Miniature fish can be seen not only in small aquariums, they live in fresh water, and also live in salty sea water. Most surprisingly, many of them are commercial.

The smallest river fish Among the small and light freshwater fish is the goby mystictis, whose habitat is the lakes and rivers of the Philippines. This is a commercial fish. The length of the fish is about twelve and a half millimeters. Fish live in small schools. The local population prefers to eat these gobies, making delicious dried cakes from them.

The bobbin fish is found in Russian rivers and lakes. Its size is also small. So, the length of the Aral nine-spined bobbin is only five centimeters. There is so much of it in reservoirs that it may well be commercial. This bobbin subspecies is caught in the Baltics and Finland. The bobbin processing field produces fat, which is used for technical needs. Bone meal is also obtained for poultry and livestock feed.

The smallest marine fish Of all marine fish, the dwarf goby has the shortest body. Its habitat is the Indo-Pacific region. It is known that the body length of females is only nine millimeters, and males are one tenth of a millimeter less.

The dwarf goby was also discovered quite by accident in the region of the Shetland Islands, which was a real discovery. However, it was not so small - the maximum length was twenty-four millimeters. The name of the fish is Gillette's goby. This goby is considered the smallest sea fish in Europe. Due to their small size and mysterious color, thanks to which they easily hide among the fragments of shells, it is extremely difficult to thoroughly investigate this species. To date, it is only known for sure that their habitat is a rough seabed.

One cannot but mention one more species of goby that lives in the seas and is the smallest marine commercial fish - this is the synarapan. These fish live on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. The length of males does not exceed thirteen millimeters. Unfortunately, this species of goby is also on the verge of extinction.

In Russia, the smallest fish is Berga's Caspian goby. It belongs to the smallest subspecies of gobies. Its habitat is the bottom layers of the Caspian Sea. The length of such a fish usually does not exceed two centimeters. Sometimes it can be found in the lower reaches of rivers flowing into the Caspian.

Small aquarium fish Usually, small aquarium fish live in small aquariums in homes, shops or offices.

Here are several types of miniature aquarium fish... Rasbora Brigitte - this fish, even in wildlife, does not exceed two or three centimeters. Rasbora Mera and Rasbora Spotted are just as small. The smallest of them is Rasbora Kroshka, whose length is no more than one and a half centimeters. No more than two centimeters - the size of the Rasbora Firefly fish.

In miniature aquariums, the dwarf Tetradon is often seen. The male grows up to two and a half centimeters. Females are slightly larger. Small Pygmy catfish live in flocks in aquariums. The length of these fish is about two and a half centimeters. Another small schooling fish is Microsbora Galaxy. Its size is two and a half centimeters.

The nano-aquarium was created by Anatoly Konenko, a resident of the city of Omsk. Its volume is only two teaspoons of water. It is active, and fish live in it. Its inhabitants are zebrafish fry, which are only four millimeters long.

The smallest fish in the world The smallest member of the class of mystic gobies is the pygmy pandaka. The place of his discovery is the swamp of the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

The weight of this "baby" is about four to five grams, and its length is about seven to nine millimeters. In the water, the fish are barely visible, not only because of their size, but also because they are almost transparent and colorless. Pandaks are not only the smallest freshwater fish on the planet, they are also the world's smallest vertebrate.

Their habitual habitat is the Indo-Pacific region. Often, these dwarf fish are found in the peat bogs of Indonesia and Sumatra. The choice of the area is not accidental, the reason is in the increased acidity, which exceeds the acidity of rainwater by a factor of one hundred. In the seventies of the last century, studies of the pandaka were carried out, which led to interesting discoveries. Due to their small size, the fish require little food. They feed on plankton lying at the bottom of reservoirs. The small length of the fish and the small weight are justified by the fact that its brain is devoid of some of the bone protection, the females, in comparison with other fish, have much fewer eggs. There are so few eggs that the male is able to fertilize each of them individually.

Locals, despite such a small size of fish, eat them fried with many spices. The slave is also of interest to aquarists.

What is the name of: Paedocypris Progenetica| Length: 7.9mm

Weight: up to 5 g | Habitat: swamps of Southeast Asia.

The smallest fish in the world, in addition to its tiny size, differs from its larger relatives by its unique body structure and specific habitat.

How were the babies discovered?

In 2006, an international team of scientists accidentally discovered tiny fish in a peat bog on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Prior to this discovery, it was believed that the acidic waters of the marshes of Indonesia were not suitable for animal life. But after this discovery, biologists have carefully studied the flora and fauna of the local bogs. As a result, many new species of plants and animals were discovered. Among them were the smallest fish in the world - Paedocypris Progenetica.

Unusual home of miniature fish

Tiny fish are found in Indonesia on two islands at once - Sumatra and Bintan. In both cases, their habitat is shaded areas of peat bogs, the acidity of the water in which fluctuates within 3 pH.

Settlement in such an unusual place is explained by the possibility of swamps and, during prolonged drought, to preserve areas with cold water... The guarantee of the safety of the liquid is a layer of peat that protects it from evaporation and heating. In addition to this, the deep reservoirs are constantly replenished with fresh water from underground streams.

Thanks to small size small fish, they are able to survive the dry season even in a hole 5 cm in diameter. And partial shade and muddy water serve as an excellent shelter from the larger inhabitants of the swamps.

The appearance of the record holders

The tiny Paedocypris Progenetica look like fry rather than full-fledged fish. And the reason for this is not only the miniature size. They have almost no skulls, which makes their heads very vulnerable.

The smallest fish in the world - Paedocypris Progenetica

Through the transparent body of the smallest fish in the world, you can see their insides. Scientists explain the lack of scales and pigment in Paedocypris Progenetica by the desire of evolution to make them invisible to enemies and save the energy of the fish for procreation.

Jewelry reproduction

Due to their diminutive size, women of this species can only bear 3-4 eggs. And in the males of Paedocypris Progenetica, a kind of hook is formed from the keratinized cells in the pelvic region, which allows them to fix the female during mating. So nature took care of the maximum offspring of small fish, because during spawning, the male has to fertilize each egg separately, and this is a very delicate job.

What do mini fish eat?

Instead of the usual teeth, Paedocypris Progenetica has only bony tubercles on the jaw. But this is quite enough for the fish to eat planktonic rotifers and cladocerans that have settled on the bottom of the swamp, the size of which is from 0.06 to 0.5 mm. Which characterizes the smallest fish in the world as skillful predators.

Threats to existence

The main threat to Paedocypris Progenetica is the destruction of their natural habitat. Indeed, after large-scale fires in 1997 in the peat bogs of Indonesia, the lion's share of the swamps were completely destroyed. In addition to fires, the areas of swamps are decreasing every year due to their deliberate drainage to free up new territories for agricultural land and infrastructure.

Scientists say that due to the neglect of the swamps in Indonesia, dozens of Paedocypris Progenetica populations have already been wiped out.

Title competitors

Having received two titles at once at the opening - the smallest fish in the world and the smallest vertebrate, Paedocypris Progenetica made a lot of noise among biologists.

After that, several more miniature fish species were found, but the fact of their sexual maturity was never scientifically confirmed. Thus, Paedocypris Progenetica is still considered the smallest fish on the planet.

• The size of this tiny fish is comparable to that of a large mosquito.
• Paedocypris Progenetica was the world's smallest vertebrate creature from 2006 to 2012, before the discovery of the smallest frog.
• In the habitats of miniature fish, the acidity level is one hundred times higher than in rainwater.
• Prior to Paedocypris Progenetica, the record holder for the smallest vertebrate creature was the 8mm Indo-Pacific goby.
• The smallest fish in Russia is Berg's goby, the smallest size of a mature individual reaches 3.5 cm.
• Despite its diminutive size, Paedocypris Progenetica is part of the local diet. They fry it with a lot of spices.
• The size of one egg of a tiny fish is in the range of 0.15-0.3 mm.
• After the official discovery of the Paedocypris Progenetica fish, they became popular pets. A mini aquarium is used for their maintenance.
• Of the 67 freshwater species of miniature fish in Asia, 47 live in swamps, of which 31 species live in peat bogs.

In the past few decades, such a direction as the nano aquarium has begun to develop in the aquarium business. The name speaks for itself - these are small aquariums with a capacity of up to 30 liters, as a rule. Of course, special fish - the smallest ones - become inhabitants of nanoaquariums.

Lilliputian fish

Wildlife is diverse, there are a lot of unusual things in it. Who would have thought that the smallest fish in the world lives in water, the acidity of which is about 100 times higher than neutral rainwater! But it is so.

A midget fish only 8 millimeters long is found in some of the Indonesian swamps of Sumatra. Scientists, first mistaking it for a fry, gave it the Latin name Paedocypris Progenetica, classified it as the closest relative of the known cyprinids, and recognized it as the smallest vertebrate animal on the planet.

To survive in extreme conditions, evolution has rid Paedocypris Progenetica of many of the functional traits of the vast majority of fish:

• the body is almost transparent,
• the bony skeleton consists of several tiny vertebrae,
• there are no signs of a cranium, making the miniature brain completely unprotected.

The female of this fish lays only a few eggs, almost no visible to the eye person. It is not known exactly whether such a fish is kept at home.

It is unlikely, since it requires very special conditions - very acidic water (pH = 3).

In the Philippines, there is another midget - mystichtis. The tiny 13mm gobies are well known to the locals for making delicious cakes with them. Because of this, the fish is now less common and is on the verge of complete extinction.

The dwarf goby of Gillette is considered the smallest fish in Europe. This small animal was found in the sea near the Shetland Islands. The fish has a color that allows it to easily merge with the bottom, covered with shells, which makes it difficult to study its structure and habits well.

Rasbora - tiny aquarium dwellers

Rasbora, or as they are sometimes called, are the smallest known inhabitants of miniature aquariums. This does not apply to all species of these domestic fish.

Of course, there are rasboros with a length of about 2.5 centimeters. Giants among the pygmies! But Boraras micros (rasbora micro, or crumb), as well as Boraras naevus (rasbora nevi) in an adult state do not exceed 13 mm.

Under natural conditions, these representatives of the cyprinid family live in fresh water bodies of Southeast Asia with a weak current. It is thanks to the development that rasbor has become quite popular.

Fish are considered unpretentious, but water parameters are very important for their maintenance. The fact is that in nature they are accustomed to soft water with high acidity (the pH level is only 4 units), so the first time they need to create similar conditions.

As a rule, peat is added to create an acidic environment.

Gradually, by means of water changes, the level of the acid-base balance is brought to 6-6.5 units, and the hardness of the water - to the usual for a given area. Such acclimatization at home takes about two months, and then the fish get used to the new water parameters. Its temperature must be maintained in the range from +24 to +28 degrees.

Rasbora are insectivorous animals. In a home aquarium, they can be fed with frozen foods such as daphnia or brine shrimp.

But, according to the opinion of reputable aquarists, it is better to give live food to the races - nematodes (microworms, as they are also called). This is especially important if you plan to breed these aquarium babies. Of course, the feed should be fine.

To make the fish feel in conditions close to natural, the bottom of the aquarium is covered with tree leaves, small driftwood is installed. Gradually, the leaves decompose in the water, becoming a habitat for various microorganisms.

The tannins released during decomposition help to reduce the hardness of the water and change its color to a darker one.

You should not be surprised if the color of the water environment in the nano aquarium with rasbora is a bit like tea.

Fish are usually kept in schools of 6 to 15 individuals in aquariums with a capacity of no more than 30 liters.

Breeding Boraras micros

The probability of breeding increases if the rasbor are fed with live food. During the creation of a pair, the yellow color of the males becomes very bright, and the bodies of the females, on the contrary, turn pale, their abdomen swells.

Fish spawning is so fast that you might not notice it.

Eggs are usually deposited on leaves. aquarium plants... There are very few eggs in total, which the male takes care of at the first stage, from 12 to 18.

Immediately after the end of the incubation period, the male completely ceases to pay attention to the offspring. But this is not scary, since the rasbora do not eat the fry.

That is why there is no need to create any separate specific conditions for the spawning of these fish. Spawning is possible at any time of the year.

In principle, it is possible to keep a couple of rasboros - the smallest aquarium fish - in a liter nano aquarium. But an aquarium from 15 liters will look most impressive, where there is enough space for a flock of these frisky babies. True, Boraras micros are quite rare in domestic pet stores.

Not surprisingly, the smallest fish live not only in home aquariums, but also in rivers, lakes, seas and oceans. What is most interesting is that many of them are eaten by humans. So let's get to know some of them.
Sea fish
One of the smallest fish found when exploring the oceans is the pygmy goby. Its size does not exceed 9 millimeters. And he lives in the Pacific Ocean next to the Indian Peninsula. A variety of this goby - Gillette's goby - was found in the Scottish Isles, but its size is almost three times larger. Due to their special color, which serves as an excellent disguise for them, and their small size, it is not possible to thoroughly study these small marine life. All that we managed to find out about them is that they live on the rough seabed.
Sinarapan is another little fish. It can be seen near the island of Luzon (Philippines). The body size of males of this fish is about 13 millimeters. Alas, this species of goby is endangered due to the fishing organized on them.
Freshwater fish
In the fresh waters of the Philippines, such a small fish as the mystictis goby was discovered. Its size is approximately 12.5 millimeters. These fish are gregarious. In their habitats, fishing is open on them. Sun-dried tortillas are one of the dishes prepared from these miniature inhabitants of rivers and lakes.
The bobbin fish lives on the territory of Russia. The body length of one of the bobbin types, called the Aral nine-spined bobbin, is about 5 centimeters. It is popular among Finns and Baltics. From the carcasses of this fish, fat is obtained, which is used for technical needs, and the bones are ground into flour, which is added to feed for pets and poultry.
Aquarium fish
The smallest inhabitants of the aquarium are the Rasbora species. For example, Rasbora Brigitte has a size of 2-3 centimeters. Rasbora Five and Rasbora Measure are about the same size. Rasbora Firefly does not grow more than 2 centimeters. And the smallest among them is Rasbora Kroshka - her body is only 1.5 centimeters long.
The smallest fish on the planet
The smallest inhabitant of the watery expanses of our planet is considered to be a dwarf pandak, belonging to the class of mystic gobies. It was discovered in the swamp waters of Sumatra and the peat bogs of Indonesia. The body length of this "baby" is 7-9 millimeters, and it weighs only 4-5 grams. It is also the smallest vertebrate.
Despite its small size these fish are included in the diet of local residents. They are used fried with various spices. However, Pandaki has long been classified as an endangered species due to the destructive activities of humans who drain the swamps.

Everyone knows that a whale is a very large animal, but whales are not fish, but mammals. They cannot be called the largest fish.

But among the fish, there are also large species, which even in the name sounds like a comparison with a whale.

This is a whale shark - biggest fish... The body length of a whale shark can be up to fifteen meters, its weight can reach 10-12 tons. They are indeed comparable in size to some species of whales - for example, an adult gray whale is approximately the same size. The whale shark, despite its frightening appearance, is completely harmless and feeds (also like many whales) on small marine organisms -.

Giant fish are not only among sharks. For example, a beluga, an inhabitant of the Caspian Sea, which spawns in the fresh waters of rivers, can reach nine meters in length and weigh one and a half tons. And the largest freshwater fish is the arapaima, which lives in the Amazon. This "fish" weighs up to 4 centners with a body length of 4.5 meters.

The largest of the bony fish is the moonfish. Her body length is about 3 meters. But thanks to its rounded shape, it weighs up to 2 tons. And here smallest fish- it is at the same time the smallest of all vertebrates living on Earth. It is called a pandaka goby and lives in lakes in the Philippine Islands. The body length of this tiny creature is only 1 centimeter.

Another record holder among vertebrates cannot be ignored. The filament fish has an amazing body length to width ratio. A kind of "worm", up to one and a half meters long, only 2 cm thick. Thus, the length of its body exceeds the width by 75 times!

A few more words about whales. Not all representatives of the group of whales are large in size. For example, piebald dolphin, the Russian name for Commerson's dolphin (dolphins are also representatives of the cetacean order) is not at all large, its body length is 120-150 centimeters, and its weight is 20-30 kilograms. Piebald dolphins live in the southern part of the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of South America. And the largest dolphin, the killer whale, in comparison with whales, is also not impressive in its size. Its body length does not exceed 8-9 meters.

Whales and dolphins - and this is also a kind of record - are the only mammals that never go on land. Walruses, seals and other pinnipeds (mammals that live in the aquatic environment almost constantly), albeit for a short time, get ashore when the time comes to engage in procreation.

But whales - unless, having played out, they jump out of the water with a noise, and then immediately return to their native element. But once their ancestors walked on land. What happened, what events made them go to sea forever, we can only guess about it.

In the photo, the largest fish in the world is the whale shark, and the smallest fish in the world is the pandaka goby.