A fish ball that inflates when in danger

Poisonous or not

When threatened, ball fish release a deadly poison, tetrodotoxin, which blocks the release of sodium in all cells of the human body. The salt cannot escape from the shell, resulting in muscle paralysis. A person dies from cardiac arrest, since the myocardium is equipped with a powerful muscle. The specimen received its second name from the Japanese - fugu. If the fish is inflated, it means the presence of fear or aggression. It is protected by thorns and needles that contain poison.

Appearance and features

Photo: Fish ball with spines

Due to the wide variety of subspecies, the ball fish can look very different, but has some common interspecific features:

So, in length it can reach from 5 to 67 cm, depending on the environment in which it lives. The color range of tetraodons, as a rule, varies from white-brown to green, but the characteristic color of each species is different, and individuals are individual.

The body of the pufferfish is plump, ovoid, with a large head and wide-set eyes. One of its names - rocktooth - the ball fish owes its four massive teeth, fused into upper and lower plates, thanks to which the individual becomes a dangerous predator and is forced to constantly eat coral reefs or inhabitants with a chitinous shell.

Clifftooths are very maneuverable and fast swimmers, which they owe to the location of their pectoral fins. In addition, all subspecies of ball fish have a strong caudal fin, which allows them to swim even in the opposite direction.

One of the unique features of Tetraodon is its unusual skin, which is covered with small spines rather than scales. At the moment of danger, when the fish swells, these spines provide additional protection - they take a vertical position and do not allow the predator to swallow the pufferfish.

Video: Fish ball

The unique defense mechanism of the ball fish, which makes it so interesting to humans, is its ability to inflate its body. By collecting water or air into the sac-like outgrowths, acting with its gills as a kind of pump, the pufferfish is able to increase in size several times. Due to the absence of ribs, this process is controlled by special muscles, which subsequently help the fish get rid of the collected liquid or air, releasing it through the mouth and gills.

Interestingly, when taking in air, balloon fish do not retain it, but continue to breathe using gills and even skin pores.

The most effective method of protecting a pufferfish is its toxicity. The skin, muscles and liver of most species are saturated with the deadly poison tetrodotoxin, which, when it enters the digestive tract, first paralyzes the victim and then painfully kills. It is surprising that man chose one of the representatives of puffer fish - puffer fish - as his delicacy. At least one hundred people die every year as a result of eating it. However, not all Tetraodon species are poisonous, and some are even safe to keep in a home aquarium.

Habitat

Lives in the Sea of ​​Japan, Atlantic and Indian Oceans. A popular species is called Diodon long-nosed; no toxic compounds were observed in the needles, but there are a lot of toxic substances in the fish’s body. Fans of exotic fish that swell like a balloon are bred in an aquarium. The size reaches up to 16 cm, lives up to 6 years. In the wild, the ball fish grows up to 1 meter within 25 years.

Loves salty, clean waters where many small fish and plankton live. It prefers to lead a hidden, secluded lifestyle, so it rarely encounters predators. The acquisition of an inflated form indicates aggression and insurance. A fish with spines and spines has different names: ball, ball, brown rocktooth. It received its main name from Japanese cooks due to its toxicity. An inflated fish does not pose a danger to humans if it is picked up by the tail.

Origin of the species and description

Photo: Fish ball

Tetraodons, members of the pufferfish family, were first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. Scientists find it difficult to determine the exact age of the rocktooth, but they agree that several centuries ago this species separated from another, called the sunfish.

Today, science has more than a hundred species of these fish, mainly living in the tropical salty waters of the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans. Some species of ballfish prefer to settle and breed in fresh waters. However, for comfortable living of all subspecies of tetraodon, seclusion is necessary: ​​they love to settle among corals or dense vegetation, and often prefer solitude or life in a small school.

Home maintenance

Thorn fish feels great in a 50 liter container. If two individuals live in the aquarium, then you need to increase the volume of liquid by the same proportion. Under comfortable conditions, sexually mature individuals reach parameters of up to 15 cm. In order for the spiny fish to develop quickly, you need to change the water daily, add a little sea salt, and place an artificial aeration device in the vessel.

Ball fish living in fresh water for a long time will quickly pick up an infection. Salt should be added in a proportion of 15 grams per 20 liters. A fish that swells when in danger can live in an aquarium for more than 3 years.

Puffer fish can live in an aquarium.

For quick adaptation, artificial algae and stones can be placed in the aquarium. The individual likes to hide from prying eyes. It is necessary to prevent air deficiency in water every day; compliance with temperature conditions. Urchin fish should be kept in an environment of +28 degrees. It is recommended to change 10% of the fluid every 24 hours a day. If a round, spiny fish puffs up strongly, this indicates anxiety and a warning to the individual, which looks both cute and scary.

Keeping at home

One predator does well in a 50 liter aquarium. If you plan to breed 3 individuals (one male and two females), you need to count on a capacity of 150 liters. An aquarium with a capacity of 250 liters is required for 5 adult fish.

A 50 liter aquarium is suitable for hedgehog fish.

A sexually mature tetradon reaches a size of 15 cm. In order for it to develop favorably in the aquarium, the water must be changed regularly. It is recommended to do aeration. The predator prefers salted water. Salt is added at the rate of 15 g per 20 liters. If the pufferfish is in fresh water, it can be overtaken by diseases.

Pufferfish, which swell when in danger, live at the bottom of a mini-reservoir. You can place algae and medium-sized stones in the aquarium. The hedgehog fish often hides in the shadows. In order for it to maintain its natural color and not suffer from oxygen deficiency, it is necessary to observe the temperature regime. The predator takes root in water at a temperature of +28 degrees. Every day you need to change 10% of the water. If other types of fish prefer fresh water, they should be placed in a separate container.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Qw_N7S53mos

The pufferfish eats food of animal origin. He perceives positively:

• shellfish;
• fry;
• worms;
• snails;
• crushed crayfish;
• beef meat and liver.

Inflated fish do not eat plant foods. You should not give her dry or frozen food. If a predator has a weak immune system, it may die from such feeding.

Pufferfish feed only on food of animal origin

Tetradon fry feed on ciliates and egg yolk. If cubs live in a mini-reservoir, it is worth placing river sand on the bottom. The fry sharpen their teeth on it. The fish, which inflates like a balloon, gets along with the African cichlid, but the individuals must be of the same age.

Aquarists place tetradons in the same container with Malawian cichlids. If the tetradon is still very small, you should not place it in a pond with a large Malawian cichlid. Adult Pufferfish do not get along well with small fish, as they see them as prey.

Predators should not be kept in the same aquarium with fish that have beautiful long tails. Adult predators behave very aggressively , biting fragile creatures. If you need to fight snails that reproduce very actively, you should place one Pufferfish in the pond. He eats shellfish in a week.

What does it eat?

You cannot start introducing dry food and supplements into your diet. If the immune system is weakened, the ball fish may die. The poisonous shar fish prefers to feast on fresh algae; it does not mind eating a few snails, worms, fry, or a piece of beef liver.

You cannot breed puffer fish with small fish in the same aquarium, otherwise the former will eat the latter. If fry appear in the container, for normal growth and development you need to pour organic sand on the bottom; small individuals like to sharpen their teeth. The prickly, round individual looks like a ball during a fight, getting food. A fish that inflates like a balloon loves silence and moves with the school.

Breeding Pufferfish fry

The female produces 200 - 300 eggs. She lacks maternal instinct, but the male guards the eggs. After spawning, it is recommended to place the mother in a separate container. If caviar takes on a milky color, it means it is adapting to new conditions. The fry are fed with grated egg yolk. As they grow older, crayfish are included in their diet.

Now aquarists have received an answer to the question of what is the name of a fish that inflates like a ball. Two species are of interest: fugu and sea urchin. The pufferfish does not have high demands on living conditions, but the aquarium must have aeration. The hedgehog fish behaves actively and pleases the eye for many years.

The danger of flavors

Japanese chefs have a special license to prepare this type. People who wanted to cook the delicacy themselves with moderate skills died from muscle paralysis.

The poison is mainly found in the skin, liver, spleen, gall bladder and caviar. With any damage to these organs, a toxic substance leaks out of the cells and even in micro quantities can cause paralysis.

When fish is properly processed, poisoning of the body does not occur after consumption. The cooking technique itself was developed by Japanese chefs, who, after decades, shared it with Russian specialists.

What does the ball fish eat?

Photo: Fish ball

Pufferfish are confident predators. Completely ignoring algae as a food product, tetraodons happily consume food rich in protein: worms, fry of fish and shellfish, snails and shrimp. Gluttonous by nature, ball fish do not give up their habits either in their natural habitat or in captivity, capable of absorbing food constantly.

It is interesting that the plates that replace Tetraodon teeth grow throughout their lives. Nature knows several examples of such regeneration, and everywhere it is solved in one way: the individual grinds down its growing teeth. For these purposes, the skalozub consumes a large number of crustaceans with hard shells and gnaws corals.

Rules for cleaning the most poisonous specimen from Japanese chefs

Often exotic dishes are ordered by people who prefer to tickle their nerves. Professional chefs of Japanese cuisine sharply and precisely clean the ball fish from the fins and vocal apparatus (the possibility of poison getting into the fillet is excluded). Then the poisonous organs are carefully and slowly removed, the fillet is cut into thin, identical pieces, and the raw materials are washed under running water. Normally, the fillet looks like thin transparent slices and tastes like chicken.

Every year in Japan, hundreds of people die after eating fugu fish, since the market is not interested in cooking knowledge, sellers take most of the money they can get.

Attention, the dishes are given for general information, in order to prepare poisonous fish professionally, you must receive formal, additional education in order to avoid poisoning. Otherwise, before eating the food, you should make a will and say goodbye to your family and friends. Many deaths have been recorded in eastern countries due to improper preparation of poisonous fish. Puzzlingly, today there is no government control to identify the illegal sale and culinary processing of life-threatening products. There are many names for Japanese bubble fish dishes.

Where does the ball fish live?

Photo: Poisonous fish ball

Ubiquitous, tetraodons love to settle in coastal waters, and are rarely found in the depths. They are most often found in the tropical waters of the Philippines and Indonesia, India and Malaysia. Almost a third of pufferfish are freshwater inhabitants, including the fahak, which lives mainly along the Nile River; mbu, which prefers the waters of the Congo River; and the famous takifugu or brown rocktooth lives both in the Pacific Ocean and in the fresh waters of China.

Some subspecies lead the following way of life: living in salty waters, during spawning or in search of food, they arrive in fresh or brackish springs. Having thus spread throughout the globe, ball fish feel comfortable in almost any living environment, except captivity, being difficult to breed and requiring careful and special care in aquarium conditions.

Fish stew

• Fish fillet 500 g;
• Potatoes -200 g;
• Beetroot - 1 piece;
• Cabbage – 200 g;
• Zucchini – 1/3 pcs;
• Tomatoes -200 g;
• Butter - 1 tbsp;
• Onion -2 pcs;
• Bell pepper – 1 piece;
• Dill parsley to taste;
• Sour cream – 2 cups;
• Broth 100 ml;
• Bay leaf - 1 piece;
• Salt to taste.

Preparation

1. Chop the pepper and onion into half rings.
2. Fry with cabbage and tomatoes (pre-cut).
3. Peel 1/3 of the zucchini and grate on a coarse grater.
4. Cut the fillet into slices.
5. Place the vegetables in the pan and place the fish pieces in the middle.
6. Add chopped dill, parsley, bay leaf.
7. The top should be lined with tomatoes.
8. Pour a glass of broth, after adding sour cream.
9. Cover with a lid and place in the oven for 2 hours (on low heat).

Cooking time 2.5 hours.

Cooking time – 2 hours.

Number of servings – 10.

Calories - 776, fats -82, carbohydrates - 67, proteins -1.9.