Bristol Zoo has managed to breed a pair of extremely rare dragon fish, which recently gave birth to 15 offspring.
Jonny Rudd, assistant curator of the aquarium at Bristol Zoo, said: "Dragon fish are notoriously difficult to breed - this is the first time any fry have survived in the 13 years the zoo has had these four dragon fish."
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Dragon fry: These rare fish are the first to be born in Europe
Four adult dragon fish were rehomed at Bristol Zoo in 1995 after being confiscated by customs officials.The species is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and they are in high demand by traders.
Bristol Zoo has three golden and one green dragon fish; the only other zoo to have them in its collection is Chester Zoo, which has four dragon fish on display.
Mr Rudd said their success in breeding them might be down to efforts to purify the water in the dragon fish tank, using a process known as "reverse osmosis" - a filtration process during which water is passed under pressure over a semi-permeable membrane.
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Dragon fish: The father protects the fry from potential danger by holding them in his mouth
The team also increased the water temperature by a few degrees.He said: "According to zoo records, no dragon fish have ever been bred in Europe.
"It's great to have increased the UK captive population by such a large percentage."
Mr Rudd said he is unsure how old the fry are because they are held in the adult male's mouth when they are young, but they think they may be around nine weeks old.
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He added that the only way to tell their sex is to study their internal organs by dissecting them. Owning dragon fish in parts of South East Asia is considered to be a sign of wealth
Dragon fish are native to South East Asia, where their ownership is a sign of wealth and status, but they are close to extinction in Thailand.
The species is so rare that they are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
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