Great Pet Advice

The wels catfish (Silurus glanis) is a scaleless fresh-water catfish recognizable by its broad, flat head and wide mouth. The mouth contains lines of numerous small teeth, two long barbels on the upper jaw and four shorter barbels on the lower jaw. It has a long anal fin that extends to the caudal fin, and a small sharp dorsal fin positioned relatively far forward. It uses its sharp pectoral fins to capture prey: with these fins, it creates an eddy to disorient its victim, which it then simply engulfs in its enormous throat. It has very slippery green-brown skin. Its belly is pale yellow or white. Wels catfish live at least thirty years and have very good hearing. read full article…

The wallago (Wallago attu) is a species of catfish in the family Siluridae, or “sheatfishes”. Found in large rivers and lakes, it can reach 2.4 m (8 feet) total length. This south Asian fish is found from Pakistan to Vietnam and Indonesia, and is also reported from Afghanistan. read full article…

The walking catfish (Clarias batrachus), also known as the magur or pla duk dam, is a species of airbreathing catfish with the ability to “walk” out of the water and across land. Its “walk” is more like a sort of wriggling motion with snakelike movements, as well as using its pectoral fins as “legs”. This fish normally lives in slow-moving and often stagnant waters in ponds, swamps, streams and rivers (Mekong and Chao Phraya basins), flooded rice paddies or temporary pools which may dry up. When this happens, its “walking” skill comes in handy for moving to other sources of water. read full article…

The veiltail goldfish, Carassius auratus, is an interesting development of the fantail. It has the body shape of a fantail but has extremely long fins, that are very attractive. Like all fancy goldfish should not be kept in ponds, and keeping them with other fish can be complicated by aggressive fish damaging the fins. They will not tolerate temperatures lower than 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Care must be taken with aquarium decor as the fins of this fish are very long and may get trapped under rocks or ornaments. Plastic plants can also cause problems for the Veiltail, and the similar Fantail (goldfish). They are not excellent swimmers but can be kept with all other fancy varieties of goldfish, as they are still quite hardy. They come in many different colors, including orange, black, chocolate and calico. read full article…

The variable platyfish (Xiphophorus variatus) is a species of freshwater fish in family Poecilidae of order Cyprinodontiformes. A live-bearer, it is native to southern Tamaulipas and northern Veracruz states in northeastern Mexico. read full article…

Variabilichromis is a monotypic genus of fish in the family Cichlidae which occurs in Lake Tanganyika, of the rift lakes in Eastern Africa. The single species, Variabilichromis moorii is a small ovate bodied fish named for an early collector of fish from the lake, J. Moore. Juveniles are lighter in coloration. V. moorii is an omnivore, but primarily feeds on invertebrates. Its distribution is limited to the southern half of Lake Tanganyika. read full article…

Uaru is a small genus of cichlids with only two species. read full article…

Tropheus Moorii is a species of African Cichlids found in Lake Tanganyika. There are over 40 different morphs of this species disbursed throughout the lake. The fish comes in many colors and patterns ranging from dark green to flame red and yellow. They are found in many rock formations in shallow water eating algae which comprises most of their diet. Tropheus are mouthbrooders they fertilize, carry eggs and babysit young fry in the mouth of the female. They are usually found in groups with males being extremely territorial and breeding with many females in the group. read full article…

General
Tropheus is a small genus of six species cichlid fish endemic to Lake Tanganyika in east Africa. Like all species from Lake Tanganyika their natural habitat is in hard, alkaline water. They typically occur in shallow, fast-moving water with numerous rocky outcroppings and boulders, a habitat similar to many of the the mbuna of Lake Malawi. All species are algal grazers and have underslung mouths adapted to rasping algae and microinvertebrates from submerged rocks. Males and females are relatively similar and do display obvious sexual dimorphism. All species are maternly mouthbrood their eggs and fry. The genus is popular with aquarium hobbyists. read full article…

Trimmatom nanus is a species of marine fish in family Gobiidae of Perciformes. It is the type species of its genus. One of the fishes called dwarf gobies, it is native to the Chagos Archipelago and the Maldives in the western Indian Ocean. read full article…