Aquarium fish snake with a sharp nose. Macrognatus ocellated, or aquarium eel

The aquarium fish macrognatus, or aquarium eel, differs from others in its unusual elongated body structure and non-standard breeding. Among its existing species, the most common is the ocellated macrognathus. The fish tends to be painted in beige, brown, golden shades. The decoration of this species is spectacular specks, yellowish dots and stripes. The sly expression of the eyes gives reason to compare the head of a fish with a fox's face.

Keeping macrognatus fish in the aquarium

During the day, you are unlikely to see your pet, except perhaps his head sticking out of the ground. For this reason, do not put sharp stones in the aquarium, which could hurt the fish. Macrognatus needs quality in order to burrowing to rid himself of the excess mucus covering his body. This is a kind of prevention of skin diseases. For the soil, it is better to purchase pebbles of medium and fine fractions, since clean river sand, when burrowing fish in it, creates turbidity in the reservoir, although this does not contradict its usual way of life.

Adding salt to the aquarium (3 tablespoons per 100 liters of water) brings the conditions of keeping the fish closer to natural, provided that their neighbors belonging to other species are okay with this procedure.

If you are faced with a choice of what to feed your fish, buy live food, as macrognatus prefers it. Among the variety of larvae, crustaceans and invertebrates, the tubifex is a favorite dish.

The peace-loving macrognathus ocellated has good compatibility with fish leading a similar lifestyle, such as catfish. Specimens smaller in size can sometimes be perceived as food.

Another important detail of keeping a macrognatus fish is a reliable shelter for the aquarium, since any gap can become a way to leave your home.

Macrognatus and Mastacembelidae belong to the Mastacembelidae family and resemble eels only outwardly, but for the sake of simplicity I will call them that way. They are unpretentious, as a rule, interestingly colored and differ in unusual behavior.

However, for many aquarists, keeping mastheads and macrognatus is problematic. In addition, there is a lack of information, and often its inconsistency. In this article, we'll take a look at the most popular types of aquarium eels that are most commonly found on the market.

Eels belong to the family Mastacembelidae, and have three species: Macrognathus, Mastacembelus, and Sinobdella. In old aquarium books you can find the names Aethiomastacembelus, Afromastacembelus, and Caecomastacembelus, but these are outdated synonyms.

From South-East Asia imported two different kinds: Macrognathus and Mastacembelus. The differences between them are often minimal and it is extremely difficult to distinguish some of them.

There is often confusion in the sources, leading to confusion in the purchase and content.

Representatives of the family can be from 15 to 100 cm in length, and in character from shy to aggressive and predatory, so decide what kind of fish you need before buying it.

One of the representatives of the family, which is difficult to confuse, is the red-striped mastacembelus (Mastacembelus erythrotaenia). The gray-black background of the body is covered with red and yellow stripes and lines.

Some of them go through the whole body, others are short, and still others have turned into spots. Dorsal and anal fins with a red border. The red-striped mastacembel is the largest of all, in nature it grows up to 100 cm.

In an aquarium, they are much smaller, but all the same, at least 300 liters of volume are needed to keep the red stripe.

• Latin name: Mastacembelus erythrotaenia
• Name: Red-striped Mastacembel
• Homeland: Southeast Asia
• Size: 100cm

(lat.Mastacembelus armatus) is often found on the market, but there is a very similar mastacembelus favus (Mastacembelus favus).

They are probably imported and sold as one species. Both are light brown with dark brown spots. But, in the armature, they are concentrated in the upper body, and in the favus they go down to the abdomen. Mastacembel favus is much smaller than the armature, reaching 70 cm versus 90 cm.

• Latin name: Mastacembelus armatus
• Name: Mastacembel armature or armored
• Homeland: Southeast Asia
• Size: 90 cm
• Water parameters: pH 6.0 - 7.5, soft
• Feeding: small fish and insects
• Compatibility: very territorial, does not get along with others. Neighbors must be large
• Breeding: does not breed in the aquarium

Among the macrognatus, there are three species that are found in the aquarium. Coffee mastacembelus (Mastacembelus circumcinctus) of light brown or coffee color with cream spots and vertical stripes along the lateral line.

• Latin name: Macrognathus circumcinctus
• Name: Coffee Mastacembel
• Homeland: Southeast Asia
• Size: 15cm
• Water parameters: pH 6.0 - 7.5, soft
• Feeding: larvae and insects
• Compatibility: peaceful, won't hurt anyone bigger than a guppy
• Breeding: does not breed in the aquarium

Macrognathus aral is olive or light brown in color with a horizontal stripe along the lateral line and back line. Its color differs from individual to individual, usually they are darker at the edges and lighter in the center. The dorsal fin has several spots (usually four), dark brown inside and light brown outside.

• Latin name: Macrognathus aral
• Name: Macrognathus aral
• Homeland: Southeast Asia
• Size: up to 60 cm, usually much smaller
• Water parameters: tolerates brackish water
• Feeding: small fish and insects
• Breeding: divorced haphazardly

The Siamese macrognathus (Macrognathus siamensis) is one of the most common in the aquarium. In some sources it is also called Macrognathus aculeatus macrognathus ocellated, but this rare view that hardly ever appeared in hobbyist aquariums.

Nevertheless, we sell Siamese as an ocellated one. Siamese macrognathus is light brown in color with thin lines running across the body. The dorsal fin is covered with spots, usually about 6 of them.

Despite the fact that the Siamese is much inferior in beauty to other types of eels, it will benefit from unpretentiousness and size, rarely reaching 30 cm in length.

• Latin name: Macrognathus siamensis
• Name: Macrognatus Siamese, Macrognatus ocellated
• Homeland: Southeast Asia
• Size: up to 30 cm
• Water parameters: pH 6.0 - 7.5, soft
• Feeding: small fish and insects
• Compatibility: peaceful, can be held in groups
• Breeding: divorcing

African species: rare

Africa is well represented in species composition proboscis, but they are very rare on sale. Only endemics of Lake Tanganyika can be found: Mastacembelus moorii, Mastacembelus plagiostoma and Mastacembelus ellipsifer. They are periodically found in the catalogs of Western stores, but on the territory of the CIS they are represented singly.

• Latin name: Mastacembelus moorii
• Name: Mastacembelus mura
• Homeland: Tanganyika
• Size: 40cm
• Compatibility: very territorial, does not get along with others. Neighbors must be large
• Breeding: does not breed in the aquarium

• Latin name: Mastacembelus plagiostoma
• Name: Mastacembelus plagiostoma
• Homeland: Tanganyika
• Size: 30cm
• Water parameters: pH 7.5, hard
• Feeding: prefers small fish, but there are worms and bloodworms
• Compatibility: Peaceful enough, can live in groups
• Breeding: does not breed in the aquarium

One of the most popular myths about keeping aquarium eels is that they need brackish water. The origin of this misconception is unclear, probably went when to prevent the appearance of semolina, the water in the aquarium was salted.

In reality, Proboscis snouts live in rivers and lakes with fresh water and only a few are brackish. Moreover, they can only tolerate slightly salted water.

For Asian species you need soft or medium hard water, acidic or slightly alkaline. For African species too, with the exception of those that live in Tanganyika, which require hard water.

Almost all macrognatuses dig and bury themselves in soil, they should be kept in an aquarium with sandy soil. If this is not done, then you can face many problems, the most common of which is skin diseases.

Macrognatus try to bury themselves in hard ground, get scratches through which infection penetrates. These bacterial infections are difficult to treat and often result in the death of the fish.

Sandy soil is very important when keeping spiny eels. It is optimal to use quartz sand... It can be purchased very inexpensively at most garden shops, where it is commonly used as an earth additive for houseplants.

You must add enough for the eel to dig in. About 5 cm will be enough for proboscis snouts 15-20 cm in length.

Since they like to dig in the ground, fine sand will not stale, but the addition of melanium will make it completely clean. The sand must be siphoned regularly so that decomposition products do not accumulate in it.

Large species, such as mastacembel armatus and red-striped, should be kept in an aquarium with sandy soil while small. As adults, they rarely bury themselves and are happy with alternative shelters - caves, snags and rocks.

All eels love plants floating in the water column, for example, they can burrow in a hornwort like in sand. In practice, it makes little sense to bother with plants, since burrowing eels kill their root system.

Floating plants, mosses and anubis are all you need in such an aquarium.

Feeding

Aquarium eels are notorious for being difficult to feed. They are generally shy and will take weeks, if not months, before they settle into a new location.

It is important to provide them with adequate feeding during this period. Since prickly eels lead predominantly night image life, you need to feed them at sunset. Asian species are less whimsical and eat bloodworms, small fish, but especially love worms.

African take only live food, but over time you can get used to freezing and artificial feed. Since eels are shy, it is better not to keep them with catfish or loaches, which are more active and will devour everything in a moment.

Security

The main reasons for the death of aquarium eels are hunger and skin diseases. But, there are two more non-obvious ones. First: they escape from the aquarium through the slightest gap. Forget open aquariums right away, they will simply run away and dry up somewhere in the dust.

But, even a closed aquarium is not safe! A tiny gap will be found and the eel will try to crawl through it. This is especially dangerous in aquariums with external filters, where hose holes are provided.

Another danger is treatment. Acne does not tolerate copper preparations, and they are often treated with the same semolina. In general, they do not tolerate treatment well, since they do not have small scales that poorly protect the body.

Compatibility

Aquarium eels are usually timid and ignore neighbors if they cannot swallow them, but they will eat small fish. Towards related species can be either completely neutral or wildly aggressive.

As a rule, mastasembels are territorial, and macrognatuses are more tolerant. However, in a small group (two or three individuals), and they can chase the weak, especially if the aquarium is small or there is no shelter.

Breeding

Another plus in keeping macrognatus in a flock is the possibility of spawning. Only a few species of eels spawn in captivity, but this is more likely because they are kept singly. To distinguish a male from a female is another task that is impossible while the fish are immature. Females are considered to be more plump, with a rounded abdomen.

The spawning mechanism has not been studied, but good feeding and water changes serve as a trigger. They probably remind fish of the beginning of the rainy season, during which spawning occurs in nature. For example, Macrognathus aral spawns only during monsoons.

Courtship is a long, complex process that lasts several hours. Fish chase each other and drive circles around the aquarium.

Lay sticky eggs among the leaves or roots of floating plants such as water hyacinth.

During spawning, up to 1,000 eggs are obtained, about 1.25 mm in diameter, which hatch after three or four days.

The fry begin to swim after another three to four days, and they need tiny foods such as cyclops nauplii and hard-boiled egg yolk... A particular problem with newly hatched eel fry is a certain susceptibility to the development of fungal infections.

Regular water changes are very important and antifungal medications should be used.

Macrognatus is an aquarium inhabitant of the Mastacembelid family. By the shape of your body, behavior and appearance he looks like common eel... Its maintenance at home does not present any particular difficulties, but it requires some knowledge. In addition, the breeder will need to spend a lot of time and money on an exotic pet.

Macrognatus is unpretentious in content

General information

Aquarium eel macrognatus is one of the most beautiful and unusual inhabitants home reservoirs. Experienced aquarists have learned how to maintain it and create the most comfortable conditions for it. Thanks to this, it will live a long time and multiply quickly.

Description of the species

This representative of the aquatic fauna has a long and elongated body, like a snake. At its end is a small and oblong head. In the wild, macrognatus eels can grow up to 40 cm long, while their aquarium relatives can grow only up to 25 centimeters. Top part the body is covered with many thorns, which are used to protect against natural enemies.

Macrognatuses can be up to 40cm in length

As a rule, females are slightly larger than males. Both sexes have anal and dorsal fins, which create a kind of tail. Depending on the conditions environment their color can range from light brown to red. On the dorsal fin, small dark spots are clearly visible, which are surrounded by a golden rim. This species of aquarium eel lacks a pectoral fin.

The body of pets is colored unevenly. On it you can find brown, olive or light red shades. The sides of the macrognatus are covered with a blurred pattern, and the head and body are covered with yellowish spots. The abdomen is more uniform in color and much lighter than all other parts of the body.

Habitat

This unusual fish quite demanding on environmental conditions. Because of this feature, it is rarely found in wildlife and lives only in several Asian countries. On the rest of the continents, you can find macrognatus only in an aquarium with special conditions a habitat. V natural environment a representative of the fauna is found in the waters:

• India;
• Sri Lanka;
• Myanmar;
• Thailand;
• Sumatra.

This fish prefers to settle in small rivers and lakes with fresh water. Sometimes it can be found in slightly salty bodies of water.

Macrognatus mainly lives in fresh waters

Aquarium varieties

Among the large number of types of macrognatus, there are several main ones that are suitable for keeping at home. The rest are absolutely not adapted for life in captivity and may die when trying to domestication. ... The most popular aquarium macrognatuses:

1. Coffee. This aquatic creature has a long, dark brown body with lighter fins. These fish are nocturnal and do not like a lot of light. They make themselves cozy shelters in snags, where they spend time until dark. This species is prone to various diseases and requires special conditions content.
2. Siamese. This a pet It comes in a variety of sizes and colors that vary based on environmental conditions. The fish is rather large, with a thick body and marble-colored spots on the sides. Its neighbors can only be representatives of the fauna of the corresponding size, since it will consider smaller individuals as potential prey.
3. Pearl. This type of macrognatus is considered one of the smallest. Its body length rarely reaches 17 centimeters. It is painted in Brown color with silvery splashes. The fish quickly adapts to changing environmental conditions and tolerates being close to other species well.

Not all types of macrognatus are suitable for home content

Home care

equipment requirements

To make the eel feel comfortable at home, you need to try to recreate its natural habitat. Only in this case will the fish be healthy, strong and have an attractive appearance.

Proper care entails rapid reproduction. Considering the value and high cost of this representative of the aquatic fauna, the owner is guaranteed a good profit from the sale of offspring. Necessary conditions for the care and maintenance of macrognatus:

Ocular macrognatus requires a special approach and the study of the basic rules of content. The pet owner needs to consider a large number of factors that contribute to the formation of a comfortable environment. Among them, the following are worth highlighting:

1. Constant control over the purity of water and its quality.
2. Periodic replacement of a third of the fluid with a new one. This should be done at least once a week.
3. Salting water and maintaining the required level of salinity.
4. Ensuring good filtration and aeration of the aquarium.
5. Temperature aquatic environment should range from 21 to 26 degrees above zero.
6. The pH should be limited to 7 and the hardness to 15.
7. Provide dim lighting that is characteristic of natural conditions a habitat. At night, you should reduce the brightness or turn off the light completely.

Daily diet

Macrognatus aquariums are very capricious in their choice of food, so their daily diet must be varied and adapted to the preferences of each individual individual. Often there are situations when this fish eats any food with pleasure, and the next day completely refuses it. The nutritional base of this representative of the aquatic fauna is made up of the following delicacies:

• invertebrates;
• earthworms;
• crustaceans;
• mosquito larvae;
• small fish.

Macrognatus will not refuse from cod fillets, as well as squid meat. For additional feeding, you can use fortified dry food or high quality frozen foods.

Macrognatus are capricious in their choice of food

Food preferences can vary depending on the pet's mood. If he is dissatisfied with the conditions created, then there is a possibility of a complete rejection of food. In this case, you need to offer him his favorite delicacy.

Breeding rules

Sexual maturity of aquatic creatures occurs at the age three years, however, they reproduce at home very poorly. To do this, you need to carry out special injections to stimulate the process. Procedure:

1. A few days before the start of the procedure, the fish are deposited in separate tanks of 250 liters or more.
2. They create the most comfortable conditions, which are accompanied by abundant feeding.
3. One or two males are added to the female.
4. The injection is injected into the spinal muscle.
5. The fish tank is isolated from light.
6. In complete darkness, the female lays up to 1,000 eggs. They descend to the ground, where they develop over the next 3 days.
7. After this time, fry are born. They need to be provided with a temperature of 26-28 ° C and a large amount of microscopic food. You can feed them with plankton or microworms.
8. Once they reach a third of the size of their parents, they can be moved to a shared aquarium.

Combination with other fish

Macrognatus compatibility with other fish is not a problem for aquarists. Despite being capricious, he is very benevolent and peaceful. However, due to its size, eels can accidentally harm neighbors and prick them with thorns on their backs. Such contact can end for any fish in the most deplorable way. To prevent this from happening, you must take into account the compatibility rules:

1. You should not settle macrognatus together with small and fast fish, as he can take them for prey and swallow them.
2. It is recommended to combine aquarium eels with benthic species of fish that lead a measured and inactive lifestyle.
3. The ideal option would be the neighborhood with large and mobile fish.
4. Do not use cichlids in an aquarium with macrognatus. They are aggressive, move very quickly and can cause serious injury.
5. Do not put a large number of blackheads in one tank. During breeding, among males, conflicts can arise, which will develop into a fight with serious injuries to each other. In addition, the fight for territory can be the cause of the quarrel.

Cichlids should not be planted with eels in the same aquarium.

Diseases and their prevention

During his life in captivity, macrognatus is faced with many problems that can cause him this or that disease. Almost all of his diseases are associated with conditions of detention and feeding. The main health problems of an aquarium pet are:

1. Skin diseases. These are the most common ailments that appear due to the lack of a large amount of soil at the bottom of the aquarium. Without it, fish cannot fully burrow and suffer from exposure to natural light and elevated temperatures.
2. Ulcers on the body. When buried in the ground, a large amount of mucus is produced at the home macrognatus. She wipes herself on small stones and does not harm the health of the aquatic inhabitant. However, if there is not enough bedding, the excess mucus causes inflammation and ulcers on the body.

Examination of macrognatus for diseases should be carried out regularly.

Such problems can be cured only at the very beginning of their occurrence. In the later stages of the disease, any measures will be useless. For this reason, it is necessary to inspect pets daily and identify even the smallest deviations from the norm in them.

During the treatment period, it is necessary to gradually raise the water temperature in the aquarium to 32 degrees and increase the salinity to 10%. In addition, special preparations are added to the water, which can be bought at any pet store.

Macrognatus is a wonderful representative of the aquatic fauna that needs special care and maintenance. With the right approach to business and following all the recommendations of experienced aquarists, you can not only provide comfortable conditions for your pets, but also promote their reproduction.

Someone likes fluffy, four-legged or feathered pets, while someone loves fish with all their heart. Today, in apartments, restaurants and other premises you can see aquariums of all shapes and sizes, populated by the most diverse and amazing views aquatic inhabitants. Macrognatus ocellated is one of them. This unusual representative of aquarium inhabitants attracts the eyes of many visitors to pet stores. You can learn how to properly care for such a fish from this article.

Living in nature

The order of perch-like fish contains a very unusual subspecies called proboscis. It has only one family, subdivided into 2 genera and approximately 50 species. The main difference between the two branches is that the first is made up of Asian species and the second is made up of African species. A lesser known difference between the two is in their structure unpaired fins... In macrognatus, they are separated, and in mastacembelus, they are connected.

The place where eels live are the backwaters of rivers and lakes with calm water and a bottom covered with silt or sand with dense vegetation.

Fish tend to be active at night. During the day, they hide in thickets, hide under stones or burrow into the ground. The safety of the fish is ensured by observing what is happening around. This is helped by a special proboscis, which performs the function of an olfactory organ. At night, eels prey on fry, plankton, small crabs and eggs.

Appearance

In captivity, they usually contain ocellated macrognatuses. Despite its unusual view, the fish are distinguished by their grace. They have an oblong body, flat at the sides. Developing in an aquarium, the species reaches a length of 15-25 cm. The front part of the body of the macrognatus is somewhat reminiscent of a fox's face. The upper jaw is a small proboscis with tubular nostrils at the end. The color of the fish is pleasant, from pale beige to brown and olive colors. It is complemented by an unusual pattern of light transverse stripes and bright yellow dots. The entire body of the aquarium eel is divided by a strip.

The dorsal and anal fins are pushed towards the tail, the pectorals are absent. They are reddish or light brown in color. The fin located on the back is decorated with black spots with a golden border. They are very similar to the eyes, for which the fish got their name. There are also thorns on the back. Females are always larger and thicker than males.

Behavior

The first time after moving to a new aquarium, the fish may hide and be afraid of the environment, but soon they begin to master and can swim out of shelters even during the day. The group content of ocellated macrognatuses in young age permissible, but it is important to remember that, having matured, individuals can become more aggressive towards each other.

Compatibility

Place this species in one aquarium with small fish undesirable since they are easily perceived as prey. Best of all, the compatibility of the ocellated macrognathus is manifested with larger and more peaceful inhabitants.

The owner of the aquarium should also be careful: the pet may well bite the owner on the hand or injure him with thorns.

Aquarium

Macrognatus ocellated is able to coexist with other fish, but it will be able to express itself in all its glory in a special species aquarium with darkened glass, the volume of which will be from 100 liters.

The top must not be left open. It must be covered with glass, since this type of fish can get out through a small gap if the quality of the water has deteriorated or it is not to your taste. Special attention it is worth paying attention to the corners of the aquarium, as well as the areas where the wires and air ducts are located.

The presence of soil is necessary, since eels like to burrow into it, leaving only the eyes and nose on the surface. It is important that there are no sharp stones in it, otherwise the fish will get hurt. If we neglect the soil, then various skin diseases can begin in macrognatus. Better not to use silt, but rather soft sand. Vegetation should not be easy to dig up. A great option is pots. Eels love to hide and hide, and therefore various caves and driftwood should be placed in the aquarium.

Since the species is active at night and leads an underground lifestyle, the fish produce a large amount of mucus so that they can easily burrow into stones. If excess secretions are not removed, the skin becomes inflamed.

There are no special requirements for water quality when keeping macrognatus ocelli in an aquarium. It is only necessary to make sure that it is clean. The most comfortable indicators: acidity - 7-8; temperature - + 21-28 ° С (reduction to +20 ° С is permissible); hardness - 6-15. Continuous aeration is required, as well as changing a third of the water every week. Add 3-4 tablespoons if desired sea ​​salt for every 100 liters of water.

Nutrition

Most of all, the ocellated macrognathus loves live food. You can always try to introduce a dry or frozen species, but often fish refuse it. A delicacy for them will be the larvae of mosquitoes, earthworms, small crustaceans and invertebrates. Sometimes they can also hunt smaller fish species. There are known examples of feeding such fish with finely chopped squid or cod meat.

Diseases

Under the wrong conditions, the macrognathus ocellated eel can get sick. The reasons for this are poor quality, dirty water, unsuitable soil. In such cases, the fish does not receive enough mucus, the skin becomes inflamed, and ulcers appear.

Early treatment can bring acne back to normal. The water temperature should be gradually increased to + 32 ° С, and the salinity level should be increased to 10%. Then you should add ericycline and griseofulvin in the required dosage (agreed with a specialist), increase the number of water changes.

Observing life inside the aquarium will give you a sense of calm and serenity, as well as diversify your leisure time. The glass structure itself, with interestingly selected residents and decorations, can become a highlight of the room's interior.