Common spined loach fish (Cobitis taenia)

Description

The length of this representative rarely exceeds 11 cm. The spined loach is easily distinguished from other fish by its elongated, laterally compressed body. Compared to the body, the head is very small. The caudal fin has a rounded shape.

The mouth of the spined fish is directed downwards, which indicates the bottom feeding nature of this fish. There are small antennae in the corners of the mouth and on the lower lip, which have good sensory properties and help in searching for food. The scales are very small and at first glance it may seem that they are not there at all.

Interesting! There is a small spike under the eye of the fish, which extends if the spined fish senses danger. If handled carelessly, a fisherman or aquarist can receive a rather painful injection, the wound from which does not heal for a long time.

The spined loach has excellent mimicry abilities. Its variegated color makes the fish completely invisible among the sand and stones. If necessary, she can quickly change from a light palette to a dark one.

Before spawning, the color scheme of the scales becomes brighter and more expressive. Females differ significantly from males in several ways:

Eel fish: description and photo

• larger sizes;
• shorter pectoral and ventral fins;
• the absence of the Canestrini organ, which is a bony plate on the pectoral fin.

Good mimicry abilities allow the spined loach to remain unnoticed by predators and fish-eating birds.

Depending on the species, the Canestrini organ in male spined loaches can have a different shape.

Common spined loach fish (Cobitis taenia)

The common loach fish (Cobitis taenia) is one of the smallest representatives in the loach family. It got its interesting name due to the presence of protective organs - spines on the head. It is widespread in the wild. Suitable for breeding in an aquarium. Can coexist with most types of aquarium fish.

Description

The common spined loach is a small fish. The length of its body does not exceed 15 cm. Moreover, these are the largest individuals. The body is flattened laterally. Its main color is light yellow or gray. Small dark brown spots located longitudinally are visible on the body. This coloring of a small fish is an excellent camouflage for the color of the ground. The spined loach is often buried in small pebbles or sand so that only its head and antennae are visible. This helps her remain undetected for a long time.

The head of Cobitis taenia is small and covered with dark speckles. There are three pairs of antennae near the mouth. The fish's spines are located under the eyes. Usually they are not visible. But as soon as you take her head in your hands, she releases her thorns for protection. They are capable of injuring a person. Therefore, it is not recommended to take it with bare hands.

Sex differences

Males and females differ in appearance. Females are somewhat larger, their body length is 10−15 cm. Males are smaller, only 7−9 cm. The female’s body is narrower, with a thickening in the middle. Her muzzle is “cheeky” and round in shape. Males have a small head, narrower than that of females, and flattened on the sides.

Conditions of detention

The spined lance is not whimsical. However, there are some rules for its maintenance that aquarium fish lovers should adhere to. For example, it is very important that the pH value of the water in the aquarium is 6−8, and the gH value of the water is in the range from 4 to 20.

An increased content of phosphates, ammonia, nitrites and nitrates in water has a negative effect on this fish, as well as on all other species. Comfortable water temperature for Plucking is from 3 to 30 °C. It is also very important when laying the soil in the aquarium to use small, not large, pebbles and without sharp edges. The common spined loach spends most of its time buried in the ground. It will not be convenient for her to burrow into large stones, and pebbles with sharp edges can damage her tender abdomen.

Reproduction

By the breeding season, the spined loach acquires a brighter, noticeable color. The black spots become larger, sometimes almost merging. This “outfit” is necessary for males to become more attractive to females.

Reproduction occurs at a water temperature of 16 °C. It lasts from 2 to 5 days. At this time, all individuals are active. Males catch up with females, who resist their persistent advances. As a result, his jumps are crowned with success. Mating occurs, which can last up to six hours.

The spawning period can take place over one or even two months. The caviar of the common spined loach is quite small - no more than 3 mm. There are 15-20 eggs per release. During spawning, the female can lay up to 3000 of them. 15 minutes after spawning, the eggs begin to swell. New individuals from them appear within a day. After a few days, they develop gills and eyes.

It is important to feed the fry well so that they quickly gain weight. Special food for aquarium fish is suitable for this. First, the food should be ground before feeding. While the fry are growing, you need to change the water in the aquarium frequently. And they grow very quickly. After just 2 weeks, their body length will be at least 1 cm. But only after a year the fish will become sexually mature and will be able to reproduce.

Methods of application

The common spined fish is not usually caught for food. But it can be an excellent bait for catching pike perch, burbot, and perch.

This fish is often bred in aquariums. She is valued because she is not picky about food and gets along well with many types of aquarium fish. It is also a living barometer. When the atmospheric pressure changes, the spined lance shows anxiety. She begins to “throw” around the aquarium, often floats to the surface and swallows air. The common spined loach is incredibly tenacious and picky. Even with poor nutrition, it can live for several months. Its lifespan in the wild is 10 years.

Habitats

The spined loach feels quite comfortable in various types of reservoirs. It can live both in stagnant lakes with a muddy bottom and in fast rivers with sandy or rocky substrate. This fish leads a bottom lifestyle and burrows into the ground at the slightest danger.

Reference! In shallow rivers, this representative of the ichthyofauna likes to stand in areas overgrown with filamentous algae. The basis of its diet consists of small insect larvae. Fish exhibit increased feeding activity in the pre-sunset hours.

Aquarium fish for beginners

Well, now a list of fish that we, at our own risk, recommend to beginners.

The most oak catfish and very beautiful!

The pink zebrafish and all the others are nimble, harmless fish that swim near the surface of the water. They are so noisy that even small predators are lazy to chase them.

Tough enough to withstand minor beginner mistakes.

Neons and other small tetras (Firefly Tetra, Glass Tetra, Ruby Tetra, Lemon Tetra, Copper Tetra, etc.) are beautiful and easy to keep fish. And most importantly, they do not reproduce like livebearers. A flock of these fish will decorate any aquarium.

Ancistrus vulgaris is the most popular and inexpensive representative of the huge galaxy of loricariids or L-catfish

Interesting behavior and sucker mouth often attract the attention of novice aquarists

Blue gourami, marbled gourami, sometimes daring specimens are found. And the rest can be safely recommended. Pearl gourami is especially good.

Who else would I recommend...

Perhaps that’s all! This is where our fantasy for beginners ends.

At the end of the article, let me focus your attention on three important conditions for keeping any fish, the fulfillment of which is the key to success!

1. If you initially understand what the nitrogen cycle is in an aquarium, then you will be able to keep any fish. Otherwise, we can recommend getting only one fish - hake in batter with lemon slices =) Perhaps our words will seem harsh to some. But believe me, the aquarium cemetery is simply limitless and every day thousands of fish are sent as newcomers through the toilet to another world. We are responsible for those we have tamed. We are sure that those who regularly use FanFishka will not make mistakes and will not give offense to their favorite fish! The nitrogen cycle and the retention of poisons NH3/NH4, NO2, NO3 are the basics that every aquarist should know.

2. Proper and balanced nutrition is an important aspect for any living creature, including fish. We already talked above about the problems with goldfish - they are herbivorous fish, and many people feed them everything. As a result, the fish get sick and die. And there are many such examples.

Be interested in the gastronomic preferences of your pets, do not overfeed them - feed them once a day, at most twice. Arrange fasting days. Feed a variety of foods.

In this vein, we recommend Tetra food, they have been tested not only by us, but also by millions of other aquarists, this is time-tested quality.

3. Before buying a variety of fish, study the issue of their compatibility. We were all once beginner aquarists and we all wanted to have different fish and as many as possible. We understand your burning desire. But it’s better for now, at the initial stage, to curb these aspirations, gain experience, and only then at least start a flock of arowanas =)

All the best, always your FF.

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Category: Aquarium articles / Useful tips for keeping fish | 460 | Date: 17-03-2020, 20:33 |

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Spawning

In the spring, the spined loach comes to shallow, grassy areas with a depth of no more than 30 cm and begins to spawn. In the southern regions, spawning time occurs in May. In the middle zone - for June. Despite its modest size, the fish's caviar is quite large (about 2 mm). There is an air bubble between the embryo and the shell, which allows the egg to constantly remain in the water column.

About a month after hatching, the fry begin to develop external gills. Adults can breathe using their intestines, which allows them to survive in the most unfavorable conditions.

Throughout the warm season, plucking is carried out in areas with a depth of 20 to 70 cm. With the arrival of autumn and cooling of the water, the fish move to pits, where they remain until spring.

Fish from the same family:

• Cherry barb (Barbus titteya)
• Barbus pentazona
• Fire barb (Barbus conchonius)
• Sumatran barb (mutant) (Barbus tetrazona var.)
• Four-line barb (Barbus Lineatus)
• Green barb (Barbus semifasciolatus)
• Black barb (Barbus nigrofasciatus)
• Sumatran barb (Barbus tetrazona)
• Scarlet barb (Barbus ticto)
• Clown Barbus (Barbus everetti)
• Barbus filamentosa
• Barbus arulius
• Goldfish "Water Eyes" (Carassius auratus)
• Veiltail goldfish (Carassius auratus)
• Danio rerio (Brachydanio rerio)
• Danio equipinnatus. Malabar danio (Danio aequipinnatus)
• Cardinal (Tanichtys albonubes)
• Green Labeo (Labeo frenatus)
• Labeo bicolor
• Scarlet barb (Barbus stoliczkae)
• Odessa barb, scarlet (Barbus spec. var. ticto, Barbus ticto “Odessa”)
• Barbus butterfly. Barbus. moth (Barbus hulstaerti)
• Two-point barb (Barbus bimaculatus)
• Barbus "Schuberti"
• Barbus lateristriga
• Striped barb (Barbus fasciatus)
• Island barbel (Barbus oligolepis)
• Danio blue. Thai Danio (Brachydanio kerri)
• Danio pearl. Pink Danio (Brachydanio albolineatus)
• Leopard danio (Brachydanio rerio var. frankei)
• Spot zebrafish (Brachydanio nigrofasciatus)
• Common gudgeon (Gobio gobio)
• Minnow. Demoiselle minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus)
• Danio devario
• Laubuka Dadiburjora. Chela dadiburjori
• Indian laubuca (Chela laubuca)
• Gorchak (Rhodeus sericeus amarus)

Editorial: Pseudotropheus zebra