Tropical Fish Profiles

The Tropical Fish Profiles website has been completely redesigned from the ground up with a new theme from Quommunication. The old design was severely lacking in quality and usability. The new theme should allow visitors to more easily navigate through our assortment of tropical fish profiles. Users can glance to the top of every page to access a navigation bar where they can make a decision to reach a page corresponding to the tropical fish they are looking for.

The biggest changes are on the front page. On the front page, the latest article is highlighted in its own black box. The front page will also allow visitors to access detailed information about Tropical Fish Profiles, such as the most popular profiles, recently posted profiles, and the comments made on our articles and profiles. Visitors can easily check out this information by scrolling over the tabs on the right of the featured post. Finally, the bottom of the front page shows the latest posts from each popular aquarium fish species.

I hope you guys enjoy the new site layout. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.

German Blue Ram Photo © L. Curtis

Profile

Origin: Colombia and Venezuela

Behavior: Mostly peaceful and shy, but can become very territorial during the breeding process. Placing the German Blue Ram into a community tank will lessen its shyness because they will see that the it’s “safe” to come out.

Temperature: 78-85 °F (26-30 °C)

pH: 5.0 – 7.5

Size: 3″ (7 cm)

Diet: Accepts all types of food including flakes, sinking pellets, frozen and freeze-dried foods.

Breeding: Place one male German Blue Ram and one female German Blue Ram into the same aquarium, and they will usually become attracted to each other. Although, some owners report that getting a group of German Blue Rams will allow them to pick and choose their partners more easily if a pair do not become attracted to each other immediately. Emulate a natural setting by densely planting the aquarium. German Blue Rams prefer a softer water when breeding, around a pH of 6.5 should be fine.
Sex: Males have a longer, pointed dorsal fin. Females have a red or orange tinge on their bellies.

Notes

German Blue Ram Photo © L. Dasilva

A pair of German Blue Rams (Mikrogeophagus ramirezi) will create quite a commotion in any tank from guests because they have one of the highly colored bodies of the South American Cichlids. They are perfect for a community tank with Tetras, Barbs, or Corys which allow the German Blue Rams to feel safer. The eye will surely be drawn to the German Blue Ram in an aquarium due to their breath-taking colors. Watching a pair of German Blue Rams guard their eggs is exciting because they are good tropical fish parents.

Conclusion

Care: [rate 5]
Hardiness: [rate 4]
Temperament: [rate 4]
Breeding: [rate 5]
Overall: [rate 4.5]

Bronze Cory Photo © C.B. Agulto

Profile

Origin: South America

Behavior: Peaceful, community tropical fish. Will hover along the bottom of the tank to search for food scraps.

Temperature: 68–82 °F (20-28 °C)

pH: 6.0 – 8.0

Size: 3″ (7 cm)

Diet: Accepts all types of food including flakes, sinking pellets, frozen and freeze-dried foods.

Breeding: Easy to breed. Place a group of 6+ Bronze Corys in the same tank. This will ensure that both sexes will be present in the group. Lower the pH to around 6.5-6.8, and do a 50% water change. Pour in the new water (de-chlorinated, of course) slowly to simulate the rains found in the Bronze Cory’s natural habitat. Lower the temperature by 3-5°C. This should encourage the Bronze Corys to spawn.

Sex: Females appear larger than males.

Notes

Bronze Cory Photo © C.B. Agulto

Bronze Corys are one of the most popular fish in the tropical fish community because of its extreme peacefulness and its habit of constantly hovering the aquarium floor to find food. Bronze Corys must be the most peaceful fish any tropical fish enthusiast can keep. They should be kept in groups of 5+ since they love each other’s company. Owners of Bronze Corys should not be worried if their fish dash up to the top of the tank to grab some air since it’s part of the Bronze Cory’s nature.

Conclusion

Care: [rate 5]
Hardiness: [rate 5]
Temperament: [rate 5]
Breeding: [rate 5]
Overall: [rate 5]

Dwarf Gourami Photo © C.B. Agulto

Profile

Origin: India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh

Behavior: Peaceful, community tropical fish.

Temperature: 72–82 °F (22-28 °C)

pH: 6.5 – 7.5

Size: 3.5″ (9 cm)

Diet: Omnivorous, accepts flakes, vegetation (lettuce, peas, spinach), and freeze-dried or frozen foods.

Breeding: Bubble nest builder. Lower water to 6-8 inches, and raise the temperature to 28-30 °C (82 °F). The tank should be planted with much vegetation since the male Dwarf Gourami will use it to build its bubble nest. Feed with a variety of freeze-dried or frozen foods.

Sex: The male’s dorsal fin is pointed and straight. The female’s dorsal fin is slightly curved.

Notes

Dwarf Gourami Photo © C.B. Agulto

The Dwarf Gourami is perfect for being the main display of a tropical fish community aquarium because of its relatively small size and beautiful coloration. There should be one male and two females in a Dwarf Gourami tank. The male will be distracted by two females instead of continually beating up one single female Dwarf Gourami. Dwarf Gouramis are known to have unique personalities. Dwarf Gouramis can be the main attraction in a tank with smaller community fish.

Conclusion

Care: [rate 5]
Hardiness: [rate 5]
Temperament: [rate 5]
Breeding: [rate 5]
Overall: [rate 5]

Serpae Tetra Photo © C.B. Agulto

Profile

Origin: Amazon River and Paraguay

Behavior: Generally peaceful, should be kept in schools of six or more. May nip fins of other fish if they are kept in small groups.

Temperature: 72–79 °F (22-26 °C)

pH: 5.5 – 7.0

Size: 1.5″ (4 cm)

Diet: Accepts flakes and most aquaria food.

Breeding: Egg layer. Easy to breed in aquarium. Plant the breeding tank with many fine-leaved plants (Myriophyllum, Cabomba) and floating plants. Adjust the water quality, so it has a pH of 6.5-7.0.

Sex: Females are rounder than males.

Notes

Serpae Tetra Photo © C.B. Agulto

The Serpae Tetra is popular because of its distinct red coloration and its hardiness in the community aquarium. There are many contrasting reports on the behavior of the Serpae Tetra. Some owners argue that Serpae Tetras are fin-nippers, while some owners claim they are absolutely peace in their community tank. The activity of Serpae Tetras may be hard to predict because of the different reports about their behavior.

Conclusion

Care: [rate 5]
Hardiness: [rate 5]
Temperament: [rate 5]
Breeding: [rate 5]
Overall: [rate 5]