Black Knife Ghost Fish

Data Sheet
Scientific Name:	Apteronotus albifrons
Other Names:	Ghost Knife Fish,
Origin:	Amazon Basin
Adult Size:	60cm (23.62 inches)
Social:	Good with larger fish
Lifespan:	no official figures, but some hobbiest have them for as long as over five years
Tank Level:	Medium / Low
Minimum Tank Size:	55 gallons for small / medium size fish
Diet:	Carnivorous.
Breeding:	Egg Layers
Care:	Intermediate - Advance
Ideal pH:	6-8
Temperature:	72-82 F (23-28 C)
Tank setup:	Ideally with plants and a tube for hiding
Sexing:	Difficult to determine the sex

Description: The Black Ghost Knife fish is all black except for two white rings on its tail, and a white blaze on its nose, which can occasionally extend into a stripe down its back. It moves mainly by undulating a long fin on its underside. They are nocturnal, but they are weakly electric fish and use an electric organ and receptors distributed over the length of their body in order to locate insect larvae. Habitat/Care: Black knife ghost fish require a large tank due to their large size. Black Knife Ghost Fish should not be kept with small fish such as neon terta, rummy nose terta etc as these smaller fish may be eaten. It is recommended that you provide many hiding places with plants, rocks, wood for these fishes as they are shy and like to hide. Black Knife Ghost Fish are nocturnal and will spend most of the daylight hours hiding in the rocks or among the plants or in tubes. Once they adapt to their new home, they may come out of hiding at feeding time. Some have even been taught to feed from their keeper’s hand. The difficulty with keeping this fish is that they are highly sensitive to chemicals, including solutions for a wide selection of medicine such as white spot treatment etc as they are scaleless - these chemicals intented for helping the fish may kill them instead. Diet: Black Ghost Knifefish are carnivorous and feed on insect larvae as well as smaller fishes.You could feeding them some small feeder fish (for larger black knife ghost fish), fresh or fresh frozen foods such as bloodworms, brine shrimp or blackworms for smaller black knife ghost fish. Breeding: There are no records of successful breeding in captivity, but black knife ghost fish are breeded and export in fish farms in South East Asia (Indoesia, Singapore, Thailand) and exported, although the method used is unknown.

References Cited:

1. Knife Fish [Online], [Available], http://fish.mongabay.com/knifefish.htm

2. Black Knife Ghost Fish [Online], [Available], http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apteronotus_albifrons

3. Bad Man Tropical Fish, [online], [Available], http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile66_comment.html

Red Tail Black Shark

Data Sheet
Scientific Name:	Epalzeorhynchus bicolor
Other Names:	Red Tailed Shark, Red Tail Black Shark, Red Tailed Labeo, Fire Tail, Labeo bicolor
Origin:	Thailand
Adult Size:	Up to 6 inches (15 cm)
Social:	Aggressive with own spieces.
Lifespan:	5 -8 years
Tank Level:	Middle and Bottom
Minimum Tank Size:	10 gallons (or larger)
Diet:	Omnivore
Breeding:	Very hard
Care:	Easy
Ideal pH:	6.5 - 7.5
Temperature:	73°F - 79°F (23°C - 26°C)
Tank setup:	Tight lid recommended as these fishes are very strong jumpers
Sexing:	Hard to determine, but the female may have a grayer stomach whereas the males are solid black.

Description: The Red Tailed Black Shark has a black body with a red tail (hence the name). The Red Tailed Black Shark has a downwards facing mouth with two pairs of barbels. The female is slightly large than the male. Habitat/Care: Red Tail Black Shark are very aggressive and territorial towards their own speices. Therefore, it is best to keep only one of this species in your tank and avoid the temptation to keep them with a Rainbow Shark or other Red Tailed Sharks. Some literature has noted that in a large tank with sufficient hiding places, it is possible to keep more than one shark together, but one of these shark will be dominant shark, and will chase away other sharks when it is feeding time. The Red Tailed Black Shark used to be found in fast moving waters in Thailand, particularly in the Mea Klong River. This river has a slow current, and has lots of wood and rocks for hiding. Therefore, and ideal aquarium should mimic the natural conditions of this fish. However, various literature noted that the Red Tailed Black Shark is becoming extinct in the wild, and an article from Wikipedia notes that these beautiful fishes are in the Red List of endangered speices. Many literature review indicated that these fishes are excellentjumpers. For this reason, the tank should ideally have a tight lid. Diet: Red Tailed Black Sharks are omnivorous and cheerfully accept a wide range of food, including flake food, worms or vegatable pellets. To ensure that they look their best, it is highly recommended to give a varied diet. Breeding: Reports of hobbyist breeding Epalzeorhynchus Bicolor are very rare. A large well planted tank with a ratio of more females to males is needed. The females are more robust and rounded than the males. A spawning tube will appear weeks before spawning and the male fertilizes the eggs in jerky thrusting motions as the eggs are scattered. It is said that the eggs hatch in a couple of days and the fry are easy to raise. Most breeding is done in open ponds in their native Thailand and exported around the world.

ReferencesCited:

1. FishLore, Online, Accessed 6 Jul 2008, http://www.fishlore.com/Profiles-RedTailShark.htm

2. Aquarium Land, Online, http://aqualandpetsplus.com/Shark,%20Red-Tail.htm

3. Aquatic community, online, Accessed 12 Jul 2008 http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/mix/redtailsharks.php

Black Widow Tetra

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Data Sheet
Scientific Name:	Gymnocorymbus ternetzi
Other Names:	Black Tetra, Black Skirt Tetra
Origin:	Brazil
Adult Size:	2.5 inches (6 cm)
Social:	Excellent
Lifespan:	5 years
Tank Level:	Mid Dweller
Minimum Tank Size:	10 gallons
Diet:	Omnivore
Breeding:	Egg Layer
Care:	Easy
Ideal pH:	6-8
Temperature:	68-78 F (20-26 C)
Tank setup:	Ideally planted aquarium
Sexing:	Females are generally larger and have rounder body.

Description: Growing to about 6 cm (2.5 in) total length, the black window tetra has a roughly tetragonal body shape and is greyish in colour, fading from light at the nose to near black at the tail. Two prominent black vertical bars appear just posterior of the gills. Habitat/Care: The Black Skirt tetra is a very hardy fish that is suitable for beginner aquarists. Since it is native to subtropical waters, it will appreciate a lower temperature than what is found in most tropical aquariums. Ideally keep the temperature between 20 and 26° C (68 and 79° F). A schooling fish by nature, black widows Tetra are best kept in groups of six or more. Due to their peaceful nature, they make an excellent community fish. FishLore noted that Black Widow Tetra sometimes nip the fins of slower moving fish, particularly those with long flowing fins such as Bettas Angelfish. However, when keep in groups of 6 of more, they tend to chase one another harmlessly and leave the other fishes alone. or The Black Skirt tetras can adapt to a wide range of conditions, but rapid changes and extreme conditions should naturally be avoided. The aquarium should ideally include a lot of large plants. Diet: The black widow tetra is an omnivore and will eat nearly anything it can fit into its mouth. Wild Black Skirt tetras are mainly carnivores and feed on insects, worms and small crustaceans. They do however also ingest smaller amounts of algae and plant matter. In an aquarium, it cheerfully and readily accept flake food, worms, and brine shrimp. Breeding: To breed the black widow tetra in captivity, the aquarium should ideally be densely planted with fine-leaved plants as the Black Skirt tetra is an egg-scattering species that prefers to release the eggs among fine-leave plants. The male will claim a territory during the breeding period and defend it. Once the eggs are laid, the parents should be removed from the tank as these fishes tend to eat their own eggs. The eggs will typically hatch within 24 hours. The frys could be feed with egg yolk or newly hatched brine shrimp. As the fry grows larger, you can give them larger and larger brine shrimp. Disease: Black Widow Tetra are prone to WHITE SPOT (Ich, ichthyophthirius). This disease is caused by environmental stress and/or cold water. It can also be caused by sudden changes in water temperature. It is a parasite resembling a grain of salt that feeds on the tissue of the fish causing irritation. It spreads through the skin and fins and will eventually kill the fish if left untreated. The mature parasite cannot be killed, nor can its eggs. It can only be destroyed in its free swimming stage after the spot falls off and the eggs hatch. This can take from 1-4 days. This is why it is important to continue to medicate for at least 3-5 days after the spots are gone. Add 1-2 drops of formalin or copper sulfate to the tank water and raise the temperature to 82 degrees (use formalin with great care as it is a cancer causing agent).

References Cited:

1. Black Widow, [Online], Accessed on 12 June 2008 [Available] http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/characins2/a/blackwidow.htm

2.Black Skirt Tetra [Online], Accessed on 18 June 2008,[Available],http://www.fishlore.com/profile-blackskirttetra.htm

3. Aquatic Community [Online], Accessed on 18 June 2008,[Available],http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/tetrafish/blackskirttetra.php

Ram Cichlid

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Data Sheet
Scientific Name:	Microgeophagus ramierzi, Papilochromis ramirezi,
Other Names:	Ram, Blue ram, German blue ram, Asian ram,Butterfly cichlid, Ramirez's dwarf cichlid, Dwarf butterfly cichlid and Ramirezi
Origin:	South Africa
Adult Size:	4 inches (10 cm)
Social:	Good
Lifespan:	2 years
Tank Level:	Mid to Top
Minimum Tank Size:	15 gallons
Diet:	Omnivore
Breeding:	Egg Layer
Care:	Intermediate
Ideal pH:	5-7.5
Temperature:	79 - 83°F (26 to 28 C)
Tank setup:	The Rams should have a large well planted tank with plenty of caves, driftwood and other hiding places.
Sexing:	The female has a crimson belly and the male has longer dorsal fins.

Description: Ram Cichlids are stocky in shape and can be differentiate from their dorsal fin rays - the first Dorsal fin rays are not connected to each other at the tips. In Male Cichlids, the third and forth rays are longer than others. A black vertical line runs across the eye and red patch around it. Ram Cichlids are one of the most beautiful cichlids, and there are many species of Ram Cichlids. Each species has their own unique coloration, from the German Blue which has attractive blue coloration on its body to the Microgeophagus ramierzi, which has a wide combination of colors on its body. Habitat/Care: Ram cichlids come from South America, and are found in the rivers of Venezuela, and Columbia. They require a warmer waters, and having water temperature of 79 - 83°F (26 to 28 C) is ideal. Ram Cichlids requires established water and can be picky eaters at first - and may die relatively quickly if the water condition is too cold or if the waters is not 'old' enough. As with other cichlids, there should be some hiding places provided in the tank. For Ram Cichlids, the interior decor is very important, the tank should be provided with rocks, plants and hiding place for shelter when there is aggression especially during the breeding period. These fish are noted to be fussy about their surroundings - should it be unhappy with its surrounding, it will go to a corner and gradually lose its coloration. For this reason, they are not recommended for beginners. Mixing with other fishes: Ram Cichlids look best when keep in groups of their own kind. It is not recommended to keep them with other Cichlids, as their small size would mean that they will get bullied. Ideally, Ram Cichlids should be kept with fish that are slow-moving, as these fishes tend to hide if made nervous. Smalll tetras, barbs, and evenHeckel Discus fish can be kept in the same aquarium as Ram Cichlids. Diet: Ram Cichlids are omnivores. While they will accept most flake food, frozen or live foods are preferred. It has been noted that Rams that are newly introduced to the aquarium sometimes tend to picky eaters, refusing food or just nibbling. To encourage them to eat, it is recommended that frozen bloodworms, brine shrimp and live foods are given to these fishes. As it is observed that they are starting to eat more freely, slowly, pellets, flakes and other foods can be fed. Breeding: Once sexually mature, the species forms monogamous pairs prior to spawning. The species is known to lay its small 0.9 - 1.5 mm adhesive eggs on flattened stones or directly into small depressions dug in the gravel. Like many cichlids, M. ramirezi practices biparental brood care with both the male and the female playing roles in egg-tending and territorial defence. Typical clutch size for the species is 150-300 eggs, though larger clutches up to 500 have been reported. Parental M. ramirezi have been observed to fan water over their eggs which hatch in 40 hours at 29 ºC (84.2 ºF). The larvae are not free-swimming for 5 days after which they are escorted by the male or the female in dense school for foraging

Disease: Ram Cichlid, like any other fish, may occasionally suffer from some diseases from time to time. These diseases may be due to infections by bacteria, fungi, or parasites. Thankfully there are a wide range of commercial solutions available to treat your pet. These solutions can be usually purchase from your local pet store. Sluggishness, color loss, fraying of fins, bloating, inflammation of the skin, the fins, and the internal organs, bulging and cloudiness of the eyes, sores and abscesses, and breathing difficulties, are all symptoms of bacterial infections. Exophthalmia, or Pop-eye (bulging eyes), and ulcers are among some of the bacterial infections. Fungal infections may result in the fish darting across the aquarium somewhat erratically. Symptoms may also include the growth of cotton-like tufts over the mouths, eyes, or skin. Infections by parasites may also lead to sluggishness, heavy breathing, appetite loss, growth of mucus on the body, visible spots, worms, and scratching. Leeches, anchor worms, and lice are some Cichlid parasites. Another very common cichlid disease is Ich or Ichtyophthirius. With this white salt-like marks appear on the head first, and then spread over the whole body. Breathing is quick, the fish scratches a lot, and the eyes and fins, both, become cloudy. If the abdomen is swollen, and if there are red scales surrounding this area, it is probable that your cichlid is suffering from Dropsy. This could be due to bacteria, parasites, or cancer. Salt treatment is recommended to cure this disease. Finrot , Ammonia Poisoning, and Fish Pox are usually due to poor maintenance of water quality. To ensure that your fish is healthy, it is highly recommended that at least 20% of the water be changed regularly.

References Cited:

1. Ram Cichlid, [Online], Available, Accessed 12 May 2008, http://www.grizzlyrun.com/Pets/Fish/Freshwater_Fish/Ram_Cichlid/Default.htm

2. Microgeophagus ramierzi [Online], Available, Accessed 12 May 2008, http://cichlid.infocrux.com/Ram-Cichlid.html

3. Ram Cichlid, [Online], Available, Accessed 13 May 2008, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ram_cichlid

4. German Blue Ram Cichlid, [Online], Available, Accessed, 14 May 2008 http://www.fishlore.com/aquariummagazine/dec07/blue-ram-cichlid.htm

5. Cichlid Disease,Pooja Chakrabarty [Online], Available, Accessed, 15 May 2008
http://cichlid.infocrux.com/Cichlid-Disease.html

6. German Blue Ram Cichlid, [Online], Available, Accessed 15 May 2008, http://www.fishlore.com/aquariummagazine/dec07/blue-ram-cichlid.htm

Tiger Barbs

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Data Sheet		A green tiger barb
Scientific Name:	Puntius tetrazona
Other Name:	Sumatra Barb, Green Barb, Albino Bard, Partbelt Barb, Tiger Barb, Five stripe Tiger Barb, Moss-banded barb, Moss barb, Gold Tiger Barb
Origin:	Indonesia, Sumatra, Borneo
Adult Size:	5 cm
Social:	Antisocial except in groups. See below.
Minimum Tank Size:	25 gallons
Diet:	Omnivorous - readily accept flake food and worms.
LifeSpan:	5 years
Care:	Easy
Ideal pH:	6-8
Temperature:	20 – 26°C / 68 – 79°F
Tank setup:	Provide plenty of broad leave plants for them to lay eggs on

a pair of tiger barbs. A 'green' tiger barb An Albino Tiger Barb	Description: Tiger Barbs has large stocky body. It gets it name from the black bands that run vertically on its bright orange or silver body, much like a tiger's stripes. There are many varients of this fish, including the Abino version, which is more light gold in color with white bands, and the Green version, in which the body is does not have any stripes and is almost totally green. The Green tiger barb looks green because of the so called Tindall effect. Habitat/Care: Tiger barbs originate from South-East Asia and are native to Indonesia and Malaysia. They live on the Malay Peninsula, on the island of Sumatra and on the island of Borneo. The Tiger barb is frequently found in clear or turbid water. The typical Tiger barb habitat is a shallow and medium fast stream in the tropics where the water temperature is high. Freshwater Tiger barbs have also been found in swampy lakes where the water level fluctuates a lot. This type of fluctuations is commonly associated with fluctuating water quality as well, and the wild Tiger barb might therefore be more tolerant to changing water quality than what was previously assumed. Mixing with other fishes: Most literature suggests that Tiger Barbs are not good community fish, especially when purchased in less than 6 fishes - Tiger Barbs have a mean streak and tend to be nip at the fins of other fishes. Surprisingly, most literature also found that if purchased in groups of 6 or more, tiger barbs somehow create among themselves a pecking order (which may or may not include the other fishes in the community tank), and generally leaves the other inhibitats alone. This suggests that Tiger Barbs are best purchases in shoals of at least 6. Despite this, it is recommended to avoid keeping them with tropical fish that are long-finned and slow moving, as tiger barbs may nip at the fins of these fishes. Diet and Care: Tiger Barbs are hardly, omnivorous fishes that readily accept a diet of flake food. They are unfussy eaters, and cheerfully nip at most freeze dried worms or live worms. This fish is a hardy fish that can survive in most water conditions, but does require warm water. In very cold water, these fishes are prone to white spots.
Breeding: To try to breed tiger barbs, the males should be separated from the females. The male tiger barbs will show bright red noses, and their dorsal fins will have a red line about the mainly black fin. In addition, the ventral fins will turn bright red. The female Tiger Barbs tend to be small, and have plumpest bodies. After separating the Tiger barbs based on their gender, feed the Tigers barbs well: Well fed Tiger barbs are more likely to spawn. Some literature suggested that certain protein rich diet such as freeze dried tubifex or live food are excellent choices. The water temperature should be relatively warm, around 25-26 C (75-80 F) and broad leaves plants are required so that the Tiger barbs has somewhere to scatter their eggs. After separating them for a few days, you may reintroduce the females and males tiger barbs together again. Spawning will usually begin very soon when the Tiger Barbs have been brought together again. During this courting period, the male will chase the females. When a female Tiger Barb starts scattering her eggs at the spawning site, the male will attempt to follow the female to fertilise the eggs.After spawning, adult tiger barbs should be removed from the aquarium, since Tiger Barbs are known to eat their own offspring. Free swimming fries will be hatch after approximately five days.

Photo Galley

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Tiger barbs with silvery body

Several Albino Tiger Barbs

References Cited:

1. Tiger Barb, [Online] Available,
Accessed on 22 Apr 2008, http://www.fishlore.com/Profiles-TigerBarb.htm
2. Tiger Barb - Puntius tetrazona, [Online], Available, Accessed on 22
Apr 2008, http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/barbs/tigerbarb.php3
3. Breeding Tiger Barbs - [Online], Available, Accessed on 25 Apr 2008,
http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/breeding/tigerbarbs.php
4. Moss Barbs [Online], Available, Accessed on 25 Apr 2008, http://www.tropicalfishfinder.co.uk/stores_productsinfo.asp?store=6&prod=249

Golden Algae Eater

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Data Sheet		Siamese Algae Eater (a distinct different spieces)
Scientific Name:	Crossocheilus aymonieri
Other Name:	golden algae eater, Chinese algae eater, Indian Algae eater
Family:	Cyprinidae
Origin:	India and Thailand
Adult Size:	Up to 25 cm has been reported
Social:	See Mixing with other fishes.
Tank Level:	bottom, but good jumpers	Chinese Algae Eater can cling to rocks in fast moving waters
Minimum Tank Size:	25 gallons
Diet:	primary algae, but will eat other fish food and smaller fish as it grows bigger
LifeSpan:	8-10 years
Care:	Easy
Ideal pH:	6-7
Temperature:	23 - 28 C,(72-83 F)
Tank setup:	Preferably with logs / caves and other hiding place
Sexing:	Males develop breeding “horns” on their heads.Females get heftier.

Aglae Eaters are excellent glass cleaners when young a siamese algae golden algae eater color is a nice contrast against the plants. a golden algae eater

Description: Golden Algae Eaters tend to have an slender body and a disc-shaped mouth, which enables them to hang to slippery surface in fast moving water. Golden Algae Eaters come in a wide variety of colors, from being golden yellow, and some of them have a notable black stripe from the tip of its "nose" to its tail. The stripe is often broken, and there can be black spotting along the back and at the base of the dorsal and caudal fin. Habitat/Care: Golden Aglae Eaters comes from fast flowing rivers in Thailand and India, so a tank with a small current will suit golden algae eaters just fine. Like most bottom feeders, Golden Aglae Eaters favour places where they can hid, so ensure plenty of caves or hiding places for these fishes. Mixing with other fishes: When small, golden algae eaters make good tank mates with most other fishes, as they feed primary on algae and leaves other fish alone. However, it has been noted that even small golden algea eaters has a tendency to nip at slower moving fishes such as goldfishes, or flat sized fishes such as discus and angel fishes. As such, it is recommended to keep small, fast moving fishes such as danios

Breeding: There are very few articles I could find about getting golden algae eater to spawn, but an article from William Berg shows some success. Below is an extract from his article. To read the full article, please click here. .. When I found the fry their parents had been in the holding tank for about 2-3 months. Before that I had kept them in a 50 gallon tank which was heavily circulated and contained very few plants. Temperature was 25°C/ 77°F. I’ve been wondering if the fact that they were kept in a heavily circulated aquarium and then moved to an aquarium with close to no circulation and warmer water (28°C/ 82°F) may have simulated a natural change in conditions that precedes spawning. The breeding tank was as I said before, heavily planted, and had little or no circulation at all, due to the vegetation. The water was old and clean. I can’t say the exact water conditions as I don’t know exactly when the spawning took place. However the water conditions had been relatively stable and it is reasonably safe to assume that the stated water conditions are correct. The Chinese algae-eaters had been fed a varied diet which consisted mainly of boiled lettuce and broccoli, Hikari sinking algae wafers, and shrimps. They also ate the leftovers from the food I gave the barbs and loaches, which consisted mainly of different frozen foods. The author believes that getting the fish into spawning condition seems to be quite simple if they are fed a good diet.

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Grown near mouth of male algae eater >

Hiding places for Chinese Algea Eater

References Cited:

1. Algea-Eater / Sucking Loaches [Online] Available, Accessed on 12 Apr 2008, http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/algeater.htm
2. The Legend of Chinese Algea eater - where did they get that name, [Online], Available, Accessed on 12 Apr 2008, http://aqualandpetsplus.com/Oddball,%20Chinese%20Algae%20Eater.htm
3. Chinese Algea eater [Online], Available, Accessed on 12 Apr 2008, http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/cyprinids/chinesealgae.php
4. Spawning the Algea Eater [Online], Available, Accessed on 12 Apr 2008, http://fish-tank-talk.com/39/spawning-the-chinese-algae-eater/
5. Chinese Algea Eaters: An Undeserved Reputation? [Online]. Available, Accessed on 12 Apr 2008, http://network.bestfriends.org/friends_of_fish/news/3676.html