How Big Can Kissing Fish Grow? A Detailed Explanation of the Adult Body Length Range
The kissing fish is a fish of the genus Helostoma in the family Helostomatidae, native to Thailand, Indonesia, Sumatra and other places. It is famous for its habit of "kissing" one another and is a common ornamental fish. Among ornamental fish species it belongs to the small ornamental fish category. It gets its name from two fish kissing each other and is loved by many fish keepers. Let us take a look below at how big kissing fish can grow!
How big can kissing fish grow?
In the wild, kissing fish can grow to 20-33 cm, while in artificial breeding they reach 3-5 cm. They like to inhabit tropical rivers and are often used as a food fish in their place of origin. They are not strict about water quality, their gregarious nature is not very obvious, and they swim very slowly, appearing elegant and dignified, with charming appeal and ornamental value.
How long do kissing fish live?
Kissing fish can live up to 6-7 years and usually reach sexual maturity in about one year. They are gentle in temperament, moving in groups across various water layers, and can be kept mixed with other fish. They are omnivorous and not picky at all: breadworms, chopped earthworms and artificial feed are all acceptable. Not only do they grow quickly, but their disease resistance is also good, and they rarely get sick. They multiply and have many offspring. Under artificial breeding conditions there is no fixed breeding season, and breeding is relatively simple. It is best to keep them in pairs and feed them heavily to promote breeding.
How do you keep kissing fish?
1. Fish tank: We all know that adult kissing fish can reach 20-30 cm in body length, and even smaller kissing fish can exceed 10 cm. Calculating by a tank-to-fish body length ratio of 3:1, the tank must be at least 90 cm. However, most kissing fish that people buy are around 10 cm, so a tank 40-60 cm long is sufficient.
2. Water temperature: Kissing fish can live in water temperatures of 18-30°C, with above 22°C generally being suitable. If keeping them in winter, you may not need to install a heater if your home has heating. Install a thermometer so you can observe the water temperature at any time. If the water temperature cannot be maintained at around 25°C, you need to buy a thermostat. In addition, keeping kissing fish has no strict requirements for water quality; they like weakly acidic soft water.
3. Feed: Kissing fish are easy to keep because they are not picky eaters. They eat both animal-based and plant-based feed, love red fish worms most, and enjoy eating aquatic plants and moss.
4. Tank mates: Kissing fish swim relatively slowly and are not suitable for keeping together with aggressive fish species, such as piranhas, flowerhorn cichlids, and three-spot cichlids, etc. It is best to keep fish species that are smaller than kissing fish and gentle in temperament.
5. Male and female: Male and female kissing fish are not easy to distinguish, and juveniles are almost impossible to identify as male or female. In adults, the male's anal fin is generally broad and long and the body appears somewhat slender, while the female's anal fin is narrow, the body is broad and thick, and the belly is slightly bulging.
6. Breeding: Kissing fish directly lay floating eggs that float on the water surface. The eggs are amber-colored; if they turn white, it means the eggs are unfertilized. After spawning is complete, the parent fish can be removed and the eggs artificially incubated. Larvae hatch in 20-24 hours. After the larvae can swim in 2-3 days, they must be fed large amounts of infusoria, otherwise they will starve to death. After another 2-3 days, feed them small red worms for 3-4 days, then they can be fed large worms. At 15-20 days, the rapidly growing larvae should be divided into two or three tanks to ensure a higher survival rate. Sometimes a single brood of larvae can yield more than 9,000 survivors.