The Lemon Tetra, the Leopard Corydoras and the Orange Chromide are three freshwater fish suitable for your tank. Find out about their behavior, what they look like, water conditions, how to feed them and how to breed them.
Lemon Tetra – Hyphessobrycon pulchripinnis (Family: Characidae)
Behavior:A very popular fish, well suited to a community tank, it is best to have say up to six of them in a small shoal. This fish is a good swimmer, active, peaceful and hardy.
Water and Tank Conditions:You need plenty of swimming space for this tetra and a tank temperature between 22 and 26 degrees centigrade.
Features and Colors:Do not often grow bigger than 5 cms. Difficult to see the differences between male and female. The female is generally the bigger of the two but you cannot rely on this. As its name suggests it has a silvery yellow tint and a noticeable feature is its eye that is red in the upper part and yellow in the lower part.
Feeding:Not a fussy eater but give it a live meal now and again to maintain optimum health.
Breeding Conditions:t is very important to select a compatible pair for mating and it is advisable to condition the female before breeding. The breeding tank itself should be thickly planted and have water with a temperature of 26 degrees centigrade, a depth of about 15 cms and no gravel on the bottom.
The parents are cannibals so a lot of eggs will get eaten! So try to remove the fish after spawning has taken place. Low light conditions are recommended for incubating the eggs. Feed the hatched fry on the usual infusoria etc.
Leopard Corydoras – Corydoras julii (Family: Callichthyidae)
Behavior:They are active fish and well suited to a community aquarium. They are long lived fish and are great at scavenging.
Water and Tank Conditions:The usual tropical tank temperatures range will be fine though it will survive in a wider range than normal.You will need to ensure there are plenty of hiding places for it.
Features and Colors:The head and top half of the body are scattered with black spots. These tend to merge forming horizontal lines along the flanks. The caudal fin also has spots and the dorsal fin might have a large spot at the top.
The overall body color is a white gray mixture. There are a few other species of the Corydoras genus you might be interested in.
The Corydoras nattereri that goes up to 6cms, the Corydoras arcuatus, that reaches 5 cms, and the Corudoras aenus growing up to 9 cms. The main colors are white-mauve, silver-brown-blue and bronze-green respectively.
Feeding:A large variety of food can be given as they are not particular.
Breeding Conditions:The male’s pelvic fins are longer and more pointed than the female and it is also a bit smaller. In the aquarium this fish is difficult to breed. It is suggested that three or four males should be partnered with the one female.
Eggs will be laid in the breeding tank on slate or flat stone and are in danger of being eaten by the fish so beware. Fry will hatch in three or four days and are easy to bring up.
Orange Chromide – Etroplus maculatus (Family: Cichlidae)
Behavior:This is a small member of the Cichlidae family (7.5 cms) and as it is one of the more peaceful ones it is suitable for your community tank. Due to its timid nature being in a shoal of like fish is the best option. Also known as the Orange cichlid.
Water and Tank Conditions:A tank that is well planted is needed and a temperature range of 22 to 24 degrees centigrade is adequate.
Features and Colors:Often called the Orange cichlid as its throat and stomach are orange. It’s back is olive colored and sides are a light yellow. Its fins are also yellow apart from the ventral fins that are black.
The anal fins are also edged black. Along the mid-line of the body are several large spots. And each scale also has a spot, a red one.
Feeding:Can be fussy at times and refuse to eat dry food or any type of food on occasions.
Breeding Conditions:Not that easy to breed. Put the temperature of the breeding tank up by a couple of degrees centigrade. The pair to be bred need to be separated and conditioned prior to placing them in a thickly planted breeding tank. Try something like a plant pot turned on its side for the fish to spawn in as well as the plants.
Eggs, dark in color, will be attached to the underside of leaves or the pot by threads. It is advised to leave the fish in the breeding tank for about two weeks after spawning takes place even thought the fry will have hatched after several days.
Three freshwater fish for tank conditions have now been described and give you more options when deciding what other fish you can add to your community tank. Of course when increasing your fish population ensure that your tank can accommodate them.
Learn more about how to set up and maintain a beautiful aquarium and have the healthiest, happiest fish around AND learn about more freshwater fish for tanks
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