Characteristics and How to Keep Motsugo

Motsugo is a river fish of the carp family, Carpidae, in the genus Motsugo, with a silvery-white coloration and a single black vertical line on the side of the body. The motsugo is a silvery-white fish with a single black vertical line on the side of its body. In this article, I would like to explain in detail the characteristics of the motsugo and how to keep it.

What is motsugo?

Motsugo belongs to the genus Motsugo of the carp family, Carpidae. The habitat of motsugo is Japan, China, Taiwan, and the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. In Japan, motsugo can be found in rivers and lakes in Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu west of the Kanto region.The Sinai motsugo, which is native to eastern Japan, and the bullhead motsugo, which lives in the Nobi Plain, are endangered as native species. The motsugo's body color is characterized by a silvery white base with a single black vertical line on the side of the body. However, this line may disappear as the fish grows older. Motsugo prefer to live in rivers and lakes where there is little current, and they often swim near the surface to the middle of the water in small groups in shallow waters where there are many aquatic plants such as aquatic grasses. The mottled spinefoot has a sharp, thin-looking mouth and feeds by poking with the tip of its mouth. In the Kanto region, it is sometimes called kuchiboso (mouth narrow) because of the shape of its receiving mouth.

How to keep motsugo

Motsugo is an easy species to keep if you know how to keep them. The lifespan of motsugo is about 2 to 3 years. Their body size is about 8 to 10 cm. However, both lifespan and body size vary depending on the environment in which they are kept and the food they are fed. They prefer slightly alkaline to neutral water quality, with a pH of 7.0 to 8.0. They can live in water temperatures between 5-25℃.

Points to keep in mind when mixing swimmers

Regarding mixed swimming, first of all, motsugo has a mild temperament. For this reason, it is recommended to mix them with other species of the same size or medium-sized species such as the rosy bitterling. Since motsugo is an omnivore, it is necessary to be careful when mixing it with smaller species, as it may chase after them. Also, if the mixed species is a territorial species or a chasing species, the motsugo may become weak due to stress. If you are worried about having them swimming together, we recommend that you add more aquatic plants such as water plants to create a hiding place for them.

Points about spawning

Many people who keep motsugo want to breed them. In the wild, motsugo spawn from around spring to summer. If they are kept in captivity, the timing when the water temperature reaches around 20 degrees Celsius is the signal for spawning. When it is time to spawn, the male's body color changes to black and the vertical lines disappear. The female's abdomen becomes larger.When mature males and females are present, they spawn on water plants and other surfaces. When spawning occurs, the male protects the eggs from foreign enemies and removes algae and water plants as they drift by. They are often temperamental during the spawning period, so care must be taken if there are other species swimming with them. The eggs hatch in about 70 to 80 hours. As fry, they consume yokelsacks (nutrients received from their parents) like other species, and after that, they should be fed with fry food. The fry will then grow to adulthood in one year.

Points to keep in mind when keeping mottled turtles

The motsugo is a silvery-white-colored river fish with a single black vertical line on the side of its body. The motsugo prefers to live in rivers and lakes where there is little current, and often swims in shallow waters with many aquatic plants such as aquatic grasses in small schools near the water's surface to the mid-water level. The Shinai motsugo, which lives in eastern Japan, and the bullhead motsugo, which lives in the Nobi Plain, are endangered as native species.In recent years, the number of native species has decreased due to interbreeding with non-native species, which has become a problem. In addition, the number of black bass, bluegill, and other species that did not originally inhabit the area has been decreasing significantly due to feeding damage caused by the illegal release of these species into the waters where they were introduced. Currently, various local governments are engaged in conservation activities. Motsugo is an important river fish in terms of education because it is an indispensable part of the traditional Japanese ecosystem. If you are interested in motsugo, we recommend that you take a look at it at a specialty store.