Useful websites Most aquatic organizations have websites that give up-to-date contact telephone numbers and mailing addresses. The following is a selection of currently operating sites: American Cichlid Association www.cichlid.org Features news, advice, contacts, and a gallery and chat room for fans of these popular aquarium fish. American Killifish Association www.aka.org Helps to promote the keeping […]
Directory of Freshwater Fish Livebearers Guppies Guppy (Poecilia reticulata) ORIGINS: South America, occurring in the Caribbean and in South America north of the Amazon. SIZE: 2 in (5 cm). DIET: Prepared foods and small live foods. WATER: Temperature 70–77°F (21–25°C); hard (100–150 mg/l) and alkaline (pH 7.5). TEMPERAMENT: Placid and social. One of the best […]
The science of genetics is concerned with the way in which characteristics pass from one generation to the next. The characteristics of all living organisms, including fish, are contained in the genes, which are carried on rodlike structures called chromosomes, present within the nucleus of every living cell in the body.
The shoaling instincts of barbs, such as these Red Tiger Barbs, even extend to their spawning behavior. Several males take part in this process in the wild, so it is best to house a single female in the breeding tank with at least two males.
Once the aquarium is fully prepared and you are certain that everything is functioning properly, you can start to introduce the fish. Although suppliers can ship stock to you, it is probably best to visit a local store, especially when starting out, so that you can see the fish firsthand. Ask experienced aquarists to recommend a store—ideally one that belongs to a recognized trade association. Such bodies run specialized training courses for staff, so you are more likely to receive genuine, professional advice.
Platies and swordtails are almost as fecund as guppies. As in the guppy, a female can produce several broods from a single impregnation, and again, like the guppy, they have been manipulated by commercial breeders to produce variations in colour and finnage.
Wild guppies are small fishes; the males have splashes of colour on their bodies and the females are a dull grey/brown with a dark triangular “gravid spot” near their vent. These wild forms bear little resemblance to the man-made guppies with which we are familiar today. Indeed, one could be forgiven for thinking that the latter are an entirely different fish.
Some of you may be tempted to keep Cyprinus carpio (Koi Carp) in an aquarium and we would like to advise against this. Koi are potentially large fishes best housed in large purpose-built ponds with powerful filtration systems.
