The sea needle is a fish with a refined appearance. Sea needle fish Fish needle benefits

Sea fish needle has an elongated, narrow, needle-shaped body, different kinds reach sizes from 2.5 to 30 centimeters. They have a narrow long jaw with sharp teeth, which is worth remembering when cleaning the aquarium. The fins are usually small and close to the tail. It is believed that the fish change color depending on the habitat: the body is painted in bright green, red, brown and gray shades or becomes spotted on a white background. Males differ from females in black edging in the region of the hind and dorsal fins, as well as a red abdomen.

Eagles are caught along the coast of Europe from Norway to the Black Sea. Fish prefer to live in coastal thickets, not swimming far into desalinated waters. On the other side of the mainland in the Sea of ​​Japan lives Japanese and seaside needle fish. Life expectancy is 2-3 years.

Needle fish is a predator, whose neighbors in the aquarium will be species of similar size, with a calm character. Too brisk neighbor fish will also begin to take away food from the needles. Needlefish love to jump out of the water, bouncing vertically. Close the aquarium with a special lid. A 300-liter aquarium will be enough to keep three individuals. If it is planned to breed needle fish, then pairs are selected.

Comfortable parameters: water temperature 24-25°C, pH 8.1-8.3, density 1.021-1.024, potassium less than 10 ppm total NO3, dissolved oxygen 6 ppm, calcium 400-450 ppm. Efficient biological filtration and aeration is required. Water change 15-20% every two weeks with water of the same quality, temperature and salinity. Lighting is moderate, dim. Fine sand as soil. At the bottom, build shelters from stones, snags, create crevices, caves.

Feeding fish needles

Adults marine fish needles are fed with fish, frogs, shrimps, tadpoles, nauplii, planktonic crustaceans. Having noticed the prey, the needlefish takes aim for a couple of seconds, then swallows the prey sharply, creating a negative pressure in oral cavity like a vacuum cleaner. The victim is drawn into the oral cavity from a distance of 4 cm.

Transferring marine needles from live food to frozen seafood is difficult. Therefore, it is always necessary to have a large number of brine shrimp. In such a diet, there will be a lack of minerals and vitamins, which is replenished with live daphnia, koretra and bloodworms. AT vivo sea ​​needles feed on plankton, in an aquarium needles are fed 4-5 times a day.


Latin name Syngnathus.

The long-snouted needlefish got its name from a long, strongly laterally compressed and high snout, rounded at the front edge, where a small toothless mouth is placed. The body of the needle-fish is long and low, completely covered

bone shields. There are no pelvic fins, the anal fin is very small, in males it is sometimes not visible from the outside. The dorsal fin is one, the pectoral fins and the caudal fin are small. The color is green or brown-reddish, usually with black stripes and spots. This fish reaches a length of 37 cm.

The long-snouted pipefish is the most widespread European species of sea pipefish. It lives along the east coast of the Atlantic from Norway to Morocco, off the British Isles, in the Baltic, Mediterranean, Black and Seas of Azov, we are common along the entire coast of the Black Sea and in the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov.

The needle-fish usually keeps near the coast, mainly in thickets of underwater vegetation, among rocks and stones overgrown with algae. Depending on the environment the coloration also changes, masking the sea needle in its shelter. Most often, this fish is found to a depth of 10-12 meters, but sometimes it also comes across in the open sea. The needle-fish also approaches the mouths of the rivers, sometimes meeting even in fresh water. It feeds on small crustaceans, fish fry, and sometimes very small adult fish. During feeding, the tubular snout acts like a pipette: with a sharp swelling of the cheeks, the prey is quickly drawn into the mouth from a distance of up to 4 centimeters.

Spawning of the long-snouted needle-fish in the Black Sea takes place in April-July. The reproduction process of all marine needles is very complex. The male on the ventral side of the body in the tail region has a special brood chamber for eggs, formed by two folds of skin on the sides of the body. These folds are bent over the belly and cover the eggs. After ritual courtship, the female wraps herself around her partner and lays eggs in his brood chamber, while the eggs are fertilized. The edges of the fold converge, forming a bag about 1/3 of the entire length of the fish. About 100 eggs fit in such a bag.

The male bears eggs until the fry hatch, for some time he carries them in his bag. In order for the fry to leave the brood chamber, the male bends the body in an upward arc and thus opens the bag. In case of danger, the fry again hide under protection. caring father. None economic importance this species, like all other marine needles, does not.

The largest of the sea needles found in the Black and Azov Seas - common needlefish(Syngnathus acus) reaches a length of 46 cm. This fish is distributed along the coast of Europe from Norway to Morocco, lives off the British Isles and in the Mediterranean Sea, but is absent in the waters of the Baltic Sea, keeps in coastal and pre-estuary spaces at a depth of up to 90 meters or more, is common among algae thickets . It often has dark transverse stripes on its body and tail.

Noticeably different from all the Black Sea-Azov sea needles with its short cylindrical snout black sea chubby needle-fish (S, abaster)(in the literature it is sometimes referred to as S. nigrolineatus). This species is distributed along the coasts of southern Europe and the northern coast of Africa, it is found in the Black, Azov and Caspian Seas at depths of up to 5 meters, above a sandy or muddy bottom among detritus or aquatic vegetation, enters rivers and lakes, penetrated into the Volga reservoirs . It reaches a length of 21 cm.

A narrower area of ​​​​distribution has a thin-nosed needle-fish (S. tenuirostris), inhabiting the Black, Azov and Adriatic seas. This is a rather large sea needle, reaching a length of 38.6 cm; it does not enter desalinated waters. Only in the Black and Azov Seas there are small (up to 11 cm long) Black Sea spiny needle (S. schmidti), usually living in the open sea at depths of up to 50-70 meters, and reaching a length of 30 cm thick-nosed, or striped needle-fish (S. variegatus), living in coastal marine thickets. In the Sea of ​​​​Japan, we have a close species - the seaside needle (S.acusimilis), entering the mouths of the rivers.

Along the east Atlantic coast from Norway to North Africa, in the Mediterranean and Black Seas, a serpentine needle, or sea awl, is common (Nerophis ophidion). The brood chamber in males of this species is open, not protected by skin folds, and the eggs are attached directly to the belly. The serpentine needle has a long subtle body, adults lack pectoral, anal, and caudal fins. Usually yellowish-gray or yellowish-green with brown dots, by the time of spawning it is covered with blue stripes and spots. In our country, this species is found off the coast in the Baltic (including the Gulf of Finland), the Black and Azov Seas, sometimes it enters the mouths of rivers.

Fish. - M.: Astrel. E.D. Vasiliev. 1999

See what "Long-nosed needle-fish" is in other dictionaries:

Long-snouted needlefish- ? Long-snouted needle fish scientific classification Kingdom: Animals Type: Chordates ... Wikipedia

Long-snouted needlefish- ? Long-nosed needle fish Scientific classification Kingdom: Animals Type: Chordates ... Wikipedia

long-snouted needle fish

long-snouted pipefish- paprastoji jūrų adata statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas rūšis atitikmenys: lot. Syngnathus typhle English. broad nosed pipefish; deep snouted pipefish; high snouted pipefish rus. high-nosed needle fish; long-snouted sea needle; ... ... Žuvų pavadinimų žodynas

high-nosed needle fish- paprastoji jūrų adata statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas rūšis atitikmenys: lot. Syngnathus typhle English. broad nosed pipefish; deep snouted pipefish; high snouted pipefish rus. high-nosed needle fish; long-snouted sea needle; ... ... Žuvų pavadinimų žodynas

saltwater needle tubeshort- paprastoji jūrų adata statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas rūšis atitikmenys: lot. Syngnathus typhle English. broad nosed pipefish; deep snouted pipefish; high snouted pipefish rus. high-nosed needle fish; long-snouted sea needle; ... ... Žuvų pavadinimų žodynas

Needle family (Syngnathidae)- This family includes fish with a very elongated body in the form of a thick needle (sea needles) or with a completely peculiar body shape, reminiscent of a chess piece of a horse, with a head tilted towards the body and a curling tenacious tail ... Biological Encyclopedia

stickleback- (Gasterosteiformes), detachment bony fish. Known since the Eocene. Length from 3 cm to 1.8 m, weight from several. grams to 3 kg. 3 4 rays of gill membrane. Closed bladder. Spines in the fins are present or absent. Dorsal fins 1 or 2, the first in the form of ... ... Biological encyclopedic Dictionary

- (SYNGNATHIDAE) Needle fish do not have scales, and the whole body is covered with bony shields connected to each other in the form of rings. These fish do not have pelvic fins, and the dorsal fin is only one and without spines, in some species it does not exist at all. These are small fish... Fish of Russia. Directory

Common sea needles- ? Ordinary sea needles ... Wikipedia

There are already many in your aquarium different inhabitants, but you want to include among them and needle fish. True, you have many questions and doubts: what kind of fish it is, how to properly care for it, whether it is prone to disease and whether it can get along with other brethren. In this article we will talk about the correct maintenance and breeding of needlefish.

In general, needle fish are marine and brackish. Although some of its representatives live in fresh water. They live, as a rule, in the coastal zone of tropical and temperate waters. They are most comfortable near sandy shores, in thickets of algae, corals.

By the way, certain types all the time they are in the thickness (for example, the inhabitant of the Black Sea is a pelagic needle fish).

The needle fish is strongly elongated, at the end of its head there is a tubular snout. She has no fins on her abdomen, on the tail it is either very small or absent. The fish has a long, flexible tail, it can “grab” algae with it. These fish cannot be called good swimmers, they swim rather clumsily and at low speed.
Their color is extremely changeable, it is red, yellow, green, gray with spots, white, etc. Some representatives are able to change color according to the conditions around them.

Its size varies depending on the species - from 2.5 to 50 cm.

Common Species of Marine Needlefish

The sea needlefish has several genera. The most common is Syngnathus, in other words, the common needle fish (there are more than 50 species). She has a caudal and pectoral fins, the front of the body has a hexagonal shape, the back has four.

Did you know? In the African lake Malawi live fish - cichlids. Their females carry fry in ... their mouths. During pregnancy, mothers refuse to eat.

There are also Neropsis, or serpentine needles, they are much smaller. The fish have a very thin body, caudal and pectoral fins are absent. They really look like a needle or an awl.

Another genus is Penetopteryx, that is, featherless sea needles. These representatives also do not have fins. Settle in the wreckage of coral reefs, diving into the sand in case of danger.

The needlefish eats mainly small planktonic crustaceans, drawing them into itself with its snout when they swim closer than 4 cm.
Also needle like other small fish, frogs, shrimps, tadpoles and nauplii.

Needles like to jump out of the water, and quite high, so the tank should be covered from above.

Line the bottom with fine sand, Java moss is a suitable plant. Remember that needles love shelters made of pebbles, snags, crevices, caves.

Aeration of water, biological filtration - are needed by all means! Once a week, renew the water (a third of the volume).
Some people add salt to the water. But, as practice has shown, the fish is fine in fresh water.

Important! When cleaning the fish “house”, remember about the sharp teeth of the needle fish, otherwise you will be bitten.

As you already understood, the needle is a predatory fish. But, in principle, not aggressive. It is recommended to keep it together with other large and calm fish, which it will not be able to devour.

Avoid its proximity to overly active, restless fish, for example,.

In general, there are no intraspecific conflicts. Prefers to stay in a small flock of three or four brothers.

Spawning begins in mid-spring and ends at the end of July. To “provoke” this process, feed small live fish to your pets for two weeks, and also change their water every day.

In these fish, the offspring is... the male. He has a special chamber for eggs, consisting of two folds of skin on the sides of the body, the folds are bent over the abdomen, thereby covering future children.

Before this, the female wraps herself around the male, laying eggs in this so-called "bag", where about 100 eggs are placed. Their father fertilizes and bears them. After about 10 days, fry appear, but they are still a little in the folds.
Even getting out, the kids rush to the "bag" of the father in case of danger, and also when it becomes dark. In general, it is advised to provide the male with a separate tank, where he can calmly and safely deal with offspring.

Important! With insufficient nutrition, the male often begins to eat his future children. Therefore, during this period, take care of a complete diet for him.

Fish diseases

Needle - fish are quite interesting. But, as you can see, they are not so easy to care for. When settling them in an aquarium, you need to think through everything to the smallest detail, because this fish will get along only with equal or larger brothers.

If you decide to start exclusively this species, then do not worry. Follow the breeding rules and you will definitely succeed!

Needlefish belong to the needlefish suborder, which includes marine needlefish, brackish and freshwater needlefish. In total, there are 196 of their species, which, according to different features divided into 51 genera.

Description

In adulthood, needle fish can be 2.5 ... 60 cm long. They have a very elongated body and head, at the end of which there is a tubular snout. There are no fins on the belly; on the tail, it is small or also absent. The fish is also distinguished by a long and flexible tail, which can cling to underwater algae.

The color of needlefish is very variable. The body of a long-snouted needle fish can be red, purple, yellow, brown, green, gray with spots, white. Some of them are able to adjust their color to the surrounding conditions.

habitats

Needlefish can be found in coastal areas of the seas in temperate latitudes and in the tropics. Most often, needle fish lives in areas near sandy shores, where there are underwater thickets of algae and corals. There are some species of fish that prefer to spend their entire lives in the water column. These include, for example, the Black Sea needlefish and fish that came out of Sargasso Sea and found far from the coast in the Atlantic Ocean.

Food

The needle fish feeds rather monotonously. In its diet, most of all there are small planktonic crustaceans. Thanks to its tubular snout, it simply draws them into itself when they inadvertently approach it less than 4 cm.

reproduction

This process in needlefish is complex. Caring for the offspring of this species of fish is entrusted to males. Most of their representatives, from below the body, closer to the tail section, have a special "brood bag" in which they hatch eggs. The latter is added in portions by females to the bag and is immediately fertilized.

The pouch of a river or sea needle fish is distinguished by a large relative length and is located longitudinally along the body of the fish. It has a central longitudinal slot and two side flaps. The latter can burrow and isolate the embryos completely from the influence of some factors from the external environment for the period of gestation.

Fishing for needlefish

The usual season for catching needlefish is April-October - the period when it comes in schools to areas close to the coast. Although there are exceptions: for example, plump-cheeked needlefish in areas near the coast of Crimea can come across throughout the warm winter.

The most common gear for sea igloo fish is float gear. Usually these are spinning rods 2.7 ... 4.0 m long, with a test of 20-60 g, with a fast or ultra-fast action.

They are equipped with spinning reels, thin main line about 0.25 mm in diameter. The latter is better without color and not visible in the water.

Catching a needle fish is required with a leash, which is made from a monofilament 0.12 ... 0.20 mm and half a meter or more in length. It is better to set thinner, this increases the number of bites and your catch. But, if large individuals come across, then the leashes are often torn.

A sliding float is placed on the main line, having a length of 20 ... 40 cm and a load reaching 15 g. The float must have a bright, noticeable antenna from afar. A bulk float is very popular with fishermen, less often they use a floating bombard.

It has proven itself well in catching needle fish and braided line as the main line on spinning. Suitable 0.15…0.17 mm. The float or bombard must be selected strictly for your spinning test - this will facilitate the fishing process itself. If a bulk float is used, then it is filled with water so as to have zero buoyancy.

The equipment is equipped with only one hook, having a size according to our classification No. 2.5 ... No. 5. It is better if it is red or close to it.

They catch igloo fish for gerbil, nereis, shrimp meat, raw chicken breast, salmon fillet. Often, pieces of meat from the needle fish itself turn out to be an unsurpassed bait. They are small, do not exceed half a centimeter.

Places where needlefish go, usually with a depth of 5 meters or more. It is very rare in smaller areas. When needlefish are attacked by some kind of predator, you can see whole flocks of them jumping out of the water. This may be a sign by which you can find a catchy place.

The process of fishing for igloo fish is reminiscent of pseudo-fly fishing. Tackle with, for example, a bulk float is thrown away from the shore or boat to places where potential prey is located. Then, with a rod, they jerk it towards themselves, dragging the float along the surface, and behind it the leash with the bait. The fish are attracted to the sound and attack the bait by swallowing it in their mouths.

An exotic way to catch needlefish

In New Guinea, either due to the lack of modern gear, or out of old habit, needle fish are caught on ... cobwebs.

For example, fishermen on Santa Catalina Island in the Solomon Islands are looking for cobwebs before they start fishing. Not simple, but special, with good strength, with an intricate weave of threads. Fishing line, rods, hooks are not used at all. A twisted web (as bait) is hung from a flying kite and that's it.

A web bait, suspended from below under the kite, flies above the surface of the sea and looks like an insect fluttering over it. The fisherman launches it, of course, over that section of water, under which the sought-after prey is hiding.

The needle fish reacts to the poutine bait, attacks it and gets stuck in it with large scales and sharp teeth. This causes the kite to fall; the fisherman sees this and begins to pull the prey towards him.

Needle fish in cooking

Needlefish meat is harmless to humans and very tasty. The fish have salient feature She has green bones. The broth from it is always with a pistachio tint, but not because of these bones, but because of the special bile pigment biliverdin, which is the source of the greenish color of fish bones.

Useful properties of needle fish: fish meat is rich in iron, phosphorus, iodine, omega-3 fatty acids, etc. substances and trace elements. In the pluses of fish, its wide distribution and relatively low price, a small number of bones.

Needle fish dishes

Fish-needle baked

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and brush it with oil on top. The gutted and cleaned fish is folded into a ring, laying its long tail in the jaws, and put on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with spices, salt, sprinkle with vegetable oil.

A baking sheet with fish is placed in an oven already heated to 180 ° C. 20 minutes. baked.

Needle fish scale

The fish is cleaned, gutted, filleted. The resulting strips of meat are rolled up like a roll, stabbed with a toothpick so that they do not fall apart. 20 sec. fried using olive oil. Toothpicks are pulled out, an olive is placed in the middle of the rolls, which is previously stuffed with lemon.

Cut the onion into rings and a lot. Line them with the bottom of the pan, moistened with vegetable oil. The previously obtained rolls with olives are placed on top. Salt, pepper, sprinkle with herbs (rosemary, marjoram). Top with a layer of grated cold butter.

Stew the resulting 20 minutes, closing the pan with a lid.

Dried needle fish

Carcasses of fish (not peeled) roll in salt and for 20 minutes. leave. The following options are possible:

• hang the fish for half a day with their heads down; then try whether it is ready;
• lay the fish on newspapers and let it hang up to half an hour on each side; clean for 2 days in the refrigerator; the fish should be ready by then;
• wrap the fish with a canvas cloth and place it in the refrigerator for a day; take out, unfold, lay out newspapers on top; after 0.5 ... 1 hour the fish is ready for beer.

Needle fish sprats

Medium-sized fish are gutted, the tail and head are removed. Cut the carcasses into pieces 5-6 cm long. They are stacked more tightly in a narrow pan in columns and poured with vegetable oil 1 cm above the pieces protruding from above.

The pan is put on the smallest fire, covered with a lid and up to 3 hours. put out.

Smoked needlefish

poured onion peel water and 20 min. brew. A dark brown liquid is obtained. After cooling, it is filtered.

Butcher needle fish, gutting, cutting off heads, washing. Placed in a container and poured with liquid, to which salt (2 tbsp with a slide) and liquid smoke (5 tbsp) are first added.

The fish is left in the air in a cool place for 3 days, then kept in the refrigerator for the same amount of time. After they are taken out, washed, for 2 ... 3 hours. hang up. It turns out better than hot smoked needle fish. Store stock in the refrigerator.

Such kinship introduced one peculiarity into the process of reproduction of these fish - the male goes “pregnant” with them. In addition, he can choose whose eggs he will hatch, and whose - not.

Sea needles live in tropical and temperate seas, including the Black Sea.

This small fish is somewhat reminiscent of a snake or a stick. She has a long and thin body, which is covered with a shell with bony trunk rings.

The length of their body can be different - from 2.5 to 30 centimeters. It all depends on the type of fish.

They don't swim very well. Like seahorses, some species have prehensile tails that they use to grab onto plants to avoid being swept away by the current.

The muzzle of the marine needle is very elongated and occupies more than half the length of the head. At its end is a small, toothless mouth. Therefore, they suck their food along with water.

The needles feed on small fish and plankton, for which sometimes they have to descend to a depth of 90 meters. But most often the fish stay at a depth of no more than 10 meters, among the vegetation of coral reefs and stones.

Their almost vertical swimming provides good camouflage for algae. In addition, the color easily changes depending on the environment: brown, bright green, red, purple, speckled gray, etc. This allows the fish to remain undetected by enemies.

They have a very unusual process of reproduction. Like the next of kin seahorses- offspring at the sea needle bears the male. He has a special brood pouch, which is a pouch between two folds on the abdomen.

Spawning at the sea needle begins in spring and continues all summer. The male takes eggs from several females for the entire period. Although some types of saltwater pipefish are monogamous and "remain faithful" to only one female. Though it pleases. But most often, females lay eggs in several partners, because. this increases the chances of juvenile survival.

A male's pouch can hold up to 1500 eggs. The gestation period lasts about a month. After that, miniature copies of their parents come out of the bag, and an independent life begins. But paternal care is also manifested after the hatching of the fry. For some time, the male continues to carry them in his bag. When he arches his belly up, the bag opens and the kids go for a walk. In case of danger, the fry quickly climb back.

But that's not all. Earlier this year, biologists at the University of Texas found that the male can get rid of unwanted "pregnancies." It can regulate the survival of embryos by selecting the eggs of the most promising and attractive females. Then the possibility of hatching into the light of fry from the strongest and healthiest female increases. The process of survival, nothing more.