SKILL BASED SUBJECT – III: ORNAMENTAL FISH CULTURE
SUBJECT CODE:18BZO55S
UNIT – III: BREEDING OF ORNAMENTAL FISHES
COMMERCIALLY IMPORTANR ORNAMENTAL FISHES
SELECTION OF SPECIES
BREEDING OF LIVE BEARERS
BREEDING OF EGG LAYERS
Dr. A. JEYASANKAR Assistant Professor Department of Zoology Government Arts College (Autonomous) Coimbatore-18 E-mail: [email protected] Commercially Available Important Ornamental Fishes INDRODUCTION Multimillion dollar industry Primarily for recreational purposes Also for education and research Two main areas are fish keeping and commercial production Fish keeping is caring for ornamental fish species as a hobby Commercial producers breed and market organisms for the fish keepers Benefits of ornamental fish rearing as a hobby
•It gives pleasure to young and old people •It enables relaxation of the mind and thereby contributes to a healthy living •Children get to know more about nature and use their time productively. •It creates a self-employment opportunity Commercially important indigenous (Native) species The commercially important indigenous and non-indigenous species list are presented below.
Scientific Name Common Name Botia lohachata Reticulated loach Brachydanio rerio Zebra fish Chandra nama Glassfish Colisa chune Honey gourami Labeo nandina Pencil gold labeo Lebeo calbasu All black shark Notopterus notopterus Black knife fish Oreichthys cosuatis Hi fin barb Puntius conchonius Rosy barb Puntius denisonii Deninson, S-barb Colisa lalia Dwarf gourami Commercially important exotic (introduced species) egg layers
Scientific Name Common Name Astronotus ocellatus Oscar Balantiocheilus melanopterus Bala shark / Silver Shark Betta splendens Siamese Fighting Fish Carassius auratus Goldfish Cichlasoma meeki Firemouth cichlid Cyprinus carpio var koi Koi carp Helostoma temmincki Kissing gourami Labeo bicolor Red-Tailed Black Shark Paracheirodon axelrodi Cardinal Tetra Paracheirodon innesi Neon Tetra Pterophyllum scalare Angelfish Rasbora heteromorphy Rasbora, Harlequin Fish Scleropages formosus Asian arowana Symphysodon discus Discus / Pompadour fish Trichogaster trichopterus Three spot gourami Commercially important exotic livebearers
Scientific Name Common Name
Poecilia reticulata Guppy
Poecillia sphenops Marble Molly
Poecillia velifera Sail fin molly
Xiphophorus helleri Swordtail
Xiphophorus maculatus Platy Barbs
Loaches
Danio Freshwater Sharks
Gourami
Puffer fish
Glass fish Guppy Selection of species
1. Choose right type fish Some breeds of fish are known to have specific habits of feeding which can lead to excessive accumulation of nitrate and other toxic waste materials in the aquarium water. These toxic waste materials can be detrimental to other fish. 2. Good species of fish It is quite important to select those species of fish which are active, resistant to diseases and hardy. Choose those breeds which appear to be healthy without signs of white patches, discolored skin, frayed fins and so forth. Fish must be able to withstand the changing conditions of the aquarium tank and even adapt to several other conditions in the water tank. Some fish tend to be weak and lonely and may stop feeding and become sick all of the sudden. 3. Similar community of fish
Choosing ornamental fish from the same community is an excellent idea because it will provide the required balance in the aquarium tank. These fish exhibit similar behavior and characters, and require the same water temperature and chemistry. 4. Size of Tank Another essential factor to consider before buying fish is the size of the aquarium tank. It is quite important to buy fish according to the size of the aquarium tank. Too many fish in a small tank can lead to poor quality of water and accumulation of ammonia in the tank. The size, type, and the filters of the aquarium tanks must be considered before buying fish. Make sure to choose those aquariums that deter formation of algae. 5. Reputed aquarium stores You should always buy fish aquarium from the stores that maintain proper hygiene. The aquarium tanks must be properly sanitized once in a while and sick fish must be quarantined. You should remember to visit the aquarium store before buying the fish to evaluate the feeding habits and the health of the fish. 6. Peaceful Community It is important to select only those fish that belong to a peaceful community. There are many aggressive species of tropical fish that feed on live fish. Such fish variety also requires large space in the aquarium tank. There are various types of ornamental fish and it is also easy to find these ornamental fish and fish accessories on many of the online stores at affordable price rates. It is important to know about different species of fish before buying these from the online stores. In addition to this, it is essential to choose the right breed of fish which can be maintained hygienically in your aquarium tank. Breeding of Live Bearers
Breeding of live bearers
Livebearers are aquarium fish that retain the eggs inside the body and give birth to live, free-swimming young.
Commercially important live bearers
Livebearers are prolific and are easily bred; of these most important livebearers are guppy, molly, swordtail, and platy.
These fishes mature between four to six months while the guppy and platy mature within just two months. Guppy
Name of the species: Guppy Poecilia reticulata (Peters, 1859)
Family: Poeciliidae
Size: up to 5 cm
pH range: 7.0 – 8.0
Temperature: 18 – 28oC
Food habit: Omnivorous
Distribution: South America and Africa
Description : The males possess beautiful colouration, which may be red, green, yellow, blue and black with dark marks super imposed. The tail fins are of variable shape. It’s a hardy species by nature, and it can tolerate a wide range of temperature. Molly
Name of the species: Molly Poecilia sphenops (Valenciennes, 1846)
Family: Poeciliidae
Size: up to 7.5 cm
pH range: 7.5 – 8.2
Temperature: 18 – 28oC
Food habit: Omnivorous
Distribution: South America and Africa
Description: They are jet-black and have a velvety texture. Male dorsal fins are large. Mollies require plenty of vegetable matter in the diet. Male has gonopodium and females are larger and plumper. Mollies must be kept in a salt- water environment. If a teaspoon of Epson salt plus a drop of 5 per cent solution of Methylene blue is added to each 5 litre of aquarium, the fish will fare much better. Southern Name of the species:platyfish Southern platyfish Xiphophorus maculatus (Günther, 1866)
Family: Poeciliidae
Size: up to 4.0 cm
pH range: 7.0 – 8.0
Temperature: 18 – 25oC
Food habit: Omnivorous
Distribution: North and Central America
Description: The platy colour is gray with dark speckles, sometimes red, in the dorsal fin. The male has gonopodium, and the female has round abdomen when gravid. Green swordtail
Name of the species: Green swordtail, Xiphophorus hellerii (Heckel, 1848) Family: Poeciliidae
Size: up to 14.0 cm
pH range: 7.0 – 8.0
Temperature: 22 – 28OC
Food habit: Omnivorous
Distribution: North and Central America
Description: The swordtail is a shiny green marked with red horizontal stripes red line along the centre of the body in particular distinct. Males are smaller than the female. It prefers live feed rather than artificial diet. Sexual identification of male and female
S. Male Female No 1 Smaller Larger
2 Brightly coloured and attractive Dull coloured
3 Dorsal and caudal fins are longer Comparatively smaller
4 Belly region is flat Belly region bugled
5 Anal fin is modified into Anal fin is normal in shape gonopodium which is a rod or tube like structure Number of young ones The number of young ones on an average is about 20 – 40. It depends on the size of brood fish, feeds given and tank environmental condition. S. Name of the species Maximum nos. of young one No 1 Guppy 100
2 Molly 100
3 Platy 50
4 Swordtail 200
After 2-3 days of release of young ones, the female again becomes pregnant even without the mating with a male. The sperm transferred in first mating is stored in the female body. When eggs are formed the sperm will join with eggs and form young ones. Typically, the female can release young ones for about 8 -10 times in a year
ORNAMENTAL FISHES -EGGS Jewel fish
Clown fish
Angel fish
Stendker fish