a oe FHSS “ SAIMWATER © REEES® PIANTS - PONDS - AND MORE y es =| e \q 5 eaAdis Ss : io ; , Ls 10 —s ks oe, Q ia THE WORLD'S AQUARIUM irk. TTS SINCE Ps pa Tus Speed ™~ | bs nt wv ‘Wie Ke ‘i ws we CO Foy + a -_ : : Sai ee ‘ a on. ve rectaloysve 2 fl ree An SSWIEGA Ona Re ears eae) OMEGA ONE INTRODUCES A NEW LINE OF SUPER FISH FOODS! This line consists of Omega One's best fish foods, made even better! Each Super Food is made with more color enhancing ingredients so that your fish may thrive brilliantly. In addition, these super sinking pellets are made with generous portions of fresh Alaskan seafood and kelp for the unsurpassed nutrition and palatability that we have become famous for. he World” (QS THE INGREDIENTSSOUR @) Kevp Peers = PELLETS Not wt. 4.2 ox. (1198) iy eo ee ee P.O. Box 1265 Sitka, AK 99835 www.omegasea.netaf: The Problem Stops ua =) ao Veo Safe for Biofilters! Re Py Se as Ca a Pea ese sr UC Sa) Roe EDRs se ve Hye ee : pe i un se oid ETS Why aT etna DEE Sa UiF ‘DIPS FOR NEW ARRIVALS USE ts) pS ae PUTA UT Cy Ue RU SU esa CEST EO re ore TegeS ord How does Kick-Ich work? Kickich breaks the ich ("white spot disease") cycle by stopping infection of fish by the free-swimming life stages — i.e, lomites ~ of both the marine and freshwater forms ofthe parasite, without harmful effects on biological filtration, invertebrates, corals or other common aquarium life forms. Use of Kick-lch does not require water changes or other inconveniences because its slowly but naturally degraded by the aquarium’s biological filtration, CeO ea eee aR a en od eg ee ae Re simultaneous use of Kiek-Ich and Rally is often recommended and is safe for all aquoro. Can Kick-Ich be used in combination with other preducts or antibiotics? Kick-lch can be used with phosphate and ammonia absorbants, but not with activated carbon or similar filtration products for the removal of organic compounds Uso of Kick-Ich with antibiotics or other medications is not recommended. Protsin skimmers will significantly decrease the effectiveness of Kick Ich ond should not be used during treatment of marine or reef aquoria, DR a Ce eR a ee el Ae a eee room temperature and out of direct sirong light (especially direct suright). Do not freeze or store in the cold. Do not shake prior to or during use ond replace cap immediately afer use Loran Nerd Can Rally be used in combination with other Ruby Reef products? The combined use of Rally and Kick-Ich is a eg ee en a eee ee een eee disease. Rally is extremely effective for the control of bacteria responsible for bocterial tail and fin rot, and for preventing secondary baderial infections of micro- or macroscopic lesions (resuling, for example, in sepsis) caused by external parasitic infections. Itisclso effective for the contro of gil flukes Can Rally be used in combination with other products or antibiotics? Rally can be used with phosphate ond ‘ommonia absorbants, but not with agtivated carbon or similar filrtion products for the removal of organic compounds. Rally is compatible with most antibiotic regimens, but simultoneous use with other types of medications is not recommended What is the shelf life of Rally and how should it be stored? Rally is stable for at least one year if stored at room femperature and out of direct srong light. Do not freeze of store in the cold. Do not shake bottle prior fe or during use and replace cap immediately after use. ed SM ASK DR. GRILLO Degen eal eet kOe cn) » Mipateti teen mY aii CE emcee ce ees Re etic ee eMmnn- coe kn designed for use in dips, hospital fanks and quaranfine fonks. Pe eae a eet cee eee pets eddnah cis Saree Ua ait” ce pea pe but oppearsentive to HydroPlex. HydraPlexis not safe for biologi filters and should not be ee eee 4 aa ay I yo www.rubyreefinc.com Cet ersSSfchom a BC aol,ec ee RC RC eee Cen See CSc Cue ee aa eo CeO We en ere ECC) RTE ae Cache OU Ro React the hobby they will feel inclined to experiment a bit and thus build on the solid Se RU moc soi Gee Rc eed Co ee oe) ea Cee ee Ce See ee ey ee er ees eee eins Cr as Pd Dee es Cee eee eee ty Gees De ee een ce vay ceasticaly we have determined that the idea! Cee ee ere ont go that each can be dosed indicuaty as neaded Se ee ee Cea es ny Meee ad cee cet ey Cee td Cee ere ee Coe ec) Cad Cee er econ Cea eee ead Dees se eee Cree ee ot eres og Se ee ee Ce ee oe ere eed Presanow as the king of aquatum fishes, cus Symphysodon spp. abways ‘rake 2 grand deploy. though they have an unwaranted reputation for Bong iit to hoop. Every moth deus guru Jack Watoy answers ‘ode querons ancl shares Me knowledge ofthese stately fh, md {hic mont the taper he addreretncude bringing out the bet calor Ie ng rategies, and hew ther hard to keep reputation shoe be-cang Our cover photo, free of any text or graphics and suitable for framing, et, is reproduced in fll ize on page 61 WAG Our 57th Year * Volume LVII ¢ rtrd 7 9 #636 Maintaining a Nature Aquarium Layout With Echinodorus Near-Perfect Fishes tor er Camtine Reef ‘Systems: Blennies of the Genus Ecs gems Ese 00 French 1 Angelfish | Surgery atthe neal eee me0 Ask Jack 34 — Cichlidophites Import| sing 48 Top of the Food Chain 5... s. 2 ie Reefer. Fethern Contriutors Letters to the Editor water Q&A 0 ‘Saltwater Qa 8 ‘Marine Invert of the Month 60 ‘Fish of the Month 26 Web Directory id Index to Advertisers USUALLYFrom the Editor A Piscine Plethora + you probably know, our mission here at TFH ist provide coverage ofall aspects ofthe aquarium hobby, quite an undertaking when you consider all the peemulations—freshwater, brackish, and sala ups: beginners, serious hobbyist, advanced aquariss, and total fish addicts: nano, midsize, lange, and humongous tanks; garden ponds, indoor ponds, and paludaria; thousands of fish species, plus invertebrates and herps; aquatic gardening: species overviews, maintenance issues, ish health, breeding accounts, collecting’ report, equipment discussions: ete, etc. Even with our constant commitment to such variety I was particularly strck by this months lineup and the diversity of topics we have for you, and Fl lke wo take a deeper-thanusual look at ‘what’ sandwiched beeen ou covers for March ‘When I was new to this planet and to this hobby «typical planted tank bad a L swordplant Echinodorus sp. asa centerpiece and a few bunches of stem plants here and there. We have certainly come along way! Aquatic gardening has advanced as such asthe ree hobby; both in terms ofthe knowledge and skill fits practitioners and in terms ofthe technology avalable. Our aquatic maestro, Mr Takashi Amano, who bas been a driving force inthis advancement, starts off ou features witha discussion of the use ofthe genus Echinodorus in today’s Nature Aquarium (P. 62) In the past several years loaches have become extremely popular and more and more species have entered the hobby. Keeping up with them isnt easy, but Michael Ophir stays on top of all things loach, and his article shares his lve for one of his favorite Borla species, B, striata, which he recommend heartily for almost any aquarist, especialy asan altemate tothe ubigutous but less suitable clown loach Chromobotia macracanthus (p. 66) Now, the next article, “Owning Clones” is not ascii story! Ic rele to a selFcloning crayfish that is known only in captivity, an exciting new all-female species that has many attributes that aquaists should find appealing in aadition to its unusual mode of reproduction. Mark Robbins covers their aquarium care ana demonstrates the non cannibalistic nature of these crustaceans with incredible photos of an adult erayfish and is offspring (p. 72). “Tony Pinto, aglabe-totting regular contributor to these pages, i often found sloshing around Far Easter habitas Joking for beta or kilish species. This month he reports in more etalon a trp he first told us about several years ago, searching fora kilfish,Aploceits hirchmayri, which he found, brought home, and succesfully bred (p. 76) “Then {dive into the current controversy’ about hybrid fishes and explain why’ i isa simple isue, despite many people’ sreyou-for-or-agtinst attitude. tn fact, the deeper you delve, the more complex the topic becomes. 1 also era posible compromise (p- 82). Jumping back to planted tanks, we next have the second part of Jeff Walmsley’ primer on CO,, this one covering, the mechanics and practicalities of CO; supplementation. Especially intriguing, are his ideas on water movement and ss dillusion—for which his 11-foot planted tank makes a compelling argument (p. 8). Following this are two marine articles. rst, aquarium Renaissance man Hob Fenner provides an overview of an ofien-overlooked genus perfect for ree tanks-—blennies in the gents Eesenus, Blanes, they're not just for algae control (p. 941 “Then British correspondent Iggy Tavares reports on a celebrity angelish at the London Aquarium, which had recently undergone a successful surgical procedure, and takes us on a guick tour ofthe facility (p. 100). But wait! Were not done yet. We also managed to squeeze in report by one of our favorite photographers, Jay Lut on the Aquatic Gardeners Assocation 2008 convention. This lst of tops i expanded even more bythe matters covered by our monthly contributors in our columns and departments, with topics ranging from faney guppies to new ideas about deep sand beds, from low-tech planted tanks toa fish with an even longer tenure in the hobby than TThave, the Jack Dempsey Rovio otofasciata All together its another issue burgeoning with useful advice and information in great variety Enjoy! f ound David Boruchowite Editorin-Chiel Topical Fish Hobbyist wwgfhmagazine.com March 2009le, up-to-date, Every month Tropical Fish Hobbyist draws upon an international (alent poo of fiskeeping experts ino This Month's Feature Authors ‘Takashi Amano vx bo in 1954 in igi an Helpings Sh mecca poe eu ber rae ces ding es ose “Tt ok ser mc of Fo Fl Nae Photo Constn I rtheGran Bixelisme cost 92 and a NO cofhistaekape phos nex dsp athe 8 Wega” ‘Our Weng Sen fe Hod ye Sri Hs scar io opis hush an pe cain Jed is dvdoping he sc plano abo “Nate JAagixtn” whch combines he extxse exc ie ration fata el is wg se Bt Osh Sa e hs on many axa in ris ph coms, ‘ator mary bls, ad 1983 ex ge Ds ‘ans, Co Ld, hoses pes an CEO, 4 ‘Bob Fenner i agate Revise ma, His sa He kel pepe Iisa shin od phast Be rch, spar mac. ig — He is an accomplished freshaner, marine, andl ssf ag rly acy pes ‘pho sel bbs hq plea sidan agri ns he Ta Mentomanincan expe bees gy brah Fo imme sbt steed Jay Luto ts beni the agai obi “tne he ag of and as hg Th al ‘ver he worl eee, Wes Aan tei, South Amer ccs, kis, tes, ahora, ee—but agate pats ae ‘wht have eal het hi gang ener he years He sneer of mute ol plat cbs, as wea the Agua: Gane Avoca His Pettey iit hse fd place as eo haga: ptogepy be fected lft ores mee’ act inca Toil Fk Hs. ua, Plas, FAMA Aquarion Fok Nagra, The nina Conga, and The utc Gl ‘Pinto ts been: an aguas. sine he eye ee piedts Spa dloptn de lbh Beboparorre ‘Came t wl chan of eyed orale owas or on Na intl etre aot ca coke on poate eaten dhesnt gw tigger than 3 inches (the only exceptions to hte Sree ore eat ee Sotelisehinca nistit alec nat Gils cea fo oh py Ee ae Se ee Sa Michael Ophir tus been an aid Tech ends or the moray of bis He Now a gahase sade psig PRD in Irma Ts Unies hel as iter neue on chs, exit Ted spec, hich ae is ity es. Pal conithoed the merely lena ok from TRA. Pablo ented Loads Nal Hay ‘nd guai Car. He res spent Sho and Een, (pki er Ake fr his ates in ater bs, stow cio of al to seu i Mark Robbins vss bors is 1957 ia Bema al std in sur Hosen, Tess by pressor opera Spe, Mav he od ted pols ie dealng in bth he wo of ms sundecokg and the omputes and oln comets dating tack 9 ‘he carly 198, Het again hobby, Na, nest fp with Gl seas am the Back Sats mgine, ch inked -lon lsc bo or dink Mal il dy vik radi bea sores, ft as aed nd fed many es nd ania the ‘ps yas sce The rangs fo bsp opie: and ceo catching wl octopis, snemon ad tier wife fom he lf Mest, Mark nom ees sn Noth Tessa 9 wonders ales, Sou and jn Robbin ak is very nerd a inate spe studh. wets the eof cnet nia {ore of wordy Iggy Tavares sed hcg sh nthe 18h when he caught some wd guppies ins seam in Aran. At about he Sine tne ae i ae fay psn In the Unt Kingdom vier he cen rests, Iggy ind 1s mens in eeaes aa ont Eh tae amily versed in bred ck, with ew 1 phaogaghng Di brhavioe tas combining is two Indies Heal ejysoeveling nd epenig eo Sh oly in wera prs the wor sue fblespig hon! xh wdc ren kas sucks, acd mins lam Be om fener dead sera and is hn Lansaicne Setnrnersse Je hf el ep pss nk Trtetistine red pestle ‘nl oe hacer cmon oe nie ton Kw ten ne et p e ‘Wek Bese mes he ets feng ‘regs ams cnet aS ca jpg thao vwwewgfhmagazine.com to bring our readers the most id interesting articles and advice for thie own aquarium succes, Heres a lock at some of this mows experts, Columns & Departments oa ares ‘The Reefer Bob} ‘SPS ASR, wolf ‘Gehlicophies on March 2009Beyond Not Releasing would love w see an article about how hobbyists can take eare to prevent introducing alien species of any kind into their region. Everyone knows to refrain [rom releasing specimens into the wild for example, but what else can we do? Arent even water changes potentially harmful? | know I've wondered if boiling diseard water wouldnt be 100 paranoid! Thank you for an excellent magazine. Lauren Williams Owings Mills, Maryland You raise a very Importane point, though Tm not sure thereS enough Information around to make a whole article, While responsible aguarists would never take plants or animals from their tanks and release them into the wild, they often stop worrying at that point However, there are less obvious ways dhat permit alien organisms to invade—Jor example, « heavy summer rain can overflow a backyard. pond, releasing. ts inhabitants As you say, the water from our tanks can contain viruses, bacteria, microorganisms, small ‘macroorganisms (lite copepods), gameves, invertebrate larvae, and fish fry, all of which could conceivably bbe potential threats to the ecosystem in which we live, Despite the unlikelihood of them making it ito the ecosystem, many fish pathogens (disease-causing organisms) are tolerant of temperatures our fish are not, 0 in theory, even if you Tie in a temperate area, ‘your cropical fanke water could transmit disease «0 local native fish and vice versa, ‘On the other hand, aquarium water is oneof the most benign things we human beings tend to dump into the environment. Fortunately, sewage treatment, which is concerned with things a lot nastier than ic, should be sufficient to ender your discarded tank water harmless enough. Though Boiling or chlorinating the discard water would practically ensure its harmlessness, i EMAIL y fr the best way to communicate with us the use of acount names and subject ines thet are i fhe wlume of mal we are unable TR ae ting for some purpose ether than submit Seeompanied by an explanatory message or query are “Tropical Fish Hobbyist THis by ema. To eos that we recive your mess cero nr Phyto bent ee spond personally to erthe lt of aendapaher message you da nat heat backing probably isnt necessary, and US not very green— the energy used 1 boil and the added chlorine are Dosh hard on the environment. The teaiment sewage receives at municipal processing facilities should, in ‘moscases, also hil off any living organisms shed from your aquarium If you have a septte system, putting all discarded water through it should be a sufficient precaution, since the whole concept of aseptic system rests on the incredible cleansing ability of several feet of earth A litle more risky is wavering the garden with cane ‘water, but unless the garden ison the bank of «stream (or in some other way Hable to drain Into the local ‘watershed, ts probably safe—again because very few iologicals are nov filtered out when water is absorbed into and percolaes through soil. Nevertheless, 10 be absolutely sue of a safe way (0 dispose of aquarium water, you may need to doa Tle research. Ifyou find even a remote chance that the water right make it imo the environment untreated, you should devise a plan to circumvent that possibility. ‘And special circumstances require special precautions. For example, if you live in Hawaii and keep a reef tank, you should make sure that your aquarium water (and any possible Invertebrate reproductive products or disease organisms) has absolutely no chance of making it into the ocean. ‘The highly porous nature of the voleanie rock that ‘males up the entire island chain could permit water dumped into the ground even some distance inland 10 ultimately contaminate the surrounding ocean—there are natural brackish pools far from the sea on the islands that manifest tidal changes, indicating their ultimate connection. So, there Is no need for paranoia, or for taking environmental risks that are larger than those of the problem being addressed, but it is wise to look into the Tocal situation and take precautions, if necessary. 1 all part of being a responsible hobbyist. aA Duet ery message Is ea ming an atice, for example rable amount of time, Aachen worwfmagazine.com uFreshwater GOTA QUESTION? Send your questions concerning. the Jewaer side ofthe aquarium hoy (a "GOA We cart poms to pecan choles or anawer evry uct beach teeth he pis cavern tops general eae ened this column. Adress our quson to "QA." ‘Td Plan, BO. Bax 427, Nepune, NI 07734 or sabi via ema to traicon 2 Mollies and Salt Td like to keep and breed mollies, but Tm confused about their need for salt. My dealer told me they are brackish fish that wont thrive unless synthetic sea salt is added to thelr water. However, Ive read in numerous sources that they are found in ‘both freshwater and brackish environments. they are found in fresh water, why would you need to ada salt to their water? Tracy Auberle This same question occurred to me back in the late 1980s when I was a young trainee at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. Most of my weekends found ‘me somewhere along San Antonio’ famous Riverwalk, where I would routinely see sailfn ‘mollies swimming happily in the fresh water of the San Antonio River I remember thinking at the time that if mollies could thrive in the less-than-stellar aquatic habitat of the Riverwalk, they should be able to adapt wo almost anything, Indeed, mollies can adapt to a broad range of salinities, from fully fresh water to brackish water and fully marine water. However, in nature, most occur in freshwater streams. Thus, do they really need to have salt added othelr water? T recently read an article by Neale Monks that I think does a great job of answering this question. In the article, “The Truth About Mollies,” posted on WetWebMedia.com, Monks notes that wild mollis are primarily Inhabitants of freshwater streams that have wwncgfimagazine.com 4 hard, baste water chemistry (pH 75 to 86, an hardness 15° to 30° dB). He further explains that *.it 8 Important to realize that marine salt mix does more than simply raise the salinity. Marine salt mix contains table salt plus a huge variety of ther mineral salts, including a lage quantity of sats that raise pH and increase harness. The adltion of marine salt to a molly aquarium provides mollies with water chemistry much closer to that which they prefer and it also acts as «buffer, initing any subsequent water chemistry changes.” Therefore, it would scem that ics not necessarily salinity that mollies requite, but the other constituents conveniently present in salt mixes that help maiain water hardness and ality. Hence, i would stand wo reason {hac the ation of marine sale mix 0 «tank containing mollis might be a necessity for hobbyist with tp water that leans toward the {oft and acd, but i perhaps not sa crucal Jor hobbyists with hard, basi tp water Disappearing Eyes Dear TFH, I must tel you that thisis the best magazine I have encountered so far. have been {in the hobby for about 30 years, but for the past year, I have had a problem 1 do not know how to approach. I have a 90-gallon planted tank with about seven swordtail, two black mollis, three Otocinclus catfish, ten zebra danios, five Prstlla tetras, and three yoyo loaches For some reason, about five fish are rissing one eye cach, Recently, 1 added one black molly, and 1 now see that this fish has also lost an eye, What could be March 2009