CATDOLL : CATDOLL: What are the types of tropical fish?

There are three categories of famous tropical freshwater ornamental fish. The first is the lantern fish, such as red and green lantern fish, head and tail lantern fish, blue triangle fish, red lotus lantern fish, black lotus lantern fish, etc. They are small and exquisite, beautiful and elusive, and very popular; the second is the angelfish series, such as red rainbow fish, blue rainbow fish, striped blue and green rainbow fish, black angelfish, sesame angelfish, mandarin duck angelfish, red-eyed diamond angelfish, etc. They are elegant and graceful, gentle and very beautiful; the third is the dragon fish series, such as silver dragon fish, red dragon fish, golden dragon fish, black dragon fish, etc. They are known as "living fossils" and are extremely valuable.

Tropical marine ornamental fishes consist of more than 30 families, and the common species include the family of damselfish, the family of butterfly fish, the family of thorny butterfly fish, the family of rough skinned bream, etc. Its famous species include the queen angelfish, the queen angelfish, the emperor angelfish, the moonlight butterfly, the moon eyebrow butterfly, the herringbone butterfly, the seahorse, the red clown, the blue devil, etc. Tropical marine ornamental fishes are particularly bright in color and have rich patterns on their bodies. Many species have the nature of self-protection. Some have false eyes on their bodies, some have sharp blades on their tail stalks, some have hard and poisonous spines, some secrete venom in their bodies, some can change their body colors at will, and some are good at imitating their body shapes. There are all kinds of strange things, which fully show the magical charm of nature.

1. Golden Fish

Golden fish, also known as Baiyun golden fish, redtail fish, and Tang fish, belongs to the Cyprinidae family and is native to Baiyun Mountain in the suburbs of Guangzhou, China. The fish body is long and fusiform, 3 to 4 cm long, and the main body color is dark brown. A golden line runs from the eye to the tail fin. The dorsal fin, ventral fin, anal fin, and tail fin are all red and have golden edges. Golden fish like to swim in the middle and upper layers of water. When swimming, the body remains straight and swims evenly and quickly. Especially in dim light, golden fish can sparkle in the water, which is very eye-catching. Golden fish has a relatively gentle temperament and can be mixed with other small fish. Golden fish does not require high water quality and can live well in clean water at 15°C.

2. Zebrafish

Zebrafish, also known as striped fish, belongs to the Cyprinidae family and is native to India and Bangladesh. Zebrafish has a spindle-shaped body, a flat tail, a forked tail fin, and a body length of 6 cm or even longer. The base color of the whole fish is yellow, but the back is olive-colored. There are many blue and white stripes on the body, which run parallel to the body and extend to the tail, resembling a zebra, so it is called zebrafish. There are more than a dozen varieties of zebrafish, and their main differences lie in the number of stripes on the fish body, the width, and the changes in body color and fin shape. Zebrafish are gentle, lively, and good at grouping. The fish has no special requirements for water quality and lives well in weak acid, weak alkali and neutral water. The suitable water temperature is 25℃.

(3) Tiger barb

Tiger barb, also known as four-striped fish, is a species of carp fish. It is native to Malaysia. The fish body is spindle-shaped, 5 to 6 cm long, and light yellow in color. The edges of the pelvic fin, dorsal fin, and caudal fin of adult fish are bright red, and there are 4 longitudinal dark black stripes on the head, chest, and tail. It looks colorful like tiger skin, so it is called tiger barb. Tiger barb has a gentle temperament and can be mixed with most other tropical fish, except angelfish, because tiger barb has a natural quirk and likes to chase and bite the pectoral spines of angelfish. Tiger barb does not have high requirements for water quality. It can grow well in weak acid, weak alkali and neutral water environments. The suitable water temperature is 22 to 26 degrees Celsius.

(IV) Red-tailed black turtle

The red-tailed black turtle belongs to the Cyprinidae family and is native to Thailand. The body shape of the red-tailed black turtle is very similar to that of the black carp and grass carp in my country's freshwater fish. Its body length can reach 10 cm. Its body color is black except for the golden red tail fin, and the color contrast is very obvious. The fish has an arc on its back and a flat abdomen, and its body curve is very beautiful. When raising it at home, the water body required must be large and the light is not strong. It is best to grow in an environment with broad-leaved aquatic plants and gravel and other concealment. The optimal water temperature for the red-tailed black turtle is 24℃. The red-tailed black turtle has a violent temperament and usually harasses small fish, but it will not cause excessive harm. It can be mixed with most tropical fish.

5. Black Skirt Fish

The black skirt fish, also known as the black peony and the half-body fish, is native to Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia in Latin America. It has an oval body, flattened laterally, and can reach 8 cm in length. Its dorsal fin, anal fin, and pelvic fin are all black, and its front half is silver-gray with three black horizontal stripes, one through the eyes, one through the gill cover, and one from the dorsal fin to the base of the pectoral fin. The body color of the black skirt fish gradually changes from black to gray with age. The anal fin is wide and looks like a fluttering skirt when swimming, hence the name black skirt fish. Because the front half of the fish is relatively wide, the back half suddenly becomes small, as if half of the body is missing, so it is also called the half-body fish. The black skirt fish grabs food quickly, so when mixed with other species, care should be taken not to over-proportion the black skirt fish.

6. Tetra

The red tetra, also known as the neon tetra and the red lotus tetra, belongs to the family Characidae and is native to Peru, Brazil and Colombia. The red tetra is small in size, 3 to 4 cm long. Its dorsal fin is located in the center of the back, the anal fin extends to the back of the caudal peduncle, the caudal fin is forked, and there is a small adipose fin on the caudal peduncle; its back is chestnut red, its abdomen is silvery white, and all fins are transparent. The most important feature of the red tetra is that there is a neon longitudinal band above the lateral line on both sides of the body, from the eyes to the caudal peduncle, which is both green and blue under the refraction of light, and the caudal peduncle is bright red, and it flashes red and green when swimming. Red tetras are suitable for group breeding. If they are kept in small numbers, they are not easy to be discovered and lose their ornamental value. The fish play among the water plants and gravel, and the fish body flashes red and green, which is very beautiful. The young red tetras should not be mixed with large fish to avoid being eaten by large fish. The adult red tetras can be mixed with mild large fish. Red tetras like weakly acidic soft water. The suitable water temperature is 22 to 24℃.

7. Pencil fish

The pencil fish, also known as the red-tailed pencil fish, belongs to the family Characidae and is native to Brazil and Colombia. The fish is spindle-shaped and can reach 7 cm in length. The back is brown and the abdomen is silvery white. There is a black stripe below the lateral line that runs from the head to the tail peduncle. There is an irregular red spot on the lower lobe of the tail. The other fins are light yellow and opaque. When the pencil fish is still in the water, it looks like a horizontal pencil, so it is called the pencil fish. When the pencil fish swims, its body often tilts upward at a 45° angle. The pencil fish likes to fight, and it is best to raise it with medium-sized mild fish, and it is not suitable to raise it with small fish. The pencil fish likes weakly acidic soft water, and the most suitable water temperature is 24-28℃.

8. Guppy

Guppies, also known as rainbow fish, million fish, and Kubi fish, belong to the family of Guppies. Guppies are named for their slender body and beautiful flower tail. The male fish can reach 3 cm in length, with the tail length accounting for about 2/3 of the body length; the female fish can reach 5 cm in length, with the tail length accounting for more than 1/2 of the body length. The male fish has bright colors, including red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple. The tail fin has 1 to 3 rows of uniformly sized, neatly arranged black round spots or a large colorful round spot, like the round spots on the peacock's tail feathers. There are more than 10 types of tail fin shapes, including round tail, triangle tail, flag tail, torch tail, harp tail, tooth tail, swallow tail, upper sword tail, lower sword tail, skirt tail, etc. The female fish has a relatively monotonous body color. Except for the tail fin, which is bright blue, yellow, green, and light blue, with black spots of varying sizes, the other fins are average. After several generations of crossbreeding, the body color and pattern of guppies have changed a lot. Some are silver, some are like snake skin, some have fiery red tail fins, some are lavender, some are half red and half black, and some are divided into green, red and black. Although guppies are small, they have rich and colorful body colors and can be raised in groups or mixed with other mild species.

9. Pearl Mackerel

The origin of the pearl mackerel is Mexico. The pearl mackerel can reach 12 cm in length, with an olive green body color that gradually turns light blue to the abdomen. There are 10 neatly arranged brown-red stripes from the back to the abdomen, and its iris is azure blue. The dorsal fin of the pearl mackerel is different from other fish. It is tall and wide, standing like a sail, and is covered with pearl-like spots and patterns. The edge of the dorsal fin is inlaid with a neat red lace. Since the other fins are transparent and colorless, the beauty of its sail fin is more prominent. The pearl mackerel likes weakly alkaline hard water, requiring a pH range of 7.4 to 7.6, a hardness of 2 degrees, and a suitable water temperature of 24 to 27 degrees.

10. Black Ma Punishment

The black mackerel belongs to the family Anthocephala, and its origin is the United States and Mexico. The black mackerel has a spindle-shaped body, and its entire body, including the eyes and fins, is shiny black, and its body length is 5 to 6 cm. After a long period of hybridization and selection based on the five black mackerels, many precious varieties have been cultivated, such as the sail-winged black mackerel, the harp-tailed black mackerel, and the sail-winged harp-tailed black mackerel. The black mackerel is suitable for living in weakly alkaline hard water, requiring a pH range of 7.4 to 7.6, a hardness of 12 degrees, and a suitable water temperature of 22 to 24℃. The black mackerel has a mild temperament and can be mixed with some tropical fish, such as the swordtail fish.

11. Red Swordfish

Red swordfish, also known as red swordtail, belongs to the family of cyprinids. It is also native to Mexico and Guatemala. Red swordfish is a breed that is artificially bred by crossbreeding swordtail and moonfish. The body shape of red swordfish is similar to that of swordtail, but it is thicker than swordtail and has different fin shape. Red swordfish is 5 to 8 cm long, with red or orange-red body color, purple-red below the lateral line, and black eyes. Red swordfish can be divided into several different varieties according to the color of the fish body, the shape of the dorsal fin, whether the caudal fin is forked, and whether the extended tail sword of the caudal fin is bordered with black. Some red swordfish are red all over, including the eyes and fins, and are as beautiful as red velvet. This kind of red swordfish can be seen in bright red whether it is viewed in weak light or against light. When it swims in an aquarium with water plants, it is very dazzling and can be called a treasure among red swordfish. Red swordfish has a gentle temperament and is easy to be mixed with other tropical fish. If you intend to crossbreed and breed new varieties, you can mix them with moonfish, otherwise many degenerate varieties will appear. Red swordfish like to jump, so the cage opening should be covered when raising them to prevent the red swordfish from jumping out of the cage and causing casualties.

12. Pearl fish

Pearl fish, also known as pearl vest, belongs to the family Percichthyidae and is native to Malaysia. The fish is spindle-shaped, 10 cm long, with a base color of silver gray and red, dark back and light belly. Its anal fin is unusually developed with two tentacles. The whole body, including the dorsal fin, anal fin, and caudal fin, is covered with silver beads, like pearls, hence the name pearl fish. Pearl fish do not require high water quality and can live well in weak acid, weak alkali and neutral water environments. Pearl fish are gentle in nature and can be mixed with other species of tropical fish.

13. Kissing fish

Kissing fish belongs to the family Percisidae, also known as kissing fish and kissing fish. It is native to Indonesia, Malaysia, etc. It has a round body shape, flattened laterally, and can reach 20 cm in length; it has a large mouth with thick lips that extend forward and have serrations; all fins are transparent; it has a light red or milky white body color, a red mouth and eyes, black vertical stripes on the head, and black stripes on the caudal peduncle, but they are not obvious. Sometimes people will find a pair of kissing fish kissing together or kissing while swimming. In fact, this is not a kiss between the opposite sexes, but a fight to defend their respective territories. Kissing fish have the habit of eating moss or algae on the wall of the tank, and are known as "fish tank cleaners". When kissing fish eat moss on the wall of the tank, they are in an inverted position with their head down and their tail up, which is very cute. Kissing fish like weak acid soft water, and the suitable water temperature is 21-28℃. Kissing fish are docile and active in nature. They can be kept together with other species, but they should not be kept together with species that are easily frightened, so as to prevent quiet fish from being affected in eating and resting due to the kissing fish's frequent and rapid swimming.

14. Thai fighting fish

Thai fighting fish, also known as Luo fighting fish, fighting fish, and fighting fish, belongs to the family Percichthyidae and is native to Thailand. Thai fighting fish is spindle-shaped, slightly flattened, and can reach 8 cm in length. Male fish are smaller in size. Its dorsal fin, anal fin, and caudal fin are particularly wide, especially in male fish. The caudal fin is torch-shaped, and all fins are blue. The eyes are black, and the color of female fish is lighter. Thai fighting fish is hybridized and artificially bred, and its body color is brighter, including bright red, purple-red, grass green, bright blue, ink black, and mottled colors. Thai fighting fish is famous for its aggressiveness, but fighting only occurs between mature male fish. Male fish do not fight with female fish or other species of tropical fish, and female fish do not fight with each other. When two male fish meet, they will fight, and they will be covered with scars, with incomplete fins, or even bitten to death. Therefore, adult male fish cannot be kept together, but should be mixed with other tropical fish. The Thai fighting fish has an auxiliary respiratory organ, the gills. When there is a lack of oxygen in the water, it can swim to the surface of the water to swallow the oxygen in the air, so it generally does not suffocate and die due to lack of oxygen. The Thai fighting fish has no special requirements for water quality and can live well in weak acid, weak alkali and neutral water. It is not demanding on the hardness of water and the suitable water temperature is 22-26℃.

15. Angelfish

Angelfish, also known as angel fish and swallow fish, is native to the Amazon River in South America. Angelfish is flat on the sides, 12 cm long and 15 cm tall. Its base color is silvery white with yellow, with a lighter color on the abdomen and a darker color on the back. There are several long fins on the dorsal and anal fins, while the fins on both sides are shorter. The pelvic fins are long filamentous, and the distance between the upper and lower ends of the tail fin is long and straight in the middle. When the angelfish swims in the water, it is like a swallow flying in the air, so it is also called swallow fish. There are 4 vertical stripes on each side of the fish body, and the eyes are black. The iris is bright red. Angelfish likes to live in large water bodies planted with broad-leaved aquatic plants. The water quality should be kept clean, with a pH value of 6.5-7.4 and a suitable water temperature of 26℃. It is not suitable to be mixed with other fish. There are many variants of angelfish. Based on their shape, they can be divided into short-tail, medium-long tail and long tail. Based on their color, they can be divided into red-eyed angelfish, silver angelfish, black and white angelfish, zebra angelfish, diamond angelfish, gray-black angelfish, golden-headed angelfish, etc. Among them, the red-eyed angelfish and diamond angelfish are the most precious, and the black angelfish is the most difficult to raise.

(16) Five-Colored Fairy

The five-color angelfish, also known as the milkfish, belongs to the family Cichlidae and is native to the Amazon River. The fish has a flattened, disc-shaped body and can reach 15 cm in length. The bases of the dorsal and anal fins are very long, with the dorsal fin extending from the back of the head to the base of the caudal fin. The anal fin extends from the back of the pelvic fin to the base of the caudal fin. The fish is dark brown in color with blue-black vertical stripes on both sides. There are red and blue twisted stripes all over its head, trunk, dorsal fin, anal fin, and pelvic fin. These stripes change with the intensity of light, and can be said to be colorful. The fish swims elegantly, making it even more popular. The five-color angelfish likes clean soft water with a pH value of 6.2 to 6.8 and a suitable water temperature of 25 to 28°C. It is best to plant broad-leaved aquatic plants in the water, and it is not suitable for group feeding.

17. Seven-Colored Fairy

The seven-color angelfish, also known as the discus and the seven-color swallow, belongs to the Cichlidae family and is native to the Amazon River. The seven-color angelfish is a variant of the five-color angelfish. Its body shape is very similar to that of the five-color angelfish. From a distance, it looks like a discus, so it is also called the discus. Its body length can reach 20 cm, and the base color of the fish body is bright blue, dark green, brown, etc. There are 8 brown-red horizontal stripes with equal spacing on the fish body, and irregular wavy vertical stripes on the head, trunk, dorsal fin, and anal fin of the fish. Its color changes with the light. It is deeply loved by tropical fish lovers for its elegant swimming posture and perfect body shape, so it is crowned the title of the emperor of tropical fish. There are also many variants of the seven-color angelfish. In terms of body color, there are red seven-color, green seven-color, blue seven-color, and blue-green seven-color; in terms of body shape, there are wide fins, tall body, tall body and wide fins; in terms of pattern, there are turquoise and non-turquoise. The angelfish likes to live in high temperature, high oxygen soft water, requires a pH value of about 6, and a suitable water temperature of 26-30℃. The angelfish likes quietness and is afraid of being startled. It is best to keep it in a large aquarium with broad-leaved water plants and gravel for hiding. The angelfish can be mixed with small, quiet pelagic fish.

(1) Hegel's Discus: This fish was discovered by Johann Jacob Hegel of the Vienna Natural History Museum in 1840 during his expedition to South America. It is the oldest discus fish. Its most notable feature is the five thick dark vertical stripes in the center of the body. The species are distinguished by the Hegel dark stripes. Most of the eyes are dark brown or dark orange-red. The fifth thick dark vertical stripe is the world-famous "Hegel stripe".

(2) Green Discus: It is difficult to distinguish it from the Blue Discus, but it is not difficult for experienced professionals to distinguish it. Its water ripples will not exceed the ridge of the anal fin, and the pattern of the anal fin will appear fragmented. Its eyes are characterized by a strong red hue, and its body color is a slender water ripple with a heavier yellow-brown tone and inlaid with green tones.

(3) Blue Discus: The body color is red with a brown base, the eyes are orange-red and orange-yellow, and there are some beautiful blue stripes around the base of the water ripples from the head to the dorsal fin. The one with complete stripes is the Royal Blue Discus.

(4) Brown Discus: This is the most common and most visible species, and is also the easiest to keep and breed. It has very few stripes, which are mainly concentrated on the head and fins. The base color is light yellow, earthy brown, reddish brown, red, and other different colors.

18. Map fish

The map fish, also known as the piglet fish, belongs to the Cichlidae family and is native to the upper Amazon River and the Paraguay River in South America. The map fish is a large fish, and its body length can reach 35 cm or even longer. The fish has a sturdy body, a large head and a wide mouth. The base of the dorsal fin is very long, extending from the back above the pectoral fin to the caudal peduncle. The tail of the fin is a serrated hard fin spine, the pelvic fin is ventral, and the rear edge of the caudal fin is round. The body of the fish is jet black or dark brown, and its trunk is interspersed with irregular orange-yellow patches with red stripes in between, just like a swimming map, so it is called the map fish. Although the map fish is clumsy, it swims very quickly, reacts quickly, and hunts accurately. After eating, it often lies lazily on its side at the bottom of the pool to rest, just like a pig resting, so it is also called the piglet fish. The large-bodied map fish can be eaten, and its meat is delicious, making it one of the precious medicines. The map fish has no special requirements for water quality. It can live well in alkaline, acidic and neutral water. The suitable water temperature is 21-26℃. The map fish is sensitive to light. After continuous selection and breeding, many varieties have been cultivated, including white map fish, red map fish, yellow map fish, and red map fish. The map fish has a ferocious feeding habit and cannot be mixed with other small fish.

19. Three Rats

The three-spotted loach, also known as the crown loach, belongs to the family Cobitidae and is native to Indonesia. The three-spotted loach is oblate, 10 to 30 cm long, apricot yellow in color, with three black horizontal stripes on the head and trunk, and red pectoral and caudal fins. The head has a small pointed snout, short and thick tentacles, and spines under the eyes that can pop out when frightened and can serve as self-defense organs. The three-spotted loach prefers weakly acidic, high-dissolved oxygen water, and the suitable water temperature is 23 to 28°C. The three-spotted loach is gentle, timid and quiet, and should not be raised together with fierce or active fish.

(20) Blood-red Parrot

The origin of the blood-red parrot is Taiwan, China. It is a metamorphosis of the red devil fish. The blood-red parrot has a round and plump body, a funny appearance, a parrot-like beak, and a rose-red body. Its embryo is gray, but over time, its body color gradually changes from gray to white, from white to pink, and finally to blood red. The blood-red parrot likes weakly acidic fresh water and sunshine. It has a gentle temperament and can be mixed with most tropical fish except large ferocious fish.

(21) Black Devil

The black devil is also known as the devil's knife. It is native to central Brazil and the Guiana River Basin. The black devil has a strange shape. It is 45 to 50 cm long and has a black body but no luster. Its pelvic fins are well developed, it has no dorsal fin, and there is a yellow line on its back. The head is streamlined, the chest is wide, and it becomes thinner as it goes back. The tail is in the shape of a black and white stick. The fish's eyes are degenerate and it can hardly see anything at all. It relies entirely on microwaves emitted from its body to hunt and avoid obstacles. The black devil's swimming posture is very beautiful and varied, sometimes swimming forward, sometimes swimming backwards, sometimes swimming on its back, and sometimes swimming vertically. The black devil likes weakly acidic soft water and requires water plants, sunken wood, gravel and other objects in the water for invisibility. The black devil usually lies flat on the bottom of the water during the day and likes to come out at night.

(22) Elephantnose fish

The elephant-nose fish belongs to the family of the family Elephantnose, and is native to Congo and Cameroon. The elephant-nose fish has a strange body shape, with a body length of about 20 cm. Except for a small amount of white stripes on the dorsal fin, anal fin, the edge of the caudal fin and the trunk between the dorsal fin and anal fin, the whole body is black. The lower jaw of the elephant-nose fish extends forward and is tubular. Its lower jaw can move and is used to explore food, hence the name elephant-nose fish. The back and abdomen of the elephant-nose fish are straight, the pectoral fins are long, and the pelvic fins are short. The dorsal fin and anal fin are symmetrical and similar in shape, and the caudal fin is forked. The tail muscles can emit weak electric currents for self-defense. The elephant-nose fish likes weakly acidic or neutral soft water, and the suitable water temperature is 22-28℃. The adult fish is aggressive, and it is necessary to plant water plants in the aquarium, place sunken wood and gravel for invisibility, and add a cover to prevent the elephant-nose fish from jumping out of the box at night.

(23) Anti-swimming catfish

The reverse swimming catfish, also known as the sky mouse, belongs to the family Cobitidae and is native to the Congo River. It has a spindle-shaped body, 6 to 7 cm long, brown-blue body color, and a lighter belly. The dorsal fin is large and pointed, with an adipose fin and a forked caudal fin. It has three pairs of tentacles, which are tactile organs that can help the eyes find food or detect surrounding movements. Its vision is relatively sharp and it can distinguish objects in a dark environment. There are many brown or purple-red spots on its trunk. The swimming posture of the reverse swimming catfish is very peculiar. It usually swims slowly with its belly up and its back down. When escaping from enemies or predators, it quickly turns over and swims quickly with its back up and its belly down. This is a unique habit of the reverse swimming catfish.

(24) Seven-star knife fish

Seven-star knife fish, also known as Oriental knife fish and bow-back fish, belongs to the family of humpback fish, and is native to Thailand, Myanmar, and India. The fish has a flat body and a bow-back shape, with a body length of up to 90 cm and a silver-gray or gray-black body color. Its front half is relatively high, and gradually becomes shorter after the dorsal fin, and is knife-shaped at the tail fin. The dorsal fin and pelvic fin are relatively long and connected to the tail fin, and the edges of the fins are thin like a knife blade. There are multiple black round spots with white edges on both sides of the fish body. Seven-star knife fish does not require high water quality, and can live well in weak acid, weak alkali and neutral water. The suitable water temperature is above 24℃. Seven-star knife fish is a carnivorous fish. It cannot be mixed with small fish, but can be mixed with large fish.

(25) Silver Dragon

Silver Dragon, also known as Dragon's Tongue, Silver Ribbon, etc., belongs to the family of Osteoglossidae, and is native to the Amazon River. The body of the Silver Dragon is flat and long, up to 1 meter long, and its body color is silvery white. It is light pink under the light. Its dorsal fin and anal fin are ribbon-shaped, extending along the back and abdomen to the base of the tail fin, and the tail fin is round and fan-shaped. The mouth is superior, the mouth is large and slanted downward, and there is a pair of short whiskers. There are 5 rows of large round scales on each side of the body. Silver Dragon requires a large water body (no less than 1.5 meters long large water tank), and the water quality is also required to be clean. The suitable water temperature is 24-28℃. The aquarium should be covered with a net to prevent the Silver Dragon from jumping out of the box. Silver Dragon is the representative of Dragon Fish, in addition to Golden Dragon, Red Dragon, Blue Dragon, Black Dragon, etc.