Results for “fin”

This species is sometimes referred to as Hypostomus villarsi, and is a rare find in the hobby. If you're lucky enough to see some for sale, check the fish have rounded bellies and that their eyes aren't sunken before you part with any cash, as these are classic signs of emaciation in newly imported Loricariids....

This species was referred to as S. sp. 'orange fin' or S. sp. 'ST01' prior to being offically named and is one of the more commonly-traded members of the genus, though often in batches containing only one gender, a mixture of species, or misidentified under an incorrect name such as S. zebrinus. It can be told apart from congeners by the following combination of characters: usually 9 soft second dorsal-fin rays; 15 soft pectoral-fin rays; first dorsal-fin in male poin...

This fish is sometimes traded as Oreichthys cosuatis, O. sp. 'high fin', O. 'umangii' (a nomen nudum that has only ever been applied to an image of a fish in the book 'Ornamental Aquarium Fish of India'; K. L.Tekriwal and A. A. Rao 1999), Puntius 'arunavii' or 'neon highfin barb'. It can be distinguished from congeners by the following combination of characters: absence of a dark marking in the anal-fin (vs. presence in other species); ½7½ scales scales between pelvic-fin origin and dorsal midline (vs. ½6½ in O. cosuatis and...

At least two similar-looking fishes have been available in the aquarium trade; one, usually referred to as 'Danio sp redfin', resembles the striped form of B. kyathit but is a smaller fish and the red pigmentation in the fins is comparatively more intense. The other is also striped with red fins but grows larger; it's usually labelled as 'Danio sp. KP01' or 'Burmese zebra danio'. It remains unclear whether these are regional variants of B. kyathit or undescribed species.

S. alberti possesses an incredible set of barbels that are the longest of any Synodontis. It is also very hardy and adaptable and is therefore an ideal beginner's Syno. It has very large eyes exemplifying its nocturnal nature and also prefers cooler conditions to other members of the genus. This fish has a few common names including Bigeye Squeaker and Albert's Synodontis, though it is usually referred to as the High-fin Synodontis....

Not imported all that often, this species seems to ship quite poorly. Once acclimatised, it usually proves quite hardy. A big shoal of adults can look stunning in the right setting.

As stated, this fish is found across most of the Amazon basin. As a result, a number of different colour forms have developed. This pike is fairly common in the hobby due to its broad geographic range.

This species was referred to as its congener Leptobarbus hoevenii for a number of decades and continues to be misidentified as such in the aquarium hobby, with both species traded under the same name. It is a popular sport fish in its native countries and is wholly unsuitable for private aquaria. Unfortunately it is...

L234 was previously applied to M. paranus, which has also has the L-number L113 assigned to it. However M. paranus is native to the Paraná, Paraguay and Uruguay drainages, whereas L234 is collected in the rio São Francisco so appears to represent an unidentified species. M. barrae and M. sp. 'LDA097' are also exported from the São Francisco system.

Prior to description this species was considered to represent, and traded as, A. rubidipinnis, but that species is apparently endemic to the lower Irrawaddy basin in Myanmar and unknown in the aquarium hobby. Male individuals of A. pictilis, A. botia and A. mandalaysensis possess a suborbital slit rather than suborbital flap which immediately distinguishes...

A hugely popular aquarium fish. Many aquarium-bred colour morphs of this species are available, including the ubiquitous black molly. There are also Gold, Green, Lyretail, Silver and Dalmation varieties. Some of these are the results of P. sphenops being crossed with P. latipinnis. The 2 species will also interbreed readily in the aquarium and in order to avoid this we suggest keeping only one of them per tank. There also exists a (in our opinion) grotesque 'balloon' variety of this fi...

The genus Procatopus currently comprises half a dozen members (P. aberrans, P. lambertii, P. nimbaensis, P. nototaenia, P. schioetzi and P. similis), all of which are are non-annual species existing in permanent bodies of water. They are actually more closely related to the livebearing species of the subfamily Poeciliinae than the popular Aplocheilid killifish. None are particularly popular in the aquarium trade, although specialist dealers may have them available from time-to-time. Some such as...

This attractive species is often seen for sale at around 3-4" in length (often as Hypostomus cf. emarginata or H. emarginatus), but given its adult size, its not a terribly good choice for the general community tank. Due to its very wide natural distribution, there are a number of known geographical variants, and this has resulted in four L numbers currently being assigned to it. In reality, there are many more variants than this, and all share the characteristic elongated which gives rise...

B. coccina can be told apart from other members by the following combination of characters: iridescent green lateral blotch present in male, absent in female; body dark red in colour; no parallel vertical iridescent gold opercle bars; pelvic fin falcate with black filamentous tip, remainder red; median fins with discrete iridescent green spots; dorsal fin-rays 9-12; anal-fin rays 27-29; subdorsal scales 7-8; lateral scales 31-32; predorsal scales 18-21. The genus Betta is the most speciose within the family Osphronemidae with almost 70 reco...

B. persephone can be told apart from other members of the group by the following characters: no lateral blotch; body blackish; dorsal surface of head posterior to eye sloping gently; no parallel vertical iridescent gold opercle bars; pelvic-fin falcate with white filamentous tip, remainder black to reddish; median fins covered diffusely with light green iridescence; dorsal fin-rays 9; anal-fin rays 24-27; subdorsal scales 6-7; lateral scales 27-29; predorsal scales 17-18.

Following Fink (1993), P. piraya can be distinguished from congeners by the following combination of characters: adipose fin with rays in larger specimens (vs. always without rays in other Pygocentrus species); branched dorsal-fin rays 15-18, usually 16 (vs. 14-18, usually 15); usually 7 neural spines anterior to first pterygiophore (vs. usually 6); vertebrae 36-39, usually 38 (vs. 35-38, usually 36). It can also be identified by colour pattern since it possesses distinctive bright yellow-orange pigmentation on the lower jaw, opercle and lateral body in life.

Can be hard to find in aquarium shops, and there has been some confusion surrounding its identity in the past. Base body colour is either powdery-blue or yellow-green (see 'Distribution') and this continues into the caudal-fin, while pinkish-yellow lateral stripes extend from opercle to caudal peduncle.

S. elongatus is known as "Caribe Pinche" in its native countries and is a rare find in the trade, tending to be quite expensive as a result. Individuals seem to vary in personality. While some are particularly fearless and will actively chase and attempt to bite hands or fingers placed in or up against the aquarium, others will always appear to be shy and nervous. The streamlined body form that gives rise to the species name is unique among serrasalmids, and has probably developed as a...

This species is traded under various names including 'chocolate scissor-tailed loach', chocolate long-finned loach', 'red line cobra loach', 'spiny eel loach' and 'dragon loach'. It's apparently difficult to find in its natural habitats and thus time-consuming to collect, meaning it's rarely traded in numbers, sought after by enthusiasts and tends to carry a relatively high price tag when available. The genus currently contains just three...

It is included in a group often referred to as 'red-eyed puffers', which currently contains four recognised species distributed in Indochina and the Greater Sunda Islands. It can be distinguished from C. borneensis, C. irrubesco, and C. lorteti, the remaining members of this group, by the following combination of characters: 11 dorsal-fin rays; 16 pectoral-fin rays; 11-13 anal-fin rays; 11 caudal-fin rays; eyes not bulging above the head; in males dorsal-fin hyaline, black spot on dorsal-fin base present, pectoral-fin base hyaline, anal-fin hyaline with no black spot at base...