Freshwater amphipod. IN
On different territories in our country they acquired different names: in Western Siberia and in the Urals - “mormysh”, in the Caspian Sea “stonoga”, in Eastern Siberia and on Baikal - “barmash”.
On Lake Baikal, fish catch omul in winter using these crustaceans, which is called “barmashenye”. Amphipods are brought to Baikal in barrels from local lakes, broken through the ice and thrown under the water, which attracts omul, which is caught with fishing hooks.
Where do amphipods live?
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In fresh waters, there are significantly fewer amphipod species. Only on Baikal there is a wealth of species; about 240 species of crustaceans live there, and they are found only in this lake. Amphipod crustaceans are not adapted to land.
Often these crustaceans lie on their sides, on the sand next to the water. Sometimes they form a thick, moving layer, and individuals sometimes jump out of the crowd. When a person or large animal approaches, the crustaceans begin to jump like fleas, pushing off the sand with their legs and abdomen.
During the daytime, sea fleas hide under stones or under algae lying on the shore, and at night they quickly move along the beach and look for dead algae, which they eat. Amphipods breathe through gills, so they can only live in a humid environment. On the Commander Islands, they spend the winter high above sea level, under the snow, hibernating.
Sea fleas can navigate perfectly by the sun. Experts conducted a scientific experiment: they placed sea fleas in the center of a transparent vessel, the remaining space was divided into sectors, and after a while all the crustaceans accumulated in the sector that faced the sea (according to compass readings). It turns out that every hour sea fleas move at a certain angle to the sun, and at night their movement depends on the location of the moon.
Amphipods are able to navigate in the dark. Sea fleas, living on different parts of the coast, are able to orient themselves in relation to the sun at different angles, depending on the characteristics of the coastline. The relationship between the direction of movement and the change in angle between the light source can be considered evidence of the existence of " biological clock", which influence the state of the body.
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Unusual abilities The amphipod has hyperiopsis, which lives at depth. Its jaws are asymmetrical in shape, with the left jaw being significantly larger than the right. On the left jaw, the palp is swollen, there are blunt teeth on its inner side, and outer part has a convex shape and is a resonator. There are also teeth on the palp of the right jaw, which the crustacean passes along the teeth of the left jaw, resulting in chirping sounds. Hyperiopsis uses this ability to gather in groups in complete darkness. And amphipods are different related species use sound skills to attract females.
Most amphipods can burrow into the ground with lightning speed. During this process, they stick their antennae into the sand and use their chest legs to rake it, using their grasping legs to discard the soil. Amphipods perform this work with tremendous speed. This ability has contributed to the spread of amphipods from the seas up rivers, since sand prevents the current from carrying the crustacean down. Thus, amphipods spread throughout the Volga to the very upstream. They came to the Volga from the Caspian Sea.
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Most amphipod species are omnivores. They feed on dead and living aquatic vegetation, animal remains, and rot. The crustaceans bite off pieces of food using their mandibles and soften them. The jaws prevent small food particles from falling into the water. Some crustaceans feed using their filtering ability. When the wave moves away from the shore, sea fleas sit in the sand, sticking out the front part of their body. When the soil is exposed, the crustaceans completely burrow into it. This happens with every new wave.
Amphipods have important for nature, since many species of fish feed on them, including commercial ones. In the Azov and Caspian Seas, bream and young sturgeon feed on amphipod crustaceans; Far East they are consumed by flounder, in fresh waters by trout, in northern rivers ah - omul, muksuna and vendace. These crustaceans are artificially introduced into new reservoirs to increase fish fattening.
Attention, TODAY only!Taxon rank. One of the thriving orders of Higher Crustaceans (Malacostraca). More than 6,400 marine, freshwater, underground and even terrestrial species. B is represented by the suborder Gammaridea.
General appearance
The body consists of a solid head and segmented sections: thoracic (7 segments) and abdominal (6 segments). A head with a pair of compound eyes, two pairs of antennae (antennae) and oral appendages of 4 pairs of modified limbs. The body segments are equipped with limbs of different structures and purposes (hence another name for the order - heteropods). The first two pairs of thoracic legs are grasping, ending in palms with a movable prehensile claw. The next five pairs are pereopods, used for walking or clinging. WITH inside of the thoracic limbs, in a semi-closed cavity, there are gills in the form of flat petals, and in females there are also special plates - oostegites, forming a brood chamber. In it, the laid eggs are incubated until the young crustaceans emerge. The first three pairs of abdominal limbs (pleopods), bibranched, with abundant feathery bristles, are used for swimming, and at rest - for pumping fresh, oxygen-enriched water into the gill cavity. The last three pairs of abdominal legs are called uropods; the first and second of them are jumping, the third is steering, covered on top with a telson (anal plate). The uropods of the 3rd pair are well developed in actively swimming species, and more or less reduced in sedentary species.
Body sizes of amphipods vary from 1.5–2 mm dwarf species up to 6–9 cm for giant ones. The body cover (cuticle) can be completely smooth, or with a variety of weapons: from weakly defined tubercles and ridges to powerful carinae and sharp long teeth. Elements of weapons of different segments are arranged in rows: middle, side, edge. The architecture of the weapons of each species is original, but often reveals surprising similarities among different Baikal and oceanic representatives of amphipods. The lifetime coloration of crustaceans is also extremely diverse, making it easy to identify many species immediately after capture or by underwater photography and video recordings.
Diversity in the Baikal region
In terms of taxonomic diversity (more than 350 species and subspecies, 41 genera and 6 families), the amphipod fauna in Baikal has no analogues among the continental reservoirs of the world. This is 4.3% of the entire world amphipod fauna, more than 45% freshwater species and subspecies (excluding underground ones) and 10% of the species diversity of the entire Baikal fauna.
About 40 shallow-water Baikal species settled downstream of the Angara and Yenisei ( individual species- to its mouth), formed in river conditions special subspecies, species and even one endemic genus (Fluviogammarus). Endemic amphipods practically do not penetrate upstream of river tributaries; their isolated findings were noted at a distance of no more than 1–2 km from the lake. The exception is Gmelinoides fasciatus, a Baikal species that has settled in rivers, lakes, cold and thermal springs tens of kilometers upstream of the largest tributaries of Baikal - the Selenga, Verkhnyaya, Kichera, Barguzin, Turki, and in the estuary areas of smaller tributaries. This species has been artificially introduced into a number of lakes and reservoirs in Asia and European parts Russia (on the territory of Buryatia - in Lake Gusin). In them he became in mass form and is currently actively expanding its range.
Despite the enormous diversity in Baikal, beyond its borders throughout almost the entire south of Eastern Siberia, the amphipod fauna is surprisingly uniform. They are represented, in addition to the mentioned gmelinoides, by the widespread lake gammarus Gammarus lacustris. It inhabits a variety of lake reservoirs (alpine, glacial, karst and thermokarst, floodplain, fresh and brackish water composition), including small sor and lagoon lakes on the coast of Lake Baikal, as well as some mineral springs Baikal region (Klyuchevsky, Solyansky, Ermakovsky in the Irkutsk region, Alginsky and Kuliny in Buryatia).
Environmental characteristics
The ecological diversity of amphipods is no less striking (Table 2.6.) than the taxonomic one. They inhabit all depths of the lake, from the water line to the deep-sea bed, and all types of substrates: rocks, pebbles, gravel, sands, silts, etc. The diversity of their lifestyle is reflected in the great richness of their life forms.
Reproduction times vary different types: for some it occurs in spring-summer period, for others - in autumn-winter, for others - all year round. Individual single fecundity varies greatly: from 1–2 eggs per clutch in dwarf species to 1878 in the giant Acanthogammarus grewingkii.
Table 2.6. Ecological classification of lake amphipods Baikal. Part 1.
Table 2.6. Ecological classification of lake amphipods Baikal. Part 2.
Within modern Baikal there are several centers of intense local speciation. This is the archipelago of the Ushkany Islands, the adjacent part of the underwater Academic Range, the Olkhon Gate Strait, and shallow waters near the Selenga delta. Special meaning for the endemic evolution of amphipods, there are areas with unusual geological bottom conditions: rocky banks, places where underwater thermal springs and etc.
At the physiological level, amphipods were developing adaptations to living in conditions of an oxygen-rich but cold-water body of water. For example, the sum of temperatures required for the embryonic development of amphipod eggs and for the puberty of young crustaceans decreased. Along with this, there was a differentiation of shallow-water species according to the breeding season, and in deep-sea species there was a transition to highly extended or year-round reproduction. Most modern Baikal species are cold-loving; however, some of them are relatively thermophilic, inhabit areas of the lake that are more or less warmed up in summer, and can be considered tertiary relics that arose in more or less warm conditions. warm climate. This is Micruropus possolskii, the above-mentioned gmelinoides striped.
Amphipods are one of the most numerous groups Baikal zoobenthos from the water's edge to maximum depths. Their numbers in the littoral zone reach hundreds and thousands of specimens/m², biomass – up to 20 g/m², sometimes more. On the silts of the abyssal zone, the number of crustaceans is tens, sometimes hundreds of specimens/m², the biomass decreases to tenths of a gram per m²; but even so, amphipods remain one of the predominant groups of benthic fauna. Zoobenthos communities in Lake Baikal can often be distinguished by their dominant amphipod species. In giant species leading a benthic-nectobenthic lifestyle, the population density is incomparably lower than in typical benthic amphipods. Thus, in the Selenga region, the estimated population density of the benthic species Paragarjajewia petersii is in the range of 9–28 specimens/100 m², the largest Baikal species Acanthogammarus grewingkii is 2–4 specimens/100 m²; in other areas of the lake these figures are even lower. Thanks to its size giant species often become the final links in food chains.
Amphipods are the main component of the diet of fish of both the Baikal-Siberian complex (graylings, graylings, etc.) and the Baikal endemic fish (cottoid fish). Among the benthic fish species (shredderfish), differentiation is observed in the types of amphipods consumed, which reduces interspecific competition fish when they live together. The hypothesis about the protective role of body armament of amphipods was not confirmed: armed species and their juveniles are eaten by fish no less, and often more intensely, than crustaceans with a smooth body. Pelagic fish en masse feed on Macrohectopus, the only close-up view invertebrates in the water column of the lake. It itself has a well-developed filtering mouthparts and feeds on epishura and other small planktonic animals, i.e. belongs to consumers (consumers) of the second order; however, its juveniles and dwarf males feed on phytoplankton. Making daily long vertical migrations, Macrohectopus is a living “transporter” of substances and energy from the upper water layers to the deeper ones. The daily vertical migrations of coastal benthic amphipod species into the water column are of the same importance.
A look from inside the problem
Unfortunately, we have to admit that such a respected method of fishing in Rus', such as vertical fishing from ice and open water, is successfully cultivated more often in winter time. In open water, its prestige is almost completely lost and rests solely on rare enthusiasts who have perfectly mastered this type of fishing. And it's not just that predatory fish became smaller and she became picky.
Everything is much simpler and more banal - the vast majority of existing baits for vertical fishing for large fish are no longer suitable. It is, of course, possible to catch them with the proper skill and diligence, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to do so. Someone will ask: “What about our all-season classics - vertical spoons, balancers, jigs, deep jigs, soft baits?”
Let's face it - they are, of course, good, but many of them are “heroes of yesterday”, which are quite boring for fish and anglers. I want something new, more catchy and dynamic, but where can I find this new thing? With a high degree of probability, it can be said that in central Russia in rivers (winter - summer) it is possible to catch vertically with the listed baits, but the result is not always satisfactory... . However, in last years When fishing vertically, it is difficult to achieve anything even on rivers such as the Volga and Akhtuba. Naturally, many spat on baits and such a “good” method of fishing. And such a depressingly hopeless situation weighed on the fishermen for a long time. This was the case until recently, when vertical fishing baits codenamed “amphipods” appeared on the fishing market.
What are amphipods?
“Amphibians” (the author’s name) include a number of highly catchable baits with a shifted center of gravity. The amphipod is equipped with two tees: a stationary (tail) tee, framed with goat hair, and a removable one, tied to a fishing line passed through the body of the amphipod. The hole for the fishing line or cord is always located in the upper part of the body, reminiscent of a live bait planted under the back. As a result, the removable tee is the point of fixation of the bait, which is located on the fishing line with a strong lateral roll. During gliding after dropping, the bait can move almost horizontally, maximally simulating Living being. The cord is inserted into the body of the bait from the side of the wide plane. It is easy to determine the wide side (flatness) of an amphipod by eye and by the beveled profile (cut) on the abdomen. The wider side (plane) is always directed upward, which additionally gives it the necessary inclination and the nature of movement around the circle.
Successful imitation or sophisticated provocateur
The game of the amphipod resembles the annoying flickering of small fish, which, according to the law of the genre, must be eaten by a predator. Sometimes it seems that the pike perch is greedily attacking the amphipod, as if provoking an unfamiliar object that has invaded its territory. Although sometimes it is more reminiscent of a cat playing with a teasing candy wrapper. Perhaps that's why with best side Amphipods with brightly contrasting colors that provoke fish have proven themselves.
Not as simple as it seems
The calibrated geometry of the amphipod’s profile forms several beveled end platforms (each model has its own nuances) in the lower and end parts of the body, which, with a slight twitch, make the bait jump in place, spin around an axis and tremble weakly even in reservoirs without a current. If you take a closer look at the profile of the amphipod, it becomes clear that its streamlined shape resembles the configuration of a sail on a surfboard when moving against the wind. And the shifted center of gravity and the original fixation of the amphipod on the fishing line allows it to make somersaults that other baits are not capable of. This partly explains the lively and effective play of the amphipod in the current with minimal twisting of the fishing line
What amphipods can do and what are their advantages
Amphipod is a multifunctional bait that helps out in the most hopeless situations and allows you to effectively catch capricious fish where other baits are useless. Despite the fact that the amphipod's game is similar in many respects to the game of a balancer, the range of its capabilities is much wider. Its movements vary from smooth lateral sliding (swimming) to sharp jerks, when the tilt of the body changes and a spontaneous turn occurs.
About the subtleties of the game and more
Due to its design, amphipods can simultaneously glide and move spasmodically in horizontal and vertical planes, both at the bottom and in the water column. Even when fishing in a weak current (or without it), a jump to the side turns into a circular movement and then into a damped oscillation. It has long been noticed that predatory fish attack bait moving with a lateral roll much more willingly and almost always with certainty. The location of the central tee sharply reduces the number of false grabs, and the tee itself actively vibrates when the amphipod is lifted, additionally attracting predatory fish. The shifted center of gravity during the game allows you to perform the movements of the balancer and the gliding spoon simultaneously. If necessary, a few light jerks (the tip of the rod up and to the side) and the amphipod switches to active jig play. In reservoirs without a current, with a weak twitch, the amphipod, when moving up and to the side, flutters and dances in two planes, resembling a vertical gliding spoon and a horizontal jig with a flat base.
Attention! Amphipod is the most multifunctional and well-controlled bait, which even in the hands of a novice fisherman (of course, without major glitches in the game) can provoke any well-fed predator to grab it.
Conclusion: at present, the effectiveness of amphipods can only be compared with the Pavlovsk foam rubber, which revolutionized spinning lures. Today, just like 30 years ago, there is little to oppose the amphipod to the Pavlovskaya foam rubber in its class of baits.
Such different amphipods
Amphipods, like every successfully designed bait, have their own number of models, each of which is designed for certain fishing conditions and has its own unique game.
Amphipod "Wasp"
It got its name because of its original shape and the bright warning color pattern characteristic of this insect. However, the predatory fish prefers not to look at it for a long time, and after one or two turns, it is usually followed by a greedy grab and a quick move to the side. The amphipod “Osa” stings mercilessly, and it develops a particularly “warm” relationship with large perch and pike. The weight of the amphipod "Osa" is 9 -17 g. Large models are made in the style of popular spinning baits such as Flatfish, which have high drag and unpredictable play that fascinates the predator. The amphipod is equipped with a beveled braking platform that tapers off towards the center of the bait. The braking platform at the bottom of the bait (abdomen) is an integral part of all amphipods. Even during weak lifts of the rod, “Osa” plays lively and impulsively. Ideal for most moderate flow rivers and ponds standing water. The amphipod "Osa" has no equal when fishing in civilized waters Middle zone Russia.
Common amphipod (classic natural)
Weight 10, 15, 20 g. Stable play (rise – reset – pause), significant “flight” phase (gliding above the bottom), wide-amplitude turns, accompanied by small trembling of the body and tee, as well as the ability to switch to fractional jig play with shuttle movements , lead any well-fed predator into a state of aggression. The bait is intended for rivers with weak currents and closed reservoirs. Colors – natural, green-black, yellow-black..., a total of more than 10 colors
Weight 25, 35 g. These weights are effective on great depths. It has proven itself excellent when fishing from ice and in open water in moderate currents. Plays effectively both directly under the boat (hole) and at long distances. In a water stream it creates a powerful vibration field, moves in short jerks, accompanied by sharp bends and turns of the body. Attracts all predatory fish, both during upward movement (lifting the rod) - separation from the bottom layer, and during a long pause during free swimming.
Universal modernized amphipod (pimples)
We can safely say about it - it catches always and everywhere, including in strong currents. The models of these amphipods play less sweepingly in the current, in contrast to the models discussed above. This is facilitated by the more compressed, blocky shape of the bait. When rising and falling, and in a strong current with a slight twitch, the amphipod falls on its side and makes a U-turn. After the reset, the pause can last up to 30 seconds and end with a grip at any time. A fisherman, having only a couple of these amphipods at his disposal, can easily catch big company spinners with a traditional set of baits. When fishing on them, you sometimes get the impression that fishing is taking place during Sabaneev’s time.
Balance jig "Cobra"
An ideal bait for catching predatory fish out of shelters, it is effective in two ways: jig play and playing as a balancer.
1) With an average tempo of play on the rise, it begins to sway, tremble, moving in short jerks in a limited area. In time with the vibrations, the bait shakes its tail made of goat hair, which undoubtedly attracts the attention of pike perch, pike perch and perch. Cases of catching peaceful fish, large bream, and carp are not uncommon.
2) With a smooth rise and release, the bait is given a cyclical nature of movement along a closed contour. After resetting and moving up and to the side, the bait smoothly slows down tail part and makes several turns around the vertical axis.
3) With a short sharp jerk the bait goes up to 40-60cm. in the direction where the pointed front part is directed. Then it returns to the break-off point. In the presence of a current, it always turns with its front part towards the flow, while finely crushing with a frame of goat hair with a single hook.
Sometimes all well-fed fish react to the Cobra balancer in reservoirs with weak currents, stubbornly ignoring other types of bait. To understand why the balancing jig was given such a name, just look at it from above - an interested viewer will see the head of a cobra. The color is bright, specific, with a predominance of green, yellow, red and black.
Having mastered and learned how to use these baits correctly, think about whether you need the quantity that you will catch? You can take the minimum that is necessary. Once we save the life of one individual, we will give the opportunity for offspring to appear!
Gammarus is a small amphipod crustacean. The Latin name for this species is Gammarus pulex, and it belongs to the order Amphipoda (amphipods) of about 4,500 species. More often in everyday life, outside the aquarium theme, the word mormysh is used, which is a collective word, it means exactly those 4,500 species of the order Amphipoda. Mormysh used by fishermen as bait to catch fish on a hook. For food aquarium fish aquarists often use Gammarus pulex. Which was described by Linnaeus back in 1758. The same species is used to feed valuable commercial fish species on fish farms.
Synonyms: mormysh, sea flea, amphipod crustacean, Rivulogammarus, Sinogammarus.
Mormysh is widespread everywhere. Lives in fresh or brackish waters. The Gammarus species is a freshwater species.
Description:
This amphipod crustacean has a curved body consisting of 14 segments covered with a hard shell. Body length is about 1 centimeter. Mormysh- a collective name for all species among which there are
green-brown color is determined by the animal's dietquite large. Some of them can reach a length of up to 3 centimeters. The described species has 14 pairs of limbs. The first two pairs are represented by antennae - a kind of tactile apparatus. The first two pairs of thoracic legs each bear a simple claw. These are grasping organs for capturing and also holding food. And with their help, the male clings to the female’s back during reproduction. The first three abdominal pairs of legs are swimming, the last three help the animal to make fairly rapid jumps. The hind legs are covered with a large number of bristles; they act as an effective rudder. Under the thin but fairly strong plates of the thoracic limbs there are delicate gills. These legs constantly make oscillatory movements. With their oscillatory movements they ensure a constant flow of water to respiratory organs animal.
Lives for about 1 year. Withstands temperature fluctuations from 0 to 26 degrees Celsius. Prefers cool, oxygen-rich waters, shaded from direct sunlight. The color of the chitinous shell can vary from brown-green to light yellow. This is determined by the food base of a given population. Green color the shell acquires when the animal feeds on plant foods, and it is colored by plant pigments that contain plants. The Baikal gammarus, which feeds on small plankton, can be brown, colorless, or red in color. It feeds and grows constantly. As it grows, molting occurs, during which the animal gets rid of the old, tight chitinous shell. Molting occurs every 7 days in summer and 16–17 days in winter. After the seventh molt, the female develops peculiar outgrowths on her abdominal limbs, forming the so-called brood chamber. It is a kind of hollow tube. Reaches sexual maturity after the tenth molt. Mormysh can reproduce from one to several times a year. This is determined by the habitat. The colder it is, the less likely it is to reproduce. During spawning, the male clings to the female's shell. He can ride like this for up to 7 days, waiting for the next molting of the female. When her molting begins, the male will help her get rid of her old chitinous clothing. And then he will lubricate the walls of her brood pouch with his seed using his abdominal legs. Copulation lasts up to several
what is natural is not ugly...seconds After this, the male leaves his girlfriend, and she lays up to thirty large dark eggs in the brood pouch. In warm weather, their development lasts from two to three weeks. Young gammarus emerge from the brood pouch already fully formed.
How to get
Mined gammarus food by using:
- A bundle of straw or hay, which is placed at the bottom of the reservoir. Having discovered such a treat, the jig very quickly climbs between the straws and blades of grass, filling all the cracks. Now all that remains is to take your bait out of the water and select your prey from it.
- Sometimes the amphipod crustacean can cling to burlap tied to a long stick with which the bag is slowly pulled above the bottom. For this, only a bag made of fabric woven from hemp is suitable. After a few minutes, the bag can be removed from the water and the animals collected by hand.
- If the body of water where you are going to catch Gammarus pulex contains a lot of algae, you can try catching it using a net made from a nylon stocking.
How to store
You can store your catch live, dried, or frozen.
It is advisable to use dried food within three months if it is stored in an airtight container with access to air. With longer use nutritional value such food drops sharply. Therefore, you should not stock up on these raw materials for ten years in advance.
- Gammarus can be frozen. In this case, it is necessary to follow the same recommendations as when preparing raw materials for drying. What can be added is the recommendation to divide the entire supply into small portions that can be eaten either at one time or several times over the course of one week. Now you can freeze these portions at a temperature of minus 18 -25 degrees Celsius. Most modern household freezers can handle this task. According to some reports, frozen amphipod crustaceans can retain their nutritional properties for up to two years.
Where can I buy
Buy mormysh You can go to the bazaar or in stores that sell pet products. If you want to buy a live Gammarus pulex, then most likely this is only possible at the nearest market where they sell our smaller brothers and food for them.
It is better to buy dry and frozen food in specialized stores or from a friend whom you have known for many years and you have no doubt about the quality of his product.
The most famous suppliers of dry food for aquarium fish today in Russian
Feast for the whole worldmarket are Tetra, Sera, Tropical, Nutrafin (Hagen), Otto, Wardley, Dajana Pet, Munster Aquarium, and others. When purchasing this product, pay attention to the production date and expiration date. It should also be remembered that after breaking the seal of the package, its contents must be used within three months.
Nota Bene! Allergy
It must be remembered that the chitinous shells of all crustaceans and insects contain strong allergens. Children should not be given boiled crayfish, crabs, or shrimp. Due to the unsettled mechanisms of their immune system Severe food allergic reactions may occur to substances that contain chitinous shells.
Of course, no one is going to give Gammarus pulex to children as food, but when this crustacean is dried, its chitinous shells become very brittle. Therefore, when feeding fish, tiny particles of dried chitinous shells can be formed, which can be suspended in the air quite long time. Now particles containing these allergens will come into contact with the human body not through digestive tract, but through the respiratory tract. For the same reason, it is strongly recommended not to cover the floors with carpets, which are so fashionable today. The gaps between the carpet fibers are ideal places for the reproduction of dust mites. These "pets" can only be seen with a microscope, but they are also covered chitinous shell, which after the death of the animal is ground by our feet to the state of the finest powder. As it rises into the air and enters the respiratory tract, it can also cause allergic reactions. Therefore, if after contact with dry food you notice skin itching, redness of the skin, watery eyes or difficulty breathing, you should immediately seek help from a doctor.
It’s not worth depriving your child of an aquarium or being left without a favorite hobby. Allergy not to aquarium!
From now on, you should stop using dry food and use live or frozen food.
Nutritional value
Gammarus food contains dry matter 12.8%. Of these, the share of protein is 56.2%, fat 5.8%, carbohydrates 3.2%. It is also rich in carotene, a provitamin of vitamin A. It is this component that is credited with the ability to make the color of fish and birds especially bright.
Pretty decent food.
Amphipod crustacean relatively large. Therefore, it can be given to medium and big fish. For small fish or for fry, jigs can be crushed. Dry, you can simply rub it lightly between your fingers. Live or frozen Gammarus pulex can be pre-steamed for a few minutes with hot water to soften the chitinous shells, and then cut into pieces of suitable sizes.
Feed Gammarus is a valuable, nutritious food for your fish. If you follow the simple recommendations given in this article, all the unpleasant moments that may arise when using Rivulogammarus will be minimized. I hope you found the article interesting and at least somewhat useful.
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In structure, amphipods are in many ways similar to isopods, but their body is often compressed from the sides, and not from top to bottom like that of isopods. However, among amphipods there are species with a flattened dorso-ventral direction, as well as with a cylindrical body. The head, as in isopods, is fused with the first, sometimes with the first two, thoracic segments, and the carapace is absent. The eyes are sessile and located on the sides of the head. In pelagic Phronima, each eye is divided into two, and in the family Ampeliscidae even into 3 parts. On the other hand, in Oedicerotidae, both eyes on the dorsal side are connected so that one huge unpaired eye is formed. Deep-sea and underground species are usually blind, but some of them have dark, facetless “eye spots” in place of their eyes, the purpose of which remains unknown. Under the covers of the head, near its dorsal side, many amphipods have a pair of statocysts, with 1-3 statoliths in each. Both pairs of antennae are usually long and equipped with sensitive cylinders and bristles. Oral appendages of chewing type. The limbs of all seven free thoracic segments are arranged differently, which is reflected in the name of the order “opipods”. The first two pairs of legs are usually equipped with underclaws, in rare cases there are true claws or these legs are not specialized as graspers. The next two pairs of legs have claws facing backwards, while the last three pairs have claws facing forward. In some planktonic deep-sea species underclaws are present not only on the front ones, but also on those following them or even on all pairs of thoracic legs. With the help of this device, crustaceans temporarily attach themselves to the jellyfish and ctenophores on which they feed.
In all amphipods, the epipodites of the thoracic legs, with the exception of the legs of the first pair, and sometimes some others, are transformed into leaf-shaped thin-walled gills. In many cases, the gills are folded, which increases their respiratory surface, and sometimes they are equipped with finger-like projections. Since breathing is carried out by the appendages of the thoracic legs, the heart is located entirely in the thoracic region. In sexually mature females, plates of the brood pouch are attached to some of the pectoral spoons on the inner side of the gills. Unlike isopods, cumaceans and others, the brood pouch of amphipods does not disappear after the end of each breeding season. The abdominal region consists of 6 segments. It is usually somewhat shorter than the chest, but has the same width. However, in many planktonic amphipods it is narrowed, due to which the entire body takes on a teardrop shape. The limbs of the three anterior abdominal segments are adapted for swimming. Their branches are multi-segmented and equipped with numerous swimming setae. The limbs of the three posterior abdominal segments are directed backward, and their branches are not dissected, with the exception of the outer branches of the last pair, which often consists of 2 segments. These are jumping legs, or uropods. In representatives of the suborder Laemodipodea, which includes sea goats and whale lice, the abdominal region is very shortened and lacks segmentation, and the abdominal legs are reduced and often completely absent. In the species-poor suborder Ingolfiellidea, the swimming legs are transformed into small undifferentiated plates. The abdominal section is followed by a short telson, shaped like a triangle, oval, or split into two lobes by a notch. The body covers of amphipods are often smooth, but in many cases they are armed with various keels, teeth and spines. Such sculpture of covers sometimes has protective value. Among the numerous amphipods of Baikal, some are smooth, and some are “armed.” In the intestines of Baikal gobies, which feed mainly on amphipods, there is a sharp predominance of smooth types. Obviously, the “armed” are to some extent protected from attacks by bulls.
Amphipods, as a rule, are colored rather uniformly in brownish, greenish and yellowish colors. The exception is the Baikal species, among which there are variegated, blue, red, and green. Deep-sea and underground species are colorless, but among the planktonic deep-sea species there are also red ones, such as Cyphocaris, Paracyphocaris and a number of related genera. The greenish coloration of freshwater Garamarus is caused by carotenoids produced from carotenes contained in the plants eaten by the crustacean. In the aquarium, representatives of the pigmentless subterranean race Gammarus were kept for a long time in complete darkness and under constant lighting conditions. Regardless of this, they acquired a normal greenish color if they received plants for food. However, there are also hereditary factors that determine color. Occasionally, along with greenish amphipods, red individuals are found. Experiments on crossing them with each other and with normal individuals showed that color depends on three pairs of genes, with the greenish color gene being sharply dominant. In accordance with the different structure of the legs, the movements of heteropods are very diverse. Most of these crustaceans can crawl along the bottom and plants, moving their thoracic legs, swim using their anterior abdominal legs, and jump, pushing off the substrate with their posterior abdominal legs. It should be borne in mind that the name of the entire order “amphipods” is inaccurate. Only in very shallow streams or near the very shore of a reservoir do crustaceans actually swim on their sides, and where the depth allows this, they swim with their backs up, but often lie on the ground on their sides. However, since they are easiest to notice at the most insignificant depth, a deliberately incorrect name was assigned to them. Most amphipods move in all three of these ways, moving from one to another depending on the circumstances. But along with such benthic, benthic and semi-terrestrial inhabitants, there are also real planktonic amphipods that swim their entire lives. These are, firstly, all the numerous species of the suborder Hyperiidea and, secondly, individual representatives of the most extensive suborder of amphipods - Gammaridea.
The practical importance of amphipods, as already indicated, is very great and is determined by their use as food by many fish, including commercial ones. So, in the Caspian and Seas of Azov they make up a significant part of the food of bream, juvenile sturgeon, in the Far East - many flounders, at the mouths of northern rivers - muksun, omul, vendace, in fresh lakes - various whitefish, trout, etc. To improve feeding conditions valuable fish amphipods were transported to many newly created reservoirs and lakes where they had not previously been found. Amphipods G. pulex are fed to trout. For this purpose, crustaceans are stored for future use in special pools. There they are fed hazel and alder leaves, bran, and waste from slaughterhouses. It is possible to contain a large number of crustaceans - up to 90,000 individuals per 1 m2 of the bottom. Such maintenance is the first step towards artificial breeding of amphipods.