Loach is a freshwater fish: a class of ray-feathers, a detachment of cypriniformes, a family of loachweed, a genus loach. The name the fish received, because it has the property of wriggling like a snake. Loach is not popular among fishermen because of its unpleasant appearance, but meat is not inferior in taste to many other varieties.
Fish description
The length of this fish is up to 30 cm, the average length is about 15-18 cm. The loach has small scales, but quite visible. The head is small, elongated forward, eyes yellow, located on top. The body is long, similar to a snake. The fish is called squeak, because when fishing, it wriggles and squeaks. The tail of a loach is small, having a rounded shape.
There are antennae near the mouth, the number varies from 6 to 12 pieces. The nostrils are elongated and rounded. In males, a thick and long second ray of the pectoral fin, in contrast to the female. Also, males have a thickening from one and the second side, which is formed by adipose tissue. Loaches can live about 10 years.
Habitat
Loach fish lives in water bodies:
- Europe
- South Asia
- East Asia.
The fish lives in all freshwater bodies in which tina or silt is present. Loach easily adapts to any environment.
These fish can be found even in dirty rivers, lakes, where they are at the bottom or buried in silt. During the day, the lovers sleep all the time, but only in the evening and at night go hunting.
Varieties of loach
The loach family includes many species of fish, there are 177 of them. Consider the most common types of loaches:
Kind of loach | Description |
Common plucking | The smallest fish belonging to the loach family. They inhabit almost all of Europe, with the exception of some countries. Most often, such a variety can be found in the CIS, in North China, Japan, and Asia. The length of the fish does not exceed 10 cm. The body color is light yellow, and there are large spots on one and on the other side. |
Common loach | The location of such a loach is muddy ponds in Europe and Asia. The back has a brown color, where there are many dark spots. The length of the fish is 15 cm, sometimes it reaches 30 cm. The color depends on the place and habitat, the majority of looms have a brown back with a lot of dark spots, and the abdomen is yellow and also has many spots. In the center of the body passes a thick dark strip, from which narrow stripes go. |
Amur loach | Such fish can be found in northeast Asia, Siberia, Sakhalin, Japan and China. One of the largest fish of the loach family, reaching 25 cm and more. And those fish that live in the aquarium, their length does not exceed 18 cm. The color of the fish is yellow-copper or light brown. |
Lifestyle
Loaches are not whimsical in habitat, they live well even where there are no other fish at all. If she does not have enough oxygen, she will rise above the water and take in air, making a squealing sound, which is why it is popularly called squeaky. Especially in the summer, you can hear the squeak of loaches.
Most of all loaches prefer swampy, stagnant or slowly flowing waters. They love overgrown areas, ducts and bays. In this fish, strong tortuosity and long survivability are striking. In a drought, loaches burrow into the silt, so in such extreme conditions it is impossible to see them with the human eye.
What does loach eat?
Loach family fish feed on invertebrates, larvae of any insects, small crabs, crayfish and lobsters, as well as mollusks. In addition, lovers love to eat someone else's caviar. There is no fish that could compete with him in his ability to search for prey at the bottom of the lake and river.
And the loach itself can eat the following fish:
- pike
- perch;
- burbots.
Beneficial features
River loach in Russia is not considered a valuable fish, but the meat has high palatability, because it is juicy, fatty with no small bones. In Asia, this fish is appreciated and considered a delicacy. Loaches are used as bait for catching pike, catfish and burbots. Being on a hook, a loach is able to remain viable throughout the day. The fish is useful for fighting mosquitoes, because loach eats a large number of eggs, especially painting mosquitoes.
Since loach gives away slime, anglers often breed fish in clean ponds. To begin with, with the help of ash, the fish is cleaned of mucus, and then thoroughly washed under running water.
Ear is cooked from this fish; the frying method is used very rarely.
Dishes from loach have many useful substances:
- Vitamin A. Ensures the health of the mucous membranes, establishes the process of production of sex hormones.
- Vitamin B. Increases the overall tone of the body and strengthens the immune system and heart muscle.
- Vitamin D. Promotes the proper development of the skeleton and teeth.
- Fatty acids and amino acids. Favorably affects the cardiovascular system and normalizes the amount of cholesterol.
- Trace elements. Magnesium, potassium, fluorine, zinc, potassium and iodine contribute to the proper functioning of the body as a whole.
Breeding
Spawning of the loach family lasts from April to June. The female is highly fertile, because she can sweep up to 38,000 eggs. The diameter of one egg reaches 1.9 mm, having a brown tint. A week later, 5 mm larvae hatch from eggs, which adhere to plants using special organs. Also, in larvae, the thick vessels in the pectoral fins perform the respiratory function.
Malek develops and grows rather quickly, because in the first year of its life it grows up to 4 cm in length, at the age of three their length already reaches 13 cm. Loaches can reproduce upon reaching the age of three. When the larva is 26 days old, the external gills disappear, and when it reaches 30 cm in length, it is considered to be a full-fledged fish, and not a fry.
Breeding and growing loach
Some loaches have a rather exotic look, especially for Asian fish. From Asia they began to import into Russia in the 19th century, since in those days it was fashionable to have at least one loach in their aquarium.
Although these fish get along with other inhabitants, it is better to keep them separate, since they frighten other aquarium inhabitants with their active lifestyle.
Often they get loaches for further placement in ponds - this fish is able to purify water well. In winter, loaches burrow in silt and fall asleep throughout the winter, and only with the onset of heat do they wake up and float. You can breed loaches in ponds with any depth.
Even a small hole without frozen ice collects loaches around itself, since they are in great need of oxygen. In this case, they can be caught simply by hand, without any gear. Many fishermen breed loaches in small diggers, because they adapt to any conditions.
In Japan, loaches are grown and kept in separate aquariums to accurately predict changes in weather conditions and even natural disasters. Often, these fish give a more accurate forecast than special weather stations.
Loach aquarium
Loaches well take root with any other species of fish, they feel great even in a small aquarium. Aquarium loach feeds on bloodworms, raw meat, worms and eggs of ants. Fish collects food at the bottom of the aquarium using its antennae, which are the organ of touch.
Loaches take care of the vegetation in the aquarium, they do not spoil it and do not eat. At the bottom, it is advisable to put several pieces of driftwood to create a stone grotto. In addition, it is recommended to make a small dark zone where the fish will feel calm, so the conditions will be as close to natural as possible.
Since the fish is bottom, feeding should be difficult, namely:
- Worms
- specialized dry food;
- herbal supplements;
- raw meat.
Fishing loach
Loach fishing occurs on a dung or earthworm using float or bottom fishing rods. The diameter of the fishing line can be 0.15-0.25 mm, and the hooks are 5 numbers. The nozzle must be lowered to the very bottom, and you can not be afraid that if it gets into the sludge, the loach will not find it. He, on the contrary, at the bottom is easier and faster to find food than from above. Loaches are unpretentious and can peck even on an empty hook without bait.
Fishermen rarely catch loaches for food, mainly they become prey for catching other types of fish. As a bait, you can keep it for a week in a container with a small amount of water, and put a little fresh grass on top, every day, changing it to a new one.
It is necessary to hold the caught fish firmly with both hands, it wriggles very strongly and, moreover, the fish is slippery.
Interesting Facts
There are some interesting facts regarding loach fish:
- Fish can remain alive and viable without food for 5 months.
- Loach can be without water for a long time. Unlike other fish, loach can breathe with gills as well as skin and intestines. The walls of the intestine are equipped with blood vessels, they fulfill their function when oxygen is not enough.
- Large loaches can crawl from one reservoir to another, this occurs in the morning when there is dew.
- Blinds always predicted the weather. 24 hours before a thunderstorm, fish float up and rush back and forth, eagerly swallowing air. According to these signs, fishermen understand that it will rain in a day. They rush about because they feel the change in weather.
Loach is unpretentious in content, very hardy and has a long life. These fish can even live without water for about a day, and without food for six months. Loaches are rarely eaten because of their specific odor; they are mainly used as bait for other fish. Interestingly, the loach accurately predicts changes in weather conditions and the onset of natural disasters.
Posted by
0
Russia. Krasnodar city
Publications: 34 Comments: 0