Amazonas 07&08 2014

FRESHWATER AQUARIUMS & TROPICAL DISCOVERY

Giant Fishes ❙ Shell-Dwelling

Dwarf Cichlids ❙ Water Gardens ❙ New Bolivian Corydoras

JULY/AUGUST 2014

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EDITORIAL AMAZONAS 6

Dear Reader, Remember the term “bathtub aquarists”? Up until the 1980s, this term referred to people who kept aquariums that were 6 feet (2 m) long and held 250 gallons (1,000 L) of water. For me and many others, these are still “big pots.” Traditionally, only public aquariums have kept tanks as big as the ones presented in this issue, but some hobbyists—“swimming pool aquarists” would be an appropriate term for them—are setting up aquariums of 2,500 gallons (10,000 L) or more. I can understand the fascination with these large aquariums. They make us feel as if we have been transported to a tropical paradise. Most large aquariums house really big fishes under closeto-natural conditions, providing a perfect way to see how beautiful giant fishes can be. When an adult Cichla that has been swimming around in a relaxed fashion suddenly shoots up to the surface to grab something to eat, it leaves quite an impression. Nevertheless, there are different approaches, as this issue’s reports on large aquariums show. The aquarium highlighted in this issue represents a true challenge for the enthusiastic aquascaper. The feedback on our anniversary issue made me very happy. Many readers spontaneously came forward to congratulate us on hitting our 50th issue, but most wanted to thank us for our selection of subjects. The successful propagation of our animals is obviously an exciting subject for many aquarists, so we are again including reports on this topic and on the habitats of some of our fishes. For readers of our English edition, fish and invertebrate breeder Rachel O’Leary urges us to move our aquatic charges outdoors, where nature takes over and reproduction happens in amazing ways. This is bathtub aquaristics almost anyone can attempt. Many, if not most aquarists are inventive, creative, and hardworking. Out of necessity, we are builders, gardeners, photographers, and more. In this issue, we highlight many of these ancillary trades and show how multifaceted and colorful the most beautiful hobby in the world can be. I hope you enjoy the read and wish you lots of fun with your aquariums! Yours truly,

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AQUATIC

Free-swimming larvae of Gasteropelecus maculatus, the Spotted Hatchetfish.

First success with hatchetfish farming in Florida:

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B. HOLLON

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Gasteropelecus maculatus

by Stephan M. Tanner, Ph.D. • In March

Baby Spotted Hatchetfish at about 0.7–0.9 inch (18–22 mm).

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B. HOLLON

Below: The breeding building at Urban Tropicals houses numerous spawning tanks.

2014, my friend Mike Drawdy of Imperial Tropicals took me along to visit several American tropical fish farms, among them was an amazing place called Urban Tropicals. Owned by Ray Quillen in Lakeland, Florida, the farm mainly breeds barbs, tetras, and angelfishes to supply large distributors. Besides thousands of angelfishes, Cherry Barbs, Glowlight Tetras, and Black Neons, I saw a sign on a round vat that read “Hatchetfish.” I had to ask—and our guide, Brittany Hollon, the owner’s daughter, who is very much involved with the farm’s daily operation, confirmed that they had successfully bred a hatchetfish species. The babies in the vat were just a bit over 0.4 inch (10 mm) when I saw them, but were already starting to show the characteristic hatchet shape. Once I saw their parents, I realized they were Gasteropelecus maculatus, the Spotted Hatchetfish from Colombia. Brittany told me that the farm breeds this species as they do the other tetras and barbs they produce, using small tanks in the 2–4 gallon range with a filter brush as spawning substrate, over which the fish release their eggs. The species is more or less regularly imported, but hatchetfishes in general do poorly during transport from the wild. This species is perhaps not as sensitive as the smaller Marbled Hatchetfish, Carnegiella strigata, but hatchetfishes simply do not enjoy high ammonia levels and react by developing bacterial infections that kill them quite quickly. Maybe that is because they come from waters with low bacteria counts and live close to the surface, where the oxygen level is high. Due to this sensitivity, imports of hatchetfishes tend to have higher than average loss rates. Often, either the whole box lot is fine or most of them are dead or dying. Once the water in a box “goes south,” the hatchetfishes’ chance of survival drops drastically. To my knowledge, Urban Tropicals is the first to successfully farm any hatchetfish, with the credit going to Ray, Brittany, and the breeder, Silas Bryant. Hatchetfishes have been regularly bred in the past by breeders in Eastern Europe, but probably never in

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Baby Spotted Hatchetfish

very large numbers and certainly not in recent years. This is a great step forward for Florida’s aquarium fish farming industry, which has experienced a tough 10 years—cold spells, hurricanes, diseases, and an economic downturn have all taken their toll. We can all hope that successes like this help to turn the tide and encourage fish farmers

to expand the selection of species they breed. Farm-raised hatchetfishes will benefit from shorter transportation routes and correspondingly should show better survival rates. This will be a big help to the fishes, but should also be good for producers, retailers, and hobbyists. I also hope that buyers for the big distributors realize that it is worth paying more for farm-raised fishes rather than taking a gamble with imported fishes. Needless to say, retailers and their customers should also be willing to pay a bit more for high quality fishes. A fish, however cheap, that does not survive is never a good deal for anyone. Some observers believe that marketing of quality aquarium fishes bred in Florida as “Florida raised” or “Bred in the USA” would give the industry a real boost. There may, in fact, be a lesson from the Florida citrus growers, who use slogans like “100% pure-squeezed Florida sunshine” or “All Florida, Never Imported.” We congratulate Ray, Brittany, and Silas for their success. I am definitely looking forward to putting a nice school of their hatchetfishes in one of my tanks soon. Left, top: Concrete tanks are used to raise fry indoors. Left, bottom: Round aquaculture tubs for raising large lots of Glowlight Tetras. Below: Typical spawning tank with filter brush for spawning substrate.

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Email sccichlids@aol.com | 732.787.0654

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SouthCentralCichlids.com So utt hC hCen entt r al alCi l Ci ch chl h l i ds d s .com c m

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AQUATIC Male Dario kajal in breeding dress.

New Badis article and image by Hans-Georg Evers • Nano fishes are definitely getting a new and bigger

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reputation in the aquarium hobby. The tiny dwarf Badis Dario dario and D. hysginon are especially loved by aquarists for their peacefulness and bright colors. Now a fifth species of this relatively young genus has been described by Britz & Kullander (2013). Dario kajal comes from the drainage of the Meghna River in the northeastern state of Meghalaya, India; aquarium fish collectors have been collecting it from the Seinphoh stream in the Jaintia Hills for several years, and it has been available in the aquarium hobby under the names Dario sp. “Jaintia Hills” or Dario sp. “Bangladesh.”

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The male Kajal Badis differs in color from all other members of the genus. In addition to the characteristic banding on the upper half of the body, what makes the species unmistakable is the black eye line, which is reminiscent of the painted eyes of Indian dancers—thus the name Kajal (Hindi for “black eye-liner”). The Kajal Badis does well in small, planted aquariums and, after a period of shy acclimatization, becomes much bolder. It gladly accepts Artemia nauplii and similar small live foods, and soon the first juveniles show up on their

own. Apparently, the tiny larvae find enough food in the dense vegetation to survive, just as they do in their natural habitat. Males can be quite beautifully colored, with a rosy tinge and a blue-black fringed dorsal fin. The females, like those of the other Dario species, are rather drab, perhaps a survival trait in the wild. REFERENCE

Britz, R. and S.O. Kullander. 2013. Dario kajal, a new species of badid fish from Meghalaya, India (Teleostei: Badidae). Zootaxa 3731 (3): 331–7.

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AQUATIC Channa andrao

New snakehead article and image by Hans-Georg Evers • A snakehead that has been imported regularly for several years from West Bengal, India, has finally been scientifically described. We know this small species, which is less than 8 inches (20 cm) in total size, under a variety of names: Channa sp. “Assam,” C. sp. “Blue Bleheri,” and C. sp. “Lal Cheng.” Rrao’s Snakehead, Channa andrao, was named for the Indian exporter and fish expert who discovered it, Andrew Rao of Calcutta. Like its close relative C. bleheri, this species has no pelvic fins. Channa andrao is distinguished from the very attractive C. bleheri by a lack of red dots on the caudal fin and the almost unmarked dorsal fin. Channa andrao has been repeatedly and successfully bred in captivity and, due to its small size, is among the more popular snakeheads. REFERENCE

Britz, R. 2013. Channa andrao, a new species of dwarf snakehead from West Bengal, India (Teleostei: Channidae). Zootaxa 3731 (2): 287–94.

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White Neon Tetra, Paracheirodon innesi, in my aquarium.

Looking for the white phantom:

the white Neon Tetra

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TOP: L. PFETZING; BOTTOM TWO: F. WANG

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Some of the so-called White Neons look pale, others almost glassy.

by Lisa Pfetzing • I was sitting on the train, surfing the Internet on my smart phone, clicking here, clicking there, and suddenly it happened. Every aquarist has experienced it: you see a particular fish and simply must have it. I have kept tetras of all sizes and colors for over 10 years, including, of course, Cardinals, Paracheirodon axelrodi, and common Neons, P. innesi, but I’ve never owned a veil or color morph. Now I sat there, staring at an image of a white Neon Tetra on a site offering canvas printing; it had nothing to do with the aquarium hobby. Was it a photomontage or a true color form, P. axelrodi or P. innesi, or a color form of the Black Neon, Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi? (I have to mention that I come from a very rural area of Hessen, Germany. By the time a new fish or a new color form appears here, it might already be old news elsewhere.) When I got home I began to search for this white phantom on the computer. Eventually, I found it on an American site that sells aquaristic accessories and fishes. They were calling it Paracheirodon innesi “Gold.” That made sense, because I had already seen a gold H. herbertaxelrodi, which has a different eye color and a glossy stripe. The glossy stripe was too narrow and too blue for P. axelrodi—I had seen the golden variant in a photo by Ingo Seidel and a white form with a significant amount of red on the Internet. Nor could it be an albino form because of the eyes. My white phantom’s eyes showed no red

component, were completely translucent, and had the typical blue iris and the blue glossy stripe. Therefore, I started to look for a German website that showed this leucistic color form. On the website of a German mail-order company I found a variant of P. innesi “Yellow.” This form really looked too yellow; especially the yellow around the mouth area did not resemble that on my phantom, or was it just the lighting? However, I wanted to purchase a group of true white

AMAZONAS 17

H.-G. EVERS

The white morph of the Cardinal Tetra Paracheirodon axelrodi is also sold as a gold form.

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animals. After calling or e-mailing inquiries to all the pet shops within a 30-mile (50-km) radius, I found a hardware store whose pet department was able to order the white fish, supposedly directly from Thailand. The pathetic yield of this order was just five half-grown animals, although they had ordered 30. Subsequent deliveries from this supplier were unlikely, so I bought four males and one female. I combined the white fish with 15 normally colored Neons of the same size in a 55-gallon (200-L) aquarium with conditions appropriate for P. innesi. I could not observe a difference in behavior from the normal form,

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as described by another hobbyist on a foreign website, or a yellowish recoloring. The color of the animals may look yellowish depending on the light. These fish move in a loose group through the aquarium, court, and display. The white animals often keep to themselves. Their transparency makes them especially interesting, because you can see what happens inside a Neon—for example, the development of eggs. I have never tried breeding them because I don’t have enough time. However, I find these beautiful animals very interesting, and I hope that they will be more frequently offered in the local trade soon.

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AQUATIC

NOTEBOOK

Low-tech “natural” breeding tank

Spawning substrate over intake

Poret foam divider

Air supply

Lift tube

by Thorben Niemann • I found the articles on home-

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Broodstock compartment

Fry/juvenile grow-out compartment

Water, along with eggs and fry, are drawn into the intake, passed through a lift tube, and deposited in the fry compartment. Water returns to the broodstock compartment through the Poret foam partition, which also acts as a large sponge filter.

take its course. I feed the fish a conditioning diet and perform routine water changes. Hours of light and dark are controlled by a timer. Most of the eggs and the hatching juveniles are pulled by the airlifter into the other compartment; there is no rush to remove eggs or fry before they are eaten by the parents. This method works especially well for species that are not extreme spawn robbers and whose young do not immediately swim to the surface, such as Galaxy Danios, Danio margaritatus. If you want to produce more fry, move the peat, plants, or spawning substrate containing the eggs to the “babies’ side” at each water change, or whenever you see that a spawn has occurred. Rather than waiting to be lifted to safety, the fry will hatch in their own compartment. • Advantages over spawning tank with grate: No hard-to-reach areas under the grate; current keeps food moving on juvenile side. • Advantages over wedge tank: Easy to observe; Mattenfilter has large surface area with infusoria and microorganisms that can be grazed from both sides. • Advantages over all other tank designs: Foam divider can be moved to resize either compartment or removed entirely without leaving any silicone residue. • Advantage over commercial breeding traps and more complex systems: Costs in time and money are minimal. Breeding your fishes need not be difficult. Have fun experimenting!

DIAGRAM: MATT PEDERSEN

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scale tropical fish culture in the last issue of AMAZONAS (“The Joys of Breeding,” M/J 2014) very interesting, especially the methods that are designed to be “extensive” (relaxed or more natural and not “intensive”). I would like to present my own simple concept here, one that doesn’t require constant attention and is not meant to be the most efficient or highly productive system possible. All you need is a sheet of Poret foam (Hamburg Mattenfilter) and an airlifter, such as a Tetra Billi filter without the foam cylinder. I cut the foam sheet to fit and use it to divide the aquarium into two sections. I make a small hole near the bottom of the foam divider through which the .75-inch (20-mm) horizontal intake pipe of the airlifter is fed. This should have some one-eighth nch (3-mm) holes drilled in it if the airlifter has none. I use no additional filter cartridge. I lightly cover the intake pipe with peat, bushy plants, or spawning substrate. Done! I put some coarse peat and plants into one of the compartments, add the adults to that side, and let nature

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AMAZONAS 21

C OV E R

STORY

Thinking big…or even by Rachel O’Leary & the AMAZONAS Staff

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GERRY VERRIER

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O

ur fascination with large fishes must be instinctive in humans, especially when they are also aggressive and predatory. With an expanding range of exotic species available, as well as better technology for keeping them in aquaria, we are seeing a growing number of monstrously large, toothy, voracious, and seldom-before-seen fishes. Also more common are the giant-size aquariums required to house them. It must be said that there is also a whiff of notoriety accompanying some of these behemoths—some reputed to have attacked humans—and this only serves to inspire a breed of aquarists with a passion to own and keep these uncommon and spellbinding animals. When tempted to get involved with a species reputed to be a tankbuster, a few special considerations must be taken into account to ensure their proper care and longevity. The average hobbyist is not likely to be equipped to keep these fishes as they mature in size and adult behaviors, and thoroughly researching a fish before buying it is a must. It is also important to check on the legality of keeping exotic species based on where you live, as some fishes are restricted by state or countrywide bans. Being caught with a prohibited species can lead to punishing fines and confiscation of the illegal animals. The fact that they were available from a murky Internet source is no defense for buying black market Asian arowanas, piranhas, snakeheads, or other banned fishes.

HUGE

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R. HEIER

Red-Tailed Gold Asian Arowana (Scleropages formosus) in Canadian Gerry Verrier’s 400-gallon (1,500-L) big-fish aquarium. This species may not be bought or sold in the United States.

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Chris Biggs of Princeton, Florida, spends hours with family and friends watching the behaviors of big fishes in his 750-gallon home aquarium.

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A predatory fish is loosely defined as one that eats fishes smaller than itself in the wild. Most piscivores have an extra-large digestive capacity, which allows them to eat two to three times the food that they actually need. This ability allows them to “bank” energy for leaner times. Because they eat so voraciously, they often produce a large amount of waste, making superior filtration and a properly sized aquarium essential. For the purposes of this article, a large fish is one that will be over 10–12 inches (300–365 cm) long at maturity, and often much, much larger. Make yourself aware of the dietary needs, the long-term space needs, and the social tendencies of fishes you want to keep to prevent damaging or killing the other inhabitants. Do not buy rashly: large fishes, when maintained properly, are an investment in money and time, often living decades.

OPPOSITE AND LOWER RIGHT: RACHEL O’LEARY; UPPER RIGHT: GERRY VERRIER

Gerry Verrier’s collection includes several Peacock Bass, Cichla ocellaris, largemouthed South American predators. Below: Motoro River Ray, Potamotrygon motoro, kept by Dave Hale.

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The first thing to investigate is housing demands. Where does the fish live in the wild—in the open water? At the bottom? In slow-moving or fast-flowing waters? Often aquarists elect to have a tank customized or to build their own in order to properly house big fishes or communities of predatory fishes. The height of the tank is not generally as important as its footprint. The width should be at least as long as the largest fish, and the available swimming space should be at least three times the length of the biggest fish. Often a height of 2 to 3 feet is more than sufficient. Large aquariums and their inhabitants, feeding, and filtration are expensive; plan to make an investment of both time and money. Positioning the aquarium and making sure your floor can support it is also exceptionally important; a concrete slab is ideal. You should also carefully consider filtration. While there are many large canisters available on the market, redundant over-filtration is essential. Many people opt to use a combination of filtration devices for large tanks, including sumps, wet/dry filters, power filters, and canisters. The more filtration, the better, as big fishes make big messes. I prefer to use a “reef-ready” tank or to drill the bottom so that the sump and filtration can be plumbed below the tank and contained within the stand. Often these species are very sensitive to poor water quality, so a rigorous water-change schedule must be maintained. Because of the large volume required for these water changes, some people set up an automatic water-changing system that uses a constant drip exchange or a controlled, automated drain-andfill program with pretreated water. Temperature can be maintained by heaters, though care must be taken

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Above: A magniďŹ cent Guatemalan cichlid, Herichtys bocourti, in Chris Bigg’s homemade, 20-year-old aquarium, shown at right. The tank is constructed of plywood sides, back, and bottom, with a glass viewing panel. Biggs is planning to build an even larger system.

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ALL PHOTOS: CHRIS BIGGS

to ensure the safety of the fishes—inline heaters or those with guards are imperative. Most people assume that feeder fishes (often Rosy Reds or Goldfish) are the best food for large, predatory fishes. While they will be readily eaten, they are not the healthiest of choices because they contain high levels of thiaminase, which can lead to vitamin B1 deficiency and put your fishes at risk of suffering a wide range of consequences. There are many appropriate live foods: home-raised livebearers or mosquitofish, river shrimp, insects, and live worms—earthworms or black worms—can be purchased or easily cultured. At the supermarket one can purchase fresh or frozen tilapia, salmon, smelt, trout, and flounder, which are great choices and can be fed as chunks or whole, depending on the size of the fish. Live or fresh foods can get expensive, but the good news is that the majority of large fishes can be trained to eat pellets, which simplifies our ability to offer a wide range of healthy foods. It is imperative to consider social behavior when planning a tank of large fishes. Many large fishes exhibit shoaling behavior; some, such as cichlids, pair up and can become really aggressive during spawning, but others do best as solitary individuals. Understanding their behavior in the wild can help us to plan accordingly, offering the right décor and hiding places and choosing appropriate tankmates. Unfortunately, there is no “rule of thumb,” so doing your homework and asking others what has worked for them via forums or groups is generally the easiest way to get information about fish compatibility. While all of this may sound daunting, large fishes also have huge personalities. The “big boys” in my fish room are among the most rewarding to keep, and are always of interest to guests. Interactive, fun to feed, and even more engaging to watch, they can be worth the extra time, effort, and expense it takes to maintain them. Here we meet some prominent amateur keepers of extraordinary fishes.

Above: A spawning pair of Redhook Silver Dollars, Myloplus rubripinnis, part of Chris Bigg’s collection of mostly South American species. This fish will have a mature length of 11 inches (28 cm) and needs a big space to thrive.

Chris Biggs | Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

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Chris Biggs has a custom tank measuring 8 x 4 x 3.2 feet (2.4 x 1.2 x 1 m) tall— roughly 750 gallons (2,839 L). The tank is custom-made of birch plywood and has a ¾ inch (1.9 cm) glass viewing pane. The interior of the tank is finished with an industrial epoxy that is deemed safe for potable water. Nothing has been done to the interior of the tank in over 20 years, and it is still intact and free of leaks. Chris uses a 50-gallon (189-L) homemade trickle-filter rain barrel filled with

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Below: Male Malawi Sand Diver in one of David Hale’s large tanks in Cleveland, Ohio.

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bio-balls as biological filtration; for pre-filtering, he has been using a Poret foam sheet cut to fit, but recently upgraded by adding micron filter socks to the outputs because the large herbivorous cichlids that inhabit the tank continually graze on the wood, creating a lot of detritus. A 150-gallon (568-L) sump below the tank acts as a reservoir and as a settling chamber. Chris started with mercury vapor lighting, but has recently switched to LED fixtures for energy efficiency. He uses an automatic water-change system. The water comes from the tap via copper pipe (PEX, inert polyethelene tubing, was not an option 20 years ago). A magnetic solenoid controls the valve and is wired to a step-down transformer to make it non-lethal, as he often has to work inside the tank. After the solenoid there is a manifold with independent valves for each aquarium. The water is returned to the tank via a large Iwaki pump that has run almost continuously since initial setup without failing. Chris has a secondary pump available, should the need ever arise. The tank also has a large inline UV sterilizer to limit algae growth. Over the years, the tank’s inhabitants have varied greatly. Chris’s main interest in building this large aquarium was to be able to reproduce more challenging species of fish or those that grew larger than the average home aquarium fish. He believes that one cannot truly appreciate some of

TOP: ALEXANDER ENG. LEFT: RACHEL O’LEARY. OPPOSITE PAGE: GERRY VERRIER.

Above: Alexander Eng’s 750-gallon fiberglass “tub” houses a Goliath Tiger Fish, center, and shoals of “feeder” Tiger Barbs.

these species and how they interact socially until one acquires a very large aquarium. Current residents of Chris’s tank are Cichlasoma bocourti, Paratheraps sp. Coatzocoalcos, Paratherpas melanurus (formerly P. synspilus), Vieja argentea, an 18-inch (46-cm) male Ocellate River Ray (Potamotrygon motoro), a 40-inch+ (over 120-cm) Sternopygus macrurus (Gold-Lined Knifefish), a 36-inch (91-cm) Marbled Pim Catfish (Leiarius marmoratus), and a 36-inch Black Talking Catfish

(Oxydoras niger). He plants to build a larger tank and replace the stock in this tank with at-risk Madagascar species; this is the only tank in which he has been able to breed the beautiful Lamena (Paretroplus nourisatti) from Madagascar. Feeding this big a tank, given the enormous size of some of its inhabitants, poses different challenges. For dry foods, Chris uses Xtreme Aquatic foods exclusively, but he supplements them with fresh market shrimp, thawed green peas, smelt, clams, and snails. Keeping a tank on this scale completely changes the game, but definitely gives the aquarist a wonderful glimpse at the fascinating behaviors of the fishes that live in it.

Alexander Eng uses an 8 x 3.5 x 3.5-foot (2.4 x 1 x 1-m), 750-gallon (2,839-L) custom fiberglass tub with a glass viewing window on one side (public aquarium style) to house his monster tank-

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Alexander Eng | Singapore

Gerry Verrier’s amazing and beautiful community of big fishes with big personalities in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

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busters. He has a 120-gallon (454-L) overhead sump filled with filter wool and ceramic rings, and performs 50 percent water changes every other week. The primary inhabitant of his tank is an 18-inch (0.5-m) Goliath African Tiger Fish (GATF). These toothy predators are very skittish and aggressive and need massive amounts of space. There are also two 14-inch (36-cm) Hydrocynus armatus (Sabertooth Characin), who mostly hide but also require large amounts of space when full size. The two 12-inch (30-cm) Azul Peacock Bass (Cichli piquiti) are quarrelsome and territorial, but do well with the other large fishes. The biggest fish in the tank is a 24-inch (61-cm) Red Kelah Mahseer, which breaks up the tank space and keeps the extremely aggressive Goliath Tiger Fish from endangering his tankmates. As is typical with large and predatory fishes, feeding can be a challenging task. Alexander keeps 250 “feeder” Tiger Barbs in the tank to help dilute aggression and to keep the Goliath from killing everything else. This number of barbs lasts 4–5 days, and are supplemented with local fish from his market. The sacrificial barbs are a good dither, as they can tolerate the strong current in the tank and look impressive when shoaling.

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David Hale | Cleveland, Ohio

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Dave Hale (owner of Something Fishy, Inc.) operates more than 400 tanks adding up to 22,000 gallons (83,279 L) of volume in Cleveland, Ohio. One of his big-fish tanks, which has a volume of 120 gallons (454 L) and measures 5 x 1.5 x 2.2 feet (1.5 x 0.5 x 0.7 m), holds Fossochromis rostratus (Rift Lake Malawi Sand Divers): a male over 10 inches (25 cm) long and six females. This species is prone to aggression, so the multiple females help ensure that any violence is evenly distributed through the tank. The tank is filtered with a large power filter, as well as sponge filtration, and the substrate is coral sand. The fish are fed dry pellets and chopped worms. A system for these cichlids needs to be large and have open areas as well as rocky “bolt holes.” A mouthbrooding sand sifter, F. rostratus is captivating at maturity. Dave also has a big custom acrylic tank for his Marble Motoro Rays (Potamotrygon motoro) from Colombia, which holds 315 gallons (1,192 L) and measures 6 x 3 x 2.3 feet (1.8 x 0.9 x 0.7 m). It also houses three Blue Eyed Panaques: a 14-inch (36-cm) female, an 8-inch (20-cm) male, and a second, 14-inch male. This tank is heavily filtered with a large wet/dry filter, two large canister filters, and a wave pump; Java Ferns and Java Moss also help with filtration. Clean, well-aerated water is extremely important when housing rays, as they have large appetites and produce a lot of waste. Frequent water changes are a necessity. Dave feeds a diet of highquality live foods like night crawlers, black worms, krill, silversides, and ghost shrimp. These are messy fish, so the bigger aquarium, the better, and they must have a

lot of horizontal surface area. Plants rarely work out, as the rays disrupt them, so décor has to be minimal. Very smooth sand makes a good substrate: rays like to dig in, often blowing the sand around as they forage for food. Another of Dave’s favorite tanks is a custom acrylic 205-gallon (776-L), 5 x 2.75 x 2-foot (1.5 x 0.8 x 0.6m) South American system. Dave collected many of the fishes in this tank during his travels to Peru. The tank utilizes an overflow to a wet/dry filter, as well as sponges and powerheads to maintain water quality. Because of the density of species, there is very little aggression in this tank. It houses wide-bar and thin-bar Black Belt Silver Dollars (Myleus shomburgii) that are over 12 years old, spotted Roosevelts (Metynnis lippincottii), Severums, Hoplarchis psittacus (True Parrot Cichlids), Chocolate Cichlids (Hypeselectara temporalis), Pimelodella Catfish, Ornatus Catfish, and a very shy Jaguar Catfish. The tank is fed a range of dried foods, including pellets and flakes, frozen bloodworms, shrimp, and live chopped worms.

Gerry Verrier | Winnipeg, Manitoba Canadian aquarist Gerry Verrier has a 400-gallon(1,514L), 8 x 3 x 2.5-foot (2.4 x 0.9 x 0.8-m) glass tank filtered by an Ultima II pond filter with a 5,000 gph (18,930 L/h) pump. It also has a 75-gallon (284-L) homemade wet/dry filter that uses about 30 gallons (114 L) of biomedia, as well as a Fluval FX5 filter for mechanical filtration. Fifty percent water changes with 50 percent RO water are done every two weeks. Feeding is done three times a week and consists of frozen prawns, occasional live meal worms, and Hikari Massivore pellets. Due to Gerry’s feeding schedule the fishes are much less picky and take their pellets readily. Livestock includes the RedTailed Gold Asian Arowana (Scleropages formosus), two Marble Motoro Stingrays (Potamotrygon motoro), three Peacock Bass (Cichla ocellaris), and three tiger datnoides (Datniodes pulcher, D. campbelli, and D. microlepis). Gerry cultures Anubias and Java Fern attached to the driftwood in the tank. Ironically, the Arowana cannot ignore the plants, and frequently destroy or rearrange them. Note that it is illegal in the United States to own Asian Arowanas, but they are imported into Canada. They have been a Class 1 Endangered Species (CITES) since 1975. CITES reclassified the species in the 1980s, allowing for its commercial breeding in Indonesia. The program was very successful and commercial breeding expanded to Singapore and Malaysia. Every Asian Arowana legally for sale in the aquarium trade is tagged with a passive integrated transponder (PIT), a coded microchip that identifies the fish as captive raised. Each fish is also sold with a birth certificate that includes its microchip number and the name of the CITES-registered fish farm where it was raised. Big fishes are not for everyone, but they deliver big pleasure for all of us who keep them—or just find them fascinating to watch.

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STORY

When big isn’t big enough:

The crazy aquarist by Enrico Richter • A few years ago, a 6.5-foot (2-m) tank was considered really big, but now some aquarists scoff at anything so “small.” A huge aquarium in a private dwelling is no longer a rarity. But what goes into planning, building, and maintaining a prodigious body of water in your own home?

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Construction materials First, a short introduction to the materials that can be used to build tanks of more than 264 gallons (1,000 L). Some hobbyists use wood, others prefer stone or concrete. The advantage of wood is that it is easier to work with, and additional bulkheads can be added, or other improvements made,

H.-G. EVERS

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The average aquarist only encounters tanks this big at public aquariums (Hagenbeck Zoo, Hamburg, Germany).

any of us know the feeling of looking into an aquarium and thinking, “This is only a puddle.” Most people start with a 15–20-gallon (60–80-L) tank and celebrate their first breeding success with livebearers. However, at some point that aquarium may no longer seem big enough, and a larger tank must be found. Typically, the size, and often the number, of fishes in the tank grows as the tank gets bigger and bigger. My first big aquariums were made entirely of glass and measured 10 feet (3 m) long, 3.3 feet (100 cm) wide, and 32 inches (80 cm) high. The bigger the tank gets, the more expensive it is: the more water in the tank, the thicker the glass must be to withstand the pressure. You can imagine what a pane of glass measuring 10 x 3 feet and 0.7 inch (19 mm) thick costs. Even if you build a “small” 660-gallon (2,500-L) tank with materials other than glass, you still need at least one glass pane; otherwise you’d have to peer into it from above. My tank measures 126 x 63 x 43 inches (320 x 160 x 110 cm) and holds about 1,350 gallons (5,100 L) of water; the filter has a volume of about 160 gallons (600 L). Yet, a confession: I’ve already begun to feel that this tank is too small!

later on. Wood has fairly good insulating properties, which reduces electrical costs. Some people use OSB (oriented strand board or engineered wood). OSB is made of long, thin chips, making its flexural strength higher than that of normal plywood. Due to its high glue content, OSB panels have high vapor-diffusion resistance. OSB/3 is recommended for load-bearing applications in humid conditions. You should try to figure out which building materials are most cost-effective based on the size of the tank. All-glass aquariums bigger than about 660 gallons (2,500 L) cost a lot more, have inferior insulating properties, and are arguably more prone to catastrophic failure than tanks made of a combination of wood sheets and glass viewing panels.

Building a wooden aquarium Several years ago, I bought a finished wooden tank from a friend and cut it in half. The original body consisted of sheets of 19-mm plywood (½-inch US equivalent). My plan was to join the two halves together using 25 mm (US 1 inch) OSB with epoxy resin and fittings. To move the tank into the designated basement room, I cut a door into the wall with a concrete saw. Next, I coated the two halves with Sikafloor epoxy resin using a notched trowel. Then I glued and screwed the sheets of OSB plates on. Additional boards were added to the lower and upper parts for increased stability. (If I had used thicker OSB, this step could have been avoided.) Although these lengths of wood created unwanted lines in the tank, a couple of tons of sand could hide the 3.2-inch (8-cm) edge. A 0.2-inch (4 mm) coat of Rhino Linings epoxy was applied to ensure watertightness. This material is extremely water resistant, cures in 24 hours, and is food-grade. It can be sawed and drilled without losing integrity, making it easy to make additional technical refinements later without causing problems. (An alternative is non-toxic liquid rubber.) Next, the two halves were joined together. This required an exact fit of the cross braces with the foundation, as they could otherwise yield during curing and then sag. The central joint of the two halves was sealed with epoxy resin. The cross braces were joined with metal straps. Then the tank was compressed with straps, bonded on the side plates, and screwed together.

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If it doesn’t fit, make it fit! To move the large wooden aquarium into the basement, I simply cut out part of a wall.

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Right: After joining the two parts, the tank looked like new. Middle: My 1,350-gallon (5,100-L) wooden tank after completion: A small slice of the Amazon in my basement. Bottom: To save on heating costs, I tapped into the house’s heating system. A probe measures the temperature in the aquarium and regulates the thermostat.

The metal bands were plastered with resin and sanded smooth after curing. The white seams were covered with black polyurethane adhesive. The 1,320-gallon (5,000-L) tank, now almost finished, stands on a block of 16-inch (40-cm) high-strength polystyrene that has been coated with plasterboard. Finally, the front trim framing the viewing glass was painted.

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The filter sump is level with the aquarium to avoid overflowing. The filter pump therefore wastes no performance on head pressure. The water flows through two 2.5-inch (63-mm) PVC

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Equipment

U-fittings into the filter sump. Tunze Stream pumps with pipe extensions have proven highly efficient and push a lot of water back into the aquarium (e.g., 1,585 gallons/6,000 L at 11 W). If the filter sump is under the aquarium, this is not possible. I prefer the older Stream models to the new Stream-2 models, since the 1,585–2,113 gallon/hour (6,000-8,000 L/h) types have a 2-inch (50-mm) outlet, which fits perfectly with PVC pipes. With a flow of ~1,320 gallons/hour (5,000 L/h), the tank has now run perfectly for several years. The tank is illuminated with five 5-W LEDs mounted on a 10-foot (3-m) sheet of OSB positioned approximately 20–24 inches (50–60 cm) above the water level, and this achieves good light effects. The 5-W LEDs and 20-W spotlights were not sufficient for the plants at a water depth of 39 inches (1 m), so I switched from five 20-W halogen spots to five 3.2-W Samsung LEDs, and the results are very good. The LED lighting makes everything look terrific, and the light yield, even with 15 W over 1,320 gallons (5,000 L) of water, is incredible. I recommend choosing a good brand of LEDs or LED fixtures—because the cheap versions do not last very long. The tank is heated to about 86°F (30°C) using radiant warm-water heat from the house. I previously heated it with a 300-W heater, which ran around the clock. However, it cost about $80 per month in electricity just to run the heater, so I made a heat coil out of 0.6-inch (16-mm) aluminum pipe using almost 33 feet (10 m) of pipe, and connected the coil to the house’s boiler. Using a thermostat and remote sensor, the selected temperature is perfectly regulated. The remote sensor (usually made from copper) should be enclosed in a stainless steel sleeve or PVC pipe to avoid the possibility of metal eroding and leaching into the aquarium water.

Above: This lovely Delta aquarium holds 925 gallons (3,500 L).

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Left: This aquarium holds about 3,960 gallons (15,000 L) and adorns the basement of a lover of large South American fishes. Everything was sealed with Rhino Linings non-toxic epoxy, similar to a truck’s bedliner.

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STORY One of the largest known freshwater fishes is the Pirarucu, Arapaima gigas, from the Amazon region. A huge aquarium is required to keep a giant like this.

by Enrico Richter • The responsible care of large fishes begins with an appropriately sized aquarium. Even if you are lucky enough to have one, satisfying their huge appetite can be difficult. In this article I introduce some large species that make good inhabitants of large home aquariums.

MONSTER FISHES …with matching appetites

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edicated aquarists might hear their family members declare, “Our fishes eat better than we do!” In fact, this is often true. We offer our fishes clams, smelt, shrimp, scallops, squid—even the best fish filets. Some aquarists spend the whole summer fishing in lakes and streams in order to offer their animals the best food. But what should we feed a fish that is a foot (30 cm) long at the age of one year and will still grow another 2 feet (60 cm)? Some of these giants can easily reach a length of 20–60 inches (50–150 cm) under good conditions, and may be too aggressive to be kept with other species. The river catfishes and large characins from South America require a strong current, as they come from very fast-flowing waters. Large cichlids are less demanding. If you have the desire and the wherewithal to build a “pool” holding 500–600 gallons (several thousand liters) of water, don’t overlook genera like Cichla, Myleus, Pseudoplatystoma, Brachyplatystoma, Brycon, and Potamotrygon, which contain many really big species. To make planning easier in terms of sizes and preferences, I would like to introduce some of these impressive fishes.

Disk Tetras or Big-Band Silver Dollars, Myleus schomburgkii

Asterophysus batrachus, the Gulper Catfish

Catfishes

Pimelodus ornatus

Asterophysus batrachus

Keeping several Ornate Pimelodus is recommended, because they are very sociable. Pimelodus ornatus is typically 16 inches (40 cm) long, but there are reports and photos documenting specimens 24 inches (60 cm) long. Presumably, the females grow considerably larger than the males.

The Gulper Catfish comes from Venezuela and feeds mainly on Altum Angels and other fishes that it flushes out of rocky crevices. It is about 16 inches (40 cm) long and can overwhelm fishes its own size. It is actually rather calm and non-territorial, but watch what you add as tankmates: this fish will eat anything that fits in its mouth.

Calophysus macropterus

Like the Gulper, the Bolt Catfish gets about 16 inches (40 cm) long, but it is extremely aggressive toward other fishes that enter its territory. Socializing several animals of this species is almost impossible and usually ends in tragedy.

Calophysus macropterus, the Vulture Catfish, reaches about 24 inches (60 cm) and is really a very social catfish, particularly among its own kind. If you keep multiple specimens of this beauty, they will rest together on a rock or a root and then go off exploring as a group. This species poses no problems in terms of food; they will eat

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Aguarunichthys torosus

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Brachyplatystoma tigrinum

The Zebra Shovelnose is one of thee prettiest big catfishes, but also onee of the most aggressive and territorial. l. A really strong current is very imporrtant for this fish. Equally important nt is not to feed them too often, since ce they can quickly become fat and then don’t last very long. They reach a length of 24–36 inches (60–90 cm). m). ) Brachyplatystoma platynemum

almost any frozen or dry food. However, this medium-sized catfish needs a lot of swimming space, as it rarely rests. Pinirampus pinirampu

Below: Platynematichthys notatus, the Lince Catfish

The Flat-Whiskered Catfish is an agile predator that quickly reaches a length of 24–32 inches (60–80 cm). Platynematichthys notatus

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The Lince Catfish, Platynematichthys notatus, grows to about 32 inches (80 cm) and is an absolutely tireless swimmer, so it needs a lot of swimming space and strong flow.

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Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii

The Gilded Catfish, Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii, can reach 40 inches (100 cm) or more ore in length. This unique catfish is difficult to acclimatize and does not grow very fast. My animals grew from 2–3 inches (5–7 cm) to about 24 inches (60 cm) in 4.5 years. Initially, lly, they are very shy and often eat only in the da dark. d rk.

E. RICHTER

Above: Pseudoplatystoma tigrinum

The Slobbering Catfish, Brachyplatystoma platynemum, requires an extremely strong current in thee aquarium, where it feels comfortable able and rests on its fins, waiting for something to float into its mouth. Previously known as Gos Gosslinea platynema, this predatory catfish reaches es about 28 inches (70 cm). It is very difficult to acclimatize.

Their wariness lessens with increasing size. They love a strong current.

The Black Talking Catfish, Oxydoras niger, is a true giant among thorny catfishes, but absolutely peaceful. No one has anything to worry about with this gentle giant. Like a vacuum cleaner, this catfish eats enough to quickly grow from a commercially available 4-inch (10-cm) specimen into a 40-inch (100-cm) fish that weighs 66 pounds (30 kg). Planet Catfish calls it “a real tankbuster!”

The Firewood Catfish is a slim but ravenous river fish that very quickly reaches the 40-inch (100-cm) mark. With its huge, wide mouth, S. planiceps can overwhelm even very large prey. Phractocephalus hemioliopterus

The Redtail Catfish, Phractocephalus hemioliopterus, is probably the most famous big river catfish. Its sweet little babies look very tempting in dealer’s tanks. Unfortunately, they grow so fast that you have to keep buying larger tanks to accommodate them. Almost everyone who

Top: Brachyplatystoma platynemum, the socalled Slobbering Catfish

Bottom: The Gilded Catfish, Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii

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Oxydoras niger

Sorubimichthys planiceps

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The Redtail Catfish, Phractocephalus hemioliopterus

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Oxydoras niger, The Black Talking Catfish

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has had a large aquarium has maintained a specimen of this likable catfish. It grows to 20 inches (50 cm) within a year, and before you know it it has grown another 20 inches. This fish is now bred for the trade almost exclusively in Asia. Pseudoplatystoma punctifer and Pseudoplatystoma tigrinum

The tiger shovelnose catfishes of the genus Pseudoplatystoma are frequently encountered in large aquariums. Their shape and very attractive pattern makes them fascinating fishes. Captive-bred specimens from Asia are most common in the trade now; very rarely, wild-caught fishes are imported to Europe.

odor in the flow. You should keep them in fairly cool water (75–77°F/24–25°C). Otherwise, they metabolize too fast and grow thin, even when well fed.

TIP: If your big catfish gets a disease such as Ichthyophthirius (white spot disease), it is better not to treat it with drugs. Many of these catfishes react very poorly to them and often die. I have treated them 100 percent successfully by increasing the temperature to 91.4°F (33°C) for at least seven days. You must keep the water moving well for extra oxygenation and get rid of CO2 with air stones.

Wallago attu

Snakeheads

The Helicopter Catfish, Wallago attu, grows incredibly fast, quickly getting up to 40 inches (100 cm), and resembles the European Catfish, Silurus glanis. It has many small, pointed teeth in several rows.

There are many very large—and sometimes quite aggressive—snakehead species. Channa marulioides is one of them. This brute can reach well over 40 inches (1 m) and is several times as thick as a human leg. Channa argus and C. micropeltes achieve similar proportions. The beautiful C. barca is one of the most sought-after big fishes in Asia, apart from Asian Arowanas of the genus Scleropages. (Note: All snakeheads are considered illegal in the United States and may not be imported, purchased, moved, or kept in captivity. They have become invasive pests in a number of U.S. states.)

Bagarius yarelli

The devil catfishes of the genus Bagarius come from extremely fast-flowing rivers. The Goonch, Bagarius yarrelli, from India, is the largest and most common species. It has an incredible number of very sharp teeth. With its broad, flattened barbels, this fish can perceive the faintest

The Scarlet Cactus Catfish, Pseudacanthicus sp. L025

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Cichla melaniae, the Xingu Cichlid or Peacock Bass

Loricariids Some very large armored catfishes are well suited as “leftovers eaters” and are also very attractive. One of these is Pseudacanthicus sp. L025 from the Rio Xingu.

Large cichlids

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Snakeheads are characters— this is Channa barca, the Barca Snakehead.

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Cichla temensis, the Painted Pavon

(40–100 cm). With their attractive colors and relatively low level of aggressiveness toward conspecifics, they rightfully hold the pole position among large cichlids. However, the Tucunaré (the Brazilian name for these cichlids) consumes an insane amount of food. They prefer smelt, fish filets, or frozen whitefish that has been thawed before feeding. Some captivebred offspring are even accustomed to pellets and will continue to eat this food as adult fish. Cichla piquiti

Cichla piquiti is native to the Rio Araguaia in Brazil. This fish loses its pretty juvenile pattern, which resembles that of C. temensis, at 10–12 inches (25–30 cm); the pattern gives

BOTTOM: H.-G. EVERS; THE REST: E. RICHTER

The cichlids of the genus Cichla are among the most common large cichlids in our tanks. They can reach sizes of 16–40 inches

way to a green-brown color. The fins are blue. This species can reach a size of about 32 inches (80 cm). Cichla orinocensis

The Orinoco Peacock Bass is one of the most attractive and calmest members of the genus. The many color morphs vary greatly depending on the location. This species reaches a size of 2 feet (60 cm) in our tanks. Cichla melaniae

The Xingu Cichla, Cichla melaniae, grows to about 24 inches (60 cm), is very quiet, and has very beautiful colors, especially during courtship, when both sexes color up spectacularly.

or Salminus. The silver dollars of the genus Myleus (e.g. Myleus schomburgkii “Big Band”) can reach a diameter of 12 inches (30 cm) and are therefore highly suitable as tankmates for really big fishes. They eat everything that falls into the water. Semaprochilodus taeniurus, which migrate long distances upstream to spawn in the wild, are also suitable tankmates. Osteoglossum bicirrhosum

The Silver Arawana, Osteoglossum bicirrhosum, is a surface-dweller and does not particularly like strong surface movement. This fish can grow to 40 inches (100 cm) or more.

Cichla monoculus

Cichla monoculus, the Tucanare Peacock Bass, is a fighter. Although it is not a very big fish at 20 inches (50 cm), it is quite unruly. The many different color morphs vary depending on the location. Cichla temensis

Cichla temensis, the Painted Pavon, is the largest of the large cichlids from South America, reaching 40 inches (1 m ) or more in length. Such a large predator occasionally bags even a large Silver Dollar. From time to time, these fish are imported from the Río Ventuari in Venezuela. If you buy one of these giants you should have a place to keep it as it gets bigger; even a 1,250-gallon (5,000-L) tank is much too small for this monster. Some other cichlids, such as Crenicichla, Cichlasoma, and Astronotus, can be kept with other species that are not quite as big.

Fishes for the top, middle, and bottom regions

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Predatory characins, such as piranhas, can be maintained in large groups in large aquariums. Keeping them with other species is usually not possible due to the appetite of the piranhas. If you crave a truly fearful predator, buy a Hydrocynus goliath, the Giant Tigerfish from West Africa! Only a few species are suitable as tankmates. These include some of the large silver dollars in the genera Myleus and Metynnis and the even bigger Colossoma, Brycon,

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Colossoma macropomum, the Tambaqui or Black Pacu

Pike cichlids like this Crenicichla vittata are popular but can be very aggressive.

The Golden Dorado, Salminus brasiliensis

Semaprochilodus taeniurus, the Flagtail or Silver Prochilodus

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Many aquarists who own large tanks like to keep stingrays of the genus Potamotrygon to populate the bottom. Species like Potamotrygon motoro and Potamotrygon scobina, which are easy to obtain and not too difficult to maintain, are often encountered in large community tanks. However, if you are keeping Potamotrygon leopoldi “Black Diamond,” refrain from adding too many tankmates to the aquarium or, ideally, keep them in a species tank to be sure they get enough food. This is only a small selection of suitable and commercially available large fishes. In addition to

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Stingrays

The Silver Arowana, Osteoglossum bicirrhosum

The Giant Tigerfish, Hydrocynus goliath

Potamotrygon motoro, the Ocellate River Stingray

Left: Cichlasoma festae, the Red Terror, is ideally suited for socialization with large fishes and adds a real splash of color.

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the popular giant catfishes and the many characins, a handful of other big fishes can be kept in our giant pools, but there isn’t enough space to introduce all of them here. Today’s technology makes it possible to keep and observe very large fishes quite reasonably, but I can’t stress enough that a standard tank is nowhere near large enough to keep any of them!

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STORY

A 10,000-liter Fantasy

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N. BREDE

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An aquarist’s dream come true: a glowing window into a 2,600-gallon underwater world in the family living room.

by A Andi Hofstetter and Charles König • The soul of every aquarist harbors some personal dream—a journey to distant fishing grounds, the discovery of an un undescribed species, the first successful breeding of a favorite fish. Setting up a really big tank probably belongs on this list, too. Few of us know how it feels to build and maintain a 2,600-gallon (10,000-L) aquarium.

Ten of these 400W HQI lamps with a color temperature of 6,000°K light the aquarium.

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he fulfillment of this particular dream began when friends told us they wanted to try something new in a former marine aquarium. They envisioned an eye-catching tank in the living room, but this time it would feature Amazonian elements and creative aquascaping. When a request like this is made, especially among friends, one quickly says, “No problem!” The challenge was to set up a freshwater tank 13 feet (4 m) long, 6 feet (1.8 m) wide, and 4.5 feet (1.35 m) tall. Right, top to bottom: Instructions for building such The dry layout, made a large aquarium do not exist. up of artfully placed We knew that we had to plan pieces of mangrove. carefully to avoid serious errors. Mosses and plants One thing was clear: without were attached to the guidance from professionals and wood and allowed to bond and spread. reliable suppliers, it would be very tricky—if not impossible. After planting, filling the tank took 8 hours. The water, murky at first, slowly became crystal clear.

The basic plans were quickly determined: We would create a decorative planted tank with large groups of fishes and minimal maintenance requirements—no weekly water change, filter cleaning, or other time-consuming tasks. The existing tank had been well designed: 20 tons fitted between walls, 10 inches (25 cm) above the floor, with low leak-containment walls for emergencies. There were already two large pond filters with a capacity of 2,642 gallons/hour (10,000 L/h) that could be reused in the new system. Due to the depth of the water, we needed a new lighting system with ten 400W metal halide lamps, plus a sufficiently sized CO2 system. We figured that two 196-pound (80-kg) gas bottles would ensure an adequate reserve for good plant growth. Everything would be regulated automatically by computer. The decor was to center around large groups of roots that were not available off the shelf. We had to

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A. HOFSTETTER

Requirements and planning

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A crane was used to lift 4,400 pounds (2,000 kg) of quartz sand through a skylight next to the tank.

visit the importer in Germany to select a small mountain’s worth of mangrove. For the layout, 1,100 pounds (500 kg) of the best quality dry wood was assembled in the warehouse. The selection of plant species was the easy part: slow-growing mosses and epiphytes would d provide a green ambience. It was more difficult to estimate how many were needed. In addition, the planting had to be done in one step; once the system was up and running, making anything but minor adjustments would be chal-lenging. We found a supplier to provide us with h all the top-quality Anubias we needed.

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Execution

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Question: How do you get more than two tons of quartz sand onto the third floor of your house? Answer: The same way you removed a ton of reef rock from your marine tank—with a special crane, through a skylight. The pallet of sand was set right next to the tank. First, we

poured about a quarter of the sand directly into the tank. Then we arranged the roots and fixed them to the aquarium floor with hot glue and stones. The expected turbidity after the first test filling was limited and soon disappeared. After draining the water, we made some corrections to the layout and added some large rocks to improve the structure of the scene. We decided not to plant conventional spe-

LEFT: A. HOFSTETTER; TOP AND BOTTOM: N. BREDE

For the CO2 system, two 176-pound (80-kg) bottles supply doses of gas. Two reverse osmosis units are mounted on the far wall.

N. BREDE

cies from the Amazon region because the client wanted to keep the amount of “wetsuit maintenance” to a minimum. Therefore, we chose mosses such as Java Moss and epiphytic plants (Java Fern, African Water Fern) to grow on the wood. Subsequent additions were an option only for a few solitary specimens. Again, the advice of friends and colleagues proved to be very helpful. Before setting the plants, we drained most of the water and worked with the tank mostly empty except for the hardscape. We covered the walls with blue reinforcing mesh and planted mosses on them, leaving plenty of room between the plants to allow for their further growth. Other mosses and epiphytes were mounted on the mangroves. We tied the plants down with 1,000 feet (300 m) of nylon thread and 200 black cable ties. During the two days it took to do this work, we felt as if we were in the jungle. The plants used were as follows: 120 Anubias spp. 10 Bolbitis heudelotii 60 Cryptocoryne spp. 30 Microsorum spp. 18 Pogostemon spp. 48 Echinodorus spp. 102 Vesicularia spp.

Regularly spraying the plants with water as we worked kept them from drying out. Before filling the tank with plain tap water, we covered everything with thin plastic food film. Then we were able to take a break and watch the tank fill. After eight hours, we switched on all systems and inspected everything carefully.

Tank dynamics With a tank height of 4.5 feet (1.35 m), we had to be inventive— as this device we made from planting tongs and tweezers shows.

Above: Hardy, low maintenance mosses and epiphytic ferns were used to reduce gardening in a wetsuit to a minimum.

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As we had expected, the mangrove wood released plenty of humic acid substances and rele water yellowish. Thirteen pounds colored the w Seachem Purigen polymer adsor(6 kg) of Sea eliminated this problem bent in the filters fi completely after six months, leaving the water crystal cryst clear. From tthe beginning, the plan was to forfish species. Thus, the field was wide go large fi Our friends wanted discus and angelopen. Ou schooling fishes, and catfishes. We fishes, sc wanted to use shrimp and herbivorous also wa catfishes to control nuisance algae. First, we catfish put in 1,000 juvenile Amano Shrimp (Caridjaponica) and let them work. The algae ina ja never appeared. Gradually, reverse osmosis neve

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Right: The finished 2,642-gallon (10,000-L) aquascape.

Below: Looking in from the top, you can see how much work went into this mammoth aquascape.

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we knew that Otocinclus seasonally congregate in large flocks. That is how they are caught: netting them by the thousands. There are probably not many aquarists who have had the opportunity to watch a large group of these little catfish schooling in a tank. We eagerly awaited the further development of this behavior after the addition

N. BREDE

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water was introduced during water changes to soften the water for the incoming fishes. The first fish were 750 Otocinclus suckermouths, conditioned outstandingly by the Jung fish farm. They behaved like schooling fish and swam in one or two large troops through the tank. Fascinating! Of course,

are done sporadically. A level controller provides for automatic filling with reverse osmosis water. The weekly maintenance takes about an hour and is limited to the removal of dead leaves and uneaten food from the bottom—a job that can be done by hanging halfway into the tank. The water temperature has leveled off at 81°F (27°C), with only the lights providing the heat. After a long stabilization phase, new species have been added: 10 discus, 15 Glass Catfish, 6 Black Ghost Knifefish, 6 adult angelfish from another tank, some gouramis that use the upper water area, and a few snails. For a year now, the inhabitants of the tank have lived in complete harmony, and there have been no observable losses. Today, this mixed-species community is a genuine underwater oasis— another dream realized.

Small fishes in a big space: The mostly South American fish population is quite harmonious. Fishes behave very differently here than they do in smaller tanks.

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of another 250 Otocinclus, 400 Rummy Nose Tetras, and 40 Redline Barbs, but instead, the group disbanded. The tetras and barbs scattered in all directions, contrary to their reputation as classic schoolers. Conversely, the catfish and the individual Amanos repeatedly tried to associate with the Rummy Nose Tetras. The swarms formed only in the evening while everyone was looking for uneaten food, one or two hours before the light went off. Despite the enormous amount of light—during the peak of the day, there were 4,000 W for five hours—the schooling fishes did not retreat into the cover as we feared they might. The small catfish had another surprise in store for us: they offered themselves as cleaner fish to the gouramis that were introduced later. Standing almost vertically, the gouramis invited the Otocinclus to clean them. At this point, the plants have now established a balance. Macro fertilization with potassium, calcium, and magnesium nitrate, plus complete trace fertilizer, the amount of light, and the CO2 supply make for slow but steady growth. The tank is stable and requires no special care other than weekly monitoring of the dissolved organics, such as nitrates. Water changes, no more than 10 percent per month,

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SWEET! Finding Oranges among the Lemons Ten years of experience with Hyphessobrycon cf. pulchripinnis article & images by Hans-Georg Evers • As a student, I loved Lemon Tetras. The bright yellow

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belly and intense yellow stripe on the anal fin are the marks of a healthy specimen. The first time I spotted an orange variant flapping in my net, I was blown away. These variants, which I refer to as Orange Tetras, are the stars of this report.

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Intensely colored Lemon Tetras are truly spectacular with their bright red eyes, yellow bodies, and especially their eye-catching canary-black anal fins. For good reason, this tetra is one of the most popular characin species of all. It was imported to Germany in the mid-1930s and described by Ernst Ahl (1937) as Hyphessobrycon pulchripinnis based on aquarium specimens. The exact origin of the fish was not mentioned in the description, but was presumed to be the Amazon River. For decades, Lemon Tetras were propagated by hatcheries and were probably imported every now and then from Brazil, but their exact origin remained uncertain. The mystery was finally solved in 1980 by the French characin specialist Jacques Géry, who examined material from a known location and es-

tablished that the Lemon Tetra came from the Rio Curuá do Sol and the lower and middle Rio Tapajós, in the Brazilian state of Pará. Indeed, on a trip to the middle Rio Tapajós I found the species in several small clearwater creeks, known as igarapés. The pH value was ~5.5 with no detectable hardness and the conductivity was 20–30 μS/cm. The water in the shaded rainforest streams is usually a bit cooler than that found in the main channel, which is about 88°F (31°C). Water temperatures from 81 to 83°F (27–28.4°C) are the rule here.

Orange lemons? Around the turn of the millennium, a new tetra species that bore a striking resemblance to Hyphessobrycon pulchripinnis began to appear in the trade.

Opposite page: A pair of Orange Tetras. The anal fin of the female has colored up, a clear signal to the interested male.

This page, top: This fish is hardly recognizable as an Orange Tetra. If water quality or food are insufficient, these fish are gray and show nothing of their potential.

Middle: When well colored, Lemon Tetras are worthy of their name.

Bottom: The Igarapé Pimental, a meandering creek in the drainage of the middle Rio Tapajós in the Brazilian state of Pará, is the only known habitat of the Orange Tetra.

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This fish has the typical body shape and red eyes of H. pulchripinnis, but if you look closely you quickly notice some differences. The first rays of the anal fin and the dorsal fin are orange, and the black pigment seen in the anal fin of the Lemon Tetra is missing entirely. Even more unusual is the body color: healthy fish of the new species show no yellow, but instead a bright tangerine. The early imports were sold by a well-known importer under the name H. pulchripinnis “Bolivia.” Apparently, it was assumed that these new fish came from Bolivia. In 2003, I traveled to the middle Tapajós near Itaituba, Brazil, and from there to Pimental, in order to document the collection of armored catfishes. Located adjacent to the village of the same name, the Igarapé Pimental (pH 5.5, 83°F/28.4°C) drains into the large Tapajós. There we collected several Orange Tetras, along with many other interesting fish species. (I reported on this trip in AMAZONAS in 2011.) At the time, I assumed this fish was an orange variant of the Lemon Tetra, but today I think of it differently. I now refer to these animals as H. cf. pulchripinnis. Both species live in the catchment of the

middle Tapajós, but the Lemon Tetra appears to occupy a much larger distribution area than the Orange Tetra. Apart from the Igarapé Pimental, I know of no other locality where this species occurs.

Oranges in the aquarium Both species require about the same care. Commercially available Lemon Tetras can be disappointing—they are often dull gray fish with red eyes. However, if they are kept in the correct water parameters in a nicely planted tank and well fed, they quickly assume the beautiful colors that gave them their common name. Adding tannins and humic substances, such as alder cones or driftwood, to the tank and feeding a varied, high-quality diet will help color up even mass-bred “hothouse” specimens. My Orange Tetras were gray when I received them, but continuous feeding with live and frozen Daphnia and Cyclops brought on the magnificent colors seen in the photos. Now I am caring for the second filial generation, all of them bright orange. Given soft and slightly acidic water with a temperature between 79 and 83°F (26–28.5°C), regular water changes, and a varied diet, the Orange Tetra is a feast for the eyes. No wonder I wanted to breed these gems!

After just a few days in the aquarium, this male turned orange and his fins showed the first hints of orange-red.

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A fully colored male Orange Tetra (Hyphessobrycon cf. pulchripinnis). Look for a dark edge on the anal fin and a yellowish caudal fin (also see the male pictured on page 56).

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Choosy partners Those familiar with tetra reproduction may know that breeding Lemon Tetras is not always a walk in the park. The same goes for Orange Tetras. You cannot simply throw a male and a female together and hope for the best. It is best to obtain a small group of about 10 animals, give them excellent care, and observe them for the first few weeks. You will learn pretty quickly how to distinguish male from female. Male Orange Tetras have a larger anal fin, which in happy animals is trimmed in black. The beautiful first rays of the anal fin, which the fish often flashes at competitors and potential partners, are orange. Even well-fed males are never as plump as females ready to spawn. The tail fin in adult females is always milky white or translucent, but in dominant males it is often a pale yellow-orange. The dorsal, pelvic, and anal fins of both sexes are orange. Strangely, my females have a more intense orange body coloration and are always a little smaller than the males. For breeding, I use pure reverse osmosis water, which I stain and slightly acidify with some alder cones. In order to protect the female from the male’s frequent advances, I add some sweet

tance side by side. At this point, the first rays of the female’s anal fin are bright orange, apparently signaling her readiness to spawn. The encouraged male drives the female by randomly nudging her while swimming up and down. The partners race energetically around the tank and seek out a stand of plants or something similar. Soon thereafter, the first spawning happens: the fish press their abdomens together and swim in a slight upward arc over When a female is ready to spawn she has a plump abdomen or even through the spawning and her anal fin rays turn bright orange-red. My females’ substrate. bodies are a deeper orange than the males’. Unfortunately, not all arbitrarily combined pairs harmonize right away. I had to make several attempts before I caught a pair who “sparked.” Even almond leaves under which she can take cover. These also then, it may take up to a week before the first eggs can acidify the water and reduce the level of bacteria. As with be found under the spawning grate. In the first attempts, all other Hyphessobrycon, use a tank at least 16 inches I fed the animals from the third day with some black (40 cm) long with a spawning grate for breeding Orange mosquito larvae. After spawning, I did not put the pair Tetras. Breeding them in smaller tanks did not work for back into the group, but kept them separated in order to me because these tetras perform quite spirited mating set them up again 10–14 days later. This way the partners dances. The male approaches the chosen female from already know each other and usually spawn right away, behind and then spreads his fins in front of her. If she reusually no later than the next morning. sponds by spreading her own fins, they swim a short dis-

The male, top, usually circles the female from above and behind, then displays in front of her by spreading his fins, showing their beautiful yellow and orange colors.

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The fish rapidly swim side by side, looking for a dark corner where they can spawn. Unfortunately, I disturbed these fish with my camera flash and they stopped spawning.

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Dues paid

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I admit that at first I had difficulties rearing the larvae. After a week the breeding tank, which had started out almost sterile, was no longer very clean and provided a habitat for a variety of single-cell organisms. I lost almost all of the first young fish before I learned the importance of cleanliness. A tank contaminated with a massive bloom of infusoria is deadly for the tiny Orange Tetras. After the partners have spawned, I aspirate the eggs and incubate them in clean 1-quart (1-L) bowls. At 81.5°F (27.5°C), the larvae hatch after 24 to 28 hours and can be seen hanging like shards of glass from the glass and internal filter. When the tiny larvae have consumed their yolk sacs, they are moved into clean rearing tanks with well-cycled foam filters. Three days later, they disappear and hide beneath leaves and filter. Now it is time to offer paramecia, rotifers, and sifted live pond food. If you feed them earlier, even with Artemia nauplii, the food spoils and triggers an infusoria infestation. Refrain from tapping on the glass or checking the fry with a flashlight; especially in the first few days, they are quite

sensitive to disturbance. But after two weeks, the little ones swim near cover and can be observed easily. After a somewhat hesitant early growth rate—a Rosy Tetra is almost twice as large at this age—the young Orange Tetras catch up, and within three to four months are large enough to be given away. I feed many small crustaceans, which soon turns the little ones yellow-orange and then deep orange. A breeding tank full of small Orange Tetras is a magnificent sight and warms my heart. REFERENCES

Ahl, E. 1937. Über einen neuen südamerikanischen Characiniden der Gattung Hyphessobrycon. Zool Anz 120 (9/10): 235–6. Evers, H.-G. 2011. Vier Farlowella für ein Halleluja. AMAZONAS 7 (5): 34–41. Gery, J. 1980. Rediscovery of the lemon tetra, Hyphessobrycon pulchripinnis. Trop Fish Hobbyist 28 (11): 35–40. Weitzman, S.H. and L. Palmer. 1997. A new species of Hyphessobrycon (Teleostei: Characidae) from the Neblina region of Venezuela and Brazil, with comments on the putative ‘rosy tetra clade’. Ichthyol Explor Freshwaters 7 (3): 209–42.

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Socialization in the aquarium:

Shell dwellers by Wilhelm Klaas • There seems to be a special chemistry that the shell-dwelling dwarf cichlids of Lake Tanganyika can use to cast a spell over aquarists, turning their keepers into obsessive, even passionate devotees of these intensely parental, colonial fishes.

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Slinky, spunky, and often possessing subtle, iridescent beauty, the shell dwellers include some 24 species that seem to be enjoying a fresh revival of popularity among fishkeepers young and old. One explanation is the fact that they will put on a big show in a small aquarium that can be inexpensively acquired and maintained. But what do they need to thrive, what species make the best tankmates, and which of the various species are best suited for keeping in different aquariums?

Water quality When considering the water quality in Lake Tanganyika, the first things to note are the water clarity and salt content. This is due to the high mineral load of its tributaries and the very high evaporation rate. During the year, there are about 59 inches (150 cm) of rainfall, 90 percent of which evaporates; the rest leaves the lake via the centrally located Lukuga River, which empties into the Congo. Except in the river deltas, there is

H.-G. EVERS

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Below: A colony of shell dwellers (these are Lamprologus ocellatus) is an asset to any Lake Tanganyika community tank.

Substrate and Shells The simplest way to establish and maintain the high pH and mineral content that reflects natural Rift Lake conditions is to provide a substrate of aragonite or fine coral sand, both available from any good aquarium retail shop. (Most well-stocked suppliers have white, dark, and even coral sand with flecks of pink, which are tiny shards of marine snail shells.) Whether or not to add salt to a system housing these cichlids is the subject of endless discussion and debate. Some hobbyists with very hard tap water find success without adding salt to their tanks, while others swear by the use permanent wave action, which continually Above: Female Neolamprologus of marine aquarium salt, kosher salt, sea salt for mixes the water. The carbon dioxide content brevis “Sun Spot” in table use, Epsom salts, or specialty products such is very low and the oxygen content is very front of her cave, an as Seachem’s Cichlid Lake Salt. Suggested dosages high. There is a fairly high pH of about 8–9, empty “escargot” vary, but many recommend a teaspoonful of salt which should be considered in the care of snail shell. per 5 gallons (5ml/19 L). This salt should be shell dwellers. added only once, as it does not evaporate from The lake’s depth, too, has an effect on the aquarium. However, clean water added during water these shell dwellers: at depths between 20 and 80 feet changes should be dosed with salt at the same rate to (6–25 m), the water contains mineral salts, which prekeep up the mineral content. cipitate on rocks to form caves over time—a phenomenon Ultimately, each person must decide whether or not sometimes observed in the aquarium. to add minerals to a tank housing shell dwellers. You will Although Lake Tanganyika shell dwellers are considneed to know the natural hardness of your tap water, ered to be quite tolerant in terms of water quality, these but based on my own experiences I generally recommend fishes should not be kept in water that is too soft. The pH enhancing the mineral/salt content of the tank water for value should not fall below 7, and ideally it should stay Rift Lake species. between 8 and 9.

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TOP: H.-G. EVERS; BOTTOM: T. KAUS

Neolamprologus boulengeri is one of the species in which the females take care of the fry in snail shells. The males are much larger and do not even fit into the shell.

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Neolamprologus similis forms colonies; one or several males guard a whole harem and the many emerging fry.

Water temperature

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Although Lake Tanganyika is located near the equator, this does not mean that its water temperatures are the same all year ’round. Especially in the part of the lake that borders Zambia, the temperature varies consider-

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ably over the course of the year. During the months of July and August—the local winter—the water temperature drops to 75°F (24°C), while in February and March it increases to more than 81°F (27°C). Of course, these temperature fluctuations have an impact on the ecosystem and especially on the fishes. These conditions can be easily re-created in the aquarium by adjusting the water temperature higher in the summer months and making them fall a few degrees in the winter. Unfortunately, keeping temperatures consistent in our aquariums is still the rule, even though it adds unnecessary expense.

Possible combinations What other fish species may be maintained with shell dwellers in the aquarium? Among other things, that

Lamprologus meleagris are best kept in pairs, because the males fight each other quite aggressively.

ALL H.-G. EVERS EXCEPT MIDDLE RIGHT: T. KAUS

There is no debating one thing, however: these fishes must have empty snail shells to settle in and feel secure enough to spawn. In the wild they associate with the vacated shells of freshwater aquatic snails, Neothauma tanganyicense. Lacking these, we can substitute apple snail, turbo snail, or common “escargot” (Helix pomatia) shells, the latter available from seafood vendors. The usual rule of thumb is to supply at least two shells per shell dweller in the tank.

Manage Your Own Subscription It’s quick and user friendly Mid-water-swimming cichlids of the genera Cyprichromis and Paracyprichromis are well suited for socialization with shell dwellers. Shown is P. nigripinnis “Blue Neon.”

Small Telmatochromis species, like this T. brichardi, also like to choose shells for spawning.

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Sand cichlids such as Xenotilapia papilio “Tembwe” need open sandy areas, but are quite suitable as tankmates for shell dwellers in large aquariums.

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depends on the territoriality and food requirements of different genera. The volume and footprint of the aquarium play a major role. Especially the respective nutritional requirements of each species should be taken into account if you want different species to socialize and coexist. Thus, keeping Tropheus cichlids and shell dwellers in the same aquarium is not an ideal combination. This is not only because of their territoriality, but also due to their different dietary requirements. With other Africans such as featherfins, the subject of nutrition does not become simpler, because both groups feed on sediments and planktonic organisms. The combination of sanddwelling cichlids and shell dwellers is easier, as long as you can offer an appropriately large sandy area in the aquarium. In my opinion, aufwuchs eaters such as Tropheus, Petrochromis, Simochromis, and Eretmodini should be kept in species tanks so that you can address their specific nutritional requirements without causing other fishes to perish from malnutrition. These species are also quite aggressive, depending on how large the aquarium is. Clashes are simply part of the agenda. The combination of Cyprichromis with shell dwellers is possible, since Cyprichromis species mostly reside in the middle and upper regions of the aquarium and rarely venture to the bottom, except perhaps to look for food. Non-cichlid tankmates probably offer the safest option, especially fishes that tend to occupy the mid-to-

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upper levels of the water column: rainbowfishes, blueeyes, danios, and other shoaling types. Smaller plecos and Ancistrus, being well armored, can work, but Corydoras and delicate Otocinclus spp. may be harassed and killed. As for good shell-dweller species (often called “shellies”) for newcomers, the classics—and easiest to obtain—include “Multis” (Neolamprologus multifasciatus), “Occies” (Lamprologus occelatus), which also appear in a very attractive “Gold” form, and “Brevis” (Neolamprologus brevis), which is bred in a variety of color forms. To maintain different types of fishes successfully in an aquarium, and to get them to proliferate, it is important to make the habitat as optimal for all fishes as possible and to meet their nutritional requirements. Only then will they show their typical colors and give us the opportunity to observe their natural behaviors, including brood care. Shell dwellers only show their highly interesting social behaviors when they feel safe and are not stressed by other tankmates. Their reproduction and parental care represent real highlights for the aquarist. REFERENCES

Axelrod, H.R. and W.E. Burgess. 1976. African Cichlids of Lakes Malawi and Tanganyika, TFH Publications, Neptune City, NJ. Brichard, P. 1992. Tanganjika Cichliden, TFH Publications, Neptune City, NJ. Konings, A. 2005. Back to Nature: Guide to Tanganyika Cichlids, Revised & Expanded 2nd Edn, Cichlid Press.

Altolamprologus compressiceps “Sumbu Shell”—a nano-size species with a full repertoire of big-cichlid behaviors.

A Nano-Slice of

Lake Tanganyika by Sumer Tiwari • An aquarium can have

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many splendid lives, and sharp-eyed AMAZONAS readers may make the connection between this tank and my planted aquarium that was featured in the January/February 2014 issue. In that earlier incarnation, this small aquarium, a 17-gallon ADA 60P that housed beautiful, rare plants and endearing fishes, was a showpiece—healthy, clean, and well maintained. I took tremendous pride in that aquarium. When faced with a new job and five classes at grad school this year, I realized I couldn’t devote the time required to maintain my planted display. It pained me greatly to change, but ultimately I decided to redesign the aquarium so that it didn’t demand as much of my time. This was a chance for a new direction, but what would I put in this new, “easy” aquarium? I wanted something ists who had the species were not that was simple to keep, yet unique and rare. The author’s desktop 17-gallon (65-L) shell-dweller tank, decorated interested in selling their fish beEventually, in my web browsings, I with lace rock and strewn with empty cause they planned to breed them stumbled across shell-dwelling cichlids. They mollusk shells. in the future. were described as small, easy to care for, and After a month I found Jon perfect for small tanks. The most commonly Carman (www.riftfish.com), who agreed to sell me a available shell dweller is Neolamprologus multifasciatus, colony of six Sumbus. I bought them immediately, but I often simply called the “Multi.” This is also the world’s had a lot to do before they arrived. I began reading about smallest described species of cichlid. their habitat, behavior, and water parameters. Sumbus I continued to search for more rare fishes and found are shy by nature, so to make them more at ease I ordered Altolamprologus compressiceps “Sumbu Shell,” another Multis that to use as dither fish. shell dweller. I knew immediately that I wanted to keep To set up the tank I first needed rocks. I bought some them. The challenge of keeping rare fishes or plants “lace rocks” from a local aquarium store; these are readis—no surprise—where to get them. The very few aquar-

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ily available and are good for cichlids, as they have many holes and hiding places in them and display interesting patterns. For substrate I bought play sand from Home Depot. I had to wash it in running water for an hour to make it completely clean and free of debris. If you don’t want to spend this time, you can buy prewashed aquarium sand. In their natural habitat, shell dwellers live in the empty shells of Neothauma tanganyicense. You might find these shells for sale if you are lucky, but they will cost you a good sum of money. I settled for hermit crab shells from my local aquarium store. You can also get the shells from Petco or from a dollar store. Just be sure they are free of paint or shellac, which might contain harmful chemicals. My Ehiem 2215 filter was already cycled from my planted tank, but the substrate was new and had no bacteria of the type an aquarium needs. I bought a bottle of Seachem Stability (a product that you can use to innoculate your system with beneficial bacteria) and poured it on the play-sand substrate to kick-start the bacterial population and offer an added measure of safety.

Neolamprologus multifasciatus, commonly called Multis, are the smallest described cichlids.

Sumbus, like other Tanganyikan fishes, require high pH and high mineral content—a pH of 8.0 or greater, total dissolved solids (TDS) of around 400 ppm, and a temperature of 74–78°F (23–26°C). The tap water in my town is very soft (pH 6.8 and TDS 60). It’s very different from the water that Sumbus (and their Multi tankmates) need, so to increase the hardness I added crushed coral in my filter as media. I also bought Seachem’s Cichlid Lake Salt to increase the hardness and Tanganyika Buffer to increase the pH. For someone on a student budget, both of these products are expensive; if you have a huge tank,

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Altolamprologus compressiceps “Sumbu Shell” pair, male below, in a courtship dance.

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evan wright Please see website for rules and details.

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buying chemicals like this might be hard on your pocketbook, but buying enough for my 17-gallon aquarium is economical enough for me. One 2.2-pound (1-kg) jar lasts at least 8 or 10 months if I do a 30 percent water change every week. I add the salt and buffer during every water change to optimize the pH and TDS levels, but because my tank is so small it is susceptible to sudden changes in parameters, so I always check the pH, TDS, and water temperature before adding them. This should be done with all nano tanks. When my fishes arrived I acclimatized them for about eight hours using the drip method before introducing them to the tank. The seller told me that four out of six Sumbus are wild-caught, so the sunrise and sunset effect

from the light unit helps to imitate their natural habitat. In the beginning I did not know that Sumbus jump, and I lost one. From then on, I always kept the tank covered. This also keeps the evaporation at a minimum. Soon the Multis started breeding and became aggressively territorial; they started harassing the Sumbus. Three months later, the Sumbus relaxed and became bolder. At this point, I felt I no longer needed the dither fish, so I removed all the Multis from my tank. I feed the Sumbus NLS Thera A+, NLS Cichlid Formula, Spirulina flakes, and occasional treats of frozen bloodworms or adult brine shrimp. Altolamprologus species, unlike some other shell dwellers, typically take a long time to start breeding, so you have to be really patient with them. I am still waiting for mine to spawn. Watching these unusual little fish maneuvering in and out of their shells and stealing each other’s shells is a never-ending show. Beware: these fish have great personalities, and watching them can be addictive. Thinking nano or have an old tank that needs a new life? Shell dwellers may be just waiting to become your newest obsession.

Tank Specifications: Display Tank: ADA 60P Dimensions: 24 x 12 x 14 inches (60 x 30

x 36 cm) Volume: 17 gallons (65 L) Fishes: Neolamprologus multifasciatus and

Altolamprologus compressiceps “Sumbu Shell” Filtration: Eheim 2215 with ADA Bio Rio; crushed coral and ceramic rings as media Lighting: DIY LED unit with sunrisesunset controller Water Parameters: pH 8.02, TDS 404, Temperature 74°F (23.3°C) Maintenance/Feeding:

• 30% water change with substrate siphoning • Filter cleaning every two months • Feeding: New Life Spectrum (NLS) Thera A+ mixed with NLS Cichlid Formula every evening. Spirulina flakes twice a week. Occasional treats of frozen bloodworms and adult brine shrimp. Every two weeks they have a “diet day” when they don’t get anything to eat. ON THE INTERNET

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/ n_multifasciatus.php

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Come summer and fair weather, it’s time to get the broodstock outside

The Outdoor Aquarist by Rachel O’Leary • While I take great pleasure during the cold months in escaping to the

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There is nothing new about our human fascination with small fish ponds. Keeping ornamental fishes outdoors dates back some 4,500 years to the ancient Sumerians, and during the Roman Empire pond keepers were known as piscinarii. Garden ponds also go back millenia in China and Japan, but a current generation of outdoor fair-weather aquarists is moving beyond the stereotypical choices of goldfish and koi, both of which demand sizable bodies of water and provision for the overwintering of these long-lived fishes.

Choosing your aquatic inhabitants A wide variety of tropical species do extremely well spending the warm months in smaller containers

outdoors. These include, but are not limited to, barbs, livebearers, invertebrates, Danios, ricefishes, dwarf sunfishes (Elassoma species), and labyrinth fishes—bettas, gouramis, and others. I think the most versatile of all species to keep and breed in a container garden are the species classified as minnows. Once called the Poor Man’s Neons, the White Cloud Mountain Fishes Tanichthys albonubes and T. micagemmae (the Vietnamese White Cloud) develop exceptional colors in natural, outdoor conditions with green water (phytoplankton blooms) and the presence of nutritious insect larvae, and they spawn readily in a wide range of temperatures, tolerating down to about 40°F and up to about 90°F (4–32°C).

MARCUS CHRISTY

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Above: A black resin stock-watering tub made by Rubbermaid was buried and surrounded with pavers and river rocks in an established garden. Tubs like this one are widely available at farm and garden centers.

warmth of my fish room, settling into a favorite reclining easy chair, and watching all the action in my racks of aquariums, once spring hits I want to be outdoors in the sun and fresh air. But, not wanting to abandon the joys of fish watching and breeding, I’ve experimented with creating a micro tropical niche around our backyard decks, where I can stock a seasonal array of container ponds with aquatic plants and broodstock populations of aquarium fishes and nano invertebrates.

TOP: MARCUS CHRISTY; BOTTOM: RACHEL O’LEARY

Above: 150-gallon stock tub planted with water lilies, water lettuce, and pink lettuce, set up for spawning rainbowfishes. Left: Danio choprae (Glowlight Danios) are a wonderful choice for a breeding project in a container water garden.

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They scatter their eggs throughout the plants and the tiny fry, once hatched, hang right at the water’s surface, using the trailing roots of the floating plants as cover, where they avoid predation and feed on infusoria. I generally start with about 10 adults in my 70-gallon (265-L) planted water garden bins, and end up with 300 to 400 young fishes and fry of various sizes by the end of the season. Easy to keep and prolific, these flashy minnows are an excellent beginner’s choice for a small water garden. (As easy as they are to reproduce, the White Clouds are endangered in the wild, where their natural habitats are being lost due to pollution and development. The original populations of Tanichthys albonubes in China may actually be extinct.) Barbs are another attractive and rewarding group of fishes to breed outside, my favorite being Cherry Barbs (Puntius titteya). Other appropriate barbs include Odessa (P. padamya), Rosy (P. cochonus), and hardy Gold Barbs (P. sachsii), which have scales that glint in the sunlight. They are extremely active, often displaying courting behaviors, but they have a narrower temperature range than White Clouds—water temperature must be in the 60s F. I tend to stock these less densely, and make sure their container has a nice coverage of bottom plants where they can scatter their eggs. They are more prone to prey on their fry, but a fairly high yield will result if you provide dense surface and midwater plantings. I have kept outdoor barbs in smaller containers of about 20 gallons (76 L), and I generally start

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with a minimum breeding group of two males to four females. For the best results, allow plenty of space for population growth. Danios are grouped with the minnows and also do Brotia pagodula (the Pagoda Snail) can be challenging to feed when kept indoors, but thrives on the rich diet of soft very well outside. I have bred Danio margaritatus (Cealgae that grow on the sides of containers kept in the sun. lestial Pearl Danio) and D. choprae (Glowlight Danio) outside, but many other species, like Zebra or Longfin Leopard Danios, would be appropriate as well. These darios, native shiners, and wild swordtails (Xiphophofishes are extremely speedy and tend to prey on their rus) outdoors, as I think they would be particularly good young. I like to use lots of floating plants, such as water choices as well. I prefer to keep species-specific grouplettuce, in their bins. The adults lay their eggs in the ings in my bins, as getting a good breeding yield is my vegetation just below the water’s surface, which makes focus and it simplifies collection for retail purposes in it easy to move the eggs to a new container before the the summer and in the fall, when it is time to move the adults start feeding on the newly hatched fry. They will fishes indoors. If you are not concerned with breeding, breed in surprisingly small containers, but my preference you could create a mixed community grouping similar to is still to use more volume with these active fishes, as it what you would choose for an indoor aquarium, but take helps increase the yield of fry. Livebearers are always a popular choice for fish keepers, with my preference skewing towards small fishes like Endler’s Livebearers and C.A.R.E.S. species that need preservation, such as goodeids. Ameca splendens, the Butterfly Splitfin, is probably my favorite livebearer, and they will thrive in an outdoor container. The richness of their color sparkles in a bin, and they are very tolerant of cooler temperatures. While not a part of my own breeding program, swordtails, guppies, and platies would also be appropriate to breed outside. (A friend reports that swordtails are notorious for jumping out of container ponds, Shrimp of many types do well when placed in outdoor container while platies will settle in and produce flocks gardens. Yellow Shrimp, Neocaridina davidi var. Yellow, of colorful fry throughout the summer.) are a vibrant and versatile species, though care must be Dwarf or pygmy sunfishes (Elassoma taken to monitor for larval predators like the dragonfly and spp.) are interesting native North American damselfly. choices as well. These little fishes have a lot of

RACHEL O’LEARY

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Tanichthys albonubes (White Cloud Meteor Minnows) are one of the most versatile species for summering in garden ponds. They breed readily and gain exceptional color when kept outside from late spring through fall.

personality and there are several very beautiful color variants available. Despite their small stature, they can be challenging because they are aggressive, so a spacious, shallow, and heavily planted breeding container outside is an especially good choice for them. I have had limited success with tetras, but I plan to try some species again this year. I also hope to try

RACHEL O’LEARY

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care to populate lightly until you know Stock tubs are versatile and inexpensive. Here, three are plumbed together using flexible hose and two basic return pumps to increase the overall what fish load your pond’s oxygen levels volume. The topmost bin, filled with fast-growing plants like water lettuce and filtration will support. and water hyacinth, acts as a natural filter; emergent plants in the lower bins This year I will be breeding Celestichprovide both shade and cover for the fishes and their fry. thys/Danio margaritatus, Neocaridina davidi var. Yellow (Yellow Shrimp), Danio choprae (Glowlight Danio), Pseudomugil furcatus (Fork-Tailed Blue-Eye), and long-finned Tanichthys albonubes (Meteor Minnow). They will be housed in a range of containers from 30 to 70 gallons (114–265 L), and will rely heavily on plants for filtration. I really look forward to photographing the difference in color after a season outdoors, as well as collecting what I hope will be numerous fry! For small or shallow containers that have no circulating pump or surface disruption, labyrinth fishes are an ideal choice. Sparkling Gourami, Honey Gourami, Betta splendens, and Paradise typically 500 or more to be moved inside after the breedFish are all excellent choices; Paradise Fish are much ing season. The first time I attempted to keep shrimp more tolerant of cool temperatures than the others. This outside, I was unaware of the likelihood of predation. My year I plan to try some mouthbrooding bettas, like Betta breeding was going great by mid-August, and I had hunSimplex, outside. I will likely start with a harem of a few dreds of baby shrimp, but I didn’t notice all the damselfly males to several females and put them in at least 40 larvae, and when I brought the shrimp in at the end of gallons (150 L) of water. Single specimens for mosquito the season I had half the shrimp that I started with—defilarva control can be housed in very small containers of nitely a less than fruitful season and a big lesson! only a few gallons, though care must be taken to monitor the temperature of such small containers, especially if Planning a water feature they are placed in direct sunlight. A major part of my aquatic interest focuses on freshWhen you set up any outdoor garden container you are water invertebrates, though I have had mixed success establishing an aquatic ecosystem, and there are several keeping them outside. I have found that some of the liveimportant factors to consider before embarking on the bearing snails, like the common Japanese Trapdoor Snail adventure. (In-ground ponds are a different story—they (Viviparus malleattus) and the uncommon Pagoda Snail are more permanent and usually require more time and (Brotia pagodula), thrive outdoors, especially once their expense to create. Self-contained, movable container container has a good growth of algal film on its surfaces. ponds that range from tiny to hundreds of gallons allow Indoors, they tend to be sluggish and slow to reproduce, the aquarist to dip a toe into water gardening and outand sometimes difficult to feed. Moving them outside for door fish keeping with relative ease.) the temperate months is a great way to get their populaThe first consideration is climate. For my purposes in tions booming. southeast Pennsylvania, and for most of North America, Shrimp often do amazingly well in containers, but are aquatic gardening is a spring through fall hobby, and especially vulnerable to predation from pests like Hydra, plants and fishes must be overwintered indoors. I usually as well as the larvae of damselflies, dragonflies, and mayset up my bins in mid-May and move the fishes outdoors flies. Success with fancy shrimp is absolutely dependent once the daytime temperatures are consistently hitting on watching closely for the appearance of any of these about 70°F. I leave them outdoors to breed until the nymphs, and I usually use a circulation pump or powerend of September, or whenever the temperatures start to head to keep the water’s surface continually disturbed so consistently drop, occasionally leaving cool-water species it is less hospitable to the insect pests. I plant shrimp bins like minnows out an additional few weeks. Contrary to densely with submerged plants, mainly hornwort and what most think, the majority of tropical species can take mosses, and use fewer floating plants, which insects seem the shifts in temperatures that occur outside, though drato prefer. I also like to add pieces of driftwood to the matic cold or hot snaps can cause issues and may require container, as it gives the shrimp more grazing surfaces. I intervention. like to put out a larger number of shrimp than other liveThe volume of your container will also determine stock, usually 50–100 breeders. By September, there are what fishes and plants are suitable to house. Smaller

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volumes are more prone to getting overly warm in summer months and should be partially shaded. My preference is Local fish stores and garden centers offer a wide range 70-gallon (265-L) Rubbermaid stock of products, including bins, tubs, which can be purchased at feed and pre-formed ponds, colorful agricultural supply stores and garden planters, large clay pots, and centers; I find they keep the temperature tubs that can be used to make fairly stable and allow for a wide range of custom aquatic gardens. plant species. I also use pre-formed ponds in various sizes, as well as half barrels, decorative planters, and pretty much anything else that can hold water. Virtually any inert container can be used, but the larger the volume the more stable the water temperature and the more consistent the water parameters. I prefer to have as much surface area as possible for the space, in order to provide adequate gas exchange and oxygenation. When placing containers, experiment with proximity to walls and trees, but don’t forget about the possibility of predation from felines and birds. I tend to move my containers when changes are obviously needed, seeking that sweet spot in the yard or on the deck that is perfect color is good because it absorbs some warmth. Those in and gauging success by the growth of the plants. hotter regions may want to choose light-colored or reflecIf you plan to use heaters and/or water pumps, access tive bins to aid in heat exchange. to an outdoor power source is an obvious necessity. Many I use four main types of plants in my containers: water gardens end up along the edges and in the corners surface floaters, marginal plants, rooted floating plants of decks and patios, because of the ease of supplying walike lilies, and submerged rooted plants. Different plantter and electricity and the proximity to outdoor seating. ing materials are needed for their success. Pavers and flat rocks work well to create shelves within the tub to Gathering materials and plants maintain various plants at different depths. I pot the underwater plants in black plastic planters to make them My own workhorse, standby water gardens are 70-gallon less visible, and use organic clay soil, garden soil, and structural foam stock tubs. They are black, rigid containsmall pea gravel for the various pots and plantings. There ers that have a bulkhead drilled into the bottom, which are also many floating pots, buoyed by Styrofoam rings, makes it easy to drain them at the end of the season and available on the market; these are good for putting marallows me to connect multiple containers together for ginal plants in elevated bins. I do not use any fertilizers increased volume. Because my climate is cool, the dark

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RACHEL O’LEARY

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The author utilizes two black 70-gallon livestock tubs encased within a wooden wall, which also supports a 25-gallon ceramic pot and planters for kitchen herbs . Species to be bred outdoors in this particular group of containers are Pseudomugil furcatus (Fork-Tailed Rainbowfish), Meteor Minnow, and Yellow Shrimp.

Baskets lined with newspaper, then filled with a rich soil and capped with a heavy sand or gravel, are useful for planting emergent or marginal species like those pictured: Blue Pickerel Rush (Pontedena dilatata), Iris ensata, and Iris louisiana.

Leftover pavers and bricks can be stacked to provide different levels for planting in deep containers.

other than root tabs for underwater plants, as excess nutrients tend to trigger algae blooms that can lead to hypoxic (low-oxygen) conditions in the bottoms of the containers. I tend to stack plants in my bins. I make my choices based on what is available in my local garden centers and temperature-tolerant for my planting zone. I always label my plants well and draw up a placement plan for the containers before making final decisions. Marginals

Marginals can be planted in traditional plastic or ceramic pots. Plant one species per pot to prevent them from competing with each other. I like to put a few marginals along the sides; in my climate, good choices are Dwarf Papyrus (Cyperus papyrus), Arrowhead (Sagittaria spp.), Louisiana Iris (Iris spp.), and Pickerel Rush (Pontederia cordata). I fill the container half full with soil, place the plant, and cover the roots with soil. I then top it with pea gravel to hold the soil in place. I use pavers to elevate the pots so that only the plants’ roots are in the water and the crown is exposed to the air. These tall plants help provide shade for the pond and add dimension to the container. Often I also treat common culinary herbs (basil, parsley, and the like) as marginals, placing them along the edges in windowsill-type planters.

I use a lot of submerged plants, often transferring plants from my indoor aquariums outside but also utilizing species I find at local gardening centers, often with the misleading label “oxygenators.” Anacharis, hornworts, guppy grass (Najas spp.), mosses, and water milfoil (Myriophyl-

lum spp.) are great choices, and some will erupt out of the water to flower. These fast-growing underwater plants serve as an excellent vegetative filter that absorbs dissolved nutrient wastes and provides cover for young fishes, as well as grazing surfaces for invertebrates. They grow quite rapidly, so they need to be pruned often throughout the season. These, too, can be potted in clay soil with gravel on top so that I can move them around as needed to collect fishes. Many of them can also be allowed to float free, though this is less attractive and can look messy. Floaters

Floating plants are integral to breeding success in a container pond, and I like them to cover about half the surface of the water. They provide trailing roots that act as a spawning mop for fry and also allow the fry to hide from predators. Examples of floating plants are Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), Water Lettuce (Pistia stratiotes), Duckweed, and Fairy Moss. I also often use Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia) in floating containers, as it grows very quickly and extends long arms of dense plant down into the water; its delicate flowers grow on the surface. A tip for marginal and floating potted plants: line the pot or planter with newsprint before planting to prevent the soil from leaking into the pond. I prefer not to use substrate in the bottoms of my bins, as it makes it more difficult to collect fishes after breeding.

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RACHEL O’LEARY

Submersibles

Dwarf Banana Plant (Musa basjoo) and Queen Victoria Lobelia (Lobelia fulgens) will grow to provide height, visual interest, and color to one of the author’s bins. When mature, these plants get several feet tall and make a dramatic impact.

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Rooted floating plants are typically water lilies that have roots at the bottom of the pond and leaves that reach to the surface, providing shade and reducing algae. Most also produce really spectacular flowers. I use these in containers with a lot of surface area, as most species and varieties can get fairly sizable. Dead leaves and flowers should be pruned throughout the season to keep the plants from rotting in the containers. There are many types on the market, though I usually stick to the dwarf lilies, Nymphea spp. These should be placed out of direct current or the spray of fountain features. I generally use only one of these per small pond, as they can block light needed for the submerged plants.

Filtration and aeration Perhaps the most essential part of container breeding is adequate oxygen exchange. Containers with a bigger surface area allow for more exchange of gases, while small or narrow-topped tanks can become death traps. If planted adequately and when stocking small species, additional filtration is not always needed. I like to use a

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Invasive in some areas, Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) has beautiful purple blooms and spreads across the water’s surface, providing shade for the container. New fish fry can graze and find protection among its long, trailing roots. Do not release this plant into local waterways.

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circulating pump with a sponge pre-filter (to protect fry) in my stacked bins; this recirculates the water from the much deeper lower bins to the shallow top bins, where gravity takes over and brings it down again. This prevents any low-oxygen spots in a deep container by producing a splash or disruption at the water’s surface. You can also create a trickle or waterfall effect using this type of pump, which I think adds a nice auditory element in addition to assisting with oxygen content. Many different submersible water filters are available from aquarium shops. Many have space for a foam filter and activated carbon with a built-in pump. I like submersible pond pumps with some sort of pre-filter to collect debris. The filter and pre-filter foam must be rinsed

throughout the breeding season, as you notice flow being affected. In densely planted containers, this may be as frequently as once a week. While I generally leave water changes up to Mother Nature, if you are experiencing prolonged heat or dry spells, you may need to add water to the tubs. Conversely, if it is especially rainy, you may need to drain some of the water off. On my larger containers I have drilled an overflow opening, which is stuffed with pre-filter foam or a fine screen. This allows the overflow to drain but prevents the loss of fry and fishes. Many water gardeners use submerged aquarium heaters to protect their tropical plants during cold snaps and to extend the season at both ends. A small digital thermometer is a good investment—it lets you keep an eye on the water temperature so you can tell if your auxiliary heating is adequate.

Get out and let nature take over! One of the best parts of container breeding is that the maintenance of the critters is quite simple. Mother Nature provides nourishing sunlight, perfect daily rhythms of light and darkness, and fly-in live foods. Often, green water and insect larvae, as well as infusoria and other populations of microorganisms that explode as if by magic in ponds, provide all the food required. If a bin is not developing much algae or green water, you may need to supplement occasionally with typical fish foods, though this is the exception, not the rule. Fishes bred outside in natural sunlight tend to have much more vibrant coloration and healthier fins, and will grow and breed more readily than fishes kept in an aquarium. Rainfall and temperature shifts can also help induce spawning in the more difficult species. I really enjoy planting around my containers as well, often choosing plants that attract butterflies, bees, and orb-weaving garden spiders. The terrestrial plants that attract butterflies and bees often grow tall and can help to shade small container gardens that are susceptible to overheating. Inexpensive solar powered outdoor lights located along the edges of ponds will also attract night-flying insects and various amphibians. You may be surprised at the variety of living things that make their way into your artificial ponds. Aquatic container water gardening and outdoor fishkeeping add another dimension to the aquarium calendar, providing new challenges and experiences while bringing soothing water sounds and beautiful and inspirational tropical life forms to backyard gardens and decks. Rachel O’Leary lives with her two children and her husband near Mt. Wolf, Pennsylvania, where she operates Invertebrates by Msjinkzed, a source of hard-to-find nano fishes and invertebrates for freshwater aquarists.

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REPORTAGE

The color morphs from Sri Phang Gna on the Andaman Sea are particularly splendid.

The endlessly varied

Aplocheilus panchax

by Jörg Rückle and Jens Kühne • Known as the Blue Panchax, Aplocheilus panchax is an exceptional killifish, especially in terms of its geographical distribution. It occurs from the east of the Indian subcontinent to the islands of the Sunda archipelago, and even on the remote Andaman Islands. So it is not surprising that this fish was scientifically described way back in 1822 by Hamilton & Buchanan, who, for the sake of simplicity, put it into the genus Esox.

It is hard to believe that all the various A. panchax populations belong to one and the same species. This species played a significant role in the early days of the aquarium hobby, and numerous species and subspecies were described. Later, these were all relegated to synonyms. Specimens from Thailand were described by Klausewitz (1957) as a new subspecies. Roloff had found the species at various locations in Thailand. Fish from the area of Pattalung seemed very different, so he passed on

animals of this population to Klausewitz. Klausewitz recognized them as a different subspecies, which he described as Aplocheilus panchax dorsomarginatus. This description is based on different color characteristics of the fish (e.g., narrower red band on the anal fin). In 1964, Meinken described Aplocheilus panchax rubropunctatus from Thailand. The exact location was not known. A few years later, Scheel (1968) realized that many years before, Steindachner had used this species name for

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A. panchax from Ao Luk, in Krabi province, Thailand, Andaman Sea. These lovely fish live in irrigation ditches in rice paddies.

Right: Great numbers of Aplocheilus panchax can sometimes be found in shallow ponds, where the temperature can get as high as 97°F (36°C).

a different killifish, probably originating from Africa. Scheel therefore proposed to give the fish from Thailand the subspecies name Aplocheilus panchax siamensis; the animals were distinguished by different color characteristics (for example, red spots on the scales on the side of the body). These two subspecies are often considered to be valid in the literature, although some have taken issue with that (for example Wildekamp, 1981). The variability of the species within a single population is much too large to justify a subspecies status for individual population groups.

Aplocheilus panchax is omnipresent in many parts of the coastal plains of Thailand. The fish is often found in lowland waters in the area and is well known to Rice growing in Kelantan, habitat of the yellow color morph of A. panchax. the Thai people as Pla Hua Takua (“fish with the lead-colored spot on the head”). It is usually the first species you see as you approach a body of water in the area, because the shiny spot on top of the fish’s head is obvious as it swims near the surface looking for food. Because of this the species has been characterized as An A. panchax in its habitat. The white, leadcolored or silvery spot on the head is clearly a surface fish in the literature (Riehl & visible. Baensch 1997). However, if one observes them in the wild or in the aquarium over a longer period, it becomes apparent that these fish move freely through all water zones, so this species, at least, is not a pronounced surface dweller. The animals vary a lot, even locally. Very few male individuals have intense coloration; those that do are probably high-ranking alpha males. This phenomenon is known from different poeciliids and can also be observed in the aquarium. We saw a significant intensification of coloration among our F1 offspring compared to wild-caught specimens. In light of this, it is dangerous to establish there are often very colorful alpha males that could be subspecies based solely on external characteristics. It mistaken for a different species. seems that A. panchax is characterized by a vast plasticity In contrast, genetic studies of specimens from difwith respect to its phenotype, even within a more or less ferent parts of the range would likely bring big surprises. closed population. A similar phenomenon is known in We believe that A. panchax has only recently been able to many viviparous tooth carps—within a given population

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Habitats

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An A. panchax from one of the many karst springs in Ao Luk, Krabi province, Thailand. Specimens from this environment are particularly attractive.

colonize such a huge range due to its great ecological plasticity. Due to its relatively young evolutionary age, the species has not yet had enough time to split into clearly defined species. This would be an interesting starting point for genetic studies.

The art of adaptation

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62 miles (100 km) inland. Chawang, located on the western edge of the same mountain range, is 93 miles (150 km) from the west coast and 62 miles (100 km) from the east coast of the peninsula. To get here, the fish probably originated from the east coast and followed the river Tapi upstream into the interior.

Distribution and lineage Because close relatives such as Pachypanchax occur in Africa, it is interesting to speculate about how these killifish came to Asia. The answer probably has to do with continental drift. The landmass of India “docked” onto Asia about 80 million years ago, causing major geological events including the formation of the Himalayas, the highest mountains in the world. (Those mountains are still growing today.) Like a huge ship, India “sailed” toward the Asian mainland, taking along a number of fish groups—including the ancestors of the egg-laying tooth carps of the genera Pachypanchax and Aplocheilus. (Cichlids went along for the ride too, and still exist on Madagascar and in India.) The descendants of these fishes developed into the representatives of the genus Pachypanchax in Madagascar and the Seychelles. Five valid Aplocheilus species are currently present in India, including A. lineatus and A. blockii. Aplocheilus kirchmayeri

An A. panchax from the Thai island of Ko Tarutao in the Andaman Sea shows almost no yellow color. This blue and red color form grows very large.

J. KÜHNE

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The extremely wide distribution of A. panchax is undeniable. Thus, it is interesting to characterize the actual habitats. Particularly worth mentioning is that this species forms color populations, which are spatially distant. Aplocheilus panchax is the fish of the alluvial plains. It is found almost everywhere along the coasts of Southeast Asia. The species is particularly well adapted to saline conditions and can also tolerate brackish water. In some biotopes, we measured salinity values of 1.0060 (hydrometer). This corresponds to 0.4 ounce of salt in 1.06 quarts (11 g/L) of water. For comparison, there are 1.2 ounces (33 g) of salt in the same amount of seawater. Accordingly, A. panchax is also found on small coastal islands where no other freshwater species occur, such as the island of Ko Muk in the Andaman Sea, near the provincial capital of Trang. Aplocheilus panchax is certainly able to bridge short distances. Its occurrence on the Andaman Islands suggests that it may be able to cross even longer distances (Huber, 1996). Although A. panchax seems to prefer to live near the coast and in brackish water, the species can penetrate deep into the interior. In southern Thailand, the killifish is widespread in the interior, except in the mountains. South of the Khao Luang mountain range, A. panchax populations are found near the small town of Tung Song,

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An A. panchax from the province of Samut Songkram, southwest of Bangkok. These fish are the same color as those from Chanthaburi but have some interesting features, such as the black borders on the unpaired fins of the males and the median longitudinal stripe of the females (pictured here).

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and A. parvus are occasionally disputed. Only A. panchax has spread further southeast. Aplocheilus panchaxx is a comparatively young species. Its distribution took place along the Southeast Asian coastline, which formed after the last ice age. This happened pene pe ned d about 9,000 years ago, when the sea level reached

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An unusual color morph of A. panchax from Kelantan.

J. KÜHNE

This A. panchax comes from a brackish coastal marsh in Chanthaburi province, Thailand. These fish are rather modestly colored. The sides of the body have a bronze or golden glow that only shows under good light.

its present state. Many populations with color variations arose in the large distribution area. This is natural, because living conditions for A. panchax are indeed similar everywhere, but not identical. In Thailand, in our opinion, two different color populations have emerged that are easily distinguishable, as recognized by Roloff and Klausewitz (1957). There are the populations of the coastlines of the Bay of Bangkok and the northern Gulf of Thailand, from Pratchuap Kiri Khan district in the west to Chanthaburi district in the east. The populations occurring here seem rather colorless, but in some fish and in some types of light, their sides appear to be gold, green, or even orange. Some of the males in these populations show a broad orange margin on the anal fin. In general, these fish are smaller than their cousins from the south and get no bigger than 2.4 inches (6 cm). In addition, these fish seem to do better in brackish water. A second population group occurs on the Malay Peninsula. These fish are extremely colorful, with many blue, red, and yellow areas on the body and dorsal fin. Especially along the Andaman Sea, on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula, there are extremely colorful populations with a lot of red on the body. The orange band on the anal fin is prominent too, but is not as wide. In some populations, such as those from a lake in the Thale Ban National Park in the district of Satun, individuals can get up to 4 inches (10 cm) long. long color In the south, there are bluish, yellowish, or reddish col morphs that are often difficult to distinguish because tthe color is dependent on the mood of the fish. We found another distinguishable population in caudal Kelantan, Malaysia. The base color is yellow. The cauda

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Aplocheilus panchax lives in rice paddies on Sulawesi. This form is rather plain.

fin is rounded and trimmed with a black border. The first generation of offspring of these fish has the same pattern. Jörg Rückle observed clear differences among the offspring of fish he brought back from southern Thailand. Typical of killifishes, the offspring split into yellowish and bluish morphs. An examination of many specimens in their natural habitat revealed the same phenomenon. These differences are mainly observed on the colored tail fin edges, which are either yellow or blue; blue is more common. The A. panchax morphs from Kelantan have a yellow color that is very different from that of the other yellow color morphs from the Malay Peninsula.

Addendum

H.-G. EVERS

Aplocheilus panchax from Timika in southern New Guinea, Indonesia’s West Papua province.

Do we know everything there is to know about A. panchax? Superficially, yes, but closer inspection in the field suggests that there is always something new to discover. The exceptional population from Kelantan confirms this, and more surprises should be expected. Not even the Thai people know about the lovely populations of

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You can take it with you.

The bluish color form from Khao Sok during spawning.

this fish in the south of their country—a fact confirmed by a Bangkok shop owner’s order for 100 pairs of Pla Hua Takua “Panggna.” The distribution of A. panchax still has not been completely discovered. It is well understood on the mainland of Southeast Asia, but there are large gaps in the Indo-Pacific islands. For example, the species is omnipresent on Bali and Sulawesi, and it has even been found in Timika in southern New Guinea (Hans-Georg Evers, pers. comm.), but on Sabah we found no A. panchax, and it also seems to be absent from Sarawak (Michael Lo, pers. comm.). Man certainly has played a significant role in the spread of this species in Southeast Asia. Rice is cultivated all over the country, and one can easily imagine that killi eggs are spread to new potential habitats on the roots of seedlings and establish new populations. Further discoveries of A. panchax, especially in parts of Myanmar, could provide valuable information about this species. And the distribution in the Sunda archipelago, which is characterized by large gaps, requires further investigation. The occurrence on some islands might be explained by anthropogenic influences, but more research is needed. REFERENCES

Huber, J.H., 1996. Killi-Data 1996. Updated checklist of taxonomic names, collecting localities and bibliographic references of oviparous Cyprinodont fishes (Atherinomorpha, Pisces). Société Française d’Ichtyologie, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France. Klausewitz, W. 1957. Neue Süßwasserfische aus Thailand. Senckenb Biol 38: 193–203. Meinken, H.L. 1964. Aplocheilus panchax rubropunctatus subspec. nov.—eine hübsche indische Cyprinodontiden-Neuheit. D Aqu Terr Z (DATZ) 17 (5): 140–43. Riehl, R. and H.A. Baensch. 1997. Aquarien Atlas, Vol. 1, 11th edn, Mergus Verlag, Melle, Germany. Scheel, J.J. 1968. Rivulins of the Old World. TFH Publications, Neptune City, NJ. Wildekamp, R. 1981. Prachtkärpflinge. Kerner Verlag, Stuttgart, Germany.

Free with your paid print subscription or as Apps for just $14.99 per year. Learn more and view a FREE sample!

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TOP: J. KÜHNE; BOTTOM: J. RÜCKLE

Aplocheilus panchax from Calcutta is very similar to the population of Kelantan.

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83

REPORTAGE

Corydoras from Bolivia article & images by Daniel Konn-Vetterlein • Bolivia is one of Earth’s diversity hotspots. The

AMAZONAS

Iténez region is probably the best place to find Corydoras species, but the rest of the country is definitely worth visiting too. In certain areas you can find wonderful biotopes and see many different species—enough to make any intrepid Cory hunter happy.

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The members of the Corydoras aeneus complex are found literally everywhere in the warm waters of this country. While the true C. aeneus comes from the island of Trinidad, numerous similar species occur throughout the tropical and subtropical parts of South America. Some of them sport yellowish-orange ventral fins and are very attractive. I found two of these forms in a flood zone near the tropical city of Trinidad, Bolivia, and in the Río San Miguelito near Portachuelo. One of them is gold-tinted all over its body and has yellow ventral fins and a golden operculum—truly a nice catfish! My first breeding experiments with this form have produced eggs, but no young catfish yet. The other form resembles the fishes that we see every day in the trade as Bronze Corys—they are bluish silver with a silvery operculum. Every now and then, species from the C. aeneus complex are imported from other countries, but the Bolivian species are rare and difficult to obtain. I found two other C. aeneus forms in a broad, weakflowing brook near the village of Buena Vista. They could be easily distinguished based on their shapes and spot pat-

terns. The coexistence of multiple similar species can be observed in many areas and habitats, usually two to three species that are slightly different but have very similar patterns. In some particularly species-rich areas, I could not help but think of the catfish genus Ancistrus, which is also highly variable and widespread. I was told that many of the Bolivian Corydoras will probably be described in the near future. I am very curious to see how science will deal with all these forms and how closely they are related. One species that I could not place exactly comes from the Río Piraí, upstream of Santa Cruz. This catfish most likely also belongs to the C. aeneus complex, although the body is dark blue and only the flanks show a slight shimmer. In fright coloration they are just gray mice, but in a dimly lit tank or when they feel comfortable, these fish show a beautiful dark color. The largest animals I saw measured about 2.8 inches (70 mm).

Corydoras bilineatus I had already found many of the species that I caught on this trip back in 2006, so I knew where to look for

Above: Corydoras cf. aeneus from the Río San Miguelito.

them. One of these was C. bilineatus, an attractive species from the Río Mamoré drainage. Along the body there are two light lateral stripes framed in black. The upper part of the dorsal fin and the adipose are black. Some male specimens have extended dorsals, which makes them all the more attractive. Depending on the hardness of the water, the contrast between the two lines varies; the softer the water, the stronger the contrast. The females of C. bilineatus are less contrasty and show only dark colors in the dorsal fin; their base color is browner and lighter than that of the males. It is striking that there seem to be more males than females. I caught C. bilineatus at two locations, and at both sites the gender distribution was about 7:3 in favor of the males.

Corydoras latus If you hope to find rare fishes, landlocked Bolivia is definitely the place to look for them. In the Río Ibare in the Department of Beni, two species rarely seen in the trade are sympatric. One of these is C. latus, a species that is almost never offered for sale. Most of the animals

This form of Corydoras cf. aeneus is built a bit heavier. The body has a beautiful metallic luster; the pelvic fins are yellow-orange.

sold as C. latus are C. pantanalensis. Corydoras latus is a larger species; the largest specimens that I caught measured about 2.4 inches (6 cm) and were a shiny metallic green. The body was deep and reminded me of a Brochis. I caught some specimens that had weak vertical stripes in the caudal. These animals were, unfortunately, very rare. Immediately after capture they showed a superb luster, which can be observed in many soft-water species. In the same area, you might get lucky and catch Brochis sp. CW034. The whole head is finely spotted and has a metallic shimmer. From a helpful fisherman I learned that Brochis sp. CW034 lives mainly at the confluence of small tributaries. When I asked him about these catfish (pezecito con espinas—small spiky fishes), one of his sons was assigned to ready the canoe to take us to the next tributary, where we actually found the Brochis. In return, we helped him fix his boat’s engine with a few of our cable ties. We both got what we wanted, and once again I proved that one should never travel anywhere without cable ties. There is also a long-snout species similar to Brochis sp. CW035, which I could not find in the Río

AMAZONAS

T. BENNEKER; BOTTOM THIS PAGE: F. WANG

The Río San an Miguelito is a habitat forr two quite similar species from om the Corydoras aeneus complex. mplex.

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The little-known Corydoras latus and Brochis sp. CW034 live in the Río Ibare in the Department of Beni. The water level is very low during the dry season.

Ibare. However, five years earlier I caught them a little further south in a tributary of the Río Palacios.

Corydoras cruziensis Inevitably linked to the Department of Santa Cruz is C. cruziensis, which was named after its origin. It is small, very pretty, and easy to care for, and is present at least in small quantities in the aquarium hobby. The population densities vary greatly from place to place. Sometimes you catch masses of these small fish, and sometimes you have to look far to collect just a few. Corydoras cruziensis prefer to linger in large groups near the shore under floating meadows. There, they feel so well protected that you can

Hunting for catfishes in a small tributary of the Río Ibare.

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approach and observe them from the riverbank. The largest swarm I saw comprised perhaps 150 specimens. Nine years before its description by Knaack in 2002, the species also received a C-number (C012). Because of irregular imports, it was never widespread in the hobby. Like so many species from the subtropics, C. cruziensis tolerates wide temperature fluctuations. In the winter, the water temperature sometimes drops to 64°F (18°C), and in summer it goes up to about 82°F (28°C).

Corydoras negro Corydoras negro was described in 2004 by Knaack. In my opinion, it is one of the finest armored catfishes from Bolivia. In the description, Knaack made reference to “residual water pools” as a habitat, and I can confirm this. The first time I found C. negro was in a tiny pond along the road from Santa Cruz to Montero. The water was slightly tea-colored, and you could almost see to the bottom, where the armored catfish huddled on a thick layer of leaves together with Apistogramma viejita. Occasionally, they jumped over to the next leaf. There are shortsnouted and long-snouted forms that occur syntopically and form swarms. However, the short-snouted types are outnumbered. The name refers to the Bolivian Río Negro near Urubicha, not to the well-known Brazilian

Male Corydoras bilineatus. Corydoras cf. aeneus from Buena Vista.

Corydoras latus, rarely seen in pictures.

Female Corydoras bilineatus are chubbier and show less contrast than males.

Corydoras negro: a handsome Bolivian find. Corydoras sp. from the Río Piraí is probably closely related to C. aeneus. The fish becomes very dark when free of stress.

Likely undescribed, this fish is also from the Río Piraí and part of the Corydoras elegans group from the Upper Amazon Basin of Brazil.

The pretty Corydoras cruziensis is imported commercially; enthusiasts love its attractive pattern of spots.

REFERENCES

Knaack, J. 2002. Ein weiterer neuer Panzerwels aus Bolivien: Corydoras cruziensis n. sp. (Pisces, Siluriformes, Callichthyidae). VDA-aktuell 2002 (no. 3): 60–69. ———. 2004. Beschreibung von sechs neuen Arten der Gattung Corydoras La Cépède, 1803 (Teleostei: Siluriformes: Callichthyidae). Zool Abhand Staat Mus Tierkunde Dresden 54: 55–105.

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stream much further north. Reaching about 3 inches (7–8 cm), the species is sexually mature at an early age. Breeding appears to be very easy, according to previous reports, and it is desirable to maintain such species in the hobby. Unlike many catfish species from other countries, Bolivian fishes come in only sporadically; when they do, it means one thing: Ready, Set, Breed!

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AQ UA R I U M

CALENDAR compiled by Matt Pedersen and Ray Lucas

JULY

OCTOBER

10–13

2014 ACA Convention American Cichlid Association Louisville, KY www.cichlid.org

4

Columbus Area Fish Enthusiasts (CAFÉ) Fall Auction Columbus, OH www.columbusfishclub.org

19

Champaign Area Fish Exchange Summer Auction Urbana, IL www.champaignfish.com

4

Hamilton & District Aquarium Society Fall Auction Waterdown, Ontario, Canada www.hdas.ca

19–20

South Jersey Guppy Group IFGA Show http://guppysa2z.com/clubs/sjgg/ guppy.htm

11–12

Speakers & Auction Weekend Southwestern Michigan Aquarium Society (SWMAS) Kalamazoo, MI www.swmas.org

12

Allegheny River Valley Aquarium Society Auction Olean, NY www.orgsites.com/ny/arvas

16–19

Catfish Convention 2014 Potomac Valley Aquarium Society Herndon, VA www.catfishcon.com

24–26

Federation of Texas Aquarium Societies (FOTAS) Annual Convention San Antonio, TX

24–26

International Fancy Guppy Association (IFGA) Annual Show & Awards Chicago, IL www.guppychicago.org

AUGUST 1–3

East Coast Monster Fish Konvention 2014 | K2 Parsippany, NJ www.eastcoastmonsterfish.com

SEPTEMBER 13

Sarnia Aquarium Society Fall Auction www.sarniaaquariumsociety.com

20

Northeast Ohio Fish Club Auction Valley View, OH www.neo-fish.com

20–21

Tropical Magic 2014 – Michiana Aquarium Society Elkhart, IN www.michianaaquariumsociety.org

28

Tropical Fish Club of Erie County Fall Auction West Seneca, NY www.tropical-fish-club-of-erie-county.com

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For a more complete listing of upcoming events, visit www.reef2rainforest.com/events. To submit your event, contact:

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Matt Pedersen: matt.pedersen@reef2rainforest.com Ray Lucas: kingfish51@verizon.net

NOVEMBER 7–10

Aquatic Experience – Chicago 2014 Schaumburg, IL www.aquaticexperience.org

20–23

Ohio Cichlid Association Extravaganza Strongsville, OH www.ohiocichlid.com

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Ultra Slim Blue/White Series Cool running Energy-efficient LED aquarium light fixture provides excellent general-purpose lighting for freshwater or marine aquarium. High output (14000K) or Standard (6500K) LED’s deliver full spectrum and light intensity capable of supporting Marine life. Lighting features three-mode ON/OFF switch (Daytime, Lunar and OFF positions) so you can manually transition from daylight to lunar light conditions with ease. Sizes from 12” up to 78”.

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Cool running Energy-efficient LED aquarium light fixture provides excellent general-purpose lighting for freshwater and planted aquariums. 6500K LED’s deliver full spectrum and light intensity capable of underwater plant growth. Lighting features three-mode ON/OFF switch (Daytime, Red Spectrum and OFF positions) so you can manually transition from daylight to red spectrum light conditions with ease. Sizes from 18” up to 42”.

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Sources

Look for AMAZONAS Magazine in these outstanding local aquarium shops. UNITED STATES

Arizona Aqua Touch 12040 North 32nd St Phoenix, AZ 602-765-9058 www.aquatouch.com

Arizona Nature Aquatics 3025 North Campbell Ave Tucson, AZ 520-321-9000 www.arizonanatureaquatics.com

The Pet Shop 2235 S Power Rd Ste 107 Mesa, AZ 480-807-7840 www.thepetshopaz.com

Arkansas Northside Aquatics 7610 Counts Massie Rd Ste A Maumelle, AR 501-803-3434 www.nsaquatics.com

Worlds Under Water 2105B Creekview Fayetteville, AR 479-521-7258

California All Seas Marine, Inc (Distribution Only) 1205 Knox St Torrance, CA 310-532-7769 www.allseaslax.com

Nature 4019 Orange Ave Cypress, CA 714-858-0851 www.livewithnature.net

Ocean Aquarium 120 Cedar St San Francisco, CA 415-771-3206 www.oceanaquarium.blogspot.com

White’s Pets 5212 North Blackstone Fresno, CA 559-438-4343 www.whitiespets.com

Colorado Animal Attraction Pet Store 2518 11th Ave Greeley, CO 970-353-3400 www.monsterreef.com

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Hawaii

Maryland

Aquascapes

House of Tropicals

Connecticut

1150 N. Nimitz Hwy, Unit 1 Honolulu, HI 808-487-0077 www.aquascapes808.com

Global Fish & Pets

Kalihi Pet Center

7389F Baltimore Annapolis Blvd Glen Burnie, MD 410-761-1113 www.houseoftropicals.net

Neptune’s Tropical Fish 1970 E County Line Rd Unit A Highlands Ranch, CO 303-798-1776 www.neptunestropical.com

1522 Whalley Ave. New Haven, CT 203-503-7157

House of Fins 99 Bruce Park Ave Greenwich, CT 203-661-8131 www.houseoffins.com

Florida Barrier Reef 1921 NW Boca Raton Blvd Boca Raton, FL 561-368-1970 www.barrierreefaquariums.com

Father Fish Aquarium 536 E Venice Ave Venice, FL 941-266-9998 www.fatherfish.net

Fishy Business 140 S Ronald Reagan Blvd Longwood, FL 407-331-4882 www.fishybusinessaquarium.com

The Planted Aquarium Store 3230 NE 12th Ave Oakland Park, FL 954-990-8871 www.theplantedaquariumstore.com

Sea Life Aquarium & Service 174 Semoran Commerce Pl Apopka, FL 407-889-9887

Georgia Aquarium Outfitters 175 Old Epps Bridge Rd Athens, GA 706-546-1337 www.aquarium-outfitters.com

Creation Pet 8265 Hwy 92 Woodstock. GA 770-364-2240 www.creationpet.com

1199 Dillingham Blvd Ste C-101 Honolulu, HI 808-841-5234 www.kalihipets.com

Massachusetts South Coast Scientific

Idaho

109 McArthur Rd Swansea, MA 508-678-8306 www.socoscientific.com

Fish, Aquariums & Stuff

Michigan

6112 West Fairview Ave Boise, ID 208-377-1119 www.fishaquariumsandstuff.net

Blue Fish Aquarium

Illinois

2939 Wilson Ave SW Ste 109 Grandville, MI 616-667-2424 www.bluefishaquarium.com

Fish Planet

Funky Fish & Friends

839 Waukegan Rd Deerfield, IL 847-945-4700 www.thefishplanet.com

128 West Main Street Gaylord, MI 49735 989-732-1232 www.gaylordfunkyfish.com

Old Town Aquarium

Moby Dick Pet Store

1538 N Wells Street Chicago, IL 312-642-8763 www.oldtownaquarium.com

3700 Sashabaw Rd Waterford, MI 248-673-2520 www.mobydickpets.com

Sailfin Pet Shop

MVPets

720 S Neil St Champaign, IL 217-352-1121 www.sailfin.com

7429 S Westnedge Ave Portage, MI 269-492-7387 www.mvpets.net

The Pet Shoppe

Preuss Pets

1700 Rudy Av Mattoon, IL 217-234-7387

Indiana Inland Aquatics 10 Ohio St Terre Haute, IN 812-232-9000 www.inlandaquatics.com

Iowa Aquatic Environments 730 E Kimberly Rd Davenport, IA 563-445-3687 www.aquaticenvironment.com

Maine Easy Aquariums 17A Gorham Industrial Pkwy Gorham, ME 207-272-5212 www.easy-aquariums.com

1127 N Cedar St Lansing, MI 517-339-1762 www.preusspets.com

Minnesota Tropiquatics 2519 7th Ave E Saint Paul, MN 651-330-1635 www.tropiquatics.com

New Hampshire Laconia Pet Center 1343 Union Ave Laconia, NH 603-524-8311 www.laconiapetcenter.com

New Jersey Adam’s Pet Safari 19 W Main St Chester, NJ 908-879-8998 www.adamspetsafari.com

Aquarium Center 1295 Blackwood Clementon Rd Clementon, NJ 856-627-6262 www.aquariumcenter.biz

Aquaridise 415 Rt 18, Ste 8 E Brunswick, NJ 732-967-9700

New York Eddie’s Aquarium Centre

Fish Gallery Houston 2909 Fountain View Dr Houston, TX 713-523-3474 www.thefishgallery.com

Reef Valley 920 N 10th St Ste 40 Mcallen, TX 956-330-6155 www.reefvalley.com

Vermont Pet Advantage 350 Dorset St South Burlington, VT 802-860-1714 www.thepetadvantage.com

Virginia

1254 New Loudon Rd Rt 9 Cohoes, NY 518-783-3474 www.eddiesaqua.com

Pet & Aquatic Warehouse

Markheim Tropical Fish & Pets

Skoolz of Fish

3311 Sheridan Dr Amherst, NY 716-832-2004 www.markheim.com

The Fish Place 141 Robinson St North Tonawanda, NY 716-693-4411

2408 Wards Rd Lynchburg, VA 434-239-6787 1503 Chamberlayne Ave Richmond, VA 804-496-1481 www.skoolzoffish.com

Washington Finatics Tropical Fish

North Carolina

203 N Huntington St Ste A Kennewick, WA 509-737-9777 www.finaticstropicalfish.com

Blue Ridge Reef & Pet

Wisconsin

103 WNC Shopping Ctr Dr Black Mountain, NC 828-669-0032 www.blueridgereef.com

Sunset Tropical Guppies

Odd By Nature, Inc 105B Trade St Greenville, NC 252-751-0263 oddbynatureinc.com

Ohio CNW Aquatics 6450 Township Rd 21 Marengo, OH 567-876-8663 www.cnwaquatics.com

Oregon The Nautilus Tropical Fish 727 Main St Springfield, OR 541-344-3474

Pennsylvania Oddball Pets & Aquarium 262 Joseph St Pittsburgh, PA 412-884-2333 www.oddballpets.com

Austin Aqua-Dome 1604 Fortview Rd Austin, TX 512-442-1400 www.austinaquadome.com

Abacus Aquatics 168 Halfway St Sidcup-Kent 020-8302-8000 www.abacus-aquatics.co.uk

Ferrybridge Aquatics 11-13 High Street Ferrybridge West Yorkshire 01977 678016 www.ferrybridge-aquatics.co.uk M A LTA

NETHERLANDS

Achilles Aquatics

(formerly Stunning Corals) Industrieweg 11G 3738JW Maartensdijk 31-615699743 www.achillesaquatics.nl SWEDEN

OJZOO Stormgatan 5 26138 Landskrona 0046-418-402831 www.ojzoo.se

Blue Reefs 82 Triq Guzeppi Mattew Callus Mosta, MST 4105 003-562-762-7463 www.bluereefsmalta.com

Sell To sell AMAZONAS in your store, contact us today: Email: sales@rvmags.com CALL (800) 381-1288 FAX (630) 353-2692

4864 County Rd C Auburndale, WI 715-254-4929 www.sunsettropicalguppies.com CANADA

Big Al’s Aquarium Supercentres 3511 99th St Edmonton, AB 780-435-3474 www.bigalscanada.com

The aFISHionados 825 Erin St Unit 3 Winnipeg, MB 204-295-5375 www.cichlaholic.com AUSTRALIA

Aqua Blue Distribution

(Distribution Only) 22 Union Circuit Yatala Qld 4207 07-3806-4255 www.aquabluedistribution.com.au CHINA

Aquababie #14-1404, Li Yang Street Guangzhou 86-138-2226-0920

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Texas

GREAT BRITAIN

91

SP EC IE S

SNAPSHOTS

➊ C R E N I C I C H L A S P. “ATA B A P O F I R E ” ➋ G Y M NO G E O P H AG U S C A AG UA Z U E N S I S ➌ S T E N O G O B I U S O P H T H A L M O P O R U S ➍ S T E A T O C R A N U S S P. “ R E D E Y E ” ➎ P U F F E R F I S H

Juvenile pike cichlid Crenicichla sp. “Atabapo Fire”

AMAZONAS

1|

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Several very attractive pike cichlids of the genus Crenicichla were imported recently from the Río Atabapo in Colombia. There are supposedly no fewer than five different species of the Crenicichla lugubris group in this blackwater river on the border between Colombia and Venezuela, many of which show red colors. The Aqua-global company recently imported an undescribed species traded as “Atabapo Fire” that can be classified in this group. Characteristics of this pretty species include four or five vertical black lines that extend upward from the wide median band in adolescence. Juvenile animals often show a reddish base color. Older animals only retain a large black blotch behind the gill cover and a row of black spots on the caudal peduncle. In between, the animals often exhibit several diffuse dark spots. The

adults usually have additional red dots on the caudal peduncle. The pike cichlids of the Crenicichla lugubris group reach a length of 16 inches (40 cm) and are thus suitable only for large aquariums. When keeping these pretty pike cichlids, it is important to offer them a varied diet that is not too fatty; otherwise, they quickly become obese. —Ingo Seidel

Gymnogeophagus caaguazuensis

2|

The representatives of the genus Gymnogeophagus are no less colorful than their better-known eartheater cousins of the genus Geophagus. However, they are particularly common in the subtropical areas of South America and therefore have significantly different temperature requirements. They are ideal for keeping in an unheated aquarium, and many species

I. SEIDEL

Crenicichla sp. “Atabapo Fire”

Male Gymnogeophagus caaguazuensis from Paraguay

can even be maintained in a garden pond during the summer months. The best-known and most commonly imported species is the Paraguay Eartheater (Gymnogeophagus balzanii), which is even commercially bred in Southeast Asia. Other species are rarely found in shops, but Aqua-global, a company in Werneuchen, Germany, is now importing a rare Gymnogeophagus from Paraguay. With a maximum length of just 4 inches (10 cm), G. caaguazuensis is one of the smallest species in the genus. This attractive species was described in 2006 by Wolfgang Staeck. The species originates from weakly alkaline water and is easy to maintain in tap water at 64–77°F (18– 25°C). Despite its small size, this species should not be maintained in a small aquarium. It is an unusually territorial fish for this genus. Especially when they are kept too warm, the males can become quite aggres-

sive. The males are significantly larger and more colorful than the females and develop the typical frontal hump, which is comparatively small for the genus. Breeding these beautiful cichlids is quite simple, and I was even able to watch them reproduce in our wholesale aquarium. The female spawns on a stone, guards the nest, and likes to hide it by covering it with fine sand. Just before the hatch, she takes the eggs up into her mouth to care for them. —Ingo Seidel

Stenogobius ophthalmoporus

3|

Every now and then, relatively unknown gobies find their way into the aquarium hobby. The genus Stenogobius was revised in 1991 by Watson, who described 13 new species at the same time. According to

AMAZONAS

TOP: I. SEIDEL; BOTTOM: A. WAGNITZ

The large, robust Asian goby Stenogobius ophthalmoporus is seldom imported.

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the determination key in the paper, the shape of the first dorsal fin is a key differentiator for S. ophthalmoporus. The genus Stenogobius is widespread throughout almost the entire Indo-Pacific area, from the east coast of Africa to Oceania; only in tropical northern Australia is it completely absent. It inhabits both the nutrient-rich estuaries of the rivers and the rivers themselves. There are other species with very localized distributions, mainly in New Guinea. Stenogobius ophthalmoporus has an amphidromous larval stage. The fish larvae drift down rivers into the sea, where they feed on marine plankton and grow into juvenile fish, and, like many

for broodcare. Striking features include the black spot below the eyes, the big fins, and the robust body. The males reach more than 8 inches (20 cm) in length and are larger than the females, which can reach about 4.8 inches (12 cm). —Andreas Wagnitz REFERENCES

Watson, R.E. 1991. A provisional review of the genus Stenogobius with descriptions of a new subgenus and thirteen new species (Pisces: Teleostei: Gobiidae). Rec West Aust Mus 15 (3): 627–710.

A Congo River buffalohead cichlid,

94

other gobies, fan out across a wide area before the young fish return to the fresh water. Coastal rivers in Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and Sulawesi are described as localities for this species. The fish we present here originate from a new locality—the Sungai Sungguer on the eastern outskirts of Teminabuan, in the southwest of the Vogelkop Peninsula, a 5-hour drive from Sorong. Stenogobius ophthalmoporus is initially quite shy. Socialization with rainbowfishes or other pelagic fishes offers the animals safety. They are completely peaceful toward other fishes and conspecifics; sometimes there is intraspecific friction during the mating season. Food is mostly foraged at ground level. Stenogobius ophthalmoporus has a subterminal, or inferior, mouth, which makes it a poor hunter in open water, but they expertly capture and greedily devour prey that stay close to the ground, like amphipods. These fish—at least the males—dig large caves under rocks and use them as hiding and resting places, and probably also

Steatocranus sp. “Redeye”

4|

The buffaloheads of the genus Steatocranus are well known to most aquarists because of the way they look. Many people have maintained these interesting cichlids. The classic Steatocranus casuarius exhibits less intraspecific aggression than other, occasionally imported members of the genus. Steatocranus sp. “Redeye,” which comes from the Congo River, is characterized by bright red eyes. When the fish feel well, their eyes positively glow. The males get about 3.6 inches (9 cm) long and the females 2.8 inches (7 cm). To avoid intraspecific aggression, it is best to house a group of six to eight specimens in an aquarium with a large footprint. The tank should offer plenty of options for threatened animals to retreat under tree roots and into caves. This approach makes it most likely that a harmonious pair will form and take care of offspring. Steatocranus are rheophilic (currentloving) fishes. A cleverly decorated flow tank certainly

M. HAKÅNSON

AMAZONAS

Steatocranus sp. “Redeye”

Tetraodon schoutedeni

offers the best opportunity to observe Steatocranus sp. “Redeye” in all its splendor. —Ingo Seidel REFERENCE

Lamboj, A. 2004. Die Cichliden des westlichen Afrikas, Birgit Schmettkamp Verlag, Bornheim, Germany.

Dubois' Freshwater Puffer

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After a long dearth, it is once again possible to import two rare pufferfish species from the Congo. Tetraodon duboisi gets about 8 inches (20 cm) long; on the aggressiveness scale it lies between Tetraodon mbu and T. miurus. The animals can be kept together with T. mbu and other fast fishes from the Congo. Distichodus, Synodontis, and various cichlids are suitable as tankmates, but T. duboisi might view

smaller fishes and those that stay near the bottom as prey. Of course, this puffer loves to feed on mussels and snails, but may also ambush smaller fishes. Even rarer is T. schoutedeni. This species has not been exported since the 1980s and was considered by many to be lost. Now, for the first time, 12 specimens of this small, very pretty species have arrived in Canada. The animals seem fully grown at under 4 inches (10 cm) and could well be the smallest pufferfishes in Africa. Tetraodon schoutedeni are not very aggressive toward conspecifics and can be kept as a group in a 6-foot (2-m) tank. This species loves to feed on mussels and snails, but also accepts live and frozen bloodworms, shrimps, and small fishes. —Oliver Lucanus ON THE INTERNET:

Short video of pufferfish: www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbqQ_b1SD1M

Dubois' Freshwater Puffer,

AMAZONAS

O. LUCANUS

Tetraodon duboisi

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INDEX

AGA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 www.aquatic-gardeners.org Amazonas Apps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 www.reef2rainforest.com/apps Amazonas Back Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 www.reef2rainforest.com/shop Amazonas Retail Sources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90, 91 www.reef2rainforest.com/source-directory Amazonas Subscriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 www.amazonasmagazine.com Amazonas Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 www.reef2rainforest.com Beital’s Exotic Aquariums . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 www.beitalsaquariums.com Boyd Enterprises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 www.chemipure.com Brightwell Aquatics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 www.brightwellaquatics.com Cobalt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2, 3 www.cobaltaquatics.com Dr. Tim’s Aquatics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 www.DrTimsAquatics.com EcoTech Marine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 www.ecotechmarine.com Fritz Aquatics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . inside back cover www.fritzaquatics.com Hikari . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 www.hikariusa.com Hydor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 www.hydor.com Hydra Forum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 www.hydraforum.com Invertebrates by Msjinkzd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 www.msjinkzd.com Lifegard Aquatics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 www.lifegardaquatics.com Milwaukee Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 www.milwaukeeinstruments.com

New Era . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 www.neweradiets.com Ocean Nutrition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 www.oceannutrition.com Omega Sea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 www.omegasea.net Piscine Energetics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 www.mysis.com Pleco Feeder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 www.theplecofeeder.com Poly-Bio Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 www.poly-bio-marine.com Prodibio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 www.prodibio.com Riparium Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 www.ripariumsupply.com San Francisco Bay Brand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 www.sfbb.com Segrest Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 www.segrestfarms.com South Central Cichlids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 www.southcentralcichlids.com Swiss Tropicals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 www.swisstropicals.com Tropical Fish Club of Burlington . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 www.tfcb.org Tunze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 www.tunze.com Two Little Fishies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11, 81 www.twolittlefishies.com The Wet Spot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 www.wetspottropicalfish.com ZooMed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13, back cover www.zoomed.com

For an AMAZONAS Media Kit please contact: James Lawrence, Publisher • 802.985.9977 Ext. 7, James.Lawrence@reef2rainforest.com

THE TROPICAL FISH CLUB OF BURLINGTON

Celebrates 25 Years! PLEASE JOIN US - June 6-8, 2014 - Holiday Inn, South Burlington, VT Great seminars and speakers: • Eric Bodrock • Regina Spotti • Rachel O’ Leary • Stephan Tanner

For more information, please visit www.tfcb.org.

AMAZONAS

ALSO INCLUDES: Tour of Vermont Microbreweries, Dinner Cruise on Lake Champlain, Friday Night Social Barbeque... PLUS Sunday Auction, Raffles, Vendors, and so much more! We hope you will come celebrate this milestone with us!

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EYE

AMAZONAS

The Vampire Tetra, or Payara (Hydrolycus scomberoides), is aptly named for the impressive dentition it displays. Photographed at Segrest Farms, this 5-inch specimen could grow to an impressive several feet and weigh in at 30 pounds. Found abundantly in Venezuela and in the Amazon Basin, the Payara is a game ďŹ sh that should be kept in a very large tank—and only by an experienced aquarist.

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by Morrell Devlin