Data sheet perch
Latin name:
Perca fluviatilis
Trade name:
perch
order name:
Perciformes (Perciformes)
Family:
Perch (Percidae)
Genus:
perca
Origin:
Europe and Russia
Size (in cm:
20 to 30
pond size
Length and width (cm):
from 300
Content in litres:
from 5000
water values
Temperature:
4 to 26°C
pH:
6 to 8
GH:
5 to 15 °dGH
CH:
from 4
behavior/stocking
Area:
lower to middle range
Lining:
Carnivores, insects, larvae, small crustaceans, snails, small fish, worms, fry, trout or sturgeon food, frozen food, beef heart
Behave:
Schooling fish when young, solitary predator when adult
Number:
single fish
Life expectancy:
up to 20 years
socialization:
no
Difficulty level:
Beginner fish keeping, advanced breeding Karelj, Perca fluviatilis Prague Vltava 3, marked as public domain, details on Wikimedia Commons
General introduction
perch are adaptable water dwellers. They live in both flowing and standing water, from the brackish water of the Baltic Sea to mountain streams at an altitude of 1000 m. The fish avoid muddy waters, preferring deep, rocky bottoms. They like to stay near the banks of rivers.
In the kitchen, the animals are valued for their lean, white, protein-rich meat. They taste delicious.
Perch are not farmed in fish ponds, they come from wild catches.
Look
Their physique is stocky and flattened at the sides. With age, the animals become increasingly high-backed.
The back is dark grey-brown to olive-colored. The sides are noticeably lighter. The perch is silvery to white on the belly, sometimes with a reddish tinge. are typical of the species 6 to 8 dark transverse bands. They owe it the nickname cichlid. Pectoral and pelvic fins are reddish.
Its mouth is superior to almost terminal. It is widely forked and has many small teeth. The gill covers taper backwards and have a thorn. Its body is covered with rough crested scales, which have teeth on the free edge.
Like all perch, the perch has one divided dorsal fin. The dorsal fins can be folded up and laid backwards. Like the anal fin, they are equipped with pointed hard rays. The skins between the rays are grey/transparent with black spots of different sizes.
Behave
When young, perch live in schools near the shore. With the onset of sexual maturity, they move into deeper areas. Each fish looks for its territory, which it inhabits alone. Conspecifics are not tolerated.
The predatory fish capture everything that swims in front of their snout. Young fish feed on zooplankton, later on insects, their larvae and other small animals. The bigger the fish, the bigger the prey. They also stop at other fish, not even young perch of their own kind.
Perch are pronounced intelligent and curious. You can recognize and avoid dangers. If you spend a lot of time with your perch, it can become tame. They spend the winter in deep layers of water under the ice.
Pond
A perch needs Caves and retreats from roots or stones at the bottom of the pond. The edge of the pond should be densely planted. The bottom may be covered with dark gravel.
The fish need oxygen-rich water. The pond should always aerated and well filtered become. He must at least 140 cm deep be. This ensures that the water does not freeze completely. With an ice preventer, enough oxygen gets to the fish.
gender differences
Only when the fish are at least 20 cm long can the sexes be identified with certainty. The females become fatter and larger.
breed
For successful breeding, the pond must be large enough for two animals. Males become sexually mature at 2 to 4 years and females at 4 to 5 years.
In order for the females to be able to form fertile eggs, the Water temperature in winter below 6 °C sink. perch are detention spawner.
From March to June, the animals spawn in shallow water near the shore. Form the eggs Spawn hoses or spawn lines (perch lines). They stick to the plants. The cords often tear open and a bulge develops distinctive mesh pattern.
The eggs are 1.5 to 2.5 mm in size. A female lays up to 45,000 eggs per kg of body weight. The parents operate no brood care. After laying their eggs, they retreat to deeper water zones.
rearing
Once hatched, the larvae immediately rise to the surface and fill their swim bladders. They are carried by the current into water areas far away from the shore. In these times feed on zooplankton.
As yearlings, the swarm returns to near-shore areas. Now the young fish begin to eat insects and other larger animals.
socialization
Perch can exclusively with large fish that no longer fit into their prey schemeto be socialized.
A single perch can be kept alone in the pond. If the pond is large enough, several animals can move in.