TROPIC.ZIP, P.D. Williams, [70342,724]
                        
                        TROPICAL AQUARIUM FISH

        These are fresh-water tropical aquarium fish in ROE form for the
aquarium simulation "El-Fish" by Maxis. The fish are designed to resemble
some of the more exotic tropical fish that you find in most pet stores 
or aquarium specialty shops, and they are genetically engineered to resemble 
their free-swimming brethren as closely and faithfully as El-Fish would 
allow.
        Descriptions of these species are adapted from the "Aquarium 
Atlas" (by Dr. Rudiger Riehl and Hans A. Baensch, Baensch:Melle, West 
Germany, (C) Copyright 1982).  These are included for entertainment
and educational purposes only, to add to the realism.  El-Fish, of course, 
cannot mimic specific behaviors of real fish, but perhaps you may see some 
similarities in how your fish behave.
        Credits: Many thanks to all of the El-Fishers on Compuserve who
have taken time to upload their creations.  Though I created most of these
fish from scratch or from gene-splicing my own creations, some of these fish 
have borrowed features from fish uploaded on Compuserve. Special thanks 
to Randall Penn, who has uploaded many interesting creations (the colors 
in all my "Marbled" fish come from his AARDWOLF, and the Angelfish is his 
JESTER fish with different fins and colors), and thanks to young Benjamin 
Burstein, whose mutants provided many of the fins for these fish.  Finally,
thanks to my fellow genetic engineer, Phil Block, who sent me 520 fish to 
"wade" through for gene-splicing.
        Any comments, questions or requests are welcome.  Tell me which
ones you like best (or least).
                - Enjoy! P.D. Williams [73042,724]

Pterophyllum scalare or "Angelfish" (Baensch, p. 766)
1ANGLBLK.ROE, Black Angelfish
1ANGLGLD.ROE, Golden Angelfish, morphed fins
1ANGLMRB.ROE, Marbled Angelfish, large
1ANGLSLV.ROE, Silver Angelfish
        Habitat: Central Amazon and tributaries to Peru and eastern
          Ecuador.  Currently, only captive-bred fish are offered in
          the hobby. Some may display such symptoms of inbreeding as
          stunted growth, pale colors and poor inbreeding.
        Social Behavior: Territorial, the fish school when young then
          form pairs. They are peaceful, do not burrow and are
          faithful to their mates. They form nuclear families.
        Tank Maintenance: Needs a well planted tank with hardy plants
          around the edges. Add rocks and roots and leave an open
          area for swimming.
        Special: Do not keep with neons since veiltales may consume 
          them. There are many artificial morphs. The male may emit a
          loud, grating sound with his jaws while courting.
        (EL-FISH Notes: hi-res, zoomed, 253K animated, genetically 
          engineered, can be evolved but not bred.)

1DISCBLU.ROE, Symphysodon aequifasciatus haraldi or "Blue Royal Discus"
  (Baensch, p. 770)
        Habitat: Amazon, near Santarem and Tefe. Fishes sold in the
          hobby are generally wild-caught.
        Social Behavior: territorial only during spawning; otherwise
          the fish are a schooling species. They are peaceful, do not
          burrow, and form a nuclear family.
        Tank Maintenance: Needs a tank as large and tall as possible.
          The species prefers a lightly planted aquarium with a soft 
          bottom and a few rooted plants.  Add a couple of large rocks
          and provide an open area for swimming. The lighting should 
          be subdued. The fish needs heat and prefers the middle and
          lower stratas of water.
        Special: NA
        (EL-FISH Notes: hi-res, zoomed, 1246K animated, genetically 
          engineered, can be evolved but not bred.)

1HTCHMRB.ROE, Carnegiella strigata strigata or "Marbled Hatchetfish"
  (Baensch, p. 326)
        Habitat: Iquitos, Peru.
        Social Behavior: Peaceful schooling fish of which at least 
          five can be kept at a time.
        Tank Maintenance: Fast, darting fishes, they often stand
          motionless in a powerful filter stream.
        Special: NA
        (EL-FISH Notes: hi-res, zoomed, 784K animated, genetically 
          engineered, can be evolved but not bred.  Note: Hatchet
          fish look better when animated "normal" because they
          look out of place if they are bigger than their tankmates.
          Either animate with "normal" set, or restore from ROE with
          Fish Size set to "normal" in System/SetUp. When animated
          at "normal" size, Hatchet Fish are 398K.)

1HTCHSLV.ROE, Thoracocharax securis or "Silver Hatchetfish" 
  (Baensch, p. 328)
        Habitat: Fast running streams of central South America: 
          especially in the shallow bends of these waters.
        Social Behavior: A schooling surface feeding predator.
        Tank Maintenance: Largest of the species, the Silver
          Hatchetfish is the "King of Freshwater Flying Fish" and
          requires plenty of space but no other special requirements.
        Special: About 3 1/2" in length, the fish can fly more than 
          four feet, and once in the air, the pectoral fins are moved 
          like a bird's wings.
        (EL-FISH Notes: hi-res, zoomed, 784K animated, genetically 
          engineered, can be evolved but not bred. See notes above
          for the Marble Hatchetfish.)

1KNIFAFR.ROE, Xenomystus nigri or "African Knifefish" (Baensch, p. 856)
        Habitat: Africa; upper reaches of the Nile; Zaire; Gaboon; 
          Niger; Liberia.
        Social Behavior: When young, the fish school but as adults
          they are loners; frequently intolerant of their genera 
          though peaceful toward other tankmates.
        Tank Maintenance: Suggest dense vegetation along the edges 
          with open swimming space in the center (important) with
          hiding places among roots and rocks.  The tank should be 
          slightly darkened.  Since the fish are nocturnal, they are
          best kept alone.
        Special: The fish will emit bell-like sounds, produced by
          ejecting air from the swim bladder.
        (EL-FISH Notes: zoomed, 1011K animated, genetically engineered,
          can be evolved but not bred.)

1KNIFBND.ROE, Gymnotus carapo or "Banded Knifefish" (Baensch, p. 840)
        Habitat: Central and South America from Guatemala to the
          Amazon; Ecuador; Peru; Guyana; Paraguay to Rio de la 
          Plata in the south and the Andes in the west.
        Social Behavior: Generally ill-tempered toward their species
          but peaceful toward larger tankmates.
        Tank Maintenance: An undemanding fish, the tank should provide
          plenty of hiding places among roots and rocks.  The fish are
          nocturnal and a well planted tank is preferred.
        Special: NA
        (EL-FISH Notes: hi-res, zoomed, 590K animated, genetically 
          engineered, can be evolved but not bred.)

1MLYSAIL.ROE, (Male) Poecilia velifera or "Green-Sailfin Molly" 
  (Baensch, p. 604)        
        Habitat: Yucatan, Mexico.
        Social Behavior: Peaceful with a remarkable behavioral display
          by the male.
        Tank Maintenance: Can be combined with marine fish after the
          Sailfin has adapted to your tank. Needs lots of swimming room
          and algae. The dorsal fin of the males will only develop
          when there is adequate room for swimming.
        Special: Combine only with fishes such as the Argus, those
          that like hard, saline water. The red and black hybrids are
          hardier than the green.
        (EL-FISH Notes: hi-res, zoomed, 738K animated, genetically 
          engineered, can be evolved but not bred.)

Betta splendens or "Siamese Fighting Fish" (Baensch, p. 632)
1FBETBLU.ROE, Female Betta with blue coloring
1FBETTUR.ROE, Female Betta with turquoise coloring
1MBETBLU.ROE, Male Betta with blue coloring
1MBETRED.ROE, Male Betta with red coloring
        Habitat: Thailand; Cambodia; possibly Laos.
        Sex differentiation: Male has larger fins and is more colorful.
        Social Behavior: Males cannot be kept together. They spread
          gills, attack and tear each others fins. Several females can
          be kept in an aquarium.
        Tank Maintenance: Keeping males individually in small glass
          containers holding less than one quart of water must be
          regarded as cruel.  With smaller containers, the surface must
          be kept free of dirt and the water must be changed frequently.
          Bettas need plenty of heat and a single male can be kept in a
          community tank.
        Special: A variety known as "Fighting Veiltail" can be found in
          many colors: red, blue, turquoise, green, white, black and
          in many combinations.
        (EL-FISH Notes: hi-res, zoomed, Male:728K, Female:689K animated, 
          genetically engineered, can be evolved but not bred. An
          amazing non-mutant fish for El-Fish. Definitely the pride of
          any tank. Try evolving for custom colors.)

1RTSHARK.ROE, Epalzeorrhynchus bicolor or "Red-Tailed Black Shark" 
  (Baensch, p. 422)
        Habitat: Thailand; esp. central Thailand - Menam Chao Phya
          basin and the Paknampo region.
        Social Behavior: A loner, the species is territorial and 
          intolerant of its own species though sometimes more accepting
          of unrelated tankmates.  Larger fish may terrorize a tank,
          even to the point of becoming tyrants and thus receive
          a reserved recommendation as a choice for any community
          tank.
        Tank Maintenance: Requires a large tank with fine gravel bottom.
          Needs hiding places among roots and rocks.  Though there should
          be swimming room the tank should be planted so the fish can
          stake-out territories without visual contact with neighbors.
        Special: NA
        (EL-FISH Notes: hi-res, zoomed, 287K animated, genetically 
          engineered, can be evolved but not bred.)

----------------------------------------
Genetic Accidents:  These fish came about during the creation of 
  these tropical fish.  I consider them genetic "accidents" because
  they didn't turn out how I wanted, but they turned out interesting
  nonetheless.

1ZDEVIL.ROE (hi-res, zoomed, 471K animated) - this guy looks evil, plain
  and simple, like something out of Alien.
1ZPOKKNF.ROE (hi-res, zoomed, 548K animated) - this guy resulted when I
  let my Banded Knifefish evolve too long.
1ZSEAL.ROE (hi-res, zoomed, 406K animated) - all this guy needs is a beach
  ball to play with!
