Scalaria look very unusual and are shaped like a crescent moon. This resemblance is due to the circular, disk-shaped body, which is strongly compressed from the sides. Scalaria looks fascinating, it has elongated like thread-like pelvic fins. Scalaria dorsal fin is strongly elongated and fairly large. Scalaria pointed at the end of the caudal and pectoral fins contribute to the unearthly appearance of this fish. The size of the scalaria in height is greater than in length. Its body length is usually no more than 15 cm, and height - about 25 cm. But in the natural environment there are larger specimens.
In nature, the scalaria has a predominantly silvery body color and red eyes. But often the main coloring of scalarians varies from grayish-green to silvery-olive colors with a metallic sheen. The coloration of scalarias on the back is always darker than on the abdomen. Scalaria looks very unusual, because usually its body is vertically crossed by four dark bands. The first band crosses the eye of the fish, and the last passes at the base of the tail fin. Scales in scalarias is small. Difficult to distinguish between scalarias. Male scalarias differ from females by having a more convex forehead. In general, the way the scalaria look in nature is a good camouflage. Nowadays, many species of scalaria have been bred.
As a result of breeding work obtained a lot of color variations of these fish: gold, white, blue, spotted, black. So now the scalary fish - this is a real decoration of any aquarium, but the natural variation in the aquariums is no longer found. Aquarium fish scalarias are quite unpretentious and very popular among both amateurs and professional aquarists. This fish species was first described in 1823 by a researcher from Germany. In 1909 the scalaria were brought to Europe for the first time. At the beginning of the 1920s, they began successfully breeding them in captivity. In Russia, they began breeding them in 1928. By the end of 1940 began mass captive breeding of scalarias. In the wild, scalarians live in river basins of South America. They prefer to live in ponds, bays or lagoons, rivers with a quiet current and abundant vegetation. Scalarias live in the Amazon, Orinoco, and Essequibo river basins. These fish live in areas with so-called "black water".
What do I feed my scalaria? A scalaria is a predatory fish from the order of the Pufferfish. In the wild, the scalaria eat fry, shrimp, and small fish. At home you can feed them as live food (bloodworms, daphnia) as well as dry food (flakes). These ornamental fish have an excellent appetite. The main condition - do not overfeed them, it can lead to obesity and even death. In principle we can say that these fish are unpretentious about food and almost omnivores. The basis of the diet can be quality cereal, but you should additionally give live and frozen food. It is very important that the dry food is of high quality. Scalarias should not be fed more than 2-3 times a day. Also, once a week you should do a day off and not feed the fish.
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