Kerry

The Kerry or Purple Emperor Tetra, scientific name Inpaichthys kerri, belongs to the Characidae family. A miniature fish with an original coloration, this primarily applies to males. Easy to keep, unpretentious, easy to breed. It gets along well with other non-aggressive species of a similar or slightly larger size.

Habitat

It comes from the upper basin of the Madeira River – the largest tributary of the Amazon. It lives in numerous river channels and streams flowing through the rainforest. The water is opaque, very acidic (pH below 6.0), colored light brown due to the high concentration of tannins and other tannins released during the decomposition of organic matter (leaves, branches, tree fragments, etc.).

Stručné informácie:

• Objem akvária - od 70 litrov.
• Teplota – 24-27°C
• Hodnota pH — 5.5–7.0
• Tvrdosť vody – mäkká (1-12 dGH)
• Typ podkladu – pieskový
• Osvetlenie - tlmené
• Brakická voda – nie
• Pohyb vody – nízky/stredný
• Veľkosť ryby je do 3.5 cm.
• Jedlo - akékoľvek jedlo
• Temperament - pokojný, pokojný
• Chov v kŕdli najmenej 8-10 jedincov

Popis

Adults reach a length of about 3.5 cm. A wide horizontal dark stripe runs along the body, the color is blue with a purple tint. Males are more brightly colored than females, which often have a modest brown with a yellowish tinge. Due to the similarity in color, they are often confused with the Royal or Imperial Tetra, and the almost identical name adds confusion.

jedlo

Accepts all types of popular dry, frozen and live foods. A varied diet, such as flakes, granules combined with bloodworms, daphnia, etc., promotes the appearance of brighter colors in the coloration of the fish.

Údržba a starostlivosť, usporiadanie akvária

A flock of 8-10 fish will require a tank with a volume of at least 70 liters. In the design I use a sandy substrate with numerous shelters in the form of snags or other decorative elements, dense thickets of plants that can grow in dim light. To simulate natural water conditions, dried fallen leaves, oak bark or deciduous tree cones are dipped to the bottom. Over time, the water will turn into a characteristic light brown color. Before placing the leaves in the aquarium, they are pre-washed with running water and soaked in containers until they begin to sink. A filter with a peat-based filter material can enhance the effect.

Another design or its complete absence is quite acceptable – an empty aquarium, however, in such conditions, the Purple Imperial Tetra will quickly turn into a gray nondescript fish, having lost all the brightness of its color.

Maintenance comes down to regular cleaning of the soil from organic waste (excrement, food residue, etc.), replacing leaves, bark, cones, if any, as well as weekly replacement of part of the water (15–20% of the volume) with fresh water.

Správanie a kompatibilita

Peaceful schooling calm fish. They do not respond well to noisy, overly active neighbors such as Barbs or the African Red-Eyed Tetra. Kerry is perfectly compatible with other South American species, such as small tetras and catfish, Pecilobricon, hatchetfish, as well as rasboras.

This species has an undeserved reputation as “fin clippers”. The Purple Tetra does have a tendency to damage the fins of its tankmates, but this only happens when kept in a small group of up to 5-6 individuals. If you support a large flock, then the behavior changes, the fish begin to interact exclusively with each other.

Chov / chov

Vzhľad poteru je možný aj v spoločnom akváriu, ale ich počet bude veľmi malý a každý deň sa zníži, ak nebudú včas presadené do samostatnej nádrže. Aby sa zvýšili šance na prežitie a nejako systematizovali proces rozmnožovania (neresenie nebolo spontánne), odporúča sa použiť akvárium na neresenie, kde sú v období párenia umiestnené dospelé ryby.

Zvyčajne ide o malú nádobu s objemom asi 20 litrov. Dizajn je ľubovoľný, hlavný dôraz sa kladie na podklad. Na ochranu vajíčok pred zožratím je dno pokryté jemnou sieťkou, prípadne drobnolistými rastlinami či machmi (napríklad jávsky mach). Alternatívnym spôsobom je umiestniť vrstvu sklenených guľôčok s priemerom aspoň 1 cm. Osvetlenie je tlmené, z výbavy postačuje ohrievač a jednoduchý filter airlift.

Podnetom pre začiatok obdobia párenia je postupná zmena parametrov vody v spoločnom akváriu na hodnoty: pH 5.5–6.5, dH 1–5 pri teplote cca 26–27°C. Základom stravy by mala byť mrazená alebo živá strava.

Pozorne pozorujte ryby, čoskoro sa niektoré z nich výrazne zaguľatia – ide o samice opuchnuté od kaviáru. Pripravte a naplňte nádrž na neresenie vodou zo spoločnej nádrže. Dajte tam samice, na druhý deň pár veľkých samcov, ktorí vyzerajú najvýraznejšie.

Zostáva počkať, kým nedôjde k treniu, jeho koniec môžu určiť samice, výrazne „schudnú“ a vajíčka budú viditeľné medzi vegetáciou (pod jemnou sieťkou).

Ryby sú vrátené. Poter sa objaví do 24-48 hodín, po ďalších 3-4 dňoch začnú voľne plávať pri hľadaní potravy. Krmivo so špecializovaným mikrokrmivom.

Choroby rýb

Vyvážený biosystém akvária s vhodnými podmienkami je najlepšou zárukou proti výskytu akýchkoľvek chorôb, preto ak sa u rýb zmenilo správanie, farba, objavia sa nezvyčajné škvrny a iné príznaky, najskôr skontrolujte parametre vody a až potom pristúpte k liečbe.