the Borstenzähner is a family of smaller harsh-good fish, who are given a home in tropical seas, particularly in coral-reefs. Most Borstenzähnerarten are marvelously colored, we find under them with the most beautiful coral-fish.
The types of the subfamily of Chaetodontinae are called butterfly-fish. If one sees these fish gaukeln in the sunlight over the reef-landscape and hovers, one feels so also remind of the splendid sight spontaneously, that tropical butterflies offer in the jungle, if they flash in the only here and there intent sun. Also the representatives of the second subfamily of Pomacanthinae carry its German name Kaiserfishes rightly, they are where its color-splendor is concerned, real "emperors" among the fish.
Shape Most Borstenzähner become only 10-20 cm long. Some few types, how some emperor-fish, clearly becomes up to 60 cm of length bigger as well. The body of the fish is very strongly compressed lateral. Above all the großflossigen types seem almost disk-shaped. However, we find also deviant shapes with strongly extended muzzle like the Pinzettfishes or with flag-nicely moved out first back-fin like the pennant-fish (butterfly-fish).
The mouth of the Borstenzähner is notably small for harsh-good fish and carries a large number of small, bristle-similar teeth in characteristic and name-giving manner. The emperor-fish carry a powerful thorn in contrast to the butterfly-fish on the gill-cover, a characteristic, that clearly distinguishes both groups.
Way of life Borstenzähner are on outstanding tried in the coral-reef at the life. The high-re-y, flat shape lets on us that we have not to do it with persevering fast-swimmers. Probably however these fish with its big, powerful fins can maneuver elegantly on closest area, in a flash off the cuff can accelerate and can around-speed with high speed in the sharp-craggy coral-tangle without hurting themselves.
In the fright-condition or in the sleep, the shining colors of the coral-fish can fade strongly or even can shift. The night is spent in the hiding place in a type's stiffness-condition, Borstenzähner are sun-animals, who are active only on the day.
Food With the small mouth under the bristle-teeth, these fish specialized in the reception of small food-scrap. they pluck polyps, mollusks and worms from its casings and grate algae and other grew up of the coral-rocks from. With the high-specialized types of the Pinzettfishes from the types Forcipiger and Chelmon is the muzzle-part even extended to a pinzettähnlichen tube. With this "tweezers", the food can be out-plucked deeply from the branched coral-tangle.
Aquarienhaltung In the coral-reef, Borstenzähner always find a varied covered table, in the aquarium, however, the nutrition can cause big difficulties since one cannot possibly offer the food-variety of the free nature to them there. Feed-refusal therefore is no rarity with these fish. Furthermore, some types are quite belligerent and rowdy. A breeding has not succeeded in the captivity also with feed-solid and well got accustomed animals until now yet. Therefore, a too strong Abfishung could become dangerous for the Borstenzähnern through the ornament-fish-trade!
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