Aplocheilus lineatus (Valenciennes 1846)
Suggested pronunciation: ap-low-KY-luss lyn-ee-ART-uss

Species description

• Physical description....
• Aplocheilus lineatus has an elongated, robust body.
• The snout is pointed and slightly up-turned and the mouth is large.
• The back is long and straight and the body tapers into the caudal peduncle at the start of the dorsal fin.
• The dorsal fin starts well back on the body.
• The caudal fin is large and rounded.
• The dorsal fin is positioned behind the anal fin.
• The anal fin is large.
• The second pectoral fin ray is elongated, reaching to the middle of the anal fin in males.
• In all colour variants the jaw and chest are yellowish white and the iris of the eye may be green.
• The normal colouration is an olive brown to bronze back with the sides of the body bronze to dark forest green in colour.
• Alternating scales on the body are yellow-gold.
• These yellow scales continue into the anal, caudal, and dorsal fins.
• Nine dark, narrow transverse stripes mark the body of juveniles and mature females.
• Taxonomy....
  • Kingdom: Animalia
    • Phylum: Chordata: Sub-phylum: Vertebrates - Group: Fish
• Class: Osteichthyes (Bony Fish): Sub-class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fish)
  • Order: Cyprinodontiformes (rivulines, killifishes and live bearers
    
    • Family: Aplocheilidae (Killifishes): Subfamily: Rivulinae
      
      • Genus: Aplocheilus
        • Species: lineatus
• Geographical variants....
  • As well as the Gold variety, there are several other colour variations of Aplocheilus lineatus.
  • Aplocheilus lineatus Tiger:
    • Male:
      • The back is olive-brown and the belly as well as pectoral and ventral fins is yellow.
      • The sides of the body are pale reddish brown with shiny greenish golden dots, most of which are arranged in long rows.
      • There are bright red dots on the chest and the lower sides.
      • The caudal peduncle has six to eight narrow, dark transverse bars that disappear completely as the fish matures.
      • The eye is emerald-green.
      • Unpaired fins have broad, dark red edges, sometimes with dark red rays and red spots at the base.
    • Females:
      • The base colour of the body is a darker brown than the males.
      • The dorsal fin has a dark basal spot.
      • The sides of the body have six to ten black transverse bars, the first behind the pectoral fins.
  • Aplocheilus lineatus Red
    • Male:
      • The back is reddish-yellow and the , belly as well as the pectoral and ventral fins is yellow.
      • Head and top of the body up to dorsal fin is red.
      • The sides of the body are shiny golden-yellow.
      • There are bright yellow dots on the chest and the lower sides.
      • The caudal peduncle is red with no dark transverse bars.
      • The eye is emerald-green.
      • The unpaired fins have broad, red edges, sometimes with live rays and red spots at the base.
    • Females:
    • The base body colour is usually darker than that of the male and with much less red colour.
    • All fins have a reddich outline.
    • The dorsal fin has a dark basal spot.
    • The sides of the body have six to ten black transverse bars, the first behind the pectoral fins.
  • The type locality is Bombay, India.
• Similar species....
• Other Aplocheilus species.

Habitat information

• Aplocheilus lineatus is found in still and slow moving water with heavy vegetation in coastal regions of Southern India.
• They can be found over a range that includes Bombay to the Malibar Coast and from the Coromandel Coast up to Madras. Also found in Northern Siri Lanka (Ceylan) near the city of Jafna.
• Aplocheilus lineatus live in streams and reservoirs at high altitudes, and in rivers, floodplains, low-lying paddy fields, swamps and brackish waters.
• The water conditions found in these locations have a pH between 6.8 and 7.2, hardness around 7 and temperatures between 22 and 29oC.
• In the wild, they occur in almost all types of aquatic environments, but the preference is for more quiet locations overgrown with vegetation.
• In quiet vegetated habitats these predatory fish find conditions favorable for locating and capturing a prey and may stay lying for hours near the water surface, waiting for it.

About the Krishna River

• The Krishna River is one of the rivers in India that Aplocheilus lineatus is found.
• The Krishna River, at around 1290 kilometres in length, is one of the longest rivers in India.
• It originates in the western Ghats at Mahabaleswar in Maharashtra State on the west coast of Central India. It meets the Indian Ocean on the east coast in the Bay of Bengal at Hamasaladeevi in Andhra Pradesh State.
• The Krishna River is the oldest river in India.
• The river basin is almost 200 metres deep.
• There are many waterfalls found along its length and in its three tributaries, including Ethipothala, Pedda Dukudu, Gundam and Chaleswaram.
• The river supplies water for the irrigation of extensive areas in all three states.
• Its flow fluctuates according to seasonal monsoon rains.
• Two large dams have been constructed on the river, one at Srisailam and the other at Nagarjuna Hill.
• The latter called Nagarjuna Sagar is considered to be the largest earth dam in the world with a natural reservoir spanning tens of square kilometres.
• The Krishna River delta is an important region on the East Coast of India. It features habitats ranging from beach sands, mudflats, swamp areas, salt marshes, cropland and mangroves.
• Because of continuing threats from human activities, the conservation status of the Krishna River ecoregion was changed from endangered to critical. Most of the threats stem from clearing the forests for shrimp culture, agriculture, plantations, and urban development.
• Its source is sacred to Hindus; the river is named for the god Krishna.

Aquarium care
The following information relating to tank size, decoration and tank mates is indicative and intended to be used as a rough guide only.
Most of the information under Tank ideas below relates to setting up a biotope tank - where the fish and plants all come from the same region or country (eg. the Rio Xingu or Southeast Asia).
Other possible tank mates are listed under Compatibility and there are many plants and decorations that can be used - just ask us.

• Tank ideas....
• A small tank is not suitable for these relatively large fish.
• Even if purchased when quite small, they grow very quickly if well fed.
• Example - Coastal Indian community tank
  This tank recreates a small stream on the floodplain of a west African river. The tank is set-up to suggest a habitat that is constantly in the shadow of trees, vegetation and leaf litter.
  • Tank capacity: 230 litres.
  • Tank type: HR-1000
    
    • 100 centimetres (40 inches)
    • 2 x 30W; 1 x 20W fluorescent tubes
    • Filter included.
  • Fish ideas
    • 4 x Aplocheilus lineatus Gold (1 male:3 females)
    • 12 x Brachydanio rerio
    • 2 x Etroplus maculatus
    • 3 x Botia lohachata
  • Building the tank
    • Background - eg. external 3D tree trunk background.
    • Substrate - River sand and 3mm Coffs Harbour gravel; roughly 30:15kg ratio. Mix the sand and gravel together, reserving some gravel to scatter over the surface of the substrate.
      
    • Decoration - driftwood, flat river stones. Use the log as the centrepiece for the tank. Scatter the river stones on the substrate.
      
    • Plants - Hairgrass (Eleocharis acicularis); Macranda (Rotala macranda), Indian Water Fern (Ceratopteris thalictroides), Aponogeton crispus; Cryptocoryne ciliata
  • Additional equipment - 200W Heater + consumables (Tetra AquaSafe, HBH tropical flake, frozen bloodworm, 6-8 inch net, medium algae magnet, medium gravel cleaner).
• Maintenance and Disease....
• Aplocheilus lineatus need swimming room even though they often spend long periods of time in the same place in the tank.
• Since they will also jump out of the water in search of their prey and may also do the same when frightened the tank should be well covered.
• Most suitable are long, low tanks.
• Floating plants such as Crystalwort and Indian Fern provide security and cover for the fish.
• They are not fussy about the food they eat, readily accepting flake and frozen foods as well as live foods (mosquito larvae are a particular favourite). They do not like to feed from the substrate.
• A teaspoon of salt per 8 litres of water is benefical.
• Water parameters:
  
  • pH: acidic to slightly alkaline( 6.0-7.5: optimum 6.8)
    
  • Hardness: soft to moderate (5-18dH: optimum 9)
    
  • Temperature: 22-27oC
    
• Compatibility....
• Aplocheilus lineatus is a predatory species that can be combined with medium to large sized fish.
• Males and females may be aggressive towards one another.
• It is possible to keep several pairs in one tank, as the aggression tends to be evenly spread.
• There is some evidence to suggest that healthy fish are not preyed on and it is only sick or weak small fish that tend to be eaten.
• Because they are predatory, they will eat the fry of other fish - especially livebearers such as Guppies and Platies.
  
  

  Ideas for suitable tankmates.... The fish listed below are indicative of the species that can be kept with this fish. Other fish may also be suitable - please ask us which other fish are compatible. ______________________________ Asia Dwarf Gourami (Colisa lalia) Kuhli Loach (Acanthophthalmus kuhlii) Spiny Eel (Macroganthus aculeatus) Glass Catfish (Kryptopterus bicirrhis) Scissortail Rasbora (Rasbora trilineata) ______________________________ South America Bolivian Ram (Mikrogeophagus altispinosa) Pepper Cat (Corydoras paleatus) Oto Cat (Otocinclus vittatus) Sturisoma foerscheri Splashing Tetra (Copella arnoldii) Bristlenose Catfish (Ancistrus dolichopterus) Emerald Catfish (Brochis splendens) ______________________________ Central America Platy (Xiphophorus maculatus) ______________________________ Africa - Riverine Elephantnose (Gnathonemus petersii) ______________________________ Australia/New Guinea Empire Gudgeon (Hypseleotris compressa) Neon Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia praecox)

  
  
• Breeding....
• Aplocheilus lineatus form pairs.
• Condition the pair well before breeding.
• A breeding tank (with lids) of around 25 litres can be used.
• The water in the breeding tank should have parameters of:
  • pH between 6.2-6.7 and
  • temperature around 25-27oC.
• Furnish the tank with dense bunches of fine-leafed plants such as Myriophyllum (Milfoil) or Java Moss, and a cover of floating plants.
• The large eggs are deposited among the leaves and stems of plants.
• The adults do not guard the eggs and may eat them, so remove the eggs and place them into a shallow tank.
• The eggs should hatch after 11-14 days, and the young can be fed on fry foods and newly hatched brine shrimp.
• The fry develop at different rates, so they must be frequently sorted according to size.
  

• References....
  Web sites
  Fishbase
  Books
  Aquarium Fish (Hermes House, 2002)
  Baensch Aquarium Atlas Vol 1 (Mergus, 1996)
  The Complete Encyclopedia of Tropical Fish (Grange Books,1997)

WetPetz
ph: (07) 3823 1866