The territorial waters are indeed interesting to discuss. Biodiversity in Indonesia and the world, which is around and in its waters is never used up to be studied, including living things that live in it, what else if it’s not fish. There are various types of fish that are scattered in the world. In general the fish are divided into 2 groups, namely freshwater fish and saltwater fish. To balance the natural conditions, fish in both waters have a role as predators, but people often mistook them as one another. This time we will discuss about freshwater predator fishes used as ornamental fishes, what are they? Let’s look!
- African Tiger Fish
This fish is one of the largest predatory fish that can be found on the African Continent. African tiger fish species that are famous for their largest size are Hydrocynus vittatus and Goliath Tiger Fish. This fish has a sizeable body size around 15-50 kg with a length of more than 1 meter. The most prominent feature of this african tiger fish is that it has very sharp teeth and is of the same length as an adult white shark’s teeth, which has the function of tearing its prey. They usually prey on insects, shrimp, and even birds. When preying on birds it is not uncommon for these fish to jump out of the water to catch one of the birds that fly near the surface of the water. For the community around Goliath Tiger Fish is a fish that is not afraid of crocodiles even though they are not reluctant to swallow baby crocodiles.
- Snakehead Fish
In Indonesia this fish is better known by the name of cork fish and is most commonly kept for certain species. Snakehead Habiat fish are found in rivers, swamps and lakes. If you pay attention to the head of a snakehead fish a little big like a snake’s head and there are scales on the head. This fish can be up to 1 meter long. As their main food, they do not hesitate to prey on small fish, insects, even toads. The specialty of this fish is that it can survive without water, especially when the dry season arrives. At night they walked to find a place that was still filled with water, not infrequently they buried themselves in the mud.
- Tapah Fish
This original Indonesian fish has a very large body size and is better known as monster fish. There are various types of tilapia or willago fish and are spread not only in Indonesia but also in Pakistan, Malaysia and Vietnam. Characteristic of tapah fish is that it has a long mustache, head and mouth are also large. Tapah fish can grow optimally up to 2.4 meters with a weight of more than 50 kg. For self-defense, the fish are equipped with rows of sharp teeth and are able to bite their prey both to attack and to prey. Although it is said to be a predatory fish, many fish are caught for consumption. As a result, the existence of this fish is fairly rare, especially in the Kampar River, Riau.
- Datnoid Fish
It’s categorized as predator because it has a pretty attractive color that is black and yellow similar to a tiger. No wonder the datnoid fish is also referred to as tigerfish. These fish include predatory fish that are in Asian waters such as Thailand and Indonesia. Datnoid fish, including aggressive fish and will not hesitate to prey on fish that are small in size or fight each other between species. As a pet fish, datnoid fish have the right body size to be inserted into the aquarium. The price for one fish is not cheap and depends on the type and color that is owned, datnoid fish originating from Irian including rare fish with the most expensive selling price.
- Malabar Wolf Fish
This fish has another name that is trahira and is famous for its ferocity and is very ferocious. As the name implies, this fish has a physical shape similar to serigal with a large mouth and there are rows of very sharp teeth like a razor blade. This fish is often used as an ornamental fish by fish lovers because it has a pretty beautiful color, but the most common is gray with a darker vertical line. Malabar wolf fish can grow up to 55 cm long and weigh 8 kg so it requires a large enough aquarium if it is interested to be maintained. This fish is found in Latin America starting from Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Paraguay to Venezuela. This fish is also famous for its hunting style that is fast, agile and strong so it is not surprising if they are known as the fiercest fish.
- Red Tail Cat Fish
Fish that are still a family with catfish are fish originating from America and can prey on anything that goes into the water. Red Tail Cat Fish can grow up to 1.5 meters or more with a weight of 80 kg in the wild. This fish can be said to be omnivorous fish but tends to be a predatory fish by preying on other fish. The distinctive feature of this fish is the presence of a red pattern on the tail and sometimes there is also a section on the upper fin. Although including predatory fish, many fish are also used as ornamental fish because of their beautiful color. If you intend to make this fish as an ornamental fish it is advisable not to put too many items in the aquarium because this fish will not hesitate to put any item in its mouth.
- Arowana
Arowana is very famous as the most expensive freshwater fish and can only be found in Southeast Asia. Morphologically, this fish has a long body size with fins extending to the back of the body. Arowana fish generally has a silvery color and is often referred to as dragon fish by the Chinese. Most arowana fish traded come from Indonesia and Indonesian native species have red and gold colors. Both types of fish include fish with the most expensive selling price among other types of Arowana fish. Because including predatory fish do not be surprised if this fish is always placed alone in an aquarium.
Thus several lists of freshwater predator fishes used as ornamental fishes. Of course there are many other predatory fish that exist throughout the world. You can add it in the comments column below. Hope it can be useful.