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Pet Fish
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Many, such as Pterophyllum scalare,Paracheirodon innesi and Micralestes interruptus DISTRIBUTION: Originally tropical South America, Africanand South East Asia, but nowadays many are captive bred HABITAT: Lakes and rivers ADULT SIZE: 3-35 cm (1Vs-14 in) GENERAL: Vast quantities of tropical freshwater fish that originallycame from throughout the tropics are now produced by fish breed-ers in Singapore. Each week they send container-loads of fish toJapan, Europe, Britain and the United States. When the consign-ments arrive, the fish are very stressed and it takes some timebefore they have recovered and are ready for sale. If you can buyfish that have been native bred you will find they are of farsuperior quality. Never buy fish that do not appear in first-classcondition, however beautiful they appear, as disease can infect awhole community tank. Never put a newly purchased fish into an established communityuntil you have quarantined it for some time in case of infectiousdisease. FOOD: There are many varieties of fish food readily available.Some fish feed at the surface of the tank, some at the bottom, andothers at different levels between these two extremes. The foodyou buy will have to be such that it meets the requirements of yourfish and your aquarist shop will advise you if you are unsure. Inaddition to a commercial fish food, all your charges will enjoy andbenefit from as much livefood as you can supply. If you collectlivefood from a pond, take care that you do not introduce preda-tors such as dragonfly larvae and hydra, which might well coloniseyour tank if you accidentally introduce them. HOUSING: The only way to house tropical fish is in a large aquar-ium. Setting up a tank involves quite a bit of time and expense,and there is not much point buying one smaller than 90 cm (36 in)in length. The tank will have to be equipped with a hood, lighting,filter system, heater, thermostat, thermometer and aerator. Whenall these have been fitted, the tank must be landscaped with gravel,plenty of plants and rocks, and these and the water should beadded some weeks before the fish can be introduced. BREEDING: Some species of tropical freshwater fish breed readilyin captivity, others have never been bred. There are so manyspecies of fish that you have to do some research about it if you are interested in breeding. Many species lay eggs but somegive birth to live young. When the babies (which are called 'fry')are born they are so tiny that they are almost impossible to see.Until they are fairly large they are regarded as edible by manyadult fish, so often the best thing to do is remove the parent fishfrom a tank in which they have spawned in order to avert thiscannibalism.
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Fish Care Tips
Anemone Fish
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COMMON NAME: Tropical Fish. Many species, as forexample Angel Fish, Neon Tetras and Congo Tetras