Radcliffe

(those were the guesses at the fish store)

I seem to be irrisistably drawn to baby fish all alone in tanks at my LFS. It started with rescuing an adorable little spotted feeder guppy for a quarter. Now, this little guy came home with me yesterday. He/she was swimming in their tank filled with live plants, and is under an inch long. It seems completely comfy in the tank with the tetras, and swims with them like he has always been around.

He is really quite teeny, so I can't see if he has the little clear bottom fins of the algae eater, and he doesn't seem interested in the bits of algae in the tank, or the bottom.

And a quick look at his current home, he is one of the blurs, swimming with a vriety of small tetras. I have a couple of other tanks he could go in if he gets large or unfriendly, and the lfs said I could bring him back if he turns out to be the type of fish I will not want in my communities. (nice of them!)


I had thought that he might be one of these:
http://filaman.ifm-geomar.de/Photos/...9&what=species
but he doesn't seem interested in the bottom of the tank, and he has a second black stripe under the one horizontally across his body.

So? any thoughts? I like him lots, but want to be sure I am giving him a good home and want to be aware if he will outgrow my space, etc.

Thanks!

--R

Dino

I would say a barb rather than tetra, since there is no adipose fin.
Not able to tell if it is a fox without a closer shot of the mouth.

Dino

Marc

Typically, baby Flying Foxes, False Flying Foxes, and SAE's resemble the adults at that size, from what I've seen. Unless it's younger than it looks, in which case, I've never seen them that young.

Radcliffe

Hmm, I am still not sure what sort of fish I have here. I have tried to get a good look at its mouth to no avail. As it is in a planted, peaceful tank and looks happy I will hope it grows up enough to be able to determine what it is. I am not even sure what it is eating, sweet little thing.

--R

tan.b

maybe easier to identify as he/she gets bigger . can you post more pics as he grows til we get him identified. i'm curious!!!
tan

Radcliffe

Oh I most certainly will! It is such a peaceful little fish that I am not worried about compatibility at the moment, and it is really kinda fun to play the identify game. I can see its mouth well enough now to know for certain that it does not have a down facing sucker type mouth. I think it nibbles algae, and also investigates small bits of falling flake food. I have not seen it rest on the bottom or side of the tank, it ususally chills out in the lower part of the tank near a plant or with the tetras.

tan.b

its always more fun to have an unidentified fish than another guppy or platty etc! my rainbow was unidentified for a while. good luck with him/her! tan

Radcliffe

Here is another attempt at a photo of the unidentified fish. My camera autofocuses on the background, so it is still blurry. I think it is so cute how the little guy gave that bloodworm a real try. He/she swam around holding that worm for quite a while before giving up! I can tell that it is getting a bit bigger, good diet and water conditions. It still has that little bit of a second black line. And, I suppose I can guess that it isn't a complete herbavore.

--R

tan.b

does ths black line go along the bottom part of his tail? if so could be a penguin tetra? has he got a sucker mouth? hard to see these things in the picture. i cant ever get decent photos of my fish either. yours are certainly better than mine though! i just get a blur!!
tan

Radcliffe

Nope, the second black line doesn't continue along the entire body, and it doesn't have a sucker mouth either, lol.

Sweet little mystery fish!

tan.b

does it have a forked tail like the emperor tetra (Nematobrycon palmeri)?

Radcliffe

For the moment, no. The end of the tail is completely clear and not forked. However, the Emperor tetra is a good guess, so is the flying fox, those are currently my top top contenders. I think as the little guy grows I will eventually be able to get a good idea of where the fin are, and the shape and final coloring of the tail.

Hee hee, such fun!

Radcliffe

AH ha! I got a better picture this time! Of course now I think it is neither a flying fox, or an emperor tetra.

The mystery continues!

--R

tan.b

thats a fantastic picture, wish i could take decent pics of my fish, but yes it does add more mystery!! that black line looks drawn on the way it goes through the eye!!! it looks so cute i want one!!! the tail is def not like a emperor though. more like a female guppy tail with that fan shape, but obviously the rest of the body and colouring says it most definitely isnt! mmmm, will keep thinking......
tan

Radcliffe

Thanks! I must have taken 30 pictures trying to get that one, lol. Sneaky little guy!
I have spent hours now trying to figure out what this little cutie is! I bought him/her from the plant tank at my lfs, so I guess it was a rogue fry at some point. The best news is that it is a peaceful member of my community tank, but the wondering is driving me nuts!

--R

lolagurl

its so pretty maybe some type of cichlid? i dont know but if i saw it i would want it...what did the pet store staff say when you asked

Radcliffe

Ok this is funny, I found a thread with another mystery fry photographed, it looks quite a bit like mine:
http://www.plantgeek.net/forum/viewt...er=asc&start=0

Looking through their pictures and considering their fish was also found in a plant tank-
I think I have a baby Brilliant Rasbora!

:-)

(ok, or a baby beckford's pencilfish...)

tan.b

was lookin today in the lfs at their flying foxes and thet have pointy tails (2 points like the penguin tetra) rather than the spade shape one yours has. that link's fish does look identicle to yours. whatever that is!!!!!!!!!! lol
tan

lolagurl

didnt they decide at the end it was a brilliant rasbora

tan.b

bottom left picture in this link
http://www.elmersaquarium.com/10rasbora.htm
a lined rasbora? looks like yours. was looking to see what a brilliant rasbora looks like and found this.

tan.b

http://filaman.ifm-geomar.de/Summary...y.php?id=10371
is a pic of a brilliant rasbora. the tail is still wrong. its spiky again rather than rounded....

Radcliffe

Yeah the tail is wrong, and my baby fish has no color. I think it is a brilliant rasbora though, because the other guys fish looked just like mine and was also a baby. I will be watching it closely for any signs of tail color, and to see if it does in fact have a change in tail shape... He even got his as a ride along on a plant, which is how my lfs likely got theirs. Looking at all the rasboras makes me want more of them!!!

Radcliffe

Another pic of my favorite little mystery fish :-)

tan.b

he must be nearly fully grown by now!
is it the flash or something or is his top half a diff colour?
tan

COBettaCouple

he looks like a lined rasbora to me.. a very pretty one at that.

Radcliffe

Yes, I agree. There aren't many photos of a lined rasbora that looks like mine, and sometimes the names vary, but that is clearly the right fish/category. My little one is still with a rounded tail, I am assuming that the tail will change as it grows. I am so found of its quiet nature and slightly mysterious origin! Definitely one of my favorites from the very start.

--R

COBettaCouple

they're cool fish, i know tan.b loves her galaxy rasboras and rasboras sound like a great community fish.

tan.b

they are! well, my galaxies and scissor tailed rasboras are easy to keep happy and they dont bother any other fish (other than showing the neon rainbows how to play the game "relay" even though the rainbows cant swim fast enough so they always lose!..they could let the rainbow team win at least once!)
tan

Radcliffe

Here is the latest photo of my little mystery fish. I am starting to think it is not a Brilliant Rasbora. What it is though, I have no idea. The tail is still round, with no signs of changing. There is still no color at all, and the line through the eye to the mouth is still distinctive. It swims in sharp jerky movements instead of gliding around the tank. I noticed today that my school of cardinal tetras are looking a bit ragged on their lower fins and that mystery fish no longer swims with them. So, I am acclimating the mystery fish to the 29 gallon community tank where it will have more room to swim.

I am thinking maybe a pencilfish? It doesn;t swim at a 45 degree angle, and no color, but it is a possibility....
http://www.aquarium365.com/s011200.htm
:-)

R

Jacko

I would guess it as a pencilfish(not likely as the lower fins are different), small variety of rasbora(likely) or a least kilifish(possible).