Fishy Tales - Tales from an Aquarium

It took just a couple of days for my two pairs of butterfly cichlids to feel at home, after which their suicidal attacks started. A pair would face each other, and then try to ram each other, which is probably where they got their other name “ram cichlid” from. Initially it scared me enough to call up the aquarium shop, but after some time it was pretty clear that this was pretty much their stress busting technique.
Hailing from S. America (think Colombia or Venezuela), these guys have stripes across their face which gives them an almost macabre grin remeniscient of the Joker. However, their blended colouration of iridescent yellow-gold with neon blue, with their long delicate dorsal fins and spotted markings make them an extremely beautiful fish to keep. Read more »

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I have a friend who named her Siamese fighting fish Misty, after the long flowing fins which reminded her of the dance of the seven veils. Couple these with the brilliant coloration found in males, and it is love at first sight. Their other names include “The Jewel of the Orient”
You are going to find these fish irresistible, with colours ranging across hues of red, blue, white, combinations and single, and any other colours you can think of. Females, however, are originally not as highly colored, and have much shorter fins though coloured versions are also being bred now.
You will typically find these beauties in small bowls, or wineglasses at the pet shop which seems criminal. This is probably prompted by the fact that like the Dwarf Gourami, these fish also boast of a labyrinth organ which allows them to breathe oxygen directly from the air. This is also one of the reasons why a number of people tend to put them in vases along with lilies. I was tempted too, but thankfully, better sense prevailed. There is nothing more beautiful than watching a betta swim across the length of an aquarium with its tail flowing behind him. To make it better, these fish enjoy the reputation of a hardy, low-maintenance breed and are a good choice for beginning aquarists. Their generally peaceful nature make them excellent community fish. However, you would need to ensure that none of the other tankmates are even the remotely the aggressive kinds, or you might find them nipping at the long fins, more so since bettas are also rather slow moving. Read more »

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Originating from India (think Ganges, Jamuna, Bramaputra), the Colisa lalia, commonly known as the Dwarf Gourami, derives it’s name from the fact that it rarely grows beyond 2 inches, which also makes them ideal for the small aquarium.
Males have an almost translucent blue color, with vertical red to dark orange stripes, while females are usually a silvery/ grey color. In the wild they are found in slow-moving streams, rivulets, and lakes with plenty of vegetation, so make sure that your aquarium has plenty of vegetation to replicate their natural habitat.
On the whole these guys are pretty peaceful, though they have known to beat up the female of their species, and are very well suited to a community aquarium. There are reported instances of them being a bit aggressive with their own kind, but I had a pair of males, and they never had any problems between them. In any case, it would be safer to keep multiple males only in a large enough aquarium to allow them to establish their own territories. Read more »

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Among the most attractive fish I have kept to date is the Zebra Danio. Originating from Eastern India, these are primarily surface dwelling fish that favor moving waters. While they are considered cold-water fish, preferring water in the 64-75 degree range, they are extremely adaptable, which almost puts them among the easy to care for fishes.
They tend to grow to about 2-2.5 inches, and are extremely peaceful - ideal for a community aquarium. These guys eat practically anything, including flake foods, freeze dried worms, live food, etc. though it is recommended to supplement their died with live food. They tend to move around extremely fast, probably because they have a large number of predators, and its fun watching them during feeding time. In fact, after introducing them to the tank I can’t help feeling that all my other fish have become a lot more active.
They they prefer to hang around in shoals, I have only a pair, and they seem to be doing just fine.
They are named for their five uniform, pigmented, horizontal blue stripes on the side of the body, all of which extend to the end of the caudal fin. The fish that I have have rather long fins which open out when they are swimming, and look like wings. Read more »

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I came across this article in Reuters, which talks about Britishers buying hedgehogs as pets because of their nocturnal habits which make them appealing to the modern worker because they wake in the evening when their owners arrive home after a day in the office.
This latest craze focuses on the African pygmy hedgehogs - a cross between Algerian and white-bellied hedgehogs.
Heck, give me a fish anyday - it’s far more soothing, and far more fun - you never really can know what to expect.

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