Blue Gularis, Or Fundulopanchax Blue (Fundulopanchax Sjostedti)

2023 Author: Molly Page | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-27 22:49

Blue Gularis, or blue pheasant, or blue fundulus, or blue fundulopanhax is distinguished by its beautiful color, unpretentious content and calm disposition in relation to other species. Homeland - West Africa. This fish is perfect for general freshwater aquariums. You will need a species aquarium, covered with a lid on top. In nature, it is an animal-eating species. Lays eggs on / in the ground and at the base of plants.

Photo © Olivier Buisson

Habitat: West Africa (Southwest Nigeria, West Cameroon, Benin, Ghana, Togo).

Habitat: stagnant bodies of water (including swamps) and slow rivers of rainforests with dense aquatic and coastal vegetation.

Description: the body of the blue fundulus is squared, elongated, the mouth is upper.

In the dorsal fin there are 17-18 rays, in the anal - 17. The anal fin of a specific shape - it seems that someone cut off its posterior part. The anterior seven rays are longer than the posterior 10. Caudal fin in the form of a trident, with veil extensions. The dorsal fin is located strictly above the anal. Females are smaller than males.

Color: currently there is a wide variety of colors. Males are colored brighter than females. The dorsal fin is reddish with many small dark red dots. The pelvic fins are yellow-green at the base and with yellow or blue edging along the edge. Red-brown stripes run across the body, forming an intricate pattern on the front of the body and head. The upper and lower parts of the caudal fin are orange-yellow. The lip is shiny blue.

The female is brownish. Small reddish-brown dots are scattered on its body and fins. The fins themselves are rounded.

Size: males 8-10 cm, females 5-8 cm.

Life expectancy: up to 2 years.

Aquarium: species aquarium, covered with a lid on top.

Sizes: from 60 liters, from 60-80 cm with a water level not higher than 15-25 cm (with a large bottom area) for 1 male and 2-3 females.

Water: dH 6-10 °, pH 5.7-6.8. In alkaline and hard water, the fundulus weakens. Add 1 tsp to the water for every 10-15 liters. rock salt. Once a week, change 20% of the water. The change is done gradually, since a sharp change in the water parameter can lead to shock and death among aphiosemions.

Temperature: 16-25 ° C. When kept at a higher temperature, the lifespan of the fish is shortened.

Soil: a mixture of boiled peat chips and fine dark sand, 2 cm thick.

Plants: thickets of living small-leaved plants, incl. floating, creating a shadow.

Lighting: diffused, moderately bright.

Decoration: Requires swimming space, driftwood or rocks can be placed in the aquarium. It is necessary to create shaded areas.

Feeding: in nature, blue goularis is an animal-eating species.

Of live food, it prefers bloodworms, tubifex, cortetra, earthworms, enchitreus, brine shrimp, fish fry (for example, guppies), mosquito larvae and other insects.

Not all fundulus eat dry food. Once a week they organize a fasting day.

Behavior: it is best to buy one male and 2-3 females, as males do not get along well with each other.

Water zone: lower and middle layers of water.

Can be kept with: corridors, congo tetras, loricaria, synodontis.

Breeding fish: blue fundulus - phytophilic species (lays eggs on / in the ground and at the base of plants). Before spawning, producers are seated for a week and abundantly fed with live feed.

Sex differences: males are more colorful than females.

Puberty: 3-6 months

Photo © Marco Vaccari

Spawning aquarium: from 20 l, water level 10-15 cm, T 23-25 ° C, pH 6-6.5, dH 2-6 °, soil (peat boiled for an hour, and then dried, with the addition of fine dark sand) with a layer of up to 2 cm. Salt can be added to the water (for 5 liters of 1 tsp). Thickets of small-leaved delicate plants (for example, pemphigus, Javanese moss, Thai fern) are required so that the male does not kill the females. The lighting is dim, semi-darkness is best.

Male to female ratio: 1: 2-3.

Number of eggs: 50-150 sticky eggs of amber color, 1.35-1.45 mm in diameter. The membrane of the eggs is rather rigid.

Incubation: eggs can be incubated both in water and with its preliminary drying. Method without pre-drying - the aquarium with caviar is shaded (water level 2-5 cm), aeration, filtration, temperature 18-20 ° C - in this case, incubation will take 14-28 days, at 30 ° C - 2 weeks. Methylene blue and trypaflavin are added to the water (1 g per 1000 l of water). Every day the caviar is inspected, and the whitened one is removed from the aquarium. If the larvae are ready to hatch, but nothing happens, you can make a temperature jump (heat the water to 30 ° C, then cool it sharply).

With roe drying, incubation takes 6-16 weeks. In this case, peat is removed from the aquarium and left in the air for a day. Then the peat (damp to the touch) with caviar is placed in a plastic bag and kept at a temperature of 22-26 ° C. The bag must be filled with air. After 5-8 weeks, the moss is placed in an aquarium with clean water (water level 0.5-1 cm).

Growth rate: fast. The first signs of gender can be seen as early as 6 weeks of age. By three weeks the fry grow up to 2 cm. At a water temperature of 26 ° C and abundant feeding with live food, 6 months. fry grow up to 7-8 cm. At a water temperature of 22 ° C, fry growth slows down.

Feeding juveniles: gray larva, slightly smaller than guppy fry (4.8-5 mm). Starter feed - brine shrimp nauplii, at 2-3 weeks of age they give a finely chopped tubifex.