Tropical Fish

2006-12-29T09:18:00.000-08:00

Is the Gulping Rate of a Tropical Fish Affected by the Change in Water Temperature?

Objectives/Goals

The question I am researching this year for Science Fair falls under the category of Zoology. I am using Tropical Fish to investigate and research my big question #Is the gulping rate of a Tropical Fish affected by the change in water temperature?# What I am hoping to determine with this project is if the gulping rate of the Tropical Fish will be affected by the different changes in water temperature.

Methods/Materials

In my experiment I will need to follow a series of procedures to complete it. To begin I must buy the proper equipment. Then I will created a stable environment for the tropical fish. After the day of placing the fish in the aquarium tank and completing the procedures stated above I will then do nothing but care for them and observe them for two weeks so that the fish can get used to my presence. Every week I will clean the tank and follow basically the same procedures as above, but this time I must wash the tank and only put the fish in the tank after an hour. After two weeks, I will need a new filter for the filter. After two weeks of becoming familiar with the fish and observing them I will start my experiment. First, I will begin by turning on the heaters in two of the tanks and leave one at regular room (76ºF) temperature. One tanks temperature, I will change to 78ºF and the other tank will be changed to 77ºF. Then after two weeks I will count the gulps each individual pair fish have taken and then I record all my data and do the same with the other tanks and fish. Then I will change the temperature once again in the tanks. The same process as above will be conducted two more times at varying temperatures. Then I will record the results and come

up with a conclusion. These are the steps that I will need to complete my experiment and answer my big question #Is the gulping rate of a Tropical Fish affected by the change in water temperature?

Results

My Hypothesis was correct based on the recorded data and results. The change in gulping rate from

temperature to temperature was insignificant.

Conclusions/Discussion

I have done all my research and based on that and my observations I think that the gulping rate is not affected by water temperature, but can be affected by how clean the water is and how well kept the equipment and fish are cared for. Tropical Fish should be able to adjust to any temperature ranging for 76ºF-78ºF and their gulping rate still not be affected by the change in water temperature.

Tropical Fish

2006-12-29T09:11:00.000-08:00

Epidemiologic Tropical Fish Notes and Reports Aquarium-Associated Plesiomonas shigelloides Infection -- Missouri

In July 1988, a community hospital in southeastern Missouri reported isolating Plesiomonas shigelloides from the stool of a 14-month-old girl with watery diarrhea (no blood or mucus) and fever. Her highest recorded rectal temperature was 102 F (38.9 C). Her stool was negative for Campylobacter, Salmonella, Shigella, Yersinia, Aeromonas, and rotavirus. The child was treated with trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, and her illness resolved after 5 days.

The child had consumed no shellfish and had never traveled more than 80 miles from her home. She had consumed water only from the municipal system and recently had waded in two area lakes. She attended a day-care center, but no other children in her age group were reported ill. The child did not have an aquarium or other close association with animals. However, 1 evening each week, the child stayed in the home of a babysitter who kept piranhas in an aquarium. When the aquarium was cleaned, the water was poured into the bathtub. The child routinely was bathed in the bathtub before going home. The babysitter reported that the child could have been bathed immediately after the aquarium water had been poured into the bathtub.

P. shigelloides was isolated from samples of aquarium water submitted to the State Public Health Laboratory. However, plasmid studies were not performed, and it was not determined whether the bacterial strain isolated from the child's stool was identical to that isolated from the babysitter's aquarium.

To estimate the prevalence of P. shigelloides in tropical fish tanks, investigators from the Missouri Department of Health (MDH) surveyed aquarium water samples from several sites in Missouri (Table 1). Samples were taken from 18 aquariums, including at least two tanks from each of Missouri's six regional health districts. P. shigelloides was isolated from four (22%) of the 18 tanks. The four tanks were located in three different aquarium fish shops: two in central Missouri and one in eastern Missouri. Employees of the three aquarium fish shops reported no health problems in the tropical fish in the culture-positive tanks.

MDH advised managers of all surveyed tropical fishshops to have employees wash hands after contact with aquarium water or tropical fish. No special precautions were recommended to managers of shops from which P. shigelloides was isolated. In addition, the baby sitter was advised to clean the tub thoroughly using chlorine bleach after discarding the aquarium water and before using the tub for bathing. Reported by: PS Tippen, A Meyer, EC Blank, DrPH, State Public Health Laboratory, HD Donnell, Jr, MD, State Epidemiologist, Missouri Dept of Health. Div of Field Svcs, Epidemiology Program Office, CDC.
Editorial Note: P. shigelloides, a gram-negative bacterial rod, is an opportunistic pathogen in the immunocompromised host and has been suspected to cause diarrheal illness in normal hosts (1,2). However, the organism failed to produce illness in volunteer feeding studies, and its role as an enteric pathogen remains unproven (1). Persons with P. shigelloides infection typically describe a self-limited diarrhea, sometimes with blood and mucus in the stool; appropriate antibiotic therapy appears to shorten the duration of illness (3,4). P. shigelloides can also cause cellulitis and septicemia.

This organism has been isolated from surface water, the gut of freshwater tropical fish, and many animals (including dogs and cats) and is particularly common in tropical and subtropical habitats (5). In humans, most isolates have been from stools of patients with diarrhea who live in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa, and Australia; isolations from Europe and the United States have been rare and usually associated with foreign travel or consumption of raw oysters (3,6).

Although no other P. shigelloides gastrointestinal infections associated with aquarium water have been reported, the frequency of P. shigelloides in pet shop aquariums reported here suggests this could be a source of this rarely recognized infection. Basic precautions, such as handwashing after contact with aquarium water and preventing the contamination of potable or bathing water by aquarium water, should decrease transmission of potentially pathogenic microorganisms from aquarium water.

References

Herrington DA, Tzipori S, Robins-Browne RM, Tall BD, Levine MM. In vitro and in vivo pathogenicity of Plesiomonas shigelloides. Infect Immun 1987;55:979-85.
Nolte FS, Poole RM, Murphy GW, Clark C, Panner BJ. Proctitis and fatal septicemia caused by Plesiomonas shigelloides in a bisexual man. J Clin Microbiol 1988;26:388-91.
Holmberg SD, Wachsmuth IK, Hickman-Brenner FW, Blake PA, Farmer JJ III. Plesiomonas enteric infections in the United States. Ann Intern Med 1986;105:690-4.
Kain KC, Kelly MT. Clinical features, epidemiology, and treatment of Plesiomonas shigel loides diarrhea. J Clin Microbiol 1989;27:998-1001.
von Graevenitz A. Aeromonas and Plesiomonas. In: Lennette EH, Balows A, Hausler WJ Jr, Shadomy HJ, eds. Manual of clinical microbiology. 4th ed. Washington, DC: American Society for Microbiology, 1985:278-81.
Reinhardt JF, George WL. Plesiomonas shigelloides-associated diarrhea. JAMA 1985;253: 3294-5.

Tropical Fish

2006-12-11T07:45:00.000-08:00

Tropical Fish Common name(s): Niger Triggerfish, Red-toothed Trigger tropical fish, Black Trigger.

Scientific name: Odonus niger

Family: Balistidae

Origin: Fiji/Tahiti - Pacific Ocean

Maximum size: 12 inches+ in the wild, 10 inches in captivity.

Care: The Niger Trigger tropical fish is a hardy peaceful marine fish great for beginners that can afford/sustain a large watertank. A 75 gallon tank minimum is recommended and perhaps upgrade as the fish grows. The fish's maximum size is approximately 10 inches in a home aquarium. Specific gravity is best around 1.020 and 1.028. Recommended pH levels can be between pH 8 to 8.5 and hardness of dKH 8-12. They do best in temperatures ranging from 72F-78F (22C-28C). This species is one of the most compatible triggerfish available at tropical fish stores.

Feeding: This triggerfish is not fussy and will accept most foods such as mysis, krill, brine, pellets and flakes. As they mature, larger pieces of clam, krill, squid or prawns will be accepted.

Sexing and Breeding: Not much is known on breeding however they are egg-scatterers and males tend to have longer tail streams.

Comments: The Niger Trigger is one of the most peaceful triggerfish available and provided are well fed and given enough space, will get along with most fish. Invertebrates however are still considered food to them as they are their natural food in the wild. Some reports claim these fish can even be reef safe, however it is to be done with caution.

Note: This trigger, also called the “Red-Toothed Trigger” tropical fish, stands up to its name as when it matures as an adult it grows bright red teeth. It should be well fed on hard things such as krill, shrimp and similar molluscs. This is to wear down their ever-growing teeth that are rare with such tropical fish.

Technorati Tags :tropical fish, saltwater fish, red toothed trigger

Tropical Fish

2006-06-17T04:24:00.000-07:00

Some of the most colourful and tropical fish to swim the tropical seas may be threatened by the aquarium trade, the United Nations believes.

It says over 20 million tropical fish and about half as many other forms of marine life are caught every year for the trade.

There is also a persistent demand for some forms of coral, the UN believes.

But it says the aquarium trade, if it is properly managed, can help coastal communities to climb out of poverty.

The report, From Ocean To Aquarium: The Global Trade In Marine Ornamentals, is launched by the UN Environment Programme's World Conservation Monitoring Centre (Unep-WCMC), which is based in Cambridge, UK.

Tropical Fish warning

The report is timed to coincide with the launch of the Disney movie Finding Nemo, the story of a clown anemonefish separated from his dad on Australia's Great Barrier Reef, who ends up in a dentist's surgery.

Together with the blue-green damselfish, the clown fish heads the list of the most traded tropical fish.

The report says the annual catch from tropical seas for the marine aquarium trade in Europe and the US totals more than 20 million tropical fish from 1,471 species, ranging from the sapphire devil to the copperhead butterflyfish.

Another 9-10 million creatures from about 500 species, including molluscs, shrimps and anemones, are caught as well, with up to 12 million stony corals taken from the wild each year.

Hope for the poor

The report says the annual value of the trade, which is concentrated in south-east Asia, is $2-300m. In the Maldives, one kilogramme of aquarium fish was valued at almost $500, while the same weight of tropical fish for food was worth only $6.

The live coral trade is worth about $7,000 per tonne, against $60 for a tonne of coral used for making limestone.

The UN says the aquarium trade is worth about $5.6m a year to Sri Lanka, providing 50,000 people in low-income areas with jobs - and, it says, with a strong incentive to conserve the fish and the reefs.

The executive director of the UN Environment Programme, Dr Klaus Toepfer, said: "Collecting tropical fish brings pleasure to millions.

Barbaric and short-sighted

"The global trade in marine species poses a significant risk to valuable ecosystems like coral reefs, but it has great potential as a source of desperately-needed income for local fishing communities."

Although the trade is mainly legitimate, the report details some methods which are certainly not sustainable.

One of the authors, Colette Wabnitz, said: "A minority of fishermen, in countries such as Indonesia, use sodium cyanide to capture tropical fish. An almost lethal dose of the poison is squirted into the reef where the tropical fish shelter.

"It stuns them to allow capture and export, but can also kill coral and other species. The tropical fish may survive the export process but usually die of liver failure soon after being purchased."

Gold standard

The report relies heavily on data from the Global Marine Aquarium Database, compiled by Unep-WCMC, the Marine Aquarium Council (MAC), and members of different trade associations.

Technorati Tags : tropical fish, fish, fishes

IceRockets Tags :Tropical Fish Fishes Aquarium Water

Tropical Fish

2006-05-27T09:44:00.000-07:00

Common names/s: Red-finned Shark, Rainbow Shark, Ruby Shark tropical fish.

Scientific name: Epalzeorhynchus frenatus.

Family: Cyprinidae.

Origin: S.E. Asia (Thailand)

Maximum size: 6" (15cm)

Care: Planted tank with plenty of rocks, wood and caves. At least 36" in length. Keep the water clean, well filtrated and airated.

Feeding: Omnivorous, some vegetable matter is required in their diet as well as more meatier foods like bloodworms. They will except most foods ranging from commercailly prepared flakes to live foods. Sometimes they will also graze on algae.

Sexing and Breeding: Males can sometimes be distinguished by a slimmer body and black lines/markings on the anal fin. Breeding has occasionally happened in the aquaria but it is rare and hard due to their aggression towards their own species.

This is a relatively small and attractive tropical fish. However, although less of a nuisance than E.bicolor they can still show aggression towards tropical fish of a similar shape and size so they do not make good community tropical fish in all cases. Do not keep more than one of this genus to a tank. Captive breeding has now produced an albino form but it is still a equally aggressive tropical fish.

Tropical Fish

2006-05-19T13:53:00.000-07:00

When you start talking with beginner tropical fish hobbyist about breeding guppies the first thing you hear is, “That’s not hard to do. Just get a small tank and add water, and insert guppies. Wait a few days and you have them breed.” Well for the most part this is a simplified version of what I intend to talk about in this article. But, there is more.

A five-gallon tank will work for a trio of one male and two females, but if you want more, than I would say use a ten-gallon tank so that you can have two males and up to ten females. The latter of the two is what people that raise show quality guppies do to increase their chances of seeing all the traits in just a single tropical fish that they are looking for. Make sure the water is cycled to avoid any ammonia or nitrite spikes. One tablespoon of aquarium salt should be added for each ten-gallons of water. Guppies do much better in water that has a little salt added to it. Floating fake plants are used quite often, but another thing I like to use is a weighted spawning mop made from a dark green or dark blue colored yarn. These mops give great refuge for the fry, so that the other adult fish do not eat them before you have a chance to move the adults to another tank. And yes, I said move the adults. It’s much easier to catch up to twelve adult fish that are at least an inch long or larger, than it is to catch up to one hundred very tiny guppy fry.

As far as what to feed the guppies to condition them for breeding, I suggest black worms, half a cube of frozen bloodworms, half a cube of frozen brine shrimp, and/or a few good quality flake foods such as foods made for guppies, or plankton/krill/spirulina flakes, and some occasional liver flakes, etc. The best advice I can give about feeding your fish is to vary the diet, and do not feed them the same thing each and every day. Your tropical fish will thank you for doing this by growing faster, looking better, and being healthier in the long run.

There is much more to breeding guppies, some of which not everyone will decide to follow. A lot of people see a nice Cobra Delta-tailed Guppy at the store and decide that’s the fish they wish to breed, so in that process that same person either buys a female or two at the same store or they visit a different store to purchase the female or males, which ever the case may be. Meanwhile, there are other tropical fish hobbyist that do some researching and locate a specific color and/or fin strain that they wish to breed. These strains may cost up to, if not more than $85 for a trio (one male and two females). But, keep in mind that the breeder that has these fish for sale has been working on this strain for quite some time using a process of “line-breeding” to keep the strain as nice looking and pure as possible. These are the potential breeders of a show quality guppy. Don’t get me wrong, some breeders have taken the average guppy from a local shop and through line breeding have developed some very beautiful show guppies. Neither of the two ways that you get your guppies will produce a show quality guppy rightaway; this generally takes a bit of time, sometimes over 5 years. It all depends on what you are looking for in the guppies, and how devoted to the objective you are.

Currently I am working with some store bought guppies, one of my males has a green colored body with a snake skin pattern that starts right behind the gill plates and carries on back to the beginning of the tail, hence its name “green snake skin”. The fins of this fish are what’s called a “delta-tail.” This is a tail fin that is about three times as tall from top to bottom as the fish’s body is from bottom of belly to the top of its back. And the dorsal fin is long and floats through the water like the tail of a common Crowntail Betta. Both the tail fin and the dorsal fin have matching yellow/green/black dotted patterns. This male is being bred to similar looking females. And since these tropical fish are not related genetically (at least not to my knowledge) this is known as selective breeding. Selective breeding is when you buy your fish and you look for the traits you wish to have in the offspring in the breeding stock you are planning to purchase. Line breeding is when you take the offspring from this group of breeders and mate them back to the original breeding group. For example, you would take the female offspring and mate them back to the male of the original group (father to daughter), or you take a pair of males and breed them back to the original female that they came from (very accurate record keeping is needed for this method of breeding sons back to mother). But, many of the top guppy breeders in the world will tell you, it is much better to breed the daughters back to the father than it is to breed the mother back to the sons.

By breeding the daughters back to the father you have a much higher chance of seeing the desired traits. From this point on you will be doing some very heavy culling of the unwanted offspring to keep just the traits you are looking for. When I say culling the offspring I am talking about pulling the slower growing or less colorful males and females from the group and keeping only the best looking fish. You also pull out any deformed fish as well since these would not make for good breeding stock in the future. There are a few different ways to get rid of the culled fish, but please, never just flush them down a toilet. The fish do not die right away and end up suffering from breathing in toxins that no one should have to breathe in, or swim in for that matter. Instead either feed them to a larger fish (not everyone likes this method either), or place them in a small bag with water and place them in the freezer. By freezing them they just slowly start to hibernate like they would during a winter season and finally just stop living altogether. This is said to be the most humane way to do this. And of course there are people that do not agree that the previously mentioned method is actually humane either. So, you are left picking and choosing your battle so to speak.

Once you are happy with some of the guppies you have been able to produce throughout all this time, you can now consider locating an International Fancy Guppy Association sanctioned fish show and enter your tropical fish in the show. At this point I would suggest competition in the Novice category since it can be really disappointing to be in competition against some of the breeders that have been entering shows for many years and then not place well, or you may hear some remarks about how your fish should not be in that category. I have been to a few of the shows and heard a lot of bad talking about other hobbyist fish, and sometimes its not pretty language either. Or you could even start by showing your fish in your local club’s “Bowl Show” (just a gentle hint to the members of the club I am a member of). It’s always a good feeling to enter your fish and take the chance of winning some form of an award, such as but not limited to, a first, second, or third place ribbon. The prize is not as important as how the hobbyist feels when he/she sees their tropical fish on display with one of those ribbons near it.

And there is always a chance that you will be able to produce a new color variant or strain and it will be seen at a local or larger tropical fish show. You too will be able to sell some of your quality offspring to other hobbyists that have chosen to follow in the same direction as you have for tropical fish.

Tropical Fish - Pleco

2006-05-15T01:21:00.000-07:00

Common name: Royal Panaque, Royal Plec Tropical Fish

L-Numbers: L027a, L027b, L027c, possibly others

Scientific name: Panaque nigrolineatus

Family: Loricariidae

Origin: South America (Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela)

Water chemistry: Ideally around neutral, but adaptable

Maximum size: Potentially up to 40 cm, but usually much smaller

Minimum Tank Size: Adults will need at least a 90 cm tank

Care: Royal plecs are not quite as tough as common plecs, but they are still relatively hardy and adaptable tropical fish fish. The critical stage is buying and acclimating a new specimen to your aquarium. Newly imported specimens are often significantly underweight, and some specimens fail to recover and eventually die, regardless of the care lavished on them by the aquarist. Specimens likely beyond hope will have sunken eyes and hollow bellies. Most however will quickly regain condition if kept in a quiet aquarium (preferably a quarantine tank) and fed plenty of vegetables, wood, and occasionally supplements of meaty foods such as bloodworms. (Note that royal plecs should not be regularly fed meaty foods; see Comments below.)

Royal plecs can be kept in a range of water conditions from soft and acidic through to hard and alkaline. My specimen lived for seven years in a mbuna tank where pH and hardness were both very high, and is currently in a soft water aquarium where the pH is around 6 and there is very little hardness at all. I have seen a specimen in a tropical store kept in slightly brackish water (SG 1.002) along with scats and monos, but personally wouldn't recommend it; but this does show how adaptable these fish can be, once they are healthy and feeding well.

These fish are nocturnal, and adults are often even more retiring that juveniles. It may take months for a fish to settle in sufficiently that it will come out by day. My specimen will feed during the day, particularly if offered a few catfish pellets or a slice of courgette.

Social Behaviour: Like most of the larger plecs, these fish are territorial. They will sometimes coexist happily enough with smaller loricariids, such as Ancistrus, provided there is plenty of room and the fish do not need to fight over resting sites. Otherwise these fish are completely peaceful and will ignore any fish that leaves them alone. They are perfectly capable of looking after themselves, and will respond to bullying by cichlids in kind, but in such aquaria are likely to become very shy and retiring.

Feeding: These tropical fish need to be fed primarily on vegetables, algae, and bogwood. Among the vegetables readily accepted are carrot, courgette (zucchini), cucumber, lettuce leaves (blanched), peas (cooked), and spinach. Standard plec algae wafers and pellets will be taken as well. Bogwood is a critical component of the diet of these tropical fish. These fish eat the wood and actually digest it (most other plecs simply need the wood as a source of dietary fibre).

Planted Aquaria: Strangely, Royal plecs generally ignore soft-leaved plants but can, and probably will, damage plants with stiff stems or hard leaves. In my aquaria, my royal plec does not damage (except accidentally uprooting) Cabomba, water lilies, Hydrocotyle, and Vallisneria, for example. On the other hand, the stems of Hygrophila stricta, Rotala indica, and Bacopa monnieri are sometimes nibbled on, and the leaves of various Echinodorus species are simply grazed down to the stem. Isolated stems of hairgrass are swum through, breaking them in two, but bunches of hairgrass seem to survive.

Sexing: Both male and female fish develop bristles (odontodes) on the cheeks and pectoral fins, so these are an unreliable character for sex determination. It is believed that sexually mature males have longer bristles. Otherwise, males and females are identical.

Breeding: In the wild, the females lay their eggs in nests underneath nocks in fast-flowing streams. Fishermen in their native habitat recognise that royal plecs tropical fish move to streams with rocks substrates. Females produce around 600 relatively large (2-3 mm), bright yellow eggs. These fish have spawned only very rarely in aquaria, and details are lacking.

Growth is slow. Scientists have optimised growth rate by carrying out large water changes every few days. These fish are long-lived; my specimen is around 11 years old and still only half grown, being around 15 cm long.

Comments: A common mistake made with these fish is to feed them mussels, prawns, and other meaty foods. They do not need them. The basis of the diet must be wood and vegetables, which is what they eat in the wild. Moreover, meaty foods were believed to cause fat deposits around the internal organs found by a scientist working on Panaque catfish. Vegetable proteins (soy, algae, etc.) are a much safer option. Meaty foods like bloodworms can make useful treats or to fatten up newly imported specimens, but should not otherwise be an important part of the diet of these tropical fish.

Tropical Fish

2006-04-25T10:52:00.000-07:00

Common Name: Bronze Cory, Albino Cory (for the albino variety)

Scientific Name: Corydoras aeneus, previously Hoplosternum aeneum

Origin: Trinidad (from Planet Catfish)

Family: Callichthyidae

Average size: 3 inches

Care: These cute critters couldn't be easier to look after. All they really need is good water (as with any fish), somewhere to hide and food. Oh yes, and other cories, as they like to be in groups of 6+. Bronze cories also come in albino, and are one of the few readily available albinos on the market. They are very peaceful fish, and will never nip any other fish. They can also be kept in cooler water, providing they are properly accimaltised (as most you find are kept in tropical conditions). Not to fussy about water params, and are a fairly hardy begginers fish.

Feeding: As with most cories, anything. Suggested foods include- flakes, algae pellets/wafers, bloodworm, cucumber, courgette. Just make sure the food actually reaches the bottom.

Sexing and Breeding: Sexing- Females are larger than the males, and grow larger as they bacome full of eggs. There is also a difference in the fins, but this is less reliable as you cannot always see the fins.

Breeding- Generally easy to breed
1. Condition the cories for about a week with live food until the females are laden with eggs.
2. Do a 20 ish percent water change on the tank with cooler water.
3. Leave them.

The cories *should* go into spawning behaviour, which involves the T position. The eggs are laid on the sides of the tank, the floor... Anywhere really. After the fry hatch, feed on MW, BBS, Liquifry, or whatever, until big enough to take flake. Viola! Your own baby cories. For a ore detailed account, check the profile on other cories.

- Tropical Fish

Tropical Fish Anatomy

2006-04-07T02:57:00.000-07:00

TROPICAL FISH ANATOMY

Body shape

There is a tremendous diversity of fish in the world. Each species is adapted to life in a specific habitat. By examining the body shape of the fish, the aquariast can learn much about the habitat of the fish.

Overall Body Shape

The body shape is one of the best indicators in determining the fish’s environment. Surface dwelling fish have an upturned mouth, a flattened back. Tall bodied, laterally compressed species like Discus and Angelfish, are adapted to life in slow-moving waters. Slender, torpedo shaped fish are better adapted to moving waters. Bottom-dwelling fish have flattened bellies and inferior mouths. Some bottom-dwellers have altered swim bladders so they “hop” along the substrate instead of swimming.

Head

There are three general locations of the mouth in fish which often indicate the species’s feeding habits. Surface feeding fish usually have an undershot, upturned (superior) mouth for feeding on insects. Fish that feed in mid water have a terminal mouth, which is usually considered the “normal” fish mouth. Predatory fish usually have a wide mouth, while omnivorous fish have smaller mouths. Bottom feeding fish generally have an underslung or inferior mouth. Often, bottom feeding species are also equipped with barbels (“whiskers”), which are tactile and taste organs used for locating food in dark or muddy waters. Some bottom-dwelling fish, especially the Loricarids, have a suction-cup like mouth for rasping on algae, wood, plants, or mud (for small invertebrates).

Fins

The fins are used for movement, stability, nest-building, spawning, and as tactile organs. Fins can be single or paired. Many aquarium fish seen in the hobby have long, drawn out fins, which have been developed through selective breeding. In nature, these fins are not found.

The caudal or tail fin is used for propulsion. Fish that have forked caudal fins are regular fast-swimmers. Fish that have rounded caudal fins are fish capable of quick action like predators. Large, elongated caudal fins are often used to attract mates.

The single anal fin is located on the underside of the body just forward of the caudal fin. The anal fin serves to stabilize the fish while it is swimming. Long anal fins that are moved in an undulating manner are used for propulsion.

The paired pelvic or ventral fins are located forward of the anal fin. Ventral fins are used to provide further stability in swimming. Sometimes these fins are modified as long, thread-like fins used as a tactile organ. Then ventral fins are used by Corydoras catfish to hold the eggs during spawning.

The paired pectoral fins are located near the gill cover and are used for maneuvering the fish. These fins have been adapted, in the case of some bottom-dwelling species, so fish can prop themselves up or even walk around above or below water. Sometimes the pectoral fins are equipped with spines for defense.

The single dorsal fin is located on the back of the fish and serves to help balance the fish while swimming. The rays of this fin are often sharp, and a spine is often present.

The adipose fin is a tiny fin found between the dorsal and caudal fins on some fish.

Body covering

Most fish are covered with scales, which protect the body. Some fish such as catfish have bony plates which serve the same purpose. Other species have very small scales or no scales at all.

Body coloring

Although selective breeding has produced an number of unnatural colors and patterns, wild fish are still colorful. Color has an important role for fish. Some species rely on stripes or brown color to be camouflaged and escape the notice of predators. Other species use attractive coloration to attract mates, while some species use “eye-spots” to disillusion predators where to attack. Mouth brooding cichlids of Africa often rely on colored “egg-spots” for fertilization.

Color is determined by the pigment of the fish and the light reflection. Fish with solid, dark coloration usually have pigmented skin, while species with silvery iridescence rely on light reflection. Some species are able to alter their coloration, while some fish assume different coloration at night.

Healthy fish are almost always more colorful than unhealthy one. To keep a fish in top color form, maintain favorable water conditions, fed a variety of foods, and house with compatible tank mates. Some color-enhancing foods can help bring out certain colors n fish. During territorial displays, during the spawning season, and at spawning, the color of most species is enhanced.

Gills

The gills are the organ by which gases are exchanged between the fish and the surrounding water. Through the gills, fish are able to absorb carbon oxygen and give off carbon dioxide. Like the lungs, the gills have a large area for gas exchange.

Some species have altered gills and other organs so that they can atmospheric air and extract the oxygen.

Because freshwater fish live in the environment that they do, water is constantly passing in to their body by osmosis. Osmosis is the movement of water from an area of less dissolved salts to an area of more dissolved salts. This is reason that water passes into the fish’s body. The outside water is trying to dilute the high concentration of body salts in the fish. Therefore, freshwater fish are constantly excreting water through their gills and never drink to keep the body salts non-diluted.

Mike from Canada adds: "Yes, from each gill arch soft gill filaments radiate poseriorly and are used in breathing and osmoregulation and all that, but the anterior face of the gill arch has, to a varying extent, bony gill rakers. Gill rakers point forward and can be long and thin for filter feeding or short, larger and fewer in number for trapping larger prey items inside the mouth cavity."

Lateral Line

The lateral line organ is a series of fluid-filled ducts located just under the scales. The lateral line system picks vibrations in the water. Thus fish are able to detect predators, find food, and navigate more efficiently. Many fish species can navigate without vision in darkness or muddy water. The Blind Cave Fish relies entirely on its lateral line system.

Swim Bladder

The swim bladder is an air-filled bladder used for keeping the fish in a state of neutral buoyancy where they neither sink nor float. Thus fish are able to sleep in mid water. Numerous species have altered swim bladders to fit their living habits. Some species can swallow air, which is passed to the swim bladder, where the oxygen is extracting. This adaption is especially convenient in oxygen-starved waters.

- Tropical Fish

Tropical Fish - Repairing a Tank

2006-04-04T15:36:00.000-07:00

Tropical Fish : Repairing a Tank Seem - Instructions.

empty and clean the tank thoroughly. if the tank was in use, place the gravel with tank water covering it in a bucket. do not clean the gravel, you will remove the beneficial bacteria that is living in the gravel. you can use this to restart the tank. make sure that the tank water covers the gravel by about an inch. also if you can reserve as much of the water as possible.

determine at what joint your leak is at and with the razor scraper and knife remove as much of the silicone as you can. try not to get too deep between the two panes of glass. you will need to have ventilation at this point of the repair. with the white vinegar and a sponge, clean the area trying not to get the vinegar on the silicone on the other joints. the vinegar is an acid and will remove the residue left by the old sealer. wipe up any extra vinegar and again rinse the tank in hot water several times to ensure that the vinegar is thoroughly removed. let the tank completely dry for about 1-2 hours.

you will need to make a spreader with the margarine tub lid. clean the lid in hot water to remove any food particles. let dry. with your scissors cut the edge of the lid off. cut the lid in half and in half again. at the pointy end, place the penny to give a curve about a 1/3" from the end. mark the curve and cut.

if you are using silicone make sure that it is 100% silicone and clear. additives can leach harmful elements into your tank causing fish loss. with either the aquarium sealer or the silicone in a caulk gun, run a bead of silicone from one end of the repair to the other. take the spreader that you made and with the sides against the glass of the tank, run this along the bead of caulk. you will want to press the spreader into the silicone to remove any air bubbles and get a good seal. the spreader will also remove the excess caulk. you can also use your finger, but this is messier. wet your finger and pressing firmly run along the bead of caulk. wipe away any excess caulk with the paper towels.

you will need to let the caulk or sealer cure for 72 hours. after this time, rinse the tank thoroughly and check for leaks. if there are no leaks you can refill the tank with the reserved water and gravel. if you do detect leaks you might have an air bubble which has left a hole in the repair. if so, you will need to repeat the process again.

as i said i have used this method to repair many tanks, including replacing a broken piece of glass in two of them.

- Tropical Fish.

2006-03-27T05:57:00.000-08:00

Saltwater aquarium tips

Tropical Fish - Saltwater aquarium tips.Tropical freshwater aquariums fish.How to make your own aquarium.How to set up a freshwater aquarium.Find out more about:Saltwater aquarium tips.Tropical fish help books.Information about tropical fish.How to care for tropical fish.Aquariums for beginners.

Aquarium lighting tips

Tropical Fish - Aquarium lighting tips.Tropical freshwater aquariums fish.How to make your own aquarium.How to set up a freshwater aquarium.Find out more about:Aquarium lighting tips.Tropical fish help books.Information about tropical fish.How to care for tropical fish.Aquariums for beginners.

Tropical Fish

2006-03-26T00:56:00.000-08:00

Tropical Fish - species.

Name: Bandit Cory

Other Common Name: Masked corydoras

Scientific Name: Corydoras metae

Family: Callichthyidae

Origin: Colombia

Adult Size: 2 inches (5 cm)

Social: Peaceful

Lifespan: 5 years

Tank Level: Bottom dweller

Minimum Tank Size: 10 gallon

Diet: Omnivore, eats most foods

Breeding: Egglayer

Care: Easy to Intermediate

Temperature: 72-79 F(22-26 C)

Tropical Fish

Tropical Fish

2006-03-24T11:36:00.000-08:00

10 Tropical Fish Tips.

1.Visit a reputable and knowledgeable dealer, avoid dealers that want to make a quick buck or two and just sell you anything. The advice here is to do a little homework about a subject and then "test" out your dealer. If they give you a satisfactory answer then you can probably have confidence that they will know something about their trade.

2.Never buy tropical fish from a tank that has dead tropical fish floating around in it. This should tell you two things. The first is the dealer does not check his tanks often and second, there may be some sort of infection in the tank that has spread to the other fish in the tank, and you would be throwing your money down the drain.

3.Check that the tank and the water is crystal clear and the occupants are swimming around happily without stress. Check too that the tanks are maintained-by asking if necessary.

4.Check that the tropical fish in the tank are healthy- Most fish will swim with their dorsal fins erect and their "tail" fins outspread. Check too that there are no injuries to the tropical fish, such as missing scales or spots or abrasions. Avoid any fish with clamped fins.

5.Choose a fish that "looks" healthy and robust as opposed to emaciated and hollow bellied or protruding scales.

6.In livebearers, such as guppy, swordtail,platy and others look for a strong and healthy caudal peduncle(where the tail joins the body) There should be no marks of injury to that area and no erosion of the tail fin.

7. Ask the dealer the PH and DH of the water in his tanks, a good dealer should tell you instantly.

8.Once your chosen fish is bagged and even in a shoal you can still ask the dealer for the fish you want. Try to avoid the temptation because of embarrassment to say to the dealer, "Oh I dunno, you choose". The dealer is there to serve you and as a customer you are the most important person. Remember without you he will be out of business!Examine the bagged fish, you can still change your mind if you think the fish is suspect. If you are happy then tell the dealer so and make your purchase.

9.When you get your new pet home the temptation is to put them straight into you tank. WRONG!If possible you should quarantine you fish for at least a week before introducing them into your main tank. This act serves several purposes, it will show up any diseases, any injuries and other maladies the fish may have.

10. When you are happy with everything and introduced your fish into the main tank- Sit back, relax and enjoy.

Tropical Fish

2006-03-22T09:34:00.000-08:00

Tropical Fish

If you are looking for tips on breeding tropical fish, you must first decide what type of tropical fish you wish to breed. Some tropical fish are live bearers, which means they give birth to live minnow babies. The other type are egg bearers, which means the mother lays eggs and the minnow babies hatch from the eggs.

Most sources that provide tips on breeding tropical fish suggest that live bearers are the better place to start, especially for beginners who have limited to no previous breeding experience. Beginner breeders should hone their skills using any of three live bearer tropical fish types, which are the three of the easiest to breed: mollies, guppies or platys.

One of the first, and perhaps most important, tips on breeding tropical fish that bear live young is to keep the baby fish, called fry, away from the rest of your community tank. Adult tropical fish consider fry to be excellent food, so if you don't keep them separated, your breeding efforts will be sacrificed to the appetites and instincts of the rest of your fish. In fact, even the fry's own parents enjoy eating them.

Your best bet to avoid this fate is to use a separate breeding tank, with heavy foliage to provide cover for the fry. Once the mother has given birth, she can be returned to the main tank, which the young fry can grow in comparative safety.

Water temperature and tank size are both very important when it comes to tips on breeding tropical fish. Each different breed of fish has a different optimal breeding temperature, so first determine that. Fish will breed when the water temperature signals to them that it is breeding season. If you maintain this optimal temperature, the male and female fish will be more likely to breed. As a general rule, larger tanks tend to produce larger numbers of fry in one birth as well.

These tips on breeding tropical fish are but the tip of the iceberg. If you are serious about breeding, seeking the advice of an experienced breeder and relevant literature is always advisable.

Tropical Fish

2006-03-21T15:40:00.000-08:00

Tropical Fish

Hello all newcomers !!!
Starting from today I will post articles about tropical fish.
I hope you enjoy them.

How many tropical fish can I have?

The general rule of thumb is 1 inch of fish per gallon of water. Remember to use the future adult size of your tropical fish when computing the total inches of tropical fish you can have. This rule is pretty silly if you think about it though. Do you think a 20 inch tropical fish would be comfortable in a 20 gallon tank? A better rule would be 1 inch of fish per 2 or 3 gallons of water. Avoid the temptation to overcrowd your tank. If you do overcrowd the tank you will need to perform maintenance more often.

I just set up my tank and now my tropical fish are dying?

Most likely the tropical fish are suffering from ammonia poisoning. Ammonia poisoning is easily preventable. Avoid adding expensive and less hardy tropical fish until the aquarium has cycled. You can use a substance called zeolite to help absorb ammonia but the best solution is to ensure that your aquarium has cycled and that your tank is not overcrowded. If your tank has not yet completed the nitrogen cycle, you will need to perform frequent water changes to keep the ammonia levels down.

How often should I feed my tropical fish?

It is best to give your tropical fish two or three small feedings per day. Only give an amount of food that the tropical fish can eat in 2 minutes or less.

Tropical Fish

Tropical Fish

2006-03-21T13:44:00.000-08:00

Tropical Fish

Welcome to my site dedicated to Tropical Fish. I will talk about how I take care of my tropical fish and how to feed tropical fish. I hope you will enjoy your stay here and we will learn together about tropical fish !

Yeah and Robert owns a few blogs on
tropical fish ,aquarium fish ,saltwater fish and freshwater fish !

Tropical Fish