There are some wonderful alternatives to goldfishes for the coldwater aquarium, such as the sun bass and darters. Both groups could be kept in a garden pool in the summer months, but because of their colour and/or lifestyle you would not see them very often.
If you have read through the catfishes chapter you will already be aware of Malapterurus electricus (Electric catfish). There are, however, several other fishes that are able to produce electricity.
Rainbow fishes have been known in the aquarium trade for many years but until recently only a few species have been commonly available. Of these only Telmatherina ladigesi (Celebes rainbowfish), Bedotia geayi (Madagascar rainbowfish), and Melanotaenia splendida (Eastern rainbowfish) have made any real impression. The last species is often referred to as Melanotaenia nigrans but the latter was probably not in the hobby until the end of the 1970s.
The African anabantids belong to the genus Ctenopoma and although they are usually referred to by their generic name, they are also known as bush fishes or even climbing perch. To avoid such confusion here, we’ll stick to Ctenopoma (Bush fish).
There is a legend in the East that Anabas climbs palm trees and drinks the sap. This was first recorded in 1787 by a Lieutenant Daldorf of the Danish East India Company based at Tranquebar. He had found a climbing perch lodged in a crack in the bark of a palm tree growing beside a pond.
Osphronemus goramy (Giant gourami) is another fish that is predominantly a food fish as it grows to a large size – 40 cm (16 in) being a good-sized aquarium fish.
Helostoma temminckii (Kissing gourami) are usually kept because of their novel way of testing each other’s strength. The kissing action is not, as we might suppose, a sign of affection between male and female, but a trial of strength between two males, and forms part of the courtship ritual as they try to impress a suitable female.
Several of the smaller species are surrounded by myths and noted for being “difficult”. That may be so, but with a little careful planning and preparation it is possible to keep and breed them – homework again! You will, however, need a little more experience before you attempt to keep and breed any of these. They are included here as a challenge for the future!
The first exotic aquarium fish to arrive in Europe was Carassius auratus (The Goldfish), followed in the 1860s by Macropodus opercularis (Paradise fish). One of the main reasons this fish survived the journey so far from its native haunts of southeast China and Korea was that it is so hardy.
