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Cyprinds
/ Long-finned Apollo Shark
Long-finned Apollo Shark
Luciosoma spilopleura | Pictures
Synonyms: Leuciscus
spiloplerus
Physical description:
A fish with an elongated, laterally compressed body.
The mouth is hinge-like and turned upwards.
The
caudal fin is deeply forked and the other fins are elongated.
The eye is large, and the upper part of the iris
is yellow.
The back is light olive, while the flanks are silver-gray with a silver iridescence.
The
lower parts are gay.
The coloration may vary a bit depending on this fish's population.
A faint, row of spots runs from the
gill cover to the caudal penuncle, where the row becomes a stripe.
The stripe passes on to the caudal fin
and runs to the tip of the upper lobe.
On the lower lobe is a similar marking.
Size/Length: To 10" (25 cm)
Similar species: Other Luciosoma
species.
Habitat: Southeast Asia; Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam.
S: Middle, top
Aquarium: A 48" (122 cm) or 55 gallon (209 L) tank is suggested for adult Apollo Sharks.
Leave
large open swimming areas and use a tight-fitting cover.
Some floating plants are welcomed.
Water chemistry: pH 6-7.5 (7.0), 4-15 dH (8), 75-82°F (24-28°C)
Social behavior: An active species that will feed on smaller fish.
The Apollo shark is intolerant of similar
species and should only be combined with dissimilar, large fish.
Suggested companions: Loaches, Pimelodids, Doradids, Tinfoil Barbs, Knifefish, Acaras, Cichlasomines, Eartheaters,
Cyprind sharks.
FOOD: Live; fish, worms, insects, insect larvae; occasionally flakes and pellets.
SEX: Unclear
Breeding techniques: Unknown
Breeding potential: 10.
Has not been bred in aquaria.
Remarks:
This species is not suitable to the average community tank.
Difficulty of care: 6.
This large, hardy species requires a spacious tank.
Small fish will be eaten by this predator.
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.
How to save the world's oceans from overfishing
(7/8/2007) Global fishing stocks are in trouble. After expanding from 18 millions tons in 1950 to around 94 million tons in 2000, annual world fish catch has leveled off and may even be declining. Scientists estimate that the number of large predatory fish in the oceans has fallen by 90 percent since the 1950s, while about one-quarter of the world's fisheries are overexploited, depleted, or recovering from depletion. Despite these dire trends, the situation is changing. Today some of the world's largest environmental groups are focused on addressing the health of marine life and oceans, while sustainable fisheries management is at the top of the agenda for intergovenmental bodies. At the forefront of these efforts is Mike Sutton, director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium's conservation program: the Center for the Future of the Oceans. The aquarium, which has long been recognized as one of the world's most important marine research facilities, is pioneering new strategies for protecting the planet's oceans. Sutton says the approach has four parts: establishing new marine protected areas, pushing for ocean policy reform, promoting sustainable seafood, and protecting wildlife and marine ecosystems.
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