‘Flying’ Silver Carp – fish fact

‘Flying’ Silver Carp – fish fact

The silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), also called the flying carp, is a species of freshwater cyprinid fish, a variety of Asian carp native to north and northeast Asia. With its tendency to leap from the water when startled, this fish is cultivated in China. Capable of growing to over 40 lb (18 kg), this fish can often leap 10 feet or 3 meters in the air. Silver carp is a filter feeder, and possesses a remarkably specialized filtration apparatus capable of filtering particles as small as 4 µm. Silver carps are produced worldwide in aquaculture. The gill rakers are fused into a sponge-like filter, and an epibranchial organ secretes mucus which assists in trapping small particles. A strong... Read more»

Added Wednesday, February 24, 2010 in Freshwater Fish
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World’s Smallest Fish – Paedocypris Progenetica

World’s Smallest Fish – Paedocypris Progenetica

In case you have not seen it yet, this is the world’s smallest fish, and world’s smallest vertebrate, Paedocypris progenetica, a tiny skinny tranparent and distant cousin of the carp family. It was found in the peat swamps of Sumatra, an island in Indonesia, and reported by Dr Maurice Kottelat of the National University of Singapore and team report their discovery online ahead of print publication in the Royal Society journal Proceedings B in January 2006.  The left photo specimen, taken by Tan Heok Hui from the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research in Singapore,  is a mature female measuring just 7.9 mm from nose to tail. This fish, which has its brain exposed, developed... Read more»

Added Thursday, February 18, 2010 in Freshwater Fish
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Puffer Fish (Freshwater) – fish fact

Puffer Fish (Freshwater) – fish fact

Freshwater Puffer Fish belongs to the family Tetradontidae and they have four teeth.  Due to their defensive mechanism ability to inflate themselves with air or water when they feel threatened, they are called Puffer Fish, making them difficult to the predators to swallow them.  They have black eyes that turn blue when they are in the light and their eyes move interestingly independent of each other.  They can be found in freshwater, brackish water and sea water.  Due to the different kinds of water they lived in, they can be of different colours and sizes. Puffers are interesting, intelligent and active fish, but they can be predators with nasty temperament.  In an aquarium, they... Read more»

Added Tuesday, December 29, 2009 in Freshwater Fish
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Guppy – fish fact

Guppy – fish fact

One of the cheapest, most popular and yet beautiful fish that every aquarist is familiar with, is the Guppy (Poecilia reticulata), also known as the millionfish. Belonging to the Poecilidae family, Guppy is a small fish with the females growing to 4–6 centimetres long and the males 2½–3½ centimetres long. This fish is live-bearing and are often bred for their natural colour. Breeding Guppy is very easy. Courtship starts when males spread their fins and curve their body in front of the females. The male will swim up against the female to mate. Once the female is inseminated, a dark area near the anus, known as the gravid spot, will enlarge and darken. The gestation period of Guppy is between... Read more»

Added Friday, October 9, 2009 in Freshwater Fish
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Goldfish – fish fact

Goldfish – fish fact

Long lived the Goldfish (Carassius auratus)!  Goldfish were originally domesticated from the Prussian carp (Carassius gibelio), a dark greyish brown carp native to Asia.  It is believed to be first kept in captivity in China around 960-1279 A.D., goldfish has been known as the most popular aquarium fish in the world as they have been kept as pets for centuries. Due to selective breeding over a long period of time, goldfish have been developed into many distinct breeds and are now found in various colors, color patterns, forms and sizes, very much different from those of the original domesticated carp. Goldfish are coldwater fish, and can live in water close to freezing temperature, although... Read more»

Added Sunday, September 13, 2009 in Freshwater Fish
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Discus – fish fact

Discus – fish fact

Native to the Amazon River Basin, the popular Discus (Symphysodon spp.) are a genus of three species of freshwater cichlid fish, the common discus (Symphysodon aequifasciatus), the Heckel discus (Symphysodon discus), and a new species named Symphysodon tarzoo.  S. aequifasciatus occurs in the Rio Amazonas, Rio Solimões and the Río Putumayo-Içá in Brazil, Peru and Colombia .  S. discus appears to be limited to the lower reaches of the Trombetas, Rio Negro and  Abacaxis rivers.  S. tarzoo occurs upstream of Manaus in the western Amazon. All Symphysodon species have a laterally compressed round body shape, with patterns of shades in brown, blue, green, and red. The length and height of... Read more»

Added Thursday, April 16, 2009 in Freshwater Fish
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Apistogramma – fish fact

Apistogramma – fish fact

Highly prized by many hobbyists, Apistogramma is a genus of as many as 250 identified species of fish from the family Cichlidae distributed in the tropical areas of South America’s small streams, oxbow lakes, Amazon basin and Venezuela. Most species are strongly sexually dimorphic, with males generally larger (up to 9 cm) in its small adult size and dramatically more coloured to the females. Male Apistogramma has elaborate or extended fins while the female Apistogramma generally has gray to brown colour.   All Apistogramma species are micropredators, with their main diet consisting of insect larvae, fish fry and other invertebrates.  Live foods such as Brine Shrimp , Cyclops , Daphnia... Read more»

Added Wednesday, April 8, 2009 in Freshwater Fish
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Fish Spa Ban?

Fish Spa Ban?

Doctor fish, a name given to two species of hardy fish, Garra rufa and Cyprinion macrostomus, found in the river basins of the Northern and Central Middle East, mainly in Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran, can be kept in captivity in the aquarium.  Doctor fish are used in fish spa resorts which opened around 2006 in various part of the world, including Japan, Crotia, China, Malaysia, South Korea and Singapore etc.  The fish feed on the skin of patients with psoriasis, consuming only the affected and dead areas of the skin, leaving the healthy skin to grow. It is reported that some patients experienced complete cure of psoriasis after repeated treatments.  Despite this, the aquarium specimens... Read more»

Added Friday, April 3, 2009 in Freshwater Fish, News
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Arowana – fish fact

Arowana – fish fact

Arowanas , also known as aruanas or arawanas or “bonytongues” or “dragon fish”, are magnificent freshwater bony fish of the family Osteoglossidae. Arowanas typically grow to around 3 to 4 feet in captivity.  There are six known species of arowana, distributed across Asia, Australia, Africa and South America. The ones commonly found in local aquarium outlets are juveniles or young adults belonging to the silver, red and gold varieties of the species.  The head is bony and its 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.... Read more»

Added Monday, March 23, 2009 in Freshwater Fish
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Betta Splendan – fish fact

Betta Splendan – fish fact

My aquarium hobby started in 1977 with Betta (pronounced BET-TUH, not BAY-TUH) Splendens, also known as ‘Siamese Fighting Fish’, discovered originally in its natural habitat of shallow rice patties in Siam. If this fish never fails to amazed its beholders and thrill its audiences, I will seriously wonder why, as it is the truly a very popular freshwater fish. Betta lives comfortably in enough water to cover it, most popular being housed in small little jars sold in aquarium shops even in today’s practice. They are hardy, comes in multi-colours, but as in all other species, they deserve vigilant care.  The wild Bettas look different from those bred in captivity. In the... Read more»

Added Tuesday, March 10, 2009 in Freshwater Fish
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