My New Fish Arrived!!
- Thread starter Aqualung
- Start date
Ok, ok..........I promise I'll try my best to get some pics up this evening.
I tried to photograph my gouramis, and soon found out how hard it is to get good pics. The digi cam has a bit of a delay, and half the time I got pics with no fish in them. And when I did get a decent pic finally, I tried to post it but the file was too big.
So it's going to take some effort, but I'll do my best.......have patience
I tried to photograph my gouramis, and soon found out how hard it is to get good pics. The digi cam has a bit of a delay, and half the time I got pics with no fish in them. And when I did get a decent pic finally, I tried to post it but the file was too big.
So it's going to take some effort, but I'll do my best.......have patience
I have heard that they will eat tetras and other small fish when full grown. They're the smallest fish in my tank at the moment (my oto's about twice their size), so there's no danger of them eating my other fish. When they are bigger, the females will be moved to a breeding tank and the males will either have their own tank or stay where they are.
I'm not having much luck getting a good picture so far......I've taken about 30, but they all came out as white blurred lines. I'm still trying though!
I'm not having much luck getting a good picture so far......I've taken about 30, but they all came out as white blurred lines. I'm still trying though!
Well, nice to see that people are finally getting note on this breed of fish. They truly are magnificent. To give you a bit of information on them, they originated in Thailand and Singapore. They are extremely aggressive fish with absolutely no fear of anything. They are usually greyish black with green an dblue however they ado have a silver color that looks pure white, not very rare either. They are live bearers. The tank should be as large as possible with the length being much more important than the depth. The rest of the tank can be planted anyway you like but some of the plants around the edges should reach the surface. The addition of some floating plants will also help mimic it's natural habitat. Leave some open space areas for swimming. Not the easiest fish to care for, they require the addition of some sea salt to maintain their best health. Provide gentle filtration with a slight water currant. . They will accept flake and frozen food, but they will fare better with live insects like mosquito larvae, fruit flies and daphinia. The addition of a supplement containing vitamin D and A is an absolute necessity if you wish to breed them. Care must be taken when they are first introduced to the aquarium, if they get startled and dash about they may injure their lower jaw and this will lead to certain death. During spawning the male will swim up to the female and nudge her sides with his beak. He will keep this up until she accepts him. The gestation period is also quite long and can last up to eight weeks. The broods are generally small. The newly born fry can be fed almost immediately on the finest flake food or baby Brine shrimp. At birth the upper and lower jaws are the same length which develop as the fry mature.
The blye water is because of the vitamins and small amount of sea salt in the water. These fish usually live in shallower water so the surface is where they spend most of their time anyhow, not too worried about that, but that one that doesn't stay on the top I would have some slight concern for. They are a member of the Hemirhamphidae family, they are commonly known as wrestling half beaks. They can be adjusted to flakes but only high quality will keep them alive long, so like I already mentioned it is important to get them live food. They aren't picky with live food, but they need it. Oh let's see what else. They are very very aggressive fish. A lot of people think Betta's are aggressive well these will without a doubt win a fight over a betta. They are known to fight to death, they stab each other with those sharp bottom jaws. They will eat their young, they will kill another fish and pick at them, most of the time fight each other over the dead fish. Your gourami's I suggest you get another tank for, ro else get the half beaks another tank because within a month, you will have nothign for fish left. They will kill anythign that you put in with them. The Celebes half beaks you can find info using the scientific name Nomorhamphus. However, I don't like using that name because it gives very little on the fish. here is a nice link, it is a pay link but you can find out lots about them through this place if you really want to. http://www.livebearers.org/ Not all that great of a site, but they got info on your fish. A few quick stats for you as well...
size: 2¾ in (7 cm)
tank: 32 inches
strata: top
pH: 7.0 to 8.0
Hardness: medium hard to hard
temperature: 68ºF to 82ºF
I have also included a picture of the silvers and the tris-
The blye water is because of the vitamins and small amount of sea salt in the water. These fish usually live in shallower water so the surface is where they spend most of their time anyhow, not too worried about that, but that one that doesn't stay on the top I would have some slight concern for. They are a member of the Hemirhamphidae family, they are commonly known as wrestling half beaks. They can be adjusted to flakes but only high quality will keep them alive long, so like I already mentioned it is important to get them live food. They aren't picky with live food, but they need it. Oh let's see what else. They are very very aggressive fish. A lot of people think Betta's are aggressive well these will without a doubt win a fight over a betta. They are known to fight to death, they stab each other with those sharp bottom jaws. They will eat their young, they will kill another fish and pick at them, most of the time fight each other over the dead fish. Your gourami's I suggest you get another tank for, ro else get the half beaks another tank because within a month, you will have nothign for fish left. They will kill anythign that you put in with them. The Celebes half beaks you can find info using the scientific name Nomorhamphus. However, I don't like using that name because it gives very little on the fish. here is a nice link, it is a pay link but you can find out lots about them through this place if you really want to. http://www.livebearers.org/ Not all that great of a site, but they got info on your fish. A few quick stats for you as well...
size: 2¾ in (7 cm)
tank: 32 inches
strata: top
pH: 7.0 to 8.0
Hardness: medium hard to hard
temperature: 68ºF to 82ºF
I have also included a picture of the silvers and the tris-
Wow, thanks for all the excellent info Pyshie!
One thing though - I understand most halfbeak species live in brackish water, but from what I've read the Celebes don't like salt in the water since in the wild they live in freshwater lakes and streams. Was this information inaccurate?
I will definitely separate the fish once my new tanks are ready. I've read they can be good community fish (and I've also read the opposite), but I am dedicating a couple of tanks to them just the same. I would also like to try breeding them once they mature.
I was told that these fish are albino, but I noticed the eyes aren't red. What you said about the silver variety makes more sense. Good to know!
I finally got a couple of decent pics, but can't post them because the file's too big. Can someone point me to a picture hosting site?
One thing though - I understand most halfbeak species live in brackish water, but from what I've read the Celebes don't like salt in the water since in the wild they live in freshwater lakes and streams. Was this information inaccurate?
I will definitely separate the fish once my new tanks are ready. I've read they can be good community fish (and I've also read the opposite), but I am dedicating a couple of tanks to them just the same. I would also like to try breeding them once they mature.
I was told that these fish are albino, but I noticed the eyes aren't red. What you said about the silver variety makes more sense. Good to know!
I finally got a couple of decent pics, but can't post them because the file's too big. Can someone point me to a picture hosting site?
Forgot a couple things.........you mentioned I should be concerned about the one that hangs out near the bottom. Do you think it might be sick? It seems healthy as far as I can tell, and swims up to the top to eat when I feed them. Even when it was in the bag it hung out near the bottom. I thought it was strange, but figured maybe it's just "different".
I plan to feed them mostly live foods. I have a flightless fruit fly culture ordered and it should arrive soon. I've read that fruit flies are the best food for them. Other live foods I can buy at the LFS. I will do some experimenting to see which types they like the best. I tried feeding them a live ant last night, but they wouldn't touch it......I assume because it was too big for them to fit in their mouths.
I plan to feed them mostly live foods. I have a flightless fruit fly culture ordered and it should arrive soon. I've read that fruit flies are the best food for them. Other live foods I can buy at the LFS. I will do some experimenting to see which types they like the best. I tried feeding them a live ant last night, but they wouldn't touch it......I assume because it was too big for them to fit in their mouths.
Let's try this......
Ok, I hope this finally works. This pic isn't the best, but it's better than I could do (my gf took it)! It shows the silver coloration well, but what you can't see is the sort of "neon" coloration that is apparent in lower light. This is the one that seems to like hanging out near the bottom of the tank.
Ok, I hope this finally works. This pic isn't the best, but it's better than I could do (my gf took it)! It shows the silver coloration well, but what you can't see is the sort of "neon" coloration that is apparent in lower light. This is the one that seems to like hanging out near the bottom of the tank.
Whew!
Physhie, you had me worried that my fish need salt in their water. You must have been referring to the Dermogenys (wrestling halfbeaks) which are brackish water fish. The Celebes are in fact a freshwater species. They don't do well with salt in their water from what I have read.
The following is an excerpt from an article on the fishgeeks website, for anyone who'e interested in knowing more about this species:
Care is much the same as Wrestling halfbeaks with some distinct
differences, Nomorhamphus are not a brackish water fish and prefer
soft, slightly acidic water, a good range to keep them in would be
6.5 to 7.0 pH with soft or medium hardness. Water quality again though should be kept very high, with frequent water changes being a necessity, Aquaria should not be under 20 gallons
for one trio of fish, Males of this genus are not all that territorial, and do not exhibit the aggression toward other males that Dermogenys does.
Feeding is non-problematic and they will eat all the foods listed for
Dermogenys, they also will eat any small fish they can catch in
addition, I have not had any problem maintaining this fish with a diet of mostly prepared foods, Breeding proved to be difficult with out live foods, these fish particularly enjoy fruitflies and small crickets and are quite amusing to watch stalking them.
Breeding is problematic and many of the same problems with
Dermogenys are problems in Nomorhamphus, Premature birth
being the top problem, Lots of live and frozen foods seems to help
some in this area, these also are not very prolific fish with an
average brood is about 10 fry, the fry are born at about one inch,
unlike Dermogenys though, the fry do not seem as delicate and grow quickly if well feed.
I highly recommend Nomorhamphus over Dermogenys for beginners new to this type of fish
Physhie, you had me worried that my fish need salt in their water. You must have been referring to the Dermogenys (wrestling halfbeaks) which are brackish water fish. The Celebes are in fact a freshwater species. They don't do well with salt in their water from what I have read.
The following is an excerpt from an article on the fishgeeks website, for anyone who'e interested in knowing more about this species:
Care is much the same as Wrestling halfbeaks with some distinct
differences, Nomorhamphus are not a brackish water fish and prefer
soft, slightly acidic water, a good range to keep them in would be
6.5 to 7.0 pH with soft or medium hardness. Water quality again though should be kept very high, with frequent water changes being a necessity, Aquaria should not be under 20 gallons
for one trio of fish, Males of this genus are not all that territorial, and do not exhibit the aggression toward other males that Dermogenys does.
Feeding is non-problematic and they will eat all the foods listed for
Dermogenys, they also will eat any small fish they can catch in
addition, I have not had any problem maintaining this fish with a diet of mostly prepared foods, Breeding proved to be difficult with out live foods, these fish particularly enjoy fruitflies and small crickets and are quite amusing to watch stalking them.
Breeding is problematic and many of the same problems with
Dermogenys are problems in Nomorhamphus, Premature birth
being the top problem, Lots of live and frozen foods seems to help
some in this area, these also are not very prolific fish with an
average brood is about 10 fry, the fry are born at about one inch,
unlike Dermogenys though, the fry do not seem as delicate and grow quickly if well feed.
I highly recommend Nomorhamphus over Dermogenys for beginners new to this type of fish
