Livebearers focuses on four families of fish which contain many of the most attractive and popular species in the tropical fish hobby today, including guppies, mollies, swordtails, and platies. The families include Goodeidae (Mexican livebearers), Anablepidae (four-eyes and others), Poeciliidae (guppies and others); and Hemirhamphidae (halfbeaks). Author David Alderton explains that hobbyists have applied the term livebearer to these four families for convenience even though there are fourteen families in the wild that reproduce by bearing live young. The chapter “Where in the World?” focuses on the natural history of these families, their distribution, and lifestyles. Hobbyists looking to begin an aquarium of livebearers or to expand their existing communities will find useful information in the chapter called “The Different Groups,” in which Alderton discusses age considerations, health matters, and sex. The chapter also describes the four families and the most common genus/species of each. Included are sixteen representatives of the Family Goodeidae (e.g., Allodontichth, Characodon, and Skiffia), three genus of the Family Anablepidae (Anableps, Jenynsia, and Oxyzgonectes), twenty-six representatives of the Family Poeciliidae (e.g., Belonesox, Fiexipenis, and Limia); and three genus of the Family Hemirhamphidae (Dermogenys, Hemirhamphodon, and Namorhamphus). This colorful, user-friendly guide offers basic information on the anatomical characteristics, housing options, required aquarium equipment for livebearers as well as their feeding habits and food requirements (greenstuff, carotene-rich foods, live foods, meat, etc.). The breeding habits of livebearers have ensured their popularity with hobbyists, and the chapter on reproduction describes the various breeding habits of livebearers and outlines successful breeding strategies for interested hobbyists. In the chapter on health care, the author offers solid advice about caring for livebearers to maximize their lifespan in captivity, which is typically only a few years. He also gives information on signs of illness and some basic diseases that can be treated by the fish keeper. The final chapter offers photographs and distribution maps for sixteen popular livebearers of all four families, including information on size, physical description, natural habitat and behavior, and required aquarium conditions. The author’s livebearer hit parade includes the butterfly goodeid, rainbow goodeid, black-finned goodea, four-eyed fish, guppy (millions fish), black molly, sailfin molly, swordtail, platy (moonfish), mosquito fish (dwarf and large), humpbacked (black-barred) limia, black-bellied limia, pike livebearer (piketop minnow), knife (Alfaro’s) livebearer, and wrestling halfbeak. Resources, glossary, and index included.

This textbook on Ornamental Livebearers is a comprehensive guide and deals with the culture and breeding of livebearers. The present status of ornamental fish farming and new technologies on the breeding and culture of livebearers have also been aptly dealt with. A wide range of aspects such as, anatomy of livebearers, important livebearers and their breeding, feed and feeding management, water quality management, disease management biosecurity and economics of livebearers fish farm have been described in detail. It is hoped that this publication presented in an easy-to-read style with a number of photographs and illustrations will be of great use to all students who have fisheries in their curriculum and also a standard guide for the researchers, entrepreneurs and ornamental fish farmers. Note: Taylor and Francis does not sell or distribute the print editions of this title in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Discusses the care and breeding of tropical aquarium fish that give birth to offspring that develop within the mother's body.

The highly anticipated second volume of Freshwater Fishes of North America, a monumental, fully illustrated reference that provides comprehensive details on the freshwater fishes of the United States, Canada, and Mexico. When the first volume of Freshwater Fishes of North America was published, it was immediately hailed as the definitive reference in the field. Readers have been fervently awaiting the next volume in this encompassing three-book set ever since. Now complete, volume 2, covering families Characidae to Poeciliidae, is the result of decades of analysis by leading fish experts from universities and research laboratories across North America. Each volume in this authoritative synthesis covers the ecology, morphology, reproduction, distribution, behavior, taxonomy, conservation, and the fossil record of the included North American fish families. The encyclopedic reviews of each family are accompanied by color photographs (nearly 250 in this volume alone), range maps, and artwork created by noted fish illustrator Joseph R. Tomelleri. The result is a rich textual and visual experience that covers everything known about the diversity, natural history, ecology, and biology of North American freshwater fishes. Volume 2 covers the following North American families of fishes: Characidae (Characins) Ictaluridae (North American Catfishes) Ariidae (Sea Catfishes) Heptapteridae (Three-barbeled Catfishes) Osmeridae (Smelts) Esociformes (Esocidae, Pikes and Umbridae, Mudminnows) Percopsidae (Trout-perches) Amblyopsidae (Cavefishes) Aphredoderidae (Pirate Perches) Gadidae (Cods and Cuskfishes) Mugilidae (Mullets) Atherinopsidae (New World Silversides) Beloniformes (Needlefishes and Halfbeaks) Rivulidae (New World Rivulines) Profundulidae (Middle American Killifishes) Goodeidae (Goodeids) Fundulidae (Topminnows) Cyprinodontidae (Pupfishes) Poeciliidae (Livebearers) The chapter authors of Volume 2 are: Gianetta Adams Clyde Barbour Micah Bennett Ricardo Bentancur-R. Peter B. Z. Berendzen Brooks M. Burr Mollie Cashner Robert C. Cashner Bruce B. Collette Matthew Davis Alice F. Echelle Anthony A. Echelle Fernando Galvez Michael Ghedotti Nicholas Gidmark Terry Grande Robert L. Hopkins Lauren M. Kuehne Frank McCormick Norman Mercado-Silva Ann U. O'Connell Martin T. O'Connell Julian D. Olden Claudia Patricia Ornelas-Garcia Mark Sabaj Perez Kyle R. Piller Steven Powers Jacob Schaefer Juan J. Schmitter-Soto Andrew M. Simons Roger A. Tabor Cheryl Thiele Matthew Thomas Melvin L. Warren, Jr. Mark V. H. Wilson

Written by an expert on livebearing fish, this comprehensive yet easy-to-read guide offers advice on a wide range of care issues from diet and nutrition to species selection and health care. Livebearer species covered include the popular platies, mollies, swordtails, and guppies. T.F.H. has teamed up with Animal Planet(TM), the only television network devoted to the unique bonds between humans and animals, to present an exciting new series of family-friendly, comprehensive guides to superior pet care. Each book features newly written text from animal experts on a variety of topics, including feeding, housing, grooming, training, health care, and fun activities. Useful tip boxes in each chapter show every member of the household how to make the most out of owning a pet.