Tip of the Day – 3/29/2013

There are a lot of terms that get tossed around in the aquarium hobby, most of them used incorrectly. Such is the case for the common moniker “mated pair”. In this hobby, it’s desireable to have two fish that mate with each other, regardless of whether or not the offpsring ever get cared for. But in order for a mated pair to be calle so, the two fish need to do one thing, MATE! Too often, people describe their bonded, non-mating pair of fish as a mated pair, especially when selling them to fellow hobbyists. The fish are usually juveniles who haven’t even reached sexual maturity, and only follow each other around because they still have the “safety in numbers” instincts dictating their every move. Unfortunately, as the two fish mature, they often fall out of good graces with each other and either duel to the death or simply ignore each other at all costs.