Tropical Aquarium Fish

Anubias nana
It is included in Araceae family, Anubias genus. It has been studied by Engler in 1899. It is a plant with rhizome which lives in marsh. The leaves start from the rhizome and have a lance late shape. It is colored in dark green with a shining surface. It grows very low and it needs a big quantity of light, clean water and a temperature of 25° C. This aquatic plant reproduces by the rhizome. In the same time, on the rhizome there can be up to 6-8 small plants. These will only devise when they have proper roots. The maximum length is 10 cm.

Ancistrus cirrhosus is part of the Loricariidae family. It`s better to breed them in pairs or with night active fish as they are. Their feeding request vegetal food, but thy can also be fed with living food or tablets. The living food, daphnia, will be administrated frozen.

The water has to be normal, normal illumination but with many floating plants at the surface of the aquarium water. The optimal temperature is 23° C. They live on the bottom of the aquariums. Their natural environment is in the east and north-east of the tropical area in South America, in Guiana, Trinidad, Amazon River and Rio Paraguay.

The front part of the body is oblate. On the top of the mouth they have ramifications (horns) which can fork. The dorsal fin is high, the first ray is strong, and on the pectoral fins it has very strong spikes. The tail has strong rays in the superior and inferior parts. Between the rays the tail is oblique. This ancistrus can reach 14 cm length. The coloration is dark olive-brown to black; the abdomen is grey-green to brown-grey. On the fins it has dark colored spots and at the beginning of the dorsal fin it has a big black spot.

Poecilia molinesia sphenops is a very popular fish, known as molly. It is spread in Central America from Mexico to Columbia, where it lives fresh waters. In the aquarium water you`ll have to add one spoon with salt at every 4 liters of water, without this salt the fish are very sensitive to diseases, especially `shakings`. This disease manifests with shakings around a vertical axe which goes through the middle of the body. The male has a slender prolonged body while the female`s is stronger and stumpy. The dorsal fin has 8-11 rays. The tail is convex. The males can reach 8 cm length and the females can get larger, about 12 cm length. In general, the fish is colored in olive-brown with silvery flanks. On the flanks it has 4-6 lines made from spots colored in orange or brown. There also are transversal lines, which are marked, colored in black. The dorsal fin is speckled with black and has a yellow hem. The base of the tail is colored in ultramarine blue; in the upper part it is orange-yellow with a black hem. There are other color varieties; one of them is the black molly. Beside the normal tail variety, there is a lyre tail variety. The optimal temperature is 24-28° C. They are viviparous fish; the female gives birth to living fry.

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.

The natural habit is in South America in middle Amazon area, Rio Plata, in stagnant waters or with slow flow, with rich vegetation, with plenty of rocks and roots. From the behavior point of view they are similar to scalars, with which they are friendly. It doesn`t need special foods; it eats almost anything, even dry food as flakes or tablets. It needs a supply of vegetal food, or the given tablets should contain vegetal parts too. The optimal temperature is about 25° C and for reproduction it needs 26-27° C. It has some water chemistry preferences, needing a pH of 6.5-7 and 5-8° dGH. In aquariums it appreciates the sunny areas, but shadowy ones aren`t bad either. It likes rich planted aquariums.

The body shape is typical to Cichlids, so it has a burly body, laterally oblate, with a big sharp head and a small mouth. The fins are imposing, the anal and caudal are sharp, the abdominals are prolonged and the tail is round. It can reach 15 cm length.

The body is colored in yellow-grey to green-grey; the back is olive-brown, the pectoral area is blue-green. On the body laterals it has a line from the mouth to the base of the tail which divides the body into two different colored areas. It can also have some lateral transversal lines made from dark colored spots. At the base of the tail it has a black spot with light colored outline. The fins are colored from yellow-grey to blue.

The sexual difference isn`t obvious, both the female and male are colored the same. As in the scalars case, the sexual difference can be observed in the spawning period, looking to the genital pupil. The male`s is shorter and sharp at the top, and the female`s is larger with a cone trunk shape. In general the male is bigger; it has sharp anal and caudal fins, while the female`s are round.

They are friendly fish, sheepish and timid, they don`t grout, and they don`t attack the plants (if they are fed with vegetal food). They need large aquariums. They are sensitive to old water, that`s why we have to change the water regularly. For reproduction, it`s better to let them pair themselves. In order to do that, there has to be more youngsters in the aquarium. One of the maturity signs is the red iris, as for scalars. The fry hatch after 48 hours and swim free after 8 days. When they swim free we`ll feed them with Artemia salina, micro worms or small daphnia. The fry grow quite fast.

In aquaria Paracheirodon innesi is known as neon fish. Till not long ago its name was Hypehessobrycon innesi. The specie is spread in the west of Brazil, Columbia, north of Peru, in superior area of Amazon to Iquitas, in Amazon`s affluent: Putamayo and Purus. It lives in the dark water of these rivers and Dr. H. Axelrod has emitted a hypothesis assuming that the shining lateral line helps them find each other in the reproduction period. They have a slender body, with medium oblate flanks, a dull mouth; the abdomen is more slender to males than females, especially when they are in the reproduction period. Paracheirodon innesi can reach 4 cm. They have a lateral shining blue or green line, depending on the light flow angle, which goes from the superior part of the iris to the adipose fin area. Under this shining line, there is a dark red line which can go to the tail. The iris has shining golden points, the back is light olive, slivery abdomen, uncolored fins, and the first rays of the anal fin are white.

Paracheirodon innesi obtained a fame of a hard to breed fish. These things are said by people who don`t know much about aquaria, not by experienced fish breeders. In common aquariums, they don`t request anything different than other fish do. On the contrary, they are less sensitive than other species of aquarium fish. Aquarium fish breeders who say it`s a sensitive fish confound the breeding conditions with the reproduction ones. Indeed, for breeding Paracheirodon innesi needs some extra special conditions, but which we found for other species too. So we first need a good couple for spawning. It was found out that the fish kept in aquarium water with more than 8°dGH are not 100% appropriate for reproduction. So the first condition is to have aquarium water with 4-7°dGH. Even if they spawn, there are big chances to have few eggs, and the fry is susceptible of getting the neon disease.

The feeding is also very important. In order to have a good reproduction couple, we have to feed them with living food, but maximum 2 times a week with fresh and clean tubifex. The food has to be diversified. In aquariums they also eat dry food as flakes. Another important factor is the temperature. You mustn`t keep them at more than 19-20° C and for reproduction only 20° C.

Betta splendens as an aquarium fish can be different than the wild Betta splendens. As specie, it is part of the Anabantidae family, with the particularity of having an auxiliary breathing system called labyrinth. It lives in south-east Asia worm waters, with lack of oxygen. It is an easy to breed fish; it can survive in small non aerated tanks. If you want to have beautiful bettas for expositions you`ll have to keep your betta in a small aquarium, tank or pot in order to develop its beauty. For this thing it only needs minimum care, with an equilibrated feeding just not to dirty the water. You have the oportunity now to buy good betta tanks as the ones from next images (click to view details): If you keep your betta in a small space, you`ll have to replace the water from time to time with fresh one. Betta splendens doesn`t need any special water conditions (chemistry, pH, etc…) but it requests a temperature of 28-30° C, and for reproduction with 1-2° C higher. If you keep betas in 1 liter tanks you`ll gave to change the water every 2 days. When you do the water change you`ll be careful to the new temperature, it has to be the same as the old one. Even to a strong fish like Betta splendens, the big differences of water chemistry can induce severe accidents. If we see a betta sitting on the bottom of the tank, or being inactive, that`s a sign of the water change need. After changing the water, you`ll immediately see your betta more active. It`s recommended to add a spoon of salt at every gallon of water.

From the food point of view, Betta splendens doesn`t request much, if you feed at regular intervals and with enough food, everything will be fine. You can feed your betta with: daphnia (alive or frozen), mosquito larva, cow meat, tubifex, Artemia salina (alive or frozen). Indifferently of the food you give, it`s better to administrate it more times a day than once and much. That way you`ll also be able to give diversified food, as any freshwater fish needs. If you want to read more info about your betta fish in order to help you better take care of it, you can buy this manual with many colored pictures. An over feed with an aliment can induce water chemistry change and the apparition of diseases. Usually Betta splendens lives about 1.5-2 years, but there are cases when it lives more than 3 years. An excess of food shorts the life of the fish. From the water conditions point of view, the temperature is very important. Bettas can live at a temperature of minimum 21° C and maximum 29° C. A temperature higher than 30° C affects the living duration of the betta. There is some information about betta which lived 9 years in laboratory conditions. Every fish was kept in a different tank with a volume of few gallons.

Reproduction of Betta splendens

Having in mind water`s quality, Betta is a pretentious fish. The tanks used for spawning can have different forms and volumes. Thus, in Orient are utilized ceramic tanks. As a supplementary information, it would be neither too little, nor too big (to help fishes to stay one with another). Talking about the temperature, there are information about the fact that Betta spawned at 18 degrees C, but a successful result can be obtained at a temperature between 24 and 29 degrees. This temperatures reflect the natural biotope`s ones. We can observe the fact that the success of reproduction doesn`t consist only in having special aquarium`s condition but in providing the biological material… Coming back to the temperature, we can see that the ones after 30 C degrees disturb the fish and the little ones resulted (the roe have to grow faster) are powerless and die before they became able to swim.

A first criterion which helps us to choose the spawn match is the color. At first it is important to have fries but than at a second or third reproduction we will become exigent. We will choose a red match (a blue, white or green one) to have the reproduction. So let`s see how we can do this because it is not sufficient to put the together in the same aquarium. After the color criterion, we have to know if they are mature from the sexual point of view. We already have the aquarium, the water`s temperature. What do we need more for a successful reproduction? As a know fact for all oviparous, we have to introduce the female in the reproduction bowl with 12-24 hours before. In Betta`s case, in the aquarium we have to put a group of floating plans: Riccia fluitans, Ceratopteris, and another group like Cryptocarine. Their roots are caught with a lead clasp and are put in 2 or 3 of the aquarium corners. It helps to the making the nest spume by the male (support for the future roe), and the plants from the corners will served as places where the female can hide itself in time and after spawning. We consider these because the female get used harder with new conditions. We consider it`s better to introduce the female in the tank with 12-24 hours before the male because she accommodates slowly with the new conditions. The male get used easier and if the female is not ready it can run after it and kill it. The reproduction starts with the male building a nest on water`s surface. For this thing, some people put a paper or a plastic cup on the surface because the males can build the nest under it. It is preferable to put only some Ceratopteris plants or Echinodorus osiris` or E. orizontalis` leafs. What we need and what we have to do to prepare the aquarium:
- a 40 l aquarium;
- we put water which has more than 48 hours;
- we put the floating plants and the groups in the corner. In addition, we have to create places for fishes and fries;
- the water column will have not more than 10 cm because Betta`s eggs are harder than water and after fecundation they fall down. Than it are taken by the male and fixed in the nest. If the column is higher, after 4-5 turns the male gets tired and it doesn`t care anymore about the reproduction, letting down the eggs. This fact is helpful for the fry too because its can go alone to the nest;
- a constant temperature: 26-28° C ;
- on the aquarium we have to put a glass, because it will maintain the temperature which has to be provide even after 30 days of lift ( the fry needs to develop the breathing auxiliary organs, labyrinth) and the necessary humidity from the natural biotope.

Now a very important tip: most of the betta breeders don’t know that you can increase your spawning success by adding some wild almond leaves in the reproduction tank. This will create a more natural environment for the Betta fish. The leaves contain humic acids and tannins and are known to have antibacterial properties. But here’s the trick: good almond leaves can be hardly found BUT you can buy this sollution which contains exactract of almond leaves and much more… check the image for more details.

Alternanthera reineckii
In aquariums it was introduced under the name of Telanthera Osiris. The plant is spread in the tropical zone of South America. It is a small herbaceous plant, which lives in marsh having two forms: emerged (in which case the leaves stretch on the ground), submerged (in which case the leaves grow up). The leaves have a wide cross shape, lance late to elliptic, and they get thinner where the leafstalk should be, or they have a very short leafstalk. They are 4 cm length and 15 mm width. The upper part of the leave is dark green to olive green, and the lower part is light green to light carroty. This aquarium plant has a variety called Alternanthera reineckii `lilacina` which grows to a length of 6 cm and 20 mm width. The superior part of the leave is light olive green or carroty green having red spots, and the inferior zone is colored in light red to dark red. For aquariums it isn`t well adapted yet, it needs a longer period of accommodation and even then it grows very low.

In fresh waters there are some bivalves called fresh water shells. Even if they differ from the salt water shells, they are relatives with salt water shells. Fresh water shells stay totally or partial stuck into the ground. In order to feed, they filtrate the micro plants from the water. This kind of eating can be useful in an aquarium because it may stop the overflow of algae. Instead, if the feeding is wrong, they can die and that`s a risk of pollution because you can`t observe that immediately. You can rarely see this kind of bivalves in our freshwater aquariums, because tropical bivalves are very rare on the market.

Some Gastropods species are considered embarrassing, the physes for example, while others are considered like having an important use in cleaning the aquarium from the undesirable algae. In this last category we include aquarium snails, ampullaria species, Malay snails and others. In good conditions they proliferate a lot and can be removed by hand or with a trap; if you introduce a boiled salad leaf or a spinach one in the aquarium during night, the next morning the leaf will be covered by the aquarium snails and you`ll be able to remove them from the aquarium. The sudden death of a gastropods population is a sign that the aquarium equilibrium has been broken.

Ampullaria sp. are a category of aquarium snails that can grow very big, reaching the size of the terrestrial snails. They are very good cleaners because they eat the excess of food rests, but if that food isn`t enough they`ll start eating the aquarium plants. They build a nest with eggs outside the aquarium water, usually on the interior face of the aquarium, and the baby snails will fall into water after they hatch. They have an auxiliary respiration system, which they use to breathe atmospheric air when the quality of the aquarium water is not good enough. When they feel the danger, they hide in their shell and close it with a lid. It`s not hard to control the population of ampullaria aquarium snails because they have big size.

Helisoma nigricans is a specie of aquarium snails native from Brazil. They have almost a perfect circular shape and their diameter hardly reaches 1.8 cm. They are red-brown colored and they are very sensitive to temperature. If the temperature decreases below 20° C they die. A similar specie is Planorbis corneus. It lives in Europe and it`s completely harmless, though it won`t survive with a pH higher than 7.

Melanoides tuberculata is the most common aquarium snail. It can be found from Egypt to India and needs a temperature of at least 20° C. It can`t survive without minerals because it needs them in order to build its shell. It feeds with algae and food rests from aquarium fish; that`s why it is considered a great aquarium cleaner. It is a nocturne aquarium snail, during day time it hides in the ground of the aquarium. We`ll never be able to know how many aquarium snails like this we have, only if we turn off the light and return it on after 2-3 hours. In short time they propagate a lot and they give the impression of a moving ground because their movement. This is a great advantage for aquarium plants because the snails aerate the roots of the plants. Their only disadvantage is that they get into everything (even into the filter). Sometimes you can see lots of Melanoides tuberculata snails at the surface of the aquarium water; that`s a sign of water pollution

Usually the Welse family is improper considered a `cleaner fish` family with reduced water and food needs. Most of the beginner breeders have the false impression that these fish feed with other fish rests. This impression is wrong because their needs are at least equal to the other fish, if not superior. It`s true that they are used as complementary fish together to other fish more colored, active and popular. This bad reputation, that they are cleaners, comes because of the fact that they are bottom fish with their mouth situated in the lower part, and they can only eat from the ground. If they feed from the middle aquarium water they do it rarely and without ability. It`s known that Welse fish can survive in a not aerated aquarium because they have an abdominal auxiliary breathing system. The entire Welse family is sensitive to the water chemistry. Concentrations of elements that for other fish are inoffensive can harm these fish from Welse family. They are new fish in aquaria, recently introduced in aquariums. Their reproduction in captivity hasn`t been made since long time, only recently, it`s the case of Dianema longibarbis, Ancistrus, etc. Every sheat fish family contains lots of fish with different behaviors. In aquarium it`s better to have fish for every level of water: surface, middle and bottom. In this last category we include the Welse fish.
Except the poles, they are spread all over the globe. In general they are freshwater fish, but there are some saltwater species too. There are about 2000 species of Welse, in South America you can find about 1200 including the welse covered with bony plates. They prefer the bottom of the aquarium where they search for the food using their mustaches. In the natural habit, they can be found in rivers, lakes and waters without oxygen. There are some species which bury themselves in the mud waiting for the rainy season. That`s why when we set up an aquarium we have to be careful to satisfy at least the minimum of their needs. We`ll have to create places for hiding, caves, roots and especially spaces for resting during night (platforms near the surface of the water). Most of the Welse species are more active during night, that`s why we have to be careful with their feeding (example: Loricariidae family). Some other species have strange ways of swimming (Synodontis swims upside down).