Chameleon fish - peaceful, small, rare. Badis Badis or Chameleon Fish (Badis badis) Badis fish

Aquarium enthusiasts know many different fish that are interesting to keep. or chameleon fish, is not popular. It is all the more interesting to find out what kind of species it is and how to treat it.

Description

The chameleon fish belongs to the Nandidae family, in which it is supposedly represented by three subspecies. Not all researchers agree with this. At least 7 more subspecies have been identified. Three are described in detail:

  • badis;
  • Burmese;
  • Siamese.

Color: bluish-gray, brownish, reddish.

All badis are chameleons, they change color to suit environment. Males are up to 6 cm long, females are slightly smaller. The fish have gender differences: females are smaller and rounder, not so brightly colored. Males are more beautiful and larger, their body is thinner.

Did you know? “Silent as a Fish” is definitely not about fish, because they are capable of making sounds in the frequency range inaccessible to the human ear.

Due to differences in appearance, males sell better, so females are in short supply. This is important for those who breed these rare individuals. Rare because chameleons are not particularly popular among aquarists.

Area and habitat in nature

In nature, this family lives in Asia; it is widely represented in the rivers of India and neighboring countries. They need slow, muddy water, they hide under snags, in rotting remains of grass, fallen leaves, where they are really difficult to find. Actually, no one is looking. This fish has no industrial significance, is of interest exclusively as an aquarium.

Life in an aquarium

In an aquarium, the badis fish will feel great if an amateur aquarist creates the conditions it needs.

Badis needs:

  • aquarium with a volume of at least 40 liters;
  • sandy or gravel bottom;
  • a lot of shelters made of driftwood, coconut shells, branches;
  • lack of bright light;
  • water of medium hardness and pH 6.0-7.5;
  • temperature +15...+25 °C;
  • biotope is desirable;
  • plants attached to the decor and floating on the surface for shading.


Feeding

Natural food chameleon fish:

  • worms;
  • insects;
  • larvae;
  • any zooplankton.

For this reason, at first they do not eat artificial food, but with the owner’s persistence they get used to it. However, this should not be abused and still give the fish live and frozen food, namely:

  • Artemia;
  • daphnia;
  • koretru.

Color directly depends on nutrition: The better and more varied the food, the brighter it is. The fish have poor health and are prone to stomach diseases, so bloodworms and tubifex are excluded from the diet. Neighbors should not eat these shy and timid inhabitants of the aquarium.

Important! Fish can die from just one overfeeding.

Care

Caring for these fish is not difficult; it all comes down to the overall proper functioning of the aquarium as ecosystems. This is exactly what the owner should take care of. To ensure this, firstly, you need regular and proper water changes, preferably once a week. Tap water cannot be poured without purification and settling.

Secondly, it is necessary to clean the interior of the aquarium from waste products of fish and other inhabitants. Since the aquarium for badis has a volume of 40 liters or more, putting it in order will take time. All these nuances must be taken into account when deciding to start aquarium fish, and badisov in particular.

Compatibility

Badis are not fast fish, so they have developed a different defense: the ability to mimic the environment. They are chameleons and that's it.

Did you know? gold fish also called office. It is a couple of such individuals that can most often be found in office premises.

They feel best in the biotope, but if this is not possible, then when keeping these fish it is important to remember some of their characteristics as a species.

  • Males are prone to aggression towards their own kind, so they keep either a pair or one male at the head of several females.
  • They eat individuals smaller than themselves - fry, shrimp.
  • Neighbors should be peaceful - neons, pandas.
  • Similar behavior of other species will create problems in the aquarium; Apistogrammas are definitely not suitable for living together with Badis.

Breeding

Badis are not a species that cannot be bred in an aquarium, such as the brocade catfish.

They spawn well in shelters, a large number of which guarantees high survival rate of fry. The male will protect the offspring in artificial caves, and it is better to remove other fish during this period. Spawning is stimulated by an increase in water temperature within reasonable limits, as well as abundant live food.

The mating ritual of this species goes like this:

  • Before spawning, males darken and their fins turn bright blue.
  • They invite females into their cave, displaying special courtship behavior.
  • The female lays 30-100 eggs, and her mission is completed.
  • The male no longer needs her, and she is removed.
  • The male badis will guard the eggs until the fry hatch from them. He fans the masonry with his fins to increase the flow of water.
  • The fry appear within a day, sometimes after 36 hours, but live near their father for a week.

Important! As soon as the little thing begins to leave the shelter, the adult male forgets whose dad he is and begins to perceive his own children as food.

Very important at this moment separate a parent and its offspring. They begin to feed the fry with commercial special food, microworms, then artemia and other plankton.

“Mighty nature is full of miracles” - Lomonosov noted this. And the little fish badis-badis brilliantly demonstrates the possibilities and incomprehensible diversity of the surrounding world.


Badis live in stagnant waters of India. This fish was first brought from India to Europe in 1905. Description of Badis - Badis
Males range in size from 10 cm, their body can change color, it all depends on environmental conditions. The fins of males are more beautiful and larger than those of females. Females do not have a very convex belly. Due to the change in their color, they were given the name - Chameleon Fish. Contents Badis - Badisa
The fish themselves are peaceful, they lead a secretive lifestyle, so you need to make a lot of shelters in the aquarium, which are rich and densely planted with greenery, where they could hide. Lighting should be diffused, not bright.
Breeding Badis – Badis
To breed Badis, you need a 20-liter aquarium, which is densely planted with crops, put a pot or stone in it. Lighting should be dim. Water must meet the following parameters: - temperature 26 degrees, - pH 6.5. Only a couple of breeders are released into the aquarium. Some males begin to build holes in the sand before spawning. Spawning will occur either in a pot or on a rock. Males become aggressive defending their territory. The male takes care of the eggs. Immediately after spawning has occurred, the female is removed. The larvae appear within 2 days. After 7 days, the fry can be fed with Artemia larvae. This type of fish is highly prolific and can be bred continuously. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=l318GjYbKbQ Feeding Badis - Badis
Most suitable fish for Badis is a live food, suitable for feeding tubifex or aquatic insect larvae.

From

There are aquarists who do not give in to fashion trends and forever remain adherents of not very popular fish. These fish include the very rare Badis badis. This fish is better known as the dwarf chameleon. The fish is very peaceful, males reach a length of about 8 cm, and females are almost half as long - 4.5 cm. The habitat of the fish is from India and all the way to Southeast Asia in its western regions.
The difference between the sexes can be distinguished in immature badis as early as early stage development. Before feeding, males can be distinguished by their retracted abdomens; females, on the contrary, are more rounded, not so brightly colored, and their anal and dorsal fins are not pointed like those of males. If two immature badis are placed in a 20-liter aquarium, it will soon become clear that keeping two males in this small container is fraught with significant problems. At first, their behavior will be of an interesting, one might even say competitive nature, but even with many hiding places, the strongest dominant male quickly begins to pursue and oppress his opponent. The result of a constant stressful situation can be the death of the weakest male. But in a spacious aquarium with a large number of shelters, several pairs can coexist completely without conflict.

If you want to take a closer look at the life of these secretive creatures in a well-equipped aquarium, try to keep the plants from growing to the front glass and the hiding places not very deep. Dense plants and small grottoes give the badis a feeling of complete security, and also do not allow them to completely hide from view, which is naturally characteristic of these fish.
While females are constantly exploring the aquarium, males very quickly designate their small territory near some shelter and leave it unattended only when it is necessary to find food. Feeding badis in large aquariums, which they share with nimble fish such as rasboras or tetras, is not an easy task. For very slow badis, only live food or frozen bloodworms are needed.
V. badis is undemanding to water quality and can even spawn with a hardness of about 20°, but it feels much better in water filtered through peat with a slightly acidic or neutral reaction. This water composition should be used in a spawning aquarium. Badis reacts to a greater extent to water temperature indicators. For simple maintenance, the temperature should be about 24-27°C, but during the spawning period it is advisable to raise it to 28°C.

In badis, spawning occurs approximately in the same way as in labyrinth fish. It is advisable to remove the female from a small spawning aquarium immediately, since the male guards the eggs himself and simply cannot tolerate the presence of the female. But in general, males do not take much care of the offspring, as many cichlids and labyrinth fish do, cleaning the eggs in their mouths or turning them over.
The parental care of the male badis is manifested only in the fact that he hovers over the eggs and ventilates them with his fins. If the water temperature in the aquarium remains stable at 27-28°C, the larvae begin to swim freely after six days. At first, they need live and very small food, preferably rotifers, but good results can be achieved by feeding paramecium very often, but in moderate volumes at each meal.
In the process of transitioning to feeding on Artemia nauplii, the fry quite often die, and this happens unnoticed. It is during this period, that is, approximately 3-4 weeks, that the young Badis are apparently very pampered. If you feed them Cyclops nauplii, then the losses in this case are very large, but with a decrease in food portions, some badis can survive, but later attack the fry of their own brood.
Having overcome this difficult stage, the growth of the badis begins to proceed very quickly and smoothly, but then it slows down to some extent, and it seems that the fish have stopped developing altogether. But as soon as immature individuals are divided into pairs, they begin to grow rapidly again, this is especially noticeable in males. If the brood is left completely in the aquarium, then, depending on the capacity of the aquarium itself, only some, stronger males who have allocated their territory develop normally.

Despite the fact that small badis-badis fish are relatively unpretentious, they can rarely be found in our domestic aquariums. Perhaps this is due to the lack of awareness of many amateurs aquatic fauna. Let's try to fill this knowledge gap.

Nickname "chameleon" little freshwater fish received because of its ability to change color under the influence external conditions. It can change its color from orange to dark blue and even purple.

Metallic shades are often present in the color. This quality allows the aquatic animal to adapt to the basic color of the natural aquatic environment and objects located in the bottom layer.

  • The fish is small in size: from 6 to 8 cm long.
  • The body of individuals is oval, flattened on the sides, the line of the body smoothly passes into the head with small black eyes and a small mouth.
  • The dorsal fin is dense, long and rather high; it stretches along the entire back, only slightly short of the tail.
  • The pectoral fins are small but powerful.
  • The fish's tail has a semicircular fan-shaped shape, which helps the “chameleon” move quickly.

The sexual characteristics of individuals of the species are expressed quite clearly.

Females are much paler than males, their fins are transparent, and in males they are colored to match the color of the body. In addition, females are slightly smaller than their partners.

Conditions of the natural biotope

Badis-badis are Asian fish that are found in fresh water bodies of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Thailand.

They prefer shallow, slow-flowing rivers or lakes with a muddy bottom covered with fallen leaves, snags, and flooded trees. It is these objects that chameleon fish mimic.

This property allows them to successfully hunt smaller animals. Yes, badis are carnivorous representatives of Asian aquatic fauna, they eat everything they can swallow: worms, snails and tiny crustaceans, larvae, aquatic insects and other natural zooplankton.

According to scientific classification, the fish belongs to the small family Badidae, which includes about 30 species of badis. Among them there are several particularly notable representatives:

  • Burmese badis (lat. Badis burmanicus),
  • Siamese (lat. Badis siamensis),
  • simple Badis badis.

The primary difference between individuals of these species is only in color.

The name Badis itself, experts believe, comes from the Latin term badius, which translated into Russian means “chestnut”.

In general, this is a rather rare fish, living in small schools (one male and several females, as a rule). That is why, for the needs of aquarium hobby, such Asian aquatic chameleons are bred in special nurseries.

Chameleon fish in an aquarium

Badis are considered unpretentious when living in captivity. In principle, even a novice aquarist can successfully keep them. Since the fish has small sizes, then it can even live in a nano-aquarium (unless, of course, you plan to keep other aquatic ornamental animals).

Alone, the “chameleon” is unlikely to have any fun, but in the company of 2-3 females he will feel great. Therefore, for such a flock you need an aquarium with a capacity of 40 liters or more. Naturally, it is necessary to maintain appropriate fresh water parameters, namely:

  • temperature from +15 to +25 °C;
  • hardness: from 3 to 15 °dH;
  • The pH balance is either neutral, or with a slight shift towards acidity - 6.0-7.5 pH.

The bottom of the aquarium should be decorated with driftwood, convex fragments of clay cups or pots, small stone grottoes, and coconut shells.

All of the items listed will be places suitable for subsequent spawning.

Chameleon fish do not like bright light, so floating plants can be placed on the surface of the aquarium to provide partial shading. If there is no vegetation, then the light should be dimmed.

A necessary condition of detention. It is also necessary to organize moderate aeration and weekly water changes in the amount of ¼ of the total amount. It should also be thoroughly cleaned of any remaining fish waste about once every 2 weeks.

Feeding

In nurseries, they try, of course, to accustom chameleon fish to dry food, but they still prefer live food: worms, daphnia, and coretra. However, dry commercial food can also be included in this diet. Tubifex or bloodworms can also be given, but they must be washed well to avoid stomach diseases.

Yes, if the aquarium contains cherry shrimp and “chameleons” are released into it, then you can say goodbye to shrimp forever. They will be quickly eaten.

Compatibility

Many experienced badis owners strongly recommend keeping these “Asians” in species aquariums. This circumstance is associated with increased aggression of males during the spawning period.

However, if the aquarium is large enough and has room for its own territory, then Badis can get along quite well with ornamental fish of approximately the same size.

There is a positive experience of badis living together with small catfish, some characins.

Reproduction

This is also possible in a community aquarium. Spawning is usually stimulated by slightly increasing the water temperature (to about 28–29 °C).

Before spawning, the males become more aggressive; they mark the territory where the female will then spawn.

The female lays about 100 tiny eggs in some shelter, after which her role ends. The male gets down to business, not only vigilantly guarding the clutch, but also fanning the eggs with his powerful fins.

The fry hatch after 2–3 days, and after another 4–5 days they begin to actively swim. It is at this time that the fry (or, conversely, adults) must be removed. Otherwise, the cubs may become live food. The starting food for juveniles is usually brine shrimp and microworms.

Chameleon fish deserve to take their rightful place in the domestic aquarium hobby. Bright and lively, they can decorate any home aquarium.

Chameleon fish live in stagnant bodies of water in India. To Europe chameleon fish imported in 1904. They were known to us even before the revolution. Re-imported in 1950. The fish reach 8 cm, usually no more than 5-6 cm. Females are somewhat smaller than males. The genus Badis is widespread in Indian water bodies. The body is relatively low, laterally compressed, the back is slightly convex, the abdomen is somewhat concave, the head is relatively small, and the dorsal fin is long. This species has many geographical forms.
The male differs from the female in having pointed dorsal and anal fins. Your name chameleon fish received for a constant change in color, depending on the degree of irritation and conditions of detention. It is especially beautiful in the male during the breeding season. At this time, it becomes almost black with a greenish-blue metallic sheen, usually the color is grayish-blue with five transverse stripes of blue and red dots, iridescent in pearlescent color. Coloring chameleon fish changes almost continuously.


The fish are kept under the conditions described for the entire family. They can be kept with any peaceful fish, but it’s better in a separate aquarium, where there are several flower pots or make shelters from plants and stones. Several pairs can be kept together in one aquarium. The optimal water temperature when kept is 20-25°, when diluted 28-30°. The female lays eggs in the amount of 40-100 eggs in a flower pot. After the end of spawning, the female is removed. The larvae hatch after 2-3 days. The male takes care of the offspring; 14 days after hatching the young, he should be removed. Feeding the fry is not difficult; at first they are fed with ciliates and tiny nauplii.
The Latin name for the fish is badis badis.
Another representative of the rheas is the stump fish.

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Today, chameleon fish are widespread in amateur home reservoirs due to their relative unpretentiousness. It belongs to the family Badiidae (Nandidae) and the order Perciformes, and is nicknamed “chameleon fish” due to the ability to quickly change its body color in stressful situations, during breeding or depending on the environment that surrounds it. There are 3 subspecies of badis-badis, differing in color: simple and Siamese badis (with a brown or gray-blue tint), Burmese (reddish).

Sources say that the badis-badis fish was previously distributed throughout the world, but now it lives in South America, Africa, Thailand, Pakistan, Nepal, as well as in a huge number of tributaries of the Ganges.

Chameleon fish love ponds and streams with slow flow or standing water. The bulk of their life is spent in disguise. The fish hide under fallen leaves and snags lying at the bottom of the reservoir, and thanks to the natural ability of badis-badis, they change color and mimic their environment.

The length of the body of the male fish reaches 6 cm, the female is slightly smaller.

Appearance

The chameleon fish is capable of dramatically changing the color scheme of its body from bright orange to dark purple or blue. Its color may have a metallic tint, which allows the aquatic individual to adapt to the environment and successfully hide from predators.

Distinctive features:

  • small body length - 5-6 cm, however, individual representatives of this species can reach 8 cm;
  • the fish has an oval shape, flattened at the sides. The body passes directly into the head, on which small black eyes and a mouth are located;
  • the fish have a high fin, almost reaching the tail;
  • strong pectoral fins medium size;
  • a fan-shaped and semicircular tail, allowing the individual to quickly move through the water column.

Badis-badis fish will be very comfortable living in aquariums with a volume of at least 40 liters with a gravel or sandy bottom where shelters are located. It is also recommended to plant biotope plants that grow into the decor, such as:

  • Anubias;
  • Thai fern;

To create maximum conditions for aquatic chameleons, you will need to additionally set attributes that bring your home pond closer to your favorite one, natural environment habitats of badis-badis:

  • dried leaves;
  • driftwood;
  • coconuts;
  • branches;
  • floating plants;
  • pots.

It is also recommended to pay attention to the following water parameters: average and 6-7.5 with a temperature that can fluctuate freely for a short period of time from 15-25℃ without creating discomfort. IN warm water the fish will begin to breed offspring.

Badis-badis in the aquarium:

Compatibility

By nature, chameleon fish are slow and timid. They regularly hide behind leaves and snags, and also change body color, so it is best for them to live in a separate aquarium, without neighbors. They can eat small shrimp and fry, because of this it is better not to let them into a container with miniature inhabitants.

If, nevertheless, the aquarist expressed a desire to place neighbors with them, then it is recommended to choose peaceful fish:

  • characins;
  • neon;
  • erythrozonus;
  • small catfish.

But it is better to refuse fish that are similar in appearance or have similar habits. The Badis will not get along with their Apistogram neighbors and the like.

How to distinguish a female from a male

Female and male chameleon fish have their own distinctive features. Females are pale in color, slightly plump, and smaller in size relative to the opposite sex. They also have transparent fins, while males have flesh-colored fins. However, more males are imported, because their brightness and colorful colors attract buyers better.

Nutrition

In nature, badis-badis fish happily feed on zooplankton: insects living in water, worms, larvae, so once in a home pond, they may refuse store-bought food, but some individuals get used to it over time.

  • Daphnia;
  • coretra;
  • Artemia.

The more varied the food for fish of this species, the brighter the color of its body. You should also be careful when choosing neighbors for them, because they are shy, so some fish can take food from chameleons.

Chameleon fish are prone to inflammatory processes inside the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), so it is better not to use complementary foods: tubifex, bloodworms, or to thoroughly wash them before serving.

Breeding

The stimulus for spawning is a slight increase in the temperature of the aquarium liquid, and an increased amount of food of live origin. Chameleon fish spawn freely in domestic reservoirs with a large number of shelters, hiding their offspring in them. They are able to reproduce as a pair or as a whole family, so they are easy to breed. Before spawning, each male will prepare a separate shelter for himself, because he, as the male representative, protects his fry.

The survival rate of small badis is quite high, regardless of the water temperature and the fish living in the neighborhood, however, to increase survival rate, it is worth transplanting them into another container.

If the male is ready to spawn, he becomes aggressive and invites the female into his territory. At this moment, the fish changes color to an unforgettable black color with blue, luminous fins. For chameleons in mating season typically lip-locking, where the male practically engulfs the female and drags her into a prepared spawning area.

During 1 spawning, the female is capable of laying up to 100 eggs, then she can be transplanted into another container, and the male will continue to care for the cubs. After 2-3 days, the fry begin to hatch, and after a week they will swim. Naturally, for the first 7 days they do not leave the shelter, and starting from the 2nd week, it is recommended to transplant them into another aquarium so that adult badis-badis do not eat them.

The initial food for badis-badis fry is commercial food and microworms, and after a few weeks they can be supplemented with brine shrimp naupelia.

Chameleon fish hiding:

Mobile and bright chameleon fish are easy to care for and maintain, so they deserve a place in home ponds. They will give him an extraordinary look and will delight him with their colorful bodies. However, it is worth observing them and noticing the appearance of offspring in time, so that the cubs do not become live food for adults, and it is also recommended to carefully consider the choice nutrients and the neighborhood, because shy fish are prone to gastrointestinal diseases and eating any zooplankton that fits into the oral cavity.

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