▷ Noses (algae eaters) in the pond | All information and details

Data sheet Noses (algae eaters)

Latin name:
Chondrostoma nasus

Trade name:
Nose

order name:
Common carp (Cypriniformes)

Family:

Carp fish (Cyprinidae)

Genus:

chondrostoma

Origin:
Central Europe

Size (in cm:

in the pond up to 30, in nature up to 50

pond size

Content in litres:

from 6000 for 5 animals, each additional fish 1200

water values

Temperature:
4 to 25°C

pH:

7.0 to 8.5

GH:
10 to 30 °dGH

behavior/stocking

Area:
lower area

Lining:
Omnivores, algae, small animals, worms, small crustaceans, insect larvae, flake food

Behave:
Schooling fish, peaceful

Number:
from 5 animals

Life expectancy:

15 to 20 years

socialization:

Yes

Difficulty level:
advanced

André Karwath aka Aka, Chondrostoma nasus (aka), CC BY-SA 2.5

General introduction

noses, too snout, spit, or beak called, inhabit strongly flowing areas of the flux courses. They live in big Swarms of 200 to 500 animals.

The species was widespread in Central Europe. Unfortunately, stocks have declined sharply in recent years. The animals that are offered in the trade come from aquaculture.

They are not valued as food fish. Countless bones and the bland meat are the reason for this. The fish keep the garden pond free of thread and floating algae. They eat the growth that accumulates on rocks, roots and the ground.

The species was voted Fish of the Year in Germany in 1994 and 2020.

Look

The fish got their name from the characteristic elongated upper jaw. He sticks out like a nose.

As a result, the mouth is strongly inferior, the cleft of the mouth is transverse. The distance between the cleft of their mouth and the «tip of their nose» is greater than the diameter of their eyes. Their lower jaw is sharp and horny. It is ideally shaped for scraping algae.

Overall, their head is small and cone-shaped. The fish have one elongated, spindle-shaped body with an oval cross-section.

They are gray-green to gray-blue in color on the upper side. The flanks shine in silver metallic, the belly is white to yellowish. The Fins orange to red forms a nice contrast to the body colour. Their scales are medium-sized.

Be careful not to confuse

Noses are often confused with teeth. They also have a nose-like upper jaw. In contrast to the nose, the teeth have a horseshoe-shaped mouth cleft, the lower jaw is not horny and their anal fin is much longer.

Behave

The fish are predominant active at dusk and at night. As food specialists, they graze on rocks and other surfaces. In doing so, they clean up not only the algae but also the small animals that live in them.

When eating, the animals often turn on their side. Then you can see their flanks flashing silver and you know where they are.

In the spring, when the water temperature rises above 8°C, the fish migrate upstream to calmer waters to spawn.

Pond

The pond needs to be designed a little more elaborately. The current-loving fish need one powerful flow pump. An additional installed oxidizer enriches the water with oxygen. Both are absolutely necessary in order to offer the animals species-appropriate housing.

For the fish, which are getting quite large, the pond filter be dimensioned accordingly. the floor should larger stones and gravel cover. The planting does not have to be lush.

Is the pond at least 130 to 140 cm deep, the noses can easily overwinter in it. They need ice-free areas on the ground. In addition, a ice preventer for the necessary gas exchange.

Danger

Due to the increasing construction of the rivers, the noses encounter more and more insurmountable obstacles during their migrations. They can no longer get to their spawning grounds.

Water pollution is also contributing to declining stocks. As a countermeasure, fish passes or fish ladders have been installed in many places.

In Germany, closed seasons and protective measures for catching nase were prescribed by law.

gender differences

The females are fuller. During the spawning season, their abdomen is reddish. Spawning rash occurs on the head in both sexes. It is more pronounced in males.

breed

The fish become sexually mature at the age of 3 to 4 years. When they arrive in the spawning waters, find intense courtship games instead of. Then the females look for pebbly spots in the river or stream and glue their eggs to the stones.

Each female lays 30,000 to 100,000 eggs about 1.5 mm in size. The parents then make their way back to their ancestral waters. The clutch is left to itself.

After hatching, the larvae initially hide between the stones. When their yolk sac is gone, they look for each other Areas with little current and as fine a substrate as possible.

At first they live there planktonuntil they are large enough to scrape off the algae. Recreating these conditions in the garden pond should be almost impossible. Therefore, own offspring is rather unlikely.

socialization

noses can with other peaceful fish to be socialized. Snails and mussels are also not a problem. The roommates have to similar demands on living conditions have.