Article From SubmitYOURArticle.com: 3 Recommended Freshwater Fish For Your Tank

Three freshwater fish for your tank are described
here; the Lemon Tetra, the Leopard Corydoras and
the Orange Chromide. Discover their behavioral
patterns, colors and any unusual physical
features, temperature and water requirements,
feeding likes and dislikes and optimal breeding
conditions.

Lemon Tetra - Hyphessobrycon pulchripinnis
(Family: Characidae)

Behavior:A very popular fish, well suited to a
community tank, it is best to have say up to six
of them in a small shoal. This fish is a good
swimmer, active, peaceful and hardy.

Water and Tank Conditions:You need plenty of
swimming space for this tetra and a tank
temperature between 22 and 26 degrees centigrade.

Features and Colors:Seldom get to be more than 5
cms. Difficult to see the differences between
male and female. The female is generally the
bigger of the two but you cannot rely on this. As
its name suggests it has a silvery yellow tint
and a noticeable feature is its eye that is red
in the upper part and yellow in the lower part.

Feeding:Not a fussy eater but give it a live meal
now and again to maintain optimum health.

Breeding Conditions:t is very important to select
a compatible pair for mating and it is advisable
to condition the female before breeding. The
breeding tank itself should be thickly planted
and have water with a temperature of 26 degrees
centigrade, a depth of about 15 cms and no gravel
on the bottom.

Many of the eggs laid will not survive because
the parents will eat them! Therefore attempt to
take the fish out following spawning. Low light
conditions are recommended for incubating the
eggs. Feed the hatched fry on the usual infusoria
etc.

Leopard Corydoras - Corydoras julii (Family:
Callichthyidae)

Behavior:They are active fish and well suited to
a community aquarium. They are long lived fish
and are great at scavenging.

Water and Tank Conditions:The usual tropical tank
temperatures range will be fine though it will
survive in a wider range than normal.Provide a
lot of places where it can shelter.

Features and Colors:There is a scattering of
black spots on the upper part of the fish and its
head. These tend to merge forming horizontal
lines along the flanks. The caudal fin also has
spots and the dorsal fin might have a large spot
at the top.

The overall body color is a white gray mixture.
There are a few other species of the Corydoras
genus you might be interested in.

The Corydoras arcuatus, that grows to about 5
cms, the Corydoras nattereri, 6cms and the
Corudoras aenus up to 9 cms. The main colors are
white-mauve, silver-brown-blue and bronze-green
respectively.

Feeding:A large variety of food can be given as
they are not particular.

Breeding Conditions:The female is slightly bigger
than the male and its pelvic fins are shorter and
less pointed. In the aquarium this fish is
difficult to breed. It is recommended that the
female should have up to four breeding male
partners.

Flat stone or slate will be used to lay the eggs
on but be wary of the parents as they may eat
them. Fry will hatch in three or four days and
are easy to bring up.

Orange Chromide - Etroplus maculatus (Family:
Cichlidae)

Behavior:This is a small member of the Cichlidae
family (7.5 cms) and as it is one of the more
peaceful ones it is suitable for your community
tank. Due to its timid nature being in a shoal of
like fish is the best option. Also known as the
Orange cichlid.

Water and Tank Conditions:A tank that is well
planted is needed and a temperature range of 22
to 24 degrees centigrade is adequate.

Features and Colors:It is also known as the
orange cichlid due to the orange color of its
belly and throat. It's back is olive colored and
sides are a light yellow. Its fins are also
yellow apart from the ventral fins that are black.

The anal fins are also edged black. Along the
mid-line of the body are several large spots. And
each scale also has a spot, a red one.

Feeding:Can be fussy at times and refuse to eat
dry food or any type of food on occasions.

Breeding Conditions:Not that easy to breed. Put
the temperature of the breeding tank up by a
couple of degrees centigrade. The pair to be bred
need to be separated and conditioned prior to
placing them in a thickly planted breeding tank.
Placing a plant pot horizontally is a good idea
for the fish to spawn in as well as using the
planted area.

Eggs, dark in color, will be attached to the
underside of leaves or the pot by threads. It is
advised to leave the fish in the breeding tank
for about two weeks after spawning takes place
even thought the fry will have hatched after
several days.

Three freshwater fish for tank conditions have
now been described and give you more options when
deciding what other fish you can add to your
community tank. When you do add more make sure
you have enough capacity for them.

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Paul Curran is webmaster at
Fresh-Water-Aquariums-Guide.com and provides a
care information system for fresh water
aquariums. Get your FREE E-Course on how to set
up and maintain a beautiful aquarium, have the
healthiest, happiest fish around AND learn about
more freshwater fish in your tank at
http://www.fresh-water-aquariums-guide.com/freshwa
ter-fish-for-tank/

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