Tropical
Fish – Species
Definition
Classification
Fish
are classified into the following major groups:
Anatomy
Fish
anatomy
Digestive
system
Respiratory
system
Circulatory
system
Excretory
system
Sensory
and nervous system
Muscular
system
Reproductive
system
Organs
Reproductive
method
Immune
system
Evolution
Homeothermy
Diseases
Importance
to humans
Economic
importance
Recreation
Overfishing
Habitat
destruction
Exotic
species
Aquarium
collecting
Culture
Plural
forms
History
and popularization
Design
Materials
Styles
Components
Aquarium
classifications
Public
aquarium
Fish are aquatic vertebrates that are cold-blooded, and Wholesale Tropical Fish covered
with scales, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired
fins. Fish are abundant in the sea and in fresh water, and Wholesale Tropical Fish with species being known
from mountain streams (e.g., and Wholesale Tropical Fish char and gudgeon) as well as in the deepest depths
of the ocean (e.g., and Wholesale Tropical Fish gulpers and anglerfish).
They are of tremendous importance as food for people around
the world, and Wholesale Tropical Fish either collected from the wild (see fishing) or farmed in much the
same way as cattle or chickens (see aquaculture). Fish are also exploited for
recreation, and Wholesale Tropical Fish through angling and fishkeeping, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and fish are commonly exhibited in
public aquaria. Fish have an important role in many cultures through the ages, and Wholesale Tropical Fish ranging as widely as deities and religious symbols to subjects of books and
popular movies.
A giant grouper at the Georgia Aquarium, and Wholesale Tropical Fish seen swimming among
other schools of fish
A giant grouper at the Georgia Aquarium, and Wholesale Tropical Fish seen swimming among
other schools of fish
Contents
* 1 Definition
* 2 Classification
*
3 Anatomy
o 3.1 Digestive system
o 3.2 Respiratory system
o 3.3 Circulatory system
o 3.4 Excretory system
o 3.5 Sensory and nervous system
o 3.6 Muscular system
o 3.7 Reproductive
system
+
3.7.1 Organs
+
3.7.2 Reproductive method
o 3.8 Immune system
*
4 Evolution
* 5 Homeothermy
* 6 Diseases
* 7 Importance to
humans
o 7.1 Economic importance
o 7.2 Recreation
*
8 Conservation
o 8.1 Overfishing
o 8.2 Habitat destruction
o 8.3 Exotic species
o 8.4 Aquarium collecting
*
9 Culture
* 10 Plural forms
* 11 See also
* 12 References
o 13.1 Taxonomy
o 13.2 Biogeography
o 13.3 Ichthyology
The term "fish" is most precisely used to describe
any non-tetrapod chordate, and Wholesale Tropical Fish i.e., and Wholesale Tropical Fish an animal with a backbone that has gills
throughout life and has limbs, and Wholesale Tropical Fish if any, and Wholesale Tropical Fish in the shape of fins.Unlike groupings
such as birds or mammals, and Wholesale Tropical Fish fish are not a single clade but a paraphyletic
collection of taxa, and Wholesale Tropical Fish including hagfishes, and Wholesale Tropical Fish lampreys, and Wholesale Tropical Fish sharks and rays, and Wholesale Tropical Fish ray-finned
fishes, and Wholesale Tropical Fish coelacanths, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and lungfishes.[2][3]
A typical fish is cold-blooded; has a streamlined body that
allows it to swim rapidly; extracts oxygen from the water using gills or an
accessory breathing organ to enable it to breath atmospheric oxygen; has two
sets of paired fins, and Wholesale Tropical Fish usually one or two (rarely three) dorsal fins, and Wholesale Tropical Fish an anal
fin, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and a tail fin; has jaws; has skin that is usually covered with scales;
and lays eggs that are fertilized internally or externally.
Fish come in many shapes and sizes. This is a sea dragon, and Wholesale Tropical Fish a
close relative of the seahorse. Their leaf-like appendages enable them to blend
in with floating seaweed
Fish come in many shapes and sizes. This is a sea dragon, and Wholesale Tropical Fish a
close relative of the seahorse. Their leaf-like appendages enable them to blend
in with floating seaweed
However, and Wholesale Tropical Fish to each of these there are exceptions. Tuna, and Wholesale Tropical Fish Swordfish, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and some species of sharks show some warm-blooded adaptations, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and
are able to raise their body temperature significantly above that of the
ambient water surrounding them.[4] Streamlining and swimming performance varies
from highly streamlined and rapid swimmers which are able to reach 10-20
body-lengths per second (such as tuna, and Wholesale Tropical Fish salmon, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and jacks) through to slow but
more maneuverable species such as eels and rays that reach no more than 0.5 body-lengths
per second.[5] Many groups of freshwater fish extract oxygen from the air as
well as from the water using a variety of different structures. Lungfish have
paired lungs similar to those of tetrapods, and Wholesale Tropical Fish gouramis have a structure called
the labyrinth organ that performs a similar function, and Wholesale Tropical Fish while many catfish, and Wholesale Tropical Fish such
as Corydoras extract oxygen via the intestine or stomach.[6]
Body shape and the arrangement of the fins is highly variable, and Wholesale Tropical Fish covering such
seemingly un-fishlike forms as seahorses, and Wholesale Tropical Fish pufferfish, and Wholesale Tropical Fish anglerfish, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and gulpers.
Similarly, and Wholesale Tropical Fish the surface of the skin may be naked (as in moray eels), and Wholesale Tropical Fish or covered
with scales of a variety of different types usually defined as placoid (typical
of sharks and rays), and Wholesale Tropical Fish cosmoid (fossil lungfishes and coelacanths), and Wholesale Tropical Fish ganoid
(various fossil fishes but also living gars and bichirs, and Wholesale Tropical Fish cycloid, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and ctenoid
(these last two are found on most bony fish.[7] There
are even fishes that spend most of their time out of water. Mudskippers feed
and interact with one another on mudflats and are only underwater when hiding
in their burrows.[8] The catfish Phreatobius cisternarum lives in underground, and Wholesale Tropical Fish phreatic habitats, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and a relative lives in waterlogged leaf litter.[9][10]
Fish range in size from the 16 m (51 ft) whale shark to a 8 mm (just over ¼ of an inch) long stout infantfish.
Many types of aquatic animals commonly referred to as
"fish" are not fish in the sense given above; see Fish
(disambiguation).
Fish are a paraphyletic group: that is, and Wholesale Tropical Fish any clade containing
all fish also contains the tetrapods, and Wholesale Tropical Fish which are not fish. For this reason, and Wholesale Tropical Fish groups such as the "Class Pisces" seen in older reference works are
no longer used in formal classifications.
* Subclass
Pteraspidomorphi (early jawless fish)
* Class Thelodonti
* Class Anaspida
* (unranked)
Cephalaspidomorphi (early jawless fish)
o (unranked) Hyperoartia
+ Petromyzontidae
(lampreys)
o Class Galeaspida
o Class Pituriaspida
o Class Osteostraci
* Infraphylum
Gnathostomata (jawed vertebrates)
o Class Placodermi (armoured fishes, and Wholesale Tropical Fish extinct)
o Class Chondrichthyes (cartilaginous fish)
o Class Acanthodii (spiny sharks, and Wholesale Tropical Fish extinct)
o Superclass Osteichthyes (bony fish)
+
Class Actinopterygii (ray-finned fish)
+
Class Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned fish)
#
Subclass Coelacanthimorpha (coelacanths)
# Subclass Dipnoi (lungfish)
Some palaeontologists consider that Conodonta are chordates, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and so regard them as primitive fish. For a fuller treatment of classification, and Wholesale Tropical Fish see the vertebrate article.
The various fish groups taken
together account for more than half of the known vertebrates. There are almost
28,000 known extant species of fish, and Wholesale Tropical Fish of which almost 27,000 are bony fish, and Wholesale Tropical Fish with
the remainder being about 970 sharks, and Wholesale Tropical Fish rays, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and chimeras and about 108
hagfishes and lampreys.[11] A third of all of these
species are contained within the nine largest families; from largest to
smallest, and Wholesale Tropical Fish these families are Cyprinidae, and Wholesale Tropical Fish Gobiidae, and Wholesale Tropical Fish Cichlidae, and Wholesale Tropical Fish Characidae, and Wholesale Tropical Fish Loricariidae, and Wholesale Tropical Fish Balitoridae, and Wholesale Tropical Fish Serranidae, and Wholesale Tropical Fish Labridae, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and Scorpaenidae. On the other
hand, and Wholesale Tropical Fish about 64 families are monotypic, and Wholesale Tropical Fish containing only one species. It is
predicted that the eventual number of total extant species will be at least 32,500.[12]
The anatomy of Lampanyctodes hectoris (1) - operculum (gill
cover), and Wholesale Tropical Fish (2) - lateral line, and Wholesale Tropical Fish (3) - dorsal fin, and Wholesale Tropical Fish (4) - fat fin, and Wholesale Tropical Fish (5) - caudal
peduncle, and Wholesale Tropical Fish (6) - caudal fin, and Wholesale Tropical Fish (7) - anal fin, and Wholesale Tropical Fish (8) - photophores, and Wholesale Tropical Fish (9) - pelvic
fins (paired), and Wholesale Tropical Fish (10) - pectoral fins (paired)
The anatomy of Lampanyctodes hectoris
(1) - operculum (gill cover), and Wholesale Tropical Fish (2) - lateral line, and Wholesale Tropical Fish (3) -
dorsal fin, and Wholesale Tropical Fish (4) - fat fin, and Wholesale Tropical Fish (5) - caudal peduncle, and Wholesale Tropical Fish (6) - caudal fin, and Wholesale Tropical Fish (7) - anal
fin, and Wholesale Tropical Fish (8) - photophores, and Wholesale Tropical Fish (9) - pelvic fins (paired), and Wholesale Tropical Fish (10) - pectoral fins
(paired)
The advent of jaws allowed fish to eat a much wider variety
of food, and Wholesale Tropical Fish including plants and other organisms. In fish, and Wholesale Tropical Fish food is ingested
through the mouth and then broken down in the esophagus. When it enters the
stomach, and Wholesale Tropical Fish the food is further broken down and, and Wholesale Tropical Fish in many fish, and Wholesale Tropical Fish further processed
in fingerlike pouches called pyloric caeca. The pyloric caeca secrete digestive
enzymes and absorb nutrients from the digested food. Organs such as the liver
and pancreas add enzymes and various digestive chemicals as the food moves
through the digestive tract. The intestine completes the process of digestion
and nutrient absorption.
Most fish exchange gases by using gills that are located on
either side of the pharynx. Gills are made up of threadlike structures called
filaments. Each filament contains a network of capillaries that allow a large
surface area for the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Fish exchange gases
by pulling oxygen-rich water through their mouths and pumping it over their
gill filaments. The blood in the capillaries flows in the opposite direction to
the water, and Wholesale Tropical Fish causing counter current exchange. They then push the oxygen-poor
water out through openings in the sides of the pharynx. Some fishes, and Wholesale Tropical Fish like
sharks and lampreys, and Wholesale Tropical Fish possess multiple gill openings. However, and Wholesale Tropical Fish most fishes have
a single gill opening on each side of the body. This opening is hidden beneath
a protective bony cover called an operculum.
Juvenile bichirs have external gills, and Wholesale Tropical Fish a very primitive
feature that they hold in common with larval amphibians.
Swim bladder of a Rudd (Scardinius erythrophthalmus)
Swim bladder of a Rudd (Scardinius erythrophthalmus)
Many fish can breathe air. The mechanisms for doing so are
varied. The skin of anguillid eels may be used to absorb oxygen. The buccal
cavity of the electric eel may be used to breathe air. Catfishes of the
families Loricariidae, and Wholesale Tropical Fish Callichthyidae, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and Scoloplacidae are able to absorb air
through their digestive tracts.[13] Lungfish and bichirs have paired lungs
similar to those of tetrapods and must rise to the surface of the water to gulp
fresh air in through the mouth and pass spent air out through the gills. Gar
and bowfin have a vascularised swim bladder that is used in the same way.
Loaches, and Wholesale Tropical Fish trahiras, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and many catfish breathe by passing air through the gut.
Mudskippers breathe by absorbing oxygen across the skin (similar to what frogs
do). A number of fishes have evolved so-called accessory breathing organs that
are used to extract oxygen from the air. Labyrinth fish (such as gouramis and
bettas) have a labyrinth organ above the gills that performs this function. A few
other fish have structures more or less resembling labyrinth organs in form and
function, and Wholesale Tropical Fish most notably snakeheads, and Wholesale Tropical Fish pikeheads, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and the Clariidae family of
catfish.
Being able to breathe air is primarily of use to fish that
inhabit shallow, and Wholesale Tropical Fish seasonally variable waters where the oxygen concentration in
the water may decline at certain times of the year. At such times, and Wholesale Tropical Fish fishes
dependent solely on the oxygen in the water, and Wholesale Tropical Fish such as perch and cichlids, and Wholesale Tropical Fish will
quickly suffocate, and Wholesale Tropical Fish but air-breathing fish can survive for much longer, and Wholesale Tropical Fish in some
cases in water that is little more than wet mud. At the most extreme, and Wholesale Tropical Fish some of
these air-breathing fish are able to survive in damp burrows for weeks after
the water has otherwise completely dried up, and Wholesale Tropical Fish entering a state of aestivation until
the water returns.
Tuna gills inside of the head. The fish head is oriented
snout-downwards, and Wholesale Tropical Fish with the view looking towards the mouth.
Tuna gills inside of the head. The fish head is oriented
snout-downwards, and Wholesale Tropical Fish with the view looking towards the mouth.
Fish can be divided into obligate air breathers and
facultative air breathers. Obligate air breathers, and Wholesale Tropical Fish such as the African
lungfish, and Wholesale Tropical Fish must breathe air periodically or they will suffocate. Facultative air
breathers, and Wholesale Tropical Fish such as the catfish Hypostomus plecostomus, and Wholesale Tropical Fish will only breathe air if
they need to and will otherwise rely solely on their gills for oxygen if
conditions are favourable. Most fish are not obligate air breathers as there is
an energetic cost in rising to the surface and a fitness cost of being exposed
to predators.[13]
Fish have a closed circulatory system with a heart that
pumps the blood in a single loop throughout the body. The blood goes from the
heart to gills, and Wholesale Tropical Fish from the gills to the rest of the body, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and then back to the
heart. In most fish, and Wholesale Tropical Fish the heart consists of four parts: the sinus venosus, and Wholesale Tropical Fish the
atrium, and Wholesale Tropical Fish the ventricle, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and the bulbus arteriosus. Despite consisting of four
parts, and Wholesale Tropical Fish the fish heart is still a two-chambered heart. [14] The sinus venosus is
a thin-walled sac that collects blood from the fish's veins before allowing it
to flow to the atrium, and Wholesale Tropical Fish which is a large muscular chamber. The atrium serves as
a one-way compartment for blood to flow into the ventricle. The ventricle is a
thick-walled, and Wholesale Tropical Fish muscular chamber and it does the actual pumping for the heart. It
pumps blood to a large tube called the bulbus arteriosus. At the front end, and Wholesale Tropical Fish the
bulbus arteriosus connects to a large blood vessel called the aorta, and Wholesale Tropical Fish through
which blood flows to the fish's gills.
As with many aquatic animals, and Wholesale Tropical Fish most fish release their
nitrogenous wastes as ammonia. Some of the wastes diffuse through the gills
into the surrounding water. Others are removed by the kidneys, and Wholesale Tropical Fish excretory organs
that filter wastes from the blood. Kidneys help fishes control the amount of
ammonia in their bodies. Saltwater fish tend to lose water because of osmosis.
In saltwater fish, and Wholesale Tropical Fish the kidneys concentrate wastes and return as much water as
possible back to the body. The reverse happens in freshwater fish, and Wholesale Tropical Fish they tend to
gain water continuously. The kidneys of freshwater fish are specially adapted
to pump out large amounts of dilute urine. Some fish have specially adapted
kidneys that change their function, and Wholesale Tropical Fish allowing them to move from freshwater to
saltwater.
Fish have well-developed nervous systems, and Wholesale Tropical Fish but no brain, and Wholesale Tropical Fish that
is divided into different parts. The most anterior, and Wholesale Tropical Fish or front, and Wholesale Tropical Fish end of the brain
are the olfactory bulbs, and Wholesale Tropical Fish which are involved in the fish's sense of smell.
Unlike most vertebrates, and Wholesale Tropical Fish the cerebrum of the fish primarily processes the sense
of smell rather than being responsible for all voluntary actions. The optic
lobes process information from the eyes. The cerebellum coordinates body
movements while the medulla oblongata controls the functions of internal
organs. Most fish possess highly developed sense organs. Nearly all daylight
fish have well-developed eyes that have color vision that is at least as good
as a human's. Many fish also have specialized cells known as chemoreceptors
that are responsible for extraordinary senses of taste and smell. Although they
have ears in their heads, and Wholesale Tropical Fish many fish may not hear sounds very well. However, and Wholesale Tropical Fish most fishes have sensitive receptors that form the lateral line system. The
lateral line system allows for many fish to detect gentle currents and
vibrations, and Wholesale Tropical Fish as well as to sense the motion of other nearby fish and prey. [15]
In 2003, and Wholesale Tropical Fish it was concluded by Scottish scientists at Edinburgh University
performing research on rainbow trout that fish exhibit behaviors often
associated with pain[16]. Professor James D. Rose of
the University of Wyoming published a critique of the study.[17] Rose had
already published his own study a year earlier concluding that fish cannot feel
pain as they lack the appropriate neocortex of the brain[18]. Fish such as
catfish and sharks, and Wholesale Tropical Fish have organs that detect low levels electric current. Other
fish, and Wholesale Tropical Fish like the electric eel, and Wholesale Tropical Fish can produce their own electricity.
Fish locomotion
Most fish move by contracting paired sets of muscles on
either side of the backbone alternately. These contractions form S-shaped
curves that move down the body of the fish. As each curve reaches the back fin, and Wholesale Tropical Fish backward force is created. This backward force, and Wholesale Tropical Fish in conjunction with the fins, and Wholesale Tropical Fish moves the fish forward. The fish's fins are used like an airplane's
stabilizers. Fins also increase the surface area of the tail, and Wholesale Tropical Fish allowing for an
extra boost in speed. The streamlined body of the fish decreases the amount of
friction as they move through water. Since body tissue is more
dense than water, and Wholesale Tropical Fish fish must compensate for the difference or they will
sink. Many bony fishes have an internal organ called a swim
bladder that adjust their buoyancy through manipulation of gases.
Further
information: Spawning
Fish reproductive organs include testes and ovaries. In most
fish species, and Wholesale Tropical Fish gonads are paired organs of similar size, and Wholesale Tropical Fish which can be partially
or totally fused.[19] There may also be a range of
secondary reproductive organs that help in increasing a fish's fitness.
In terms of spermatogonia distribution, and Wholesale Tropical Fish the structure of
teleosts testes has two types: in the most common, and Wholesale Tropical Fish spermatogonia occur all
along the seminiferous tubules, and Wholesale Tropical Fish while in Atherinomorph fishes they are confined
to the distal portion of these structures. Fishes can present cystic or
semi-cystic spermatogenesis in relation to the phase of release of germ cells
in cysts to the seminiferous tubules lumen.[19]
Fish ovaries may be of two types: gymnovarian or
cystovarian. In the first type, and Wholesale Tropical Fish the oocytes are released directly into the
coelomic cavity and then eliminated. In the second type, and Wholesale Tropical Fish the oocytes are
conveyed to the exterior through the oviduct.[20]
Gymnovaries are the primitive condition found in lungfishes, and Wholesale Tropical Fish sturgeons, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and
bowfins. Cystovaries are the condition that characterizes most of the teleosts, and Wholesale Tropical Fish where the ovary lumen has continuity with the oviduct.[19]
Oogonia development in teleosts fish varies according to the
group, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and the determination of oogenesis dynamics allows the understanding of
maturation and fertilization processes. Changes in the nucleus, and Wholesale Tropical Fish ooplasm, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and
the surrounding layers characterize the oocyte maturation process.[19]
Postovulatory follicles are structures formed after oocyte
release; they do not have endocrine function, and Wholesale Tropical Fish present a wide irregular lumen, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and are rapidly reabosrbed in a process involving the apoptosis of follicular
cells. A degenerative process called follicular atresia reabsorbs vitellogenic
oocytes not spawned. This process can also occur, and Wholesale Tropical Fish but less frequently, and Wholesale Tropical Fish in oocytes
in other development stages.[19]
Some fish are hermaphrodites, and Wholesale Tropical Fish either having testes and
ovaries at different phases in the life cycle. However, and Wholesale Tropical Fish there are even some
fish, and Wholesale Tropical Fish such as hamlets, and Wholesale Tropical Fish that are simultaneously male and female.
Over 97% of all known fishes are oviparous, and Wholesale Tropical Fish [21]
that is, and Wholesale Tropical Fish the eggs develop outside the mother's body. Examples of oviparous
fishes include salmon, and Wholesale Tropical Fish goldfish, and Wholesale Tropical Fish cichlids, and Wholesale Tropical Fish tuna, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and eels. In the majority of
these species, and Wholesale Tropical Fish fertilisation takes place outside the mother's body, and Wholesale Tropical Fish with the
male and female fish shedding their gametes into the surrounding water.
However, and Wholesale Tropical Fish a few oviparous fishes practise internal fertilisation, and Wholesale Tropical Fish with the male
using some sort of intromittent organ to deliver sperm into the genital opening
of the female, and Wholesale Tropical Fish most notably the oviparous sharks, and Wholesale Tropical Fish such as the horn shark, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and
oviparous rays, and Wholesale Tropical Fish such as skates. In these cases, and Wholesale Tropical Fish the male is equipped with a
pair of modified pelvic fins known as claspers.
The newly-hatched young of oviparous fish are called larvae.
They are usually poorly formed, and Wholesale Tropical Fish carry a large yolk sac (from which they gain
their nutrition) and are very different in appearance to juvenile and adult
specimens of their species. The larval period in oviparous fish is relatively
short however (usually only several weeks), and Wholesale Tropical Fish and larvae rapidly grow and change
appearance and structure (a process termed metamorphosis) to resemble juveniles
of their species. During this transition larvae use up their yolk sac and must
switch from yolk sac nutrition to feeding on zooplankton prey, and Wholesale Tropical Fish a process which
is dependent on zooplankton prey densities and causes many mortalities in
larvae.
Ovoviviparous fish are ones in which the eggs develop inside
the mother's body after internal fertilization but receive little or no nutrition
from the mother, and Wholesale Tropical Fish depending instead on the yolk. Each embryo develops in its own
egg. Familiar examples of ovoviviparous fishes include guppies, and Wholesale Tropical Fish angel sharks, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and coelacanths.
Some species of fish are viviparous. In such species the
mother retains the eggs, and Wholesale Tropical Fish as in ovoviviparous fishes, and Wholesale Tropical Fish but the embryos receive
nutrition from the mother in a variety of different ways. Typically, and Wholesale Tropical Fish viviparous
fishes have a structure analogous to the placenta seen in mammals connecting
the mother's blood supply with the that of the embryo.
Examples of viviparous fishes of this type include the surf-perches, and Wholesale Tropical Fish splitfins, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and lemon shark. The embryos of some viviparous fishes exhibit a behaviour
known as oophagy where the developing embryos eat eggs produced by the mother.
This has been observed primarily among sharks, and Wholesale Tropical Fish such as the shortfin mako and
porbeagle, and Wholesale Tropical Fish but is known for a few bony fish as well, and Wholesale Tropical Fish such as the halfbeak
Nomorhamphus ebrardtii.[22] Intrauterine cannibalism
is an even more unusual mode of vivipary, and Wholesale Tropical Fish where the largest embryos in the
uterus will eat their weaker and smaller siblings. This behaviour is also most
commonly found among sharks, and Wholesale Tropical Fish such as the grey nurse shark, and Wholesale Tropical Fish but has also been
reported for Nomorhamphus ebrardtii.[22]
Aquarists commonly refer to ovoviviparous and viviparous
fishes as livebearers.
Types of immune organs vary between different types of fish.[23] In the jawless fish (lampreys and hagfishes), and Wholesale Tropical Fish true
lymphoid organs are absent. Instead, and Wholesale Tropical Fish these fish rely on regions of lymphoid
tissue within other organs to produce their immune cells. For example, and Wholesale Tropical Fish erythrocytes, and Wholesale Tropical Fish macrophages and plasma cells are produced in the anterior kidney
(or pronephros) and some areas of the gut (where granulocytes mature) resemble
primitive bone marrow in hagfish. Cartilaginous fish (sharks and rays) have a
more advanced immune system than the jawless fish. They have three specialized
organs that are unique to chondrichthyes; the epigonal organs (lymphoid tissue
similar to bone marrow of mammals) that surround the gonads, and Wholesale Tropical Fish the Leydig’s organ
within the walls of their esophagus, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and a spiral valve in their intestine. All
these organs house typical immune cells (granulocytes, and Wholesale Tropical Fish lymphocytes and plasma
cells). They also possess an identifiable thymus and a well-developed spleen
(their most important immune organ) where various lymphocytes, and Wholesale Tropical Fish plasma cells and
macrophages develop and are stored. Chondrostean fish (sturgeons, and Wholesale Tropical Fish paddlefish
and birchirs) possess a major site for the production of granulocytes within a
mass that is associated with the meninges (membranes surrounding the central
nervous system) and their heart is frequently covered with tissue that contains
lymphocytes, and Wholesale Tropical Fish reticular cells and a small number of macrophages. The
chondrostean kidney is an important hemopoietic organ; where erythrocytes, and Wholesale Tropical Fish granulocytes, and Wholesale Tropical Fish lymphocytes and macrophages develop. Like chondrostean fish, and Wholesale Tropical Fish the
major immune tissues of bony fish (or teleostei) include the kidney (especially
the anterior kidney), and Wholesale Tropical Fish where many different immune cells are housed.[24] In
addition, and Wholesale Tropical Fish teleost fish possess a thymus, and Wholesale Tropical Fish spleen and scattered immune areas
within mucosal tissues (e.g. in the skin, and Wholesale Tropical Fish gills, and Wholesale Tropical Fish gut and gonads). Much like the
mammalian immune system, and Wholesale Tropical Fish teleost erythrocytes, and Wholesale Tropical Fish neutrophils and granulocytes are
believed to reside in the spleen whereas lymphocytes are the major cell type
found in the thymus.[25][26] Recently, and Wholesale Tropical Fish a lymphatic system similar to that
described in mammals was described in one species of teleost fish, and Wholesale Tropical Fish the
zebrafish. Although not confirmed as yet, and Wholesale Tropical Fish this system presumably will be where
naive (unstimulated) T cells will accumulate while waiting to encounter an
antigen.[27]
The early fossil record on fish is not very clear. It
appears it was not a successful enough animal early in its evolution to leave
many fossils. However, and Wholesale Tropical Fish this would eventually change over time as it became a
dominant form of sea life and eventually branching to include land vertebrates
such as amphibians, and Wholesale Tropical Fish reptiles, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and mammals.
The formation of the hinged jaw appears to be what resulted
in the later proliferation of fish because un-jawed fish left very few
ancestors.[28] Lampreys may be a rough representative
of pre-jawed fish. The first jaws are found in Placodermi fossils. It is
unclear if the advantage of a hinged jaw is greater biting force, and Wholesale Tropical Fish respiratory-related, and Wholesale Tropical Fish or a combination.
Some speculate that fish may have evolved from a creature
similar to a coral-like Sea squirt, and Wholesale Tropical Fish whose larvae resemble primitive fish in
some key ways. The first ancestors of fish may have kept the larval form into
adulthood (as some sea squirts do today, and Wholesale Tropical Fish see Neoteny), and Wholesale Tropical Fish although the reversal of
this case is also possible. Candidates for early fish include Agnatha such as
Haikouichthys, and Wholesale Tropical Fish Myllokunmingia, and Wholesale Tropical Fish Pikaia, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and Conodonts.
A 3 to 4 m great white shark off Isla Guadalupe
A 3 to 4 m great white shark off Isla Guadalupe
Although most fish are exclusively aquatic and cold-blooded, and Wholesale Tropical Fish there are exceptions to both cases. Fish from a number of different groups have
evolved the capacity to live out of the water for extended periods of time. Of
these amphibious fish some such as the mudskipper can live and move about on
land for up to several days. Also, and Wholesale Tropical Fish certain species of fish maintain elevated
body temperatures to varying degrees. Endothermic teleosts (bony fishes) are
all in the suborder Scombroidei and include the billfishes, and Wholesale Tropical Fish tunas, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and one
species of "primitive" mackerel (Gasterochisma melampus). All sharks
in the family Lamnidae – shortfin mako, and Wholesale Tropical Fish long fin mako, and Wholesale Tropical Fish white, and Wholesale Tropical Fish porbeagle, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and
salmon shark – are known to have the capacity for endothermy, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and evidence
suggests the trait exists in family Alopiidae (thresher sharks). The degree of
endothermy varies from the billfish, and Wholesale Tropical Fish which warm only their eyes and brain, and Wholesale Tropical Fish to
bluefin tuna and porbeagle sharks who maintain body temperatures elevated in
excess of 20 °C above ambient water temperatures. See also gigantothermy.
Endothermy, and Wholesale Tropical Fish though metabolically costly, and Wholesale Tropical Fish is thought to provide advantages such
as increased contractile force of muscles, and Wholesale Tropical Fish higher rates of central nervous
system processing, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and higher rates of digestion.
Like other animals, and Wholesale Tropical Fish fish can suffer from a wide variety of diseases
and parasites. To prevent disease they have a variety of non-specific defences
and specific defences. Non-specific defences include the skin and scales, and Wholesale Tropical Fish as
well as the mucus layer secreted by the epidermis that traps microorganisms and
inhibits their growth. Should pathogens breach these defences, and Wholesale Tropical Fish fish can develop
an inflammatory response that increases the flow of blood to the infected
region and delivers the white blood cells that will attempt to destroy the
pathogens. Specific defences are specialised responses to particular pathogens
recognised by the fish's body, and Wholesale Tropical Fish in other words, and Wholesale Tropical Fish an immune response.[29] In
recent years, and Wholesale Tropical Fish vaccines have become widely used in aquaculture and also with
ornamental fish, and Wholesale Tropical Fish for example the vaccines for furunculosis in farmed salmon and
koi herpes virus in koi.
Some fish will also take advantage of cleaner fish for
removal of external parasites. The best known of these are the cleaner wrasses
of the genus Labroides found on coral reefs in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean. These small fish maintain so-called
"cleaning stations" where other fish, and Wholesale Tropical Fish known as hosts, and Wholesale Tropical Fish will congregate
and perform specific movements to attract the attention of the cleaner fish.Cleaning
behaviours have been observed in a number of other fish groups, and Wholesale Tropical Fish including an
interesting case between two cichlids of the same genus, and Wholesale Tropical Fish Etroplus maculatus, and Wholesale Tropical Fish the cleaner fish, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and the much larger Etroplus suratensis, and Wholesale Tropical Fish the host.
Aquaculture
Fish (food)
Fishing
Fish farming
Angling
Fishkeeping
Sport fishing
Conservation
A Whale shark, and Wholesale Tropical Fish the world's largest fish, and Wholesale Tropical Fish is classified as
Vulnerable.
A Whale shark, and Wholesale Tropical Fish the world's largest fish, and Wholesale Tropical Fish is classified as
Vulnerable.
As of 2006, and Wholesale Tropical Fish the IUCN Red List describes 1,173 species of
fish as being threatened with extinction.[34] Included
on this list are species such as Atlantic cod, and Wholesale Tropical Fish [35] Devil's Hole pupfish, and Wholesale Tropical Fish [36]
coelacanths, and Wholesale Tropical Fish [37] and great white sharks.[38] Because fish live underwater they
are much more difficult to study than terrestrial animals and plants, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and
information about fish populations is often lacking. However, and Wholesale Tropical Fish freshwater fish
seem particularly threatened because they often live in relatively small areas.
For example, and Wholesale Tropical Fish the Devil's Hole pupfish occupies only a single 3 m by 6 m pool.[39]
In the case of edible fishes such as cod and tuna a major
threat is overfishing.[40][41] Where overfishing
persists, and Wholesale Tropical Fish it eventually causes the collapse of the fish population (known as a
"stock") because the population can't breed fast enough to replace
the individuals removed by fishing. One well-studied example of the collapse of
a fishery is the Pacific sardine Sadinops sagax caerulues fishery off the coast
of California.
From a peak in 1937 of 790,000 tonnes the amount of fish landed steadily
declined to a mere 24,000 tonnes in 1968, and Wholesale Tropical Fish at which point the fishery stopped as
no longer economically viable. Such commercial extinction does not mean that
the fish itself goes extinct, and Wholesale Tropical Fish merely that it can no longer sustain a profitable
fishery.[42] The main tension between fisheries
science and the fishing industry is the need to balance conservation with
preserving the livelihoods of fishermen. In places such as Scotland, and Wholesale Tropical Fish Newfoundland, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and Alaska the fishing industry is a major employer, and Wholesale Tropical Fish so
governments have a vested interest in finding a balance between conserving fish
stocks while maintaining an economic level of commercial fishing.[43][44] On the other hand, and Wholesale Tropical Fish scientists and conservations
push for increasingly stringent protection for fish stocks, and Wholesale Tropical Fish warning that many
stocks could be wiped out within fifty years.[45][46]
A key stress on both freshwater and marine ecosystems is
habitat degradation including water pollution, and Wholesale Tropical Fish the building of dams, and Wholesale Tropical Fish removal of
water for use by humans, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and the introduction of exotic species.[47] An example of a fish that has become endangered
because of habitat change is the pallid sturgeon, and Wholesale Tropical Fish a North American freshwater
fish that living in rivers that have all been changed by human activity in a
variety of different ways.[48]
Introduction of exotic species has occurred in a variety of
places and for many different reasons. One of the nest studied (and most
severe) examples was the introduction of Nile perch into Lake
Victoria. Since the 1960s the Nile
perch gradually exterminated the 500 species of cichlid fishes found only in
this lake and nowhere else. Some species survive now only in captive breeding
programmes, and Wholesale Tropical Fish but others are probably extinct.[49] Carp, and Wholesale Tropical Fish snakeheads, and Wholesale Tropical Fish [50] tilapia, and Wholesale Tropical Fish European perch, and Wholesale Tropical Fish brown trout, and Wholesale Tropical Fish rainbow trout, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and sea lampreys are other examples
of fish that have caused problems by being introduced into alien environments.
Fishkeeping#Conservation_and_Science
Through the ages, and Wholesale Tropical Fish many cultures have featured fish in their
legends and myths, and Wholesale Tropical Fish from the "great fish" that swallowed Jonah the
Prophet through to the half-human, and Wholesale Tropical Fish half-fish mermaid around which books and
movies have been centred (e.g., and Wholesale Tropical Fish Splash). Among the deities said to take the
form of a fish are Ika-Roa of the Polynesians, and Wholesale Tropical Fish Dagon of various ancient Semitic
peoples, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and Matsya of the Dravidas of India. The astrological symbol Pisces is
based on a constellation of the same name, and Wholesale Tropical Fish but there is also a second fish
constellation in the night sky, and Wholesale Tropical Fish Piscis Austrinus. Fish have been used
figuratively in many different ways, and Wholesale Tropical Fish for example the ichthys used by early
Christians to identify themselves through to the fish as a symbol of fertility
among Bengalis.[51] Fish have also featured prominently in art and literature, and Wholesale Tropical Fish as in movies such as Finding Nemo and books such as The Old Man and the Sea.
Large fish, and Wholesale Tropical Fish particularly sharks, and Wholesale Tropical Fish have frequently been the subject of horror
movies and thrillers, and Wholesale Tropical Fish most notably the novel Jaws, and Wholesale Tropical Fish which spawned a series of
films of the same name that in turn inspired similar films or parodies such as
Shark Tale, and Wholesale Tropical Fish Snakehead Terror, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and Piranha.
These squirrelfish are shoaling, and Wholesale Tropical Fish not schooling: though
swimming as a group, and Wholesale Tropical Fish their speed and direction is not synchronised.
These squirrelfish are shoaling, and Wholesale Tropical Fish not schooling: though
swimming as a group, and Wholesale Tropical Fish their speed and direction is not synchronised.
These jacks are schooling because their swimming is
synchronised.
These jacks are schooling because their swimming is
synchronised.
Though often used interchangeably, and Wholesale Tropical Fish these pairs of words
actually mean different things. Fish is used either as singular noun or to
describe a group of specimens from a single species. Fishes describes a group
containing more than one species.[52] Hence, and Wholesale Tropical Fish as
plurals, and Wholesale Tropical Fish these words could be used thus:
* My aquarium
contains three different fishes: guppies, and Wholesale Tropical Fish platies, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and swordtails.
* The North Atlantic stock of Gadus morhua is estimated to
contain several million fish.
A random assemblage of fishes merely using some localised
resource such as food or nesting sites is known simply as an aggregation. When
fish come together in an interactive, and Wholesale Tropical Fish social grouping, and Wholesale Tropical Fish then they may be forming
either a shoal or a school depending on the degree of organisation. A shoal is
a loosely organised group where each fish swims and forages independently but
is attracted to other members of the group and adjusts its behaviour, and Wholesale Tropical Fish such as
swimming speed, and Wholesale Tropical Fish so that it remains close to the other members of the group.
Schools of fish are much more tightly organised, and Wholesale Tropical Fish synchronising their swimming
so that all fish move at the same speed and in the same direction. Shoaling and
schooling behaviour is believed to provide a variety of advantages (see article
on swarming, and Wholesale Tropical Fish the term used to cover such behaviours in animals).[53]
* Cichlids
congregating at lekking sites form an aggregation.
* Many minnows and
characins form shoals.
* Classic examples
of schooling fish are anchovies, and Wholesale Tropical Fish herrings, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and silversides.
It should be noted that while school and shoal have
different meanings within biology, and Wholesale Tropical Fish they are often treated as synonyms by
non-specialists, and Wholesale Tropical Fish with speakers of British English using "shoal" to
describe any grouping of fish, and Wholesale Tropical Fish while speakers of American English often using "school"
just as loosely.
An aquarium (plural aquariums or aquaria) is a vivarium
consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or
animals are kept. Aquaria are primarily used for fishkeeping, and Wholesale Tropical Fish although
invertebrates, and Wholesale Tropical Fish amphibians, and Wholesale Tropical Fish marine mammals, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and aquatic plants are also housed
in aquaria. The term combines the Latin root aqua, and Wholesale Tropical Fish meaning water, and Wholesale Tropical Fish with the
suffix -arium, and Wholesale Tropical Fish meaning "a place for relating to".[1]
The aquarium has a long history and maintaining an aquarium
has become immensely popular worldwide; a person who owns or maintains an
aquarium is known as an aquarist. Aquaria can come in a variety of materials, and Wholesale Tropical Fish shapes, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and sizes. They are typically constructed of glass or high-strength
plastic. Cuboid aquaria are also known as fish tanks or simply tanks, and Wholesale Tropical Fish while
bowl-shaped aquaria are also known as fish bowls. Size can range from a small
glass bowl to immense public aquaria. A number of components are used to
maintain appropriate water quality and characteristics suitable for the
aquarium's residents. There are many types of aquaria, and Wholesale Tropical Fish classified by the
organisms maintained or the type of environment that is mimicked.
Contents
[hide]
* 1 History and
popularization
*
2 Design
o 2.1 Materials
o 2.2 Styles
o 2.3 Aquarium size and volume
* 3 Components
* 4 Aquarium
classifications
* 5 Public aquaria
* 6 See also
* 7 References
* 8 External links
Fishkeeping in artificial environments has existed for
centuries. In the Roman Empire, and Wholesale Tropical Fish the first fish
to be brought indoors was the sea barbel, and Wholesale Tropical Fish which was kept under guest beds in
small tanks made of marble. With the introduction of glass panes around the
year 50, and Wholesale Tropical Fish the Romans replaced one wall of the marble tank, and Wholesale Tropical Fish improving their view
of the fish. In 1369, and Wholesale Tropical Fish the Chinese Emperor, and Wholesale Tropical Fish Hongwu, and Wholesale Tropical Fish established a porcelain
company that produced large porcelain tubs for maintaining goldfish; over time, and Wholesale Tropical Fish these tubs were produced more and more like modern fish bowls.Leonhard Baldner, and Wholesale Tropical Fish who wrote Vogel-, and Wholesale Tropical Fish Fisch- und Tierbuch (Bird, and Wholesale Tropical Fish Fish, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and Animal Book) in 1666, and Wholesale Tropical Fish maintained weather loaches and newts.[3]
In 1836, and Wholesale Tropical Fish soon after his invention of the Wardian case, and Wholesale Tropical Fish Ward
proposed to use his tanks for tropical animals, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and in 1841 he did so, and Wholesale Tropical Fish though
only with aquatic plants and toy fish. However, and Wholesale Tropical Fish real animals were soon housed.
In 1838, and Wholesale Tropical Fish Félix Dujardin noted owning a saltwater aquarium, and Wholesale Tropical Fish though he did not
use the term.[4] In 1846, and Wholesale Tropical Fish Anna Thynne maintained stony corals and seaweed for
almost three years, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and was credited as the creator of the first balanced
marine aquarium in London.[5] At about the same time, and Wholesale Tropical Fish Robert Warington
experimented with a 13-gallon container, and Wholesale Tropical Fish which contained goldfish, and Wholesale Tropical Fish eelgrass, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and snails, and Wholesale Tropical Fish creating one of the first stable aquaria; he published his findings
in 1850 in the Chemical Society's journal.[6]
Pike in an aquarium c. 1908, and Wholesale Tropical Fish at the
Detroit Aquarium, and Wholesale Tropical Fish Belle
Isle Park.
Pike in an aquarium c. 1908, and Wholesale Tropical Fish at the
Detroit Aquarium, and Wholesale Tropical Fish Belle
Isle Park.
The keeping of fish in an aquarium became a popular hobby
and spread quickly. In the United
Kingdom, and Wholesale Tropical Fish it became popular after ornate
aquaria in cast iron frames were featured at the Great Exhibition of 1851. In
1853, and Wholesale Tropical Fish the first large public aquarium opened in the London Zoo and came to be
known as the Fish House.[7] Philip Henry Gosse was the first person to actually
use the word "aquarium", and Wholesale Tropical Fish opting for this term (instead of
"vivarium") in 1854 in his book The Aquarium: An Unveiling of the
Wonders of the Deep Sea. In this book, and Wholesale Tropical Fish Gosse primarily discussed saltwater
aquaria.[8] In the 1850s, and Wholesale Tropical Fish the aquarium became a fad in
the United Kingdom.[9]
Germans soon rivaled the British in their interest. In 1854, and Wholesale Tropical Fish two articles about the saltwater aquaria of the United Kingdom were published in
Die Gartenlaube (The Garden House) entitled Der Ocean auf dem Tische (The Ocean
on the Table) by an anonymous author. However, and Wholesale Tropical Fish in 1856, and Wholesale Tropical Fish Der See im Glase (The
Lake in a Glass) was published, and Wholesale Tropical Fish discussing freshwater aquaria, and Wholesale Tropical Fish which were much
easier to maintain in landlocked areas.[10] During the 1870s, and Wholesale Tropical Fish some of the first
aquarist societies were appearing in Germany.[11] The United States soon
followed. Published in 1858, and Wholesale Tropical Fish Henry D. Butler's The Family Aquarium was one of
the first books written in the United States solely about the aquarium.[12]
According to the July issue of The North American Review of the same year, and Wholesale Tropical Fish William Stimson may have owned some of the first functional aquaria, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and had as
many as seven or eight.[13] The first aquarist society in the United States was
founded in New York City in 1893, and Wholesale Tropical Fish followed by others.[11] The New York Aquarium
Journal, and Wholesale Tropical Fish first published in October 1876, and Wholesale Tropical Fish is considered to be the world's first
aquarium magazine.[14]
In the Victorian era in the United Kingdom, and Wholesale Tropical Fish a common design for
the home aquarium was a glass front with the other sides made of wood (made
watertight with a pitch coating). The bottom would be made of slate and heated
from below.[15] More advanced systems soon began to be
introduced, and Wholesale Tropical Fish along with tanks of glass in metal frames.[15] During the latter
half of the 19th century, and Wholesale Tropical Fish a variety of aquarium designs were explored, and Wholesale Tropical Fish such as
hanging the aquarium on a wall, and Wholesale Tropical Fish mounting it as part of a window, and Wholesale Tropical Fish or even
combining it with a birdcage.[16]
Aquaria became more widely popular as houses became almost
universally electrified after World War I. With electricity great improvements
were made in aquarium technology, and Wholesale Tropical Fish allowing artificial lighting as well as
aeration, and Wholesale Tropical Fish filtration, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and heating of the water.[17] Initially, and Wholesale Tropical Fish amateur
aquarists kept native fish (with the exception of goldfish); the entrance of
exotic species from overseas also allowed aquaria to become even more
popular.[18] Jugs made from a variety of materials were initially used to
import fish from overseas, and Wholesale Tropical Fish including innovations such as using a bicycle foot
pump for aeration.[19] Plastic shipping bags were introduced in the 1950s, and Wholesale Tropical Fish making it easier to ship fish.[20] The eventual availability of air freight, and Wholesale Tropical Fish which allowed a much wider variety of fish, and Wholesale Tropical Fish especially marine, and Wholesale Tropical Fish to be successfully
imported from distant regions of origin, and Wholesale Tropical Fish consequently attracted new
hobbyists.[21] In the 1960s, and Wholesale Tropical Fish a great breakthrough was reached. Metal frames
made marine aquaria almost impossible due to corrosion, and Wholesale Tropical Fish but the development of
silicone sealant allowed the first all-glass aquaria. The frames remained, and Wholesale Tropical Fish however, and Wholesale Tropical Fish though purely for aesthetic reasons.[15]
Aquarium keeping is now a popular hobby around the world, and Wholesale Tropical Fish with about 60 million aquarists worldwide.[citation needed] In the United
States, and Wholesale Tropical Fish aquarium keeping is the second-most popular hobby after stamp
collecting.[22] The number of fish kept in aquaria vary by country. In 1999 it
was estimated that over nine million U.S. households own an aquarium.[23] In 2005, and Wholesale Tropical Fish it was estimated that 139 million freshwater
fish and 9 million saltwater fish were kept in aquaria in the U.S.[24]
Similarly, and Wholesale Tropical Fish estimates of the numbers of fish kept in aquaria in Germany number
at least 36 million.[22] The hobby has the strongest following in Europe, and Wholesale Tropical Fish Asia, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and North America. In the United
States, and Wholesale Tropical Fish 40 percent of aquarists maintain two
or more tanks at any one time.[citation needed]
An 80 litre home aquarium.
An 80 litre home aquarium.
Most aquaria consist of simple glass panes bonded together
by silicone. Usually plastic frames are attached to the upper and lower edges
for decoration. Price, and Wholesale Tropical Fish availability, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and reliability make the glass aquarium an
industry standard for sizes up to about 1000 litres (250 gal). However, and Wholesale Tropical Fish glass
is brittle and has very little give before fracturing, and Wholesale Tropical Fish though generally the
sealant fails first.[25] Aquaria come in a variety of shapes such as cuboid, and Wholesale Tropical Fish hexagonal, and Wholesale Tropical Fish angled to fit in a corner (L-shaped), and Wholesale Tropical Fish bow-front (the front side
curves outwards), and Wholesale Tropical Fish and more.[26] Fish bowls are generally either plastic or
glass, and Wholesale Tropical Fish either spherical or some other round configuration.
Acrylic aquaria are also available and are the primary
competitor with glass. Acrylics are stronger than glass, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and much lighter.
Acrylic-soluble cements are used to directly fuse acrylic together (as opposed
to simply sealing the seam).[25] Acrylic allows for
the formation of unusual shapes, and Wholesale Tropical Fish such as hexagonal.[15] Compared to glass, and Wholesale Tropical Fish acrylics are easy to scratch; care must be taken with organisms with shells and
teeth.[25]
Laminated glass might be used, and Wholesale Tropical Fish which combines the advantages
of both glass and acrylic.[25]
Large aquaria might use stronger materials such as
fiberglass-reinforced plastics. However, and Wholesale Tropical Fish this material is not transparent.[25] Reinforced concrete is used for aquaria where weight
and space are not factors. Concrete must be coated with a waterproof layer to
prevent the water from breaking down the concrete as well as prevent
contamination from the concrete.[25]
Aquaria can come in more creative flavors. Aquariums have
been fashioned into coffee tables, and Wholesale Tropical Fish sinks, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and even toilets. Another such
example is the Macquarium, and Wholesale Tropical Fish an aquarium made from the shell of an Apple
Macintosh computer.[27]
A kreisel tank is a circular aquarium designed to hold
delicate animals such as jellyfish. These aquariums provide slow, and Wholesale Tropical Fish circular
water flow with a lack of physical objects.[28]
Originally a German design (kreisel means spinning top), and Wholesale Tropical Fish the tank is designed
to have no sharp corners, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and keeps the housed animals away from the plumbing.
Water moving into the tank gives a gentle flow that keeps the inhabitants
suspended, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and water leaving the tank is covered by a delicate screen that
prevents the inhabitants from getting stuck. There are several types of kreisel
tanks. In a true kreisel, and Wholesale Tropical Fish a perfectly circular tank has a circular, and Wholesale Tropical Fish submerged, and Wholesale Tropical Fish lid. Pseudokreisels, and Wholesale Tropical Fish have a curved bottom surface and a top surface flat, and Wholesale Tropical Fish similar to the shape of either a "U" or a semicircle.[29] It is possible to combine these designs; a circular
shaped tank is used without a lid or cover, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and the surface of the water acts
as the continuation of circular flow.
Aquarium size and volume
A large aquarium at the Osaka Aquarium houses a whale shark.
A large aquarium at the Osaka Aquarium houses a whale shark.
An aquarium can range from a small glass bowl containing
less than a litre (34 fl.oz.) of water to immense public aquaria which can
house entire ecosystems such as kelp forests. Larger aquaria are typically
recommended to hobbyists due to their resistance to rapid fluctuations of
temperature and pH, and Wholesale Tropical Fish allowing for greater system stability.[26]
Aquaria kept in homes by hobbyists can be as small as 11
litres (3 gal); this size is widely considered the smallest practical system
with filtration and other basic systems. On the other hand, and Wholesale Tropical Fish reef aquaria under
100 litres (20 gal) earn a special place in the aquarium hobby; these aquaria, and Wholesale Tropical Fish termed nano reefs, and Wholesale Tropical Fish are known to be more difficult due to their small water
volume. Practical limitations, and Wholesale Tropical Fish most notably the weight (One litre of fresh
water weighs 1 kilogram (8.3 lb gal-1), and Wholesale Tropical Fish and salt water is even denser) and
internal water pressure (requiring thick, and Wholesale Tropical Fish strong glass siding) of a large
aquarium, and Wholesale Tropical Fish keep most home aquaria to a maximum of around 1 cubic metre in volume
(1000 kg or 2200 lb). Indeed, and Wholesale Tropical Fish larger aquariums can even threaten the floor
beneath the aquarium.[26] Some dedicated aquarists, and Wholesale Tropical Fish however, and Wholesale Tropical Fish have been known to construct custom aquaria of up to many thousands of
litres, and Wholesale Tropical Fish at great effort and expense.[30][31]
Aquaria within public aquariums designed for exhibition of
large species or environments can be dramatically larger than any home
aquarium. The Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, and Wholesale Tropical Fish for example, and Wholesale Tropical Fish features an individual aquarium of 7.7 million litres (2 million
gallons).
Filtration system in a typical aquarium: (1) Intake. (2)
Mechanical filtration. (3) Chemical filtration. (4) Biological filtration
medium. (5) Outflow to tank.
Filtration system in a typical aquarium: (1) Intake. (2)
Mechanical filtration. (3) Chemical filtration. (4) Biological filtration
medium. (5) Outflow to tank.
The typical hobbyist aquarium includes a filtration system, and Wholesale Tropical Fish an artificial lighting system, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and a heater or chiller depending on the
inhabitants of the aquarium. Many aquaria incorporate a hood, and Wholesale Tropical Fish which prevents
evaporation and protects fish from leaving the aquarium (or anything else from
entering the aquarium). They also often hold lights.[26]
Hoods can be opened and closed easily for access into the aquarium.
Combined biological and mechanical aquarium filtration
systems are commonly used; these are designed to either convert ammonia to
nitrate or remove it or sometimes remove phosphate from water, and Wholesale Tropical Fish removing them
being at the expense of aquatic plants. Particulates incorporated into the
filter can provide energy for microbes and sponges that do these things.
Filtration systems are often the most complex component of home aquaria, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and
various designs and combinations are used.[32]
Aquarium heaters combine a heating element with a
thermostat, and Wholesale Tropical Fish allowing an aquarist to regulate water temperature at a level above
that of the surrounding air, and Wholesale Tropical Fish whereas coolers and chillers (refrigeration
devices) are for use in cold water aquaria, and Wholesale Tropical Fish or anywhere the ambient room
temperature is above the desired tank temperature.[26] A variety of different
thermometers are used, and Wholesale Tropical Fish such as the glass alcohol thermometers, and Wholesale Tropical Fish adhesive
external plastic strip thermometers, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and even battery-powered LCD
thermometers.[26] In addition, and Wholesale Tropical Fish some aquarists use air pumps attached to
airstones or water pumps to increase water circulation and supply adequate gas
exchange at the water surface. Wave-making devices have also been constructed
to provide wave action.[25]
An aquarium's physical characteristics form another aspect
of aquarium design. Size, and Wholesale Tropical Fish lighting conditions, and Wholesale Tropical Fish density of floating and rooted
plants, and Wholesale Tropical Fish placement of bogwood, and Wholesale Tropical Fish creation of caves or overhangs, and Wholesale Tropical Fish type of
substrate, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and other factors (including an aquarium's positioning within a
room) can all affect the behavior and survival of tank inhabitants. The
combined function of these elements is to maintain appropriate water quality
and characteristics suitable for the aquarium's residents.
An aquarium is often also placed on a specially-made
aquarium stand. Because of the weight of an aquarium, and Wholesale Tropical Fish they must be strong as
well as level. A tank that is not level may distort, and Wholesale Tropical Fish leak, and Wholesale Tropical Fish or crack.[26] These are often built like cabinets to allow storage, and Wholesale Tropical Fish available in many styles so it can match room decor. Simple metal tank stands
are also available.[26] Some sources say that
polystyrene should be placed under the aquarium as a safety precaution.[26]
However, and Wholesale Tropical Fish this may void certain warranties.[citation needed]
A planted freshwater aquarium.
A planted freshwater aquarium.
From the outdoor ponds and glass jars of antiquity, and Wholesale Tropical Fish modern
aquaria have evolved into a wide range of specialized systems. Individual
aquaria can vary in size from a small bowl large enough for a single small
fish, and Wholesale Tropical Fish to the huge public aquaria that can simulate entire marine ecosystems. A
variety of different aquarium types exist; for the most part, and Wholesale Tropical Fish many of these
classifications are based on the environment the aquarium intends to mimic.
One of the most basic ways to classify aquaria is their
salinity. Freshwater aquaria are the most popular kind of aquarium due to their
lower cost and ease of maintenance.Marine aquaria are generally more difficult
to setup and maintain than freshwater aquaria. Along with fish species, and Wholesale Tropical Fish marine
aquaria frequently feature a diverse range of invertebrates.[33]Brackish water
aquaria combine elements of both marine and freshwater fishkeeping.Fish kept in
brackish water aquaria generally come from habitats with varying salinity, and Wholesale Tropical Fish such
as mangroves and estuaries. Certain subtypes of aquaria also exist within these
types, and Wholesale Tropical Fish such as the reef aquarium, and Wholesale Tropical Fish a type of marine aquarium that houses coral.[33]
Another method to classify aquaria is their temperature
range. Most aquarists maintain a tropical aquarium as these fish tend to be
more colorful.However, and Wholesale Tropical Fish the coldwater aquarium is also popular, and Wholesale Tropical Fish which often
includes fish such as goldfish.[33]
A saltwater aquarium.
A saltwater aquarium.
Aquaria may be grouped by their species selection. The
community tank is the most common type of aquarium kept today, and Wholesale Tropical Fish where several
non-aggressive species are housed peacefully together. Aggressive tanks, and Wholesale Tropical Fish in
contrast, and Wholesale Tropical Fish house a limited number of species that can be aggressive toward other
fish, and Wholesale Tropical Fish or are able to withstand aggression well. Species or specimen tanks
usually only house one fish species, and Wholesale Tropical Fish along with plants, and Wholesale Tropical Fish perhaps found in the
fishes' natural environment and decorations simulating a true ecosystem. This
type is useful for fish that simply cannot be housed safely with other fish, and Wholesale Tropical Fish such as the electric eel, and Wholesale Tropical Fish as an extreme example. Some tanks of this sort are
used simply to house adults for breeding. In these aquaria, and Wholesale Tropical Fish the aquarium fish, and Wholesale Tropical Fish invertebrates, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and plants may or may not originate from the same geographic
region, and Wholesale Tropical Fish but generally tolerate similar water conditions.
Ecotype, and Wholesale Tropical Fish ecotope, and Wholesale Tropical Fish or biotope aquaria is
another type based on species selection. In it, and Wholesale Tropical Fish an aquarist attempts to
simulate a specific ecosystem found in the natural world, and Wholesale Tropical Fish bringing together
fish, and Wholesale Tropical Fish invertebrate species, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and plants found only in that ecosystem in a tank
with water conditions and decorations designed to simulate their natural
environment. These ecotype aquaria might be considered the most sophisticated
hobby aquaria; indeed, and Wholesale Tropical Fish reputable public aquaria all use this approach in their
exhibits whenever possible. This approach best simulates the experience of
observing an aquarium's inhabitants in the wild, and Wholesale Tropical Fish and also usually serves as the
healthiest possible artificial environment for the tank's occupants.
Public aquaria
One of the large aquaria at the Georgia
Aquarium, and Wholesale Tropical Fish USA.
One of the large aquaria at the Georgia
Aquarium, and Wholesale Tropical Fish USA.
Public aquariums are facilities open to the public for
viewing of aquatic species in aquaria. Most public aquariums feature a number
of smaller aquaria, and Wholesale Tropical Fish as well those greater in size than could be kept by home
aquarists. The largest tanks hold millions of U.S. gallons of water and can house
large species, and Wholesale Tropical Fish including sharks or beluga whales. Dolphinariums are aquaria
specifically for housing dolphins. Aquatic and semiaquatic animals, and Wholesale Tropical Fish including
otters and penguins, and Wholesale Tropical Fish may also be kept by public aquariums. Public aquariums may
also be included in larger establishments such as a marine mammal park or a
marine park.
