Several denizens of brackish water environments make
excellent aquarium residents. Most
of these fish have been available at one time or another, but many are
available only on a rare-to-occasional basis, so keep your eyes open.
LA
Adult green scats.
Scats are the first fish to come to the mind of the
average hobbyist when brackish water is mentioned.
There are three species available, only one of which is commonly
seen.
LA
Pic
Baby red scat
Red and green scats are different varieties of the
same species, the easily found Scatophagus argus.
The silver scat, Selenotoca mulifasciata, is occasionally
available. A third species,
the banded scat, Scatophagus tetracanthus, also exists, but it is extremely
rare.
LA
Half-grown silver scat
Scats get their name, by the way, from Scatophagus,
or “offal-eater”; their tendency to congregate around sewage outlets
will give you an idea. Despite
their weird dietary habits, however, scats are enjoyable members of the
brackish community, and are quite comical to watch when young.
LA
Adult green scat
Scats prefer increasing amounts of salt as they get
older and larger. Adults are
captured in natural conditions in full-strength seawater, except at
spawning time. Wild adults
also grow quite large (full-grown is nearly 12 inches).
I’ve never seen a scat over six inches in a private home
aquarium.
Scats are omnivorous, but require a fair amount of
vegetable matter in their diet. Invest
in some vegetable-based flakes or frozen foods, or feed them regularly
with duckweed or spinach.
LA
Pic
Young Monodactylus sebae and silver scats
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Adult Monodactylus sebae
Monos are the next most recognized brackish water
species. There are two monos.
The more stately of the monos is the sebae mono, Monodactylus sebae.
It could easily be referred to as the “rich-man’s angelfish”,
because it is more stately and attractive than the silver angelfish, and
much more expensive.
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Half-grown Monodactylus argenteus
The other species, the argenteus or silver mono
Monodactylus argenteus, is a pretty fish when young, not quite as tall as
the sebae, with lemon-yellow fins, shading to orange toward the tips, and
edged in black. The yellow and
orange fade as the fish grows however.
Monos are generally good residents of the brackish
aquarium. Keep them in schools
of four or more, or keep only one, Monos are relatively peaceful to other
fish (particularly when kept in schools), but they can be nasty to each
other in pairs or trios, the end result being two or three will
eventually become one as the strongest singles out first one and then the
other to slowly harass to death.
Also, like scats, monos get large, and, like scats,
argenteus monos require more and more salt as they grow (sebaes do not).
LA
Adult Toxotes jaculator
Archer fishes (several Toxotes species) are the
marksmen of the aquatic world. These
fish actually shoot insects off of overhanging vegetation in their natural
environment with droplets of water forced between the tongue and a groove
in the roof of the mouth. I’ve
actually been witness to this phenomenon, having had some medium-sized
specimens shoot crickets held between my fingers.
These are truly fascinating fish, even if you never witness their
firepower. Some specimens
easily adapt to prepared foods, but most will accept only live and frozen
foods.
Go to
-- Brackish Water III
©
1994,
© 2003,
© 2004,
© 2005,
© 2006
LA Productions
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