3 Freshwater Fish In Your Tank You Can Admire
Three freshwater fish for your community tank are described here, the Guppy, the Harlequin and the Golden-eyed Dwarf Cichlid.Discover their behavioral patterns, colors and any unusual physical features, temperature and water requirements, feeding likes and dislikes and optimal breeding conditions.
Guppy – Poecilia reticulata (Family: Poeciliidae)
Behavior: Extremely popular with beginners and experts alike. It is a lively fish and hardy. It will tolerate overcrowded conditions more than other fish will but you do not really want to reach that position, unless it is for a short period only, before moving to a larger tank.
Many guppies have been bred that result in a range of different fin types; for example, the delta-tail, the lace-tail, the scissortail, the double-sword tail, the top sword and the veil-tail.
Water and Tank Conditions: It can tolerate temperature changes but not ones that are too sudden. 23 degrees centigrade is suitable on average.
Features and Colors: It is also called the Rainbow fish and one can see why.It is avaliable in many varieties with a great choice of colors. There are no main colors to talk of as there could be combinations of blue, yellow, green, red, purple etc to name but a few. It reaches sexual maturity after eight months and rarely grows bigger than 2.5 cms. The differences between the male and female are easy. The female is two times the size, is silver or a silvery gray green color and is thicker in the body.
Feeding: Apparently they will eat anything – food I assume!
Breeding Conditions: It is also called the Millions fish due to its ability to breed readily. A female can produce up to forty fry every month! You can tell when the female is ready to give birth as the gravid spot on the stomach is defined strongly and stands out. (It is located just behind the anal fin and is present in fish who are live-bearers).
Because the guppies are cannibals you must use a breeding trap in the thickly planted breeding tank and it is best to have the female on her own. After birth remove the female and keep her by herself for a while to stop the male pestering her.The fry are easy to rear.
Harlequin – Rasbora heteromorpha (Family: Cyprinidae)
Behavior: It is a peaceful fish that likes to be around its own kind so keep it in a small shoal in your community tank. There are other Rasbora species such as the Rasbora maculata, that grows to about 2.5 cms and the Rasbora elegans that can reach 12 cms. In between those sizes is the Rasbora pauciperforata, so make sure that you have the right Rasbora if you are concerned about sizes.
Water and Tank Conditions: A temperature range of 24 to 27 degrees centigrade is ideal.
Features and Colors: A main feature of the harlequin is the dark band that goes from half way down its body to the tail.The front half of the fish has a silver color that becomes tinted with pink in the back half. The female is thicker than the male and not as brightly colored.
Feeding: Good news. Not a fussy eater so a range of fish food will do.
Breeding Conditions: These fish are difficult to breed. Eggs are laid underneath plant leaves and many are lost. Remove both fish after spawning and keep the eggs under very low light conditions (darkness ideally) during the incubation period. The good news is that once hatched the fry are relatively easy to bring up.
Golden-eyed Dwarf Cichlid – Nannacara anomala (Family: Cichlidae)
Behavior: Ideal for the community tank as they are peaceful and will not disturb the plants or substrate.
Water and Tank Conditions: Normal tropical tank temperatures will suffice for this fish. Dwarf cichlids will appreciate some shelter or hiding places to use so plants and ornaments such as caves or the use of flower pots will be fine.
Features and Colors: A length of about 7.5 cms will be reached by the male and the female is smaller.The scales have a dark spot and the overall color is a metalic yellow to green range.Note that when the fish is frightened or excited you may see a dull black color on its throat or stomach. The female can be distinguished from the male by its criss-cross of dark bands.
Feeding: You need to have a high percentage of live food in their diet. Other food you can use includes freeze dried and finely cut meat.Three or four light meals a day is a good schedule to have.
Breeding Conditions: As described above, seeing the difference between the sexes is fairly easy. You will need to put in place some sheltered area where the eggs can be laid, for example, a pot on its side.(Although your tank should already have such items already in it, as mentioned above). Before mating can take place it is essential to ensure that you have a compatible pair. Segregation and conditioning of the fish are important aspects.
So, there you are. Three more freshwater fish in your tank for you to look after.
