PART:II; SEM:4 SEC 1: AQUARIUM FISH KEEPING LECTURE NOTES BY AS

BIOLOGY OF AQUARIUM FISHES

· GOLD FISH
1. SYSTEMATIC POSITION :-
Kingdom:- Animalia
Phylum :- Chordata
Class :- Actinopterygii
Order :- Cyproniformes
Family:- Cyprinidae
Genus :- Carassius
Species :- auratus

2. COMMON CHARACTERS:

v Morphological Characters :-
1. The Gold fish has a fairly self explanatory name :"gold" describing it's colour and 'fish'
describing it's species.
2. They have two sets of paired fins and three sets of single fins.
3. They don't have barbels (Some fish have that act like taste buds).
4. No scales present in the head region.
5. Tooth absent.
6. They have the colour changing ability by varying the spectrum of light.
7. They produce pigment in response to light. The cells called Chromatophores which
produce pigment that reflects light and give colouration.
8. Their colour depends upon the pigment's type, number, grouping and scattering pattern.
9. Gold fish can grow up to a maximum 4.5 kg weight.
10. Length of the fish is maximum 48 CM.
11. They have the life span of more than 20 years (Most house hold fish live generally less
than six to eight years due to sub optimal living conditions).
v Physiological characters :-
1. They consume huge amounts of oxygen
2. They lack stomach, only possess intestinal tract.
3. They cannot digest an excess protein ,unlike most tropical fish
4. They cannot tolerate a rapid changes in temperature (Sudden rapid change of temperature
could kill them). The optimal temperature ranges for indoor fish is 20 -24 degree Celsius.
5. They produce a large amount of waste in both their faces and gills and releasing harmful
chemicals into water like most other carps.
v Feeding characteristics :-
1. They are omnivorous.
2. Like most fish, Gold fish are opportunistic feeders.
3. Gold fish has a lower protein and higher carbohydrate content than conventional fish
feed.
4. Feed is sold in two consistencies - Flakes and pellets.
5. Supplement food include shelled peas, green leaves, vegetables.
6. The live foods are Daphnia, Brine shirmp and blood warms.
7. They also like to eat plants.
v Breeding characteristics :-
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1. If kept well, they may breed indoors.

2. Breeding usually happens after a significant change in temperature often in spring.
3. Males chase females, around, bumping and mudging them in order to prompt the females
to release their eggs which the males then fertilise.
4. Gold fish lay eggs. They produce adhesive eggs that attach to aquatic vegetation.
5. Eggs are hatched within 48-72 hours, fry looking most likely adult come out in 1 week
and within a year the mature gold fish is produced.

3. SEXUAL DIMORPHISM :- REFER PPT.

· GUPPY FISH
1. SYSTEMATIC POSITION :- Family :-Poecilidae
Genus:- Poecilia
Species :-reticulata

2. COMMON CHARACTERS:
« Structural and physiological characteristics
1. They live in fresh and brackish water.
2. Maximum attainable size for them is 2.5 inches.
3. Suitable pH of the water must be within 7.0 to 8.5.
4. Suitable temperature must be within 18-20° C.
5. They cannot tolerate the sudden changes in temperature.
6. They are kept with lots of plants and swimming Space in aquarium.
7. They can't be kept with the aggressive fishes in the aquarium.
« Reproductive Characteristics :-
1. They are highly prolific live bearers.
2. The gestation period Guppy is 21-30 days.
3. The gestation period varies with water temperature.
4. From the moment of birth each fry is fully capable of swimming, eating and avoiding
danger.
5. After giving birth the female is ready for conception again within an hour.
6. Guppies have ability to restore sperm, so the females can give birth many times after only
one mating with male.
7. After the female guppy is inseminated, a dark area near the anus, known as gravid spot,
will enlarge and darken.
8. The older mature guppies will eat the younger fry.
9. Young fry roughly take one or two months to reach the maturity.
« Feeding characteristics :-
1. In aquarium they are usually fed with ground flake feeds, baby brine shrimps etc.
2. Babies will eat the uneaten foods from the adults.
3. They also nibble on algae.

3. SEXUAL DIMORPHISM :- REFER PPT.

PART:II; SEM:4 SEC 1: AQUARIUM FISH KEEPING LECTURE NOTES BY AS

· MOLLY FISH
1. SYSTEMATIC POSITION :- Subclass:-Cyprinodontiformes
Family:-Poeciliidae
Genus:-Poecilia
Species :-lapipinna, sphenops , etc.
2. COMMON CHARACTERS:

« Structural characteristics :-
1. The body of the Molly is essentially oblong.
2. The head is small and dorsally flattened, with a small, upturned mouth.
3. The caudal peduncle is broad and caudal fin is large ,rounded and sometimes tipped with
black.
4. The pelvic fins originated at a point anterior to the dorsal fin.
5. The dorsal fins are the most distinctive character. Those of the sailfin Molly have less
than 15 fin rays, where as Yucatan Molly has 18-19.
6. The light of the dorsal fin, measured at the posterior ridge, is a bit less than the height of
the tail.
7. The body is generally light grey although breeding males may greenish blue.
8. Several rows of spots occur along the sides, back and dorsal fin. Often these spots blend
together forming stripes.
« Physiological characteristics :-
1. Preferable pH of the water ranges between 7 to 7.5.
2. Preferable temperature is 70-80°F.
3. They live in fresh and brackish water.
4. They are Kept in the aquarium at a place where it receives a lot sunlight. It should be
large well lighted and thickly planted.
« Reproductive Characteristics :-
1. Fertilisation internal and is accomplished by means of highly modified anal fin of male
known as gonopodium.
2. Sailfin mollies produce broods of 10-140 live young.
3. Depending upon maturity and size, the females may store sperm long after the demise of
their relatively short -lived mates.
4. The gestation period for this species is approximately 3-4 weeks, depending upon
temperature.
5. A single female may give birth on multiple occasions through out the year.
6. Adult populations tend to be largely formed of females.
« Feeding Characteristics :-
1. It exhibits omnivorous food habit.
2. They also prefer vegetarian foods.
« Breeding Characteristics :-
1. They are live bearers.
2. There is no parental care exhibited by them.

3. SEXUAL DIMORPHISM :- REFER PPT.

ANEMONEFISH/CLOWN FISH

1. SYSTEMATIC POSITION :- Family - Pomacentridae

Subfamily - Amphiprioninae
Genus - Amphiprion
Species – akindynos
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2. COMMON CHARACTERS:
1. Anemone fish is small, brightly marine ornamental fish living among the tentacles
anemone.
2. It is also called clown fish as it is veryactiv 'clowning ' around sea anemone.
3. It is brightly coloured with three white around the body.
4. It is small in size - 2 to 5 inches.
5. It is a warm water fish living in coral reefs. It is aggressive.
6. It leads a symbiotic life with sea anemone.
7. The mucous coat of clown fish protects it from the sting ofsea anemone.
8. It is omnivorous.
9. Most clownfish feature a solid orange color on their bodies with three white stripes one at
the head, middle and tail -- that are banded by black outline.

3. SEXUAL DIMORPHISM :- REFER PPT.

ANGEL FISH

1. SYSTEMATIC POSITION :- Family–Cichlidae

Genus – Pterophyllum
Species – scalare

2. COMMON CHARACTERS:
1. Angel fish is an ornamentalfish.
2. Pterophyllum means winged leaf and scalaremeans ladder.
3. It isa freshwater fish.
4. Optimum temperature 24-280C.
5. The body is laterally compressed.
6. It has flowingfins.
7. Fins arise from the top and bottom and have two feelers in front of the anal fin.
8. The tail is vertically oriented.
9. Omnivore.
10. It lays eggs.
11. The male's ventral fin is forked, whereas the female's is not.
12. Their dorsal and anal fins are slanted backwards instead of vertically, and their tails, also
called caudal fins, are much smaller than those of the freshwater fish.
13. The male angel's body is usually more circular than the female's, and there is a slight
bump on his crown.

3. SEXUAL DIMORPHISM :- REFER PPT.

BUTTERFLY FISH

1. SYSTEMATIC POSITION :- Order - Perciformies

Family–Chaetodontidae
Genus –Chelmon
Species –rostratus
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2. COMMON CHARACTERS:
1. Butterfly fishes are fairly small, mostly from 12 cm to 22 cm in length. The largest
species grow up to 30 cm.
2. Many bear shades ofblack, white, blue, red, yellow. Some species are dull in colour.
3. However many have eyespots on their flanks and dark bands across their eyes.
4. Butterfly fish have interrupted fins.
5. The tail fins may be rounded or truncated.
6. They are diurnal.
7. They occupy shallow waters of less than 18 m (though some species descend to 1 80 m).
8. Butterfly fish stick to particular home ranges. By night butterfly hide amongst the
crevices of thereef and exhibit markedly different coloration than they do by day.
9. Butterfly fish are pelagic spawners. They release many buoyant eggs which float with the
water currents until hatching.

3. SEXUAL DIMORPHISM :- REFER PPT.

BLUE MORPH FISH

1. SYSTEMATIC POSITION :- Order:Cichliformes

Family:Cichlidae
Genus:Andinoacara
Species: pulcher

2. COMMON CHARACTERS:
1. The wild-type of the species has 8 or 9 black vertical bars on a blue-grey body, along with
a dark blotch on the operculum.
2. Juvenile convict cichlids are monomorphic until they reach sexual maturity.
3. The male is mostly gray with light black stripes along the body.
4. Males are larger than females, and they have more pointed ventral, dorsal and anal fins
which often extend into filaments.
5. In addition, older males frequently develop vestigial fatty lumps on their foreheads.
6. Unusually for fish, the female is more highly coloured. She has more intense black bands
across the body, and pink to orange colouration in the ventral region and on the dorsal fin.
7. The maximum standard length has been reported to be 10 cm, with total length near 12
cm. The body weight of the fish is about 34-36 grams.
8. Selective breeding has resulted in a leucistic strain, which lacks the dark barring of the
wild type.
9. These are known commonly as white convicts, pink convicts, gold convicts, and A.
nigrofasciata "Kongo".
10. The colouration is caused by a mutation in an autosomal gene and is recessively inherit

3. SEXUAL DIMORPHISM :- REFER PPT.