:: Barramundi Cod : The Transexual Fish ::

The barramundi (Lates calcarifer), also known as Asian Seabass is a catadromous fish species in Latidae family of order Perciformes. Native species is widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific from the Persian Gulf, through Southeast Asia to Papua New Guinea and northern Australia. Known as Pla Krapong Thai language, it is very popular in Thai cuisine. He is known as pandugappa in Telugu language in India and in Bengali language and bhetki in eastern India.

Barramundi is a borrowing of Australian Aboriginal language of the area of ​​Rockhampton in Queensland, which means "river fish scale." Initially, the barramundi name referred to the Gulf of Saratoga and Saratoga.

Barramundi cod (Cromileptes altivelis) is an attractive Speice tropical fish is a member of the cod family Serranidae Groper. It is known to occur in the warm waters of the western Pacific and Australia, it can be found along the entire section of the Great Barrier Reef in Torres Strait. This fish can be easily recognized by its color and distinctive profile. The body is creamy gray color and is covered with small brown with black dots. The small head and neck are a significant increase of similar charactersitic freshwater barramundi. This fish can be found on coral reefs and often hides in caves or overhand. It is considered a kind of shy and hide divers approach. Barramundi cod (Cromileptes altivelis) grows approximately 70cm in length.

However, the name has been allocated for marketing reasons in the 1980s, a decision that helped raise the profile of the fish significantly. L. calcarifer is commonly referred to as the bar in Asia by the international scientific community, but is also known as giant perch, giant snapper, Australian bar, and a variety of names in other languages, such as Ikan Ikan Siakap or Kakap Putih in Indonesian, Apahap in Tagalog (Philippines), and Pla Krapong Thailand.

This species has an elongated body with a big mouth slightly oblique and upper jaw extends behind the eye. the lower edge of the preopercle is serrated with a strong spine at its angle, the cover has a small spine and a serrated flap above the origin of the lateral line. His scales are ctenoid. In cross section, the fish is compressed and the dorsal profile of head concave clear. Dorsal and ventral fins have spines and soft rays, pectoral and pelvic paired fins have soft rays and only the caudal fin has soft rays and is truncated and rounded. Barramundi is a salt and freshwater fishing, targeted by many. They have large silvery scales, which may become darker or lighter, depending on their environment. Their bodies can reach up to 1.8 meters (5.91 feet) long, although evidence of them being taken at this size are rare.

Barramundi are living demersal in coastal waters, estuaries, lagoons and rivers and are found in clear water to turbid, usually in a temperature range of 26-30oC. This species does not undertake extensive migrations within and between river systems, which probably influenced formation of genetically distinct stocks in northern Australia.

Barramundi are primarily a summer fish, but can be taken throughout the year, and can be found frolicking in the mud. They are usually targeted using both hard and soft body lures.
The barramundi feeds on crustaceans, mollusks and small fish (including its own species), food for juveniles on zooplankton. Barramundi are euryhaline, but stenothermal. He lives in rivers and estuaries and down to the foreshore to spawn. In remote areas of pure populations of freshwater sailors can be established.

At the beginning of the monsoon, men migrate downstream to meet the female, who was a very large number of eggs (several million each). Adults do not guard the eggs or fry, which require brackish water to develop.

The species is hermaphroditic sequentially, most individuals maturing as males and females become after at least one spawning season, most of the larger specimens are women. Fish kept in captivity often show atypical features of fish in the wild, they change sex at a smaller size, have a higher proportion of protogyny and some males do not undergo sexual inversion

:: Balistes vetula ::

Balistes vetula, also known as the queen triggerfish, reef dwelling fish is one of the Atlantic. It is occasionally caught as a gamefish, and sometimes kept in marine aquariums. This fish is called cochino in Cuba, and this is the probable origin of the Bahía de Cochinos name, known as the Bay of Pigs in English.

The queen triggerfish comes from the reefs of the Caribbean Sea, and is a very striking fish a new dimension of color and shape will add to the great sea fish only aquarium. They are triangular shaped and are usually yellow and green, with an interesting pattern of lines circling their eyes. Their fins are blue to purple in color and the tail is forked.

It's a big fish that reaches 60cm in length. It is typically brown with blue lines on its head and fins. It may slightly change color in the area, or when exposed to stress.

The queen triggerfish is found on coral rubble, tops of reefs and grass, usually at a depth of 3-20 M. It preys on a variety of invertebrates, including sea urchins. It is fairly common in subtropical and tropical Atlantic Ocean, west of Trinidad to the north from Texas to the Bahamas.

As one of the largest and most aggressive of the triggerfish, this fish is rarely a good choice as a resident of a marine aquarium. It is a hardy fish for those who can offer a good environment. Because it grows so big and as fast as the perfect aquarium for this fish is a 500 gallon tank. Although some sources claim that it can only be kept in a tank 125 liters, when it reaches its adult size of two meters is unlikely to thrive.

Its diet consists of invertebrates. In aquariums shrimp, squid, mussels, squid, scallops, and crab are all good choices of food. The male is larger and more colorful than the female. The ends of the dorsal and tail fins filamentous as the fish ages. It is more pronounced in men than in women.

Scientific classification 
Kingdom: Animalia 
Tribe: Chordata Actinopterygii
Order: Tetraodontiformes
Family: Balistidae 
Genus: Balistes 
Type: B vetula

:: Jawfish ::

Jawfish belong to the family in the order Perciformes Opistognathidae. FishBase lists 60 species are currently divided into four genera: Lonchopisthus, Merogymnoides, and Opistognathus Stalix.

Physically similar to blennies, jawfish are generally smaller fish with an elongated body plan. Their heads, mouths and eyes are large in size compared to the rest of their body. Jawfish have a single, long dorsal fin with 9-12 spines and a tail that can be rounded or pointed. 

Jawfish typically live in burrows they construct in sandy substrate. They will stuff their mouths with sand and spit it out elsewhere, slowly creating a tunnel. Utilizing the protection of the caves, these fish feed on plankton float and other small organisms, ready to dart back in at the first sign of danger. They are territorial of the area around their burrows.

Jawfish are mouthbrooders meaning their eggs hatch in their mouths, where the newborn pups are protected from predators.

Different types of jawfish have been successfully kept by aquarists. It is important to use a suitable sandy substrate in the aquarium, these fish should be able to dig vertical burrows. Ideally, small pebbles, shell fragments and other types of naturally occurring elements. For example, three parts fine sand mixed with 1 part course material. The substrate in the tank should be at least 2-3 inches (5 to 7.5 cm) deep.

The jawfish will claim the vicinity of his cave as his territory. How much territory each fish will claim mainly depends on the species, some only a foot (30 cm) apart in the wild, while others of their holes at least 3.3 feet (1 meter) instead of each other.

The tunnel will arrange for a refuge and a drive to hunt plankton, which jawfish may arise and which they can retreat. Another function of the extended jaw is the man mouthbrooder, which means that the eggs hatch in the mouth, protecting the little offspring of predation and churning so they stay clean and aerated. Although the man left with all the parental duties, he is relieved after only 5 to 7 days, which is all the time it takes for the eggs hatch.

It is a non-aggressive fish that should not be kept in the same tank as aggressive species. You can combine such jawfish small, friendly non-aggressive fish and invertebrates.

Because jawfish tend to dig a lot, they can disrupt soil filters. If you absolutely want an undergravel filter, create a barrier between the filter and the top layer of sand. You can use eg mesh or glass fiber.

:: Antarctic Teleost Icefish ::

The fishes of the family of Channichthyidae, commonly called icefishes (ice fish) or icefishes crocodile (alligator ice fish), are saltwater fish belonging to the order Nototenioidea. They are among the few fish that live in Antarctic waters.

They have an elongated body that is refined towards the tail. The head is large with a pointed snout and large eyes. The pectoral fins are well developed, ventral fins are long and stiff (often used as a support to lean on the bottom) the anal fin is thin and barely visible, the tail broad and muscular. On the back have two dorsal fins, the first developed with strong rays. The lack cannictidi swim bladder.

These fish can survive in Antarctic waters, whose temperature ranges between -1 and -2 ° C, since their blood has a low viscosity. To reduce the viscosity of blood (which would involve a greater expenditure of energy for the body) the cannictidi have evolved eliminating the red blood cells and hemoglobin, which, taking advantage of the fact that in water at low temperature oxygen is much more soluble and tends to be absorbed by the blood gills with more ease. 

Additionally implement these fish breathing skin: have a dense network of capillaries near the skin, devoid of scales, which can then be further gas exchange with the environment. Fertilization is external, the eggs (yellow-orange, 2-3 mm in diameter) are fertilized at the time of deposition.

scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Suborder: Nototenioidea
Family: Channichthyidae

:: Pink salmon ::

 

Pink salmon are the smallest of Pacific salmon found in North America with an average weight of between 3.5 and 5 pounds, with an average length of 20-25 inches. As with all members of the family salmon, pink salmon are cold water fish. They are also the most numerous and Pacific salmon are commercially harvested and canned in Alaska since the late 1800s. Young pink salmon are completely black with no dark vertical bars or spots. In the ocean, adults are bright green-blue on top and silvery on the sides.  

 

They have very small scale and pink flesh. As adults closer to return to fresh water, they develop a lot of large black spots on their backs and their tails. In the pink of their spawning streams approach, males brown to black on the back with a bright white belly. Females have a bright white belly, but put an olive green with dark bars and patches of lavender or a dark gold. By the time men go to the stream where they spawn, they have a very large hump and hooked jaws called kype.

In the ocean, pink salmon are bright silver fish. After returning to their spawning stream, the color changes to light gray on the ass with a yellowish white belly (although some turn an overall dull green color). Like all salmon, in addition to the dorsal fin, they have an adipose fin. The fish is characterized by a white mouth with black gums, no teeth on the tongue, large oval black spots on the back and v-shaped tail, and an anal fin with 13 to 17 soft rays. During their spawning migration, males develop a pronounced spine bumps, hence their nickname "humpies". Pink salmon average 4.8 pounds (2.2 kilograms) in weight. The maximum size recorded was 30 inches (76 cm) and 15 pounds (6.8 kilograms).

Pink salmon in their natural range have a strict two years life cycle, so even and odd-year populations not cross. Adult pink salmon enter spawning streams from the ocean, usually returning to the stream, or race, where they came from. Spawning occurs between late June and mid-October. Pink salmon spawn in coastal streams and rivers, some longer, and may spawn in the intertidal zone or at the mouth of rivers and hyporheic freshwater is available. Using its tail, the female digs a trough-shaped nest, called REDD (Scandinavian word for "nest") in the gravel of the stream bed, where she deposits eggs. As she expels the eggs, she is approached by one or more men who impregnate them as they fall into the REDD. Subsequently, the female covers the newly deposited zygotes, again jarring her tail against the gravel at the top of the REDD.

The female lays eggs in 1000-2000 a number of links within the REDD, often fertilized by different men. Females guard their redds until death, which comes within days of spawning. In dense populations, a major source of mortality for the embryos is superposition of redds by later-spawning fish. The eggs hatch from December to February, depending on water temperature and the youth from the gravel in March and April and quickly migrate downstream to estuaries in approximately one quarter ounces. The fish reach sexual maturity in their second year of life. They return to fresh water in the summer and fall as two years old adults. Pink and [Chum Salmon] sometimes crosses in nature to the hybrid known as Miko salmon form the infertile hybrids.

Pink salmon are cold water fish with a preferred temperature range of 5.6 to 14.6 ° C, an optimum temperature of 10.1 ° C, and an upper incipient lethal temperature of 25.8 ° C. The species is native to the Pacific and Arctic coastal waters of the Sacramento River in northern California to the Mackenzie River in Canada, and in the west of the Lena River in Siberia to Korea. Populations occur in Asia as far south as Hondo Island in Japan. Pink salmon were introduced into the Great Lakes region, including Iran.

The pink salmon is critical danger in California, Washington and danger. In Alaska and British Columbia are safe. They were introduced in the Great Lakes. The range of the pink salmon is the north-eastern Pacific Ocean from the North American coast.

Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Salmoniformes
Family:	Salmonidae
Genus:	Oncorhynchus
Species:	O. gorbuscha

:: Barracuda ::

The barracuda is a ray-finned fish known for its large size and fearsome appearance. Its body is long, fairly compressed and covered with small smooth scales. Some species may reach up to 1.8 m long and 30 cm wide. The barracuda is a saltwater fish of the genus Sphyraena, genus Sphyraenidae only in the family and is found in tropical and subtropical oceans worldwide.

Barracudas are elongated fish, pike, as in appearance, with prominent sharp teeth like fangs, much like the piranhas, which are all different sizes that are set in sockets of their large jaws. They have large heads with a needle pointed in many species. Their lids are no spines and are covered with small scales. Their two dorsal fins are widely separated by the anterior fin with five spines, posterior fin with spine and nine soft rays. The posterior dorsal fin is similar in size to the anal fin and is over. The lateral line is prominent and extends straight from head to tail. The spiny dorsal fin is placed above the pelvic fins and is usually back in a groove. The caudal fin is moderately forked with its double-curved rear edge and is attached to the end of a peduncle robust. The pectoral fins are placed low on the sides. Their swim bladder is large.

In most cases, they are dark green, dark blue or gray on their upper body with silvery sides and belly of a chalky white. Coloration varies somewhat between species. For some species, there are irregular black spots or a row of dark transverse bars on each side. Their fins may be yellowish or dark. Barracudas live mainly in the oceans, but some species such as the Great Barracuda lives in brackish water.

Some species grow quite large, such as barracuda European barracouta or SPET (S. sphyraena), found in the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic, Great barracuda, or Picuda Becuna (S. Picuda), from the Atlantic coast of tropical forests of North America and Brazil Carolina to reach Bermuda. Other species barracudas are found throughout the world. Examples are the California Barracuda (S. argentea), extending from southern Puget Sound in Cabo San Lucas, the Indian barracuda (S. jello) and black finned or Commerson barracuda (S. commersoni), Seas India and the Malay Peninsula and Archipelago.

Barracudas are voracious, opportunistic predators relying on surprise and short bursts of speed (up to 27 miles per hour (43 km / h)) to overcome their prey.

The adults of most species are more or less solitary, while young fish and half-grown frequently gather. Barracuda prey mainly on fish (which may include some as large as himself). They kill and consume larger prey by tearing pieces of flesh.

Like sharks, some species of barracuda are known to be dangerous to swimmers. Barracudas are scavengers and can mislead the divers for the large predators, following them in the hope of eating the remains of their prey. Swimmers have been reported being bitten by barracuda, but such incidents are rare and possibly caused by poor visibility. Barracuda generally avoid the muddy shallows, then attacks in the surf are more likely to be by small sharks. Barracudas can confuse things that shine and reflections of prey. There was one reported incident of a barracuda jumping out of the water and wounding a kayaker but it is believed that the fish was a houndfish.

Handfeeding or touching large barracuda generally be avoided. Spearfishing around barracudas can also be dangerous because they are quite capable of tearing a piece of a thrashing fish on a spear wounded.

Diamond rings and other shiny objects have been known to get their attention and look like prey to them. Care should be taken when swimming off the coast of mangroves, covering or removing such items.Barracudas are popular both as food and sport fish. They are most often consumed as fillets or steaks. Larger species, such as the Great Barracuda, have been implicated in ciguatera food poisoning cases

:: Scarus vetula ::

Scarus vetula species widely distributed in the western North Atlantic, and it is common. Even though caught in the multispecies fishery, there are no major threats to this species known. It is listed as Least Concern.

Queen parrotfish species associated reef 1 to 25 m. It is found in shallow, bright coral and rocky reefs. It feeds on algae. It is a protogynous hermaphrodite. It is often seen in groups of a terminal man with several young adults, most of which are probably women. In Bermuda, the recorded maximum size is 44 cm (TL) and the maximum age was 20 years.

Scarus vetula have four rows of scales on their cheeks. They have no longitudinal band on their head or body, but a red band on the edge of the caudal fin is present (Wider, 1929). S. vetula teeth that have beak-like plates, similar to parrots to form. The lower plate is hidden by the upper plate where their mouth is closed. S. vetula can be identified by a long and a dorsal fin and a truncated caudal fin (Boschung, 1983). S. vetula exhibit sexual dimorphism, females are a drab bluish-brown with a pale band along the bottom of the fish, the males are green-blue, with scales that yellow centers and various yellow line runs from the mouth to have eye (Wheeler , 1975). S. vetula young have two white stripes and a white belly.

Scarus vetula reproduce sexually with external fertilization. Breeding occurs throughout the year, with most activity in the morning. Their breeding system is characterized as a harem polygyny: one male mates with several females. The super male in the group at a terminal stage, where he is brightly colored. The super male starts with an individual by first female swimming in circles around the female and then when they increase their speed and turn their circles the woman joins the super-male. At this time the gametes are released into the water (Clavijo, 1983). Other males mate with females in groups (Smith, 1997). S. vetula have both an egg and larval stages and a primary and a terminal phase in which they change color (Lowe-McConnell, 1987).

Scarus vetula are usually found in small schools of 3 to 4 women and a great man. They are not strong swimmers, so they head together with their pectoral fins (Lythgoe, 1992). S. vetula are only active during the day. During the night they find a crevice to sleep and then they secrete a slimy sheath around them for protection (Wheeler, 1975).

Scarus vetula herbivores are active during the day. They scrape algae, turf algae, preferably, is on a flat surface and coral reefs from their unique beak (Bruggemann, 1994). S. vetula shatters the coral and algae mixture finely in the pharyngeal mill, and the indigestible sand is excreted (Wheeler, 1975). It has also shown that S. vetula feeds on sponges (Dunlap, 1998).

Scarus vetula become one of the most important biological factors in the erosion of coral reefs. They also affect the distribution and abundance of Caribbean sponges by feeding on them (Dunlap, 1998). The decline of coral reefs and sponges led to a decrease in revenues of the tourism sector (Wheeler, 1975).

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia 
Tribe: ChordataActinopterygii 
Order: Perciformes
Family: Scaridae 
Genus: Scarus 
Species: S. vetula

:: Beauty Raccoon butterflyfish ::

The raccoon butterflyfish, Chaetodon lunula, also known as the crescent-masked butterflyfish or lunule butterflyfish is a species of butterflyfish (family Chaetodontidae). It is found in the Indo-Pacific region and in the southeast Atlantic. The length is 20 cm (nearly 8 in).

Chaetodon lunula is known by different names in English, as Racoon Butterflyfish, Raccoon Butterfly, Racoon Coral Fish, Halfmoon Butteflyfish, Mon Butteflyfish, Moon Butterfly fish, and Redstriped Butterflyfish.

It belongs to the large subgenus Rabdophorus which may lead to recognition as a separate species. In this group, its closest relative is probably very similar to the Red Sea raccoon butterflyfish butterflyfish or diagonally, C. fasciatus. Other close relatives like the black butterflyfish, C. flavirostris), Philippine butterflyfish, C. adiergastos, and perhaps the unusual red-tailed butterflyfish, C. collars are. Although the color of this group varies widely, they are all fairly large with an oval outline Coral Butterflies, and most have a pattern of ascending oblique stripes on the sides. Except in the red-tailed butterflyfish, there is at least a rudimentary form of "raccoon" mask with a white space between the dark crown and eye areas.

The Racoon Butterflyfish lives in the Indo-Pacific and South-East Atlantic. The geographic range extends from East Africa to Hawaii and the Marquesas and Ducie Islands. The northern boundary lies south of Japan, whereas the southern boundary is located in the waters of Lord Howe Island and Rapa. In the southeast Atlantic Ocean, the species is found from East London in South Africa. (The Racoon Butterflyfish Chaetodon lunula is not present in the Red Sea into the Red Sea, you instead find the closely related Chaetodon fasciatus known under the same common name .. - Racoon Butterfly)

The adult Racoon Butterflyfish inhabits shallow reef flats of the lagoons and seaward reefs, while the young tend to prefer to stay between the inner reef flats on rocks and in tide pools. The depth range for this species is 00 to 30 meters / 000 to 100 feet.

The Racoon Butterflyfish is primarily a nocturnal species and is usually found in pairs or small groups.

The raccoon butterflyfish is generally not aggressive toward other fish, except the lionfish  and triggerfish. In captivity, the typical lifespan of a raccoon butterflyfish is five to seven years. It is perceived as a beneficial predator of Aiptasia and Majano anemones. They will eliminate this nuisance pest within a period of two to six weeks, depending on the anemone population and the size of the tank, but they will eagerly feed on soft corals and can cause more harm than good to the device to cause. In a closed environment, this species is susceptible to succumb to "marine ich", Cryptocaryon irritans infection by the ciliate.

The largest scientifically measured Racoon Butterflyfish was 20 cm / 7.9 inches. The fish called Racoon Butterflyfish because the black markings around his eyes. Black marks can also be found in various other parts of the body over a yellow base color.

It is not recommended for an adult racoon butterflyfish to keep in an aquarium smaller than 75 gallons / 285 liters. A small copy can do well in a 15 gallon / 60 gallon tank, but it will eventually need a bigger house. This species is not properly deal with displacement. The aquarium should contain a lot of suitable hiding places (eg integers) and open areas for swimming.

The Racoon Butterflyfish is generally peaceful and can be stored in a friendly community aquarium. However, it will be against other territorial butterflyfish and you will have a very large and cleverly decorated aquarium necessary if you wish to keep them together. You can also reduce risk of aggressive behavior by just keeping butterflies of different sizes and introduce the smallest first (wait a few weeks between each introduction). In the wild these fish can be seen in groups, but it can be difficult to get a group to co-exist in the aquarium, unless they are caught together.

The Raccoon Butterflyfish is generally not considered reef safe, because they like to get some corals and invertebrates eat.

Keep the pH at 8.1-8.4 and specific gravity within the range 1020-1025 (ideally in the upper parts of this series). The recommended water temperature when keeping Raccoon Butterflyfish is 72 to 78 ° F / 22 to 25.5 ° C. Like the other butterflyfish, the Racoon Butterflyfish is sensitive to organic waste and it is therefore recommended only for established aquariums.