nas ne aE As NR Foleo) Se WNDU) 3 rt | Ey o THE WORLD’S AQUARIUM MAGAZINE SINCE 1952 - wy é Diitl: mmm roiy eel seem . ROGK..! AF cere CTs SS. Tee TU oe . %POND, STICKS 7 Omega One’ Story begins by checking the ingredient list on our nd pellets. Unlike all other dry fish foods we do not use fish For our protein source we use fresh Alaskan Seafood, salmon, herring, shrimp, cod, and halibut. Our seafood ingredi rich in natural fats and proteins, are purchased direct from fishermen along this rugged coastal wilderness. We also harvest our own fresh ocean kelp, rich in vitamins and minerals. With superior ingredients like this, it is only possible to be priced competitively with lower quality, fish meal based foods because we have located our Alaskan facility so close to this rich source for seafood. It all adds up to a vastly superior product at a very reasonable p P.O. Box 1265 Sitka, AK 99835 www.omegasea.netes eee SS Gee KOOD) osTop 3 reasons Purigen should be in your filter Selectivity ae ec Oe tion resin on the market. No other products can ‘compare to its abilty to clear haziness and polish Ree Re ie a ead Pee ee Ce eee a) eee ete mane Cae Ce ey Ce cca Ea Cee eee a ate aE ae affinity for nitrogenous organics. The primary Se eeu ee ee um is waste. Fish, corals, even plants produce ni- Ree eee ee) ee eee ee recs Capacity Purgen's™ possesses enhanced capacty owing rere eee eee eTocs See en oe eee ene! Pee eae! Pee eS eg spherical resin Regeneration re cel Ree een eR Rea aca) a pale blonde to a dark brown, almost black. Cee Ue eae solution of bleach and water. The bleach wil iteral- Pete ee ee) Ce cece eee ee) ee eee a) ee eee ei e Cee ea eeu While such resins have a limited capacity for or- Pe ee ce ceed only replaces removed ionic compounds. It does Cee ea ee De Re en re age Ld CoraPurigen| Polish water to unparalleled clarity Ce ees serene Eula eer Ca) ee Cues cucu ence @ designed to scavenge organics Re EMU CU Irian pees imate train BemiClose celle ace eee) RS ea let) @ regenerable @ marine and freshwater Pec ea uR uy Cee ee ee eR ceaPhotograph by Lucy ‘Our cover photo, free of any text or graphies and suitable for framing, etc, s reproduced in all size on page 57 JUG Our 57th Year * Volume LVII * Number 10 * #639 ‘58 Rocks and Water Quality in an fwagumi Layout ‘Takashi Amano 64 Natural Nanos From the Serbian Countryside Robert Paul Hudson 70O The Great Lace Plant Mystery Jeff Walmsley 76 Swimming With Sharks! TFH Dives Into the Adventure Aquarium: Shari Horowitz ‘Neale Monks 92 Beautiful Fish in Burkina Faso: African Whales and Other Ouagadougou Wonders Lawrence Kent 98 The Tangerine-Head Crab: A Tree-Climber From Thailand Uwe Dost 41 Refugiums for the Saltwater Hobbyist Robert W. Sullivan 110 Hobbyist Profile: african rift Valley Cichlids in New Delhi With Nishant & Vikrant Datta iggy TavaresHOBBMSi palBalance hat isa photo of our Executive Editor and CEO Gl xelrod diving with sharks and sawfish doing on our ‘cover? Regular readers know that we discourage the keeping of any sharks in home aquaria, While i is shark in a grandiose syste “The place to enjoy sharks is in the wild, these magnificent animals, In ot the algae of the glass. ‘While we discourage the keeping of aquatic organisms whose requirements exceed the ability of most aquarists to meet, we algo recognize that the occasional hobbyist can meet those needs, Similarly, while there are aquatic onganisms that ra survive in captivity, we recognize that discovering what they ned to thrive is usually possible for experienced hobbyist, and that once those needs are defined, many people can enjoy plants and animals that were once doomed. Since our mission Js to represent the entire aquarium hobby at all levels, we ‘ceasionally include cutting-edge information about arto keep species Ar the same time, we are committed to educating the public about animals that are commonly kept but should not be, at least by most aquarists—the majority of these are animals that grow larger than many of their owners. 1 all a question of balance, Im fact, this became an unintentional recurrent moti in much of this months materal—creating specific conditions to meet cerain onginisms’ particular needs and illustrating the proper captive environments for species that are typically ‘mishandled, Fist Mr. Takashi Amano describes how rocks can alter aquarium water chemistry and how this can be dealt with, even taken advantage of (p. 58). Robert Hudson takes us once again to the world of extreme nano tanks with a visit to Serbia to see some phinted tanks that are so Incredibly small that they require unonodox maintenance (p. 64). Jell Walmsley discusses the dificulties in long-term keeping of Madagascar lace plants and describes how you can enjoy them as annuals and stop trying to maintain them from season 10 season (p. 70). Following this is the cover story of TFET visit to the shark nks at the Adventure Aquarium on the Camden, New Jersey \Waterfront—a very suitable captive environment for shar and a great way for hobbyists to enjoy these noble animals (p. 76). Ten Neale Monks discusses the various kifefshes nel reveals their panicular needs, demonstrating that certain commonly sold species are really not candidates forthe home aquarium simply because they grow way too large (p. 86) “Around the World” could be considered the thread linking three of our emaining feature articles, as globe-trotting Lawrence Kent looks for fish in ly posible for an extremely dedicated hobbyist vo create an appropriate captive environment for a ‘practically all home shark tanks are woefully inadequate. But thar’ the point! ‘8 public aquarium that has the budget, space, and resources to properly care for ‘words, you can keepa shark if you have an aquarium in which you need scuba gear to clea y Who Is the Guy on the Cover? ‘Although he usually stays behind the scenes in this magazine, we are happy to be able in ths issue to spotlight Glen S. Axelrod, M.S., FZS, President and Chief Executive Officer of TEH. Publications, Ine. and Executive Eltor of Tropical Fish Hobbyist Magazine. And while he skilfully handles the helm here, he is much more than Just an administrator. Glen is an ichthyologist by taining and 2 hobbyist at heart. He has studied cichlids in the African Great Lakes—iiterally in them, since his diving training was put to good use in Africa. He was fortunate enough to find, deserbe, and name. several now cichlid species, and he has boon a Scientific Follow of the Zoological Society of London since the late 1970s, His primary field of research dealt with the taxonomie status and ecology of African cichlids, and: he has authored numerous scientific papers and books fon the subject. Mr. Axelrod’s recent endeavors have Included research In various areas of the pet products Industry, in which he has received, and has pending, more than 300 patents on unique, new petelated products, including advanced ‘aquarium fitration systems, We always say that TFH is a publication by aquarists for aquariss, and this i well illustrated. by having an ichthyologist and aquarist as our Executive Editor. We've included a couple of photos in case you meet him without the Seite txgaonia diving mask and want to say hello. 75 ina Faso, country not often visited by topical fish collectors (p. 92), We next have an article about anew terrestrial crab ideal for paludarium setups that German correspondent Uwe Dost hasbeen working with (p. 98). Last, the intrepid Igy Tavares reports on the many aquaria ofa pair brother in nia who specialize in Rit Lake cichlids (p. 110). Sandwiched in among these and rounding oat cu complete hobby coverage this month san ance by Rober Sallivan on exploring and expanding the uses to which the marine refugium can be put (p 102). Enjoy them alt : pup 5 a 4 Ouse David Boruchowite Tditor-in-Chiel Thopleal Fish Hobbyist worwtfimagazine.com June 2009TUL Tg es) aR Re Se Ma HSU) Act! ea : ‘ Tar PESTO HM [Poco \\ 5 T we ay NG 1)\N Vv )) )) aly Value Ei) Cat ) nr ERTS aT LUNE LE © ea es ge Cmte NE RE ESTATE HRT ete SEAWEED DEON ol eer [BEEFHEART PLUS» CICHLIO DELIGHT EMERALD ENTREE™ » GOLDFISH & KOI «| s Lok incl el onainrneideriengml nt yet santomresiEvery month Topical Fisk Hobbyist draws upon an international talent poo of fishheeping experts in order 1 bring our readers the most telable, aptodat, and interesting aries and avr for thee owm aquaria succes, Heres x look a some ofthis months experts This Month's Feature Authors Columns a Tat Aamo oy 150 wens Yeitkiiontin vem Dewartinente gsc ane je ioesutuisnemnnaahise Gey Toon ge IRosafsftaCrpama aren ‘deh ne mad dee mal oh ne ee ae Fant omc a Go irliewr gaa Sion : mere afd a te ‘Nearnun ithe helt Wotighntiued taiatcundieliieab ts) | aigace ator ne nae Ga Sat He soc py hey a a lave seg oi wkend en el a cae os dg na me sth ope enti Cnet or hana nich nin Rome oecene noe healdnen'niccigcencdias Owriron | ni apna resale Rigmuibecied beg femncatscess —_ [Mesaifansinlérnhranck het Eincopabenicid Nee Mons ising ire Does beh aH Tas infialawar B Sho 198, he bona ety Tgp, aha it Sar 1 fbn fee sme ee mtn, ee ete te tet Be Engr imasisieeaieaeda: alg a and oe the yeas he fs ae i id Falcons 209 gas del Nota ne, Eh rokueg Candas ext cs, Aton aay atthe Units Aba in See, SPE | ste Undcatitare te Elena anette nalaakbignometh wale fr kh hehe | fetiDinnlonnhey ate Nai soy Mamie 2 faiakres| | sul neyetrhaanghames age icelaylaee edge | ura tn ine eda ecioan ry tse pace a limi esa edi ge, ‘eseontieet ignite ia | orice hyo, Kun Wace he Seales pops tla fed wan bees fads ex Rael 9 Ee JAF Walmskey g ns a lane fos cs lb Shei Hort ys Dagon tnmaigadenn hus paki cere Set ore trie toe cess ec Sibir oan ‘in Pita Scie. While at ‘se conchae) y ee alaeann idee deere separ cme San ete Goes eles fe hog nano rete ee “her honors ths wile at Rigs She hes writen and edie fhe Sena yopbrgpgsdh ahaa Spiginigsifabeoer sans Peace ie asia “ptimmsteane fap Sean Song ro sorb sce ee aoe Robert Paul Hudson jes bso ani these ble desrecors He hs ke pcos ‘hobbya since chikdhook! and became inersaed wo Aggemima, Ausra, Belize, Breil, Burma, ‘agua = in the cay 1950, Ind by 3 (Gobet Cota ca Eas, Indonesia, SER Seceeeee “Tamme de inl eee heme aii cerice | sitet ee eed Scorbeemntcecegermind | perder cpbeare sper hee Suen ccenee! «| Serein tet nainee id inaerd Lee Siaeri on ip ca pt Sicesanlivenaterpeoal Igy sept eee iat dengan ct See ee eee ee aos m2 fekonicieig inti | atria eerie Mistevav'awall'aTariore | learns aged apie fetieiecuifectewuiats | Shai wy a aie eps ‘ephoopaphing cise sme bcs He pee ad = Sones ae Be oarbeaceeteeeabotinmens | een tye ame oye iy a SSOP aa 8 woeafhmagazine.com June 2009Will the Real Eye-Eater Please Stand Up? Im our March 2009 issue, a reader wrote in 10 ask hich of the Jish in his 90-gallon planted community tank might be to blame for five of his fish each having lost an eye. Some fellow readers wrote into weigh in on the mystery based on their own ishkeeping stories Derinitety THE Yoo Loaches This is in response to Adam Gwizde's question that ran in “Q&A Freshwater" in the March 2009 issue, He wanted 10 know if the yoyo loaches Botia almorhae were capable of eating the eyes ‘out of his other fish. 1 would say, “Yes!” My experience was with seven Aulonocara males and two 6-inch yoyo loaches. About once a month I would find an Aulonocara with one eye missing, I attributed it to the sharp tufa rock I had in the tank. The loaches would chase each other but never bother the Aulonocara while I watched them. After the filth fish came Up missing an eye, I pulled the yoyos out, I never found another fish with a missing eye. I just thought I would let you know my experience with, these fish. Ron Thompson Sylvania, Ohio A Rocue Zeara Danio? Hi, I read your reply regarding the disappearing ‘eyes problem in the March 2009 issue. My daughter had a similar problem in her aquarium, and we found the olfender—it was one of the zebra danios (kept by Mr. Gwizdz as well). The whole thing started when my daughter found that the previous owner of her new home left a small bow! with a single zebra danio in the kitchen sink. 1 gave her one of my unused tanks, and she gradually added another zebra danio and some other compatible fish. 4 few days later, she found that two of her new fish were missing an eye ‘We watched closely and found that the original zebra ‘was occasionally (and violently) attacking other fish in the tank, including the new zebra, EMAIL 55 fr tho bot way to comm My daughter tried to take the offensive fish out into ‘a separate tank for afew days, but when she returned itt the community tank, the attacks resumed. We decided to return both zebras to the local store (the ‘owner said that he wasnt surprised), and since then the community lives in peace and happiness. { cannot ‘confirm that this is the ease in Mr. Gwizd2’ tank as ‘well, but L wouldnt rule it out Ammiram Stark via email Don't RULE Our THE Oro Cars... Regarding the disappearing eyes in March's Q&A Freshwater section, my first choice of culprit was the Otocinclus catfish. 1 bought some of those little suckers and then noticed the cories were missing ‘eyes soon after. then gave a couple to my niece who loudly complained about them sucking out the eyes of her cories. I don't know why they do that, but they do! Susan via email “Thanks for sharing your experiences. If nothing ese, they demonstrate that an individual fish can behave quite differently from others of its species. They also show that even the most carefully considered community tank can run into tankmate problems, All hre ofthese species are considered peaceful, not ‘extremely peaceful. Yoyos and danios are also schooling species, and otos are known fo school in many cases. We right even call these fishes obligatory schoolers—when heept singly or in pairs, they often direct the energies they would otherwise naturally spend in intra-schoot behaviors toward harassing tankmates. In the case ofthe terrorist zebra danio, it had to be tough to survive being left behind in the sink, and it may have been justified in ‘considering the tank its own, Inany case, “normal” behavior is just that: normal. It represents the norm, the most common behavior for that species. There will always be individuals who deviate {from the norm, sometimes radically. This can cause problems, but it also keeps the hobby interesting! message, avoid the use of account names and subject fine hat are ikely to tigger fork ters, Probably the best subject “GRAY Ove to the volume of mall wo are unable to respond partonell to aut avery message red, ~ ‘Topical Fish Hobbyist worwgfhimagazine.comGOTA QUESTION? Send your questions concerning the freshwater side of the aquarium hobby 10 "Q6A." We cant promise to personally ‘acknowledge or answer tery question, but cach month those ingiiscaveingtoples of general interest or unusual subjects wil be answered in ths column, Adress your question to “QE,” TTEH, Publications, PO. Box 427, Nepune, NJ 07754, or submit va email 0 edtorafa.com. 10 Breeding Cockatoo Cichlids 1 have a 30-gllon aquarium that I would like to set up as a breeding tank for cockatoo cichlids. 1s this tank large enough for breeding this species, and can you give me any advice on how to ‘reat the right breeding conditions? Thanks in advance, and I love your magazine! Greg Montano Kettering, Ohio ‘A 30-gallon tank is just about the right size for breeding the cockaloo cichlid Apistograrama cacatuoides A denizen of South Americas Amazon River Basin, this species Ineeds best im water tha i soft and aca, ‘though it will tolerate slightly. hard, basic water To replicate 4s natural habitat, your Dreedng tank should be heavity plane with des of difewood rots and oc for hiding. As ‘these ish are found in areas with a deep leaf- lier substrate, dark-colored gravel will make ‘them fel right at home in the aquarium. Tor breeding purposes, this species should be ep in harem fasion, several females to ome ale You can ell males and females apart by their relative sizes and the shape of thir fins. Mature males reach approximately 3 inches in eng, while the females reach only around inches. Alo, mature males are more colorful ‘and sport significantly elongated dorsal fin spines, as well as a more yre-shaped tal, ‘A. cacatuoides isa cave spanner so be sure to provide each female with her ovn cave. An overturned terracotta flower pot with an ‘enlarged drainage hole ora groove cu inc the lip works well or this purpose. “To bring your cockatoos into. breeding ‘wwmefhmagazine.com Freshwater ‘condition, maintain exceptional water quality and offer a variety of high-quality tive and/ ‘or frozen meaty foods, such as enriched brine shrimp, mysid shrimp, small or chopped earthworms, and bloodworms. The female will typically fay her eges on the ceiling of her cave and the male’ will follow behind to fertilize them. After that, the female will guard the eggs while the mate defends their territory. The eggs usually hatch within three to four days, and the fry will be {free-swimming in about « week. Brine shrimp nauplii area good first fod for the fy Lam getting back into the freshwater aquarium hobby after many years, and 1 have @ question about chlorine/chloramines, Back in the ‘good old days, when my city used to treat the water supply with chlorine, could just age and aerate the water in a plastic bin ‘overnight in order to remove the chlorine and make the water safe for my fish. never used a chemical tap-water conditioner of any kind. However, my city's water supply is now treated with chloramine. Can 1 still ‘use the same technique, or do I now have to start using a dechlorinating product? Jesse Pheils via email Chloramine, a chlorined ‘ammonia. compound, 1s. much ‘more stable chain chlorine alone, You can still use your preferred method of aging and aerating the water, but you must allow much more time (0 pass—at least a week—for the chloramine to dissipate June 2009