Physical description: An elongated fish with a flat belly profile. The mouth is located on the underside of the snout and is suction-cup shaped. The caudal fin is forked. The back is a copper-brown color, while the lower parts are silvery-white. A brown stripes extends from the snout, through the eye, and back to the caudal fin. Size/Length: To 11" (28 cm) in nature Similar species: None Habitat: Eastern India, Southeast Asia; Thailand S: bottom Aquarium: A 30" (76 cm) tank with a capacity of 20-30 gallons (75-114 L) is recommended for fish up to 4" (10 cm). Larger fish should be kept in larger tanks. Use strong lighting to promote the growth of algae. Use roots, wood, and rocks to provide hiding places. Tough plants can be used. Water chemistry: pH 6.5-8 (7.2), 5-20 dH (10), 75-82°F (24-28°C) Social behavior: A fish territorial towards others of its own species. Well suited as an algae eater for a community tank with larger fish. Suggested companions: Gouramis, Danios, Barbs, Loaches, Acaras, Angelfish, Eartheaters, Knifefish. FOOD: Algae; vegetables; spinach, lettuce; vegetable flakes, tablets; live; worms, crustaceans. SEX: Unknown, Some claim that males have more "thorns" around the mouth. Breeding techniques: Unsuccessful Breeding potential: 10. Breeding has not been successful. Remarks: In nature, fish have been observed spawning at the length of 5" (13 cm) Difficulty of care: 3. A fine algae-eating fish that is peaceful in "community" situations. 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. |
