Jelly Bean Tetra
March 13th, 2012 — 1:19pm
This species is sometimes referred to as ‘Sierra Leone dwarf characin’ and is the only member of its genus which can be distinguished from other alestids by lacking dorsal scales anterior to the adipose-fin insertion.
The family Alestidae is the most spe…
Comment » | Category: Characiformes, Tetras
Long-finned Tetra
March 13th, 2012 — 1:19pm
Not imported all that often, this species seems to ship quite poorly. Once acclimatised, it usually proves quite hardy. A big shoal of adults can look stunning in the right setting.
Comment » | Category: Characiformes, Tetras
African Red-eyed Tetra
March 13th, 2012 — 1:19pm
Endemic to Nigeria, where it occurs in the Ogun and lower Niger river systems. Despite its popularity in the aquarium hobby it’s relatively scarce in the wild and is known from less than 10 localities, all lying in an area where deforestation and pollution are uncontrolled and continue to occur extensively.
Comment » | Category: Characiformes, Tetras
Yellow-tailed Congo Tetra
March 13th, 2012 — 1:19pm
This species is also traded as ‘yellow-finned’, ‘yellowtail’ or ‘blue Congo’ tetra and is occasionally bred on a commercial basis, although not on a scale comparable to its better-known relative Phenacogrammus interruptus.
No recent key to the genus exists but based on Géry (1977) and images in Mbimbi Mayi Munene and Stiassny (2012) it can be told apart from congeners by a combination of: extended median caudal-fin rays in adult males; absence of prominent dar…
5 comments » | Category: Characiformes, Tetras
Cardinal Tetra
March 13th, 2012 — 1:18pm
It was initially going to be described as Hyphessobrycon cardinalis by Myers and Weitzman (1956) but just before this was due to be published Schultz presented an alternative description in the hobbyist magazine ‘Tropical Fish Hobbyist’ and named the fish after the publication’s founder, Dr. Herbert R. Axelrod.
A significant proportion of the fish available in the aquarium trade are still wild caught or derive from community-led breeding projects such as Project Piaba in the middle Negro region, where this sp…
11 comments » | Category: Characiformes, Tetras
Neon Tetra
March 13th, 2012 — 1:18pm
One of the most popular and instantly recognisable fishes in the aquarium hobby, this species has been selectively-bred to produce a number of additional strains including albino, ‘golden’ (leucistic), short-bodied, long-finned and ‘diamond’ (in which the dorsal surface is covered in reflective scales).
Unfortunately years of commercial breeding have somewhat affected the genetic vigour of the ornamental strain meaning morphological defects an…
2 comments » | Category: Characiformes, Tetras
White Piranha
March 13th, 2012 — 1:18pm
A number of sources state that S. brandtii can be identified by the relatively anterior position of the anal-fin origin beneath the first few dorsal-fin rays. However, images of specimens collected from the rio São Francisco, where it is the only member of the genus present, suggest that this is not always the case and this is also supported by the figure from Eigenmann (1915). No recent diagnosis of the species is available.
Comment » | Category: Characiformes, Piranhas & Pacus
Piraya
March 13th, 2012 — 1:18pm
Following Fink (1993), P. piraya can be distinguished from congeners by the following combination of characters: adipose fin with rays in larger specimens (vs. always without rays in other Pygocentrus species); branched dorsal-fin rays 15-18, usually 16 (vs. 14-18, usually 15); usually 7 neural spines anterior to first pterygiophore (vs. usually 6); vertebrae 36-39, usually 38 (vs. 35-38, usually 36). It can also be identified by colour pattern since it possesses distinctive bright yellow-orange pigmentation on the lower jaw, opercle and lateral body in life.
Comment » | Category: Characiformes, Piranhas & Pacus
Red Bellied Piranha
March 13th, 2012 — 1:18pm
Famed as a rapacious predator capable of rapidly stripping flesh from bone and a danger to any animal entering its native waters, P. nattereri is among the most notorious freshwater fishes in the world. As a result, displays featuring this “bloodthirsty” creature are found in most public aquaria, grisly Hollywood movies have been released, and the species has become popular in the aquarium trade. Little of this infamy is based on factual evidence, however.
5 comments » | Category: Characiformes, Piranhas & Pacus
Goulding's Piranha
March 13th, 2012 — 1:18pm
This species occasionally appears in the ornamental trade where it is sometimes referred to as ‘blue tiger piranha’
Following Fink and Macaht can be distinguished from other members of the genus by the following combination of characters: body shape deep and rhomboid; head robust, snout blunt; eye large; mouth moderate, jaw projecting; 1-3 ontogeneticlly var…
Comment » | Category: Characiformes, Piranhas & Pacus
Product reviewers wanted
Hello! Very much interested in writing for you, please include me in the info. Thank you for the opportunity!
6th Sep 2020
Product reviewers wanted
I would be interested in reviewing products. Before retiring I was a technical writer and managed a Quality Management Program.
30th Aug 2020
Product reviewers wanted
I'm interested and can write reviews from the perspective of someone new to the hobby. I'm only 3-4 months in, but hopefully I can help someone that's...
23rd Aug 2020
Product reviewers wanted
I’m interested in doing this if there is still availability, it sounds like fun! Thanks
19th Aug 2020
Barbodes semifasciolatus – Golden Barb* (Barbus sachsii, Puntius schuberti)
I simply had a question (please forgive if this is not allowed, I read the FAQ but I was not sure). I was wondering if there is any evidence of offsp...
12th Aug 2020