Here is an animal that is not very common in our ponds and yet deserves to be better known! The Ide Melanote is a fish that is not afraid of the cold and that, by its mode of feeding, helps to regulate the ecosystem of the pond.
Presentation
The Melanote Ide (Leuciscus idus) is a member of the Cyprinidae family. This fish looks like a roach. Of gregarious nature, it likes to live in schools.
Its body is tapered and its color is mostly silver but can vary from blue-gray to a very dark green depending on the age and the period. The belly is whitish and the sides are always lighter and silvery. The fins are gray except for the pelvic and anal fins which are pink or red. Its head is narrow, with a mouth directed upwards.
The maximum adult size is 75 cm in length for a weight of 4 kg.
Habitat and feeding
This fish is found in the wild in rivers, ponds and lakes in Central and Eastern Europe, as far as the Ural plain. It is also very common in Great Britain. In France, it can be found in the Rhine, the Moselle or the Somme, more rarely in the Loire and the Sarthe. The Ide is not a difficult fish, it can live as well near the bottom as at a few centimeters of the surface and tolerates also brackish waters.
The Ide is a good ally in the pond because it feeds mainly on insects, small crustaceans, plant debris and algae, which allows to limit maintenance operations. Be careful though, because in very large ponds, where it can grow to its maximum size, it could feed on small fish.
Reproduction
The reproduction period of the Melanotus Ide is in spring, between April and June, depending on the weather conditions. A female can lay between 42,000 and 260,000 eggs in a shallow area with a gravelly bottom where the eggs can cling. Many will be destroyed before hatching or absorbed by predators in the first few hours of their life, thus limiting the number of individuals. The Ide can live more than 20 years.
Behavior in the tank
The Ide is a gregarious fish, it will be necessary to introduce several subjects of this same species (at least 5).
A pond of at least 25 m² is necessary for its lively movements under the surface. It is a hunter and spends its time cleaning the pond of insects that are on the surface or that have fallen into the water. It also appreciates aquatic insects, mosquito larvae and can also be very useful to rid the pond of green algae and other plant invasions.
