else, can be seen in aquarium conditions. In open nature, it inhabits the rivers of Asia, in this regard, and received its second name. Body parameters vary greatly depending on the living conditions of the blowfish, for example, in native waters, the average size of a fish reaches 11-18 cm, but at home it grows no more than 6-8 cm.
Usually, people who are lucky enough to see this miracle of nature are attracted by its cutest appearance: a roundish body, a pretty face, on which a small mouth and peculiar convex eyes flaunt.
As for the color of the original body of the ball fish, it can be different, but most often there are representatives shaded in yellowish colors, against which there are specks of different shapes of green-black or dark brown color scheme. The brightest and most memorable colors are in younger individuals, with age, of course, gray hair does not appear, but all the tones of the color fade noticeably.
Despite all the cuteness of the big-eyed fish's appearance, in nature it can protect itself from various enemies. A feature of the protective mechanisms of the green puffer is its ability to swell like a balloon when a danger approaches. At this time, the thorns protrude outward, because of them it is difficult for predators to swallow the miracle fish. But if, nevertheless, such a nuisance overtook this aquatic inhabitant, then the predator who ate it did not have long to enjoy. The thing is that there is poisonous mucus in the body of the green tetraodnon, it is this that leads to the inevitable death of the one who decided to dine with a round fish.
If you have decided to add a green ballroom to the inhabitants of your home aquarium, then you need to know that every year these living creatures change not only the expressiveness of color. Character traits also deteriorate - the fish becomes more and more aggressive, which can be very deplorable for its neighbors, it can severely cripple them.
Dwarf tetraodon
This representative of his family has the smallest and neat little body, on average the length of the body is from 3 to 7 cm. Mother nature has awarded this miniature fish with some superpowers, namely, change color, depending on environmental conditions, the darker the water, the darker it becomes the body of a pygmy blowfish. The color of the body of this fish is quite bright and intense, in addition, it is by the color that you can distinguish the male from the female. It is believed that males are brighter, their abdomen is painted in red tones with beautiful lines that are located longitudinally. Tetraodon females are much lighter in color, their body is decorated with very small stripes, which are drawn along the body.
In its natural environment, it inhabits quiet rivers and stagnant bodies of water in Indonesia, Malaysia and Indochina.
If we talk about these fish, as pets, then it is the dwarf tetraodon that is best suited for this, especially if someone already lives in your aquarium. And all because by nature they got a very peaceful character and without any special difficulties he becomes a good neighbor for other aquarium residents.
In addition, they reproduce well at home, so if you have such a companion for yourself, you can not only increase your home family of ball bowlers, but also earn some good money.
Eight tetraodon
This native of the slightly brackish and fresh waters of Thailand, Sumatra and Kalimantan does not differ in particularly large dimensions, its small beautiful body grows no more than 6-8 cm, females usually slightly exceed the size of males.
The eight-ball fish is the owner of a rather original color of the skin, if you do not look very closely, then it resembles a tiger a little. On its miniature body, painted in dark brown or coal-black tones, there is a neatly drawn yellowish ornament, which consists of dots, stripes with regular bends and small strokes. The brightness and severity of color also tends to change, depending on environmental conditions.
On his cute face, you can immediately notice relatively huge eyes and a rather wide forehead. The fish also has a back and a tail fin, at their bases there are some decorations - these are rich black spots, along the edges of which there is a yellow border.
If the green puffer fish develops bad character traits with age, then the eight fish is unfriendly and not entirely friendly already from its very fishy childhood. Therefore, it is not recommended to add him to other aquarium animals, most often such cohabitation ends very badly for his neighbors, even if they are his closest relatives.
Leopard tetraodon
This native of the freshwater waters of the Congo River is the most peaceful representative of blowfish, but despite this seemingly good character trait, the predator remains a predator, even if it is very friendly and peaceful. It is better to keep such a "swimmer" in a separate aquarium, intended for a certain type of inhabitants, and this is not only because of its predatory nature, but also due to the fact that it has some special requirements for its abode. For example, in his personal house there should be a rather thick layer of substrate and very dim lighting, well, he does not like bright sunlight, what can be done in such conditions not all fish will be able to live.
Most likely, this freshwater charotel got its specific name due to its amazing color, which consists of a wide range of colors. So the dorsal part of it is decorated with light shades of brown color, the fins are beige with a slight, barely noticeable, yellowish tint. The projection of the abdominal cavity is presented in yellow-orange colors. The side surfaces of the case are painted with black spots. The visual organs of the leopard fish are red, in the center of them you can see pupils, saturated black.
Tetraodon nigroviridis
If we talk about this amazing specimen, then we should immediately mention that it has some features. Firstly, nigroviridis differs from its congeners in the size of its body, they are rather big - about 14-16 cm. Secondly, its rounded body is quite strong and stocky. And in the event that any danger approaches this cute little fish, then its body not only swells as far as it has enough strength, but also turns over with its tummy up and quickly floats to the surface of the water, as if imitating a lifeless state.
This representative of the four-toothed has a rather hot-tempered and domineering disposition, if he liked some cozy corner in the depths, then he begins to desperately conquer his territory. In a natural environment, it prefers to settle in places where the sun's rays fall little. It eats both plant foods, for example, eats soft leaves from various underwater plants, and copes well with even the most hard animal products, such as snails.
This large blowfish is not recommended for mixed aquariums, but if necessary, keep snails with it. In this case, it is hoped that the rest of the fish will remain safe and sound, if they are not very small in size.
Tetraodon kutkutia
This native of the depths of fresh and slightly brackish Indian waters is notable for being very suitable for people who have just started keeping ball fish in their home aquariums, because he is not whimsical at all, all that he needs for complete happiness is a little salted water …
As for the color of the skin of this round fish, of medium size (it grows no more than 8–10 cm), it is quite common, but nevertheless, there is something especially in it. Representatives of the weaker sex kutkutia are painted mainly in yellowish shades, the body color of males is presented in green tones. The back area is usually painted with different colors - it can be rich olive color, slightly greenish and even dark green. The lateral parts of the body are light gray shades, with a slight yellowness; against this background, dark blotches are chaotically drawn in conjunction with a certain mesh pattern, the part of the tummy is grayish-white. Fins can be painted in greenish tones, as well as yellow and gray. At that time, when the time of the mating season for fish comes, a bright red stripe becomes clearly visible on the caudal process in males. Puberty in these roundish fish occurs at the age of 1, 5–2 years.
This representative of the world marine fauna can be kept in a common aquarium, but it must be remembered that its character is very unpredictable. And if the blowfish gets into his head that his neighbor is his worst enemy, he will first take water in his mouth and fire it at the “enemy”, and later he may resort to the use of force and teeth.
Rules for keeping a ball at home
Before buying such an exotic, you need to take care of where he will live. A sufficiently voluminous and spacious aquarium is perfect as a personal house for the tetraodon. For one puffer fish, a container with a volume of up to 100 liters will be enough, but if you plan for the future to form a "spherical kingdom", then it would be better to immediately buy an aquarium for 200–250 liters.
It is important to think over the interior of the ballroom's home. He will be very grateful to you if there are many different shelters on his personal living space that can be constructed using a wide variety of plants and rocks. But, in no case should you get too carried away with the design of the aquarium, after all, like any other fish, the blowfish is still a fan of swimming.
Although most species of ball fish are lovers of fresh water, it is best to keep them at home in a slightly salted liquid, this measure will greatly affect the life expectancy of your comrade and, accordingly, its quality. Salinity levels should be different for younger and older individuals. So it is best to keep young tetraodons in water, the salinity of which does not exceed 1, 005–1, 009, but more mature individuals require that the salt level in their house does not fall below 1.018.
A fish ball is not naturally famous for its special cleanliness, therefore, after a meal, a lot of waste can float in the water, which greatly pollutes it. In order to avoid unpleasant consequences, it will be good to install a filter in the aquarium, it is desirable that it be powerful enough. But no matter how well the cleaning device does its job, you need to frequently change the fluid.
The water temperature in the house of a living "ball" should be constantly within the range of 25-29 degrees. As for lighting, these water dwellers feel best in moderate, even diffused lighting. In food consumption, these rounded fish are usually not capricious, of course, unless you are trying to feed them food from your dinner table. As in the wild, tetraodons prefer live food, such as a variety of small fish, worms, bloodworms, shrimps and snails. From time to time, the puffer fish will not refuse to eat dry fish food and fresh frozen foods. You don't need to feed your friend too much, since he almost never refuses an extra piece of fish or several worms, he can eat all the time. For this reason, it is believed that the most common cause of early death of domestic tetraodons is precisely obesity.
In keeping such a "ball" at home, there is one golden rule: "Never, under any circumstances, do not forget that this is a poisonous creature." Therefore, you do not need to touch him with your bare hands or try to treat him with something from your hands - these courtesies can end very badly.
Buying and price of tetraodon
Today you can buy such an exotic not only on the Internet, but also in many pet stores. The average price for tetraodons ranges from 150 to 2,500 rubles.
See in more detail about the spotted tetradon in the following story:
