Glass Fish / Aquarium Tropical Fish

Scientific Name: Parambassis ranga (originally referred to as Chanda ranga)

Common Names: Glassfish, Glass Perch, Siamese Glassfish, Glass Fish

Care Level: Moderate

Size: 3 inches

pH: 6.5 - 7.5

Temperature: 68° - 86°

Water Hardness: 7 - 19 dGH

Lifespan: Unsure

Origin: Southern Asia from Pakistan to Malaysia

Temperament/Behavior: Very energetic yet peaceful

You can find more information just by visit www.grandaquatic.com

Article Source: tropicalaquariumfish.blog.com

Red Tailed Shark / Aquarium Tropical Fish

Scientific Name : Epalzeorhynchus bicolor

Common Names : Red Tailed Shark, Red Tail Black Shark, Red Tailed Labeo, Fire Tail, Labeo bicolor

Care Level : Easy, good for freshwater beginners

Size : Up to 6 inches (15 cm)

pH : 6.5 - 7.5

Origin / Habitat : Thailand

Temperament / Behavior : These fish can be hostile and are not recommended for community fish tanks with smaller tropical fish. They seem to behave when kept with larger fish.

Fish Disease : Freshwater Fish Disease - Diagnose, Symptoms and Treatment
Diet / Fish Food : Omnivore and primarily a scavenger. They will go after most of what you put in the tank including flakes, live and freeze dried foods.

Gender : Hard to determine, but the female may have a grayer stomach whereas the males are solid black.

The Red Tailed Shark has a black body with a red tail (hence the name). It is best to keep one of this species in your tank because they will become very aggressive and territorial towards each other. Avoid the temptation to keep them with a Rainbow Shark or other Red Tailed Sharks.

Many hobbyists mistakenly add multiples to a small tank only to find out that one of them will soon become the dominant "shark". The dominant one will chase and pester the others relentlessly. Any time the submissive sharks try to get to food the dominant one will chase it away. They really can become quite obnoxious which is why we recommend keeping only one unless you have a much larger tank.

Provide them with many hiding places to help make them feel secure and have a tight fitting hood because they are also known to be excellent jumpers.

They love to scavenge all over the tank looking for food and will accept most fish foods including flakes, frozen, freeze dried and live foods.

You can find more information just by visit www.grandaquatic.com

Article Source:http://www.fishlore.com/Profiles-RedTailShark.htm

Platy is a common name for two related species of freshwater fish in the genus Xiphophorus. Both species are livebearers, similar to other fish of the family Poeciliidae, such as the guppy and molly. Platies are native to the east coast of Central America and southern Mexico.

The two species, the southern platyfish and the variatus platy, have been interbred to the point where they are difficult to distinguish. Most platies now sold in aquariums are hybrids of both species.

The southern platyfish (Xiphophorus maculatus) grows to a maximum overall length of 6.0 cm (2.4 in). Sexual dimorphism is slight, the male's caudal fin being more pointed. The anal fin of the male fish has evolved into a gonopodium, a stick shaped organ used for reproduction. The female southern platyfish's anal fin is fan shaped.Wild varieties are drab in coloration, lacking the distinctive dark lateral line common to many Xiphophorus species.

The variatus platy (Xiphophorus variatus) grows to a maximum overall length of 7.0 cm (2.8 in). In the wild they are olive in colour with black marbling or spots on the side of the caudal peduncle. Large males show blackish blotches on the dorsal fin. Unlike some other members of the genus, X. variatus has no claw at the tip of the fifth anal fin ray. The fourth pectoral ray shows well-developed serrae (i.e. saw-like notches). They typically have 20 to 24 lateral scales, 10 to 12 dorsal rays and 2 rows of jaw teeth.

This is a good tropical fish for the beginner. They are a very peaceful tropical fish. Also, it can be a good idea to have two females for every one male. Doing this will prevent the male from harassing a single female.

Fish Disease : Freshwater Fish Disease - Diagnose, Symptoms and Treatment
Diet / Fish Food : Give them a varied diet consisting of flakes, live and freeze dried foods for optimum health.
Gender : The female is usually bigger than a male of the same age. Males also have a modified anal fin called a gonopodium.

You can find more information just by visit www.grandaquatic.com

Article Source:http://www.fishlore.com/Profiles-Platy.htm

Koi / Aquarium Tropical Fish

The Koi is a carp that was selectively bred originally in Japan for desirable colors. They can get to be very large with 2 feet plus being a common size for adult fish. Because of their large size, they do best in large outside ponds. Each fish needs several hundred gallons of water to adequately care for them. A common mistake is to buy too many fish for your pond. While young, the volume of water in the pond may be fine, but as these fish grow they will need larger volumes of water to prevent growth stunting.

There are many varieties available with some fetching ridiculous prices. The names of various koi are based on the patterns and colors exhibited by the fish. The Tancho variety is highly sought after having a primarily pure white body with an orange colored pattern on the top of the head. It is a beauty.

People often confuse goldfish and koi. These fish are similar, both being carps, but koi get much larger and have barbels on the sides of the mouth that they use for foraging and finding food. They also have similar care requirements such as feeding and temperature but Koi need much larger living quarters than goldfish.

The great thing about keeping them is that they can and will develop personalities which makes them great pets. This fish lives for a very long time with a life span of 20 years or more if cared for properly. Proper care means providing large enough volumes of water, feeding high quality foods and keeping the water clean. Clean out the pond filter media often and remove debris from the water surface and the substrate on a regular basis.

Overall, this is a fantastic fish for the properly sized pond. Keeping them in climates where it drops below freezing or gets above 90 °F (32 °C) for extended periods of time will be difficult. If you do live in an area like this, you will need a deeper pond, that is if you're even able to have one.

You can find more information just by visit www.grandaquatic.com

Article Source: http://www.fishlore.com/profiles-koi.htm

Guppy / Aquarium Tropical Fish

The guppy (Poecilia reticulata), also known as the millionfish,is one of the most popular freshwater aquarium fish species in the world. It is a small member of the Poeciliidae family (females 4–6 centimetres (1.6–2.4 in) long, males 2.5–3.5 centimetres (1.0–1.4 in) long) and like all other members of the family, is live-bearing.

Guppies are native to Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Brazil, East Timor, Guyana, Mayotte, Netherlands Antilles, Trinidad and Tobago, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Venezuela, and Vietnam.

However, guppies have been introduced to many different countries on all continents, except Antarctica. Sometimes this has occurred accidentally, but most often as a means of mosquito control, the hope being that the guppies would eat the mosquito larvae slowing down the spread of malaria. In many cases, these guppies have had a negative impact on native fish faunas.

Guppies exhibit sexual dimorphism. While wild-type females are grey in body colour, males have splashes, spots, or stripes that can be any color imaginable.

The guppy prefers a hard water aquarium and can withstand levels of salinity up to 150% that of normal sea water,which has led to them being occasionally included in marine tropical community tanks, as well as in freshwater tropical tanks. Guppies are generally peaceful, though nipping behaviour is sometimes exhibited between male guppies or towards other top swimmers like platys and swordtails and occasionally other fish with prominent fins such as angelfish. Its most famous characteristic is its propensity for breeding, and it can breed in both fresh water and marine aquariums.

Guppies bred by aquarists produced variations in appearance ranging from colour consistency to various tail forms.

Well-fed adults do not often eat their own young, although sometimes safe zones are required for the fry. Specially designed livebearer birthing tanks, which can be suspended inside the aquarium, are available from aquatic retailers. These also serve to shield the pregnant female from further attention from the males, which is important, because the males will sometimes attack the females while they are giving birth. It also provides a separate area for the newborn young as protection from being eaten by their mother. However, if a female is put in the breeder box too early, it may cause her to have a miscarriage. Well-planted tanks that offer a lot of barriers to adult guppies will shelter the young quite well. Java moss, duckweed (Lemna minor), and Water Wisteria are all excellent choices. A continuous supply of live food, such as Daphnia, will keep adult fish full and may spare the fry when they are born.

You can find more information just by visit www.grandaquatic.com

Article Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guppy

Betta / Aquarium Tropical Fish

The Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens), also known as the betta (particularly in the US) and simply as the fighter, is a popular species of freshwater aquarium fish. The name of the genus is derived from ikan bettah, taken from a local dialect of Thailand (Siam).The wild ancestors of this fish are native to the rice paddies of Thailand and Cambodia and are called pla-kad or trey krem ("Fighting Fish") in Thai.

Description

B. splendens usually grow to an overall length of about 5 cm , though some varieties reach 3-5 inches in length. Although known for their brilliant colors and large, flowing fins, the natural coloration of B. splendens is a dull green and brown, and the fins of wild specimens are relatively short. However, brilliantly colored and longer finned varieties (i.e. Veiltail; Delta; Superdelta; and Halfmoon) have been developed through selective breeding.

This species lives approximately 2–5 years in captivity, generally between 2-3, rarely 4–5 years, fed with anabolics 5-7 years.

The fish is a member of the gourami family (family Osphronemidae) of order Perciformes, but was formerly classified among the Anabantidae. Although there are nearly 50 other members of the Betta genus, B. splendens is the most popular species among aquarium hobbyists, particularly in the United States.

Diet

Siamese fighting fish have upturned mouths and are primarily carnivorous surface feeders, although some vegetable matter may be eaten. In the wild, they feed on zooplankton including crustaceans and the larvae of mosquitoes and other insects, such as flies, crickets, or grasshoppers.[citation needed] Fish which feed on wide range of foods live longer, have richer colors, and heal fin damage more quickly.Typically, commercial betta pellets are a combination of mashed shrimp meal, wheat flour, fish meal, brine shrimp, bloodworms, and vitamins. These fish will also eat live or frozen bloodworms, mosquito larvae, brine shrimp or daphnia.

Behavior

Males and females flare or puff out their gill covers (opercula) in order to appear more impressive, either to intimidate other rivals or as an act of courtship. Other reasons for flaring their gills is that they are startled by movement or change of scene in their environment. Both sexes will display horizontal bars (unless they are too light a color for this to show) if stressed or frightened; however, such a color change, common in females of any age, is very rare in mature males. Females often flare their gills at other females, especially when setting up a pecking order. Flirting fish behave similarly, with vertical instead of horizontal stripes indicating a willingness and readiness to breed (females only). Bettas sometimes require a place to hide, even in the absence of threats. They may set up a territory centered on a plant or rocky alcove, sometimes becoming highly possessive of it and aggressive toward trespassing rivals.

On average, males are more aggressive. The aggression of this fish has been studied by ethologists and comparative psychologists. Siamese fighting fish will even respond aggressively to their own reflections in a mirror; use of a mirror avoids the risk of physical damage inherent in actual conflict, although it can lead to stress in some individuals. Like other fish, the fighter may respond to the presence of humans and become trained to respond to feeding cues (such as a hand placed over the water's surface). They are quite curious and will watch humans going about their business nearby. When plant leaves reach the surface, they are useful for males to base their bubble nests on.

Like many tropical fish, bettas might harass and kill small, slow fancy goldfish; in return, goldfish have been known to bite other fish's fins. Goldfish also are best suited to a cooler-water tank rather than the tropical temperatures more suited to B. splendens.

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Article Source: www.wikipedia.org