Fish Care Sheets

Black Spotted Eel

Posted Mon, 02/01/2010 - 1:32pm by nwseed

 Black Spotted Eel

Polka Dot Eel ~ Spotted Spiny Eel
Family: Mastacembelidae 
Mastacembelus dayi
  The Black Spotted Eel may not be brightly colored but it has a beautiful design!
   The Black Spotted Eel is also known as the Polka Dot Eel or Spotted Spiny Eel. As you can see in the photo above it sports an exotic looking color pattern. Smaller specimens have fewer but larger spots. This elegant patterning makes it a beautiful fish, one that is well worth having in your aquarium.
   The Black Spotted Eel has been imported for a long time, and over the past few years many thousands have been shipped from Thailand. Mastacembelus dayi is considered to be very rare by science, but fortunately this is probably not true. Supposedly only 3 specimens have ever been found and these 3 were used to describe the species. This is probably just a case of local fisherman knowing more about the distribution of a fish than the scientists do.
   As with most members of the spiny eel family, the attractiveness of this eel lies in its unusual color pattern and interesting behavior. Although not considered to be true eels, the body shapes of all members of the spiny eel family, Mastacembelidae, are definitely eel-like.
black spotted eel

Black Ghost Knife Care Sheet

Posted Mon, 02/01/2010 - 12:55pm by nwseed

 BLACK GHOST KNIFE

 


One of the most stunning and odd looking fish you can keep.  If you can meet its needs they can live for many years.
 
Common name:

Black Ghost Knife Fish

Distribution

Northern, South America in the Amazon river basin

 black ghost knife

General Body Form:

An elongated, laterally compressed species with a long anal fin that starts at the base of the pectoral fins. The caudal penuncle is also long, and the rounded caudal fin is very small. The small Dorsal fin is filamentous

The body and fins are a jet Black color, the base of the tail fin is marked with two wide vertical bands. There is a white stripe on the back starting at the head and extending about halfway down the body.

American Flag Fish Care Sheet

Posted Mon, 02/01/2010 - 11:49am by nwseed

 AMERICAN-FLAGFISH


american flag fishDescribed by Tutaj as "An American Beauty," this strikingly lovely and peaceful algae eater deserves a better break. Of the hundreds of species of killies kept and propagated by dedicated specialists, very few qualify as a suitable fish for the more casual aquarist. The American-Flagfish, Jordanella floridae is a notable exception. Misunderstood, improperly identified, and frequently described inaccurately in the general aquarium literature, this pupfish deserves a place in many community tanks that it has been denied by an undeserved reputation. While consuming algae like the best Siamese Algae Eater, it is beautiful, rugged and extremely tolerant of varied water conditions. Highly prized in Europe, maybe it's too close to home, here, for proper appreciation. Recently priced at less than $3.00 in local stores, it is a colorful bargain when it matures.
 

Angelfish Care Sheet

Posted Mon, 12/21/2009 - 9:16am by Fish

ANGELFISH

 

Pterophyllum scalare

Common Names: Angelfish

Synonyms: Zeus scalaris

Family: Cichlidae Category: Cichlids

Origin: Amazon River, South America.

Main Ecosystem: Swamp

Salinity: Freshwater

Temperament: Peaceful, males can be territorial.

Diet: Carnivore