Livebearers are by far the most popular freshwater fish, and we all have our favorites!
Popular aquarium favorites by far are the Guppy, Molly, Platy and Swordtail fish. There’s no wonder why, as these guys are all very hardy and fairly easy to keep. They come in incredible colors and are pretty small as well, so can be kept in 10 to 20-gallon aquariums.
Those qualities make them fantastic fish for any keeper, but they are especially great for beginners. However, their most incredible quality is their readiness to breed in the aquarium without any special requirements. Who can resist watching the live birth of almost fully developed baby fish!
These fish are also unique because they are toothcarps from the Poeciliidae family. They have teeth in both their upper and lower jaws. This doesn’t conjure up an image of a terrifying sharp toothed predator though because the fishes themselves are so small. These are tiny fish with an even tinier head and those teensy little teeth are more like dust specks.
Toothcarps are truly awesome, but there are more wonderful livebearing fish as well. There’s the Anableps that are called the “four-eyed” fish. And no… they don’t have four eyes, but they do have incredible eyes. The pupil in each eye is divided in the middle into 2 parts. This allows them to be able to see clearly below and above the water. In the tank they seem to hover right where that eye line is so they are always watching everything.
The Halfbeak is still another unusual and rather crazy looking livebearer. They have a pike-like body that’s long and straight with a beak-looking mouth. In fact, this mouth is where they got their name. The lower jaw is way longer than the upper jaw, giving it that beak-like look and these guys do eat small fish!
More well known fish are the Mosquito Fish that have been introduced all over the place, mostly to control malaria caring mosquitoes. Another group is the Splitfins or Mexican Topminnows. The list goes on and on!
For more information on these incredible creatures, see the Livebearer Fish on Animal-World.com, along with fish care guides!
Clarice Brough is a team member at Animal-World and has contributed many articles and write-ups.
Featured Image Credit: panpilai paipa, Shutterstock