Plecostomus or Hypostomus plecostomus belong to the family Loricariidae. Loricariidae means armored catfish named so because of the armor-like longitudinal rows of scutes that covers the upper parts of their bodies. They are endemic to both Central and South America. They are more commonly known as algae eaters or sucker mouth because of their suction cup like mouth.
Their dietary habits make the Plecostomus extremely popular among freshwater aquarists. In addition to the benefit of reducing algae growth, they are a solitary and peaceful creature making them a great addition to any community tank. They will actively seek out and eat algae at the microscopic level before it has a chance to develop into a cleaning and maintenance problem.
…show more content…
The ones you see in fish stores are young. In their natural habitat they can reach up to 24 inches. In captivity they will often grow to a foot long.
If you have a smaller tank you can still enjoy the benefits of an algae eater. The variety commonly marketed as the clown plecostomus only grow to 3-4 inches. The king tiger plecostomus will top out at about 6 inches. There is a rather unusual trait found among plecos species. Their foreheads enlarge as they mature. It is not uncommon for a plecostomus to live in excess of 10 years. Plecos are primarily herbivores. But they also eat the food scraps on the substrate missed by the other fish. These bottom dwellers will use their suction cup like mouths to attach themselves to the sides of aquariums where algae is beginning to develop.
Unlike many fish that have become a nuisance after aquarium trade related releases have introduced them to previously uninhabited ecosystems, the plecostomus has proved to be beneficial. They have been introduced to the freshwater ecosystems of Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Vietnam, and Bangladesh.
Plecos are nocturnal creatures. It is a good idea to have hollow aquarium décor in your tank to give them a place to hide during the day should thy wish to do
This vegetation also provides much cover for fish. The aquatic plants provide a great source of food supply and act as a nursery for young fish (“Native” par. 5). Vegetation serves many purposes in fish habitat; besides keeping fish safe. It also helps keep the lakes clean. Aquatic plants cycle the water and help absorb pollutants. Another great benefit of these aquatic plants are that they help hold sediment and the banks of the lakes in place while providing oxygen into the water (“Invasive” par. 7-8). Unfortunately invasive species are destroying such vegetation. The Common Carp or “Cyprinus carpio” is one such fish that is causing great damages to lakes all around the world.
...ost completely degraded. Some dive deep into the water, like a lionfish, bream, viviparous fishes of the family Scorpaenidae and Lake Baikal in some species can dive to 1000 ~ 4000 meters deep, some often floating in the upper, such as six line fish, and Lake Baikal fishes of the family. The fishes swimming are relatively slow, often hidden, not activities or bury the body in the sand, and the type of six line fish families peace Marmora subfamily is good at swimming. The benthic invertebrates and small swimming creatures for food, Scorpaena peeling phenomenon of periodic feeding, more intense, more times, peeling, sometimes even 1 months dulling 2 times. The reproductive season in spring and early summer, six line fish, and some cottidae in the autumn or early winter reproductive, lion fish, fish and Lake Baikal, some species in late winter or early spring spawning.
After 4-5 days we again observe the tanks for growth and sediment (which could contain eggs) since the copepods grow
Organized in the class Actinopterygii, seahorses, Hippocampus spp., are marine dwelling organisms found in bodies of water which span from tropical to temperate zones around the Earth. As cited by Foster in Life History and Ecology of Seahorses, research by R. A. Fritschze suggests that the genus Hippocampus diverged at least 20 million years ago from its ancestral origins. Research pertaining to organisms organized under the genus Hippocampus are conflicting in regards to the number species contained within it, although a general figure places the number at around fifty discovered species(website source). These odd-looking organisms reside at shallow depths of less than 30 meters and can be found in habitats containing seagrass beds and coral reefs(Foster 10). Hippocampus spp. are all predatory organisms, their main sources of food consist of small crustaceans and fish, as well as other organisms which are small enough to be consumed(lourie 10). Although Hippocampus spp. are predatory, their size and restricted mobility capabilities place them at risk of being prey for other carnivorous organisms.
The normal weight of M. salmoides is one kilogram; however, certain largemouth basses have gotten weights of over ten kilograms. Males usually do not surpass 40 cm, while females can reach up to 56 cm in length. The largemouth bass has a large, slightly sloping mouth. Its body is slender to robust, slightly compressed laterally, and oval in cross section. The corner of the mouth extends past the eye, hence its common name. (Bailey, et al., 2004; Boschung, et al., 2004) Immature Micropterus salmoides feed on zooplankton and marine insects. As they grow their diet shifts to crayfish
...lifornia, they are found all over the world as long as there is an abundance of its prey.
The world’s coral reefs are quintessential to global biodiversity, so much so that they are often referred to as the "rainforests of the sea". Although their actual space occupied by reefs is relatively small, constituting less than 0.1% of the world's ocean surface, they support over 25% of all marine species on earth. They provide complex and varied marine habitats that support a wide range of other organisms including, but not limited to, fish, mollusks, worms, crustaceans, echinoderms, sponges, tunicates and other cnidarians. Some of these animals feed directly on the corals, while others graze on algae on the reef. The reef also provides a protective habitat for many of these animals.
The Artemia franciscana can survive in extreme conditions of salinity, water depth, and temperature (Biology 108 laboratory manual, 2010), but do A. franciscana prefer these conditions or do they simply cope with their surroundings? This experiment explored the extent of the A. franciscanas preference towards three major stimuli: light, temperature, and acidity. A. franciscana are able to endure extreme temperature ranges from 6 ̊ C to 40 ̊ C, however since their optimal temperature for breeding is about room temperature it can be inferred that the A. franciscana will prefer this over other temperatures (Al Dhaheri and Drew, 2003). This is much the same in regards to acidity as Artemia franciscana, in general thrive in saline lakes, can survive pH ranges between 7 and 10 with 8 being ideal for cysts(eggs) to hatch (Al Dhaheri and Drew, 2003). Based on this fact alone the tested A. franciscana should show preference to higher pH levels. In nature A. franciscana feed by scraping food, such as algae, of rocks and can be classified as a bottom feeder; with this said, A. franciscana are usually located in shallow waters. In respect to the preference of light intensity, A. franciscana can be hypothesized to respond to light erratically (Fox, 2001; Al Dhaheri and Drew, 2003). Using these predictions, and the results of the experimentation on the A. franciscana and stimuli, we will be able to determine their preference towards light, temperature, and pH.
The outer layer of a reef consists of living animals, or polyps, of coral. Single-celled algae called zooxanthellae live within the coral polyps, and a skeleton containing filamentous green algae surrounds them. The photosynthetic zooxanthellae and green algae transfer food energy directly to the coral polyps, while acquiring scarce nutrients from the coral. The numerous micro habitats of coral reefs and the high biological productivity support a great diversity of other life.
The body of a coral animal consists of a polyp, which is the living portion of the coral. A polyp is a hollow, cylindrical structure attached at one end to a surface, the other end is a mouth surrounded by tentacles, which gather food and can sting prey to paralyze it. Polyps live in colonies, which grow from 1 to 7 inches, depending on the species. Coral polyps are classified as animals. Microscopic algae live within the animal tissues in a symbiotic relationship. The algae turn sunlight into carbon and sugars, which are then available to the polyp. In turn the polyp filters particles out of the water and excretes waste (nitrogen and phosphorus) that becomes available to the symbiotic algae. It's this very tight nutrient recycling within the coral itself that allows these corals to live in very low nutrient waters.
There is evidence that ¨pets turned loose by their owners when they became too big--is threatening the ecosystem of Florida’s Everglades. With no natural predators, these eating machines appear to be wiping out huge numbers of opossums, raccoons, and bobcats, as well as many bird species.¨This idea is developed because people are putting the burmese python in the florida everglades This means that for 30 days, hundreds of people armed with shotguns, rifles, machetes, handguns, and hooked spears they are trying to kill pythons.
... Under normal conditions, herbivores fish and some invertebrates keep the algae population in check, but over-fishing has diminished populations of herbivores.
In our world today we have approximately 26,021 endangered species. Endangered species are organisms that may possible become extinct. The term 'endangered species' refers to all species that fits this description. However some conservation biologists and scientists normally use the term ‘endangered species’ to refer to species that are put on the IUCN(International Union for Conservation of Nature)Red List. Many factors can be looked at when considering the conservation status of a species. Factors such as human threats or environmental threats can cause a species to become endangered.