Tropical Fish

There's a new addition to the Bell household - namely a 200 litre tropical fish tank. Spent the last few weeks getting the plant life (see here ) established with optium water conditions for the arrival of the first fish.

Zebra Danio (7)(Brachydanio rerio): This fish is covered in alternative horizontal stripes of dark blue and silver. The fish is very hardy, and is often a exciting fish as they are very active. Origin, Eastern India.

White Cloud Mountain Minnows (7)(Tanichthys albonubes) is a hardy species of freshwater fish It is a member of the carp family (family Cyprinidae) of order Cypriniformes,[1] native to China. The species was discovered at White Cloud Mountain (白雲山; Pinyin Bái Yún Shān) in Guǎngdōng in the 1930s by a Boy Scout leader called Tan—hence the generic name Tanichthys ("Tan's fish"). The specific name albonubes is from the Latin alba nubes (white cloud).

Angelfish (1)(pterophyllum scalare): Angelfish has black bars on a silver-coloured body. However many new varieties have been developed. They are very graceful, slow moving, and are quite aggresive at breeding times.

Hypostomus Plecostomus is the scientific name for a type of freshwater tropical Central and South American fish belonging to the family Loricariidae. They are large algae eaters, and to differentiate them from small algae eaters, they are often referred to as plecostomus, often abbreviated as plecos or plecs. They are extremely popular in aquaria for their ability to clean tanks by eating algae growth. In Malaysia, this fish are called 'ikan bandaraya' or 'municipal fish' in English because their ability to clean fish tanks. These friendly-natured fish can typically be purchased when about 8 cm (3 inches) and may grow up to 60 cm (2 ft) if there is adequate room, although a relatively new, hardy species grows to a maximum of 10 cm (4 inches)
Plecos are omnivorous but, in the wild, feed mostly on plant material at night. During the day, their unusual omega irises block a lot of the light out of their eyes, but they are usually open at night. They can roll their eye within their sockets.
As they age, their foreheads enlarge in a peculiar manner. Plecos may become more territorial with age and are best kept individually in tanks. Because of their potentially large size and territorial behaviour, it may be advisable to procure a less aggressive catfish. In a suitably large tank, a solitary plecostomus will live amicably enough in a community alongside other tropical fish. These catfish may survive in tanks with "cold-water" species like goldfish, but it is genrally not advised due to the different temperature preferences and the fact that some plecos will suck the protective slime coat off the goldfish.

No casualities to date, all living in harmony at the moment, can't wait to stick a Ruby Shark alongside the first batch.