Tropical Aquarium Fish

From the aquarium fish, goldfish have one of the longest life period, being able to reach ages of 18 years. It`s possible that the goldfish we know to be native from the Carassius carassius European specie or from Carassius auratus Asian specie. The name comes from old Greek. It`s a carp`s relative, the difference between the 2 species is that goldfish don`t have mustaches. Carassius auratus specie comes from Carassius auratus gibelio specie, the difference between them is at coloration, scales and fins. Carassius auratus is the first which was brought to Europe 300 years ago, but it used to be breed by Chinese since 1000 years. Selecting them, in China and Japan, there were obtained a lot of varieties as both shape and coloration. In England it was introduced in 1691, and then it spread to Portugal and after that in the entire Europe.

Because there are plenty of goldfish varieties we`ll describe the most common one. It looks similar to carps but it is less oblate on flanks and has larger scalds. The main form, `gibelio` is spread in Eurasia. They are breed in large and well aerated and filtrated aquariums. We won`t plant many aquatic plants in the aquarium. For veiled forms we`ll set up higher aquariums in order to mark the beauty of the tail. The temperature has to be between 15 and 18° C because at higher temperatures the protective mucus layer will dissolve and the aquarium water will have a foggy aspect. After that the decrease of the temperature will harm the fish because the mucus layer has a protective use against low temperatures. Only for selected varieties the temperature may be around 20-22° C.

Let`s talk about the reproduction of goldfish. First we have to be sure we have at least one mature couple. The perfect way uses a female and three males. Goldfish are mature after a year, but for that we have to breed them in a minimum 200 liters aquarium (for 4 fish). We also have to provide much and varied food, a good filtration and a temperature around 18-20° C. For reproduction we have 2 models which we can follow: free spawn and `milking` the couple.

This specie doesn`t exist in nature; it looks like it is a mutation of Brachydanio rerio specie. One of the facts that confirm this supposition are the fertile hybrids obtained by spawning Brachydanio rerio with Brachydanio frankei. It is also called leopard fish. As body shape, they are similar to the specie from which they are native, males have a more slender and the females have the abdominal area more voluminous.

The background of the body is golden, and it has lithe round spots colored in dark colors. The fins are color less. The anal and caudal fins are also marked with spots. The female has a lighter coloration. The spawning is similar to the Brachydanio albolineatus specie.

The specie is spread in the eastern India. In aquaria it is known as zebra fish. They have a slender body, medium oblate flanks; the mouth is in the superior part of the body, showing us that it is a fish for the surface of the water, or for the medium level. It has 2 pairs of mustaches. The female is larger than the male, reaching 4.5 cm length. The male is more slender and the female has a larger abdominal area.

For males, the background is golden and for females it is white-yellow. On lateral sides it has 4 transversal lines colored in blue. The lines cover the entire body and tail, even the anal fin. The abdomen is white and the dorsal fin is olive-yellow with blue hem. The unpaired fins are color less.

It`s easy to reproduce, following the same steps as for Brachydanio albolineatus.

The specie is spread in eastern India, Sumatra, where it lives in running waters. It`s a slender fish, with a prolonged body, medium flank oblate. In the superior part of the mouth it has 2 pairs of mustaches, the inferior one being longer. The anal fin is prolonged starting from the same place as the dorsal. It can reach 5 cm length. The body color is blue to violet; the back is dark blue-grey with some shining scalds. The abdomen is light blue-silvery. It has a longitudinal line dark red to orange, with a blue-green hem. The anal fin is red-orange near the body and green-red on the opposite part. The female is less colored than the male.

They live in bench, being an active fish, that`s why they need large aquariums with a planted back area and space for swimming in the front part. The optimal temperature is 22-24° C, but in winter time it can also be 18-20° C. It eats almost anything from living food to dry food as flakes. For reproduction they need 10-15 liters aquariums. The position of the aquarium has to be as in the morning a ray of sun fall into the aquarium water. The chemistry of water is not important, but the water must be fresh. In the reproduction aquarium we`ll have to mount a nylon netting in order to protect the eggs. We`ll also have to plant some aquatic plants as: Nittela or Myriophyllum. The aquarium water must be filtrated and aerated for 3 days before adding the fish. In the evening we`ll add 4 females and 6 males which can spawn up to 600 eggs. The fry will hatch after 24-30 hours. In the first 3-4 days the fry are stick on the aquarium sides. After they start to swim free we`ll feed them with infusors or yolk of egg. If we use egg, this has to be given in small quantities not to alter the water. In aquarium you`ll also add a small filter with few bubbles because the fry is sensitive at water motion. The sexual difference is obvious: while males are slender and thin, the females are more voluminous (especially in the reproduction period).

In aquaria it`s known as Sumatranus. It`s the most popular and loved fish of the entire family. This fact is due to its colors and active behavior, and if there are more sumatranuses in the aquarium, they`ll form a shoal. It`s not an aggressive fish, but by playing it can pinch the scalar antennas or goldfish tail, that`s why you better avoid associating these species in the same aquarium.

The body is stumpy, with high back, with a strong tail base, it doesn`t have mustaches and it can reach 7 cm length. It`s native from Sumatra, Kalimantan and Thailand. The back is olive-brown, flanks are carroty-brown. On the body tetrazona has 4 transversal lines. The first one crosses the eye, the second one is at half of the distance between the eye and the start point of the dorsal fin, the 3rd one starts from the point where the dorsal fin ends and the 4th one is right at the tail base where the rays start.

For the youngsters, the sexual difference isn`t obvious, but for the mature fish it is. For mails, the superior part of the mouth is red; same are the ventral fins and the first rays of the tail lobes. For females, the mouth zone isn`t red and the fins are transparent.

For reproduction, tetrazona need at least a 12-14 liters aquarium, with a prepared water. Half of the water should be fresh and the other half should be distillated water, or even better, rain water. Keep the rain water in darkness as much as possible. We put the s halves of water in the aquarium, after filtrating them, and then we continue aerating for 24 hours. We also have to mount a nylon netting in order to protect the eggs. In the evening we add the female and the next morning introduce the male. First, the female will be active because she is used with the new aquarium, but after a short period the male will start to chase the female. They chase each other for a period of time, and then they go near a plant with delicate leaves. The female releases 15-20 eggs which are immediately fecundated by the male. After the first egg release they take a short break for resting, and then they repeat it. The entire reproduction act may last few hours while they spawn about 400-500 eggs. After they mate the pair must be taken out of the reproduction aquarium. The spawning temperature should be around 25° C, and the breeding one near 22-24° C. After 24-30 hours, the fry hatch and they stick on the aquarium windows. It`s better to avoid direct sun expose. After 5-6 days from hatching, the fry swims free and we`ll have to start feeding them. We can directly feed with artemia salina or micro worms.

It`s recommended to make a reproduction cycle for the parents, so after they spawn we let them in the common aquarium for 28-30 days and after that we move them back in the reproduction aquarium. After doing this for 2-3 times, the fish get used to it and spawn in the same day as we put them in the reproduction aquarium. Sometimes if we don`t let them spawn for 2-3 months, the eggs (which are produced continuous by the female) can agglomerate and form a cork. The female will lose the ability of reproduction. The preparation for the reproduction aquarium water is the same for all Barbus species. They need 4-6° dGH, pH = 6.5-7 and a specific temperature for each specie.

Cyprinids family is part of the Cyprinoidea class and it is well represented in Europe, Asia, Africa and North America. First, in South America and Australia there weren`t any Cyprinidae species, but because of economical reasons they were introduced here too. Cyprinidae family has many species. These fish live in stagnant waters, with mild bottom, where they can find the food using their mustaches, but there are some species that prefer water with currents and bottom covered with sand.
The body shape is from prolonged to round or oval with oblate laterals. Generally, the fins are small; the rays are flat, except the first ray of the dorsal fin which can be firm. Cyprinidae fish have a small mouth with thick lips and mustaches used for feeling the ground. At some species, the mouth is prolonged with a trunk. They don`t have teeth as we know; their teeth are made from a material situated in the back of the mouth. These teeth are important, because the Cyprinidae species are classified depending on them. They are friendly fish and rarely become intolerant with other species; this fact makes them suitable for common aquariums. They are fast fish, very active ones, this fact can harm other species which are less active or are active during night. Because they search for food on the bottom of the aquarium, the ground has to be composed from clean sand (not to abash the water), and it shouldn`t contain too big particles in order not to harm the mustaches of the fish. The colors of the fish ooze out better if the ground is dark colored. In aquariums, you shouldn plant aquatic plants with delicate leaves like: Myriophyllum, Cabomba, Limnophyla. The needs for water chemistry and temperature differ from specie to specie. They eat almost anything; they are easy to breed fish.
Cyprinidae fish spawn in the aquarium water, near plants. They rarely take care of the egg, that`s why you have to take them out of the reproduction aquarium. Most of the times it`s better to place a protection nylon netting in order to save the spawn. The fry hatch after 24-28 hours, after that they stick on the rocks, plants and aquarium glass. First, the larva is transparent and only after 2-3 days it begins to swim free; that`s the moment when we start feeding them.