Philomena or Moenkhausia Red-Eyed – features, types and rules of keeping

If you are looking for an unpretentious and very bright fish for your aquarium, be sure to take a look at the philomena. It is most often called the red-eyed tetra or red-eyed moenkausia. It is a small but incredibly active schooling fish, whose main decoration is its bright red eyes, which contrast effectively with its silvery body.

Despite its modest size, the philomena is a real star of the community aquarium. A school of these fish is in constant motion, playing in the water currents and shimmering in the light. They are peaceful and get along well with other small neighbors, enlivening the middle and upper layers of the water.

They are fairly easy to keep, making them an excellent choice for both beginners and experienced aquarists. They need clean water, space to swim, and good company of their own kind. In this article, we will take a detailed look at the different types of these fish, how to create the ideal conditions for them, and what to look for when feeding and breeding them.

Biotope

Philomena or Red-eyed tetra inhabits the rivers of Paraguay, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, and many other regions of South America in its natural habitat. It prefers full-flowing rivers with clean water and a calm current. A very important condition is the presence of dense thickets of aquatic plants, near which tetras seek food and shelter from predators.

Philomena live in large schools. Their diet consists mainly of insects, algae, larvae, and other food. Philomena are constantly on the move.

Appearance

Distinctive features of philomena:

• Body – oval, 5-7 cm long;
• Scales – silvery, large, creating a clearly distinguishable mesh pattern on the body;
• Fins – transparent, with a black spot at the base of the tail fin. There is a small adipose fin;
• Eyes – round, with a red upper part.
• Character – active, mobile, curious.

Males and females are practically indistinguishable from each other. However, adult females have a more rounded abdomen.

Philomena, or red-eyed moenkausia, is a small, bright houseplant with succulent leaves and beautiful flowers, loved for its unpretentiousness and decorative qualities. It grows well at home with moderate watering and good lighting, but without direct sunlight. There are several varieties of this plant, differing in the color of their leaves and flowers, but they are all about the same in terms of ease of care. The main thing is not to overwater it and to remove dry leaves from time to time so that the bush looks neat. It is suitable even for beginners who are just starting to care for houseplants.

Maintenance

Philomena is extremely undemanding in terms of maintenance. In its natural environment, the fish is forced to constantly adapt to changing water conditions in the river, for example, after heavy rains or droughts, or seasonal changes. Nevertheless, it is best to prepare the aquarium for its future inhabitant in advance.

Aquarium

• Aquarium size

It is best to keep philomena in schools of 5-7 fish. This number will require a vertical aquarium with a volume of 60-70 liters. In general, the larger the volume, the better.

• Filter

A filter is a must. It's important that it doesn't create a strong current, as philomena don't like that.

• Lighting

This is not mandatory, as philomena prefer shaded areas in their natural environment.

• Filling

Live plants are a must in the aquarium. These can be free-floating or bottom-growing plants.

Philomena feel more confident among algae, where they can hide from danger. However, it is important to leave free space in the aquarium for the fish to play and swim actively.

• Decor

The decor is chosen at the owner's discretion. It can be driftwood, grottos, or other items.

• Substrate

Any type of substrate is suitable. However, it is important to ensure that there are no sharp-edged stones in it.

Silver fish look most impressive on a dark or black background.

• Water requirements

• temperature – 22-28 degrees Celsius.

Philomena adapt well to minor fluctuations in temperature or hardness. Nevertheless, it is very important to ensure that the concentration of phosphates and nitrogen compounds in the water is not too high. This can lead to the death of the fish.

— Alexey Podolsky Kazan, 4 years of experience in aquascaping

Feeding

You can feed the fish any type of food:

To improve health and enhance coloration, it is essential to add plant-based foods. For example, you can feed them Tetra Pleco Spirulina Wafers.

Fish should be fed daily, preferably at the same time, for example, in the morning.

Breeding

Breeding philomena at home is not difficult.

To do this, you need:

• Prepare a separate aquarium

A 10-liter tank will be sufficient for a pair of fish. You will also need a filter and a glass lid to prevent the fish from jumping out of the aquarium.

A net should be placed on the bottom. Plants should be planted on top of the net to make the fish as comfortable as possible. Lighting should be subdued.

• Compliance with conditions

The water temperature in the spawning aquarium should be 24-25 degrees, hardness up to 6 DH, and acidity within 6.5-7 pH.

It is best to add peat extract to the water. It slightly acidifies the water and prevents the reproduction of pathogenic microorganisms.

• Choose manufacturers

The male and female must be completely healthy. Defects or signs of disease are considered defects, and such fish should not be used for breeding. Fish reach sexual maturity at 6 to 10 months of age.

Three weeks before spawning, the parents are placed in separate containers and fed a protein-rich diet, which can be ready-made feed or insects. When the female's abdomen becomes noticeably rounded, the pair is placed in a pre-prepared aquarium.

Caring for offspring

A philomena can lay up to 800 eggs at a time. After the process is complete, the parents are immediately removed, as they tend to eat their own offspring. The aquarium is darkened for 24 hours. After the allotted time, the fry hatch from the eggs and are already actively swimming on the 2nd-6th day of life. From this time on, they begin to be fed.

The following are suitable as the first feed:

The transition to plant-based or crushed food is possible at 2 weeks of age.

Unlike adult philomena, fry react very sharply to any fluctuations in water parameters. The temperature in the aquarium should be raised to 26 degrees. For easy adaptation, plant Javanese moss or other algae. 10% of the water in the aquarium must be replaced daily or every other day.

Under no circumstances should tap water be used without prior preparation and treatment!

Subspecies

There are two subspecies of philomena:

It has a rounded body, flattened on the sides. Adult fish rarely grow more than 6 centimeters in length. They prefer to live in schools of 5-7 individuals, or more. An active and curious fish.

It is slightly smaller in size, and its body is elongated upwards. Unlike the previous species, it does not need company and feels perfectly comfortable alone.

Both species are unpretentious and get along well with other non-aggressive fish.

Compatibility

The best tank mates for philomena are:

In general, philomena get along well with any non-aggressive fish species.

It is not recommended to keep them together with veiltail fish, as active philomena can bite their fins. They should also not be placed in the same aquarium with calm and inactive fish.

More care tips:

Tips

• Manakapuru angelfish are predators, so they may eat small aquarium inhabitants. To avoid this, you need to raise the fish yourself from fry. In this case, angelfish are more loyal to their small neighbors and rarely use them as food. Feeding fry

• Temperature

• Stage 1. Purchasing eggs

In addition, the fish are active and energetic, which means they need free space. The minimum recommended parameters are 60x40x30 cm. The other fins are brightly colored in blue and purple. The pectoral and pelvic fins are transparent. The body of males is colored in more saturated and bright colors compared to females. The abdomen is pale blue or beige. Yaroslav

Large river sand or aquarium substrate that promotes good water circulation in the root zone, such as Tetra ActiveSubstrate, is suitable for growing Aponogeton madagascariensis. The recommended layer thickness is up to 7 cm.

Manakapuru angelfish are fairly slow fish, but they swim almost non-stop. Therefore, they need a lot of free space so as not to collide with other inhabitants of the aquarium. On average, each fish should have at least 12-15 liters of water. The optimal temperature for keeping them is 23-27°C.

Aquarium size

The main thing to remember is that these active swimmers need space. A cramped aquarium will depress them. Provide them with clean water, balanced food, and the company of their own kind, and they will delight you with their energy and vitality for many years to come. Philomena is a vivid example of how exotic and capricious species are not always necessary for beauty and interesting behavior in an aquarium.