Long Kang Fish pt. 2

Hey ya'll

I went back to my "fishing hole" this afternoon and discovered to my utmost delight that despite the torrential downpour yesterday evening and this morning that my little aquatic paradise was still intact and that the little Drain, or Long Kang fish, were still in there in large numbers. I came prepared today though, with a small fishing net, and unlike yesterday when I had to sweep my container in the water with the hopes of catching even one fish, today I could squat at the edge and sift through the water at my own pace and to my heart's content. The fish seemed to remember my presence from yesterday though, and many swam away to hide underneath the moss covered rocks other such places but I did manage to learn something new and pleasant; that some of these fishes were not the usual silver-brown, but rather quite colorful! I decided to catch a few to take a closer look! 

The colorful variant of the Drain/Long Kang fish. The patterns varied from one individual to another but many of them had patches of iridescent scales and random spots of colors on them. One even boasted a large black eye-spot that reminded me of nothing as much as the ocelli on satyrid butterflies! 

Long Kang fish fry.

Upon closer inspection of the fish, I started to realize several similarities between them and the fancy guppies I raise at home. The colorful variants namely, were smaller in size than the drably colored ones. Also they had fins which tapered slightly and a rather "sharp" and elongated anal fin. The drab fish, on the other hand were much larger in comparison (almost twice the size of some of the colorful fish) and had shorter fins, but also an anal fin which spread in a half-fan shape. Indeed, it is perhaps no coincidence that these are the traits to distinguish the sex of male and female guppies! It is as such that I might surmise that the drain, or Long Kang fish, are really feral strains of the fanciful guppies one might buy for RM1 at the pet-store! I decided to capture more of the colorful ones to observe them at length at home in my fresh-water tank. 

As you can see, I have put the Long Kang fish in together with my fancy guppies. After my females have all given birth to their current progeny, I intend to try and see if the Long Kang fish and the guppies will breed, as an experiment! I am currently picturing guppies with eye-spots and colorful patches on their bodies. Lovely!

Cheers,
Cyren