Synonyms: None Physical description: It is covered everywhere but the belly with large bony plates. The head is large, broad, and flat. The mouth is on the underside of the head and is shaped like a suction cup. The body color is black. The dorsal fin stands tall when erect. The iris of healthy individuals is bright blue. Size/Length: To 18" (45 cm) Similar species: Hypostomus and other Panaque species. Habitat: Small rapid rivers. South America; Columbia. S: bottom Aquarium: 48" (122 cm) or 55 gallon (209 L) is suggested. Maintenance as for P. nigrolineatus. Water chemistry: pH 6.5-7.5 (6.8), 2-12 (8), 72-79°F (22-26°C) Social behavior: Aggressive towards own species, but peaceful towards other fish. Can be combined with small to large, peaceful fish. Nocturnal. Suggested companions: Corydoras, tetras, Discus, Apistogramma FOOD: Algae; fruit; vegetables; peas, spinach, lettuce; live; crustaceans, insect larvae. See P. nigrolineatus for other notes. Sexual differences: Unknown Breeding techniques: Unknown Breeding potential: 10. Breeding has not been successful in aquaria. Remarks: See P. nigrolineatus. Difficulty of care: 7. The Blue-eyed Panaque is a challenging fish to care for, but well worth the effort for its beauty. They are sensitive to water quality and medications and are also subject to disease. 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 Therefore some information such as scientific names may be out of date.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. |
