| Common Name | Telescope eye
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| Species/genus |
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| Keeping | Also known as Globe eye, dragon eye etc.. these are known for their
eyes which extend almost like a tube in adults sometimes up to 3/4 of an inch. The term telescope is an
anomaly since these fish actually have limited vision due to defective eye formation. In body shape they
resemble Fan tails with double anal and caudal fins. Colours range from orange metallic to calico. Matt
version of this fish is very rare. There is a Veil tail variety of this fish also. These fish live from
5 to 10 years. The temperature has to be kept constant at around 65 deg F. Given enough room these will
grow from 4 to 6 inches, tail excluded. Eyes are very delicate and often are injured and develop
fungus and other problems. These are not beginners fish. At young age their telescopes are not grown and they
have good eye sight and they can compete for food with similar fancy Gold fishes but as they age (6 months to 1 year) and their eye sight becomes poor, they cannot really compete. These are recommended to be kept in
species tank. Not recommended for ponds.
|
| Breeding | Select a pair of healthy male and female. You can have multiple males
and females breed together as a mass. Have a 20 Gallon breeding tank with some plants and a sponge filter which
does not produce a very strong water movement. Water level to be not more than 6 inches. Clean conditioned water should be provided. After introducing the male and female condition them with live foods for a week. Then make
a 40% water change with cool fresh water. You can add some ice to the water to make it cool before adding it
to the tank. The drop in temperature will stimulate the fish to breed. The male chases the female
vigorously, but not violently. The female is pushed to a corner and the male shimmies around the female.
Eggs and sperm are released and eggs get fertilized. Eggs are colourless and sticky. They normally stick
to plants. Parents may eat the eggs so remove them after spawning. Males can be identified by small tubercules
near the Gill covers during breeding period. Normally male will be less rounded than female and will
chase her around mostly.
Eggs will hatch after 4 or 5 days. Eggs can be spoiled by fungus, spoiled eggs are white milky coloured.
So keep the gentle filter action and add a few drops of methylene blue to the water. Fry may need freshly
hatched brine shrimp to start with. They grow fast and soon should be able to eat powdered flakes and other
vegetable matter. Good quality fry can be obtained only if the parents are strong and healthy.
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| Origin | Temp | Water | Temper
| Size | Tank | Food | Breeding
|
| China | 55-65°F | 7.2-7.6 pH
| Very Peaceful | 3-4 inch | 20G Tanks
| All, worms | Egg layer
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