Guide to Halfbeaks

i've noticed that the halfbeaks are readily accepting most of the floating food. (daphnia, bloodworms, and pellets so far) i break the tubifex cubes into smaller pieces for them to bite on. and, live tubifex worms that are spilled out from the other fish are also readily devoured.

though, i dont know if i can continue keeping them in my fresh water tank, or do i need to move them into a brackish tank. any idea ??
 
There aren't many people that keep these fish, so there isn't a lot of solid information to go by. From my research it seems that most wrestling halbeaks like brackish conditions, but that may in fact be a myth (much like the myth that all livebearers need salt). A lot of the time the people that sell the fish don't know what species they are. I have just discovered that my halfbeaks were actually a species of wrestling halfbeak and not the "celebes" that they were sold as. I suspected that, but wasn't able to make a positive identification due to the lack of information. According to one hobbyist that has kept different species, it is important for the Dermogenys (wrestling halfbeaks) to be kept in hard water, but not necessarily brackish.

For some species-specific information and discussion, I recommend visiting LBI . There are a few other hobbyists there that keep these fish and can offer better advice than I can. You will have to register to read the articles and to post in the forums, but it is worth it for the quality of information found there.
 
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