With the exploration and discovery of the mysterious ocean, the understanding of marine life is becoming more and more detailed, let's see what the doctor in the ocean really looks like. Why is it called a doctor fish? And how do you raise doctor fish? What should I pay attention to?
Doctor Fish Profile
Split-lip fish, also known as doctor fish, fluttering, is a perch, subtilis, split-lip fish is a tropical fish living in coastal coral reefs. Found in the western Pacific Ocean from Indonesia to Fiji, the cleft lip fish has a unique ecological behavior that helps other large fish clean up parasites and can serve as a "doctor fish" in marine ornamental fish systems. Juveniles are black with a blue band, which grows yellow with a black band. Several of these fish in each reef area are responsible for the care of other fish in the area. At night, he inhabits small holes between rocks and spits mucus to wrap his body. Aquariums should be polycultured with a certain number of fish that can keep them clean.
Habits of life
The cleft lip fish inhabit coral reef areas at a depth of 1 to 40 meters, and will peck at parasites and crustaceans from other fish, so it has the title of "fish doctor". Monogamous, mild temperament, if the male dies, from the first female to the male, but if there is a stronger male nearby, it is in power. Roost in the reef cave at night, spitting mucus to wrap themselves up.
Fish Doctor of the Aquarium
This split-lip fish, petite and exquisite, has a body length of only 6 to 10 cm, a long mouth, thick lips, and sharp teeth. Natural ability to hunt parasites on various diseased fish, help sick fish remove dirt from the body, known as fish doctor. Because it is seriously responsible for the treatment of insects and diseases for the sick fish, it is deeply favored by the fish, and the sick fish will meekly let it catch parasites on its own body when it sees the arrival of the doctor fish, and actively opens the mouth and gill cover to let the doctor fish enter the mouth or gill cavity to catch insects and remove dirt. The vicious eel is also very friendly to the doctor fish, never harming them, and sometimes acts as a protector for the doctor fish.
Feeding methods
Doctor fish in the natural sea mainly peck at other fish parasites and corrupt tissues, which makes it a doctor in the sea, most fish feel itchy, will find the doctor fish, seek its help. Many ornamental fish lovers, hoping that the doctor fish can treat skin diseases in their aquarium fish, so they look for and introduce them everywhere, but most of them have little effect. In fact, there are limits to the types of parasites that doctor fish can eat, and the appetite of a doctor fish is far less than the crazy reproduction of parasites. When the rearing density is reasonable and the fish are basically in good health, the introduction of doctor fish can indeed inhibit the flood of Benedoniasis and gill flukes, but the doctor fish is helpless for the most common white spot disease (flagella). Therefore, it is definitely not wise to rely on doctor fish alone to treat sick fish.
In aquariums, doctor fish prefer to build a "clinic", such as a rock cave or a depression where several rocks are stacked. Once the doctor fish has settled in such a "clinic", it will no longer go out to the clinic, only waiting for the large fish to swim over for treatment. The color of the Doctor's Fish is a distinctly indicative color, and all fish understand that this combination of blue, white, and black stripes represents treatment and cleansing. No need to learn, any fish knows that a doctor fish can help clean up parasites and wounds. Many large fish also like to let the doctor fish clean their mouths and gills, and they open their mouths to believe that the doctor fish will travel through their mouths and gills, eating the debris between the teeth and the gills. It is a good choice to keep doctor fish in aquariums with large angelfish, most of which have parasites, and doctor fish can help them clean up well. If the fish in the aquarium has a festering wound on its body, then the doctor fish may cause it a lot of trouble, and the doctor fish will eat the rotten flesh when the wound is reasonable, which will make the fish feel very painful. And the bare wound is easily infected under the pecking of the doctor's fish, so it is best not to let the fleshy fish face the doctor fish.
(This picture is a fake doctor fish)
Precautions
Although the doctor fish can only grow to 250 px, it has a strong sense of territory. If you introduce two in the same aquarium, the slightly stronger one will keep attacking the other with its slender little mouth. In addition to eating parasites, this small tuna also likes to eat some small hulled animals, but it is difficult to accept artificial bait in aquariums. If the number of fish in the aquarium is insufficient and there are not many parasite resources, the doctor fish are likely to starve to death. But we can't introduce pathogens into aquariums in order to feed doctor fish, we have to find bait that they can accept. Doctor fish with individuals over 150 px can receive frozen shrimp after adapting to the environment, but even the smallest individuals cannot eat the shrimp, their mouths are too small. The best way is to use tweezers to hold a piece of shrimp meat and shake it in the aquarium, so that the doctor fish will swim over and tear the meat off and eat it, but the seabream in the aquarium will rob the doctor fish of food, and it must be ensured that they are fed before they can be specially fed to the little doctor fish.
References are from [1] Cleft Lip Fish. Animal World [Cited 2013-07-27]
Bai Ming. "Ornamental Fish in The Sea". Chemical Industry Press. 2009-10
The mysterious marine life is really everything, through the above simple introduction, I hope to let you know some useful knowledge for you, it will help you a lot. Like to pay attention to me, next issue we will take a look at the lions in the ocean.