Format:
1 online resource (156 pages)
ISBN:
9781620080061
Series Statement:
Fish Keeping Made Easy
Content:
Livebearers focuses on four families of fish which contain many of the most attractive and popular species in the tropical fish hobby today, including guppies, mollies, swordtails, and platies. The families include Goodeidae (Mexican livebearers), Anablepidae (four-eyes and others), Poeciliidae (guppies and others); and Hemirhamphidae (halfbeaks). Author David Alderton explains that hobbyists have applied the term livebearer to these four families for convenience even though there are fourteen families in the wild that reproduce by bearing live young. The chapter Where in the World?" focuses on the natural history of these families, their distribution, and lifestyles. Hobbyists looking to begin an aquarium of livebearers or to expand their existing communities will find useful information in the chapter called The Different Groups," in which Alderton discusses age considerations, health matters, and sex. The chapter also describes the four families and the most common genus/species of each. Included are sixteen representatives of the Family Goodeidae (e.g., Allodontichth, Characodon, and Skiffia), three genus of the Family Anablepidae (Anableps, Jenynsia, and Oxyzgonectes), twenty-six representatives of the Family Poeciliidae (e.g., Belonesox, Fiexipenis, and Limia); and three genus of the Family Hemirhamphidae (Dermogenys, Hemirhamphodon, and Namorhamphus). This colorful, user-friendly guide offers basic information on the anatomical characteristics, housing options, required aquarium equipment for livebearers as well as their feeding habits and food requirements (greenstuff, carotene-rich foods, live foods, meat, etc.). The breeding habits of livebearers have ensured their popularity with hobbyists, and the chapter on reproduction describes the various breeding habits of livebearers and outlines successful breeding strategies for interested
Content:
Intro -- Contents -- Nature and Nurture -- 1 Where in the World? -- An ancient tradition -- Patterns of distribution -- Breeding potential -- From the sea to freshwater -- Lifestyles of livebearers -- Predation and adaptation -- Parasites and pairing -- Foreign introductions of livebearers -- Endangered species -- 2 The Different Groups -- Making Choices -- Be patient! -- Classification -- Family Goodeidae: goodeids or Mexican livebearers -- Family Anablepidae: four-eyes and related species -- Family Poeciliidae: guppies and related species -- Family Hemirhamphidae: halfbeaks -- 3 Characteristics and Care -- Defining characteristics -- Other sensory organs -- Respiration -- Fin structures -- The copulatory organ -- Housing options -- Positioning the aquarium -- Plan ahead -- How many fish? -- Filtration systems -- Heating control -- Lighting -- Aquarium gravel -- Planting schemes -- Choosing aquarium plants -- Planting considerations -- Rocks and woodwork -- Water chemistry -- Other special housing needs -- 4 Feeding Habits and Food -- Mouthparts -- The digestive tract and diet -- Greenstuff -- Color foods -- Live foods -- Meat -- Varying the diet -- 5 Reproduction -- Breeding success -- Reproductive habits -- Size and survival -- Hybridization -- Mate choice -- Gender determination -- Other reproductive triggers -- Brood size -- The breeding environment -- Rearing the young -- Growth rates -- Genetics -- 6 Lifespan and Diseases -- Lifespan and temperature -- Signs of aging -- Treatment tanks -- Signs of illness -- Fungal diseases -- Bacterial diseases -- Parasites -- Noninfectious illness -- 7 Popular Livebearers -- Family Goodeidae -- Family Anablepidae -- Family Poeciliidae -- Family Hemirhamphidae -- Further Reading -- Websites -- Glossary -- Index.
Note:
Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources
Additional Edition:
9781931993197
Additional Edition:
Erscheint auch als Druck-Ausgabe 9781931993197
Language:
English
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