Tsiklazoma Meeka, aquarium fish: maintenance and care

Tsiklazoma Meeka is a carnivorous fish that aquarists like to breed. Such a subspecies certainly has its own peculiarities and subtleties, which must be studied before buying. You can see them in our article.

general information

Tsikhlazoma was brought to us from Eastern Mexico. She is a predator. The second name of the fish is the red cichlisoma. It has a high and elongated body. Color gray with olive or blue tint. In more adult individuals, it changes to violet. The size of the Mejki cichlazoma is 10-13 centimeters. The females have slight differences from males. We will talk about them a little later.

Few people know, but depending on the content and habitat of fish on its body, dark spots or streaks may form. In the aquarium, in which cichlases live, it is necessary to have a large number of plants and shelters. They need to be carefully attached. Myeka's zigzazoma is a fish that likes to jump out of the water to view an object. It is for this reason that it is always necessary to close the aquarium.

Features of the contents of cichlasma

One of the most beautiful aquarium fish is the Mejka cichlazoma. The content of such fish and its features can be found in our article. As we said earlier, for a comfortable habitat of cichlasma, it is necessary to install a large number of additional accessories in the aquarium. These include algae, large stones, ceramic pots, caves, and snags. If you want to have more than five cichlases in your aquarium, then its volume should be more than 100 liters. Specialists also recommend using only sandy soil for filling. The water temperature for a comfortable living fish from East Mexico is 20-25 degrees Celsius. It is worth emphasizing that the aquarium will necessarily need to install a powerful filter. It's not accidental, because cichlases love to pick up trash from the bottom, thereby making the water turbid. Few people know, but it is believed that these fish have a well-developed brain. With age, they are even able to recognize their master.

The water in the aquarium, in which the Mejka cichlazoma resides, should be changed weekly. In case of non-compliance with this recommendation fish can develop diseases of the eyes, fins and skin.

Compatibility of fish

As we said earlier, Mejka's cichlazoma is a carnivorous fish. It is for this reason, before you buy it, you need to study all the subtleties of its combination with other species.

Aquarists love tsikhlazomu not by chance, because for a flock of females only one male is needed. It is worth emphasizing that this kind of fish has its drawbacks. They are not recommended to contain in one aquarium with some other species. Any aquarist amazes with its beauty Meeka cichlazoma. Compatibility and peculiarity of reproduction of such fish you can find in our article.

Few people know, but cichlazom can be placed in one aquarium with smaller fish. However, it is worth remembering that comfortable cohabitation will only be if they grew up together. Otherwise, cichlasma may eat weaker fish.

It should be noted that cichlases are quite aggressive. Despite the long cohabitation with other fish, they may occasionally be skirmishes. It is strongly advised not to add inactive fish to the cichlasma. They will be perceived by the predator as food.

Meal cichlasma food

The development of any organism requires proper nutrition. As we said earlier, a fish of cichlazoma is a predator. She is not very choosy about food. She eats almost any live food. Specialists recommend additionally adding to the ration of fish finely chopped meat, dried nettle and lettuce leaves. This is necessary for a balanced diet, as well as for obtaining all the necessary vitamins and trace elements. It is worth noting that, in addition to live food, it is also necessary to introduce frozen and dry fish into the fish diet.

At an early age, cichlasomas eat much more than other fish. It is for this reason that their diet should be given due attention. With age, cichlases need to be fed with larvae, tubules and sliced heart. If you follow all the recommendations, your fish will feel comfortable and cozy.

Appearance of cichlazoma

Meeka (cichlazoma) - this is quite peculiar fish. The photos presented in the article will allow you to make sure that they are all different and unique. Tsikhlazoma has a gray color with a silver tinge. In addition, their body can be poured in yellow, blue or green. Surprisingly, there are brilliant dots or stripes on their fins. They fascinate absolutely any aquarist.

Depending on the standard of living, cichlasma may change its color. As we said earlier, they can also form dark spots on the body and fins. The length of the fish that lives in the aquarium is only 10 centimeters. But in the reservoir cichlazoma can grow up to 15 centimeters. The shell of the eyes of the predatory fish is blue. Life expectancy is 9-11 years.

Tsikhlazomy are incredibly beautiful fishes. The photos, which are placed in the article, make sure that they are really beautiful.

How to distinguish a female cihlazoma from a male?

Perhaps, when buying fish for further breeding, absolutely everyone is interested in the ability to distinguish a female from a male. Almost every aquarist has Mejka cichlazoma. The male is markedly different from the female.

The very first difference is the appearance of the fins. In the male they are longer and more pointed. The size of the body is also different. As a rule, the male is much larger than the female. In addition, his color is much brighter. Any aquarist is attracted by such fish as Meeka cichlazoma. The female differs from the male not only in size and color, but also in behavior. Remembering the recommendations that are given in the article, you can easily determine the gender of the cichlasma.

Features of breeding

The period of puberty in this species occurs at the age of eight months to a year. If you keep a large number of these fish, then you will easily notice that those couples who are at the growing stage begin to separate from the general group. As stated earlier, monogamy predominates in them. One male is enough for ten females. It is known that cichlases can lay more than 100 eggs at a time.

If you are planning to cultivate the Mejka cichlazoma, then it must be remembered that spawning from a common aquarium is required to be moved for a while in a separate vessel. To do this, take a small container and fill it with water. In this vessel, you need to carefully move all the pending eggs. It is worth emphasizing that the water in the tank must fully match the quality of the one in the common aquarium.

Very few people know, but it is in the cichlazoma that the parental instinct is very developed. The male and female equally care for their offspring. It is worth noting that the unfertilized fish eggs are eaten.

In which part of the aquarium do the cichlases live?

Today the names of aquarium fish are certainly pleasing for their diversity. Choose a pair of species from a thousand others is difficult. It is the cichlasma that attracts the greatest number of aquarists. This is due to the unpretentiousness of these fish in the diet, and their unique appearance. In which part of the aquarium do cichlases live? The answer to this question can be found in our article.

Myeka's cichlazoma lives in the lower part of the aquarium. For their comfortable living, experts recommend placing a large number of plants. It's not accidental, because this kind of fish likes to hide in them. In addition to plants, as we said earlier, it is extremely necessary to place stones and shelters in an aquarium. In them, the cichlasma resides, and during puberty, it sways there caviar.

Stocking of fish in nature

As stated above, Meeka came to us from the cichlazoma from Eastern Mexico. It's no secret that the tropical climate prevails there. It's hot there not only in summer but also in winter. Tsikhlazoma lives in natural conditions in those reservoirs that are not subject to freezing. As a rule, they have a fairly high water temperature and a slow flow. It is for this reason that Meeka is active throughout the year. Specialists have noticed that usually cichlazoma chooses for its life water reservoirs with a sandy bottom. You can meet her in lakes, rivers and ponds. As in the aquarium, this fish lives near aquatic plants. If she can not eat animal food, she can consume algae.

Diseases susceptible to cichlazomas

Some people believe that the names of aquarium fish - this is the only thing that distinguishes them among themselves. This is a fairly common opinion, however it is mistaken. All fish are not only different in their content, reproduction and nutrition. Each species is susceptible to certain diseases.

It is believed that cichlasma is a fairly hardy fish. Diseases in her are rare. Their occurrence is associated with poor living conditions. Another reason is poor quality food. In case you notice that the condition of the fish has changed for the worse, first of all you will need to put it in a separate aquarium until the full recovery. This will protect other fish from possible infection.

Most often in cichlazoma, nitrate poisoning occurs. In this case, the fish becomes fearful and constantly tries to hide from the light and people, and its gills darken. At a poisoning at it coordination considerably is broken. It is also worth noting that in this case the fish suffocate. It is for this reason that during poisoning, the cichlasma occurs in the upper part of the aquarium. To get rid of the disease, in the first place you will need to completely replace the water in the aquarium. After that you will need to treat it with a remedy, which you can buy at a pet store, and install a biological filter.

If cichlasma is present in poor conditions, then it is susceptible to a disease such as fin rot. Recognize it is simple enough. On the fins of fish a white band is formed, which is constantly increasing. In the early stages of the disease, it is enough to replace water simply, and later on special medicines will be needed.

Summing up

Myeka's crocodile is a fish of incredible beauty. In addition, as we said earlier, it also differs in some cleverness. If you want to get fish, but do not know which species to choose, then get a cichlazom. She definitely will like a real connoisseur. Following all the recommendations that are presented in this article, you can create comfortable conditions for fish and enjoy its presence in the aquarium as long as possible.