Scatophagus argus
Encyclopedia
Scatophagus argus belong to the scat family
(Scatophagidae
) and occur in 2 basic color morphs which are called Green Scat and Ruby Scat or Red Scat. As a whole, the species is called Spotted Scat. This fish is generally distributed around the Indo-Pacific
region, to Japan, New Guinea and Southeastern Australia. They are quite popular aquarium fish.
These fish are kept for their looks and curious behavior, especially in body structure resembling the famous discus fish. Unlike the delicate freshwater
discus cichlid
s, the scats are hard fish of brackish and seawater
that tolerate freshwater only when young. Otherwise they are fairly easy to keep, and they look very beautiful with black spots on their body.
As a baby they live in a fresh water environment, but as they mature they move to salt water environment. Since they do not live in temperate
waters, they require at least a little warmth (21C to 28C).
As a young they may not require a big aquarium but they can grow big, so big aquarium with salty water is much preferred for this fish. This species is fairly peaceful if enough space is given. But sometimes they harass other species.
The Common Scat is omnivorous and an indiscriminate eater. Food includes vegetables, small animals and debris, and they usually readily take frozen and flake food. They also tend to eat aquarium plants. And due to their eating habit they are quite messy fish, requiring a strong filtration. Ironically, for older specimens water quality is actually a bigger issue the saltier the water – in the purest freshwater (as required by many rainforest fish) they will quickly succumb, tolerating hard and somewhat dirty freshwater far better. In seawater, their messy eating habits make buildup of toxic protein
decay prioducts a significant issue to be controlled, if they are kept in groups as they prefer given enough space.
Scatophagus argus is eaten by some people from its original environment, and can sting with small spikes in its anterior parts, inflicting a venom that causes pain greater than the wound size, and dizzyness. Treatment of the wound is often done by soaking the infliction in hot water.
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
(Scatophagidae
Scatophagidae
The scats are a small family, Scatophagidae, of fishes in the order Perciformes.They are small fish native to the Indian and western Pacific Ocean that have been popular in the aquarium trade in the last 30 years...
) and occur in 2 basic color morphs which are called Green Scat and Ruby Scat or Red Scat. As a whole, the species is called Spotted Scat. This fish is generally distributed around the Indo-Pacific
Indo-Pacific
The Indo-Pacific is a biogeographic region of the Earth's seas, comprising the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the seas connecting the two in the general area of Indonesia...
region, to Japan, New Guinea and Southeastern Australia. They are quite popular aquarium fish.
These fish are kept for their looks and curious behavior, especially in body structure resembling the famous discus fish. Unlike the delicate freshwater
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
discus cichlid
Cichlid
Cichlids are fishes from the family Cichlidae in the order Perciformes. Cichlids are members of a group known as the Labroidei along with the wrasses , damselfish , and surfperches . This family is both large and diverse. At least 1,300 species have been scientifically described, making it one of...
s, the scats are hard fish of brackish and seawater
Seawater
Seawater is water from a sea or ocean. On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a salinity of about 3.5% . This means that every kilogram of seawater has approximately of dissolved salts . The average density of seawater at the ocean surface is 1.025 g/ml...
that tolerate freshwater only when young. Otherwise they are fairly easy to keep, and they look very beautiful with black spots on their body.
As a baby they live in a fresh water environment, but as they mature they move to salt water environment. Since they do not live in temperate
Temperate
In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally relatively moderate, rather than extreme hot or cold...
waters, they require at least a little warmth (21C to 28C).
As a young they may not require a big aquarium but they can grow big, so big aquarium with salty water is much preferred for this fish. This species is fairly peaceful if enough space is given. But sometimes they harass other species.
The Common Scat is omnivorous and an indiscriminate eater. Food includes vegetables, small animals and debris, and they usually readily take frozen and flake food. They also tend to eat aquarium plants. And due to their eating habit they are quite messy fish, requiring a strong filtration. Ironically, for older specimens water quality is actually a bigger issue the saltier the water – in the purest freshwater (as required by many rainforest fish) they will quickly succumb, tolerating hard and somewhat dirty freshwater far better. In seawater, their messy eating habits make buildup of toxic protein
Protein
Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...
decay prioducts a significant issue to be controlled, if they are kept in groups as they prefer given enough space.
Scatophagus argus is eaten by some people from its original environment, and can sting with small spikes in its anterior parts, inflicting a venom that causes pain greater than the wound size, and dizzyness. Treatment of the wound is often done by soaking the infliction in hot water.