CATDOLL : CATDOLL: How to raise ornamental freshwater puffer fish and how long can puffer fish live?

1. How to raise ornamental freshwater puffer fish and how long can puffer fish live?

Water temperature: Ornamental freshwater puffer fish have a strong ability to adapt to water temperature. As long as the water temperature is above 20℃, they can grow normally. Water quality: Freshwater puffer fish do not have very high requirements for water quality, as long as the water quality is clean. Feeding: Freshwater puffer fish like animal feed, usually you can feed more small fish, shrimps, etc. Oxygen: Puffer fish do not have a high demand for oxygen, the breeder only needs to open it when the temperature is high or the density is too high.

1. How to raise ornamental freshwater puffer fish 1. Water temperature: Ornamental freshwater puffer fish have strong adaptability, and they do not have high requirements for water temperature. When artificially breeding, it is best to keep the water temperature above 20℃. If conditions permit, it is best to install a heating rod to keep the water temperature at around 25℃. The heating rod can not only increase the temperature, but also keep the water temperature constant.

2. Water quality: Ornamental freshwater pufferfish have relatively high requirements for water quality, and the water quality needs to be kept clean during artificial breeding. If conditions permit, a circulating filtration system can be installed to slow down the deterioration of water quality.

3. Feeding: Freshwater puffer fish do not have high requirements for food. Breeders can usually feed them some small fish, shrimps, shellfish, snails, etc. When the puffer fish grows up, you can choose to feed them synthetic feed, which can also maintain a balanced nutrition.

4. Oxygen: Pufferfish do not have a particularly high demand for oxygen. As long as the breeding density is not particularly high, there is no need to add oxygen every day. However, in an environment with high temperature or high density, regular oxygenation is still required to ensure sufficient oxygen in the water.

2. How long can pufferfish live? Pufferfish have a relatively long life span, and generally speaking, their life span can reach about 30 years. However, artificially cultivated pufferfish are affected by the environment and the way they are raised. Generally speaking, the life span of artificially cultivated pufferfish cannot reach 30 years. Even if they are raised properly, their life span is only about 10-20 years at most.

2. How to keep green pufferfish?

Green pufferfish (also called golden doll) is the hottest dolphin fish among tropical ornamental fish. It is the same species as pufferfish and is also the cutest one. It has a chubby body, green color, and black spots. Its fins are very small compared to its body and are always waving. It is really cute. Many people reach for their wallets to take it home at first sight, but problems come right after...

Let's start with the selection issue: there are two key conditions for selecting it. First, look at its belly. The belly of a golden doll in good condition should be pure white. Its white belly is a mirror that reflects its physical health. The belly of a golden doll in bad condition is often gray, and some have completely turned black. This kind of fish must not be kept. Second, because the golden doll belongs to the family of dolphins, its body shape is completely different from the streamlined shape of ordinary fish. Its body is olive-shaped and relatively "fat". At this time, you still have to look at its belly. If there is an irregular protrusion, it means that its gastrointestinal function is not very good, and this kind of fish should not be kept. Another point is that when you are selecting fish, you often don't see a golden doll with all its fins intact. This can be completely ignored because there are usually some minor frictions between them, and minor casualties are inevitable.

Let's talk about the issue of feeding: Golden Baby belongs to the family of dolphins. It has all the characteristics of being fierce and brutal. Although it looks really cute, if you want to mix it with other small fish, you are wrong. The next morning, you will be surprised to find that there is nothing left in your fish tank, and there is only a golden baby that is bloated to death! So be careful, never mix golden baby with others. It has an amazing appetite and will actively attack other fish. This is the characteristic of dolphins! (Once when I was feeding it, it was so ferocious that it bit off a piece of skin from my hand). So it can only be raised alone, and the density should not be too large; there should be more water plants in the tank, and the filtering water flow must be slow. It does not like too strong water flow. Be careful, do not add activated carbon to the filtration system! Golden Baby likes weak alkaline water, and activated carbon will only lower the pH value; always observe the color of its belly, which is the most intuitive way to check its health.

In fact, it is very simple to raise a golden doll. You only need to do the points I mentioned above. However, people often say that it is difficult to raise. I think the problem may be in the selection, because the general fish dealers will not put it in a glass tank for people to choose. They usually put it in a plastic white basin. In this way, we can only see the back of its body with the best color, but not the color of its belly. In this way, it is easy to choose a golden doll in poor condition. So be careful when choosing! Be sure to check whether its belly is white~

3. Breeding technology of pufferfish

First of all, the pond for breeding pufferfish should have sufficient water, clean and pollution-free water, small temperature changes, and no leakage from the bottom of the pond; secondly, the pond should be disinfected regularly, and not too much bait should be fed to keep the water fresh. If too much bait is fed, new water should be injected in time to reduce the biological density; finally, because pufferfish have high requirements for dissolved oxygen, new water needs to be added from time to time to regulate the water quality, and attention should be paid to changes in water temperature.

4. I want to raise pufferfish. Is there anything I need to pay attention to? I saw the owner of the store said that it doesn't need oxygen and I just need to open the fish tank and change the water. Is that right?

There are several issues to keep in mind when raising pufferfish:

Water quality selection: Choose brackish water or fresh water for raising pufferfish.

Stocking of fish: In order to ensure the quality of fish when breeding pufferfish, authentic fish species should be selected, with strong physique, no diseases or injuries, similar specifications and strong upstream ability as the main breeding objects.

Taming and feeding: Pufferfish should be properly tamed during the breeding process. After taming, you can feed them some minced fish, shrimp or snail meat, etc. Use these fresh meats as the pufferfish's starter feed.

Then, they are acclimated to the environment and the feed. When they are gradually adapted, artificial feed is mixed into the feed and the amount is gradually increased until they are completely fed with artificial feed. The feed is mainly eel feed. When feeding, the location, timing, quantity and quality of the feed should be determined. Generally, they are fed twice a day.

Water quality control: Pufferfish is a kind of fish that has very high requirements for water quality. It likes clear and clean water. When breeding, new water should be added from time to time according to the color, quality, transparency of the water, as well as the growth rate and feeding conditions of the pufferfish.

A major water change is required every month to improve the water quality. The minimum growth temperature of pufferfish should not be lower than 9 degrees and the maximum should not be higher than 32 degrees, so we should always pay attention to the changes in water temperature, pay attention to timely heating and cooling, and observe the changes in dissolved oxygen. If there is insufficient oxygen, oxygen should be injected in time.

Additional information:

The river (Tetraodontidae; puffer fishes) is a general term for fish of the bony fish family, commonly known as pufferfish. (Note: The name of pufferfish is wrong, but it is widely used. Pufferfish can also refer to a freshwater mammal.) Since ancient times, the pufferfish eaten in China all live in rivers. They are named pufferfish because they make a chirping sound similar to that of a pig when they are caught out of the water.

There are also other names such as "bubble fish", "blowing belly fish", "puffer fish", "air-drum fish" (Jiangsu and Zhejiang), "good fish, chicken bubble" (Guangdong), "chicken hug" (Guangdong), "turtle fish" (Guangxi), "street fish" (read in Minnan dialect) (Fujian), "wax head" (Hebei), "boat E fish" and so on. In ancient times, it was called "lung fish".

The river mullet is a warm temperate and tropical near-shore bottom fish that lives in the middle and lower layers of the ocean. A few species enter freshwater rivers. When encountering external danger, the whole body floats to the surface in a ball shape, and the small spines on the skin stand up for self-defense.

Common ones include the Red-fin Oriental (Takifugu rubripes), Dark-striped Oriental (T.fasciatus), Black-gilled Rabbitfish (Lagocephalus inermis), Concave Nose (Chelonodon patoca), and Black-spotted Forknose (Aronthron nigropunctatus).

Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia - Pufferfish

1. Do not leave any uneaten food. Remove any uneaten food with a net or siphon 10 minutes after feeding.

2. Do not allow too many fish to eat. Each fish tank has its maximum fish intake, which is also known as the biodigestion load (the maximum amount of fish waste that can be digested and decomposed). Our calculation method is one 3 cm fish per 4 liters. Add up the body lengths of the fish school, multiply by 4 and divide by 3 to get the minimum amount of water you need, and then convert it to the size of the fish tank. You can also calculate the size of the fish tank first to understand how big or how many fish you can raise.

3. Don't do too much. Don't dismantle an already set up fish tank and do a major cleaning. You don't need a major cleaning. Change the water at least twice a week, no more than 20% each time (unless you have to - be careful about your definition of "have to"). If your fish tank is very dirty, do 20% once a day until the fish tank is clean.

4. Don't just rely on scavengers to clean the fish tank. Corydoras and black-shelled shrimp will eat the remaining debris at the bottom of the fish tank, which will indeed keep the water quality stable, but these creatures will not help you remove all the dirt, they are also picky.

5. Don't buy a catfish and a fish tank at the same time (unless you are really good or well prepared). Prepare the fish tank and accessories first and operate them for at least 3 days. This can reduce the environmental stress of the new catfish.

6. Do not lay gravel more than 1 cm thick. If you have good biological digestion and filtration equipment, you do not need to lay gravel. If you have laid gravel, use a fishing net to gently turn it over every day to let the waste pass through your filter, and clean the gravel at least twice a week. If you have a dog head that can drill sand, you need to clean the sand more often (because you lay thicker sand).

7. Don't be impatient and do too much or too fast. Don't add too many or too many new fish at once, and watch and appreciate how they get used to the environment. Too much at once will make you unable to notice some small details.

8. Do not pollute the fish tank. Make sure that anything that goes into the fish tank does not contain soap, detergent, pesticides, or other chemical ingredients. If you want to put some decorations, make sure these things will not pollute the water. Some stones and gravel contain toxic minerals, and some plastic plants are not suitable for putting in water. Be sure to check when buying things, and don't forget the dangers because of its beauty.

9. Do not use pesticides near fish tanks, even small amounts can cause big problems.

10. Do not put unwashed hands into the fish tank or touch pufferfish. Lotion, soap, detergent, car wax, and other chemicals may get on your hands, so you should clean them (rinse with clean water) and let them air dry before entering the water. Remember to wash your hands after touching the water in the fish tank and pufferfish!

11. Don't knock on the fish tank. Observe the pufferfish with your eyes. Sometimes they don't move because they are resting. Knocking on the fish tank will increase the pufferfish's tension (a friend of mine had a pufferfish, and he scared it so much that it released toxins, and all the fish, including the pufferfish, were poisoned to death). Be patient and watch carefully, and wait for a few minutes, they will move (because you know what it looks like when it dies).

12. Don’t just add the evaporated water. The evaporated water in the fish tank will increase the concentration of non-evaporable substances. Take out some water first and then add it to the water line. (If you change a little water every day like we do, you won’t have this problem)

13. The most suitable water temperature for pufferfish is 16-23. When the water temperature is lower than 9 or higher than 28, it is not conducive to its growth.

Additional information

Try to reduce their stress, which can damage their immune system and make them susceptible to illness. Building a comfortable home and living environment for them is a good way to reduce stress. You may want to arrange some things in the tank for them to hide. Aquatic plants with large leaves, rock caves and driftwood are all good choices. These little guys are more active in the dusk and evening, and they usually like to hide and rest during the day.

In addition, constant water temperature and pH value are very important for them, because they are actually very sensitive. In addition, they like houses with bottom sand. Of course, filtration and water flow are also essential, but the water flow should be slow, maybe they like quiet. It is also important to choose the right partner for them. We can consider factors such as size and habits to choose the right playmate for them. Of course, unexpected situations may occur.

For example, the little guy often causes them minor injuries or simply eats them as snacks. If his playmate is more ferocious, the little guy may endure it for a while, and then he will fight with his opponent to the death, and the opponent will either die or be seriously injured. After all, the little guy is not easy to mess with. There is something called pufferfish toxin in his body.

Principle 2: Feed the little ones the right food. They are carnivorous. They don't eat plants and rarely eat various artificial feeds. The above-mentioned foods cannot provide the nutrients they need for growth. Usually frozen or fresh bloodworms, earthworms, shrimps, shellfish, crabs, squids, snails, etc. are their favorite meals.

It is important not to overfeed, as this may cause constipation. They often beg for food even when they are full because they love to eat. If their stomach becomes very big, it means they have eaten too much. Usually we only feed them 1-2 times a day. Usually their stomach will be deflated a few hours after feeding. If their stomach is always bulging, then your little one may be suffering from constipation.

Principle three: Check the physical condition of the little one regularly. As a daily habit, carefully check the whole body of the little one every day to check for the possibility of external diseases, parasites, bacteria, fungal infections, bite marks, injuries, etc. Observe their activities by the way to see if their movements are abnormal.

One benefit of this routine checkup is that the little guys will quickly get to know you, and when you walk to the side of the tank, they will circle and swim up and down in front of you. Watch for several bad signs:

1. Poor appetite. Little guys are actually very greedy. If you find that he has a poor appetite or is picky when eating, there must be something wrong.

2. Pressure lines. If you find dark gray lines on the side of the baby's body between the back and the abdomen, and these lines can extend from the mouth to the tail, it is also a sign that you don't want it.

3. For white-bellied species, if the belly of the little one turns black and the color continues to deepen, you should also pay attention.

4. Under normal circumstances, the color of the little guy's back will change with changes in mood, time of day and other factors, but if the color of his back gradually becomes dull and cannot return to normal body color for a long time, it is also a dangerous signal.

If you find a problem, you need to carefully check the environment in which the little guy lives (salt temperature, filtration pH, ammonia and nitrite concentrations). If the environment is fine, you need to check if there are other terrorists (some big fish) in the little guy's tank that make him scared. And there are enough hiding places in the tank for him to rest. If the above conditions are normal, you need to carefully check whether his body has physical injuries.

Reference: Pufferfish - Baidu Encyclopedia

I have raised 15 of them. The dinghy is a soda fish, which lives in the waters where the ocean and the river meet. Therefore, the water for raising the dinghy must be salted, coarse salt or sea salt. Edible salt is not allowed. The dinghy is very sensitive to bacteria and water quality. In order to reduce the threat of bacteria to it, the bloodworms must be disinfected when feeding it. High-concentration yellow powder can be used for disinfection. And coral sand is needed as the bottom sand to increase the pH value of the water. I have summarized some questions about submarines. Take a look. I want to buy a few to raise, but there are some issues that need to be considered. First: Is the submarine poisonous? If it is poisonous, will the water in which it is raised also become poisonous? When changing the water, it is inevitable that it will touch the water in which it is raised. Will it be poisoned?

Second: Some people say that submarines eat meat, frozen blood pets, and air-dried bloodworms. Why don’t they mention fresh live bloodworms? Can we eat fresh live bloodworms? (How many bloodworms should we feed at a time?)

Third: What is the pH value of water that is suitable for raising submarines?

Fourth: What is the water temperature suitable for keeping submarines? (Does it need to be kept constant?)

Fifth: If you want to keep 6 or more cats, but no more than 10, will a 1.2-meter square bathtub be enough?

Sixth: Do submarines like to bask in the sun?

Seventh: How much coral sand should be put in? Will too much cause the pH value to be too high and cause the submarine to die?

Eighth: If you put some water snails, small snails and live aquatic plants in the bathtub to form an ecosystem, will it eat all of them?

9. How much coarse salt (large grain salt) should be added after the tap water has been left to dry for 2-3 days to become mature water? (1.2m fish tank)

10. Does a submarine rely on oxygen? Does it have to be oxygenated 24/7?

11. What does it mean that they cannot be kept together? Can't be kept with other types of fish? Or can't submarines be kept in more than one tank?

12. Crowded living environment, does it mean how many submarines are kept in one tank? 1.2 meters fish tank.

Solution:

Adult fish are 10~15cm long. The body is long oval, with a thick round head and a flattened caudal peduncle. The body is smooth and scaleless. It has no pelvic fins and only relies on pectoral fins and short dorsal and anal fins to swim, so it swims slowly. The body color changes with mood or health. The abdomen is snow-white, the back is golden, with irregular black spots scattered on the back, and a particularly bright golden spot on the forehead. The fins are translucent, and some individuals have regular light black spots or arc-shaped black lines on the tail fin.

First: It is non-toxic. When in danger, it will swallow water into a special cavity in the stomach and abdomen, causing itself to swell into a ball and expose its short spines, making it impossible for the enemy to swallow it in one bite. It will make sounds by rubbing its teeth or pharyngeal teeth or by vibrating its swim bladder.

Second: Because fresh bloodworms sometimes carry germs, it is not recommended to feed them for a long time. It is best to eat all the food within 5 minutes.

Third: Weakly acidic water, with a moderate pH value.

Fourth: Between 24 and 28 degrees.

Fifth: It is completely sufficient.

Sixth: The light should not be too strong or too long, otherwise algae will grow easily. About 4-6 hours of lighting a day is enough.

Seventh: It is best to stabilize the water quality at a weak alkaline level. Coral sand and shell sand are both acceptable. The particle size should be 2-3mm. On the one hand, it will not get stuck in excrement, and on the other hand, it is easy to clean with a sand washer. The bottom sand should not be too thick, 1-3cm is enough.

8. Shrimp and snails are the main food sources of the boat in nature. Unless you are feeding the boat with shrimp and snails, please do not put them in the boat tank.

Ninth: The salt used to make soda (semi-seawater) should be natural seawater salt, and ordinary iodized table salt should not be used.

Tenth: Optional, depending on personal needs. No more than 10 fish in a 1.2-meter tank.

Eleventh: Xiao Ding has a certain degree of aggression and is likely to attack other fish. To avoid tragedy, do not mix Xiao Ding with other fish. Many people complain that Xiao Ding is a brutal killer with a baby face, and even sentence it to death immediately after discovering Xiao Ding "committing a crime". In fact, this is entirely the bitter fruit of the owner's ignorance and wrong mixed breeding.

12. A 1.2m*0.6m tank is suitable for raising 8-10 fish.

Feeding methods and precautions:

If you want to raise any kind of fish well, before setting up the tank, you should first understand the environment, water quality, and food source of the target fish species' natural habitat, and simulate this ecological environment as much as possible in the fish tank.

The dolphin is a miniature pufferfish that lives in tropical brackish waters.

The so-called "steam water area" refers to the place where rivers flow into the sea, which is the boundary between freshwater fish and seawater fish. Every day, due to the inflow of river water and the tide of seawater, the specific gravity of water in the steam water area is constantly changing. Waters with a specific gravity between 1.002 and 1.018 can be called steam water areas. Ordinary fish cannot withstand such drastic changes in specific gravity (osmotic pressure), so there are not many fish at the mouth of rivers.

The dinghy has an innate ability to resist osmotic pressure, which is unmatched by ordinary fish. This ability allows the dinghy to freely shuttle between fresh water, carbonated water, and sea water without any restrictions. However, in terms of the breeding environment, carbonated water must still simulate the growth environment. If it is raised in fresh water or sea water for a long time, the dinghy will slowly lose vitality or even die quickly.

The recommended feeding ratios are as follows:

Assuming the boat is X centimeters long, the required specific gravity is 1.00X. For example, a boat with a length of 5 centimeters needs a specific gravity of 1.005.

You should try to keep boats of similar size, because large boats require a higher specific gravity, while small boats require light soda, and it is difficult to take both into account.

The small boats living in a soda environment with the correct proportion have amazing appetites, bright colors, and fast movements.

Due to a lack of knowledge about pufferfish or commercial considerations, fish shops often say that pufferfish are freshwater fish or claim that the pufferfish they sell have been "desalinated". I would like to emphasize that this is impossible.

If fresh water is used to feed small boats for a long time, only a very small number of individuals can survive or grow up. In fresh water, most small boats will survive in the early stage by relying on their ability to resist osmotic pressure, but they will die after a while due to lack of salt.

Most of the small fish sold on the market have suffered long periods of hunger and external injuries during the transportation and sale process, so their adaptability is greatly reduced. Coupled with the shock of fresh water, they die inexplicably just a few days after being bought home - this causes many novice fish farmers to lose confidence and interest.

Therefore, when raising dinghies, be sure to use natural sea salt or coarse salt and a hydrometer to simulate a soda environment.

To raise fish, you must first raise water - the setting of the water tank

【Equipment for soda tank】

1. Fish Tank

Please purchase a fish tank according to the number of boats you plan to keep.

Small fish eat raw bait for a long time and have a large appetite, so they are highly polluting. Therefore, the fish tank must not be less than 30 cm. The larger the water body and the more stable the water quality, the better.

Recommended fish tank size: 10-15 liters of water per boat.

Recommended fish tank size:

2 small boats 30x30x30 cm square tank

4 small boats 40c40x40 cm square tank

2. Fish tank cover

A fish tank cover must be provided - the boat is a famous high jumper, don't think that there is no risk of jumping out of the tank if the water level is lowered.

Anti-jump devices can be made of acrylic, glass and other materials, and ventilation holes should be left

3. Filter

If stronger filtration is required, put as much filter material as possible.

Fine coral bones can be used as biological filter materials, which can not only strengthen the nitrification system but also increase the hardness of the water, killing two birds with one stone.

4. Lighting

The light should not be too strong or too long, otherwise algae will grow easily. About 4-6 hours of lighting a day is enough.

5. Bottom sand

It is best to stabilize the water quality at a weak alkaline level, and both coral sand and shell sand can be used.

The particle size should be 2-3 mm. On the one hand, it will not get stuck in excrement, and on the other hand, it is easy to clean with a sand washer.

The bottom sand should not be too thick, 1-3cm is enough.

6. Heating rod

Determine the wattage of the heating rod according to the size of the water body. There are online calculation tools in many ornamental fish forums, so I will not go into details here.

7. Salt

Natural sea salt (sea salt) is the best, followed by crude salt, and iodized edible refined salt is not acceptable (excessive iodine is harmful to aquatic organisms)

8. Thermometer

A regular thermometer will do.

9. Hydrometer

This is the necessary equipment for maintaining a good boat, generally divided into two types:

1) The Pomeranian hydrometer is similar in shape to a thermometer and is cheaper, but needs to be calibrated with clean water before use.

2) Box-type specific gravity meter, which is more expensive and has no errors. You should buy one with a range starting from 1.000 (common to cars and seas). Don’t buy the 1.020 one that is specifically for seawater.

10. Buckets or empty plastic bottles

Used to remove chlorine from water.

11. Isolation Box

The ordinary isolation boxes sold in the fish market will do, and they are very useful equipment when the boat is sick.

Of course, if you already have a quarantine tank and related equipment at home, you don’t need to prepare an isolation box.

12. Conventional medicines

Yellow powder, internal and external medicines - available at the fish market.

13. Stones for landscaping (optional)

It is best to stabilize the water quality at a weak alkaline level. Coral stones, coral stones and stones picked up from the beach are all fine, but volcanic rocks are not.

14. Costume jewelry (optional)

It is better to use unpainted ones to avoid formaldehyde poisoning.

15. Water plants (optional)

It is best to put a broad-leaved fake grass, as the dinghy will like to use it as its own nest and curl up on the leaves to sleep.

In soda with a specific gravity below 1.004, Iron Crown and Water Banyan can still last for a while.

16. Chemical reagents (optional)

No2 reagent, pH test paper or tester are optional, depending on personal needs.

17. Air pump (optional)

Optional, depends on personal needs.

18. Timer (optional)

Optional, depends on personal needs.

【Set up a soda tank and water maintenance process】

1. Set up the cylinder

When setting up the tank, please make sure the base is stable and the power supply is stable. Safety comes first!

After the new tank is in place, do a leak test overnight.

Clean all equipment, decorations, bottom sand, etc. that will be placed in the fish tank and place them in the tank.

Let all the equipment operate for a day and check if there are any problems with the equipment.

The water in the original tank is pumped out and not used to prevent the glue or plastic from dissolving toxic substances and poisoning the boat.

Refill with new water and officially enter the water maintenance stage.

2. Water conservation

When adjusting the specific gravity for the first time, you can directly put salt into the tank. The initial specific gravity should be 1.002~1.004

The small boats in fish shops are usually kept in fresh water, so the initial specific gravity should not be too large, and the difference in specific gravity when the small boat enters the tank must be taken into account.

In addition, the greater the specific gravity of the water, the more difficult it is to cultivate nitrifying bacteria.

Water temperature: 26-27 degrees is appropriate, and this temperature should be maintained in the future. Do not remove the heating rod even in summer to avoid diseases caused by large temperature differences between morning and evening or sudden temperature drops.

Water maintenance method:

Add water, aerate, and adjust the soda density

For safety reasons, it is not recommended to use water stabilizers to remove chlorine, as its side effects are currently controversial.

All the filtration equipment is operating as if fish farming has officially begun.

To get to the source of pollution, two black-shell shrimps (preferably dead) or a clam.

Check whether the water quality is stable (whether it is clear, whether there is any odor, and if there is a reagent, measure the NO2 value)

Make sure the water quality is correct and add fish (it is recommended not to add too many at a time, limit it to 2 to 4 fish)

The whole process above takes about a week.

In addition, if you want to quickly establish a soda nitrification system, there is no other way but to borrow seeds.

It can move the filter cotton, biochemical ring, ceramic ring, bottom sand and soda from other people's soda tanks.

Because it contains a large number of nitrifying bacteria, it can shorten the time of building the tank.

Food Preparation

It should be noted here that minnows are carnivorous fish, so most of them do not eat artificial pellet feed.

Therefore, it is not okay to just buy a bag of feed when buying fish.

Because what you may face next is likely to be the problem of food refusal.

There are individual differences in the preferences of small boats for food. Generally, the foods that are acceptable are:

Nematodes (bloodworms)

Source: Fish market or roadside fish stalls

Advantages: Most fish stores feed nematodes to small boats. Small boats can also accept this food.

Disadvantages: However, feeding nematodes can easily lead to various parasitic or bacterial diseases, so try not to feed nematodes to small boats. They cannot be stored in the refrigerator and need to be fed as soon as they are bought.

Treatment method: Soak in diluted potassium permanganate solution - However, I have doubts about this method because nematodes are similar to parasites. After soaking in the normal way, most of the nematodes are dead and grayish white, and the nutrients are seriously lost. To keep the nematodes alive, you can only shorten the soaking time or reduce the concentration of the solution, but this is likely to have no effect on killing parasites.

Unless it is absolutely necessary, do not feed nematodes to the boat, otherwise there will be endless troubles.

【Frozen red worms】

Source: Finished products are available for sale in fish markets.

Advantages: rich in nutrients, easy to use, and sterilized, no processing required.

Disadvantages: Needs to be kept in refrigerator.

Feeding method: After thawing, take an appropriate amount of bloodworms to feed. The remaining ones can be refrozen.

Although most manufacturers indicate that the products have been disinfected, the author still takes a wait-and-see attitude.

Red worms themselves carry many parasites and germs, and once infected, serious consequences may occur.

Therefore, I personally do not recommend bloodworms as the staple food for small boats. Fish lovers are requested to make their own decisions.