This is a truly interesting fish. It comes from the Amazon Basin, and grows to a length of approximately 3.5 inch. I have never had one fairly so big, most likely simply because the accommodation essential to encourage growth isn’t usually accessible.

The fish swims in the usual horizontal position, but assumes an oblique position when at rest, the head being higher than the tail.

The body colouring is silver, graduating into an olive on the back. A decisive black line runs from behind the gill covers along the centre of the body and into the lower fork of the tail. This line is edged by a thin iridescent stripe.

It breeds in the standard manner in an average temperature of 73° F. The eggs hatch in about two days. The tiny fry need microscopic live foods, initially. Green water is a great initial food.

The spotted piranha can hardly be described as a fish for the average aquarist. It is a ferocious blood-thirsty cannibal that should be housed in a big aquarium of its own. Having taken care of the accommodation, it should still be handled carefully, little specimens will give a finger fairly a nip and larger ones can really remove a piece of flesh.

In their natural waters, the piranha shoals are justly feared. It only requirements the taste of blood to set the shoal into a mad frenzy of attack. So fierce is the attack, and many the shoal, that it is said that they can decrease fairly big animals to a skeleton within minutes. The piranha is well equipped with razor-sharp, wedge-shaped teeth that cut into flesh quick and cleanly.

Spotted piranh is one of the two species accessible to the aquarist. It has a silvery body with, a grey-green sheen, sprinkled with numerous dark spots. The anal and caudal fins are dark.

The other species S. spilopleura has a dark greyish-brown body peppered with silver spots, along with a dark band via the eye to the gill cover.

Neither of these species has been bred in captivity.

The Pristella riddlei was initial imported into Europe in 1924 and this quick-moving exotic fish has been extremely regarded by aquarists ever since. The females are about l.75 inch long when fully grown, and also the males are slightly smaller.

The ground colour of the body is silvery-grey with a soft brownish sheen, and it is almost transparent. Other characteristic markings are a dark spot just behind the gill covers, black and white patches on the dorsal and anal fins, and slightly lighter patches on the ventral fins. The base of the dorsal is lemon yellow, and ends in a white point. The streamlined forked tail has a reddish tint.

Sexes could be decided as for H. flammeus. A further indication is the dark area seen in the transparent belly. In the male this area is rather pointed, whilst in the female it is much more rounded.

It is essential to have a well matched pair, if effective breeding would be to be obtained. Breeding is much more or less standard, but courtship is slightly various. Spawning generally takes place in the early hours of the morning. They press together and swim in a circular motion to the surface, where the eggs are dropped over the plants. In two or 3 hours, about two to 3 hundred eggs are deposited. Instantly after spawning the parents should be removed.

The eggs hatch within two days. The fry are visible, looking like tiny glass splinters on the plants, and also the sides and bottom of the tank. Early feeding should be with pond infusoria, as the home-cultured is a lot too large for their mouths. They could be nursed via the initial ten days on this feed, and then they’re large sufficient to take micro-worms.

This fish is usually a slow swimmer and it adopts an attitude of approximately 45°, with tail down, when swimming and at rest. The body colour is brown-grey, which changes to a golden brown along the back. It is marked with a light brownish stripe from the mouth to the upper lobe of the tail. A second stripe merges with the initial at the base of the tail.

A a lot darker and wider stripe runs from the mouth, via the bottom half of the eye, and ends in the lower lobe of the tail, where it spreads to colour the whole area. A yellow stripe borders this broad stripe on top and extends from the upper jaw, via the eye and well into the upper lobe of the tail. The anal fin is brown and is marked with a red spot adjacent to the body. In the males the anal fin is convex; in females it is straight. The average length of adults is 2 inch.

The pencil fish is fairly hardy and peaceful. It is, nevertheless, not a very simple species to spawn, so far attempts to spawn them in aquaria have not been very effective, even though it is believed that they’ll spawn on the underside of Sagittaria leaves at a temperature of 82°F.

The number of eggs will probably be about 40, scattered singly among the leaves and they’ll hatch in about two days. Soft and slightly acid water is essential.

The parents have a tendency to guard the eggs and should preferably be removed instantly the spawning is complete.

Africa invariably suggests tropical animals big and little but it is surprising how few fish for the aquarium really come from there. One of these, nevertheless, is the African tetra. The body of this fish, unlike most Characins, is much more rounded. The upper portion of the body is a brownish-red, golden on the sides, merging into pale yellow to white on the lower body and also the under parts.

The dark lateral marking has a gold line above it which tends to turn out to be coppery as it approaches the tail. This coppery colour extends into the top half of the caudal fin, spreading out into a reddish suffusion. The lower half is also suffused with red but isn’t as bright as the top. The fore edge of the dorsal fin is black, and there’s occasionally red present in this fin also. The scales are clearly defined as they’re generally finely edged with black.

The African tetra is decidedly an attractive fish, fairly peaceful, hardy and simple to feed. It’ll thrive on dried foods, but live foods should be included in the diet.

Mature females attain a length of approximately three inch; the males are slightly smaller, about 2.5 inch.

Breeding is reasonably simple to induce; the temperature should be raised to between 78° and 82° F.

The breeding aquarium should be spacious and planted with fine-leafed plants. Eggs hatch in about two days. After 3 to four days they should be fed fine live foods.

Nannostomus trifasciatus is a fish which is ideally suited to live in an aquarium. It is pretty, peaceful, hardy and grows to an perfect size, averaging about 1.75 inches long.

A black line extends from the lower lip to the tail root, and also the belly below this line is white with a very thin broken line following the lower body contour. Above the thick line, a wide golden stripe runs down the body with a thin black line about it. Adult fish have all fins, except pectorals, marked with a red spot. Red spots are also present in the golden stripe of the male. The adiposa fin is usually present but might be lacking.

Spawning isn’t too simple, but it has been accomplished. Riccia along with a few submerged plants should be placed in the breeding tank. The eggs are adhesive, and hatch in two to 3 days at a temperature of 75°F. The fry turn out to be adults in seven months.

Parents are unlikely to eat the eggs unless they’re hungry, but remove them just to be certain.