Tropical Aquarium Fish

Water Hardness

Most snails do best in harder/alkaline water. If the hardness/ph drops below a certain point, their shells will start to dissolve and/or grow improperly (the behavior seems to be based on species). Malaysian trumpet snails seem the hardiest, showing little adverse effect from soft water. The Ramshorn snails shell will start to dissolve, and gaps will form in the new shell growth. Mystery snails will form gaps. Most of these problems can be corrected by hardening the water, and the snails will recover, although exterior shell damage (from dissolving) will remain.

Types of Snails

Malaysian trumpet snail

The Malaysian snail, Melanoides tubercularia, is an interesting creature in that it lives in the substrate during the day and only comes out at night. Its shell is a perfect cone shape and gets to about 2 cm long. It is a livebearing snail and reproduces quite readily. It is considered beneficial to a plant tank and doesn’t seen to harm plants, even in large populations. They are hard to find for sale, but usually come for free on plant shipments. If desired, Clown loaches will keep them and other snails well under control.

Ramshorn Snail

Ramshorn snails are very common and come in various sizes. Their shape is as their name suggests. The smaller varieties (under 1 cm) are not too damaging to a plant tank, although they seem to relish the tender leaves of the Hygrophila family.The other type is the dark and light brown striped Columbian Ramshorn that can grow big as large as 2 inches in diameter. The stripes run the length of the shell with a pattern of random width light-dark- light stripes that stays constant throughout the snails life. These snails are extremely prolific and have a terrific appetite for plants.

Pond Snails

Pond snails are football shaped snails under 2 cm in length. They are to be avoided, as they will happily eat all your plants.

Mystery (Apple) Snails

One of the most beautiful kinds of snails are the Mystery snails. These snails have a shape similar to the Pond snail, but their spiral is rounder, and they grow much larger. They can reach tennis-ball size if well taken care of. The come in many varieties. The snail’s body can be dark, or almost albino (very light with a bright orange speckle pattern). The shell can be dark, bright orange, albino, or multi-colored striped (length-wise like the Ramshorn). The Apple snail variety typically has the multi-colored stripes, with a dark body. In general these snails don’t eat living plants. They prefer algae and dead plant/animal material (canned spinach will get you a very large Mystery snail).

Snail Prophylactics

To guard against unwanted snails, use a weak potassium permanganate solution. The Manual of Fish Health recommends a concentration of 10 mg/l as a 10-minute bath as a general disenfectant for aquarium plants. Then rinse them in running water. This kills snail eggs and parasites and might guard against algae spores.Alum is also useful. Get “Alum U.S.P.” at the drug store. Soak the plants in a gallon of water that has up to 10 teaspoons of Alum. The Alum kills microscopic bugs. Longer soaks (2-3 days) will kill snail eggs and/or snails.

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Blue-green, slime or smear algae

Grows rapidly in blue-green, slimy sheets. Spreads rapidly over almost everything and usually indicates poor water quality. However, blue-green algae can fix nitrogen and may be seen in aquariums with extremely low nitrates. Sometimes seen in small quantities between the substrate and aquarium sides. Will smother and kill plants.This is actually cyanobacteria. It can be physically removed, but this is not a viable long term solution as the aquarium conditions are still favorable for it and it will return quickly. Treatment with 200 mg of erythromycin phosphate per 10 gallons of water will usually eliminate blue-green algae but some experts feel it may also have adverse effects on the biological filter bed. If erythromycin is used for treatment, ammonia and nitrite levels should be carefully monitored.

Brown algae

Forms in soft brown clumpy patches. In the freshwater aquarium, these are usually diatoms. Usually indicates a lack of light or an excess of silicates. Increased light levels will usually make it disappear. Easily removed by wiping the glass or siphon vacuuming the affected area.

Green water

Green unicellular algae will sometimes reproduce so rapidly that the water will turn green. This is commonly called an “algae bloom” and is usually caused by too much light like direct sunlight.An algae bloom can be removed by filtering with micron cartridges or diatom filters. UV sterilizers can prevent the bloom in the first place. Green water is very useful in the raising of daphnia and brine shrimp.

Film algae

Grows on the aquarium glass and forms a thin haze. Easily removed by wiping the glass. Considered normal with the higher light levels needed for good plant growth.

Spot algae

Grows in thin, hard, circular, bright green spots, usually on the aquarium glass but also on plants under high light conditions. Considered normal for planted tanks. Must be mechanically removed. On acrylic aquariums, use a cloth pad or a gentle scouring pad like a cosmetic “Buff-Puff” and a lot of elbow grease. On glass tanks, scraping with a razor blade is most effective.

Fuzz algae

Grows mostly on plant leaves as separate, short (2-3mm) strands. Considered normal. It might be a less “virulent” form of “beard” algae. Easily controlled with algae eaters such as black mollies, Otocinclus, Peckoltia and siamese algae eaters.

Beard algae

Grows on plant leaves and is bright green. Individual strands have a very fine texture but it grows in thick patches and looks just like a green beard. It grows up to 4 cm. It cannot be removed mechanically. This does not indicate bad water quality but grows very fast and overtakes the tank, making it a “bad” alga. Can be eliminated with Simazine (Aquarium Pharmaceuticals “Algae-Destroyer”).

Hair algae

Grows in bright green clumps in the gravel, around the base of plants like Echinodorus and around mechanical objects. It has a coarser texture than “beard algae”. Beard algae will ripple in the water current, hair algae tends to form matted clumps. Individual strands can get to 5 cm or more. This is easy to remove mechanically by twirling a toothbrush in it. Can be troublesome if left unchecked. This is a popular food supplement for fish among European aquarists.

Thread algae

Grows in long, thin strands up to 30 cm or more. Tends toward a dull green color (hard to tell because it is so thin). Usually indicates an excess of iron (> 0.15 ppm). Easily removed with a toothbrush like hair algae.

Staghorn algae

Looks like individual strands of hair algae but tends to grow in single branching strands like a deer antler and is grey-green. Seems to grow mostly on tank equipment near the surface. Difficult to remove mechanically. Soak affected equipment in a 25% solution of household bleach and water to remove it.

Brush algae

This grows in feathery black tufts 2-3 mm long and tends to collect on slower growing leaves like Anubias, some Echinodorus and other wide leaf plants. Also tends to collect on mechanical equipment. This is actually a red alga in the genus Audouinella (other names: Acrochaetium, Rhodochorton, Chantransia).It cannot easily be removed mechanically. Remove and discard the affected leaves. Equipment can be soaked in a 25% bleach solution, then scrubbed to remove the dead algae. Siamese Algae Eaters (Crossocheilus siamensis) are known to eat this algae and can keep it in check. A more drastic measure is treatment with copper.

Prophylactics for Algae

Algal spores are everywhere and will always be present in an aquarium unless drastic measures are taken. For fish only tanks, a properly set up ultraviolet sterilizer will kill algal spores in the water and prevent them from gaining a toehold.For planted tanks, this is not a good solution since the UV light will also oxidize trace elements needed by the plants and will limit the plant’s growth potential. Unfortunately, conditions that are good for growing plants are also good for growing algae. Fortunately, plants will usually out-compete algae for the available nutrients. However, if there is an imbalance of nutrients, algae will opportunistically use whatever is not used by the higher order plants. Different algae will utilize different nutrients, causing sporadic outbreaks of new algae types in apparently stable tanks when a temporary imbalance occurs.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. To avoid introducing a new algae type to a planted tank with new plants, a simple bleach dip seems to work well. Mix 1 part bleach in 19 parts water and dip the new plant in it for 2 minutes. Immediately rinse the plant in running water, then immerse it water containing a chlorine remover to neutralize any remaining bleach. This will kill the algae and only temporarily slow down a healthy plant. Plants in poor condition may succumb to this treatment, but they probably would not have lasted anyway.

Algae Eaters

The most effective control of algae in a planted aquaria is via algae eating fish. It is especially critical in the set up of a new tank to make sure algae does not get established before the plants have had a chance to establish themselves. For this reason and to help the biological filtration get established, it is recommended that some hardy algae eaters are added right away.

Black mollies

Black sailfin mollies are excellent candidates for the break-in period of a planted tank since they are cheap and easy to find. They are usually considered expendable and are removed after a month or so. It is important to NOT FEED THEM. If they are fed, they will not be quite so eager to consume algae. When they are hungry, they are eager consumers of most algae types seen during the break-in period.

Otocinclus sp.

Otocinclus are diligent algae eaters, but are best kept in schools due to their small size. One per 10 gallons is a useful rule of thumb. Various species of otos are seen in the shops at various times; most are good algae eaters but some seem to prefer the slime coat on fish to algae. Unfortunately, there seems to be no way to distinguish the “attack otos” from normal otos.Otos seem to be very delicate fish, but this is probably due to capture and shipping abuse rather than an inherent weakness. When a fish shop gets some in, it is wise to wait a while before purchasing to account for die offs. Most people report getting a dozen and having them die over a period of a few months until just a couple are left. Those then seem to last for a long time.

“Plecostomus” sp.

Plecostomus is the generic name for a wide range of sucker-mouth fish. Only the smaller types are useful in a planted tank, since the larger varieties tend to eat the plant right along with the algae. Two common types that are useful are the “bristle-nose plecostomus” and the “clown plecostomus” or Pekoltia. Both stay under 4″ long and don’t seem to cause too much plant damage. Sometimes broad-leafed plants like Amazon swords will be scraped a little too closely by the plecos, so they bear watching.Their diet can be supplemented by blanched zucchini and bottom feeder tablets. They also appreciate a chunk of driftwood in the aquarium to satisfy their need for cellulose. See the GOOD FIRST FISH FAQ for more information on keeping suckermouth catfish.

Siamese Algae Eater

Do not confuse this fish with the Chinese Algae Eater, which is very aggressive and does not eat algae. The siamese algae eater, Crossocheilus siamensis, is a very good algae consumer and is known to eat black brush (red) algae. The only problem is that these fish are hard to find in the United States (see the RESOURCES section of the PLANT FAQ for sources and identification paper). There are several fish in this family. The most commonly seen is Epalzeorhynchos kallopterus, commonly known as the Flying Fox. The Flying Fox is the more attractive of the two. It tends to have a brownish body with a very distinct, sharp-edged black stripe with a distinct, thin gold or bronze stripe above it. These tend to be very aggressive when they are full grown and don’t eat red algae (as far as one aquarium reference is concerned).The other member is the Siamese Algae Eater. It is the same shape as the Flying Fox but tends toward a silverish body with a somewhat ragged black stripe. There may be an indistinct gold or bronze stripe above the black. These are definitely not aggressive; they are good companions for discus and small tetras.

When they are young, the differences between E. kallopterus and C. siamensis may not be very apparent, especially if you haven’t seen both types together. Unfortunately, most wholesalers don’t sell fish to stores by their scientific name and the common names that are used sometimes get pretty silly (like “siamese flying fox”). If you really can’t tell which one the store has, buy it anyway, but be prepared to sacrifice it if it turns out to be the wrong kind (unless your fish aren’t bothered by it, of course).

Farlowella

Farlowella are useful algae eaters although they are very sensitive to water conditions. They type known as the Royal Farlowella will get too large for a plant tank and may cause damage

The silver dollar (Metynnis argenteus) is a tropical fish belonging to the Characidae family which is closely related to pirahna and pacú. Originating in the Tapajós River basin in South America, this somewhat round-shaped silver fish with slight red-tinged anal fin is mostly found in tanks kept by fish-keeping hobbyists. It will grow to a maximum length of 5.5 inches (14 centimeters).

The silver dollar is a peaceful schooling species that spends most of its time in the mid- to upper-level of the water. Its maximum lifespan is more than 10 years. An egg-layer, the adult fish will spawn around 2,000 eggs. This breeding occurs in soft, warm water in low light.

Silver dollars natively live in a tropical climate in the sides of weedy rivers. They prefer water with a pH of 5–7, a water hardness of up to 15 dGH, and an ideal temperature range of 75–82 °F (24–28 °C). Their diet is almost exclusively vegetarian and in captivity they will often eat all the plants in a tank. They will also eat worms and small insects.

The Common Hatchetfish or River Hatchetfish (Gasteropelecus sternicla) is a tropical fish belonging to the Freshwater Hatchetfish family (Gasteropelecidae). Originating in the South America in the Peruvian and middle Amazon, the Guianas and Venezuela, it grows to about 2.5 inches (6.5 cm). The fish gets its name from its relatively large protruding belly which resembles a hatchet.

The River Hatchetfish is a schooling species best kept in groups of five or more that spends most of its time in the top-level of the water where it searches for food. The fish can be peaceful or aggressive. Its typical lifespan in captivity is around five years.

These Hatchetfish natively live in streams in a tropical climate and prefer water with a 6.0 - 7.0 pH, a water hardness of up to 15.0 dGH, and an ideal temperature range of 73 - 81 °F (23 - 27 °C). A carnivore, their diet consists of annelid worms, insects, and crustaceans. The fish will often jump out of the water to catch small aerial insects. Because of this behavior, they may jump out of aquarium tanks.

The Mexican tetra (Astyanax mexicanus) is a freshwater fish of the characin family (family Characidae) of order Characiformes.[1] [2] The type species of its genus, it is native to the Nearctic ecozone, originating in the lower Rio Grande and the Neueces and Pecos Rivers in Texas as well as the central and eastern parts of Mexico.

Growing to a maximum overall length of 12 cm (4.7 in), the Mexican tetra is of typical characin shape, with unremarkable, drab coloration. Its blind cave form, however, is notable for having no eyes and being albino, that is, completely devoid of pigmentation; it has a pinkish-white color to its body.

This fish is reasonably popular among aquarists. This is especially true of the blind cave form.

A. mexicanus is a peaceful species that spends most of its time in the mid-level of the water above the rocky and sandy bottoms of pools and backwaters of creeks and rivers of its native environment. Coming from a subtropical climate, it prefers water with 6.0–7.8 pH, a hardness of up to 30 dGH, and a temperature range of 20 to 25 °C (68 to 77 °F). In the winter it migrates to warmer waters. Its natural diet consists of crustaceans, insects, and annelids, although in captivity it is omnivorous.

The Mexican tetra has been treated as a subspecies of A. fasciatus, the banded tetra, but this is not widely accepted.

Species name: Hyphessobrycon Flammeus

Synonym: Hyphessobrycon flammeus

Common name: Flame Tetra / Von Rio Tetra

Family: Characidae

Order: Cypriniformes

Class: Actinopterygii

Maximum size: 5 cm / 2 inches

Environment: freshwater

Origin: South America

Temperament: Peaceful

Company: Hyphessobrycon Flammeus (Flame Tetra) is suitable for community aquariums.

Water parameters: Temperature 24-27°C / 75-79°F; pH 6.0 – 8.0

Aquarium setup: Hyphessobrycon Flammeus (Flame Tetra) prefers a well planted aquariums with lots of hiding places and some free areas to swim on. They also prefer dimmed lighting. Hyphessobrycon Flammeus (Flame Tetra) are very undemanding and can be kept in most water conditions as long as extremes are avoided. They should always be kept in groups of 10 fishes or more.

Feeding: Hyphessobrycon Flammeus (Flame Tetra) accepts flake food..

Breeding: Hyphessobrycon Flammeus (Flame Tetra) is easily breed and produce up to 250 eggs. The eggs will hatch in 24-50 hours. The parents eat their own eggs and they should therefore be removed from the breeding aquarium as soon as the eggs has been laid. The eggs wil not hatch if exposed to light.

The Colombian Tetra comes from Colombia. It is also know as the “Columbian” Tetra, the Blue-Red Columbian and the Red Tail Mirror Blue Tetra. It was known by the scientific name Hyphessobrycon ecuadoriensis and more recently as Hyphessobrycon columbianus, which more accurately describes its Colombian origin. It has only been available in pet stores since 1995 and has become a very popular tetra. The Colombian tetra has a band of blue across the upper body with red in the fins, especially in the caudal fin. The lower body is silvery.

The Colombian is very hardy and is a good beginner fish, however it is fairly aggressive and should only be kept with more nippy, active and aggressive tetras, such as the Serpae, Blind Cave, Buenos Aires and the Silver Tip Tetra. They are definitely not good companions for smaller tetras and guppies. Colombians will be happier and show better colors when kept in groups of 6. They appreciate a well planted tank, but the will eat plants. Colombians will eat flake foods, freeze dried bloodworms and brine shrimp.

Males and females are difficult to distinguish by coloring. The female is larger and broader, especially when laden with eggs. Soft, slightly acidic water is best for breeding and lighting should be greatly dimmed. Pairs should be separated for more than a week before breeding and fed a variety of foods. Tetras have adhesive eggs, so fine leaved plants or spawning mops should be used to catch the eggs. Colombians will spawn multiple times over a period of days. The parents should be removed after spawning. The fry are very small. Fry should be fed infusoria and the finely ground flake foods.

Corydoras paleatus was introduced in aquaria in 1876. The first reproduction in aquarium was realized in 1878 by Carbonnier. The natural environment is in south-east Brazil, from La Plata to Argentina, where it lives in slow motion waters.

The male reaches 5 cm length and it has a higher and sharper dorsal fin than the female. The body of the male is more slender in comparison with the female, especially in the spawning period. The female is burly and larger, reaching 7 cm length. The body coloration is grey-green, with a ochre abdomen. On this background there are some dark colored spots and point, which can be blue or green-violet (depending on the light angle). The fins are yellow with small dark colored spots lines.

It is a friendly fish and it doesn`t request any special water chemistry. That`s why it can be easily bread in a common aquarium. Corydoras eat anything, from living food to dry food but only from the bottom of the aquarium. They prefer tubifex and daphnia. Because they feed by grouting the sand, this will have a smaller granulation and no sharp edges. If these things are not respected, their mustaches will be damaged. After that, the bacteria from the aquarium may attack the new formed wound. As a remedy, we`ll use a better filtration system (especially if we feed them much and the bacteria can`t annihilate the decomposing materials) and we`ll change the ground with a small granulation sand. If the mustaches are not too damaged they`ll renew. They can live at temperatures between 18-28° C. Frey even mentions the fact that it`s better to keep the fish outside till frost time. The optimal temperature is 23° C.

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Lobelia cardinalis, the Cardinal Flower, is a perennial that grows 2-4 feet tall and is found in wet places, streambanks, and swamps. Leaves are lanceolate to oval and toothed. The plant flowers during the summer, with vibrant red blooms cited by Roger Tory Peterson as “America’s favorite”. A white form is also known. Discovered in Canada by explorers, it was sent back to France in the mid 1620s. The name Cardinal flower was in use by 1629, likely due to the similarity of the flower’s colour to the miters of Roman Catholic Cardinals. It can be found in North America from New Brunswick, to Florida to Texas to Minnesota, though it is most concentrated in Southern Ontario, New Brunswick, Michigan, and Minnesota.

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