The ‘beacons’ or ‘head and tail lights’ are so named simply because the eye and top of the tail root reflect a bright orange, and look as if they’re jewels worn for some unique occasion. The body colouring is a pale greenish-brown, with an indistinct brown line running the length of the body. The males have a faint white mark in the centre of the anal fin. Breeding is by the standard technique at a temperature of 76°F.

For Gharacins they’re fairly simple to breed and are a great species for the new breeder.

This fish is one of the largest Hemigrammus in the aquarium world, growing to a length of approximately three inch.

It is debatable if this fish should be included in the community tank simply because it has a tendency to nip the fins of other fish.

H. caudovittatus has a silvery body, and red fins. Regrettably, after reaching a length of 2 inch, the colouring becomes less brilliant and consequently the fish loses some of its attractiveness.

This species is simple to spawn. The tank should be fairly big, say 12 to 15 gallons. The male chases the female into the plant thickets, where she drops semi-adhesive eggs. Temperature for breeding should be in the region of 73° F.

The females are the much more aggressive, occasionally chasing and even killing the male. This isn’t so during the actual spawning, nevertheless.

Usually, it is also simple to feed and fairly hardy enjoying a wide temperature range of 60°- 80° F.

The black widow is occasionally confused in name with the merry widow, even though in appearance they’re decidedly dissimilar.

The black widow is a smart fish, its dark colouring offers an outstanding contrast to lighter coloured fish. The big anal fin is fan-shaped and black in hue. This colour suffuses the entire of the rear portion of the body up to and including the dorsal fin. Two or 3 vertical lines of black are also visible on the remainder of the body. The caudal fin is so translucent that it is occasionally challenging to see. Black widows up to about 1.125 inch long have the deepest colouring, but as they grow over this length the markings turn out to be paler until they’re truly a dark shade of grey. The average length of a fully grown fish is 2.5 inch.

Sexing is greatest ascertained by selecting the1 females when they’re obviously filled with spawn. They breed according to the standard description for egg-layers.

This is an old tropical favourite fish. It is not seen now so a lot, most likely simply because it requires lots of space.

It is not a especially colourful fish. Its main attraction is the silvery mirror-like high quality of the flat body which reflects subtle tints as it flashes about the aquarium. The only markings it can boast are two black spots, one behind the gill cover and also the other at the tail root. The fins have a yellowish tint.

The silver tetra, when fully grown, attains a length of approximately three inch, and it is very active. Whilst this feature doesn’t exclude it from the community tank, it is not advisable to put it in with fish that would be disturbed by such activity. This fish feeds well on both dried and live foods and is fairly happy in fairly low temperatures between 65° to 70°F.

When in breeding condition, the anal fin of the female becomes suffused with red. An additional sex indication is the body size-mature females are generally slightly larger and deeper in body than the males.

Breeding isn’t challenging if the fish are in condition along with a big tank, say 30 inch, is utilized. Water should be at a depth of 10 inch and at a temperature of 75° to 80 °F.

The addition of a glass partition between the pair will enable the aquarist to watch for signs of the breeding urge. The partition can then be removed. Last thing at night is the very best time to do this. The eggs, generally about 200, adhere to the plants and hatch in two days.

Even though not a especially glamorous fish, C. guttata has the benefit that it is simple to breed and to raise the fry, so it is a great species for the novice to try his hand at breeding.

Body colour is grey-brown with a bluish sheen and also the belly is very pale, nearly white. The body is marked with red spots which form longitudinal rows, and also the fins are yellow tinted. The edges of the anal, ventral, and caudal fins are orange to red.

Generally fish confined in an aquarium art* smaller than those discovered in the wild, but with C. guttata the opposite is true. Aquarium specimens will grow to about 4 inch, occasionally larger, whilst those from natural waters rarely exceed three inch.

An aquarium about 12 inch x 12 inch x 24 inch is perfect for breeding, it should not be smaller. The pair of fish form a depression in the sand into which the eggs are deposited and fertilised. The male then assumes guardianship by driving the female away and fanning the eggs. The numbers of eggs are prodigious; any number up to a thousand might be deposited during one spawning, and these should hatch in 48 hours at a temperature of 75° F. The female should be removed instantly after spawning, and also the male as soon as the young fish are totally free swimming.

These are hardy fish that have a wide temperature tolerance from 60° to 90°F and flourish well at the usual average aquarium temperature of 75°F.

The threadlike fish is the most unusual fish, unusual if only for its peculiar breeding habits.

Even though not an outstanding fish with regard to colour, it has a rather nice body shape, and attractive fins. The main body colouring is an olive-brown, with darker markings on the scale edges and around the mouth. Both ventral and anal fins are a suffused red, and also the exact same colour is also present on the lower fork of the caudal fin. The dorsal fin differs according to the sex; in the female it shows a red spot, but in the male there is a white spot contrasted by a dark spot instantly in front of it. Even though this species is a member of the Gharacin family, there’s no adipose fin.

Nature has supplied numerous ingenious methods for the protection of her creatures when in the early stages of their existence. Copeina arnoldi is an example of the extremes to which a creature will go to make certain a measure of protection for safeguarding its offspring.

When he has discovered a suitable plant above the actual water surface, the male drives the female towards it, then they lock, or partially lock, their fins together and leap out of the water on to the plant leaf, where the eggs are deposited.

For aquarium breeding, put the pair offish into a tank about 24 inch x 12 inch x 12 inch. The water should be about 8-inch deep, and have a pH of 7 or slightly less. The temperature should be between 75° and 80°F. A piece of roughened glass or slate will substitute for the plant. Place this to ensure that it projects above the water level, the rough surface will permit the eggs to adhere.

Cover the aquarium with a sheet of glass. The absence of a suitable sloping piece of material rising out of the water might result in the fish trying to deposit their eggs on the glass cover, from which they’ll fall back into the aquarium and turn out to be lost.

If the fish are in condition, the act of spawning will take place as described above, the fish jumping about 2 inch out of the water. They adhere to the slate or glass for a couple of seconds during which from six to twelve eggs are laid and fertilised. The fish then fall back into the water. This operation is repeated until approximately 100 eggs are deposited. It is then advisable to remove the female.

The male will tend the eggs, keeping them moist by splashing them periodically with water. This he does by swimming under the eggs and splashing with his tail, causing the water to spurt upwards. When not really performing this operation, the male likes to hide; as a result it’ll be essential to offer a plant thicket at one end of the aquarium. When the eggs hatch, generally in about 3 days, the fry drop into the water. Remove the male.

It is as well to feed the adult fish on live foods like daphnia, chopped earthworm, and insect larvae to get them in breeding condition.