How to keep Yuanbao fish? A detailed guide to rearing methods
Yuanbao fish is a common ornamental fish in daily life. Because its appearance is red as fire, like the morning sun, and it carries the meaning of bringing luck and fortune, it is deeply loved by fish keepers. So how do you keep Yuanbao fish?
1. Water quality requirements
Yuanbao fish like to grow in soft water that is weakly acidic and low in hardness. In addition, because their innate lips cannot close, their ability to control the intake and release of water flow is poor, and the water flow passing through the gills is relatively small, so their oxygen uptake capacity is not very strong. Therefore, when rearing them, the water body must have sufficient oxygen. Generally, in an aquarium it is best to equip biological filter cotton, a water pump, and aeration and oxygen-increasing equipment. The specific indicators are a pH value of about 6.5 and dissolved oxygen of 8 mg/L.
2. Temperature requirements
Yuanbao fish can generally live freely in water temperatures of 20-30°C. During rearing, it is best to keep the water temperature within the range of 25-28°C, and the temperature difference before and after each water change should not exceed 0.5°C.
3. Feed management
Yuanbao fish are omnivorous and will eat almost anything, including artificial bait, flakes, pellets, bloodworms, brine shrimp, and water fleas, and they are quite greedy. Therefore, bait must be fed regularly and in fixed amounts every day, with a reasonable balance of nutritional content in the bait. Live small shrimp and small fish should be fed regularly. It is best to choose artificial bait specially formulated for Yuanbao fish, such as Baozeng Hong, Lama Hong, Baoli, and so on. This kind of feed, supplemented with astaxanthin and class D carotenoids, is not only convenient when fed directly but can also make the body color of Yuanbao fish more vivid and attractive.
4. Disease prevention and control
During the growth period, Yuanbao fish may suffer from bacterial diseases, fungal diseases, parasitic diseases, and other ailments, so prevention and control measures must be taken during rearing.
(1) Bacterial diseases. The symptoms are red and swollen gill filaments; in severe cases, the gill filaments lose blood and turn white, the eyeballs bulge out and become cloudy, the abdomen swells with fluid, and the genital pore and nearby skin become congested, red, and swollen. Sick fish drift weakly at the water surface and cannot sink. The treatment method is to soak them in a 15O ml/m formalin solution for one hour, then completely change the water. After two days, this can be used once more. At the same time, feed medicated bait to the fish. Mix erythromycin into the bait at a dosage of 50 mg of medicine per kilogram of fish per day, and feed continuously for three weeks.
(2) Fungal diseases. This type of disease often occurs during the transition between autumn and winter, when some small wounds on the fish body surface become infected with mold, and gray-white cotton-like water mold attaches to the wounds. The treatment method is to soak with the Chinese medicine Shuimeijing at 1 mg/L, then completely change the water the next day.
(3) Parasitic diseases. This type of disease often occurs during autumn and winter and during the transition between spring and summer, when the water temperature changes sharply. The body surface of sick fish becomes covered with small white spots, and over time it can also trigger various bacterial diseases. The treatment method is to soak with a copper sulfate solution at 0.3-0.5 mg/L for 24 hours, then change 1/2 of the water.
Overall, Yuanbao fish are still quite easy to keep. As long as you choose a good fish tank, select good water quality, and do a good job with management tasks such as feed, temperature, and disease prevention and control, it is fine.