Waters OF Central America

The region of Central America also includes the territory of the West Indies stretching from the peninsula of Florida as far as the mouth of the Orinoco and the island group of the Greater Antilles. Central America is certainly interesting from the ichthyological point of view, for here lies borderline along which fish typical of both South and North America are living side by side. Mexico with the Californian peninsula in the northwest and Yucatan in the east is a predominantly mountainous country with a large number of still active volcanoes. The coastal region of Mexico is mostly covered with mangrove swamps leading to stretches of savannas and towards the south and southeast, jungles overgrow the eastern slopes of the mountains. The mountainous character of the region gives a steep gradient.

FISH in these areas:

                                    Among those having a structure characteristic of Central American fish is first and foremost the family Poeciliidae, also the family Cyprinodonidae. Many species belonging to these families are not only much-sought-after aquarium fish but also useful acids in fighting malaria because they destroy mosquito larvae.

    As to North America, it is the western Californian cost and also lowlands bordering the eastern shores of Texas up to south Carolina that have aroused the aquarists attention. In the state of Luisiana, the river Mississippi flows into the Appalachian Gulf. This is the home of predatory fish of the family Lepisosteidea (gars).These are often on view in large public aquarium. The nature of Florida is especially noteworthy and in south is the Everglades National Park. Here the climate, considerably influenced by the Gulf Stream, has contributed to the rise of a naturally tropical scenery. Streams and river flow through groves of royal palms, forming many swamps and pools, and there is both fresh water and salt water harboring a rich ichthyofauna, e.g. Sunfish of family Cetrarchidae.    

      

           

Waters OF South America

       The major waters of South America are three river systems affecting all life over a vast territory. In the north it is the Orinoco; to the south, the most powerful river ,the Amazon, flows across nearly all the continent and still further south in the Paraná-Paraguay river system. The Amazon is fed by mightily rivers as well as by a number of smaller river and brooks. The great network of meanders, inlets and tributaries alternating filled with tropical rain torrents and flooded with tropical sun, has made it possible for the richest and most variegated ichthyologists estimate that there are up to 2,500 Fish species living here. The variety of fish communities is made still greater by the differences in chemical composition of the waters, from soft, slightly or very acid clean one-the so-called black waters, the Rio Negro-to muddy ones called white waters. Many kilometers below the confluence black and the other white: no substantial fusion is taking place.

Fishes living in South America:

      South America is the home of 6 m long saw fish, Amazon sharks, and Predatory catfish called “pirabia”. Attaining a length of       3 m and electric eels generating electricity with a current of as much as 650 v. Also minute parasitic fish of genus Stegophilus live here, burrowing in the gills of large fish of the genus Vandellia which penetrate the urinary system of bathing mammals. Shoals of piranhas with strong jaws equipped with many teeth as sharp as scalpels inspire terror. Beside these ichthyological dainties, there is a great variety of species of small fishes, many of which, e.g. Tetras of the family characidae, adorn our aquariums.

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Introduction

       The oldest records on aquaristics with rearing the "gold-fish" date back to 1163 and come from China.Nevertheless,it was not until 1850s that the history of modern aquaristics  began. The first aquarium with plants and fish was setup by the English Naturalist S.H. Ward in 1841 . In 1855 it was, by coincidence, another English-man and naturalist, P.H. Gross, who in his publication used the word “aquarium” for the first time. The Frenchman Carbionnier, a pioneer in this area, was the first breeder in 1869-1870 he succeed in breeding and rearing the paradise fish (macropodus opercularis).During the last decades, a factual aquaristic explosion has taken place all over the world, resulting in an increasing flow of information on the subject, but simultaneously also a merciless devastation of natural habitats. It is in fact easier to take a fish from the wild than to breed it. The demand for fish is immense, their production is insufficient and the resources are much too easy exhaustible. The solution of this problem, which has become more than pressing, lies in mastering the artificial breeding of fish in captivity, so as to leave nature as a laboratory, a place of study and a fish reservoir.

Parrot Fish

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About:
             These are Hybrid fish.they are well known as blood parrot cichlid ,parrot cichlid and bloody parrot .The fish was first created in Taiwan around 1986.Parrot fish are not a naturally occurring fish. Instead they are a man-made cross-bred fish, and a controversial one at that. Blood parrots are often bright orange in coloration, but there are other colors that they can have naturally, such as red, yellow or gray. Other colors may be produced by dyeing the fish, which can shorten life expectancy. Some fish have been injected with a colored dye by the breeder. Another modification, generally considered inhumane by enthusiasts, involves cutting the tail while small which causes the fish to grow into a heart shape and are usually sold under the name of heart parrots. As the press has brought this practice to light, the majority of fish stockists will no longer sell these modified fish. Adult fish can grow to a length of 8 inches (20 centimeters) and reach an age of 10 years or older.^[1] Various breeds of blood parrots have been developed such as the king kong parrot which typically vary in color from red to yellow. They have fully functioning mouths with less of a nuchal deformity and grow larger. They are usually considered more valuable than blood parrots.
Breeding:
                  Male blood parrots generally are infertile, but successful breeding has occurred. Normally, a female blood parrot lays eggs on a hard surface, and both parents guard the eggs unless the brood develops fungus, at which time the eggs will be consumed by either the parents or other fish.However, fish farms have begun introducing male blood parrots injected with a hormone to increase fertility. Most female blood parrots are fertile

Silver dollar fish

Classification:
Kingdom       : Animalia
Phylum          : Chordata
Class              :Actinopterygii
Order              :Characiformes
Family           :Characidae
Subfamily      :Serrasalminae
Genus            :Metynnis
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About:
            The Silver Dollar Metynnis argenteus was described by Ahl in 1923. This species is not listed on the IUCN Red List. They are found in South America. There information about their occurrences vary. Atlas references say they are found in Guyana, the Amazon east of Rio Negro, to Paraguay. This may actually be the occurrence of its close relative Metynnis hypsauchen, also known as the Silver Dollar Fish, as other sources suggest M. argenteus is possibly endemic to the Tapajós River basin in Brazil. This species is a schooling fish, mostly inhabiting heavily grown smaller tributaries and feeding primarily on vegetable matter.  In nature they are normally a herbivore in the wild but will eat meat if an easy meal presents itself.The silver dollar is a peaceful schooling species that spends most of its time in the mid- to upper-level of the water. Its maximum lifespan is more than ten years. A chin-layer, the adult fish will spawnaround 2,000 eggs. This breeding occurs in soft, warm water in low light.
Breeding:
                 The best way to acquire a breeding pair is to purchase a half dozen juvenile silver dollars and raise them together. The parents will not consume the eggs or fry, although other fish will, so when spawning them it is wise to place them in a separate tank. To facilitate spawning, make sure the water is soft (8 dgH or below) and warm (80 to 82 F), keep the lighting dim, and provide fine-leaved plants.Eventually a pair will spawn, and the female will lay up to 2000 eggs. The eggs will fall to the bottom of the tank, where they will hatch in three days. After approximately a week, the fry will be free swimming and able to eat fine foods such as commercially prepared fry food,

Guppy fish

Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum:Chordita
Class: Actinopterygii
Oder: Cyprinodontiformes
Family:Poeciliidae
Genus: Poecilia
Species: P. reticulata
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Male Kinds
 Female
About:
            Guppies fish are also known as million fish,rainbow fish.These are warm water fishes.These are live breeders .There male is smaller than female.They are mostly keeped in aquarium because they male are beautiful.they can cross breed with mollies.they are most reproductive fish females are always/mostly pregnant.
Size:
        They are small fishes about 2 -3 inches.
Breeding:
                Guppies have the mating system called polyandry, where females promiscuously mate with multiple males. Multiple mating is beneficial for males because the males' reproductive success is directly related to how many times they mate. The cost of multiple mating for males is very low because they do not provide material benefit to the females or parental care to the offspring. Conversely, multiple mating can be disadvantageous for females because it reduces foraging efficiency and increases the chances of predation and parasitic infection. However, females gain some potential benefits from multiple mating. For example, females that mate multiply are found to be able to produce more offspring in shorter gestation time, and their offspring tend to have better qualities such as enhanced schooling and predator evasion abilities.

Female guppies mate again more actively and delay the development of a brood when the anticipated second mate is more attractive than the first male. Experiments show that remating females prefer a novel male to the original male or a brother of the original male with similar phenotypes. Females' preference for novel males in remating can explain the excessive phenotypic polymorphism in male guppies.

Feed:

          These are herbivorous fishes and nano feed is given to guppies.

          

Moorii (fresh aqua dolphin fish)

Classification:

Kingdom:  Animalia

Phylum   :  Chordata                          

Class        : Actinopterygii

Order        :Perciformes

Family      :Cichlidae

Subfamily :Pseudocrenilabrinae

Genus       :Cyrtocara

Species      : C. moori

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About:

            The Malawi Blue Dolphin is also known as the Moori and is a hap cichlid originating in shallow waters and sandy substrate of Lake Malawi in African.The blue Moorii is called the 'Hump-head' because it will develop a pronounced bump on its head.Its scientific name is cyrtocara moori, but it was previously known as Haplochromis moorii. The reference to ‘dolphin’ in its name is related to the nuchal hump on its head and the shape of its mouth. Although fairly rare in Lake Malawi, it has become fairly common in the aquarium trade and is popular for its appearance and its less aggressive nature as a Malawi cichlid. The nuchal hump becomes larger as the fish grows and is found in both males and females. Malawi Blue Dolphin’s will bury themselves in the sand to avoid danger.

Care and Feed:

                           The Malawi Blue Dolphin’s large size, a tank of 125 gallons is recommended. As this is a timid fish, it should have a few rocks and hiding places. It should also have large open areas with sandy substrate to mimic its natural environment. Spiral val may be a good live plant choice however it may be uprooted quite often. In the wild, the Malawi Blue Dolphin follows behind other cichlids that disturb the substrate and it then feeds on the organisms that are released. In an aquarium, it can be fed cichlid pellets, cichlid flakes, spirulina and frozen brine shrimp. Although it burrows in substrate, it will not eat plants.A single blue dolphin with several females is a good combination. Other tank mates should be mild mannered haps and peacocks. Mbunas should not be included in the tank.

Breeding:

                  Males are slightly larger than females and may show enhanced color during mating. The silver colored juveniles grow slowly and take nearly three years to reach half their size and mature sexually. They then breed quite regularly after that. Malawi Blue Dolphins tend to breed when no other species are present in the tank. They are typical mouthbrooders. The female places eggs in a nest or against a flat stone. The eggs are fertilized by the male and the female quickly scoops them into her mouth. Young females will hatch 15 – 25 young, while older females may hatch as many as 80. It takes about 3 weeks for the eggs to hatch. Unfortunately the trick of removing a female with eggs in her mouth to a separate tank doesn’t work well with Malawi Blue Dolphins. The female tends to drop the eggs when frightened. She may pick them up again in the new tank, though. The fry should be started on brine shrimp.