Rotan
Rotan – predatory fish was brought to the territory of modern Russia from the countries of eastern Asia. With its excellent appetite, inherent to predators occasions and the desire to eat everything at once, rotan perfectly adapted to Russian waters. The wholesale import and breeding of rattans began in Russia after 1912, when livestock began to settle in large numbers in the lakes near St. Petersburg. Aquarists have done this consciously. And by the beginning of the 1917 revolution, fish had settled throughout the Gulf of Finland.
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The ability to adapt to virtually all climatic conditions is another important characteristic of this fish, which can even freeze all the water in a reservoir, then thaw and continue its normal life cycle like never before. Today, this predator is comfortable in many waters of our huge country and has a serious population. Therefore, it is not surprising that many fishermen with pleasure go to the reservoirs to catch rattan. However, there are reservoirs where the number of rattans is simply huge, and this does not benefit either the aquatic ecosystem or the fishing process. Indeed, in such cases, catching peaceful fish is no longer so easy, and not all fishermen are ready to hunt only underwater predators all year round. Rotan is found so often that its industrial production is carried out actively, but not in large quantities, for example, in scuba diving, lentils and starch. Its meat has a pleasant taste, but is not particularly appreciated in the fish market. The rotonda is characterized by a mucus that covers her entire body.
Rotan description
This fish belongs to the family of striped fish and Odontobranchidae. In appearance, it resembles something intermediate between a sword tree and a sea bull. One third of his body is occupied by a large head with an impressive mouth. Chest and back fins and small tail are presented indistinctly. The front high fin is shorter in length and the rear is slightly lower, but twice as long as the front. The pectoral fins, on the other hand, are unique to fish from different aquifers. So, one predator can swim even with a small and insignificant pectoral fin, and the other, on the contrary, cuts with the pectoral fin lush water spaces, like a butterfly. So far, science can’t say exactly why this is happening, but many of these changes are related to different conditions in which fish are kept.
His body resembles a drop, gently shrinking from head to tail. This slightly awkward shape distinguishes the rattan from other inhabitants of the reservoir. Its large mouth is equipped with quite sharp teeth, which is especially important for dangerous and cunning predators. Capillary shape and sharp teeth allow the fish to develop excellent speed in the water. A particularly good predator has an initiating speed. This is clearly seen in how he suddenly jumps out of his shelter and attacks the prey. All this virtually gives no chance of a wonderful ending to the episode in favor of the victim. Many have heard of the earthquake biting its victims with its teeth, but rotan does it even more vigorously and fiercely. Frequent hunting and feeding require the teeth of the predator to be renewed. Nature provided for timely self-replacement of teeth rotan. The strong catch of the fish contrasts with its small size. Most family members are not more than 25 cm long. In most cases, the average rotan length ranges between 14 and 18 cm. The maximum fish weight is set at 800 grams. Predators typically live for about 7-10 years, although 15-year-old specimens have been recorded. However, this is rather an exception to the rules, since today it is practically impossible to meet such old rotunda. Predators reach sexual maturity in two years. From this point on, females can go to hatch and lay eggs.
Because of the large head of this predator in the people called “arrow of fire”. A small, dense set of teeth allows it to cope with small and slippery prey. The scales cover the entire body in the form of medium-sized scales. Fish differ in color and directly envy the pond and its condition. If the bottom of the reservoir is mostly covered with sand, the predators floating here will have a light brown color and almost bright spots. If the bottom of the pond is peat, the fish will be closer to the dark color. The claw covers of these fish are impressive in size, which can significantly exceed their body. Large eyes help the crocodile have a good viewing angle and detect prey at a distance.
Interestingly, the mucus that covers the predator helps it survive in extreme conditions, when the water temperature can rise to +40 ° C or fall below -5 ° C.
The romantic habits.
In his appearance, Laden shows only one predatory habit. Once it hatches from the egg, it immediately begins to absorb the zooplankton that is next to it. After gaining a little weight and growing up, the individual switches to worms, insects, larvae, eggs and fried food. Rotan is so fond of eating that he is willing to pose behind any cheek, unsuspecting of his smaller and weaker parental relative. Fish love to eat, but there is no doubt that they sword through the waters in search of food. Predators prefer to hide in shelters and wait until a suitable victim hits their future attack zone. Rotan, like most other underwater predators, prefers to attack it vertically at a small angle rather than horizontally. This means that they rarely do this for attacking prey located in a horizontal plane. Perhaps only young and inexperienced. This is because the structure of the head and jaws does not allow the predator to cling tightly to the victim during a horizontal attack. Therefore, the rattan must push into the underwater growths and wait until an appetizing victim floats over it. Careful fishermen, especially at small depths, may even notice the nose protruding from the underwater vegetation and the head of the predator. He likes to be called a greedy lazy, and there is a lot of truth to that. Fast, long, and exhausting chases are not for rottans. If the prey is not caught the first time, this predator is unlikely to pursue it. And, more likely, he will just return to the obstacle instead of the ambush. Such failures in the hunt, it must be admitted, with this fish happen very rarely. In most cases, a quick and unexpected attack on an attack victim is 100% the trigger. If no one swims in the shelter of the rotan for a long time, it will easily switch to everything that is nearby – worms, bloodworms, insects.
Rotan has a reputation as a grassy fish. He prefers dark areas with a horseshoe bottom. The liveliness of the fish gave rise to the proverb: “Rotan will survive where he is left.” Only it helps to survive. In a few difficult minutes for her life, the fish bursts into the viscous bottom, waiting for unpleasant weather changes. Here, fish find enough water and oxygen during drought and heat and heat during severe frosts.
This predator’s nest is very long. The germination period in many cases lasts from mid-May to July. This is one of the longest breeding periods among fish living in Russian waters. The female could lay 1,000 eggs, and soon after that, as NIV, there was nothing to look for. She doesn’t need time to recover. At this point, a person appears who by this time has changed his usual skin color to black. Here his duties continue until all the eggs hatch. Pope Lotan does not wait too carefully for the appearance of offspring, as he wants to quench his hunger again. Of course, many flies avoid encountering their father’s sharp teeth, but many cubs die within the first few minutes of adulthood. Lotan’s carpentry and predatory practices spare no one, not even his offspring!
How to distinguish rotana from bull
For some reason, many people continued to take rotons for bulls and vice versa. This confusion even led to the fact that behind the rotonda was fixed a silent nickname Amur Gobi. It is time to understand this issue, and not ask amateurs to communicate with experienced fishermen. To avoid confusing these two fish, identify the abdominal fins very closely. And if the bull eats the bull almost completely and turns into something that resembles a sucker, then first its fins will be paired, and then located near the head. The color can also be distinguished from the bulls and the rotusees. The back of the predator is always darker, the abdomen and sides – yellow, gray or brown tones. During the hotel, the rattans are all carbon black, regardless of the nature of the bottom of the reservoir. In bulls, this color transformation does not occur.
Where lives rotan
Initially, rattans could only be found in rivers flowing through the territory of China and North Korea. This situation developed until the beginning of the 20th century, when the gradual and ubiquitous settlement of fish in Russian waters began. First, in the Amur basin, the fish fell into Lake Baikal, and then began to be imported specifically into the reservoirs of the central cities of the country. The first aquariums inhabited the water bodies of Moscow and St. Petersburg regions, then the fish spread
