HOME AQUARIUM

Snails play a special and important role in the aquarium. Already, our grandfathers, forced to meet the content of cold-water fish, considered snails "sanitary inspection", killing algae, and also processing excess fodder. In addition, they eat corpses of fish and so make sure that the aquarium does not accumulate toxic substances. For maintenance in cold water aquariums , in addition to the red horny coil (Planorbis comeus) , however, it feels great in warm water, Bulimus tentaculus 10-12 mm in size, as well as a 35-millimeter viviparus (Viviparus viviparus) are very suitable . Before you place these mollusks in the aquarium, you need to watch them for a long time (about 6 weeks) in a separate tank: very often they carry the pathogenic microbes that are transmitted to the fish. Thermal aquaristics are known primarily for horny coils. In most cases, they do not need to be populated in an aquarium, one day they appear there themselves. Despite the algae bath for plants , despite all the other precautions, these creatures find ways to penetrate our aquariums and multiply inside them. Until the number of their shells does not cross borders, they can not do harm. But if as a result of any special circumstances begins their mass reproduction, then the matter is worse. Most often the aquarist fights against the invasion himself, collecting larger specimens from the bottom and from the plants and removing them from the aquarium. Smaller snails can simply be crushed, pressing to the glass, - and the fish themselves will clean the remains. Indian sandy (Melanoides tuberculata) all day long plows the aquarium bottom, than. Of course, benefits the plants. These viviparous snails can not live in too soft water, because they need lime to form seashells. But they start to multiply already at 4 - 6 degrees of rigidity. This in principle applies to most other species. These mollusks, reaching a length of about 25 mm, can live at a water temperature of at least 20 ° C. Giants among aquarium snails are considered different types of ampullaria. They need a relative scope, and therefore in small aquariums they should not be kept. These snails eat with great pleasure the food intended for fish. However, moving at the snail's speed, they do not always have time to reach the power source in time, so they are cleaned with nothing.

Food for snails: the leaves of barclays like to eat many of their kinds	Ampularia (Ampullaris) with elongated "trunk".

In natural conditions, the laying of ampullar eggs can not be noticed. On the photo: Chaco in the north of Argentina.

When feeding with a pipeman, they often guard the appearance of food right under the strainer or in the place where live food falls. Snails suck food out of the ground. As algae eaters, they will not miss the delicacies and when feeding with salad. In the shortest possible time they are able to destroy a large salad leaf. If you want to observe this, then press down the lettuce leaf with a small pebble (after washing it thoroughly) and lower it to the bottom. You can see in detail how a snail tears off a piece by piece and eats it. The peculiarity of ampulyaria is "trunk", which they stretch when they sit in water of not better quality and want to inhale atmospheric air. When a snail does not use it, it draws in and becomes completely invisible. In case of danger, the snail can hide completely in its house and close the opening with a lid. This type of mollusk can also reproduce in a home pond. Ampulyarii most often lay eggs on the place of aquarium glass, where it does not touch water. From the caviar of this South American guest, after a while, there are many small snails. Most aquarists are happy with the appearance of this young, and many zootorgovtsy immediately buy from them all "livestock". Proudoviks are notorious as plant eaters. Most often they are brought into the aquarium with the food caught in standing water. The common progenitor Lymnaea stagnalis is the most famous of the pests. If he already settles in an aquarium, getting rid of it will be very difficult. Many species of snails reproduce faster than would be desirable to the owner of fish and plants. A variety of means of struggle have been tested with greater or less success. Radical effects have a variety of chemicals , but only they destroy all snails at once. No less effective way - to launch into the aquarium fish from the family of four-teeth. Those who have exhausted all means can try this by taking one of the two small species of the family named: Tatraodon steindachneri or T. fluvia t ilis. (But in this case, you need to remove the ampularium from the aquarium in advance, if you do not want to lose them at the same time . ) Fish eating snails will very quickly cope with their task, so that only the shells remain in the aquarium.

Four types of snails, most common in our aquariums: 1-red horn reel; 2-Melania sandy; 3-ampulyaria (with elongated "trunk"); 4-the same ordinary pond snake, herbivorous snail, which is often brought into the aquarium with live food.

In addition to fish, aquariums contain many other organisms: aquatic invertebrates, amphibians and reptiles. In some cases, animals manage to combine, in others - they need to provide individual apartments.

Molluscs (Physa, Planorbis, Melanoides, Melania, Arnpullaria, Bulimus, Heliosoma, etc.), prawns (Macrobrachium, Palaemon, Leander, etc.), crayfish (Astacus Cambarus, Sagp-baroides, Procambarus And others), crabs (Potamonidae) and water beetles: a small water-bearer (Hydrophilus), a large water-lover (Hydrous), etc. Sometimes, apparently, along with the plants, tiny hydromeduses (Craspedocusta, about 2 cm) . It has African relatives (Limnocnida), in particular from Lake Tanganyika.

In a separate vessel it is not difficult to make interesting observations of a freshwater single polyp-hydra (Chlorohydra, Pelmatohydra, Hydra), behind its network of trapping tentacles; Growth and movement of colonies of bryozoans (Plumatella); Regeneration of the body from the smallest pieces of pla- naria (Planaria, etc.). A lot of "discoveries" can be made when acquaintance with the lifestyle of "unpleasant" leeches (Hirudo, Haemopis, Herpobdella, etc.), any gastropods and bivalve mollusks; Multi-colored water mites (Hydrarachna, Limnochares), shields (Apus, Lepidurus), outwardly reminiscent of fossil trilobites, amusing water donkeys (Asselus).

Unrivaled builders - spider-silver (Argyroneta aquatica), instantly constructs an underwater air bell, and caddisfly larvae (Lep-tocerus, Neureclipsis), laying their houses out of pieces of plants, grains of sand and other "improvised" materials. Curious are the habits of bloodthirsty larvae of dragonflies (Apah, Aeschna, etc.), water bugs (Nepa, Gerris, Notonecta, etc.) and seemingly innocuous water beetles: the Flounder (Dytiscus), pinworm (Gyrinus), etc.

The life environment for them is the same as for fish, taking into account the favorite temperature range. But the aquarium can be a simple bank without complicated auxiliary equipment. For flying species, the surface is tightened with gauze, and crabs are arranged with small islets. Marine invertebrates, on the other hand, place high demands on conditions of detention, which, as a rule, are more comfortable than fish. Minor changes in the chemical and physical properties of water, the introduction of drugs, metals (such as copper) can quickly lead to their death.

Cephalopod mollusks (cuttlefish and octopus) live under powerful filtration, and often even at low temperatures (10-16 ° C). Most of the representatives of the fauna of our seas (12-18 ° C) are cold-loving.

From the inhabitants of the Black and Japanese seas, multi-colored actinia (Actinia equina, Cnidopus japonica, Anthopleura xanthogramrnica), crabs, shrimps, crayfish, mollusks (Rapana, Mytilus, Swiftopecten, etc.), Far Eastern trepany (Stichopus japonicus), sea urchins (Strongylocentrotus nudus, S. intermedius), stars (Patiria pectinifera, Asterias amurensis, Distolasterias nip-pon) and ascidia (Holocyntia roretzi, H. aurantium). Salinity of water at their content can vary from 18 to 35% o.

The population of tropical reefs is unique. Corals (Phaketlia, Clavularia, Dendronephthya, etc.), sea anemones (Stoichactis, Radianthus, Discosoma,), glass "roses" (Aiptasia), iridescent cerianthus (Ceriantharia), mollusks with original shells that served the native population until recently in money Cypraea carneola, C. eglatina, etc. Murex ramosus, Lima scabra, etc.), their nudibranch colleagues (Cyphoma, Aeolis, etc.) and the fairy nautilus (Nautilus pompilius), outlandish small worms with multicolored corollas from the families Terebelliden, Serpuliden and Sabbeliden (eg, Sabellastarte indica), bizarre coral shrimp (Stenopus hispidus, Hyppolysmata grabhami, etc.), crabs (Dardanus migistos, Uca pugilator, Persephona subovata, etc.), crabs (Limulus polyphemus), sea cucumbers ( Cucumaria spp.), Starfishes (Nordoa variolata, Protoreaster lincki, etc.) are only a small part of the species that adapt in captivity.

By the way, marine aquariums with invertebrates are much more colorful and interesting than with fish. For a change in such aquariums, sometimes fish symbionts are planted: anemones (Amphiprion, Premnas), living in burning tentacles of sea anemones, coral cleaners (Labroides dinnidiatus), feeding on parasitic organisms, etc.

Marine invertebrate food is crushed or dusty shrimp and common meat, squid fillets, artemia, euphausian crustaceans, microalgae, dry and jelly-like mixed fodders, etc. Attached and passive forms (corals, anemones, ascidians, etc.) are fed individually (under glass A bell, with tweezers, etc.).

It should be noted that in the marine aquarium there are often small plankton and benthic organisms (Sorero, Polychaeta, etc.) accidentally entered.

Some marine invertebrates (Cerianthus membranaceus, Anemonia sulcata, Aiptasia pallida, Colliactis, etc.) reproduce in an aquarium, but the biotechnology of their reproduction (with the exception of cases of vegetative division) is usually complex. Conditions of maintenance: optimal salinity 32-35 ° / °°, pH 8.0-8.4, t 24-28 ° C, illumination not less than 0.8 W / l, continuous aeration, filtration and regular water substitution (at least 2 once a year).

In aquariums, aquaterrariums and moist greenhouses also contain water turtles (Phrynops, Hydromedusa, Pseudemys, Podocnemys, etc.), tritons, proteas, angulars, salamanders, frogs, water snakes, etc.

In zoos, various caimans, gavials, crocodiles, marine (Caretta, Chelonia, Carettochelys, Lepidochelys, Dermochelys) and large freshwater turtles (Chelus firnbriatus, Trionyx gangeticus), anacond (Eunectes notaeus, E. murinus), most of which are listed in the International Red A book of endangered animals, as well as sea snakes (Pelamis, Hydrophis, Laticauda, ​​etc.). With their content, full-fledged animal and vegetable food must be combined with a weak ultraviolet light, optimal temperature and cleanliness of the habitat.