Handbook of Freshwater Ornamental Fishes of Kanyakumari

Fishes that are kept in home aquariums for aesthetic purposes are considered ornamental fish. These fishes include a wide variety of species, of many shapes, sizes, and colors. The common freshwater ornamental fishes of Kanyakumari District are as follows.

1. Gold Fish

 

Scientific Name: Carassius auratus

Common Name: Gold Fish

Colouration: Bright orange, Yellow, Red.

Feeding: Prefer aquatic plants, insects, larvae, crustaceans, and other smaller fishes

Breeding season: April to August, when the weather is warmer.

Life span: 10 years

Behavior:

  • Goldfish are not aggressive.
  • They generally can be found in slow-moving and  freshwater bodies of water in the wild.
  • They can also thrive in slightly sludgy water, live their close relative the carp.
  • They can thrive in a pond environment.

Advantages:

  • Easy to maintain
  • Cheap and available everywhere
  • Reduce stress and anxiety
  • Adapt to climatic changes

           

  1. Angel Fish

                     

Scientific Name: Pterophyllum

Common Name: Angel Fish

Colouration: Silver in colour with a slight brown tinge and four black vertical stripes

Feeding:  Feeds on flakes, pellets, shrimps, daphnia

Breeding season: Reach sexual maturity at 6th month and breeds at a temperature of 80º

Life span: 12-15 years

Behavior:

  • They are fearful and get nervous easily by loud noises and sudden moves.
  • They are quite aggressive if they are not kept with the right species.
  • Usually peaceful fish but tend to become territorial at the time of breeding.
  • They prefer middle of the tank and are known to be active swimmers.

Advantages:

  • Reduce stress and anxiety
  • Gives esthetic pleasure to the aquarium
  • Can thrive within a small tank
  • These fishes are a lovely sight to behold when they swim elegantly in an aquarium.
  1. Gourami

                             

Scientific Name: Trichopodus leerii

Common Name: Gourami

Colouration:  Diagonal stripes or spots of alternating blue and red colors

Feeding:  Larvae, small insects, eggs, and algae

Breeding season: Breeds during warmer at a temperature of 77°F to 82°F

Life span: 3-5 Years

Behavior:

  • Male have a tendency to be aggressive
  • Slow moving and are best kept with similar sized fish
  • They are less stressed

Advantages:

  • They demand mid-level care and are of peaceful temperament
  • Easy to keep and extremely adaptable
  • Provides extra beauty to the aquarium.
  1. Tetras

                   

Scientific Name: Moenkhausia pittieri

Common Name: Tetras

Colouration:  Pure silver with slight red coloration around the top of their eyes.

Feeding:   Brine, shrimp, worms and insects as well as plants

Breeding season: Breeds during warmer at a temperature of 72 and 75 F

Life span: 10 Years

Behavior:

  • It thrives in softer water
  • Non-aggressive schooling fish
  • The female will have a larger more rounded belly than the male.

Advantages:

  • Non-aggressive
  • Do not require any specialized care
  • Can tolerate moderately hard water

 

  1. Koi Carp

                         

Scientific Name: Cyprinus carpio

Common Name: Koi Carp

Colouration:  White, black, red, orange, yellow, blue, and cream coloured.

Feeding:   Small bugs, insects, plants and algae

Breeding season: May and June – in late spring and early summer

Life span: 25-35 Years

Behavior:

  • Act differently when they’re stressed
  • Hate quick changes
  • Under stress they speed around the pond or act sluggish

Advantages:

  • Friendly fish
  • Social fish that enjoy living in groups
  • Will not eat other fish or fight with each other

 

 

 

 

  1. Fighter Fish

                 

Scientific Name: Betta splendens

Common Name:  Fighter fish

Colouration:   Vibrant gold, reds, blues, greens and violets

Feeding: Brine shrimp, dried bloodworms or daphnia

Breeding season: Breeds in the age of 14 months

Life span: 3-5 Years

Behavior:

  • Highly aggressive
  • Males are very notorious fighters
  • They live in warm water of 75-80 degrees

Advantages:

  • They are easy to take care
  • Very beautiful and unique-looking fish
  • Have brightly colored bodies and long, flowing fins which provides extra beauty
  1. Platy Fish

                 

 

Scientific Name: Xiphophorus maculatus

Common Name:  Platy fish

Colouration:  White, black, red, orange, yellow, blue.

Feeding:  Need a good mix of plant based food and proteins.

Breeding season: Instantly when the temperature is about 64°F

Life span: 3-4 Years

Behavior:

  • Very peaceful and great community lover
  • Very active and love being in groups
  • They are live bearing fish, as they give birth to live young fish

Advantages:

  • Great interactive fish
  • Easy to care
  • Can adapt to very hard water
  • Very calm and peaceful fish
  1. Tank Cleaner Fish

                

Scientific Name: Plecostomus

Common Name:  Tank Cleaner Fish

Colouration:  Brownish Black, Greenish black.

Feeding:  Food left over by other fish, Pellets, Brine Shrimp, Blood Worm, Tubifex and Daphnia.

Breeding season: June to July

Life span:  More than 15 Years

Behavior:

  • They become active at daytime
  • Fish prefers a school of 5-6 fishes
  • They are not aggressive

Advantages:

  • Peaceful ground species
  • They are excellent tank cleaners
  1. Molly Fish

                              

Scientific Name: Poecilia sphenops

Common Name:  Molly Fish

Colouration:  White, black, Orange

Feeding:  Flakes, pellets, and frozen foods

Breeding season: When temperature is at 70-82 °F

Life span:  5 Years

Behavior:

  • Can live in either salt or freshwater
  • Love to dwell in densely planted aquariums
  • Mid-level swimmers
  • Small peaceful species adapt well to a variety of water conditions

Advantages:

  • Never aggressive
  • Easiest variety to breed
  • Reproduce extremely quickly
  1. Guppies

                           

Scientific Name:  Poecilia reticulata

Common Name: Guppy

Colouration: Fluorescence colour, orange

Feeding: Feeds algae and aquatic insect larvae.

Breeding Season: Summer, January to May

Life span:  1 to 3 years

Behaviour:                

  • It is a peaceful fish that like to be kept in groups.
  • They are active swimmers
  • It move around all the time and lot of pretty
  • The males chasing the females trying to impress them by wiggling their fins.

Advantages:

  • They are small and cheap.
  • The males are smaller and flashier than the females, but the females still sport colorful tails.
  • Guppies are incredibly easy to keep alive
  • They are great for mosquito control.

 

  1. Swordtail

                     

Scientific Name:  Xiphophorous hellerii

Common Name: Sword tail

 

Colouration:  Red, Black, Red Simpson, Spotted red and green

Feeding: Bloodworms, daphnia, brine shrimp, mosquito larvae, or fruit flies, algae

Breeding Season:  22°C – 28°C

Life span:  3-5 years

Behaviour:

  • They can take care of themselves when there are bigger fishin the tank.
  • The males may become aggressive towards other males.
  • They should be able to handle themselves with many fishtheir same size or larger.

Advantages:

  • It has been used extensively in genetic studies and medical research.
  1. Zebra Fish

                                

Scientific Name:  Danio rerio

Common Name: Zebra Fish

Colouration:  Blue, yellow, purple, white with stripes

Feeding: Brine shrimp larvae, tubifex worms

Breeding Season:  During dawn at a temperature of about 23º and 28ºc

Life span:  3-5 Years

Behaviour:

  • Active Swimmers
  • Become stressed if their numbers are too low
  • They are known to jump so you may want to keep your tank covered
  • Tend to be so zippy and lively

Advantages:

  • They are very easy to care
  • They are prized for their instantly striped pattern
  1. Arowana

             

Scientific Name:  Osteoglossidae

Common Name: Arowana

Colouration:   Gold-tinged to deep red, dark brown.

Feeding: Live or frozen fish and insects, krill, worms and shrimp

Breeding Season:   August to October

Life span:  10 – 15 Years

Behaviour:

  • Can survive in areas with less oxygen
  • Mostly surface dwelling
  • Solitary predators

Advantages:

  • Considered a symbol of luck, strength, prosperity, and wealth
  • Body structure gives them a drastically different appearance