Siamese fighting fish

The Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens), also known as the "betta fish" or just "betta", is one of the most popular species of freshwater aquarium fish. It is native to the rice paddies of Thailand and called pla-kad or pla-kat ("Biting Fish") in its native Thailand. They were first domesticated in 1893 for combat where wagers were made on the outcome of the fight. It wasn't until the 1920s before aquarists began keeping them in home aquariums.

The name Betta is not to be confused with the Greek letter beta. Instead, the name of the genus is derived from ikan bettah, taken from a local dialect of Thailand.

Bettas suffer from a very common misconception about them, even among aquarium hobbyists: they're reputed (as the common name suggests) for being incredibly aggressive and must be kept isolated. This is NOT true! In general, females are quite peaceful, and males are only aggressive towards other males of the same species (they may even fight to death) and sometimes to fish that look like them, such as dwarf gouramies and paradise fish. Because of this aggression between males, and the fact that Bettas can breath directly from the air, they are kept in those tiny pots in pet shops. But just because they can survive in those pots doesn't mean they enjoy it. Like any other fish, Bettas will be much happier and healthier if they live in a tank which at least allows them to swim around a little.

Temperament

When face-to-face, two male bettas will extend their fins and open their gills (this is called flaring) to try and intimidate the other. If neither backs down then a fight will occur until one retreats or is dead. They often do this over territory or to protect their fry. Males will also flare when courting females.

Male and female Bettas 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. Females and males will display horizontal bars (unless they are too light a colour for this to show) if stressed or frightened. 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. Bettas sometimes require a place to hide, even in the absence of threats. Bettas 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, though individual females, especially crowntails, demonstrate a wide range in level of aggression. The aggression of bettas has been studied by ethologists and comparative psychologists. Bettas 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.

Habitat/care

An organ called a labyrinth allows bettas to breathe air from the water surface, thus permitting them to live in water with low oxygen levels. Because of this ability aquarists often keep bettas in small containers, but ideally a 2-gallon filtered tank or more is better and allows the bettas to stretch their fins. Tank temperatures for the betta should range between 76 and 82 degrees Fahrenheit. Don't allow temperatures to quickly fluctuate more than a degree or two, as this will cause undue stress to the betta.

Diet

Bettas have upturned mouths and are primarily carnivorous surface feeders.In nature Bettas subsist almost exclusively on insects and insect larvae. They are well suited to snatching any hapless insect that might fall into the water. Internally their digestive system is geared for meat, having a much shorter alimentary track than vegetarian fish. For this reason, live foods are the ideal diet for the betta, however they will adapt to eating flake foods and frozen and freeze dried foods.

Brine shrimp, Daphnia, plankton, tubifex, glassworms, and beef heart, are all excellent options that may be found frozen or freeze dried. If flake food is fed, it should be supplemented with frozen and freeze-dried foods, and if possible live foods.

Reproduction & nesting

The Siamese fighting fish mate in a fashion that is called "nuptial embrace", in which the male and female spiral around each other, around 10-41 eggs are released and fertilized at each embrace, until the female is exhausted of eggs. Once the female has released all of her eggs, she is removed from the tank, as it is likely that she'll eat the eggs due to hunger. The male carefully keeps every egg in his bubble nest, making sure none fall to the bottom, and repairing the bubble nest as needed. Incubation last 30-40 hours, and the eggs hatch in 3-4 days.

Betta males build bubble nests of various sizes and thicknesses at the surface of the water. During and after spawning, the male uses his mouth to retrieve sinking eggs and deposit them in the bubble nest. After approximately two days the eggs hatch, and after three more they become free-swimming fry; The male will try to keep the fry near the bubble nest in order to keep them alive while their gills develope. Once the fry are older the male fry and male parent will fight so it is best to remove all males from the tank and place separetly. Betta fry are fed infusoria for the first several days, followed by newly hatched brine shrimp or similarly sized food.

Tail shapes

Breeders have developed several different tail shapes:
-Veiltail (non-symmetrical tail, only two rays)
-Crowntail (highly frilled, extended spiny rays)
-Combtail (less extended version of the crown tail)
-Half-moon (large tail fin that forms a 180-degree or larger circle segment)
-Short-finned fighting style (sometimes called "plakat")
-Double-tail (the tail fin is split into two lobes and the dorsal fin is significantly elongated)
-Delta tail (tail span is less than half-moon with sharp edges)
-Fantail (a rounded delta tail)

Disease & personality

Disease is a natural occurrence in fish, and bettas will contract their share of it. Some of the more common diseases found in bettas are fin rot, fungus, and ick, however, they are susceptible to other diseases as well. There are measures that you can take to prevent disease, such as doing regular water changes, feeding the proper foods, and keeping the stress levels at a minimum. This does not mean that disease won't strike, and even some of the more seasoned aquarists will encounter disease.

One of the first things a new betta owner notices is the betta's large personality, making it very easy to fall in love with this beautiful fish. After a short while they will associate you with food, and will eagerly greet you at feeding times and at other times will beg for a morsel or tidbit. Don't let this show of behavior sucker you to giving into them; they're not as hungry as they make out to be. Although bettas are not one of the longest-lived fish, they can live between 3 and 5 years with proper care and maintenance, and will become a wonderful friend that leaves a lasting impression.

Arowana

Arowana Fish (sometimes called dragon fish) can be a great choice for those that think big. Some varieties can grow up to Four feet long (120cm). They can be feisty, though become tamer with age to the point of eating from your fingers, and not the fingers themselves. The Arowana Fish comes from somewhat primitive origins (Jurassic Age), and some varieties are nicknamed “Bony Tongued Fish”.

Arowanas, also known as aruanas or arawanas are freshwater bony fish of the family Osteoglossidae, sometimes known as "bonytongues". In this family of fishes, 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 fish can obtain oxygen from air by sucking it into the swim bladder, which is lined with capillaries like lung tissue. The arapaima is an "obligatory air breather".

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". Arowanas have been rumored to capture prey as large as low flying bats and small birds. All species are large, and the arapaima is one of the world's largest freshwater fish, at 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) in length. Arowana typically grow to around 3 to 4 feet in captivity.

Several species of osteoglossid exhibit extensive parental care. They build nests and protect the young after they hatch. Some 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.

Diet for Arowana

Arowana prefer live food or at the very least floating food. They will generally not eat from the bottom of the tank. To this end keeping your Arowana with a suitable bottom feeder may be a good idea.

These foods can include: worms, crickets, grasshoppers, locus, fly, small frogs, small fish (limited quantities) and shrimps with shells. Some Arowana may take floating fish food.Some foods help to promote a good colour in your fish. Prawns contain cerotine which helps bring out the red and gold colours of the Arowana fish.

It is recommended however to maintain a varied and balanced diet for any Arowana Fish.Feeding patterns effect both size and colour of your Arowana Fish. Over feeding can make your fish grow faster however this may adversely affect both colour and long term health of the fish. Since the size, colour and health of your fish are all very important, you are advised not to regularly overfeed any Arowana Fish.

Cultural beliefs

Asian arowanas are considered "lucky" by many people, particularly those from Asian cultures. This reputation derives from the species' resemblance to the Chinese dragon, considered an auspicious symbol. The large metallic scales and double barbels are features shared by the Chinese dragon, and the large pectoral fins are said to make the fish resemble "a dragon in full flight."

In addition, positive Feng Shui associations with water and the colours red and gold make these fishes popular for aquariums. One belief is that while water is a place where chi gathers, it is naturally a source of yin energy and must contain an "auspicious" fish such as an arowana in order to have balancing yang energy. Another is that a fish can preserve its owner from death by dying itself.

Myths of Arowana

There are many stories of Arowana succumbing to ailments similar to their owners, and the owner subsequently recovering in record time. This extends to a believe that the fish may save its owner from death by dying itself. Often people who have come in contact with Arowana or the Arowana community hear stories of owners dying and shortly thereafter the fish jumping out the tank, or in a more fortunate of circumstances a miraculous escape from a car accident and on returning home the owner finds an Arowana died at around the same time as the accident.

As unbelievable as it sounds the number of stories and closeness of events does beg the question is there more to this than myth?

Price & Value

Arowana can range in price from a few hundred pounds up to in excess of £250,000. The value of the fish is determined by a number of factors:

-Colour the definition and contrast of the colour increases the value, the more unusual combination and the more striking the colours the greater the value.
-Depth of colour, the more of the body that is coloured the greater the value.
-Dimensions, as always the proportions and size of the fish effect the value.
-Blemishes, sunburn, marks, cuts, bites etc reduce the price of the fish.
-Uniqueness, this takes many forms, if it is through deformity but a completely unique event, the price of the fish can be hugely elevated. Missing tail sections or deformed jaws that occur in a visually appealing way can make the fish very valuable to someone seeking something unusual. If the deformation is irregular it can completely devalue the fish.
-Personality, due to the uniqueness of each fish and how they interact, their personalities and the connection a potential buyer has with the fish can set the value.
-Age, although this does not directly effect the price, many of the above cannot be determined until the fish is approaching 24 months old. This means that although juvenile fish are significantly cheaper, they are a gamble as to the older fish you are purchasing. To guarantee elements the fish must be much older, by which time a higher price will be set. (Even with super red fish, one can not necessarily say if it will be red or orange if purchased below 12 inches).


Arowana Varities

Australian Pearl Arowana

Panda - Gold & Super Red Arowana

Red Arowana

Black Arowana & Green Arowana

Silver Arowana & Blue Arowana

Gold fish

About Gold fish

The Goldfish, Carassius auratus, is one of the earliest fish to be domesticated, and is still one of the most commonly kept aquarium fish and water garden fish. A relatively small member of the carp family, the goldfish is a domesticated version of a dark-gray/brown carp native to East Asia. It was first domesticated in China and introduced to Europe in the late 17th century.

Goldfish can grow to a maximum length of 23 inches (58.42 cm) and a maximum weight of 9.9 pounds (4.5 kg), although this is rare; few goldfish reach even half this size. The oldest recorded goldfish lived to 49 years, but most household goldfish generally live only six to eight years, due to being kept in bowls. The collective noun for a group of goldfish is a "troubling".

Scale groups

There are three scale groups in goldfish. They are: 1. Metallic 2. Nacreous (calico) 3. Matt
Metallic is the normal goldfish where the scale have a silvery shine due to the presence of guanine in the scale.
Nacreous scales is represented by the shubunkins, where the goldfish have both metallic and transparent scales (where the guanine is absent). Shubunkins was first bred in Japan in 1900 when mutations from telescope-eye (Demekin) goldfish first arose.
Matt denotes where the goldfish has 100% of transparent scales. They have pink gills as the gill plates do not have guanines, so they are transparent and the gills appears through (blushing). They generally have pink bodies. Some have orange or red colours. A recent gorgeous goldfish breed is the lemon yellow "sunburst" variety of common goldfish. It is a matt with intense lemon to deep yellow colours.
Crossing the scale types reveal simple Mendelian genetics:
If both parents are Metallics (AAAA) or Matts (aaaa), they will breed true, ie, 100% metallics (AAAA) or matt (aaaa) frys.
On the other hand, if both parents are nacreous (AAaa), the frys will be 50% nacreous (AAaa), 25% metallics (AAAA) and 25% matts (aaaa).
If Metallic (AAAA) or matt (aaaa) parent is crossed with Nacresous (AAaa): the frys will be 50% metallics (AAAA)/matt (aaaa) and 50% nacreous (AAaa).
If Metallic (AAAA) is crossed with matt (aaaa), the frys will be 100% nacreous (AAaa)(shubunkins).
Of the 3 scale groups, metallics are physically the strongest breed, with matts the weakest. In general, matts do not live long and are weaker.
Metallics should be raised in clear water and high temperature to promote them changing colour from their bronze phase to the gold/white/red colour. Nacreous and matts should be raised in green water instead to avoid them getting sunburnt in outdoor pools, as they lack the reflective scales.

Goldfish Family Tree

This chart displays the link of the various goldfish varieties and their lineage to their common goldfish ancestor. See: http://www.geocities.jp/dneumaier90/gtree.html

Feeding Gold fish

Like most fish, goldfish are opportunistic feeders. When an excess of food is offered, they will produce more waste and feces, partly due to incomplete digestion of protein. Overfed fish can sometimes be recognized by feces trailing from their cloaca. Goldfish need only be fed as much food as they can consume in one to two minutes, and no more than three times a day. Extreme overfeeding can be fatal, typically by bursting of the intestines. This happens most often with selectively bred goldfish, which have a convoluted intestinal tract as opposed to a straight one in common goldfish. Novice fishkeepers who have newly purchased ryukin, fantail, oranda, lionhead or other fancy goldfish will need to watch their fish carefully for a few days, as it is important to know how much the goldfish will eat in a couple minutes of time. They also die without eating in 4–8 days.
Special goldfish food has a lower protein and higher carbohydrate content. It is sold in two consistencies - flakes that float at the top of the aquarium, and pellets that sink slowly to the bottom.
Goldfish enthusiasts will supplement this diet with shelled peas (with outer skins removed), blanched green leafy vegetables, and bloodworms. Young goldfish also benefit from the addition of brine shrimp to their diet. As with all animals, individual goldfish will display varied food preferences. In any case, it is better to feed them a variety of foods listed above.

Koi Carp

Etymology & Origin

The word "koi" comes from Japanese, simply meaning "carp." It includes both the dull grey fish and the brightly colored varieties. A homophone of koi means "love, affection" and koi are therefore symbols of love and friendship in Japan: a good example is the short story Koi-san by Mukoda Kuniko.

Varieties

Koi have many different colors. Some of the major colors are white, black, red, yellow, blue, and cream.
While possible variations are limitless, breeders have identified and named a number of specific categories. The most popular category is Gosanke. The Gosanke category is made up of the Kohaku, Taisho Sanshoku, and Showa Sanshoku varieties. The Japanese breeders have many generations of knowledge and experience when it comes to breeding and raising Nishikigoi. They know which ones will be worth hundreds of dollars and which ones will be worth thousands of dollars.
The major named varieties include:
Kohaku - a white-skinned koi, with a red pattern.
Taisho Sanshoku (Sanke) - a white-skinned koi with a red and black pattern, named after the Taisho Emperor.
Showa Sanshoku (Showa) - a black-skinned koi with a red and white pattern, named after the Showa Emperor.
Tancho - Any koi with the only red being in a circle on its forehead. The fish can be a Tancho Showa, Tancho Sanke, or even Tancho Goshiki.
Asagi - a koi with light blue scales on its top and red scales on its bottom.
Shusui - the partially scaled version of an Asagi.
Bekko - a white-, red-, or yellow-skinned koi with a black pattern.
Utsurimono - a black koi with a red, white, or yellow pattern.
Goshiki - a mostly black koi with red, white, brown, and blue accents.
Ogon - a koi that is one solid color, can be regular or metallic; known colors are red, orange, platinum, yellow, and cream.
Kin Gin Rin - a koi with shiny scales. The name translates into English as "Gold Silver Scales" There are also Gin Rin versions of almost any other type of koi.
Kawarimono (kawarigoi) - miscellaneous types of koi.
Doitsu-goi - German carp that has no scales or a few large scales on its top.
Koromo - koi with areas of blue-edged scales aligned neatly.
Hikari-Moyomono - koi with coloured patterns over a metallic base, and koi in two metallic colours.
Ghost koi - "hybrid" of Ogon and wild carp. Not Nishikigoi.
Butterfly koi - long-finned version of all others. Not Nishikigoi.

Keeping

The common carp is a hardy fish, and koi retain that durability. Koi are cold-water fish, but benefit from being kept in the 15-25 degrees C (59-77 degrees F) range and do not react well to long cold winter temperatures, their immune system 'turning off' below 10 degrees C. Koi ponds have a meter or more of depth in areas of the world that become warm during the summer. In areas that have harsh winters, ponds that are a minimum of 1.5 meters (4 1/2 feet) are most common.

Koi's bright colors put them at a severe disadvantage against predators; a white-skinned Kohaku is a visual dinner bell against the dark green of a pond. Herons, kingfishers, raccoons, cats, foxes, and badgers are all capable of emptying a pond of its fish. A well-designed outdoor pond will have areas too deep for herons to stand in, overhangs high enough above the water that mammals can't reach in, and shade trees overhead to block the view of aerial passers-by. It may prove necessary to string nets or wires above the surface. A pond usually includes a pump and filtration system to keep the water clear.

Koi are an omnivorous fish and will often eat a wide variety of foods, including peas, lettuce, and watermelons. Koi food is designed not only to be nutritionally balanced, but also to float so as to encourage them to come to the surface. When they are eating, it is possible to check koi for parasites and ulcers. Koi will recognize the person feeding them and gather around him or her at feeding times. They can be trained to take food from one's hand. In the winter, their digestive system slows nearly to a halt, and they eat very little, perhaps no more than nibbles of algae from the bottom. Their appetite will not come back until the water becomes warm in the spring. When the temperature drops below 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 °C), feeding, particularly with protein, is halted or the food can go rancid in their stomach, causing sickness.

Koi can live for decades. One famous scarlet koi, named "Hanako" (c. 1751 – July 7, 1977) was owned by several individuals, the last of which was Dr. Komei Koshihara. Hanako was reportedly 226 years old upon her death. Her age was determined by removing one of her scales and examining it extensively in 1966. She is (to date) the longest-lived koi fish ever recorded.

Flower Horn Fish

Origin of Flower horn fish

As Flowerhorn's ancestry originated from the Central and South American cichlids, it is essential to set up your tank to a closely simulated natural habitat for the fish, which at the same time, pleasing to the eye. The Flowerhorn fish is also known with the Chinese common name Hua Luo Han; this fish does not exist in nature but it is a hybrid result of various cross-breeding of South America cichlids, in fact it can be listed under the Cichlasoma genus, even if the starting breeders are unknown, the most of people think about Cichlasoma Trimaculatus, C. Festae, Red Parrot, Jingang and other fish.


My Flower horn











About Flower horn fish

Flowerhorn is a big fish with compact body, it can reach 30cm in length and sometimes can grow even bigger. Intensive breeding has created a very peculiar fish that is becoming really famous and relatively common in the last few years; moreover breeders keep on trying to improve the fish qualities focusing on bigger hump on the head, new and better colours, wider body and fins, more peculiar black marks on the body, without the employ of chemical and artificial factors. For the importance of appearance, a good Flowerhorn must follow a standard that defines various aspects of its body:

- General body: the fish body must be oval and thick, with full belly and stomach; some new variants have anyway a more rounded shape.
- Hump: the hump on the forehead should be big and well proportioned to the fish size.
- Black marks: it is important that the marks are thick and well defined, this is one of the principal characteristic of Flowerhorn, and anyway some new varieties do not give too much importance to them.
- Overall Colouration: the most common Flowerhorn have a predominant red colouration, anyway every colour should be bright and well defined.
- Scales: the entire body should be covered by light blue or green scales.
- Fins: both tails and fins should be widely spread the most of time.

Aquarium

Various sizes and designs of fish tanks are available at your local fish store. Choose one that will complement your house. Always assume that Flowerhorns will grow to be about 500 mm in length. Therefore, it is advisable to get at least a 3 feet tank to start comfortably. Acrylic aquariums are recommended as these tanks are leak proof, light weight and the wall materials provide exceptional clarity. Always have a tank top or tank cover to prevent your fish from jumping out. This is one common mistake of many hobbyists that lead to their fish "committing suicide".

Various attractive background designs for aquariums are available easily. Choose one that will fit the natural environment of the fish. Pebbles, stones and gravels is a must in your flower horn tank because it be used as substrate for biological filtration. The fish is also a naturally active "digger" and this creates an environment closer to its original habitat.

One advice is to prevent pebbles that have sharp edges. These types of pebbles usually inflict cuts on the mouth of your fishes and if not treated, it will be infected. Many flowerhorn fishes are prone to mouth infection because of minor cuts sustained when they constantly dig at the pebbles.

Other unnatural tank ornaments are discouraged as these do not serve any purpose at all in the tank. Furthermore, these objects may even be hazardous, which might cause accidental cuts and injuries on your Flowerhorns as these fish possess fierce territorial behaviors and is always actively swimming.

Feeding

Flowerhorn like similar sized fish, astronotus ocellatus for example, need a live food integration to be healthy and in shape. Their diet can consist of live food, frozen food, and standard dry fish food. The live food should be of good dimension, or the fish could not notice it, earth worms and big meal worms or wax worm are accepted; moreover you can give small fish, poecilia reticulata could be a good choice since the high number of fry they spare monthly. Remember to feed every live food you choose, and in case of live fish be sure they are healthy.

Frozen food is another good solution, especially when you do not have the live one. Young Flowerhorn usually eat chironomus, brine shrimps and other frozen fish foods, while older ones could not notice them; at their place you can offer frozen fish for human use, you have a great choice, anyway if possible get freshwater fish and avoid the sea ones.

Both live and frozen food can pollute the water, so be sure that Flowerhorn eats all the given food in 5 minutes maximum, in case of rests remove them fast; for this reason it is better to have an aquarium set up that allow you to clean fast without needing to move objects.

Dry standard fish food is a good complementary option, especially if it is of good quality. You can find special food produced for cichlids that usually consist of big pellets that Flowerhornlike.

Flowerhorn should be fed two times a day, everyday, anyway be careful with the quantities and avoid to overfeed it, reducing the food amount specially if it is really rich of nutrients.

Breeding

Sexing Flowerhorn is quite easy, especially when they have reached the length of 10 cm – 12 cm. The anal pore of the fish has a V shape in case of males and a U shape in case of females. Moreover females tend to have a smaller hump when adults.

Being cichlids their reproduction can be similar to the cichlasoma one. The female lays eggs on a flat surface, like a rock or the aquarium glass and take care of them, while the male keeps other fish away. After 3 or 4 days the fry hatch and parents take care of them moving in more secure hiding places. You can feed them with just hatched brine shrimps and other specific food for fry.

Breeding is not so easy because female can be easily stressed or worried and an end up eating her eggs, anyway if the environment is quiet and the parents are healthy reproduction is possible.