African Tooth Carp (Aphyosemion)

The Genus Aphyosemion African Tooth Carp is the most favorite Carp Species because they are some of the most beautiful fish in the tank.
One main recommendation from the fish breeders is that you use female carps and not males because the males can’t stand to be near other males fish. They become highly aggressive and they fight. They also like glass tanks, rather than other material.

And when a Genus Aphyosemion dies, he dies quickly and it is recommended they have their own aquarium. During the dying ritual, so to speak, the fish will hide, mostly in the corners of the aquarium and fold the fins.

Other tank suggestions include adding a lot of plants into the aquarium. The Genus Aphyosemion African Tooth Carp likes a shady environment with many plants that float. They also like slightly acid water or a bit hard. Some carps need an alkaline environment when they breed. This is why, in the mating season, is recommended to add a teaspoon of table salt to a gallon of water. Some breeders suggest covering the bottom of the tank with some purified overcooked peat.

Like it was said before, this species does not live long and it is recommended to have private aquariums and also to separate the fish in categories.
There are 3 categories: midlevel breeders, surface breeders, and the bottom breeders.

The midlevel breeders love smooth leaf plants because the eggs like to stick to them. The surface breeders should have some floating plants to stick their eggs to them and the bottom breeders should have some peat, on the bottom area of the aquarium.

Use nylon mops to preserve fry, by inserting them into the tank to preserve fry. Keep in mind that any carp species eats their own children. After the eggs have been laid, it is safer to remove the parent to another tank.

During breeding, it is good to keep the water temperature to 25 degrees Fahrenheit, unless the fish are in peaty waters. If they are in peaty waters, the temperature must be around 65 degrees Fahrenheit. During breeding, raise the temperature to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Also, if you want the fish to breed, don’t dry the peaty because the fish will die. Also, when you refresh the tank water, shake the peat just a little.

Be careful and make sure the peat at the bottom of the tank is sterilized. The bottom breeders also need floating plants. Sometimes it is easier to remove the bottom spawners and put them in a smaller tank. Don’t forget to remove the parent fish from the tank because the water needs to be siphoned. When you do the siphoning, avoid the eggs and peat area. Do the siphoning with a small tube. Before the breeding starts and during it, the water temperature should be at 70 degrees Fahrenheit. After the eggs are laid, keep it like that for two weeks more. When all is done, change back the temperature to 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Also, when you do the egg transfer, adjust the temperature to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. After that, you can break the peat up into lumps.

This fish species is not recommended for first timers. Avoid it if you never had an aquarium before. Other types of Carp are easier to take care of.

Choose the Brachydanio Rerio or Zebra Danio. They come from Eastern regions of India and are less demanding than the Carp. They look like a small cylinder and the colors are very attractive. Some of the colors are: silver, gold, blue, and black. The Rerio is quite smart, enjoys a peaceful tank environment, and is less demanding about food. It will eat most foods. Also, they don’t need special water conditions.

But if you are a beginner and you got this species, there are many starters’ kits on the market that will help you with good and practical advices.

Breeding Traps for Live Bearing Fish

Breeding traps are plastic containers. There are three types: the rod trap, the “V” bottom, and the combination nursery and breeding trap. They are all designed to hang inside an aquarium and receive heat from it. They are also perforated to allow water circulation. Very little actual circulation takes place, however, unless it is helped along by dipping breeding trap. The excess will, of course, run out through the perforations. Usually a breeding trap is set in the rear of the aquarium where its inhabitant will not be disturbed.

The rod trap is a square box about 8 inches long by 4 inches wide by 4 inches high. The bottom consists of glass or plastic rods set a little apart from each other. The pregnant female is confined in this type trap with a few sprays of plants for hiding herself. This is important, because in a bare trap there is more of a tendency for her to thrash around. When the young are born, they drop through the bottom and are protected from the possible cannibalism of their mother. Of course there should be no fishes in the aquarium into which the babies drop. The rod trap that is longer (up to 18 inches), is also used for breeding certain egg-laying fishes, such as Zebras (Brachydanio rerio) and White Clouds (Tanichthys albonubes), which lay non-adhesive eggs.

The “V” bottom trap is shaped so that the bottom comes to a long V. The sides are perforated. Babies, when born, drop out through the slit. This type is also provided with a plastic rod or strip which can be used to close the bottom and prevent the babies escaping. This is used when there are fishes in the larger aquarium which might at the babies. Of course they are still in danger of being eaten by the mother, but putting some hiding plants in the trap will help save at least some of them.

Do not overdo the hiding plants, however; leave room for the mother.

The combination breeding and nursery trap is a square box with a “V” insert in it. When born the babies drop through the opening in the bottom of the breeding trap and are confined in the lower portion of the trap. After delivery, the mother and the insert are removed, giving the young ones a nursery to swim around in. As might be expected, this type is somewhat more expensive.

Since all of these breeding traps are comparatively small, it is inadvisable to keep large females in them. They will suffer from the confinement. And of course never keep two females in the one trap. Cover breeding traps, because even baby fishes can jump.

A trap is not so satisfactory a method of raising babies as a separate nursery tank is. It is, however, of great value to the person who cannot keep more than one tank and still wants the thrill of breeding his own fishes. A breeding trap may also be used in conjunction with a baby tank. Obviously you cannot keep an adult gravid female with the babies while she is awaiting delivery. A breeding trap is placed in the baby tank and her babies join the others as they are born.

Whether in a trap or a tank, babies must be fed. To accomplish this, use special baby foods. Feed small amounts, but feed frequently. Do not give the little stomachs a chance to get empty. Do not make the meals too big, as the excess will spoil before the babies have had time to eat it.

Tiger Barb (Barbus Tetrazona)

The Tiger Barb fish is native to Sumatra and Borneo and it’s also known as the Sumatran Barb. This fresh water fishes original habitat would have been a tropical area where the water temperature was fairly high, and they would be located in fairly shallow water of either medium to fast moving streams, or swampy lakes.

Puntius tetrazona is the scientific name of this fish and it can reach a length of 6cm (2.4 inches). It belongs to the Cyprinidae (minnow) family.

This is a very widely kept fresh water fish species and rates at about the 10th most popular ornamental fish species.

The water temperature in the aquarium should vary between 20 and 25C (68 to 77F). The water should be either medium-hard or soft. They can be fed plant matter, crustaceans, worms and dried food. They need a good balance of meat and vegetable matter. A quality flake food is a good start but this should be supplemented with foods such as bloodworms and zucchini.

A fish that is colorful and quite good looking, the Tiger Barb’s base color is orange. There are four stripes, colored black, vertical on his body.

This fish is great for a beginner, as long as your aquarium is big enough. You should keep a minimum of 5 fish of the same type in the tank, because they enjoy shoaling. If there aren’t enough of them, they might become aggressive with other species you might keep in the tank. In such cases, they will nibble on the fins of those fish, especially when they have fins that are long and trailing.

You shouldn’t keep Guppies or Angelfish in the same aquarium with Tiger Barbs. You can think of these fish as the bad boys of the aquarium as they do tend to be fin nippers and are often aggressive towards more timid fish. Ideally you should keep no less than 5 fish from the barb species, because smaller shoals will be more likely to show this territorial behavior and attack their neighbors. In fact the larger the group the better, as this will encourage them to leave the gentler fish alone.

Tiger barbs should ideally be kept in a tank with a pH between 6 and 8, and a dH of 5-19.

Breeding the Tiger Barbs is possible. They reach sexual maturity when they are around 2 to 3 centimeters at the young age of about 8 weeks. The female is larger than the male and has a plumper belly, she also has a black dorsal fin. You should let them choose their pair on their own, and once they do that, move the fish to another aquarium, where they can leave the eggs. Once the eggs are laid, take the adults out of the tank and get them back inside the community aquarium. If they are left with the eggs, they will eat them.

This species will also enjoy shoaling with Golden and Green Barbs, so you can create aquariums with plenty of variety in them. You should place enough vegetation on the aquarium edges while leaving enough room for them to swim. Pieces of wood, rocks, and plenty of plants will be appreciated. The length of the aquarium should be at least 60cm (24 inches).