What is a head and taillight tetra?
The head and taillight tetra belongs to the tetrapod family, native to Brazil and the Amazon River Basin in South America. The scientific name is Hemigrammusocellifer. The head-tail lampfish has a side-flat club-shaped body, a forked caudal fin, and a body length of 4-5 cm. The dorsal fin is pointed and located in the middle of the back. The anal fin is light yellowish brown. There is a dark blue longitudinal stripe on the side of the fish body. Yes, the upper part of the iris of the eye and the upper part of the end of the tail handle are golden yellow that can refract light. When swimming in the water, the head and tail will flicker like two small lights, so the name of the head and tail light is taken. The head and tail lampfish are mild, and should be mixed with other small fish of the same family. They like to live in groups, eat animal bait, and like weakly acidic old water. The rearing temperature is 22°C to 24°C.
What does a head and taillight tetra look like?
Head and taillight tetra has a large head and a thin tail, a round body with a thin tail, and thin silver-gray scales on the body surface. On the front of the head, near the eyes, below the lateral line of the body and on the caudal peduncle, there are circular illuminators arranged in rows or groups. Different species of lanternfish have different numbers and arrangement of light emitters. The light-emitting device emits various colors such as red, blue, and purple. When viewed from a distance, the fluorescent lights are flashing and colorful, just like festive lanterns. Some lanternfish have a luminous chaser at the tail, much like the taillight of a car, and some have an extra-large luminous ball at the head, much like an ancient Chinese lantern. In the depths of the pitch-dark ocean, there are often swimming dots of light. Lanternfish is one of many fish that emit light.
The light emitters of the head and taillight tetra are specialized by a group of skin gland cells to become light-emitting cells. This kind of cell can secrete a kind of gland fluid containing phosphorus, which can be oxidized by the oxygen in the blood in the gland cells, and a kind of fluorescence released in the oxidation reaction is the light emitted by the lanternfish. There are hundreds of species of lanternfish in the world, and they generally live in the deep sea. Its glow is a survival adaptation to the dark, deep-sea environment. In the dark deep sea, the light they emit can be used to lure bait, confuse the enemy, lure the opposite sex, and facilitate group life.
head and taillight tetra living habits
In the depths of the pitch-black ocean, there are often swimming “lights”, bringing the breath of life to the peaceful underwater world. Among the many fish that emit lights, lanterns. It has a mild temperament and a petite body. It likes to swim in groups and can be mixed with other species of fish. The feeding water temperature is 22 ~ 26 ℃, and the water quality requirements are not strict. The bait is mainly small live food. Likes to be active and foraging in the middle of the aquarium.
head and taillight tetra rearing
Most of the tetras prefer weakly acidic soft water (pH value 5-6.5, 5°dH), if broodstock are raised in water with higher pH value and hardness, sometimes they cannot reproduce at all. It is advisable to use a bare tank for broodstock cultivation, and the pH value and hardness can be adjusted with a water quality regulator, but it has an inhibitory effect on the growth of aquatic plants.
Reasonable feeding of broodstock is the key to breeding. Feeding of bait should be 80% full. Insufficient bait will lead to stunted growth, and too much feeding will lead to excessive body fat, which will affect the normal estrus, spawning and ovulation of broodstock. The types of bait should be diversified, especially the types of aquatic plants in the carp family, which can be fed more artificial bait rich in plant fiber.
