Freshwater Species
Tropical Species Articles:
Angelfish (P. Scalare). If the babies are left with the parents they usually won't spawn again until the babies are removed from their tank.
The Bala Shark - Balantiocheilus melanopterus. Is this fish a good tank mate for your Oscars?
Breeding Guppy Fish Guppies are livebearers, which means that every 30 days or so, the female will drop a litter of babies that are fully formed miniatures of their parents. In a community tank with other types of fish or in a tank with many adult guppies, the babies stand an excellent chance of becoming a snack for the adult fish.
Breeding Kuhli Loach The most disturbing aspect of my breeding adventures is that I have absolutely no idea what triggers the spawning activity. I know that it is possible to stimulate spawning with pituitary hormones, but I don't use them.
Bronze Corydora Corydoras aeneus should be kept in groups of six or more with other community tank fishes, such as small characins, livebearers and rasboras.
Catfish. There is nothing like an exotic catfish to add beauty to your aquarium. This article provides a list of a few South American catfishes that will make a good match for your Oscars.
Clown Loach is an active schooling fish that is best kept in small groups (three to six fish). It will tolerate tankmates of other species, although docile species may become agitated by the constant activity of this fish.
Glass catfish are relatively difficult to keep, but if their basic conditions are met they make an interesting addition to a community tank — or alone in a single species tank.
Guppy Fish A minimum aquarium of 20 gallons with lots of plants such as Java Fern and Java Moss is recommended, these hardy plants can handle hard water conditions, which are ideal for guppies.
Hatchetfish are egg scatterers that do not tend their eggs or fry and so a separate spawning/fry tank is needed. Spawning occurs between pairs. However, in most species breeding is very difficult to achieve.
Killifish Most killifish prefer slightly lower temperatures than other tropical fish; it is not a good idea to mix them with tropical tankmates which demand warmer water as increasing the tank temperature can short the Killifish lifespan.
Kuhli Loach The kuhli loach will live for several years in an aquarium in which it is the only fish of its kind, but it seldom comes out in the open and cannot be enjoyed for its comical actions.
Orange Finned Loach Like many of the botias, the orange finned or also call red-tail botia has switchblade-like eye spines that can cause problems when trying to net them. It is better to capture them in some type of container instead.
Paradise Fish Paradise fish can be kept with other paradise fish as juveniles, as well as with other similar-size community tankmates with the same temperature requirements. However, as they mature, males will engage in fierce battles, so only one male should be kept per aquarium.
Silver Dollar. Another compatible species for your Oscar aquarium, the silver dollar (Mylossoma pluriventre) is a peaceful, schooling fish that can be kept in groups of three to six ...
Zebra Danios are active but peaceful schooling fish. They will not damage plants so are quite suited to planted aquariums. In community tanks, avoid mixing them with species that are too aggressive.
Gourami Articles:
Blue Gourami are one of the names given to the extremely popular Three Spot Gourami. Several subspecies exist, including the Cosby hybrid, Gold, and Silver varieties. Although traditionally silvery blue in color, their colors can change considerably with their moods, as well as during spawning, when they acquire a much deeper blue hue.
Breeding Blue Gourami Both sexes display a much deeper blue color during breeding periods. Because the male can be rather aggressive during spawning, the aquarium habitat should provide ample places for the female to take refuge. Failure to do so can result in injury to the female.
Kissing gouramis are a peaceful species that should be housed with fishes of similar size and temperament. Males will occasionally fight by "pressing" their mouths together — hence the common name.
Pearl Gourami Accustomed to heavy vegetation in their natural habitat, they will thrive if given similar conditions in the aquarium.
Red Dwarf Gourami are well suited to smaller aquariums, as well as community aquariums due to their peaceful nature. They should not be kept with very large or aggressive fish. Provide plenty of vegetation, including floating plants that cover part of the surface of the water.
Breeding Dwarf Gourami Lowering the water level to 6-8 inches and raising the water temperature to 28-30 C will trigger spawning. Vegetation is essential, as males build their bubble nest using plant material, which it binds together with bubbles.
Tetra Articles:
Breeding Tetra Tetras are egg scatterers that do not tend their eggs or fry and so a separate spawning/fry tank is needed. Spawning occurs usually between pairs, although some species spawn in schools.
Bleeding Heart Tetra is a hardy, peaceful, schooling species that should be kept in groups of six or more. It does extremely well when kept with other peaceful fishes, such as Megalamphodus, Corydoras and Nannostomus species.
Cardinal Tetra Millions of cardinals are caught wild and exported from Brazil every year.
Neon Tetra was the first wild-caught fish that really set the tropical fish hobby into a dither, and contributed much to establishing the "tropical" fish hobby.