Fish On The Way

No, they're not for eating. LOL! They're ornamental fish. I finally took the big step and ordered myself some fish online. I don't know if that's the safest way to go in getting fish, I have done it before and had some success. But there are no tropical fish stores here in town. I was thinking the other night about creating my own. I thought I could start a small pet business online, and then later, when I can see how well it does here, I can open up a storefront, full-line pet store. I want to sell fish--both tropical and marine, birds of all kinds, small animals, herps, and allow responsible breeders to advertise their puppies and kittens. I always wanted to open up my own pet shop. But I don't have any idea if the people in this town would be savvy to it. So, starting online is the best way to begin. I'm going to create a website where people can order small creatures, have their orders sent here to me, and they will come here to pick up their order.

I even went so far as to look into getting a business license. I might just go for it! It's only $50 to get a business license in this state! That's not bad at all. I can do it. And I can get a special license to run my business online. It'd be fun!! Once I get a business license and a BIN #, I can have access to sites the general public cannot have access to. But as fun as it would be to be able to get my own fish and birds at wholesale prices, I can only use that for business purposes. Nothing else. Sorry me!! LOL! Cannot abuse the system. If the business folds, then well at least I will have the answer as to how well a pet shop will do in this town. There is actually a pet shop in town, but it's a tiny one, and they have very few customers. They might have more customers if they had more inventory. But let's see. That's why I am starting online, and only getting a storefront if my online business does well.

Well, this is a list of the fish I am getting for my tank:

Boraras brigittae - Also known as the Chili rasbora, mosquito rasbora and the strawberry rasbora. It's a very small, peaceful fish that is a brilliant red in color with a dark spot covering the middle. They like to live in schools of at least 6 individuals in a tank, and are perfect, colorful additions to a nano-aquarium.

Hyphessobrycon pulchripinnis - Known as the Lemon tetra, or sometimes Lemon pristilla tetra. These fish have dazzling red eyes and brilliant black and yellow fins. They too are quite peaceful, but sometimes can be fussy. They are great fish for beginners though. Like all schooling fish, they must be kept in groups of at least 5 individuals.

Epiplatys annulatus - Known as the Clown killi, Rocket killi, or Banded panchax, these are some of the smallest of the killifish. They are also some of the most demanding. Not really the best choice for beginners. But they are good because they can live well in a tank without any filtration at all. I may have to take out one of my powerheads for these guys!

Paracheirodon innesi -  The ever-popular Neon Tetra. Every tank I've ever had always had to have neons. I love them! I love how they shine when they are in a school. Without proper space and filtration though, these fish can become somewhat frustrated. Before I got so advanced in the hobby, I would keep these guys in a 10-29 gallon aquarium, and I'd always have all but one die on me. I could start off with either 5 or 10 individuals, but within weeks, all would die except one. I couldn't figure out why until I started getting the larger tanks.

Hemigrammus rhodostomus - The Rummynose tetra. This is a colorful tetra too, I personally love seeing them in a school with their black and white, flag-like tails waving, in contrast with the bright red coloring on the head. These tetras are more of a challenge than others, and water conditions must be just right or else they just won't get along.

Parosphromenus deissneri - The Licorice gourami. These guys are fascinating, but also quite a challenge to keep. Surely not for beginning aquarists. But I think I can take on the challenge. Usually when you see these fish, they are extremely expensive! They are actually rarely available in the hobby. They too don't like a lot of movement in the tank, so I might have to get rid of one of my powerheads for these guys too.

Brachygobius xanthozonus - I gotta confess, gobies are fun!! But so difficult to keep. They actually do much better in an aquarium by themselves as opposed to a community aquarium. They also will not readily take flake foods, especially if there is too much competition for them. But again, I am ready to take on the challenge.

Brachirus panoides - The Freshwater Flounder, or Freshwater sole. I just like these guys because they are so unusual looking!! Flounders are usually saltwater fish, and even in the saltwater trade they are a rarity! So, when I see the freshwater variety coming up available, you can bet I am going to get it!!

Corydoras panda - Known as the Panda cory, these are members of the armored catfish family. These too are kindof hard to find. But they are a prize when you do find them. They are scavengers, and seemingly come to life when feeding.

Corydoras pygmaeus - The Pygmy cory. These are the smallest of the cories, and also the most social. They do much better when kept in large groups of the same species. They are also the best breeders among the armored catfish. If you have favorable water conditions, and you have a single male and female, or any number of males and females, you'll soon have a whole school of them!

Danio choprai - The Glowlight Danio. This is a rather new addition to the hobby. Danios are related to rasboras, and sometimes these are called Glowlight rasboras. They are more of a challenge to keep than other danios, like the zebra danios. But they love good aeration in the tank and are strong swimmers.

Danio margaritatus - Known as the Celestial danio, the Celestial pearl danio, and the Galaxy rasbora. This is also a rather new addition to the hobby. I only just started seeing them available in 2011. They are easily identified by the bright reddish body covered in white spots, and bright orange fins.

Poropanchax normani - Known as Norman's Lampeye Killifish, they are known for their flashy blue eyes, which seem to glow under the light. Like all killies, they can be very colorful, and are quite a challenge to keep. They are no bigger than the clown killies, and like them, do better in a nanotank with only a small amount of filtration. They are best kept in schools.

Yaoshania pachychilus - Known as the Panda loach. All loaches are bottom-feeders. These guys are so-named because of the brilliant black and white pattern on the juveniles. However, they do not stay that way. The adults are relatively dull by comparison, but still have rather cool-looking black and brown jailbird stripes.

Sorry. I should not start off an aquarium with so many fish, but I got on that site and just could not help myself! There's still more I want to get, but I am going to wait. Maybe next month, I can get some kuhli loaches, farlowellas, croaking gouramis, dwarf neon rainbowfish, threadfin rainbowfish, celebes halfbeaks, and others. Next time I blog, I think I'll write about fish I'll never have, and why.