Contents Index of fishes General parts of a fish
	Kelvin K P Lim and Peter K L Ng

Freshwater Fishes and the Singaporean Fish-keeping | Fishes in our culture | Fish as food | Role in the habitat Fishes also play a very important part in any aquatic ecosystem. They are important in pest management. In Singapore, where mosquito control is strongly enforced to prevent diseases like malaria and dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) from becoming established, it is mandatory that all standing bodies of water have small fishes to eat the mosquito larvae. Guppies and the appropriately named Mosquito Fish are commonly used. Swordtails, gouramies and fighting fishes do the job equally well. The pristine quality of our drinking water in our catchment areas and reservoirs depends a great deal on the forest ecosystem. The presence of fishes like the Six- Banded Barb and Harlequin Rasbora is often an excellent gauge of the water's potability. Fishes are part of the ecological dynamics of such a system. Fishes form part of a long food chain. They help control insects, algae and other invertebrates. They in turn provide food for other animals, notably water birds like herons. At least one of the carps, the Bighead, has been employed for the biological control of excessive planktonic blooms in some of our catchment reservoirs. These filter-feeding creatures are raised in floating net cages and help maintain the quality of our drinking water. They are also simultaneously fattened up for the table. This is not all that can be said of freshwater fishes and the Singaporean, although the authors have outlined the more important aspects. For details, see the page on conservation.

Introduction Freshwater habitats Fishes in Singapore Conservation Amazing Fishy Facts About the guidebook

From A Guide to Common Freshwater Fishes of Singapore by Kelvin K P Lim and Peter K L Ng Published by the Singapore Science Centre and sponsored by BP @Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research and Singapore Science Centre