Physical description: A flat fish with an oval body shape. The body is elongated and the eyes are located on the right side of the body. The body color is light brown to beige and is irregularly spotted with large and small brown markings. The caudal fin is made up of 12 rays. Size/Length: To 6" (15 cm) Similar species: Achinus errans, Brachinus selheimi Habitat: In slow-moving, fresh and brackish rivers with sandy substrates. Northern Australia; rivers that flow into the the Gulf of Carpentaria. S: bottom Aquarium: 32" (90 cm) or 30 gallons (114 L). See A. errans . Water chemistry: pH 7.2-8.4 (7.8), 10-20 dH (12), 72-77°F (22-25°C). A 1% addition of salt is recommended. This can be accomplished by adding 4 TSP. of salt to every 10 gallons (10 g/10 L) Social behavior: Peaceful. Keep with other peaceful small to medium sized fish. This fish does best in a species tank. Suggested companions: Rainbowfish, Killifish, Bumblebee Fish, Glassfish, Orange Chromide. FOOD: Live; Tubifex , chopped earthworms, insect larvae, shrimp; chopped meat; occasionally tablets. This fish should be fed after the lights are turned off. Sexual differences: Unknown Breeding techniques: Unknown Breeding potential: 10. This fish has not bred in captivity. REMARKS: This nocturnal species is more available and hardier than A. errans . Also a short-lived fish. Difficulty of care: 7. This species is somewhat sensitive to water pollutants and requires a diet including 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. |
