Common fish names

[New Boy]

Do common fish names change quite a lot over time? Only ask because I've found an old book that used to belong to my great uncle which calls the Pearl gourami a 'Leeri' and the scientific name of the kribensis is actually p. taeniatus in it.....

 

[CFC]

The scientific name for kribensis is Pelvicachromis pulcher, Pelmatochromis kribensis is a old synom for Pelivicachromis taeniatus which is another member of the Pelvicachromis genus.

The scientific name for the pearl gourami is Trichogaster leeri and were sometimes commonly known as leeri gourami's

 

[guppygirl]

I've got some REALLY old books too... pretty scary!! You can really see how fishkeeping has advanced.

 

[SirMinion]

I have a book somewhere (in the garden shed I think) from the 1940s which details how once a week the tank should be emptied, stripped down and scrubbed with hot water.
It also recommends that to remove paracites and bacteria the fish should be rinsed under a running tap once a week while the tank is being cleaned!

Then there's the section on digging up ant's nests in order to harvest their eggs as fish food....

 

[New Boy]

My favourite bit is where they say that to induce birth in livebearers such as mollies put them in a jam jar of tank water and shake gently!

I hope in 25 years time we won't look on current practices as being so out-dated and cruel