Among the most highly recognized and sought after aquarium fishes are those in the group known as the LIVEBEARERS. The livebearers are fishes tht deliver their young alive, not in the usual egg form. The newborn fishes are completely formed and free swimming at birth. there are several reasons that the livebearers are so desirable. For starters, they exhibit magnificent coloration, are commonly available, are relatively inexpensive, and for the most part are easy to care for and breed.
There are many more different types of egglaying species than livebearing species. Some fishes lay adhesive eggs which stick to plants, and some lay non-adhesive eggs which fall to the bottom of the aquaium. EGGLAYERS are broken down into groups that correspond roughly to the fishes'taxonomic families. There are many factors that determine the incubation period of eggs. Depending on the type of species being bred, water temperature, lighting, and general water specifics, eggs may hatch at different rates and intervals.
SIZE: Males to 1 1/2 inches, females to 2 1/2 inches FOOD: Dried food, tubiflex, water fleas, mosquito larvae. COMMUNITY TANK: Yes TEMPERATURE: 61 degrees - 78 degrees BREEDING: Easily bred. Temperature 76 degrees Prolific breeder, gives birth to 5-60 live young. Not very ling lived, usually 12-18 months.
Heading the list for a combination of beauty and popularity among the livebearers is the guppy. Guppies have been bred in almost every conceivable color pattern and fin shape. Unlike the wild caught strains from South America, which are comparatively dull incoloration, commercially bred guppies offer an endless diplay of lustrous colors and long flowing fins. Caring for and breeding the guppy in a beginners aquarium is relatively simple. Guppies will thrive in the home aquarium with proper aeration and filtration. Providing suitable water requirements is not at all difficult. An aquarium heated to between 76 degrees-78 degrees is strongly reccomended. Preparation of breeding quarters for the guppy require minimal work. Most pairs will spawn under normal aquarium circimstances. For better results raise the temperature of the tank a few degrees. Also it's a good idea to feed brine shrimp. This will often speed up the spawning process. The normal gestation period of hte female guppy is between 4-6 weeks. A carefully selected pair of guppies that are about 3-4 months old are usually mature enough for breeding. The newly born fry may range from number anywhere between 20 and 100. Unfortunately, the mortality rate of the young guppy is high. The guppy's canibalistic instinct is quite common among livebearers. Therefore, an aquarium supplied with fine leaved plants should provide numerous hiding places and shelter for the recently born baby fish. After birth, the young active guppies are free-swimming, with ravenous appetites. There are several fry foods that provide adequate nutrition. Guppies that have reached maturity will readily accept a variety of foods, both prepared and frozen, but are especially fond of live foods. If the main objective is to produce offspring, guppies should be kept in tanks by themselves. Otherwise, the guppy makes for an excellent community fish when housed with small non- aggresive tankmates such as tetras or other livebearers.
SIZE: 3 inches (male smaller) FOOD: Dried food, tubiflex, water fleas, mosquito larvae. COMMUNITY TANK: Yes TEMPERATURE: 63 degrees-77 degrees BREEDING: Easy, temperature 78-80 degrees. Interesting courtship behaviour. Females have the amazing ability of turning into males. The sword like extension of the male's tail fin makes these very colourful and extremely popular fish immediately recognisable. A lively species, but the males become rather aggessive to each other and sometimes to other small inhabitants of the aquarium. Overall, they basically require similar care as the guppy. In today's aquarium hobby there are several interesting varieties to choose from. Some of the more common varieties available include the Red, Green, Black, Marigold, and Tuxedo. Other varieties of the swordtail include the regular lyretail and Hi-Fin Lyretail sword. The swordtail's peaceful temeperament makes i an ideal beginners' fish. Aggression is rare, although bullying by swordtails of both sexes is far from unknown. Sexing and breeding the swordtail can be achieved successfully with relatively little trouble even for the beginner. The female swordtail is capable of giving birth to as many as 150 young at one time. The fry are easily raised and cared for. They will accept all regular aquarium foods including flake, frozen, and live foods.
SIZE: uP TO 3 inches COMMUNITY TANK: Yes, with some dense vegetation. FOOD: Dried food, tubiflex, water fleas, mosquito larvae. TEMPERATURE: 63-77 degrees BREEDING: Easy Prolific breeder bearing live young. Both sexes have a dark patch at the rear of the abdomen. A variable species. A relative of the swordtail, it is not usually far behind in recognition and merit. It provides brillliant coloration to any aquarium. It's a peaceful and active fish that will almost never show any signs of aggression. Platies come in a wide selection of color varieties including solids and combination colors, with the red platy being the most commonly seen in the pet stores. They are reliable breeders capable of producing broods of young at the rate of once a month. The typical platy may produce between 60 to 80 baby fish. Feeding platies is similar to both the swordtail and guppy.
SIZE: 2 1/2-5 inches depending on variety COMMUNITY TANK: Yes, but the males can be aggresive towards each other. FOOD: Dried food, water fleas, mosquit larvae, algae, lettuce. TEMPERATURE: 73-80 degree, with a little added sea salt or rock salt, (1 heaped teaspoonful per gallon of water) BREEDING: Easy, Temperature 80 degrees. In general most livebearers prefer some salt added to their water, this type especially being one of them. Mollies require a substantial amount of salt content in their water. Mollies are rather peaceful and capable of living with most other aqurium occupants that are able to tolerate the water specifics. Although most dry and frozen foods will be taken, additional greens in the diet are absolutely necessary. Mollies require lots of vegetation, first for food, and, second, to protect the young if a pair are bred and young fish are expected. Molly's body will gradually swell proor to giving birth. Given a well planted aquarium, most molly parents will not eat their young, which makes raising the babies more convenient. Different types of mollies often seen in pet stores are the Marble, Lyretail, Balloon Body, and the popular sailfin. Sailfins are not ideal community fish and prefer to be left alone in a warm aquarium with large amounts of vegetation. Where do you want to go from hear?
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