#South American Cichlid Fish for Sale | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

anabantoid · 6 years

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Beyond the Betta

I want to preface this: I loved bettas, at one point when I was about 15 I had well over a dozen bettas. Nothing could stop me, especially when Minibow 5’s were constantly on sale. I still like bettas, I think they have a ton of personality and they’re really fun, engaging fish that are incredibly accessible and are pretty cheap to set up. The unfortunate thing is that bettas are sick, they’re overpriced genetic disasters which can be a grab bag of problems. Bettas ten years ago aren’t the same bettas we have now, we have so many different varieties in such a short span of time, all due to inbreeding offspring to parent or offspring to offspring in order to preserve, expand upon, or replicate a desirable trait that sprung up from the genetic mish mash that bettas are. I still assert that non-dragon scale plakats, normal veils and crown tails are some of the healthier bettas you can get.

Now, I am NOT saying that you’re a bad person for having a betta of whatever variety, healthy or not. I am not telling you to get rid of your betta or to never ever get a betta again. You can have your bettas, you can get future bettas. This isn’t an article that’s telling you to get rid of your bettas. I know that everyone leaps to that conclusion any time I or others make posts critical of modern bettas and their ‘designer’ varieties.

But the thing is, you don’t always need to go back to bettas. You can expand your horizons and choose healthier fish in tanks that people normally just leave for bettas. All of these fish have their own charms and quirks, and while some might not have the same pizazz that you expect from bettas, they’re still worthy of appreciation.

The tanks I’m using go from 10 gallons through to 20 longs, which are the most common sized tanks I see people here in the fishblr community keep their bettas in. These are just the minimums, you can always keep your fish or inverts in larger tanks! The tank sizes are simply launching pads, or for you to repurpose an existing tank you already have but have no inhabitants for yet. Keep in mind that 5 gallon tanks are teeny, they’re only 16x8x10, which is too small for me to comfortably suggest to house stock in. Price wise, you’re getting more bang for your buck if you purchase a 10 or a 20 long, especially if you take advantage of the dollar per gallon sales that Petco, Petsmart and Pet Supplies Plus have throughout the year. They’re almost never ending, right after one store has the event going, another pops up. So you have the opportunity throughout many months of the year to get a decently sized tank for relatively little money, and these smaller tanks are light enough that basic furniture in your bedroom can support them, so you don’t need to worry about finding pricey stands.

NOTE: I’ll be mostly linking to Seriously Fish, and a few others, but don’t just rely on those links for all your care needs. Explore!

NOTE VOL 2: I have updated this list and removed the category for 5 gallon tanks, as I no longer feel comfortable making suggestions for tanks this size.

Let’s move on to the lists!

TEN GALLONS:

Hara jerdoni: anchor cat, Asian stone cat. These little cats can be shy and are most active at night. The fun thing about these guys is that they are so unique, but are not impossible to find, and you can make your own teeny biotope-ish tank. Dwarf shrimp: everyone knows these guys, neocardina or cardina, they’re fun, yet sometimes pricey, little inverts. Thai micro crabs: another little invert, these guys are really unique and charming but they can be shy and like to hide during the day.

Pea puffer: probably the closest in terms of rambunctiousness and personality to bettas, these little puffers are curious, clever and quickly become little delights in your home. If you can handle live feeding of white worms or black worms, I highly suggest these little puffers.

Scarlet badis: Well known but frequently overlooked, scarlet badis are beautiful little gems that would make wonderful little specimens in any tank.

Heterandria formosa: the least killifish, these shy little guys aren’t actually killis but are related to guppies and endlers! They’re very hardy and very easy to breed and make excellent beginner livebearers if you don’t wanna go the more common endler or guppy route if you’re interested in starting up a little breeding project. Note: be mindful of your stocking with livebearers, your tank can be overcrowded quickly.

Neoheterandria elegans: the tiger teddy, another micro livebearer, these are a less forgiving than the least killi, but no less rewarding to keep. If you maintain clean and perfect water conditions then you’ll have no problems keeping these cuties. Note: be mindful of your stocking with livebearers, your tank can be overcrowded quickly.

Endlers: now we’re getting a teensy bit bigger, endlers are gaining popularity in recent years and it’s easy to see why, they’re as hardy and easy to breed as guppies but half the size! And they come in an array of stunning and unique colors and patterns. Note: be mindful of your stocking with livebearers, your tank can be overcrowded quickly.

Pygmy sunfish: sweet, undemanding little natives, these fish are a great way to introduce yourself to fish native in the US.

Sculpins: another little native, they’re sometimes referred to as “ugly” but I find their permanent scowls to be endearing. They’re easy to house and don’t require much else from sand and rocks in terms of decor, so you don’t need to worry about plants.

Taiwanese micro goby: A unique little guy, they’re simple to keep if you neutral pH and soft to mid water, they can be kept similarly to other hillstream gobies such as Rhinogobius nagoye, and they’re non-aggressive so you can house a trio in your tank, more if you get a bigger tank. A great fish if you're looking to create a hillstream tank.

TWENTY GALLONS (long):

Chili rasbora and other boraras: my absolute favorite nano fish, they are absolutely tiny, truly miniaturized fish! They display a great amount of curiosity that you wouldn’t expect from such a small fish, and are honestly one of the best fish I’ve ever kept. They’re great if you’re looking to start up a small biotope tank and want an excuse to add botanicals and do something really fancy.

Pygmy cory, salt and pepper cory, and tail spot cory: the three smallest corydoras in the genus, and the only ones suitable for tanks under 30 gallons! They’re charming and absolutely adorable and probably my three favorite corydoras out there.

Ember tetra: hardy, cute and beautifully colored, these tiny tetras would be perfect in any 20 long, perhaps paired with one of the above species of cory to create a ‘micro community’.

Gold tetra: lesser known but not a small presence, gold tetras actually get their colorations from a symbiotic relationship with a parasite that results in their gold coloring, but with the absence of this parasite they’ll be a stunning silver. They’d be perfect for a small scaled, blackwater tank filled with driftwood and botanicals.

Ruby tetra: very tiny and very pretty, the ruby tetra is a great little fish that would work well in a planted, driftwood filled setup.

Akysis vespa: a very cute, very tiny little cat that prefers cool, soft waters and would be great for a mini hillstream setup! No plants to worry about, just glorious rocks and sand.

Dwarf pencilfish: another cute South American that would pair well with one of the above mentioned corydoras in a mini biotope.

Rainbow darter: personable little natives that will love to hop over to you when they see you approach the tank, these darters are hardy and tolerate the harder waters that the midwest and great plains areas are notorious for having.

Sparkling gourami: a tiny relative of the betta, the sparkling gourami is a shy little jewel of a fish that will thrive in a well planted tank.

Licorice gourami: another small anabantoid, like the sparkling it’ll appreciate a well planted tank and you’ll appreciate its gorgeous colors.

Forktail rainbowfish: while many pseudomugil would be appropriate for this size tank, my favorite is the fork tail. They’re busy little guys and the males put on very amusing little display dances when sparring.

Multiple wild bettas: there are NUMEROUS species of wild betta that can be kept in a 20 gallon tank, if you’re interested I’d suggest sending elemental-kiss an ask.

Many killifish: these would suitably need their own post to cover the vast array of killis there are on the market, and the difference between annual and non-annual, but there are multiple killis that would do just fine in a 20 and spawn well.

Shell dweller cichlids, aka shellies: charming little fellas that exhibit some incredibly amusing behaviors and are easy to breed! Great beginner cichlids.

CPO crayfish: these little dwarves have just as much personality as their full-sized cousins!

There are countless more fish that I may have forgotten or simply left out, but all of these fish would do well in the smaller tanks that we typically keep bettas in. It’s good to move out of your comfort zone and learn how to set up new tanks for different fish with different needs, as setting up the tank and exploring the natural habitats of each fish in your own home is one of the major high points of the hobby. So go ahead, start something new and exciting!

#fishblr #bettablr #aquablr #megs does guides

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those-lies-we-tell · 4 years

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Flowerhorn Cichlids

The Flowerhorn is a hybrid fish produced from the matings between a number of South American cichlid species. They are otherwise known as the Louhan or La Han fish. It is known to be one of the most expensive cichlids you can buy. Many people choose them for their interesting patterns or the large nuchal head hump that can develop.

Keeping This Fish

This cichlid is typical of other large South Americans in it's needs. It is relatively hardy but requires a large aquarium as it's length will reach 40cm. Other tankmates should be equally robust as the flowerhorn will become aggressive. They are often best kept in a single species aquarium. Feed them with a cichlid pellet that is suited to their size along with occasional live foods.

Flowerhorn Origins

Flowerhorns are a fairly recent addition to the fishkeeping hobby being first made available by the Malaysian breeder in the early 1990's.

The original parentage is publicly unknown but common opinion is the flowerhorn is a result of hybridization amongst red devil family relatives such as the Cichlasoma trimaculatum & Amphilophus citrilophus. The first breeder either will not disclose or is not completely certain of the cichlid species involved.

What differentiates the flowerhorn fish from many other hybrids is it's ability to produce fertile offspring. None the less, the hybrid nature of this species means it has not been given a latin name.

Flowerhorn Demand & General Prices

Flowerhorns are either loved or hated by those interested in keeping cichlids. Cichlid enthusiasts sometimes consider it to be a monstrocity because of it's unnatural genetics. Others are willing to pay extremely high prices for particular specimens.

Flowerhorns have been known to sell for over $1000 dollars when good specimens are offered to the market. Smaller fish that have not yet fully developed can sell for $50 or less however..

Flowerhorn Cichlids For Sale

Good prices can be found for this fish even if they are known for being quite expensive. Many flowerhorns for sale will have been imported by the seller or wholesaler from overseas breeders.

#Cichlids #freshwater #aquariumtank

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freelyunabashedshark · 5 years

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AngelFish — Things You Need To Know About This Cichlid

By William Smith (adapted from cichlidtips.com)

The tropical Angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare) is a gluttonous large fish with good looks and an interesting behaviour. The fish has a flattened body on sides and has a large and varied-colour body. Angelfish can grow up to 6 inches long and it is very high too.

The freshwater Angelfishes have a flattened silvery body and have dark stripes on it. These fishes have a sharpened head shape and large fins too. The shape of the fins helps the fishes to hide between the roots and leaves of plants.

The wild angelfishes are predators and have vertical dark stripes on their bodies. The fishes feed on fish juveniles, spineless species, and other small fishes. The average lifespan of Angelfishes is 12 to 15 years. They have an unusual body shape and overall, they are easy to breed.

Habitat: Angelfish are native to the South American region, most of them are found in the Amazon River. AngelFish loves to spend time in slow-moving and quiet waters and prefer dimly lit areas such as under the trees that have fallen into the water and below the overhanging plants and vegetation in the water.

Angelfish was first discovered in 1824 and it was brought to Europe in 1920. People in the US started breeding it in captivity in the 1930s and the fishes are still on sale, but they differ from those that inhabit the wild.

Apart from the Amazon River, the fishes are also found in the tributaries of the river in Brazil, Peru, and Eastern Ecuador. They are also found in the Orinoco River and Guyana coastal zone. They mostly live in the thickly planted areas because they love shades and shadows.

Care: The Angelfish is of medium difficulty in care but they are still not recommended for the beginners as there are some factors that should be carefully considered. The Angelfishes are not very demanding in their requirements, but they need a large tank capacity and proper tank conditions.

Because of the body shape of this fish, it is recommended to keep them in a tank with not less than 29 gallons. If you’re planning to keep other fishes too, you must have a tank of 50 or more gallons capacity.

Angelfishes should be kept in warm water that should be between 26 to 30 degrees Celsius. These fishes adapt to the tank conditions very easily but in the wild, they prefer soft water of weakly acid nature.

You can use any type of decorations for the tank but make sure there are no sharp edges as they can harm the fish. If you want to place plants in the aquarium, choosing ones with large leaves will be a good option as these fish love laying eggs on large and flat surfaces.

These fishes don’t like swimming in very high flowing waters and so the tank filtration process should be kept moderate. They are normally found in slow waters because fast flowing waters can slow down their growth and increase stress on them.

Also, their energy is reduced because most of it spent in fighting with the fast flowing water. It is necessary to renew the water weekly and you can do it around 20% of the tank water’s capacity.

Feeding: Angelfishes are omnivorous, and they can be given any type of feed in the tank such as frozen, live and artificial foods. You can feed them with good quality flakes and frozen or live feed such as the bloodworm, tubifex, brine shrimp, and glassworm. You must be very careful while feeding the fish because it is a gluttonous one and overfeeding can cause trouble.

If you’re feeding the fish with bloodworm be very careful because Angel fishes can eat more and then face flatulence. It is better not to feed these fishes with bloodworm. Instead, you can give them high-quality flakes.

Angelfishes need a properly balanced diet that includes protein and fibre both. There are only a few fish food manufacturers that take care of the protein and fibre composition and others include 50 to 85% fibres only.

To improve the colour intensity of the fish and its health, some food manufacturers add the raw plant to the food. If you want to feed them with fresh food, it’s good to add some spinach and lettuces to the diet.

If you see the angelfishes nipping some leaves in the tank, you must know that they want to eat plants or vegetables. You can add normal fish food including spirulina into their diet so that they stop their habit of nipping soft leaves. You can also try some of the good fish food brands such as API flakes, Zoo Med Spirulina, and Freeze-Dried Brine Shrimp.

You should know that feeding these fishes with low-quality food can cause various types of diseases. Also, live food can carry germs and if it’s of low quality, there is a chance of infection. The best idea is to feed the angelfishes twice with a good mixture of flakes, worms, and vegetables.

https://cichlidtips.com/angelfish-things-you-need-to-know-about-this-cichlid/

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tropicalfishmasters · 7 years

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Tropical Fish Masters Is The Best Place To Buy Tropical Fish For Sale

Keeping Cichlids certainly is by all accounts appropriate on pattern at the moment and they're among the most mainstream freshwater angle for fishkeepers all over the place. Cichlids can be savvy fish and keeping them can be a delight yet you have to know what to look like after.

When beginning, it's conceivable to keep Cichlids in generally little aquariums yet I would suggest picking tropical fish tanks of no littler than 125 liters (approx. 33 gallons). A few sorts of Cichlids can be forceful and strongly regional so simply recall to do your exploration since keeping these in a little tank with different types of fish can be exceptionally tricky and upsetting for the fish. A more considerable aquarium mitigates this worry fairly and furthermore makes for a significantly more intriguing aquascape and additionally providing you with the opportunity to include more plants, rocks, roots, and other brightening things which give the fish concealing spots and make common domain limits for the Cichlids.

Water conditioning will undoubtedly rely on upon the sort of Female African Cichlids for Sale aquarium you are anticipating setting up. Once more, because of the vast number of various species you should make sure you have investigated your fish and treat the water likewise. Much of the time Cichlids are quite solid and tolerant to little changes in water condition. Clearly, on the off chance that you are a newcomer to keeping Cichlids, it is a savvy game-plan to possibly decide on one of the hardier animal varieties to begin with. The species inside the pools of Africa for the most part are somewhat more precarious to care for so I would conceivably maintain a strategic distance from these in the first place.

To offer you a thought (and this is somewhat broad however very valuable as a harsh guide) Cheap African Cichlids for Sale animal types from the pools of Africa can be very precarious to care for, Cichlids from the Amazonian area of South America have a tendency to be more forceful but an exceptionally intriguing fish to keep, African stream Cichlids are typically genuinely strong and coexist fine with other fish so too do the Central American Cichlids.

http://www.tropicalfishmasters.com/ is the Texas breeder and supplier of African Cichlids. Here you can also buy Live African Cichlids for Sale.

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