Red-Tailed Shark (Rainbow) youth services Scientific name: Epalzeorhynchos frenatum About our fish tank: This fish is a member Our beautiful fish aquarium was of the Cyprinidae family generously donated by the Friends of the and originates from the warm, fresh waters Rochester Hills Public Library in 1992. around Thailand. They are active swimmers and tend to spend most of their time at the The Friends and library staff consulted bottom of the tank and because they are with an Ichologist to design the tank. An semi-aggressive fish, they will chase the other Ichologist is a fish scientist. Together, fish from their territory in the aquarium. Being library staff, the Friends of the Library, and a bottom-dwellers, they also help keep the the Ichthyologist developed a mission aquarium clean by eating algae that grows on statement for the aquarium. The main goal the bottom of the tank. of the mission statement was to make sure that all the fish in the tank were lively. T-Barb The original fish tank was glass, but around Scientific name: 2005, the tank was rebuilt and the glass Puntius lateristriga walls were replaced with acrylic walls. Also known as the The tank holds 750 gallons of fresh water! Spanner Barb, this Rochester Hills fish is a species of We feed the fish a tablespoon of special cyprinid fish and are blend, high quality fish food every morning. native to the waters near the Malay Peninsula Public Library and the island of Borneo. They enjoy being There is a drain at the bottom of the tank. in schools (shoal) of fish and considered Every so often, some of the tank water is peacekeepers in tanks having the ability to removed through the drain and replaced Fish Tank keep more aggressive fish from fighting with with new water. This is done to keep the each other. T-Barbs generally stay in the mid to fish healthy. Get to know our fish! lower sections of the aquarium. The air bubbles you see are coming from a pump that is located in a closet next to the tank. The bubbles provide oxygen for the fish and also keeps the water from becoming stagnant. Three of the longest living residents lived in this tank from 1992-2014. That’s 22 years! Rochester Hills Public Library 500 Olde Towne Rd. Rochester, Mi 48307 rhpl.org 248-656-2900 Clown Loach Iridescent Shark About the fish: Scientific name: Scientific name: Chromobotia Pangasianodon Anostomus macracanthus hypophthalmus Scientific name: Anostomus anostomus Also known as tiger Iridescent sharks have botia, this tropical peaceful temperaments freshwater fish belongs and are also known Also known as striped to the botiid loach family and originates from headstander, striped as the siamese shark or sutchi catfish. They the inland waters of Indonesia on the islands of originate from the waters near Southeast Asia anostomus, and Sumatra and Borneo. striped anastomus and Thailand. The Iridescent Shark are the largest fish in our tank. this fish originates from South America In the RHPL tank you might find the Clown and is widespread throughout the Amazon Loach fish resting upside down under the and Orinoco river systems in Peru, Brazil, Parrot Cichlid rocks! It has black bands around its body and Scientific name: Venezuela and Guyana. a red tail. Don’t worry, he’s ok! Fish do this to replenish their air bladder so they can swim Amphilophus citrinellus Bala Shark again. Scientific name: Sometimes known as Balantiocheilos Giant Danio the Blood Parrot Cichlid, Scientific name: this fish was cross- melanopterus breed between a few Devario aequipinnatus other Cichlid species in Taiwan around 1986. The Bala Shark prefers In our tank, this fish likes to hide under rocks The giant danio is a and in between plants. to be in a habitat of tropical fish belonging two or more species of fish. This fish is not to the minnow family Plecostomus considered a true shark, but gets its name Cyprinidae. These fish Scientific name: because of its torpedo shaped body that is are found in the waters near Sri Lanka, Nepal, and the west coast of India. Hypostomus similar to a shark. The Bala Shark originates plecostomus from Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo. Gold Gourami Scientific name: Originating from waters Trichogaster in South America, this Blue Gourami fish is also known as Scientific name: trichopterus the suckermouth catfish or common pleco. Trichogaster It belongs to the armored catfish family A relative of the Blue trichopterus (Loricariidae), named for the armor-like Gourami, they are longitudinal rows of scutes that cover the Labyrinth fish, because upper parts of its head and body. Plecostomus The Blue Gourami they have a labyrinth organ. This organ allows are bottom feeders that eat food that falls to is also known as the them to get air at the surface of the water. Like the bottom of the tank. They also eat algae and Three-Spot Gourami, but it really has only two other fish they have the ability to pass water help control the algae build up in the habitats through their gills to obtain oxygen, but they they live in. spots, one in the center of the body, a second are also able to breathe atmospheric oxygen, spot at the beginning of the tail, and its eye which they can gather at the top surface of the is actually the third spot. The Blue Gourami is tank. Another characteristic of the labyrinth an omnivore and eats algae-based flake food, fish is that of being a bubble nest builders. The along with freeze-dried bloodworms and brine male will build a bubble nest at the surface of the water and once the female lays the eggs, shrimp. This fish originates from the waters he will place them in his nest and guard them near Malaysia and the South China Sea. until they hatch. .