Betta Fish

The Betta fish is probably the second most popular fish kept, after Goldfish. The Betta Splendens is a favorite because of its beauty, its long fins and because they are relatively easy to care for. The males sport deep beautiful colors whereas the females are less colorful.

It is called the Siamese Fighting Fish because of its behavior towards other males of the same species. You cannot keep two or more males in the same tank. If more than one male betta fish are placed in the same tank, they will fight until only one of them remains. They will flare out their gill covers and erect their fins showing the other fish their fighting posture.

There are ways to see this behaviour without introducing another male. One way is to use a small hand mirror and place it up against the tank glass so that the male betta may see his reflection. He will mistake his reflection as another male and the betta fighting posture should then be displayed.

You can get small betta tanks that come with dividers which will allow you to keep two bettas in the same tank. Many keep them in small bowls and they may live for a while in these small bowls. However, to get the most beautiful colors and optimal health for your fish, they will do better in a 10 gallon or larger tank with a heater that can maintain a constant temperature in the aquarium.

 If you plan on keeping yours in a small tank, please read the small tank setup page for ideas on equipment needed. Also check out the Betta Tank Setup article written by COBC for the magazine that lists the equipment needed to keep a betta.

Scientific Name : Betta splendens

Common Names : Siamese Fighting Fish

Betta Splendens Care Level : Easy, excellent fish that is good for freshwater beginners and can be just as hardy as goldfish.

Size : 2.5 inches (6 cm)

pH : 6 - 7.5

Temperature : 70°F - 85°F (21°C - 29°C)

Water Hardness : 5° to 20° dH,

Life span : 2 - 3 years, possibly longer

Origin / Habitat : Thailand

Temperament / Behavior : Peaceful if given the right tank mates. They will become aggressive with other Bettas. They may also become aggressive towards other tropical fish with large fins such as guppies, angelfish and others.

Breeding Bettas / Mating / Reproduction : Can be difficult since the male will fight the female if not introduced at the right time. For more information please read the breeding bettas and general info or this one Breeding the Betta.

Betta Tank Size : Can be kept in small tanks as small as 2 gallons but they do best in larger tanks.

Compatible Tank Mates : Not many because of their temperament. Tropical fish with regular size fins may do well, but avoid tropical fish with larger fins like guppies or angelfish.

Betta Fish Disease : Freshwater Fish Disease - Diagnose, Symptoms and Treatment

Diet / Fish Food : Carnivore primarily, but will take flakes, freeze dried and live foods. Blood worms and brine shrimp can be used as well as foods made specifically for bettas.

Tank Region : Top

Gender : The male has much more color and bigger fins than the female.

The Clown Fish

The clownfish is a type of fish that lives in salt water habitats. It is also called an Anemonefish. Clownfish are typically very bright, orange fish that have three white stripes, one at the head, middle and tail. If you look really closely, you may notice that there are thin black lines around the white stripes. Also, the tips of their fins have a thin black rounded stripe.

Clownfish can grow to be from 2 to 5 inches long. The males tend to be significantly smaller than the females. However, there are various types of clownfish that range in colours from blue to yellow.

Clownfish live in a "symbiotic" relationship with certain anemones. This means they benefit from living with the sea anemone, and the sea anemone benefits from the presence of the clownfish. They are the only fish that are able to live in sea anemones and not get stung by their tentacles. Clownfish are very active fish and are extremely aggressive. Because they are quite active, the clownfish are thought to be "clowning around". They defend their territory and the sea anemone that they live in. Clownfish eat the leftovers from fish on the anemone and algae. The leftovers include copepods, isopods and zooplankton. 

Clownfish have a few ocean predators, but their greatest threat is humans. People who catch clownfish and keep them as pets in aquariums are making a mistake. There are only ten out of more than one thousand types of anemone that are able to host these fish. Many people put the fish in a tank with the wrong anemone. In captivity, the clownfish can live from 3 to 5 years. In the wild, they live 6 to 10 years.

Clownfish live at the bottom of the sea in sheltered reefs or in shallow lagoons, usually in pairs. Clownfish have a special relationship with the anemone and are very important to them. They are a large help to the anemone as they clean the anemone by eating the algae and other food leftovers on them. They also protect the sea anemones by chasing away polyp-eating fish, such as the butterfly fish.

The map below shows where in the world clownfish can be found. They live in the warmer waters of the Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean. They are also found in northwest Australia, southeast Asia, Japan and the Indo-Malaysian region. There are no clownfish in the Caribbean. 

The spawning season of the clownfish, a time when they breed, is year round in tropical waters. Males attract the females by courting. Courting behaviours include chasing, biting and extending fins. Clownfish lay their eggs in batches on coral, rock or next to the sea anemone that they call home. The male clownfish will build a nest on the rock or coral near the anemone in order to be provided with protection from predators. Breeding starts by the male chasing the female to the nest where the eggs are released. One hundred to one thousand eggs are laid. The male clownfish guards and protects the eggs until they hatch. They hatch within 4 to 5 days.

In a group of clownfish, there is a strict hierarchy of dominance. The largest and most aggressive female is found at the top. Only two clownfish, a male and a female, in a group reproduce through external fertilization. The clownfish are hermaphrodites, meaning that they develop into males first, and when they mature, they become females. Also, as mentioned earlier, more than one clownfish is able to live in a sea anemone. If the female clownfish is removed from the group, such as by death, one of the largest and most dominant males would become a female. The rest of the remaining males will move up a rank on the hierarchy.

Summary

• Scientific Name: Amphiprion percula
• Classification: 

Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata
Class	Actinopterygii
Order	Perciformes
Family	Pomacentridae
Genus	Amphiprion
Species	Amphiprion percula

• Clownfish are small, brightly coloured fish that live in shallow lagoons or sheltered reefs.
• They are found in the warmer waters of the Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean. They are also found in northwest Australia, southeast Asia, Japan and the Indo-Malaysian region.
• Clownfish have a symbiotic relationship with sea anemone.
• They can only live in ten out of more than one thousand species of sea anemone.
• Clownfish have a mucus covering that protects them from the sting of the sea anemone's tentacles. This mucus prevents them from being harmed, and allows clownfish to live in sea anemone.
• The diet of the clownfish consists of copepods, algae, isopods and zooplankton.
• Clownfish are hermaphrodites (they develop as males first and mature as breeding females).

Angel Fish

Angel Fish (Pterophyllum scalare) is a popular tropical freshwater aquarium fish, and they are considered to be one of the most beautiful kind of tropical freshwater aquarium fishes. They also have a strong personality and it is a pleasure to care for them. They like to attract attention when somebody is nearby, or at feeding time. They are one of the first fish which were brought from America and they are very popular. They were brought to Europe around 1820 and in 1930 Angel Fish were bred in captivity in the United States for the first time. Because of the mentioned advantages and extraordinary look, Angelfish are highly demanded and are for sale in almost every pet shop.

They have a quite round and flat body, but their dorsal and ventral fins are long, each is almost as long as the body is. They can grow up to 15 cm vertically. There are many freshwater variants such as:

1) Golden - a light shade of yellow.
2) Silver - silver bodies and black vertical markings. They can be dark, light, solid, or broken.
3) Koi - red-white with patches of black or gold markings. Young fish can have red markings under the eye.
4) Smoky - a shade of silver on one half, and a dark grey or ebony on the other half.
5) Pearly Gold - a dazzling shade of gold.
6) Black - solid ebony.
7) Black Lace - black, but sporting wide light to dark stripes.
8) Zebra - a black body with white stripes.
9) Marble - marble-like swirls of silver and black on their bodies, black markings on their fins and some have golden patterns on their heads.
10) Blushing - a shade of white, and golden markings on their heads. Young fish can have a red marking under the eye.
11) Blue Blushing - grey in colour, outlines in black. Young fish can have a red marking under the eye. Amazing on this variety is their ability to become darker or lighter according to how they feel.
12) Veiltail - very elongated fins and they can be in many colour variants. 

Habitat

In nature Angel Fish live in the Amazon River in South America. They can be found in bulrushes where they can find shelter. They grow and live in big crowds but this fact doesn’t mean, that they can’t swim free. Because of their flat body they have no problems if they are squeezed close to each other. They come out from the bulrushes when they want to play. But when there is any sign of an enemy, they swim back into the rushes. There they are well protected, because it is like they are behind a fence, so the enemy can’t get through to them. 

Diseases

Some diseases which attack Angel Fish are:

• Exophthalmia or Pop-Eye. The symptoms are: bloody spots, tumors, body sores, black spots, loss of fins. Causes are: not enough cleaning fish wastes, infection by some parasites, bacterial infections. Another cause is worm cataracts, when the eye becomes cloudy.
• Ichthyophthirius or Ich - white spot disease. It is caused by parasites.
• Hunger Strike; lost of appetite.