BUCKTOOTH TETRA

The bucktooth tetra (Exodon paradoxus) is an interesting and unique addition to the home aquarium, but it brings along various challenges that must be met for its successful keeping. Most of these difficulties revolve around its nasty behavior in captivity. In fact, some aquarists may argue that, ounce for ounce, E. paradoxus is one of the most aggressive fish available in the hobby.

Bucktooth Tetra (Exodon paradoxus) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Characteristics

The bucktooth tetra is native to the Amazon River Basin and Guyana areas. When one hears the name, it brings about images of large, protruding teeth, but in reality, the appearance of E. paradoxus is not that extreme. A casual examination of the mouth reveals that E. paradoxus has serrated lips but not the pronounced dentition that one might associate with a name like bucktooth tetra.

Though this may initially seem disappointing to hobbyists looking for a fish with large, visible teeth, E. paradoxus has tremendously powerful jaws for its size, and its teeth are more pronounced and well developed in comparison to that of various community tetras.

The color scheme of E. paradoxus is beautiful: a bright, metallic-silver base accompanied by yellow fins with orange and red tips. Throughout the body are casts of yellow, red, and green. There are also two large black spots, one near the middle of the body and the other at the base of the tail. When maintained under optimum water quality and good lighting, the metallic sheen of the body often reflects blue and purple iridescence.

In the wild, E. paradoxus is a shoaling species with carnivorous tendencies. Insects, small fish, shrimp, and other forms of meaty fare make up the bulk of its diet, but the bucktooth tetra is also a well-known lepidophage (scale eater). This specialized form of feeding creates a problem for aquarists, making almost any fish kept with E. paradoxus at risk for injury.

Keeping the Bucktooth Tetra

E. paradoxus offered for sale at most aquatics stores usually measure 2 to 3 inches long, but they are capable of growing to around 6 inches. It is a slow-growing species, but for every inch that the fish puts on in length, a substantial amount of bulk and body mass is acquired. The bucktooth tetra spends most of its time midwater, but all levels of the aquarium are explored when food is added to the tank or the activity of another inhabitant catches its attention.

Being an extremely active fish, adult specimens must be kept in aquariums that are both long and wide. The minimum size would be a standard 55-gallon aquarium, but, as always, the bigger the better. E. paradoxus is highly adaptable to a wide range of water parameters, but extremes should be avoided. An ideal pH range would be roughly 6.2 to 7.4. Large, frequent water changes are enjoyed, and the bucktooth tetra often becomes even more active after routine maintenance.

The bucktooth tetra is not a picky eater in captivity and will accept various foods, such as brine shrimp, mysid shrimp, bloodworms, chopped earthworms, beef heart, cut fish fillet, as well as flake and pellet foods to balance out nutrition. I have a few spare tanks in which I breed feeder guppies and gutload them with veggie flakes before offering them to my various smaller predatory species.

My E. paradoxus are remarkably precise and efficient predators, often snatching guppies at the water surface extremely quickly. The only way I can tell that they are actually catching the guppies is from the small lumps in their stomachs. When any type of food hits the water, it sparks a feeding frenzy unparalleled by most other aquarium species.

Tank decor can include pieces of driftwood, rocks, slate, pots, and artificial caves. Driftwood with a root-system-like appearance makes for striking scenery, as a school of E. paradoxus will endlessly zip in and out of the root-like structures throughout the day. Although bucktooth tetras spend most of their time out in the open, hiding places are utilized to take an occasional break from their seemingly endless activity.

E. paradoxus show their colors best when maintained with a dark substrate and live plants accompanied by a dark background. Suitable plants include broad-leaved species such as Amazon swords and Java fern, as well as various grass-like plants such as Vallisneria species.

Floating plants are also appreciated by E. paradoxus for providing shaded areas and creating a more realistic environment. To find out more, you can check out Buck Tooth Tetra.

By Jon T Cole Hi, I'm a traveler, fishes fanatic, reader and teacher. I hope to share my fishes experiences with you through my articles. If you like my articles, do share with your friends. I thank you for that first. Article Source: EzineArticles

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Fact Sheet: PENGUIN TETRA - Thayeria boehlkei and T. obliqua

The Penguin Tetra is actually two related species, Thayeria boehlkei and Thayeria obliqua. The easily seen differences between these species are quite small. Both species have a tendency to swim in a tail down position, but this is more pronounced in Thayeria obliqua. Thayeria obliqua has a shorter black line than Thayeria boehlkei, and Thayeria obliqua grows a little bigger although these are both small fish.

Penguin Tetra (Thayeria boehlkei) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The species most often available in aquarium shops is Thayeria boehlkei. Some people prefer to keep the name Penguin Tetra for Thayeria obliqua and call Thayeria boehlkei the False Penguin Tetra. There are several other common names for this fish, some of them, like Penguinfish, Penguin Fish, etc are also based on its perceived resemblance to a penguin, while others like Short Striped Thayeria do not. In Australia, it is often sold as a Hockey Stick Tetra. Certainly the shape of the prominent black line is reminiscent of the shape of a hockey stick.

Thayeria boehlkei grows to about one and a half inches (4cm) long while Thayeria obliqua can get a little bit bigger. They come from the Amazon River and its tributaries in Brazil and Peru, preferring slow moving stretches with a lot of plants.

Water conditions

The Penguin Tetra is actually two related species, Thayeria boehlkei and Thayeria obliqua. The easily seen differences between these species are quite small. is a tropical fish. 24 degrees C (75 degrees F) is a suitable temperature to set your thermostat. The water they are used to in the wild is soft and acid, but in captivity they will adjust to neutral pH and some hardness. The penguin Tetra does better in clean water and care needs to be taken with the water quality. They are sensitive to Ammonia, Nitrite and excessive concentrations of Nitrate.

Food

Like many tetras, the Penguin Tetra is an easily fed omnivore. It will eat all normal aquarium foods, but will enjoy some live food like mosquito larvae and Daphnia. Frozen foods, including frozen blood worms are also appreciated.

Companions

The Penguin Tetra is a peaceful schooling fish. I suggest a minimum of four, and preferably more be kept together. They can be kept with most small, reasonable peaceful fish, including: Red Eye Tetras, Neon Tetras, Cardinal Tetras, Silvertip Tetras, Gold Barbs, Cherry Barbs, Pristella Tetras, Rummy Nose Tetras, Harlequin Rasboras, Scissortail Rasboras, Lemon Tetras, Emperor Tetras, Head and Tail Light Tetras, Glass Bloodfin Tetras, Swordtails, Platies, Mollies, Zebra Danios, Glowlight Tetras, White Cloud Mountain Minnows, Black Widow Tetras, Rosy Barbs, Tiger Barbs, Paraguay Tetras, Buenos Aires Tetras and Colombian Tetras, as well as the Corydoras catfish like the Peppered Catfish.

A school of Penguin Tetras can usually even be kept with slow long finned fish like Siamese Fighting Fish, Guppies and Endlers Guppies.

Sexing

There is not much difference between the sexes of the Penguin Tetra, but when in breeding condition, the females get a rounder belly.

Breeding

Thayeria boehlkei is the Penguin Tetra most likely to be available in shops and this fish is reasonably easy to breed. I suggest a water level lowered to about 6 inches (15cm) acidic and very soft water with a temperature of about 27 degrees C (81 degrees F). There should be fine leaved, bushy plants in the breeding tank.

The Penguin Tetra is a prolific breeder in the sense of producing a lot of eggs. A female of this little fish with a very well rounded belly can produce as many as 3000 eggs. These are very small. The male produces a large amount of sperm to try to fertilize all these eggs, and this can contribute to fouling the water. Partial water changes are recommended to maintain the high quality of water that the fry need. The addition of an aquarium fungicide is recommended to help protect the eggs from fungus early on. The eggs should hatch in as little as 12-18 hours. The babies are very small, and need protozoa (infusoria) at first.

Pest Fish

Although the Penguin Tetra is a delight in an aquarium, as with all pets, do not allow them to get into ecosystems they are not native to. Aquarist are frequently blamed for this, and there is no doubt that there are cases of accidental, or deliberate, release of fish by aquarists, but my own research suggests that the worst culprits for this historically have been governments and their departments.

By Steve Challis Steve Challis has many other fish fact sheets and other articles on http://www.bettatrading.com.au. Article Source: EzineArticles

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GLOW LIGHT TETRA - A Lovely and Peaceful Member of Your Community Tank

Brings live to your community tanks

Many freshwater fish-keepers have a warm spot in their heart for a little fish with a big name, the 1 ½-inch hemigrammus erythrozonus... or mush easier to say, the glowlight tetra. Like its little cousin, the neon tetra, the glowlight is an easy fish to keep in a community tank. In fact, many neon keepers, tired of battling neon disease, move towards the glowlight tetra.

Tetra Hemigrammus erythrozonus, Glowlight tetra (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The glowlight tetra is pastel peach in color with a horizontal red-gold stripe that spans the length of its body. Originating in Guyana, South America, the glowlight does well in a fresh water tank of slightly acid but peat-softened water that is kept between 74F and 82F. Glowlight tetras generally occupy the bottom third of the tank, except for feeding time when they will swim to the top.

The male glowlight tetra is more slender bodied than his mate, although it may be difficult to tell them apart until the female is full of eggs. 

Glowlight tetras are easier to breed than many other tetras like the neon and the cardinal tetra. However, providing them with a soft water environment is a critical factor for breeding. In fact, when breeding glowlight tetras, it may help to erect a special breeding tank. After your females have laid their eggs, you will need to remove adult fish from the tank until the fry hatch since glowlights have been known to eat their own eggs. Glowlights scatter their eggs among fine-leaved live plants. Clean, fresh water and live foods can encourage breeding. However, when changing water, be careful that you don't remove so much that it causes your tank to recycle.

Like many tetras, the glowlight tetra is a schooling fish and prefers to swim in the company of at least seven of its peers. Another common characteristic of many tetras is sensitivity to bright light. Lighting in a glowlight tetra aquarium should be filtered. This is easily achieved with aquarium plants. Artificial plants will suffice (unless you intend to breed your fish), but the glowlight tetra finds that real plants are a delicacy along with its usual fare of tropical flake food, tubifex worms, and brine shrimp.

By Linda Jenkinson Linda is author of Tetra Fish and Cichilds sections on http://www.aquarium-guides.com Article Source: EzineArticles

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Interesting Facts About SILVER DOLLAR FISH

If you have a community fish tank or are interested in having one, the silver dollar fish is the perfect fish to fit in with the others. Ideally, having four or five of these fish will keep them quite happy as they like to socialize with one another. Although they are a relative of the piranha, this type of fish is entirely friendly.

Silver Dollar (Metynnis argenteus). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A lot of space is needed for silver dollar fish so if you were thinking of having a school of them, you would need a tank no smaller than a 50-gallon. If your silver dollar fish was silver dollar size when you bought him, you might be surprised when he grows to his adult five to six inches. He will look extra large too because these fish are as wide as they are tall.

The silver dollar fish is an herbivore, meaning they eat plants. Keep that in mind should you have any live plants in your aquarium. They won't be there long after the arrival of your fish. They eat fish flakes, but if you want to keep these fish really healthy you need to vary their diets with lettuce and other live foods.

In the wild, the silver dollar fish lives in tropical waters, all around South America, and especially in the Amazon River Basin. In the tank, they prefer to have soft water that has a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. If they are in a tank with lots of other fish, they will live in the middle area. They need a nitrate level below 50 ppm. You will need to measure the nitrate level regularly. In lieu of live plants the nitrate level can be aided by letting a little algae grow in the corners of the tank.

With silver dollar fish, especially a school of them, you will want to be sure to keep the cover on your tank. They will leap out of the tank should they get scared of something. You also need to make hiding places for them with lots of rocks and driftwood. When you first get the fish, don't be surprised if they hide a lot. Once they get used to the new environment and know that you are the person with the food, they will get a lot friendlier.

Silver dollar fish will breed in the home aquarium if the conditions are right. They like the temperature of the water to be between 81 and 90 degrees. It only takes around four days for the eggs to hatch and within a week the little guys will be swimming around. You will know they are ready to mate when the female gets two black sports near her side gills and the red on the fins turns black.

Silver dollar fish are one of the most popular aquarium fish. They are very active in the tank and are fun to watch.

By Jenny Styles To read about pruning cherry trees, silver dollar plant and other information, visit the Gardening Central site. Article Source: EzineArticles

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NANNOSTOMUS Fish Care and Aquariums

How to care for Nannostomus species 

If you are considering tanks and fish, care is sure to learn more about the types of fish on the market. Having an overall ideal as to the type of fish can help you handle fish care and aquariums with less after. Keep in mind that aquariums today are equipped with electronic devices, switches, controls, etc, which enable you to use the components to maintain your aquarium. Still you will need a test kit, and a few other items to keep up your aquarium. In addition, fish are all different, yet some species are similar in comparison. Again knowing the species can help you maintain your aquarium as well, since some fish prefer hard water, soft water, acidy water, alkalinity water, and so on. To help you relate to fish and to work toward maintaining your tank, we can review a few types of fish.

Nannostomus eques (Steindachner, 1876) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Nannostomus include the Eques, Marginatus, Unifasciatus, Trifasciatus, and the Beckfordi species. Nannostomus Eques originated from the Amazons. The fish are commonly referred to as Nannobrycon Eque, or Poecilobrycon. The Tube Mouth fish as he is commonly named grows at a size of 2 inches. The species are sometimes called the Brown-Tailed Pencilfish, or simply Pencilfish. This fish has a stretched out snout and swims in the tank at an angle. Nannostomus are peaceful fish, which tend to prefer the same water conditions. The water should be set between 78 degrees and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. The male fish tend to be slimmer than the Nannostomus female. In addition, the fish spawn on broadleaf plants. Check out the Ludwigia plants and the Hygrophila.

Nannostomus Marginatus is commonly known as the Dwarf Pencilfish. This fish comes from the western areas of Guiana. The fish is of the smaller breed in that they usually grow one, ¼ inches in size. Still, this stocky breed has some pretty colors that make him appear big. The fish has black stripes, which red colors sprinkle over his fins.

Nannostomus Margin is a peaceful fish, and a bit introverted. Due to his introverted nature and peaceful side, it is best to keep the Marginatus in tanks where smaller fish dwell. The Nannostomus Marginatus feed and expect water conditions in the same way that the Nannostomus Anomalus expect. Nannostomus Marginatus female fish tend to present a lighter color than that of her male counterpart. This fish is ideal for breeding.

Nannostomus Unifasciatus is commonly known as the Tail-eyed Pencilfish. As well, the Nannostomus Unifasciatus is sometimes called the One-Line Pencilfish. This specie comes from the Amazon and Guiana. Nannostomus Unifasciatus grow around 2 inches in size. This specie in particular is one of the most colorful breeds on the market. The fish has a lower lobe, which is brilliantly decorated with colorful spots. The fins enlarge.

Nannostomus Unifasciatus has a friendly nature and is suitable for communal tanks. The fish feed and expect water conditions comparable to the Nannostomus specimens. To date this fish is not a choice of breeding angle, since studies are inconclusive. Yet, if you purchase the fish, you may monitor its behaviors on your own to learn more.

The Nannostomus Beckfordi is popularly known as the Beckford’s Pencilfish, or the Golden Pencilfish. The fish matures at 1 ¾ inches in size and comes from Guiana and the Amazon Basin. This breed is peaceful in nature, which makes him subject to communal tanks. The hardy specie however has a fragile appearance. Still, he can hang his hat in communal waters without a problem.

This article is from my e-book "Aquarium Fish Care Tactics"

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