CURIOSITY CORNER A DISGRACEFUL PRACTICE The coloration of the back and belly is absent in feral varieties of the glassfish (Chanda ranga). A practice current in South- East Asia consists of injecting the fish with chemical dyes. This is more than questionable - it is downright unacceptable and ought to be stopped. We suggest very […]
FRESHWATER FISH CURIOSITY CORNER Some species, often possessing unique anatomical features or biomechanisms, exist only as a single family in the world of the aquarist - and sometimes also in the wild. For these reasons we have grouped them together on this double page. Notopterus chitala (Notopteridae) The Indian knifefish or clown knifefish lives in […]
BELONTIIDAE Macropodus opercularis The paradise fish has been familiar to aquarists since the mid- 1800s. It is the “black sheep” of the family, but possesses the advantage of withstanding temperatures down to 15%C - sometimes even lower for short periods. The female lays several hundred eggs which hatch in 2 days or so. Size: 10-15 […]
FRESHWATER FISH BELONTIIDAE These fish possess an unusual feature: located in the upper part of the head is a special organ known as the labyrinth - hence their earlier name of Labyrinthidae. They were also formerly known as Anabantidae (meaning “climbers”), since some can scramble out onto land. The labyrinth, in fact, allows them to […]
CICHLIDAE: ASIAN SPECIES Tilapia mariae The tiger tilapia can be extremely aggressive when defending its territory. The female lays up to 400 eggs on a suitable surface and then keeps guard until they hatch 2 days later. Size: 20 cm. Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor The dwarf Egyptian mouthbrooder is a small Cichlid dwelling in the Nile and […]
FRESHWATER FISH Cichlidae: other African species Besides the Cichlids of Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika, a few more interesting species are found in other, lesser-known lakes, and in certain rivers in East and West Africa. Pelvicachromis pulcher The kribensis is a native of Nigeria; it thrives in hard, even brackish waters with abundant vegetation. The […]