Arowana

Arowanas are freshwater bony fish of the family Osteoglossidae, also known as bonytongues. In this family of fish, the head is bony and the elongate body is covered by large, heavy scales, with a mosaic pattern of canals. The dorsal and the anal fins have soft rays and are long based, while the pectoral and ventral fins are small. The name "bonytongues" is derived from a toothed bone on the floor of the mouth, the "tongue", equipped with teeth that bite against teeth on the roof of the mouth. The arowana is a facultative air breather and can obtain oxygen from air by sucking it into the swim bladder, which is lined with capillaries like lung tissue.

Evolution

Osteoglossids are basal (primitive) fish from the lower Tertiary and are placed in the actinopterygiid order Osteoglossiformes. There are ten described living species: three from South America, one from Africa, four from Asia, and the remaining two from Australia.

The Osteoglossidae are the only exclusively freshwater fish family found on both sides of the Wallace Line.This may be explained by the theory that Asian arowanas (S. formosus) diverged from the Australian Scleropages, S. jardinii and S. leichardti, about 140 million years ago, making it likely that Asian arowanas were carried to Asia on the Indian subcontinent.
Behavior

Osteoglossids are carnivorous, often being specialized surface feeders. They are excellent jumpers; it has been reported that Osteoglossum species have been seen leaping more than 6 feet (almost 2 metres) from the water surface to pick off insects and birds from overhanging branches in South America, hence the nickname "water monkeys". Arowana species typically grow to around 2 to 3 feet in captivity.

Several species of osteoglossid exhibit parental care. They build nests and protect the young after they hatch. All species are mouthbrooders, the parents holding sometimes hundreds of eggs in their mouths. The young may make several tentative trips outside the parent's mouth to investigate the surroundings before leaving permanently.
In the aquarium

Arowanas are solitary fish and only appreciate company while young; adults may show dominance and aggression. Some compatible species often partnered with this fish are clown knifefish, pacu, oscars, plecostomus, jaguar cichlids, green terrors, gar, tinfoil barb, siamese tigerfish (datnioides microlepis) and any other semi-aggressive fish that cannot fit in the arowana's mouth.

These fishes are best kept with live or frozen feed and they easily outgrow the tank within a span of 8–10 months. A large type aquarium of at least 150 gallons is preferable.

Australian species are best kept alone in aquaria.

Green Tiger barb

The Green Tiger barb is also known as the Moss-banded barb or simply Moss barb. It is a captive bred colour morph of the wild Tiger barb. The Green tiger barb is very popular among aquarists since it displays an attractive deep fluorescent green or blue-greenish colouration. The Green Tiger barb is highly melanistic and reflects this green shade over its black due to a phenomenon known as the Tindall effect. Green Tiger barbs will shoal with normal Tiger barbs and Albino Tiger barbs. The care recommendations for the Green Tiger barb are the same as for the normal Tiger barb.

Tiger barb habitat and range:

Tiger barbs originate from South-East Asia and are native to Indonesia and Malaysia. They live on the Malay Peninsula, on the island of Sumatra and on the island of Borneo. Occasional specimens have also been reported from Cambodia, but these sightings have not been scientifically verified. Since it is a popular aquarium fish, freshwater Tiger barbs have been introduced to many countries by man. You can for instance find it in Australia, Singapore, Suriname and Colombia. This makes it hard to know if freshwater Tiger barbs spotted in other Asian countries than Indonesia and Malaysia are small, native populations or hail from fish that have been recently introduced by man. 

The Tiger barb is a benthopelagic species frequently found in clear or turbid water. The typical Tiger barb habitat is a shallow and medium fast stream in the tropics where the water temperature is high. Freshwater Tiger barbs have also been found in swampy lakes where the water level fluctuates a lot. This type of fluctuations is commonly associated with fluctuating water quality as well, and the wild Tiger barb might therefore be more tolerant to changing water quality than what was previously assumed.  

Tiger barb behaviour and suitable tank mates:

The Tiger barb is a shoaling fish and you should not purchase this species unless you have room to keep at least five specimens together, preferably more. If you keep a smaller number of freshwater Tiger barbs they can become aggressive and their fin-nipping tendencies are often enhanced.

The Tiger barb is a somewhat aggressive species and the shoal will form a pecking order. Sometimes, this pecking order is extended to include other fish as well. If you keep your Tiger barbs in a large enough shoal, they can however usually be kept together with more docile species without turning into bullies. Injured fish should ideally be quarantined since the Tiger barbs are known to attack wounded fish. Fish with exceptionally long and flowing fins are not recommended as companions for Tiger barbs.
When kept in a shoal, the Tiger barb is a very active species that will spend most of its time in the water's mid-level. The average life span in a well kept aquarium is 6 years.
Tiger barb setup:

The recommended minimum aquarium size is 60 centimetres (24 inches). Try to mimic the natural Tiger barb habitat when you set up the aquarium. The shoal should be given plenty of room for swimming, but hiding spots should also be included. Ideally keep the aquarium well planted. Rocks and driftwood will also be appreciated.

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Royal angelfish

The royal angelfish or regal angelfish, Pygoplites diacanthus, is a species of marine angelfish of the family Pomacanthidae, and the monotypic genus Pygoplites. It is found in tropical Indo-Pacific oceans. Its can grow as long as 25 cm.

Although it is frequently exported through the aquarium trade it rarely survives in the aquarium.

Usually specimens abused during shipment, more likely caught by drugging, will refuse to eat anything, including live fare.

However, given the right environment, specifically with smaller and docile tankmates like gobies and dwarf angels, it will start feeding within days when fed brine shrimp, brine shrimp plus flakes, and further progressing to regular frozen foods and a certain brand of cichlid pellets which this species seem to crave.

With a hostile environment with fellow large angels, puffers, and triggers, and certain clowns, it will almost certainly fail to acclimate and slowly die of starvation due to its shyness to start feeding.

Survivability of feeding specimens seem to equal to the other Pomacanthids.

Fresh water dips may be required to rid newly arrived specimens of flukes and ick which this species is especially prone to.

The prior myth that only yellow-bellied variations from Sri Lanka and the Red Sea will survive points to the fact that specimens from the Philippines and Indonesia are often abused when collected.

Queen angelfish

The adult queen angelfish overall body color can be described as blue to bluegreen with yellow rims on its scales. Their pectoral fins and ventral fins are also yellow but their lips and the edges of their dorsal fins and anal fins are dark blue. Queen angelfish are also known to have blue markings around each gill cover. Juveniles have dark blue bodies with yellow lips, gills, and tail and vertical bars ranging in color from light blue to white. The colors of the juvenile fish help them to blend in with the reefs. The queen angelfish may live up to 15 years in the wild and reach up to 45 centimeters (17 inches) in length. Queen angelfish are about three and a half pounds.

Like other angelfish, much of their locomotion is produced by their pectoral fins: the outer 40% of each fin can be used to produce up to 80% of the fish's total thrust.



Diet

The queen angelfish feeds primarily on sponges, but also feeds on tunicates, jellyfish, and corals as well as plankton and algae. Juveniles serve as "cleaners" and feed on the parasites of larger fish at cleaning stations. Although in home aquariums, aquarists have been successful in providing the queen angelfish a diet of meaty and algae based foods

Koran Angelfish

The Koran Angelfish is found in the Indo-Pacific. Its geographical range stretches from East Africa and the Red Sea to Samoa. The range proceeds northwards up to southern Japan and southwards down to Western Australia and New South Wales, including Lord Howe Island.

This is a reef-associated species with a depth range of 1-30 meters / 3-100 feet. Juvenile specimens are typically found in shallow protected environments, while the adult fish seek out coastal reefs with prolific coral growth and plenty of hiding spots. It lives singly or in pairs.
Size and appearance

The largest scientifically measured Koran Angelfish was 40.0 cm / 15.7 in.

The juvenile fish has a bluish-black body decorated with concentric semi-circles. The change into adult colouration will typically occur over the size range 8-16 cm / 3-6 in.

The adult fish is brownish on the anterior and posterior third of the body, while the middle part of the body is greenish or yellowish. The sides are adorned with an abundance of spots, and the dorsal and anal fins have filaments with bright yellow tips. The head is yellow-green with sapphire-blue gill margins and eye rings. 

The source of the common names Semicircle Angelfish, Half-circle Angelfish and Half-circled Angelfish becomes clear when you look at specimens with a length of roughly 1-3 in / 2.5-7.5 in. During this stage, the body of the fish is adorned with irregular rear semicircles. As the fish grows bigger, the semicircles will develop into sweeping lines.


When the fish is roughly 4-7 in /10-18, it will display a blue pattern similar to Arabic scrip on the tail fin and that is why one of the common names for this species is Koran Angelfish. The pattern consists of blue markings against black between blue lines.

Angel fish

Angelfish are one of the most beautiful fish, which are broadly classified into two types namely freshwater and marine. The marine type belongs to the family Pomacanthidae and is mostly found in the western Pacific Ocean. This type is also found in the tropical Atlantic and Indian Ocean. There are approximately 86 species falling under the Pomacanthidae family. These have small mouths, large pectoral fins, streamer-like extensions of the soft dorsal and anal fins, and tail fins. They are very colourful, bold and form highly territorial.


Belonging to Cichlidae family, the angelfish of fresh water have different traits than those of marine water fish. They are native to South American river basins namely Amazon, Orinoco and Essequibo. With round bodies compressed from sideways, the freshwater fish have triangular dorsal and anal fins. Their body shape enables them to stay protected from their predators by hiding amongst plants in the aquarium. They often have red eyes and vertical stripes on their body. Highly intelligent, they are of genus Pterophyllum. This genus consists
of only three types of species – P. Scalare, P. Altum and P. Leopoldi.

In terms of behavior, these are playful and recognize their owner. Sometimes, they act aggressively and also harm others in the tank. In fact, they have been observed eating smaller fish such as Neon Tetra. Also referred to as Silver Angel, they are carnivores in nature and their favorite food list includes brine shrimp, insects and bloodworms.

It is to be noted that these fish breed for life. After the death of any one from the pair, the other never breeds again. It is difficult to identify the male and female from the pair of angelfish. They can be easily identified during the process of breeding. However, there are few characteristics that can help you identify the male as well as female fish. These characteristics are –

    Males are more territorial than females.

    Males sometimes develop a small lump on their forehead known as nuchal hump, unlike females.

    The breeding organ (Papilla) of the male is more pointed, while that of the female is wider.

    While breeding, you may see the female laying the eggs and the male’s papilla emerging out to release the sperms over the eggs to fertilize them.


In the process of breeding, it is important to know that these fish learn parenting by trial and error. So, they may eat the eggs in their first attempt and then in the second attempt, they may let the eggs hatch and eat the fry. Gradually, they learn to protect and nurture their fry letting them grow into a fish like them.

Females usually lay 100 to 1000 eggs at a time. They lay eggs on the flat horizontal surface. These eggs hatch within 7 days. However, you can see the fry moving inside the eggs within 48 hours. Many of the eggs don’t get fertile or becomes victim of fungal or bacterial infection that kills the eggs. Such eggs appear white.

The parents have the tendency to move their eggs into different location of the tanks. The eggs develop into fry after seven days, but they don’t move and remain stuck to the place where their parents have placed them for some more days. During this stage, you should start feeding the fry with the baby brine shrimp or any other commercial fry food. The parent fish many times collect fry in their mouth and spit them in a safe corner. It’s a herding method followed by the fish to keep the fry safe.

All in all, angelfish have truly astounding characteristics and great parenting ability, once they learn it

Platy

The Platy is a popular beginner fish, since it is relatively sturdy, easy to care for and also easy to spawn in captivity. It will not grow larger than 2.5 inches and a single Platy can be kept in a 5 gallon aquarium. You can choose from many different Platy variants, including the common red Wagtail Platy.
Other popular variants are Sunset Platy, Variatus Platy and Tuxedo Platy. Your Platy will do best if kept in water that is slightly alkaline. It will probably survive on a diet consisting of nothing but flake food, but it will do much better if you supplement the flake food with live or frozen foods. A varied diet ensures that your Platy receives all necessary nutrients to stay strong and healthy. The colours of the Platy can also turn dull from an insufficient diet.

If you want to breed Platy one of the best ways is to buy 2-3 female Platy that are really fat. A fat female Platy are most likely pregnant and you can expect offspring within a month. You can see which Platy are female and which Platy are male by looking at their gonopodium. A gonopodium is the anal fin, or more precisely the anterior portion of the anal fin, that has turned into a copulatory organ.

Both male and female fish can display a large gonopodium, but a male Platy will display a gonopodium that is elongated and much larger than that of a female gonopodium. Sperm is transferred from the male Platy to the female Platy via his gonopodium.                               Your female Platy will become more and more swollen as the birthday comes closer, and it is not unusual for female Platies to look almost like small, square cubes.



Feed her a lot of live food in addition to flake food, since live food makes the fry bigger and healthier, while high quality flake food is an excellent base. It is very important that you keep the aquarium clean and remove as much solvable waste as possible. Water changes of approximately 25% should be performed once a week, preferably even more frequent.

Guppy

Poecilia Libestes Reticulata, a fish commonly known as the Guppy, is a very popular aquarium fish. It is particularly suitable for novice aquarists since it is easy to keep and non-aggressive. The Guppy belongs to the Livebearer group and will give birth to free swimming fry instead of laying eggs. The Guppy originates from fresh and brackish waters in South and Central America, but can today been found wild in other places of the world as well, including Florida in the U.S. The Guppy has been deliberately set free in several Asian waters in an attempt to combat malaria by decreasing the number of mosquitoes.

You can choose between numerous Guppy fish variations, differencing in the shape of the body as well as the colour of the fish. The most common colours are red, green and blue. Guppy variations include Veiltail guppy, Lacetail guppy, Lyretail guppy, Flagtail guppy, Bottom and Double swordtail guppy, Long fin guppy, Fantail guppy, Red tail guppy, Triangle tail guppy, Rounded guppy, Fancy guppy, Tuxedo guppy, Glass guppy, Grass guppy, Mosaic guppy, King Cobra guppy, Snakeskin guppy and Peacock guppy.

Guppies are often kept in community aquariums since they are so peaceful. They do however prefer to be kept in species aquariums, since other fish occasionally assault them by nipping their long fins. When several Guppies are kept together they will form a beautiful school.

A Guppy fish can be kept in a 2 gallon aquarium, but the Guppy should ideally not be kept alone and larger aquarium that can house several Guppies is preferred. You will also need basic equipments: a heater and a thermometer to keep the water temperature stable, a filter to ensure good water quality, a fish net to use when you need to move your Guppy, an algae scrubber to keep the aquarium clean, and an air stone or similar to keep the water high in oxygen. Decorate the aquarium with plants, since the Guppy fish will feel better and experience less stress when provided with hiding places. You can also use rocks, branches and similar to decorate the aquarium. The bottom of the aquarium should be covered with gravel. You can buy a dechlorinating chemical from your fish store to remove harmful chlorine from the tap water. Your Guppies will do best if you keep the water temperature between 75 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit in the aquarium, and the pH between 6.8 and 7.6.

Guppies should be fed once or twice a day. It is very important not to over-feed your Guppy. All food should be consumed after just a few minutes. If not, you are feeding your Guppy to much food in one serving. You can buy flake food specially made for tropical fish, such as the Guppy in your fish store. A flake food diet is a good base for the Guppy, but should ideally be supplemented with live food.
 
Your Guppy will survive on flake food alone, but the live food makes the Guppy more well-nourished and healthier. Live or frozen Brine Shrimp is a popular Guppy fish food since Brine Shrimp is very easy to produce at home. Bloodworms, Micro Worms, Fruit Flies, Mosquito larvae, Daphnia and chopped up Earthworms are other examples of suitable food for your Guppy. Guppies are easy to breed in aquariums and they will often spawn without any extra encouragement from their keeper. If you want to ensure a higher survival rate for the offspring, it is recommended that you place the expecting female Guppy in her own aquarium and let her give birth there. The mother Guppy should then returned back to her normal aquarium. A lot of Guppy breeders choose to include a so called breeder net in the small aquarium.

 


The breeder net divides the aquarium into two separate areas, and only the fry are small enough to swim through the net. As soon as the fry are born, they will therefore be able to escape from their mother. When you set up the fry aquarium, a 5 gallon tank will be large enough. The water quality in the fry aquarium must of course be kept in supreme condition. It must be kept clean and look clear, and water changes must be performed at least 3 times a week. If you feed your fry live food you will probably have to change the water even more often. When mother has given birth, you can feed the fry Micro Worms, Infusoria, newly hatched Brine Shrimp, crushed tropical fish flakes or Liquid fry food. Guppy fry need to be fed more often then adult Guppy fish and four or five feedings a day is recommended. Wait until the fry are at least one inch long before you move them and let them and let them live with adult fish.