Common names: Bumblebee cichlid, hornet cichlid
Scientific Name: Pseudotropheus crabro
Origin: Lake Malawi in Africa
Lifespan: Ten years
Size: About five to six inches. Males are slightly larger.
Temperature: 75-85 degrees F, or about 24-29 degrees Celcius
Food: Bumblebee cichlids will eat flake food, but it would take a lot of fish flakes to fill this fish up. Specialty cichlid pellet food seem to work best for mine. I also feed them frozen bloodworms once a week. They are omnivorous and will also nibble on algae wafers in my tank.
Care: Most of the time these fish do well when keeping only one male and several females.
Sexing: It can be difficult. The main difference is that males turn almost completely black when stressed, angry, or ready to breed.
Breeding: The bumblebee cichlid is a mouthbrooding fish. To get the fish ready to spawn, increase the temperature a degree or two and start making more frequent water changes, adding water that is colder than the temperature of the tank. This makes the fish think it is rainy season and get ready to spawn.
The female will lay the eggs and the male will fertilize them. After the eggs are fertilized the female sucks them into her mouth and takes care of them.
Check out this video on breeding African Cichlids:
Good luck! Feel free to add your own comments or tips in the comments below!
Showing posts with label Care. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Care. Show all posts
Long Snout Halfbeak Care
Fish Name: Long Snout Halfbeak , also sometimes referred to as Forest Halfbeak
Scientific Name: Hemirhamphodon pogonognathus
Origin: Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia
Size: Up to four inches. Males get slightly longer than females
Temperature: 72-82 degrees F
Food: In the wild, long snout halfbeaks eat insects, primarily mosquitos and spiders that land on the water. They prowl the surface of the water in between plants watching for the insects to drop. These fish can also be carnivorous. Feed them flake food, frozen and live bloodworms, and brine shrimp.
Breeding: Long snout halfbeaks are livebearers. They have about 30-40 fry and lay them a few at a time for a period of about two weeks.
Interesting fact: Long Snout Halfbeaks are aggressive fish, especially towards each other. In some Asian countries people gamble on fights between male fish, similar to Siamese fighting fish (bettas).
Scientific Name: Hemirhamphodon pogonognathus
Origin: Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia
Size: Up to four inches. Males get slightly longer than females
Temperature: 72-82 degrees F
Food: In the wild, long snout halfbeaks eat insects, primarily mosquitos and spiders that land on the water. They prowl the surface of the water in between plants watching for the insects to drop. These fish can also be carnivorous. Feed them flake food, frozen and live bloodworms, and brine shrimp.
Breeding: Long snout halfbeaks are livebearers. They have about 30-40 fry and lay them a few at a time for a period of about two weeks.
Interesting fact: Long Snout Halfbeaks are aggressive fish, especially towards each other. In some Asian countries people gamble on fights between male fish, similar to Siamese fighting fish (bettas).
Blue Gourami Care
Common names: blue gourami, three spot gourami
Scientific Name: Trichogaster trichopterus
Origin: Malaysia, Thailand, Burma, Vietnam
Life-span: 4 years
Size: 4 inches
Temperature: 72° to 82°F (22 to 28°C)
Food: varied diet of flake food, bloodworms, tubifex, brine shrimp, frozen foods, guppy fry
Care: The blue gourami is a peaceful community fish, although it will eat very small fish like guppy fry. Generally, if a fish is too big to be swallowed whole by the gourami, it is safe to keep it in the same tank. Blue gouramis enjoy a planted aquarium. They also need plenty of room to swim.
Sexing: Male blue gouramis have longer dorsal fins that come to a point. Females have a rounder, plumper belly.
Breeding: The blue gourami is an egg laying fish that uses bubble nests. To condition the fish for breeding, separate them. Feed them a varied diet and I've had success feeding them betta pellets and frozen food. After a week of conditioning, put them in the same tank. The male will build a bubble nest. The female will lay up to 1000 eggs and they will pick them up in their mouth and spit them into the bubble nest on the surface.
The female should now be separated. The male guards the eggs until they are hatched. Sometimes the male will spit spouts of water into the bubble nest to keep water circulating around the eggs and prevent them from molding or growing fungus. The eggs will hatch within 2 days and you can remove the male from the tank. The fry love newly hatched brine shrimp.
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| Blue Gourami, photo from Flickr Creative Commons, user Brian.Gratwicke |
Scientific Name: Trichogaster trichopterus
Origin: Malaysia, Thailand, Burma, Vietnam
Life-span: 4 years
Size: 4 inches
Temperature: 72° to 82°F (22 to 28°C)
Food: varied diet of flake food, bloodworms, tubifex, brine shrimp, frozen foods, guppy fry
Care: The blue gourami is a peaceful community fish, although it will eat very small fish like guppy fry. Generally, if a fish is too big to be swallowed whole by the gourami, it is safe to keep it in the same tank. Blue gouramis enjoy a planted aquarium. They also need plenty of room to swim.
Sexing: Male blue gouramis have longer dorsal fins that come to a point. Females have a rounder, plumper belly.
Breeding: The blue gourami is an egg laying fish that uses bubble nests. To condition the fish for breeding, separate them. Feed them a varied diet and I've had success feeding them betta pellets and frozen food. After a week of conditioning, put them in the same tank. The male will build a bubble nest. The female will lay up to 1000 eggs and they will pick them up in their mouth and spit them into the bubble nest on the surface.
The female should now be separated. The male guards the eggs until they are hatched. Sometimes the male will spit spouts of water into the bubble nest to keep water circulating around the eggs and prevent them from molding or growing fungus. The eggs will hatch within 2 days and you can remove the male from the tank. The fry love newly hatched brine shrimp.
Kuhli Loach Care (Coolie Loach/Leopard Loach)
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| Image by KasiaFlickr, Flickr Creative Commons |
Scientific Name: Acanthophthalmus kuhlii
Origin: Indonesia
Life-span: 10 years
Size: 4 inches
Temperature: 75 - 86 °F (24 - 30 °C)
Food: varied diet of flake food, bloodworms, tubifex, brine shrimp, frozen foods, algae
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| Image by memories visual depot, Flickr Creative Commons |
Care: The kuhli loach is a scavenger so it spends much of its time digging around the bottom of the aquarium. They need places to hide. Kuhli loaches like fine substrate like sand and will sometimes bury part or all of their body in the sand. Some aquarists claim they don't see their kuhli loaches often because they are nocturnal and like to hide during the day. A way to get your kuhli loach to come out more often is to keep several of them in the same tank together.
Video of kuhli loaches eating:
Bala Shark Care
Common names: Bala Shark, Tricolor Shark, Silver Shark, Shark Minnow
Scientific Name: Balantiocheilus melanopterus
Origin: Mekong River and Chao Phraya River
Life-span: 9-10 years
Size: 13-14 inches
Temperature: 72° to 83°F (22 to 30°C)
Food: varied diet of flake food, bloodworms, tubifex, brine shrimp, frozen foods
Care: The bala shark is a peaceful community fish that swims all over the aquarium. They enjoy a planted aquarium with places to hide and also space to swim freely. Bala sharks are commonly sold when they are only an inch or two but can grow over a foot so before purchasing one make sure you have adequate space for when it grows up to an adult. They can dart around very quickly so be sure that there are no sharp edges on decorations in you aquarium.
The bala shark is a schooling fish so you must keep them in groups of three or more, preferably at least 5.
Sexing: Sexing bala sharks is very difficult. The main difference is that females have a rounder belly when they are full of eggs.
Breeding: The bala shark is an egg-scatterer. Since sexing them is difficult, it's best to get a group of five or more and just hope that you have at least one female and one male. The female will lay eggs and the male will fertilize them and they will be scattered around the bottom of the tank. The adult fish will eat the eggs so you will want to remove the adult fish shortly after breeding takes place. The eggs will hatch within a couple days if they were fertilized.
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| Bala Shark |
Scientific Name: Balantiocheilus melanopterus
Origin: Mekong River and Chao Phraya River
Life-span: 9-10 years
Size: 13-14 inches
Temperature: 72° to 83°F (22 to 30°C)
Food: varied diet of flake food, bloodworms, tubifex, brine shrimp, frozen foods
Care: The bala shark is a peaceful community fish that swims all over the aquarium. They enjoy a planted aquarium with places to hide and also space to swim freely. Bala sharks are commonly sold when they are only an inch or two but can grow over a foot so before purchasing one make sure you have adequate space for when it grows up to an adult. They can dart around very quickly so be sure that there are no sharp edges on decorations in you aquarium.
The bala shark is a schooling fish so you must keep them in groups of three or more, preferably at least 5.
Sexing: Sexing bala sharks is very difficult. The main difference is that females have a rounder belly when they are full of eggs.
Breeding: The bala shark is an egg-scatterer. Since sexing them is difficult, it's best to get a group of five or more and just hope that you have at least one female and one male. The female will lay eggs and the male will fertilize them and they will be scattered around the bottom of the tank. The adult fish will eat the eggs so you will want to remove the adult fish shortly after breeding takes place. The eggs will hatch within a couple days if they were fertilized.
Oscar Care
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| Oscar photo from Flickr Creative Commons, user daniella vereeken |
Scientific Name: Astronotus ocellatus
Origin: Amazon River
Life-span: over 20 years
Temperature: 74° to 83°F (23 to 30°C)
Food: Flake food, bloodworms, tubifex, brine shrimp, frozen foods, cichlid pellets. Some say feeder goldfish, however I don't recommend this because they don't offer enough nutrition to offset the risk of introducing disease into your aquarium.
Care: Oscars can grow over a foot long and so it is recommended that you give them at least 30 gallons of water. They will rearrange the gravel and decorations in an aquarium so it is best to use larger, heavier decorations. They enjoy places to hide so keep this in mind when setting up your aquarium. These fish are territorial and aggressive so they do best alone or with other oscars. Some people have successfully kept Oscars with other species, however this can change without notice and all of a sudden the Oscar can attack and kill other fish without giving any prior warning signs.
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| Oscar photo from Flickr Creative Commons, user daniella vereeken |
Weekly water changes are necessary, as they are for all aquariums. They are messier fish than others so a siphon cleaner will help you greatly. Monitor the temperature of your aquarium to keep your fish healthy.
Sexing: Very difficult if not impossible. The easiest way is to get a group of them and let them pair off by themselves.
Breeding: These fish can lay up to 1000 eggs, so don't try to breed them unless you have a plan of action for raising all the fish and have somewhere for them to go! However, sometimes if you have a group of them, it just happens.
To condition your Oscars for breeding, start by doing more frequent water changes. This stimulates them by making them think it's the rainy season. Also, vary their food. Provide them with a flat horizontal surface to lay eggs on. Flat rocks, including slate, work great. The Oscars will clean it with their mouths prior to laying and fertilizing the eggs.
Oscars will begin a breeding ritual which includes lip-locking. To a novice this will appear that they are fighting. They also chase each other in circles around the tank, taking nips at each others fins. They will quit eating and within a couple days they will lay and fertilize their eggs.
The eggs will hatch within two or three days. During this time the parents will guard the eggs and the area around it from other fish. Beware, however, that plecos sometimes will eat the eggs while Oscars are "sleeping". When it's dark, the nocturnal plecos can sneak in and devour the eggs. It's best not to have a pleco in the tank if you want the eggs to survive. Also, if the eggs turn white, it means they were not fertilized.
When the eggs hatch the fry will stay on the surface for a while. They have a heavy yolk sack on their abdomen that makes it difficult for them to move. They will not eat until they use up the yolk sac. Once they begin swimming, newly hatched brine shrimp make a great food for the fry.
The parents and other tank-mates may eat the fry. If you want to prevent this, remove the object that the eggs are laid on and put it in a separate tank. Make sure that there is moving water, whether it be from an aerator or a filter, otherwise the eggs will mold and/or grow fungus.
Good luck! Please feel free to add your own experiences in the comments below!
Molly Care, Caring for Mollies (Aquarium Fish)
Scientific Name: Poecilia sphenops
Origin: Central America
Life-span: 4-5 years
Temperature: 70° to 82°F (21 to 28°C)
Food: Flake food, bloodworms, tubifex, brine shrimp, algae wafers, frozen foods
Care: The molly grows up to four inches and is a great fish for beginners. They are fairly easy to keep. Mollies are a peaceful community fish and enjoy a planted aquarium. They enjoy water with a little salt and it is recommended to add a teaspoon of salt for every 5 gallons of aquarium water (unless other fish in the aquarium can't handle it).
Sexing: Like guppies, mollies are livebearers and the males have a gonopodium and a larger dorsal fin. Pregnant females have a darker spot near the anal fin called the gravid spot.
Breeding: Put two or three females with a male. The molly is a livebearer and will have live babies, and they will not lay eggs. They can have up to 40 babies. Provide hiding spots for the baby fish otherwise the parents will eat the babies (fry). It's a good idea to separate the parents from the fry after birth.
Origin: Central America
Life-span: 4-5 years
Temperature: 70° to 82°F (21 to 28°C)
Food: Flake food, bloodworms, tubifex, brine shrimp, algae wafers, frozen foods
Care: The molly grows up to four inches and is a great fish for beginners. They are fairly easy to keep. Mollies are a peaceful community fish and enjoy a planted aquarium. They enjoy water with a little salt and it is recommended to add a teaspoon of salt for every 5 gallons of aquarium water (unless other fish in the aquarium can't handle it).
Sexing: Like guppies, mollies are livebearers and the males have a gonopodium and a larger dorsal fin. Pregnant females have a darker spot near the anal fin called the gravid spot.
Breeding: Put two or three females with a male. The molly is a livebearer and will have live babies, and they will not lay eggs. They can have up to 40 babies. Provide hiding spots for the baby fish otherwise the parents will eat the babies (fry). It's a good idea to separate the parents from the fry after birth.
Clown Loach Care
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| Clown Loaches photo courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons user lindsay sorensen |
Origin: Indonesia, Borneo
Life-span: over 20 years
Temperature: 77° to 83°F (22 to 30°C)
Food: Flake food, bloodworms, tubifex, brine shrimp, algae wafers, frozen foods, vegetables like cucumber, zucchini, and peas
Care: Clown loaches like aquariums with live plants, driftwood, and rocks. They like to hide but also swim out in the open. Many people have a single clown loach in their aquarium, but the clown loach is actually a schooling fish and should be kept in groups of at least three. A major bonus of having a clown loach is that they eat snails! If you buy live plants you may inherit a snail problem and the clown loach is a great remedy.
The clown loach can get quite large, 12-13 inches. Don't be fooled by the size they are sold at in pet stores. Keep this in mind before purchasing a school of clown loaches. However, despite their gigantic size, they are a very peaceful fish and do great even with small fish like guppies.
One of my clown loaches constantly swims upside down. It alarmed me at first because I though it was sick, but I've now had them over a year and they are healthy as can be. It is also said that the clown loach emits a clicking noise, but I've never heard mine make the noise so I can't describe it personally. (Mine are only about five inches so maybe they aren't big enough!) If you have any insight on this please feel free to leave a comment!
Sexing: Females are plumper and males are more slender
Jack Dempsey Cichlid Care
Scientific Name: Rocio octofasciata
Origin: Central America, Honduras, Guatemala
Life-span 5 years
Temperature: 77° to 82°F (22 to 30°C)
Food: Flake food, bloodworms, tubifex, brine shrimp, guppies, frozen foods. They are a carnivore so they prefer animal-based food
Care: Jack Dempsey cichlids are more aggressive than most fish. They can grow to 10-12 inches long but generally only get around 9 or 10 inches in aquariums. I would recommend not putting live plants in the aquarium because Jack Dempseys will rearrange the aquarium however they want! I've commonly had mine pile all of the gravel up to the front of the tank! They enjoy places to hide and swim in and out of.
Darker gravel will bring out their colors. If you use light colored gravel the Jack Dempsey will be very light colored and dull. A minimum of 20 gallons is needed for a Jack Dempsey. They don't play well with other fish so be careful about mixing species.
Sexing: Females tend to have more blue on their faces and their spots occur all over their face, while males colored spots generally stop about halfway down their head. Some say you can tell by the shape of the fins but I have found many exceptions to this rule.
I have two juvenile Jack Dempseys, photos to come soon!
Origin: Central America, Honduras, Guatemala
Life-span 5 years
Temperature: 77° to 82°F (22 to 30°C)
Food: Flake food, bloodworms, tubifex, brine shrimp, guppies, frozen foods. They are a carnivore so they prefer animal-based food
Care: Jack Dempsey cichlids are more aggressive than most fish. They can grow to 10-12 inches long but generally only get around 9 or 10 inches in aquariums. I would recommend not putting live plants in the aquarium because Jack Dempseys will rearrange the aquarium however they want! I've commonly had mine pile all of the gravel up to the front of the tank! They enjoy places to hide and swim in and out of.
Darker gravel will bring out their colors. If you use light colored gravel the Jack Dempsey will be very light colored and dull. A minimum of 20 gallons is needed for a Jack Dempsey. They don't play well with other fish so be careful about mixing species.
Sexing: Females tend to have more blue on their faces and their spots occur all over their face, while males colored spots generally stop about halfway down their head. Some say you can tell by the shape of the fins but I have found many exceptions to this rule.
I have two juvenile Jack Dempseys, photos to come soon!
Angelfish Care
Fish Name: Angelfish
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| Angelfish |
Scientific Name: Pterophyllum eimekei/scolare
Origin: Amazon River
Temperature: 75-85 degrees Fahrenheit
Food: Mosquito larvae, flake food, bloodworms, brine shrimp
Care: Angelfish are very nice looking fish that can grow up to 12 inches in height and 5 ½ inches in length. Due to this, they do well in deeper aquariums. These lovely fish can live 10-12 years. They prefer to live in slower-moving water and should either be kept singly or in groups of three or more.
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Image courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons user Cliff0066 |
Sexing angelfish is difficult until they are ready to spawn. Both have a papilla that develops between the anal and ventral fin. The papilla of a female is larger.
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