Feeding your Tropical Fish

Any type of fish available out there is part of one of the three main types of feeders. This is true for any type of fish, be it coral, anemone or crustacean.

The carnivores. Carnivore fish will have other fish as their main source of food. Carnivores are either scavengers or predators. A predator fish will enjoy hunting their own food, so there is a chance they will not eat what you offer them. In many cases predators will only need to eat once a couple of days. As for scavenger carnivores, they will eat pretty much anything, like what predators leave behind.

The herbivores. These are the fish that will eat algae and marine plants. They will keep moving around, getting any food they find.

The omnivores. The omnivores are a mix between herbivores and carnivores. They will enjoy eating crustaceans, plants, corals, algae and invertebrates.

When you put food inside the aquarium, you should know that some fish will not give much attention to it. If they’re used with ocean life, where they’re not fed, they will not be used to someone giving them food. Most will learn in time to eat the food you give them, but some of them will not.

Omnivores and herbivores are the fish that will adapt to an aquarium faster. Still, fish like the Angels, that are used to find food on the floor of the ocean, will take a bit longer to begin eating what you give them.

How often should a fish be fed? The best would be to give them food only once a day and the quantity of the food should be enough for them to finish it after one minute of eating. It might seem like a small quantity of food, but if they don’t eat it in under a minute, they’re probably not hungry enough.

Golden Dwarf Barb (Barbus Gelius)

Belonging to the Barbus Gelius family, the Golden Dwarf Barb can be found in Assam, Bengal and India. Its size can reach 4cm (1.6 inches) and it should be kept in a 45cm (18 inches) long tank with the water temperature being between 20 and 22 degrees Celsius (68 to 72F). It enjoys eating dried food, insects and crustaceans.

If you’re a beginner, this barb is an excellent fish to own, especially if you don’t have room for a big aquarium.

The waters where the Barb lives are either flowing slowly or standing. This species is a very hardy one and can withstand low temperatures. It can easily be kept in an aquarium, since it’s not demanding at all. However, if you want them to breed, keep the temperature close to 22 degrees Celsius (72F).

You can tell which is the female because it doesn’t have barbells and she’s stouter. This fish is a bit transparent and it has a green/brown back with a white/silver underpart. The sides of this fish have a iridescent gold color with dark blotches. You can also see a red/gold stripe on their body and it has pale green eyes.

The Golden Dwarf Barbs can breed inside aquariums, and their eggs will drop on the plants, adhering to them. It will take one day for the eggs to begin hatching and a few days later the young will begin swimming.

While you don’t need to remove the adults, since they don’t eat their young or eggs, they don’t make good parents either.

Flying Fox (Epalzeorhynchos Kalopterus)

The Flying Fox is a fish that can be found in Borneo and Sumatra, and it belongs to the Epalzeorhynchos Kalopterus family. The length that can be reached by the Flying Fox is 14cm (5.5 inches) and it needs a 60cm (24 inches) long tank to live in, with a soft water and temperatures between 22 and 27 degrees Celsius (72 to 81F). It likes to eat dried food, plant matter, worms, insects and crustaceans. It doesn’t usually breed when kept in aquariums.

It’s a Barb fish and its name is called Flying Fox because it swims through it at high speed. The appearance seems similar to that of a fox. It uses the pectoral fins to balance itself when it’s on the bottom inside the aquarium.

The body of the Flying Fox is a bit compressed and mostly elongated, with its mouth facing down. You will notice that the color of the underparts is white and the back is a mix between olive-green and brown. Under the back of the fish you can see a band, colored yellow-gold.

Right under the band you can see a black stripe, which goes from the caudal fin central rays to the snout. The color of the Flying Fox eye is red.

In most cases, people buy the Flying Fox because it eats algae, and a lot of people think it’s actually a Siamese Algae Eater. While the Fox actually eats algae, its main job isn’t actually to do that, so it shouldn’t be bought for this purpose. As he ages, he actually stops eating this type of food.

Quite a hardy breed, the Flying Fox should be in a tank that has plenty of roots, rocks and dense vegetation. You shouldn’t keep more than one fish of this type together, since they like to fight each other. They prefer having their own territories, formed among tree roots and dead branches.

Dwarf Loach (Botia Sidthimunki)

Botia Sidthimunki is the family that the Dwarf Loach belongs to. Other names for this fish are Pygmy Loach, Chained Loach, Chain Botia and Ladderback Loach and they can be found in Thailand. It’s a small fish, with a maximum length of 3.5cm (1.4 inches), that needs a tank with a length of 30cm (12 inches). The water in it should be soft and the temperature should vary between 25 and 30 degrees Celsius (77 to 86F). The food consumed by the Dwarf Loach is plant matter, dried food, crustaceans, worms and insects.

For a long time, people thought that this species was extinct and not found in the wild, but it was found again in Thailand. Since 1959, this species was mostly bred while in captivity.

You can recognize the fish by its abdomen, which is silver-white and the back, which is brown. The sides have a gold-brown color and you can also see four brands with brown markings on them. The fish has transverse bars which connect these bands together, and the end result is the look of a net. As a young fish, those markings are close to black.

The activity of the Dwarf Loach is good both during the night and the day. Ideally, you should keep three to five fish of this kind together. The tank should have plenty of roots and rocks inside, so that the fish can hide under. The water should be changed at least once a month.

The spines you can see in front of the eyes are another sign of the Dwarf Loach and you can see them rise when they think they’re threatened or excited. Just be careful when moving the fish from a tank to another, because the spines can get caught in the net. If you’re not careful, you can damage the spines or you can hurt yourself in them.

Home aquariums are usually not the best place for the Dwarf Loach to breed in.

Hatchetfish (Gasteropelecus Sternicia)

The Hatchetfish is part of the Gasteropelecus Sternicia family and it’s also known as the Silver Hatchetfish or the Common Hatchetfish. It can be found in South America and it can get to a length of 6.5cm (2.6 inches). The water in the aquarium needs to have between 23 and 30 degrees Celsius and the Hatchetfish likes to eat dried food, crustaceans, insects and worms.

The body of the Hatchetfish is strongly compressed and tall, while the profile is straight dorsal, with a convex abdomen and throat. It’s very easy to spot this fish, since the make-up is a bit peculiar. You can easily imagine this fish as having wings when you take a look at their make-up.

It has a silver color with bits of green and yellow in there. From the tail base to the gills you will see a dark stripe and next to it is a yellow or green stripe.

Quite a hardy species, the Hatchetfish is active, but peaceful, so it can be easily kept by beginners. If you can, get at least 6 of them, as this species enjoys shoaling together.

Your aquarium should have a lid on it, as this species likes to jump in the wild, sometimes for distances of 5 meters (16 feet). They do the same when they’re kept inside an aquarium, hence the purpose of the lid.

Glass Catfish (Kryptopterus Bicirrhis)

The Glass Catfish is a fish that gets to 10cm in length and lives in Java, Thailand, Borneo and Sumatra. The family that it comes from is Kryptopterus Bicirrhis and it’s also known as Ghostfish or Ghost Catfish. The tank where they’re kept should have a length of 45cm (18 inches), with a water temperature of 21 to 26 degrees Celsius (70 to 79F). They enjoy eating dried food, crustaceans, insects and worms.

This species of fish has a very compressed body and doesn’t have any scales. You can even see the internal organs and the backbone clearly. Out of all the species of tropical fish, this one is the most transparent of all.

If you look at the Glass Catfish upper jaw you can see two long barbells. This fish doesn’t have an adipose fin and there is only one ray that composes the dorsal fin. It has a very iridescent body and depending on the light angle, you will see different colors for it.

The fish is a delicate one and likes to swim in the middle and upper layers of the tank. They will move the tail constantly.

The aquarium where it’s kept should have some vegetation inside, so the fish can hide in it, but plenty of open water space for them to swim in. A few of them should be kept together, as it doesn’t do well if it’s alone.

In most cases, this fish will not breed when kept in an aquarium and there aren’t any differences that are noticeable between the female and the male.

Black Tetra (Gymocorymbus Ternetzi)

The Black Tetra belongs to Genus Gymocorymbus Ternetzi. It is also known by the names Black Widow Tetra, Blackamoor, Blackskirt, Butterfly Tetra and Petticoat Tetra. This fish is widely distributed in Mato Grosso area of Rio Paraguay and Rio Negro. It measures 2.4 inch or 6 cm in length. Black Tetras prefer to live in water temperature equivalent to 73 – 79 F or 23 – 26 C.

Black Tetras diet includes small crustaceans, worms, insects and dried food. It prefers soft and slightly acidic water and often lives in middle and upper areas of the aquarium.

The Black Tetra is also an excellent aquarium fish at its young age. Juveniles are usually Black in color but gradually changes to smoky-grey with age. The fish is olive-green in color with a whitish and silvery sheen to its abdomen. Two prominent black bands mark the back of its gills. They usually have short fins, but sometimes long finned variety may also be found.

The male of the breed is usually slimmer than the female who have a much plumper and rounder body. The Black Tetra usually prefers to live in groups of at least five as they often like to shoal together.

The fish is popular with aquarists as they are hardy and tolerant and do not require any special type of treatment. The species breed easily.

When its mating time, the male often is seen swimming around the female with fins spread out, in circles or zig-zag pattern. They lay the eggs randomly among the plants often those with feathery leaves. The adult Black Tetras should be moved at this time as to prevent them from eating the eggs or young ones. The eggs hatch within 24 – 36 hours and are often found swimming 3 – 5 days later.

What Type Of Aquarium Is Right For You?

Many people love to have tropical fish tanks as it is sort of capturing the
beauty of the fishes inside the aquariums. There are different types of fish
that you can get to put in your tank but tropical fish are definitely some of
the most attractive.

The tropical fish are beautiful and bright in color and belong to the cold water
fresh water fish group. There are certain advantages and also disadvantages for
maintaining them. The topical fish tanks create an artistic appeal for your home
and the ecosystems. Maintaining it can be helpful for educational learning
experience. Through this one can learn about the biology of the fish and the
ecosystem where the fish persists. Fish can be easily be left if you’re going on
a short trip.

Some of the disadvantages of the tropical fishes include that they can die
quickly if there is difficulty with the tropical fish tank. But tropical fish do not
require much more care than a plant so in that case water should be replaced with
clean water from time to time. In order to keep a tropical fish tank you must do your research to be
certain you keep the tank as clean as it should be in order to maintain the health
of the fish.

Tropical Fish Supplies

If you are looking for tropical fish tanks, there are many things you may want to consider.  You most likely have a good idea of your budget and the type of fish you want, but you may not have considered some of the items below:

Tropical Fresh Water Fish Supplies-

Go to a local supplier, and discuss what would be needed for the setup you require (This is partly based on the fish you want to keep). Get prices for everything you’ll need including various tropical fish tanks.

Evaluate your budget against space constraints-

You may want to take into consideration how much spacey you have. Can you get a tank large enough for the fish you want to keep that will still fit in the space available?

If the setup is too expensive, or the space to small, look at your fish selection again. Is there any specific fish that is causing a problem? These are some things you need to consider when looking for tropical fish tanks.

Buy the equipment-

Once you’ve sorted out your budget, space and fish selection, it’s a good idea to go ahead and purchase the tank. You need to wait to get the fish though.

Set up your tank-

Once you have all the equipment, you can start setting it up. If this is the first time you can expect it to take some time because it can take a while to get everything up and running.

You need to let it set for a few days once you get it running, so keep this in mind!

Select starter fish-

You should select a few fish that are smaller in size before you start investing in much larger fish.  It’s very important that you know what you’re getting into before you start spending a lot of money.

Cycle the fish tank-

Once you get everything set up, it’s very important to keep a watch on it and cycle the tropical fish tank.

Maintain the fish tank-

Feed and observe the fish every day, Check the filter regularly, change 10-15% of your water weekly (and scrub for algae at the same time).  This is key to keeping your tank in great shape