TROPICAL FISH MANAGEMENT

Michelle Rutz-Mendicino

Tank Components

• Water tight glass tank

• Lamp/Light

• Canopy

• Heater

• Filter (under-gravel, over-tank, canister)

• Gravel

• Air Source

• Plants/Wood/Accessories

The Nitrogen Cycle

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Starting the Nitrogen Cycle

• Option 1– Using fish food (maybe not the best idea…)

• Option 2– Raw fish or raw shrimp

• Option 3– 100% Ammonia drops

• Option 4– Use gravel or filters from an established tank

Speeding up the Nitrogen Cycle

• Helpful tips:– Increase the temperature to 80-82˚F– Get some beneficial bacterial colonies

• Gravel

• Used filter media

– Products to introduce beneficial bacteria• Bio-Spira

• Tetra Safe Start

Fish Disease• Parasitic

– Ich

• Bacterial– Streptococcus iniae– Edwardsiella spp.– Aeromonas spp.– Mycobacterium spp.

• Viral• Fungal

– Saprolegnia

Fish Disease

TOOTHED CARP

Livebearersguppies, mollies, platys,

swordtails

family: Poeciliidae

Male Guppy

Poecilia reticulata - many-colored netlike

guppy - up to 2 1/2 inches

male

female

Guppies (male)

Poecilia latipinna &Poecilia sphenopsmollies - 4 inches

black mollie (male)

black lyretail (male)

gold mollies

Xiphophorous maculatus (platy or moonfish) - 2

1/2 inches &

Xiphophorous variatus (varigated platy or

variatus platy - 3 inches

platy (male) platy (female)

sunset platy

Xiphophorus helleri

velvet swordtail (female)

AKA green swordtail

male

LABYRINTH FISH

families: Anabantidae, Belontidae, Helostomatidae, Osphronemidae

betta, gourami

Betta splendens

betta, Siamese fighting fish

3 inches

wild caught male

female

bettas

Colisa lalia (6-8 inches)

dwarf gouramired gourami

Pearl gourami

Opaline gourami

Trichogaster trichopterus

Blue or three spot

gourami

CICHLIDS

South and Central American

Angelfish - cross of Pterophllum scalare and P. eimekei

Silver angelfish

up to 20 inches

Black angelfish

Gold marble angelfish

DiscusFamily: CichlidaeSpecies:

- Symphysodon aequifasciatus

- Symphysodon discus

soft water, 80-84 º F

average lifespan - 10 years

average size - up to 12 inches

Leopard discus

Discus

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Blue_Discus.jpg

Jack DempseyCichlasoma octofasciatum

soft water, 72-77 º Faverage size - up to 8 inches

Firemouth CichlidThorichthys meeki

soft water, 72-77 º Faverage size - up to 6 inches

Convict CichlidAmatitlania nigrofasciata

soft water, 72-77 º Faverage size - up to 4.5 inches

Long Finned Oscar

Astronotus ocellatussoft water, 72-77 º F

average size - up to 18 inches

Tiger Oscars

CICHLIDS

African

Lakes Tanganyika, Victoria and Malawi

CHARACINS

Schooling fish

Tetras, HatchetfishLeporinus, Silver dollars

Neon tetrasBlack skirt

tetras

Green neon tetras

Black neon tetras

Cardinal tetras

Black phantom tetras

Rummy nosed tetras

Bloodfin tetras

Lemon tetras

Silvertip tetras

Bleeding heart tetras

Flame tetras

Mexican tetras

Marble hatchet

Related to Tetra (order Chalciformes)

Carnegiella strigata, 1 1/2 inches

5.5 - 7.5 pH, 5-18 dH, 72-82 F

Silver Hachetfish

Gasteropelecus levis

Common Hachetfish

Gasteropelecus sternicla

CATFISH

Egg layers, bottom dwellers

BRONZE CATFISH

Corydoras aeneus

Up to 2 inches, pH 5.8-7.0, hardness 2-30 dH, temp 72-79

BANDIT CATFISH

Corydoras metae

Up to 2 inches, pH 6.5-7.0, hardness 4-5 dH, temp 72-79

PLECOSTOMUS CATFISH

family: Loricariidae& Callichthyidae

armored, mailed, & plated catfish

ROUND GOBY

Neogobius melanostomus4-10 inches; Great Lakes

LOACHES

Egg layers, bottom dwellers

Clown LoachChromobotia macracanthusupto 12 inches Sumatra & Borneo

75-86 F

Dojo (Weather) Loach

Misgurnus anguillcaudatusUp to 10 inches, SE Asia

50 - 77 F

KILLIFISH

Toothed carpegg layers

Cyprinodontidae

Devil’s Hole Pupfish

Aphyosemion arnoldi

Aphyosemion australe

Aphyosemion australe

Aphyosemion arnoldi

Aphyosemion bivittatum ekondo

Aphyosemion bivittatum biafra

Aphyosemion cognatum

Aphyosemion liberien

Rivulus amphoreus

Rivulus magdelenae

Rivulus xiphideus

Danio rerio

Zebra Fish• Minnow family• Native from Pakistan to Myanmar• Important aquarium fish and and

vertebrate model organism