Lalius (Colisa Lalia)

Colisa Lalia, also known as the Lalius, is a vibrant, low-maintenance fish that might be just what you’re looking for. Because of its vibrant colors and small size, this gorgeous species—often referred to as the dwarf gourami—is a favorite among aquarium enthusiasts. The Lalius, a native of Bangladesh and India’s freshwater ponds and streams, lends an air of exotic charm to aquariums at home.

The Lalius’s eye-catching appearance is among its most alluring features. It’s difficult to look past its stunning red and blue colors and remain unaffected by their beauty. The males in particular are the focal point of any tank because of their exquisite fins and vibrant coloring. In addition to being aesthetically beautiful, this vibrant display is a testament to their wellbeing and excellent health.

The Lalius is an excellent option for both beginning and seasoned aquarists because of its relatively low maintenance requirements. They like a habitat that is similar to their natural habitat and do best in a tank that is well-planted and has gentle water currents. These fish adapt well and make a vibrant and eye-catching addition to your aquarium with the correct setup and minimal care.

Preface

Aquarists are captivated by these maze-like fish because of their vivid colors, which are especially striking during the spawning season, peaceful disposition, diminutive size, elegant gait, unpretentiousness, and omnivorousness. Alright, beginners: it makes perfect sense and is explicable why they would want to play around with striped daggers. However, on occasion even the masters willfully add laliuses to adorn their aquarium. The fish appear to have evolved over time and bred, but they still seem to lack intelligence, secrets, and opportunities for the curious mind of a true nature lover.

Data on when aquarists first became acquainted with these Asian beauties varies. According to some sources, this event dates back to the second half of the 19th century, according to others – the beginning of the 20th. So, M. Zierling in the article “The Magnificent Lalius and Its Relatives” (Aquarium, No. 2/1993) writes that these fish first came to Europe in 1869 thanks to Francis Day, who, while in India, sent a batch of laliuses to London. In American literature, this event is often dated 1874 and is associated with Paris and the name of one of the greatest popularizers of aquarium of that time. Karbonya. But Gunter Sterba, Rudolf Zukal and many other authorities in the field of decorated fish farming believe that these labyrinths were happy with their appearance of European naturalists only in 1903. To some extent, the opinion of the opinion is. Zolotnitsky (“Aquarium of the amateur”, Moscow, 1916): “This lovely fish, which is in French, the name of the rainbow (Arc-le-Ciel), was imported into Europe still Karbonya, and then disappeared and did not appear over 35 years. But in 1903 it was again brought to Europe and now multiplied everywhere in large quantities ".

Either way, Lyalius is a decorated fish farming veteran that deserves to be acknowledged as such, and its continued appeal only serves to highlight this fact.

Lalius, sometimes called Colisa Lalia, is an eye-catching fish that infuses an aquarium with charm and brilliant color. This resilient and tranquil species, also known as the Dwarf Gourami, is prized for both its gorgeous colors and its comparatively low maintenance needs, which make it an excellent option for both beginning and seasoned aquarists. This post will discuss the special qualities of the Lalius, the best circumstances for keeping it in a tank, and how to maintain its health and vitality so that it always adds beauty and life to your underwater environment.

Habitat and Area

Asia: Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan.

Little, heavily overgrown bodies of water are home to these fish in their native region of northern India. A variety of canals, ponds, lakes, tiny streams, and rivers with a light current serve as their permanent haven.

Heavy monsoon rains quickly spread out across the nearby plains during a squall, which helps to create the many puddles that result. Fish use these makeshift little reservoirs as a sort of spawning ground because the muddy water in them is rapidly warmed by the sun.

These waters become an ideal habitat for the growth of phyto and zooplankton due to the abundance of light, heat, and nutrients washed off the soil surface. This allows the fry hatched from the eggs to grow quickly, not run out of food, and return to their "permanent deployment" sites before the rain puddles and the channels that connect them dry up. The laliuses have learned to tolerate fairly significant temperature fluctuations from the waters that warm up during the day and quickly cool down at sunset. The fish’s loyalty to the relatively low quality of the water is determined by the abundance of dissolved organic matter and mechanical suspensions that are inevitable in these conditions.

Naturally, this does not imply that an aquarium containing laliuses can become an unmanaged swamp with unpredictable temperature swings, but even so, taking care of these maze-like fish does not necessitate rigorous adherence to the regimen and permits some laxities that an inexperienced hobbyist may overlook or fail to recognize.

Description

The body is tall, oblong, and swollen from the sides. The anal and dorsal fin bases are longer than the body. While male fins are pointed, female fins are more rounded at the ends. Compared to females, males are marginally bigger and brighter. The touch organs are located in the elongated filiform ventral fins. Transverse red and blue-green stripes alternate throughout the body, extending to the fins. The borders of the dorsal, anal, and caudal fins are red. Females have lighter stripes and are grayish-green in color.

A commercially named "red lalius," a color mutation that first surfaced in 1979, provided even more motivation to keep people interested in this species. Fish farms in Singapore are the source of this fish’s unusually colorful lineage.

Rumor has it that after years of experimentation, it was there that spontaneous color throwing was consolidated and a selective form with stable inherited color characteristics was developed.

More, more, more: "SanSet," "Rainbow," "Sky Blue," and "Red Neon" are just a few of the color variations of laliuses that were obtained through selection; many of them have incredibly striking appearances and drastically different hues from their prototype. Because of this, an aquarist today can use only laliuses of different shapes to fill his aquarium with nearly every color in the rainbow.

Size:

Males are between 6.0 and 6.5 cm long, while females are somewhat shorter.

8.8 cm is the maximum length mentioned in some sources. Given that the females of this species are considerably smaller, this presumably only applies to the males. The majority of specimens in aquariums are no larger than 7.5 cm, with females being slightly smaller at roughly 6 cm.

Behavior and compatibility

As for neighbors, if necessary, any peaceful fish with similar environmental requirements can be used. It is desirable that their habitat be the middle and lower horizons of the aquarium. Firstly, they will enliven these layers, secondly, they will not invade the measured near-surface lifestyle of the laliuses, thirdly, they will be less likely to encroach on the integrity of the nests built by males and, finally, fourthly, they will increase the chances of survival of the laliuses offspring if spawning occurs in a common aquarium. I recommend avoiding nimble active fish, such as barbs, which always manage to get to the feeder before the labyrinth fish and grab the most delicious pieces for themselves, or even leave their slow competitors without their share of provisions.

The most developed males devote their leisure time to building nests as soon as they reach adulthood. It is also expected that there will be some changes in the dynamic between the representatives of the stronger half; males who were once utterly devoted to one another start exhibiting signs of territoriality. Fish in a large aquarium find quick solutions to local issues and go back to living peacefully. When there are more males than females in a small surface area tank, the process of figuring out the relationship can take a while.

Aquarium

A 20–30 liter aquarium is more than sufficient for a couple. It is true that having two to three females for every male is preferable, but this solution is less visually appealing because females wear much more modest clothing even when mating. The aquarium’s surface area is crucial, and the bigger it is, the better. This is because they live nearly their whole lives right next to the water’s surface. Here they forage for food, create their distinctive foam nests, fill their labyrinth organ with ambient air, and temporarily care for their young.

Theoretically, they have no interaction with the soil. You could theoretically even refuse it, but the fish become confused and behave nervously as a result of the light from the aquarium’s bottom reflecting back on them. It is therefore preferable to add at least a thin layer of coarse sand or fine gravel in dark hues to the bottom.

From a biological standpoint, these fish are exclusively affixed to floating plants with finely divided leaves. They like to sleep in their thickets and construct their nests using shattered pieces as a skeleton. However, it wouldn’t be entirely appropriate to restrict your selection to just these types of aquatic flora, as this would make even a low aquarium appear empty at the bottom. Furthermore, thickets of feathery leaves, Thai fern, elodea, and vallisneria can be incredibly helpful to a woman who is sick of her partner’s constant demands.

It is best to have a dark background because it makes the fish appear more contrasting and calmer. In any case, even though they typically inhabit reservoirs that are fully exposed to sunlight in their natural habitat, they dislike bright light and attempt to hide from it behind clusters of floating plants that serve as a sort of light filter. Branching snags can be used as ornaments. You don’t need a variety of stone structures in an aquarium containing these fish.

As was previously stated, the water’s chemical makeup is not very significant. They are equally at ease in neutral or slightly acidic water, as well as soft and relatively hard water. The ideal aquarium temperature for these fish should never drop below 26 degrees.

Water parameters:

In the range of 22 to 28 °C pH range: 6.0 to 8.0 Hardness: 15–19 degrees dGH

Although aeration-free filtration is not required, they still prefer clean water, so equipment installation is still required. Reduce the amount of water movement. Weekly water changes are performed by 1/4.

Feeding

These fish are not gluttons, but they do have a good appetite. Their food source in the wild is flying insects that land on the water’s surface. It is easy to feed them in an aquarium because they will jump for any food that is the right size. The most important factor is that the food avoids the bottom, where the fish reluctantly descend, for as long as possible. We eat daphnia, cyclops, and corethra with great pleasure. Nor will they turn down tiny bloodworms.

Good-quality artificial food can be added to the diet; well-balanced flakes work best. It won’t harm them to occasionally feed plant-based products like wolffia or dry food made with spirulina.

Sexual Dimorphism

Compared to the simpler, silvery females, males are slightly larger and significantly more colorful. They grow longer anal and dorsal fins as they mature, which females do not have. There are multiple color forms, but this method makes it easy to distinguish between them all.

Six months is when they reach sexual maturity.

Breeding

It is feasible to keep an eye on their spawning in a shared aquarium if you are unable or unwilling to set aside a spawning tank. But in these circumstances, it is unnecessary to discuss multiple offspring. Even though the male is envious of the nest and the eggs inside, he is unable to protect them consistently, and the fry that abandon their hiding place are left completely helpless in front of their parents as well as other aquarium occupants.

In order to obtain numerous offspring, the producers must be transplanted into a separate aquarium. Having noticed the fuss of a male, eagerly trying to collect plant particles in a pile, take care to prepare a spawning tank of the appropriate volume. Even a small container can serve in this capacity, a volume of 5-10 liters is quite enough for a couple, 20-25 is better. In general, the spawning tank is equipped in the same way as a common aquarium. The only difference is that it is desirable to raise the water temperature to 28-30 ° C, the other parameters are within the standard limits for the species, and do not use filtration at all. A foam nest is essentially the same castle in the air – a fragile structure, very sensitive to any external influence, including water movement.

The spawning tank should be shaped like a trough and have as much surface area as possible, with a height of 15-20 cm. Water level: 10–15 cm. If the bottom is not covered with at least a thin layer of soil, it is preferable that it be made of opaque material. Both floating plants and a dense cluster of hornwort-type plants are required so that the female can hide.

The breeders are put in the spawning tank simultaneously with the pair if they have already established themselves in a shared aquarium. It is preferable to introduce the female fish first when the aquarist is the one choosing the fish for spawning. The male is added after three to four days for her to acclimate to the new room.

Spawning begins after the construction of the nest is completed. The female lays several eggs, which the male immediately releases into the foam and covers with an additional layer of bubbles. After spawning is complete, the female is removed from the spawning tank, she only interferes with the male monitoring the integrity of the nest and the safety of the eggs. The participation of the aquarist is also limited to maintaining a stable temperature regime in the spawning tank. Any interference in the process of incubation of eggs, for example, an attempt to help the male get rid of dead eggs, can lead to the fact that the caring parent will destroy both the eggs and the nest.

Larvae typically appear 24–30 hours later. They sleep in the nest for two to three days, sometimes longer. The male instantly halts their attempts to prematurely broaden the boundaries of the immediate environment. Returning the male to the main aquarium is preferable as soon as the fry’s desire to leave the nest becomes widespread.

Despite their modest size, the fries are extremely hungry. There should be food in the spawning tank at all times. At this point, a pure culture of ciliates-slippers is the best food for them. A little worse are rotifers. In the initial days, the fry’s development moves slowly despite their gluttony. The growth rate is only apparent by the second week, when the food nauplii of brine shrimp and cyclops become more solid in size.

Growing fries is not a difficult task. The most crucial thing is to keep the water’s purity and the amount of food provided in reasonable proportion. Fry should be moved from the spawning tank to a larger rearing aquarium equipped with an airlift sponge filter when they are two to three weeks old. Weekly calibration is essential because the fry grow unevenly and large young fish do not mind having smaller relatives to add to the menu. Their development of a labyrinth stops at one month of age. The rearing aquarium has a tight-fitting lid to give them access to warm air.

It is important to note that you should only pay attention to these subtleties if you wish to save the greatest number of young fish. Even with the most minimal care on his part, at least a dozen teenagers will survive to the point when their body length is 1.5 to 2 cm and they can be safely released into the general aquarium. This is because an average amateur usually does not set such tasks for himself.

An aquarium can live for approximately five years under ideal conditions.

Feature	Description
Common Name	Cherry Barb
Scientific Name	Colisa Lalia
Size	Up to 2.5 inches (6 cm)
Color	Bright red with blue-green iridescence
Tank Size	Minimum 20 gallons
Water Conditions	Warm water, 75-80°F (24-27°C), soft to medium hardness
Diet	Omnivorous; accepts flakes, pellets, and live foods
Behavior	Peaceful, can be kept in community tanks
Special Needs	Provides hiding spots and gentle filtration

As we conclude our examination of the Lalius, also known as the Colisa Lalia, it is evident that this small fish is unique in the world of aquarium fish. It’s not only a striking addition to any tank, but also a pleasure to take care of thanks to its vivid colors and unique fin structure. This species flourishes in the correct conditions, adding vibrancy and brightness to your aquatic arrangement.

The preference of Lalius for serene, well-planted tanks is one of the most important things to keep in mind when keeping them. Their ideal habitats are those where they can hide among plants and explore. These fish will be content and healthy if their habitat is set up with a little patience and care.

Because of their generally calm behavior and ability to get along with other fish, lalius are excellent choices for community aquariums. For fish enthusiasts, their intriguing interactions and behaviors offer yet another level of enjoyment. The Lalius can make a beautiful and long-lasting addition to your aquarium with the right maintenance and care.

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