CATDOLL : CATDOLL: Why do pig-nosed turtles grow so slowly?

1. Why do pig-nosed turtles grow so slowly?

1. Living habits

In addition to laying eggs, it lives in water all year round. It is a highly aquatic reptile and omnivore, but the young turtles are carnivorous, have a large appetite, and are aggressive by nature. The tail of an adult male turtle is relatively long, and the location of the cloaca is relatively backward; the tail of an adult female turtle is relatively short.

2. Feeding and Management

Since pig-nosed turtles are highly aquatic, young turtles can be kept directly in fish tanks, but the body length of adult turtles can reach about 50 cm, which is what every breeder should anticipate before choosing to raise pig-nosed turtles.

Pig-nosed turtles do not have the habit of basking and rarely go ashore, so unless it is necessary for breeding, there is no need to lay land in the fish tank. Although in their native habitat, pig-nosed turtles live in waters with gravel and silt at the bottom, it is not a big deal if they are not laid on the bottom in artificial breeding. Using rocks and driftwood to build some hiding places for turtles will help stabilize the turtles' emotions. If you keep more than two turtles, you must provide hiding places due to the turtles' aggressive nature. But when selecting materials, you must pay attention to the smooth appearance and no edges and corners to avoid scratching the turtle's skin and causing infection on the surface of the body. When arranging, do not create dead corners to avoid the accumulation of food residues and excrement, which will hinder the cleaning of the fish tank. Since pig-nosed turtles are lazy by nature and rarely actively prey, they can also be mixed with some medium-sized fish to increase the ornamental value, but the density of turtles must be kept to the minimum as much as possible.

For a turtle like the pig-nosed turtle that lives in water all year round, the quality of water is crucial, so it must be equipped with a water filter and an ultraviolet lamp to inhibit the growth of bacteria and mold in the water to reduce the occurrence of skin infections. Slightly acidic water can also effectively inhibit the growth of microorganisms. As for the water temperature, it must be kept between 26℃ and 30℃.

Studies have shown that the papillae in the throat of pig-nosed turtles can absorb oxygen from the water entering their mouths, similar to gills. Therefore, I recommend adding an air pump to the aquarium to increase the oxygen content of the water, which will facilitate gas exchange underwater.

3. Food Habits

Pig-nosed turtles are complete omnivores, but they prefer plant foods slightly. Therefore, they can be fed vegetables, fruits such as figs, apples and bananas, and occasionally a small amount of animal food such as fish and shrimp. They can also be fed artificial fish feed or turtle feed, and calcium and vitamins should be added appropriately. Healthy pig-nosed turtles have a large appetite and can eat almost from morning to night. After each feeding, the food residue should be salvaged with a net bag to keep the water clean. This is especially true when feeding foods such as bananas that can easily deteriorate the water quality.

Young turtles tend to be carnivorous, so they can be fed more fish, shrimp, beef, earthworms, bloodworms and other animal baits to meet their growth needs. Since the limbs of pig-nosed turtles are fin-shaped, it is not conducive to tearing food, so they should be cut into appropriate small pieces before feeding to facilitate the turtle's swallowing. Young turtles generally do not like plant food, but some breeders believe that they prefer sweet fruits and vegetables such as corn, bananas, and pears. In addition, you can also try to feed them various aquatic plants such as Vallisneria, Dermatophyta, and Chrysanthemum Chara to balance nutrition.

IV. Reproduction

In the place of origin, the dry season between July and October each year is the breeding season for pig-nosed turtles. Adult female turtles climb up the sand dunes on the shore at night and dig holes about 20 cm deep. Each nest produces 7 to 19 eggs, which are round and shaped like ping-pong balls. After the embryo matures, it will enter a dormant state in the egg until the rainy season floods or heavy rains, when the young turtles will break out of the ground. Reports of successful artificial breeding of pig-nosed turtles are extremely rare. Those breeders who have successfully hatched pig-nosed turtles have found that they show temperature-dependent sex determination, that is, the sex is determined by the temperature of the eggs during incubation. When the temperature is maintained at 27.7℃~30℃, male turtles hatch from the eggs (another author claims that at 32℃, half males and half females, half a degree lower means all males, and half a degree higher means all females. The conditions seem too harsh and unreliable). Its incubation period ranges from 60 to 70 days, and artificially raised turtle seedlings grow very slowly.

2. How many species of tropical fish silver shark are there?

There is only one species. It has a silvery white body, a black tail and black fins.

3. How do you know that the goldfish has laid eggs? Otherwise, it would be a pity to change the water with eggs.

My goldfish have also grown! But there are 5 goldfish, 5 varieties. Among them, there is 1 female and 4 males. The butterfly tail is female, and the five-flowered goldfish, red bubble, pure white pearl, and red crown are males. I didn't add any water plants, and they gave birth naturally. In the morning, I saw that the 4 males were chasing me like crazy! The female fish was exhausted, and I saw some transparent fish eggs scattered at the bottom of the tank. Use a siphon to extract the eggs at the bottom of the tank, pour the excess water back, and start the oxygenator to deliver oxygen. Take a "flower pot holder" and add a small amount of water to hold it. I saw a black dot on each egg bead, and I guess it is the embryonic development point, which is the vitality of life.

News from this edition: It has been three days since the fish eggs were born, and there are still 20 fish eggs that are still transparent. Carefully observing with a desk lamp, it is found that the black spots on the original fish eggs have disappeared and turned into two very small dots, which are probably the two eyes of the fish. There is also a fuzzy, curved black line in the transparent eggs, which is probably the body of the fish.

This edition: The hatching and growth of goldfish eggs continues. It should have been 5-6 days since the spawning. The indoor and water temperatures are consistent, both at 20 degrees, and the temperature is relatively constant. I observed the fish eggs last night and found that a lot of water evaporated, and some fish eggs have already emerged from the water. I immediately added a small amount of water. The water added was taken from the large goldfish tank, and the water temperature was consistent. After adding it, I found that due to the fluctuation of the water, several small fish began to swim. Yes! The egg has changed from a round ball to a small black "long fish", and it can finally move! ! It is already very black, and you can clearly see that the small fish inside the egg is bent into a curve to form a ball. There are two "dots" of small fish and a curved "black line" in the egg. At noon today, I saw that most of the small fish had hatched, and I found that there were still some white eggs, which were dead eggs, so I carefully pulled them out. Add a small amount of water from the large goldfish tank. Keep the water surface and the small fish at a height of 1.5 cm. Because the small fish cannot swim, it can only move, and its body is still lying. You have to wait until the little fish can swim horizontally before you can feed them food. There are about 30 little goldfish hatched this time.

News from this edition: Continue to report on the hatching and growth of fish eggs. The fish has been hatched for 2 days, but it is still at the bottom of the water. It has not formed a swim bladder and cannot swim horizontally. However, its body has grown a little and is long. There is a transparent yolk on its belly. Some of the yolks have become smaller. The tails of some fish can be seen. They are very small. Some fish are just hatched and have not moved for 2 days. They seem to be dead. The color is basically gray-black. It is not suitable to be fed at this stage.

News from this edition: It has been about 5 days since the hatching of the small fish fry, but about 6 of them died just after they came out of the shell, and their shape still remained in the curved state when they just came out of the shell. Some of the fry have already absorbed the "belly yolk", but one still died. There are about 20 left. The day before yesterday, some of the fry were put into a larger shallow fish tank for testing, and no deaths occurred. Today, all the goldfish fry were put in, and some cotton-like things at the bottom of the water were pulled out. Then some cooked water was added.

The current state of the fry is: most of them can swim horizontally, and you can see that there is a "bubble swim bladder" in their bodies. If you look closely, you can see the shape of the tail, which is very small. From above, the body of the goldfish fry is basically the same as that of the guppy fry, both are long strips, but much smaller, and the fins of the goldfish fry are not clear. The swim bladder of a small part of the fry has not yet formed. They have always been sinking to the bottom, but they can swim and often swim to the surface of the water. I have fed them egg yolk.

The method of feeding egg yolk is: take a clean container, drop a drop of water into it, take a soybean-sized cooked egg yolk, mix it with a drop of water at the bottom of the container, and use gentle and clean techniques. After mixing evenly, add the water of the goldfish fry tank to dilute it, the ratio is 1:100. Then gently pour the egg yolk solution in, and ensure that the egg yolk particles are suspended for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, it is found that the belly of the more transparent goldfish fry is egg yolk. Prove that the feeding is successful. The main work in the future is to extract the egg yolk sediment of the previous day on the second day. Then feed new egg yolk, feed once a day. The fish is still transparent now, and its belly is full of egg yolk. I have no other food to feed, hehe

A: It is really troublesome to raise small fish, so now I don't want my fish to give birth to small fish, now I only raise some big fish. Because last year my fish gave birth to more than 300 fish, which annoyed me to death, and now there are only 200 left, so this year I will not raise small fish, but just plan to buy a few big fish to increase the number. I asked that it is not good to always feed egg yolks to your fish, and it is about time to change the taste of your fish. If conditions permit, you can get some natural microorganisms (live organisms), which will be more nutritious and grow faster, why not.

Answer: You are absolutely right! It is true. If you feed fish with egg yolks, they will grow slowly and have weak physiques, so they will get sick very easily.

News from this edition: I can't remember how long the eggs have been incubating, but the little goldfish are doing pretty well. Their bodies have grown significantly, probably 3/2 the size of the original eggs, and there are 12 surviving, healthy little goldfish. There's nothing I can do about it, my breeding conditions are also very poor, haha. However, the total number of lost fish, including those that didn't hatch and "rotten eggs", is only about 16.

My feeding method is: (I can't get "grey water" now, and the live "red jumping fish" can eat the small goldfish.) The tank for raising the small fish is 20 cm long. Wrap a soybean-sized egg yolk with gauze, then first pinch it into "face" and gently shake it on the water surface. Half of the gauze yolk should be outside, so that some suspended tiny particles can be seen in the water. Then the small goldfish eats food. The belly of the small goldfish is transparent, and the white egg yolk can be seen inside, but the belly capacity of the small goldfish is larger than that of tropical fish. Basically, the long "belly" has a larger food capacity. The body of the small goldfish is long, and you can see two small eyes and eyeballs. There is a black line in the middle of the body. It eats a lot and can chew. But it is difficult to observe, and I also look carefully. And the fins of the small goldfish are basically invisible now. There are a few fish whose dorsal and pectoral fins can be seen, but the obvious tail fin cannot be seen yet. They can all swim horizontally now. The body itself swam very fast, and the flesh at the tail shook quickly from side to side, but it swam very slowly. I have completely changed the water once now. Because it is very laborious to frequently draw out the "sunken yolk" at the bottom, and there is not much water left at the end. I simply put a spare tank and water next to it, and the water has been there for 5 days. When changing the water, I did not use a net to scoop it out. I simply used a long tube to draw out the little goldfish. In this way, with a clear environment, the little goldfish had a good appetite, but I did not feed it immediately, but waited a day before feeding it.

Question: My goldfish laid eggs, but they disappeared without me noticing. How do I know that the goldfish is about to lay eggs?

A: As long as other goldfish are still chasing, it means that the goldfish will still lay eggs, because the female goldfish is constantly secreting stimulating substances to stimulate the male fish to chase! If it is finished, it will return to normal. For those who are just starting out, it is enough to find 20 goldfish eggs. It is difficult to handle more than that.

Question: My goldfish laid eggs at the bottom of the tank, and they are stuck to the bottom of the tank (mine is a bare tank). I wonder if baby fish can be hatched out of this?

Answer: It is difficult to hatch small fish at the bottom. The main reason is lack of oxygen. I personally think that the distance between the eggs and the water surface should be kept at 1 to 2 centimeters.

Q: What kind of fish can be brought together to breed new species?

Answer: The so-called new varieties are very complex. For example, if we breed goldfish and crucian carp together, the first generation offspring are all in the shape of crucian carp, exactly the same, without any characteristics of goldfish. This involves the issue of dominance and recessiveness. However, the second generation will be differentiated and have some characteristics of goldfish.

Q: I fed the fish this morning and found that some fish were laying eggs without any warning. I was so surprised! Since I had no experience and was not well prepared, I took all the fish out of the fish tank and put them in two buckets. Most of the eggs were stuck to the bottom of the fish tank. I was afraid of breaking them, so I didn't dare to move them. In order to let the fish continue to lay eggs, I tossed and turned, but the one that laid eggs didn't lay many, and killed the other one that didn't lay eggs. I was so sad! Later I found that there was only one blind male among my fish, and it was estimated that it was impossible to fertilize. I was afraid that more fish would be killed, so I put the fish back into the fish tank. Who knew that the one that didn't lay eggs just now had a lot of eggs in the bucket.

A: It is better to let nature take its course. As for the fish eggs in the tank, just let them eat them as a snack.

Q: I was rushing to eat it before I fished it out in the morning, but now I won't eat anything. Maybe I got sick from all the tossing and turning. The disc tail that laid eggs is still a little upset.

Answer: Raise them in clean water, pay attention to isolation and disinfection, feed them in moderation, and don't over-exert them.

Q: Why won't my fish spawn? How long do I have to wait?

A: For ordinary families, it is best to wait for God to arrange for the fish to lay eggs. You should wait until the spring when the flowers bloom. Just don't mind the smell of the water.

Q: At first I thought my fish eggs were not fertilized, but yesterday some of the eggs left in the basin hatched 11 small fish. I am in Guangdong, where the temperature is relatively high. Do I have to wait until the 4th day to feed the fish with egg yolks?

A: Congratulations. Generally, you can start eating in 2 to 3 days.

Q: My fish is about to spawn. Should I do so in a dedicated spawning tank?

A: Of course it would be best if you have one. Take an open shallow basin, a little bigger is fine, and place it in a well-ventilated place where water can be easily changed. Put some fake duckweed in it to act as a spawning bed. Put the parent fish in, and take them out after spawning, and wait for the eggs to hatch.

A little experience: When feeding egg yolk, cook it. The amount of egg yolk that 11 small fish eat at one time should be between millet and yellow rice, or between millet and sorghum rice. Spread the fixed amount of egg yolk with water to form many tiny "unit egg cells". Use a small bowl to hold the "small egg yolk" and add the original water in the tank to a very sparse level. Slowly and gently drop it into the tank water in 10 times to prevent the egg yolk from sinking to the bottom and not being suspended in the water. At this time, you can see "egg yolk cells" evenly suspended and distributed in the water. The fry will eat the food in front of their mouths instead of actively looking for food. After 4 days, the fry can swim horizontally and then feed. Note that within one month, try not to change the water. It is very important to ensure the cleanliness of the water. When the fry have not grown to a certain size, do not feed them live "red fleas" to avoid annihilation.

Q: I tried it today and it was a bit difficult. Because 11 fry are not many, and the basin is large, the fry prefer to stay at the bottom of the water. The egg yolk water is diluted to the point where it seems like there is nothing when it mixes with the bottom of the water. In addition, I want to ask how long should I keep feeding the egg yolk? Will they eat the bloodworms? Today, I moved the fry out to bask in the sun, and one of them died, but the dead one was a little deformed.

Answer: When the yolk attached to the fry is gone, they start to eat. You can also put some fish worms in (note, red worms instead of sword water fleas). You can raise small fish worms yourself. They are a little bigger than paramecium, but the small fish should be able to eat them. Feed less egg yolk. Although it is more difficult, you can still see the fish and food. If you feed too much, the fish will be deprived of oxygen due to turbid water and all will be wiped out. The small fish worms must be filtered through the "dense net"! ! ! Very small, otherwise the small fish will be wiped out. Keep the water temperature consistent. Sunbathing will cause inconsistent water temperature.

Q: Discuss the cause of fish fry death. My goldfish have laid eggs and more than 300 fish fry have hatched. I was very happy, but after 7-8 days, dozens of them started to die one after another. I was very sad. Since the fish fry are as small as thread ends and there is no sign of fish disease, please tell me how to take care of these fish fry?

Answer: The death of small goldfish is inevitable. We should try our best to create a good and stable breeding space for them. Don't treat the disease now. You can only add a small amount of salt, very little, and increase the water area!!! This can increase the amount of oxygen and effectively reduce the number of deaths.

Q: Can I use a filter to maintain water quality? To prevent small fish from being sucked in, can I put something like stockings on the filter? I haven't tried it, but can I try it if I have the conditions?

Answer: Small fish like still water, so it is not recommended. During the hatching period, you can use water goblins to maintain water quality and increase oxygen.

Q: Under what conditions can goldfish reproduce? How should it be done? I have never tried it, and I really want to have a bunch of baby fish.

Answer: There is sufficient oxygen, good appetite, clear water, water temperature between 18 and 23 degrees, fish over one year old, 3 years old will lay the best and most eggs, put some clean aquatic plants and a large water body, that's enough.

Q: Does a large body of water mean a large pond? Do the breeding fish and all the tools need to be soaked in a permanganate solution before use? How should artificial insemination be done?

A: Yes, I have not tried solution immersion. Please watch artificial insemination, which contains detailed video information.

Q: I only have one female blackfin bream, and its belly is getting bigger. There is no male in the tank. When is the best time to breed it? My fish is two years old. How big should it be and how many fish should I breed?

A: Three at about three years old. Yes, goldfish lay the most eggs when they are three years old, and their body size should be comparable. You also need to prepare for egg laying and hatching! Continued Q&A on goldfish breeding:

Q: I just woke up in bed this morning and found that the fish in my fish tank were gathered in a corner. I panicked and thought there was something wrong. Later, I found that a few fish were running around and chasing each other. I looked carefully and found that they were spawning. I didn't expect that the fish I just raised would also spawn, so I was not mentally prepared and could only watch them being eaten by other small fish. Besides, I remember that the spawning period of fish is from August to October, so how come fish spawn at the end of December? But now I feel it's a pity for these fish eggs. They were swallowed up by other fishes right after they were born. Everyone, how can we see the signs before fish spawning in the future? And how can we make these fish eggs take shape?

Q: Because of my first experience, when I came back from get off work in the afternoon, there was nothing left, only some on the filter cotton.

Answer: Congratulations, the goldfish's constant chasing is a sign. Also, when goldfish chase stars, it is mainly because the temperature has been kept relatively constant, reaching the conditions for spawning, so they spawn naturally, which shows that they are being raised well. The best water temperature for goldfish spawning is 16 to 22 degrees. If it is below 5 degrees or above 28 degrees, they will naturally not lay eggs.

Fish eggs.