Physical description: An elongated, flat bellied fish with a flat bellied profile. The body is flattened and the snout is characteristically long. The eye is located near the top of the head, nearly protruding from the head. The back and flanks are light brown and marked with various spots and stripes. The lower parts are white while the fins are brownish. Size/Length: To 8" (20 cm) Similar species: None Habitat: Inhabits rapid and slow moving rivers with a sandy or rocky substrate. Widespread throughout Southeast Asia; Borneo, Burma (Myanmar), Java, Malaysia, Sumatra, Thailand, and Vietnam. S: bottom Aquarium: A tank measuring 28" (71 cm) with a capacity of 20-25 gallons (76-95 L) is sufficient for fish up to 4" (10 cm) in length. Larger fish require at least a 36" (91 cm), 35-45 gallon (132-170 L) tank. Use a fine gravel, or preferably sand substrate. The plants should be robust and planted in pots or protected in some other way. This species will burrow and uproot unanchored plants. Rocks, roots, wood, and pipes should be used as shelter. A cover of floating plants is suggested to diffuse the lighting. Water chemistry: 6-7 (6.5), 1-10 dH (4), 77-84°F (25-29°C) Social behavior: A peaceful, nocturnal species which defends a territory against others of its own species. Can be kept in a community tank with small to large fish. Suggested companions: Gouramis, Barbs, Other Loaches, South American cichlids, tetras, Silver Dollars, Headstanders, Hatchetfish, Knifefish. FOOD: Live; worms, crustaceans, insect larvae; tablets Sexual differences: Unknown Breeding techniques: Unknown Breeding potential: 10. Has not been bred in captivity. Remarks: Due to this specie's wide geographic distribution, many color and pattern variants are known. Whether these variants are a different species or sub-species has yet to be determined. This species may bury itself during the day. Difficulty of care: 6. This somewhat sensitive species requires a diet of live foods. Recent articles about fish Overfishing may hurt Amazon forest trees (2/5/2008) Overfishing is reducing the effectiveness of seed dispersal by fish in the Brazilian Pantanal, reports Nature. The research suggests that fishing practices can affect forest health. Scientists find fish that literally lives in trees (10/17/2007) Scientists have found a fish that literally lives in trees, according to research published in The American Naturalist and highlighted in New Scientist Magazine. Piranhas originated when Amazon was flooded by seawater (12/4/2007) South America's piranha family of fish -- notorious as eaters of flesh -- can be traced back to a single ancestor which dispersed when the Amazon was flooded by seawater some five million years ago, report researchers from the Institut de Recherche Pour le Developpement (IRD). Today piranhas are exclusively freshwater fish found from the Orinoco River basin in Venezuela to the Parana in Argentina. |
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Copyright Rhett Butler 1994-2009 The copy for fish.mongabay.com was written in 1994-1995. Therefore some information such as scientific names may be out of date. For this, I apologize. Feel free to send corrections to me. |
