Se ee oe ae” BY ae a NEE SE SFE SI NO THE WORLD'S AQUARIUM MAGAZINE SINCE 1952 www. tinimegerins.com fancy. BASSESir. ‘reef aquariumery ee oe FF? OZ OVE, ‘ Ses The Omega One Story ‘Omega One's Story begins by checking the ingredient list on our flakes and pellets. Unlike all other dry fish foods we do not use fish meal. For our protein source we use fresh Alaskan Seafood, like salmon, herring, shrimp, cod, and halibut. Our seafood ingredients, 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 su ingredients like this, it is only possible to be priced compet 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 price. 1 mnSe2= —P.0.Box 1265 Sitka, AK 99835 www.omegasea.netRPSL al 0} Ob) MMade in AmericaReef Fusion” 1 & 2 . Even easier than 1, 2, 3... ee ne Ct eee sen] Cee a prevent this you must provide calcium and carbon- ates. Seachem offers several solutions for accom- Ce RS ee nd ee eee er) Cee eas Reef Fusion 1™ and Reef Fusion 2™ are the founda- Pe Oe aaa ene Te ae neato TO edge Oa Ree gee pee ee Dee ee Re Lia ee ee ae Bee cus DCs Cee Ce ee See eee eee ae designed to restore and maintain alkalinity in the reet Ce eee ee nL Cee een ee ge Ree cae Oe Ed Fusion 2™ will maintain the critical levels of calcium and alkalinity necessary for healthy coral growth, while providing biologically appropriate levels of Cee eosSerle Ue Rie) part system for maintaining Kea Ace iia yusion Eri Two Part System Maintzig ‘Two Part System Maintaiy, Calcium & Alkalinity Len Calcium & All =O RAR) @ 100,000 mg/L of calcium Oe cence Peay ee eee tae eymarch?010 (Our Sath Year -Volume Lvl « Number 7 + 8648 features 62 68 74 78 82 90 9% Mosses and Other Bryophytes in the Nature Aquarium. ‘The master oquascaper reviews how mosses ond moss ke plonts can be used in the Nature Aquarium fo evoke a sense of the possage of ‘ime in@ natural landscape. Takashi Amano Ws Dwarf Crenicichia Time! Small personable, and beau, dwarf Creniciohla species re Perfect for he oquarst who wants tne excitement of Keeping pke Cichlids but @ smaller space. Radek Bednarezuk The Half-Red Hemigrammus: A New Species? ur South American adventurr journeys through the jungles of Venezueia to investigate ine vibtant halted Hemigrommus posible new lelva species fo the hobby. ivan Miklit The Rhino Pleco Prerygoplichthys scrophus Afar ery fom some of the monster places, the medium-sized ino pleco ison unusual and exotic clgae-grazing suckermouth catfish ‘hat wort become o tonkbuster Seth Gibson Aquatic Plants Don't Read the Books A planted tonk enthusis! with far for large tanks ciscovers that ‘sme aquatic plans break tho ules and do thet awn thing despite ‘no most careful planning, Jett Walmsley ‘The TFH Breeder's Challenge Part 3 With Ted slgnty in the lea, wos Mike abe to close the gap? Find ut how our contestans are doing in pursut ofthe tile of FH Master Breeder Ted Judy and Mike Hellweg Anthias: Those Fancy Basses ‘Among the most colorful sh on the foe with a wide range of powsonolties how is. 2 species of enthios fo sult cny roofer’ tastos, Bob Goemans The National Aquarium in Baltimore ‘Take a tour through the National Aquorium, where you can see everything from an Amazanion rainforest to an Austrlion ever orge--and even @ dolphin show! Shari Horowitz columns 26 Ask Jack Jock ary 28 Cichlidophiles 32 Livebearers Unlimited 36 The Planted Tank 40 Import Report ss sug 44; Adventures in Aquascaping 48 Top of the Food Chain 52 The Reefer Janes W. Fares, Me‘cover photo of bores genome 4. slg evr 9 becuse ‘Seclomasng hate iow comaatoustcnuy (6) 96 oO > oO 0 departments 6 From the Editor 8 Contributors 9 Letters 10 Freshwater Q&A 18 Saltwater Q&A 39 Aquatic Plant of the Month 58 Marine Invert of the Month 60 Fish of the Month 61 On the Cover 102 Product Spotight 103 Meeting Pace 106 Store Directory 108 Classified Ads 112 Index to Advertisers TROPCLFISH Tr Magazine creche exon: GienS.Asorod Editorial & Design ‘citorinenot Dawa. Beruchowts anaging econ: Abert Connaty J ‘rocote ect Shan Horo ‘eri astktont no Me ‘conastng srt eto: Waren. Bape PO, Neal Prone ‘Statton, Jock Wott, Ted Dengit Catt Pn. Rhonda 1witon, Clouse Diesen Robert Poul Huston Advertising ‘averting soles cector Haney 5 Rwodoneka ‘cvering production menager Kstt Camacho ‘odvertsng sclesmonager John Werikowsh einer manatee: Boke Teaozens Subseriptions [Abigal M.hcFeely:customersupperi@it com ‘UAH, Publications, Ine. raider chet executive ofcor- Gian, Asshod ten eects Se is trae eet eae6 from tne editor Fish Radio quaRadio. Internet radio station ‘owned and operated by Frank Falcone, a well-known aquarist in New Jersey and the station's creator. One of AquaRadio’s current programs is "Sounds Fishy to Me.” in which, each week Frank Interviews a different aquarist, and Frank willbeinterviewing me ‘on this show sometime in March—the broadcast times are undetermined at the time of this writing, so please check wawaquaradio.net for details. lam in august company as.a guest on this show, sa perusal of the archives on the website will reveal The topic Frank and 1 will be discussing is extreme aquarium mythbusting. There are many practices in the aquarium hobby that are accepted as scientifically valid without any empirical documentation, and for some of these there are opposing views that also have good selence reasoning behind them, Aquarists are in the perfect position to Investigate some of these in replicable experiments; Id like to see fishkeepers start to winnow the urban legends from the valid husbandry routines. For many of us, the science behind aquarium keeping is an exciting part of our hobby, and it encompasses such diverse disciplines as biology, chemistry, ecology, geography, geology, physics, and much more. ‘This is part of the reason we at TFH are so commited to bringing all aspects of the hobby to aquarists of all levels of experience. With my upcoming interview in ‘mind | looked over this month’ lineup and saw a perfect example of how we include a great variety of topics in cach issue, In *Cichlidephiles” Wayne Leibel wraps up vwwfmagazine.com his detailed “What Is a Species?” series with a look at hybridization, an extremely timely topic in the hobby (p. 28). Ted Cole's “Livebearers Unlimited” finishes his overview of the genus Xiphophorus, bringing us up to date on current taxonomy and the history behind it, as well as conservation concerns for these fishes that are popular with both beginners and more advanced aquarists (p. 32) Import Report,” from intrepid collector Stan Sung. this month, covers several of the unusual fishes that are part of the current explosion in imports from Asian countries, some af which have only recently entered the aquarium trade, like Burma (Myanmar) and Vietnam (p. 40). In fact, the regular influx of completely new-to-the. hobby species from the Orient is extremely reminiscent of the exciting African cichlid eraze that began in the 1960s and has never really waned Turning to things less usual, we have James Fatherree's “The Reefer,” with its look at the pennatulaceans, strange cousins of corals that have very exacting requirements and present a challenge for the advanced reef aquarist (p. 52). Also a bit different is the topic of Radek Bednarczuk’s article: dwarf South American pike cichlids, perfect miniature versions of their large, piscivorous cousins (p. 68). How are the fish that grace our aquaria identified? Some of the problems associated with fish identification are addressed in Iwan Mikolj’s account of a beautiful letra that may or may not be a new species, but will in either case he a welcome new fish for the hobby if itis collected commercially (p. 74). As part of our coverage of all things aquatic is our own Associate Editor Shari Horowite's report on her tour of the National Aquarium in Bakimore, complete with an entertaining and educational dolphin show (p. 96). And of course there is our continuing coverage of the battle between Mike Hellweg and Ted Judy for the title of TFH Master Breeder (p. 86)—may the best breeder win! As usual, there's a whole lot more for you, this month and every month in TFH, Enjoy! aud) David Boruchowitz Feditorin-Chiet Tiopical Fish Hobbyist March 2010contrioutors TOKASHIAAMANO sesamin 1954 pa, span. He px expr to temete unghes Sou Ameten.ond Aja dusing Ms daingulined cores apkrewineng nature Dhotogranner and author Hi fessor nfo ronal fan Muboncty one aque pont catwaran lee coving te aa pt eject med "hue Aaa whch comet ie ‘mane estosisned Ada Design Amano Go, Lid, where he serves os preter cd CEO. E FADEKDEANATCZUK yarn pcorscnssogosoretanesca chelate uinen pe cena igey sy ints aes tan crn ae os tom nec fie sa phologiapher wim anasng tues Pol have Opec in aioe and Gn the Dover oF ove aquatum magazines and ne owns and opartese webs, wwwmadbedcom, SETPIQIDSOM:, .sanins ici inhaininin tiie st vere (PEW) Graduate Schoo! fr his Masters of Pubic Management Hi primary species of nett Include cchlos ond catfish os wal os predators ang oscball: He curently maitans 1é {equarums,inciuding a 240-goton slay tant of South anc Cental American cichids When he ‘was yoot od his parents bought nim hisfist cquarian not reaiuing it would tun no aafetong ‘biesson. ond he hos been mainianing equorums for neat 20 yea now. OODGOEMONS, gramnnesssunity onto dwsan 1th exwotar cquarums os « young chic end hoc his xno aouotam i 1986 Dutng he pst ‘0 ye0s Bob os colectecspecrmons ors oquorurs rom fn Sou China Seco the Carcbocn A ‘tic ond widely pubkened auho n marine ogres. Bb & 0 wel4nown ndepencent oquarum ‘Xzpoter Bob hes a Docteate h aupres Management, cd m asaion fo Gouin seo ore ‘weg endeavors he heads aquorum ced erwtenmentel conan busines, PIKERCIWEG rss acannon tmsorieenisiccame ‘lest exclusively wi ses tha mature ot inches oss nhs 7 orks. Wh necty 200 species ‘tom 2 foes het he tep-’onked Grono Master Seeder ofa ime iis ioca eb Mike hat served a3 Predert of he Misour Aq.otlum Soc, View Charman of he American Lvebearet ‘ssocton ord Hslran for ne Aquatic Gardeners ASociaron He nos written ovr 100 aries {er various hobby pubkeations and curry owns anc operates arial fsh busines. SPETINOLOW 2 «sacs a mace onsew a nga ns oe Universy of Now Jowoy, where she game o BS Ih Motine Bology She conducted a shed) on ‘ocean aciication and copepods of he Great Sarr Res cl Hon sand of Queensina ‘Autota for Per penors haul oF Ruger. She has witfen anc eded fr the Day Targum ‘ns Rutger student newspaper at well ae he Times o Fenton Fenton, New leney Sh ‘nevi seuba aver and has kept aquarius or mast oer ite TECUCY naar vino: 25 yet tinea ord ney wpa Hes o ofnerast who eros oltypes oF fh om onotanias to fetos and ways fst plely of pce nfs fewoom fr specs fom Wes! Aiea especialy the Gworf clchids Ted has served (on the Boor of Tuslees of he American Clchlg Assos and & on acive member of The [ieaukee Aquarium Socio. Ted aso molnains the webs wiredstshroom.com ond win feunepstogiommacon, POREVPIPTIRC rn sewage wir cr sensi ems sp2ciotat nthe photogbahy ond videography ef fare and Notd-o-ind fh Th founder ond ‘resident of he Fh tom Venezuela Foundation, he oko procices docuenoies bout wis ‘roped sh to eoucate the gonera! OubIc. Acts he preservation of continental Boos of ‘wate, cluding al species of aquatic fauna, han tes f feach people now fo Rave o mill pact on that enuereant ST WOIMISIOY iececsmnincninnnscciisa caine am Flkdebacks ond minnows tom the now bul-ov por: ond sams of ns nave Lancashire yh Ug Sento work n nd fo some vers he Gracuste fo local topical species ne fo: he is ‘rica plank hich fni—one eur retear—corrmansee rest haere ante, Now ‘strement he lees four planted aqua‘ etlng 24 feet nlengin ct hshomeinihe Wen hls He ‘crm welcome rferasion wi eaders wo mar wpronogesmeyonco cou vwwgfhimagazine.com OlumMnNs & epariments ted coletti, Pho. james fatinenee, Msc fA bob goemans robert paul hudson, finda jacobson Jeff kurtz} SKA wayne leibel, PhD rian scott} stan sung rhonda wilson, March 2010letfers Peaceful Tangs? Lnwould have to disagree withthe tankiate suggestions in “The Achilles Tang Acanthurus achilles” article inthe TPH February 2010 issue. 1 have kept an Achilles tang, with great success and its tankmates inchide a purple tang, blue hippo tang, and a convict tang think the convict tang ts the key to my success, It encourages all my fish to eat and be sociable. 1 do have a big tank—6 feet by 30 inches by 25 inches high—which {do believe contributes to my success. am about to add aso and another blue hippo tang Brad Shook Odessa, Texas Thanks for sharing your experience. If anything is true with fishkeeping, WS that your mileage may vary. You ‘must keep in mind that we print advice that is generally applicable, bu fish don't always follow the advice! ‘We must caution you that it may be only a mauter of ime sunul the powder keg tn your tank explodes, but you may also be lucky and continue to have no problems. Tangs are generally aggressive, and the Achilles tang ts especially domineering, but in a good-sized tank such as yours, with plenty of hiding spaces and enough rock t0 block lines of Sight, your fish may be abte co avoid conflict. However, with nowhere to flee, a fish to whom your Achilles. tang takes a sudden intense dislike is likely doomed. We have seen successful communities that include «an Achilles with other tangs, but they are the exception, and "usually they contain immature specimens We've also seen freshwater oscars that have a pet goldfish that lives safely with i, but we've not going to change our {© Achils tong Acanihurus achilos—wil# folerate ther tongs? 10 send a question ot Sisorosion ot me editors ond uD Eommunicanions Sut every massage Topical Fish Hobbyist nme! 40 “Lets” email iettes@ith.com. Al etter advice that an oscar will eat any fish small enough 0 ‘swallow. Keep an eye on your fish, and if they're stil living peacefully together in a couple of years, take some photos ‘and send us an article telling how you did it! Obtaining Breeding Pairs Hi, Thave been breeding ish for the last few y enjoy it very much. I have only been able to get about a dozen fish to broed so far. I get about a half dozen young fish, raise them, and let them pair up. [learn all | can from watching them, reading books, and researching on the Internet. I watch them court each other, build nest, te. For me, the whole process of getting a pair to breed takes about a year In the article “Mike vs. Ted: The TFH Breeder's Challenge” (TFH January 2010), Mike Hellweg talks about trying to get @ pair to breed each week. Now this makes me think that they would have to get adult fish that aze known to be breeding pairs maintain that schedule. I would like to breed more fish, and if my thought is correct, I have only one question: “Where in the world do these guys get all the adult pairs of fish from” Steve Maus via email ars and (We passed this question on 1 Mike Hellweg, who provided us the following response.) Hi, Steve! It sounds lke you are doing everything that we do, You are correct, many fish need a year or longer 10 reach sexual mauurity. Many hobbyists give up after one or two ‘tiempls, but patience is often the key to success. The main difference is one of scale, Ted and [both have large fishrooms with many tanks, so we both have large collections of fish that we've Duile up over the years. That ives us a large pool of mature fish from which to choose We also both belong to local fish clubs with active Breeder's Award Programs (BAPS), so we've got friends who are willing 10 share their mated pairs. Sometimes this works, and sometimes moving the pair throws them ‘off and they stop breeding for their new owner. We also go to cat stores and find young adult fish there. Especially with livebearers andl egg scatterers, it's pretiy easy to just pick up a couple of pairs, condition them, and get them to spawn fairly soon, Watch for more details in the coming ‘months! —Mike Hellweg 00! to TFH may be edited ang published at the ne volume of mal we roceive, we Gre unabie %9 resband poreonly Yo ON worwgfhimagacine.comQe&Arreshwater gota question? Send your questions about the freshwater side of the aquorium hobby to “QA FH. Publications P.O. Box 427, Neptune, NJ 07754, oF submit via e'mal fo editor@tth.com 10 Zebra Cichlid Won't Eat Tm feeding my friends fish while he’ out of town for a few weeks, He told me they're zebra cichlids from Lake Malawi in Africa (though they don have sitipes ike a zebea and are actually kind of orangey-yellow in color, not black and white). My problem is that one of the five fish has stopped eating. ‘The fish in question was eating its share along with the others at first, but then one ‘morning it just ignored the food. It has not ‘eaten for three days now and usually stays hidden inside a hollow ceramic log One thing tve noticed is chat its mouth seems to be Kind of swollen in comparison to the ‘other fish in the tank, What could be the problem, and what should 1 do to get it feeding again? Td hate to have my friend ‘come home to find out he’ last a fish! Veronica Spettle via email Your frends sebra cichlids could be an orange morph af Maylandia zebra, « popular ciclid endemic (Lake Malawi, There are ‘numerous. possible explanations for a fish refusing food and going int hiding, but in his case, Ihave a sneaking suspicion that these Fnchaviors are directly relate o reproduction. Yousee,M-zebraisamateraalmouthbroode, hich means that breeding females hold dheir ‘ags and fry in their mouths for protection. That could. be why the specimen’ mouth ‘appears to be swollen. Also, while holding ‘ofispring, the females tend co mate themselves scarce as you report the specimen in question ts doing woewfhimagazine.com Ifthe specimen is indeed holding a mouthful of eggs or fry, she wont eat anything you offer unl the fry are free-swimming. So, in all Uukelthood, your friend willbe home before she releases the fry and begins eating again, Hamburger for Hungry Oscar? Tam a 12yearold hobbyist, and love Tropical Fish Hobbyist Magazine, Ihave an oscar ih, and I ike t give it lots of different foods t0 eat 50 thoes get bored. Can you tell me fits okay to feed my oscar raw hamburger? 1 gave it some hamburger from the refrigerator the other day when Iran out of other food, and it realy seemed 10 like it ‘Todd Wanz via email Although your oscar may really seem (© enjoy i, 1 would not recommend feeding it hamburger Hamburger has avery high fat content andis not a healthy choice for any ish Also, feeding hamburger to oscars—which are pretty messy eaters anyway—usually results in uneaten burger bits drifting all over the tank. Once these bits begin t0 rot, they will pollute your water in a hurry! Wher feeding your oscar try to stick to foods that are part of (or very clase 0) is natural die, such as earthworms, insect larvae, shrimp, ‘snails, small crayfish, clam meat, and fish meat ‘et into bitessize pieces. 1 aso a good idea (0 er your oscar a nutritious pellet foo to round out its det. Ifnone ofthese choices are available, “you're better off not feeding your oscar for aay ‘or so rather than giving it something unhealthy to eat like raw hamburger March 2010€ ) A Tew days ago I bought a fire eel, but it has not eaten Pa anything since 1 put it in m tank, Nothing that I offer seems to entice it to eat. Tve tried frozen mysid shrimp, bloodworms, brine shrimp, and shrimp pellets, but it has ignored them all Sometimes it will tke bit of food into its ‘mouth, which gives me hope that it might start eating, but then it just spits it back ‘out, What food would you recommend to get this eel eating? Roy Ewald South Bend, Indiana br assume your fire eet is Mastacembelas erythrotaenia Mastacembelus M species. 18 noe unusual for this or a similar species and other so-called spiny eels 10 go fon a hunger strike after they've introduced {o-« new environment, sometimes for several ‘weeks, I would recommend trying to tempt i with live earthworms, which have a preity solid reputation for eliciting a feeding response {from stubborn spiny eels Us probably still t00 cold in your area to dig worms up inthe bre able to find an online vendor or a bait shop that can keep you supplied until the rms up a bit. Live glass shrimp (also known as ghost shrimp) are another good option for enticing a finicky fire ec You can also find sources for glass shrimp online, or your local fish dealer should be able co order them for you arden, but you should Today! setupmy first 10-gallon tank witha submersible WPI lighted hood, ouside power filer, artificial plants, a weighted piece of driftwood, and a few bags of natural gravel Right alter 1 filled up the tank, the water tumed really cloudy. Running the filter for awhile made a bit of a difference, but its still pretty by bacteria? Steve Lester via email ky, Is this cloudiness caused bacterial bloom can cause water | cloudiness—but not immediately PA, cr filing up a new aquarium WM The problem here is probably that you forgot to rinse out the gravel before placing it in your cank, Aquarium gravel can hold a suprising amount of dust and Tropical Fish Hobbyist debris even when i loles pretty clean in the package. But no worries Since you're dealing with a small tank and a small amount of _grave, this isan easy problem to fx All you have to do is shut off your filter and heater (allowing the heater to cool for «half hour or so), siphon all the water from the tank, remove the plants and driftwood, and then gently scoop the gravel out of the tank and into a clean plastic bucket (one that thas never eld any detergents or chemicals of any kind) worwgfhimagazine.com Next, adil tap water to the bucket until it Jills to « few inches above the gravel, and then swirl the gravel briskly with your hand toliberatc any dust and debris, Pour the dirty water into the sink, taking care not to dump the gravel inthe process. Repeat rinsing, swirling, at draining wil the water in the bucket looks clear (ras close to lear as you can gett) after swirling the grave Finally, return the gravel and deconaions tothe tank and plug in your filter and heater: Things should lok a lt clearer a this point! nbackyard and stocked it with ko. A salesperson atthe fish store I frequent recommended that I stop feeding the kot in the fall once the water temperature dropped to 50°F vnloadable lendar 5 so I did that. However, that person has since left the company hat Sha Weber and no one else at the store seems to know much about kot. Um hoping you ean hel TFH on the Web} Cy) 22°2222°273.218 wis: » = section” of | www te with a major concern. My most pressing fhmagazine.com for 3 aquest downloadable version of our 2610 calender. Formatted for most ‘desktop sizes, every | Syereatching shot from the Brit econ is avaliable for Ffansforming your workspace with these Beautiful works of Squatic art. Marvel at some of the underwater world’s most fascinating denizens while iseping pth impartnt ates of tho year by grabbin our free. digital” calendar today, and make sure to wat Us every. month for ® now desktop background! is, with spring approaching, when is it safe to resume feeding the koi? Margaret Keaton Covington, Kentucky Spac Bits find of TH Sip with your ‘extended aquatic family’ View photos and videos of their tanks, keep Up with the latest aquatics news, follow your favorite TFH bloggers, post your own: Essentially, you should do just the reverse of what you starles, and interact with other PY icin the fat Once the water temperature stabilizes underwater enthusiasts by the, = rate visiting “www.myspace.com! | Ami above 50% you can resume feng your ko. The key thmagazine term here, however, Is “stabilizes You dont wanc co begin feeding chem just because an unseasonably warm day in early spring causes the water temperature to spike to | 3 Ae 50”. If that nice, balmy day is followed by several colder days—as fflen happens in carly spring—the water tempera dhiop again, re will no doubt je asked and you ‘As your dealer probably explained to you, hol stop digesting fod answered—how at water temperatures below 50° (approximately). So if you feed them Smalls your smallest er nd oe Dae ee ae cater vc a tome natal iB your smallest then the waler temperature reaches 50° and then aco snap canses tani More then a third ot the temperature to op for several days to weeks, whatever food Yank is over 20° gallons, with they've eaten will remain undigested inter gut, where cam rand more then half having a tank cause a deadly interna infection, Resume feeding ony tr the water larger than 10 gallons! Voice temperature reaches and remains above 50” Yourvcnyoidens,andieee When you do resume Jeding, is important that you feed sparingly — piers you stand, comparcel ta an conse abt ve mtr ar Community by visiting WWM. ieemange Gane with easiertodigest, low-protin foods, Many succes koi keepers Siimagaiezom tocanewer — wuaenmzsoa Eee darken ec hems olla whew era eee the latest. poll “question 2515 Guo today! 104020 Gallons fmm™\, Feeding e-Dried Tub! ‘mivere han 20 Galons ) rin a recent retitee who has decided that getting back into the aquarium bobby after a lull of about 20 years Check out www.tfhmagazine.com | SG wits Seat ies maf pic he for more exciting content! Tor insiance, 1 always wed to Keep live tex worms in de wine-com March 2010fridge as a treat for my fish, but now Pm told that these worms ‘ean carry parasites and disease and shouldn't be fed o fish in the live form. What about freeze-dried tubifex worms? Are they safe? ‘What’ the best way to feed them to the fish? The first time I tied them, they just floated on the surface and power filter Chuck Costello Atlanta, Georgia First, welcome back to the aquarium hobby and congratulations on your recent retirement. The freeze drying process should destroy any parasite or pathogens that might be present in ms, soi’ definitely preferable to offer your fish freeze-dried worms rather To prevent the freeze-dried worms from floating around becoming filter fodder, your best bet to cither presoak them in a of fish, or press the dr 2 the aquarium glass (they should stick) and let the fish pick them off until they lose their buoyancy and Tam 11 yearsold,and Tam seting up a freshwater aquariu with help from my mom and dad, My favorite fish are swordtals, and 1 would like o get a male and female so they will have babies in my tank, My parents said they'e pretty sute you have to keep atleast two females with each male. Are they right? Gregory Ruppert ind dad, and this e than eption! If you plan tok tail in tak, pmo is best spthem ‘or more females, The reason you dont want to keep a single palr of swordtalls—one ale and one female—together Is that the male will ry co breed with the poor female over and over again and may chase her so much that she gets really cred and may even get sick and die. But if you keep several females with the male, he will have to divide his attention ‘among the whole group so no single female will get chased too much, MN ty Vee ee LEY for Fresh & Saltwater Aquatic Environments Tropical Fish Hobbyis badge \ e-em eel Ulett Treatment Effective Against These Poets a es en sn errr eee poner pace See ar ee Reals erecT ur independant efficacy trials and st te eb a cad ere erro Breet wormtfhimagazine.com 2BThe common name “honey gouram" can apply fo severel diferent species in the genus Cola, A Honey of a Gourami and found it to be very beautiful, 1s this fish just a color variation ofthe dwarf gourami, or is ita separate species altogether? Phil Vandalay via email Your question high vwhen we ty tse common names co Keniify fish. Tve seen ghts the problem that inevitably arses the common names dwarf gouram and honey gouramt applied in willy-nilly fashion 10 various species in th gers, such as C.lalia, C.ehuna, and ¢ Coli Tabiosa wig Clowding matters further isthe fact that different color variants of these species might be assigned myriad of other common names, les of a particular species identified with ad Worse yet, in some cases, you might even see the more dramatically name than the more drably colored females, making accurate species identification even more challenging forthe casual observe Fungus Among Us A white, strangely geometric growth has suddenly sppeared’ on a piece of Malaysian hardwood in. my S5llon freshwater planted tank, which houses several species of fish, including a juvenile Osphronemus gourami (yes, 1 have 1 bigger tank for him as he grows), two clown loaches, and schoo! of Corydoras haralischutz. also have a large red shrimp, I'm not sure of the species, but iti sold a lower shrimp. 1am hoping you can tell me what this stange-looking growth is and Thow to treat the tank to get ri of it. 1am hesitant to use Fungicides cor other treatments until | know for sure what i is, especialy with the shrimp and plants inthe tank, which a ds, jungle val Java moss, and Anubias. Can you identily the growth? ‘Samantha Campbell New Albany, Indiana Tm defintely glad to hear chat you've got a bigger tank ‘on hand 10 accommodate your Osphronemus goutami ‘once i oulgrows your 55-gallon. Your clown loaches Chromobotia macracanthus will eventually need larger (quarters as well—not to mention they really should be kept in groups eine.com March 2010of several specimens, Hopefully that spare tank is decidedly Tae sidet the Another stocking issue you'll have to addres isthe lower shrimp Whichever species of shrimp it is—perhaps a member of the Atyopsis _genus—you can expect It o become a meal for either the clown loaches for the gouram at some point in the not-too-distant fare As for the growth on your Malaysian hardwood, i¢ appears 10 fa thin layer of decompasing organic material on the surface of the wood. This type of sgrovch is flrly common with newly inroduced drifwor be some type of fungus that is taking advantage mn most cases, the growth runs ls course and dissipates once the rmutrient source és used up, so T wouldnt necessarily recommend treating your system with a fu ide. Doing so might hil the existing growth, but re-growth will likely occur as long as nutrients remain t Tropical Fish Hobbyist worth the fongus, Moreover, many ancifungal products are not safe t use in cans containing shrimps or other invertebrates Boiling the wood piece will hill the fungus, and there would certainly De no harm decor prior to permanent fs. ‘quality maintenance will probably be your best ally here toying that (in fact, this should be done with any wood lacing it in the tank), but, again, it may not be « The passag of time coupled with meticulous water V have wo mated pairs of angelfish Pterophyllum scalare, which I got about a year ago. When they sere about nine months old they paired off, so I put them in separate tanks. One pair is in a 20-gallon high tank, and th other pair is in a 45-gallon tank. They are now laying eggs about ‘once a month ‘My problem fs that the fry are dying, I have tried taking out the parents, leaving the parents with them, and leaving the light on at hight, but still the fry live only about a week. 1 have canister and uundergravel filters. As soon as they started laying eggs, 1 tamed off avel filters is 40, the nitrite is 0, the water hardness is 150 (I have well water) alkalinity 1s 120, and the pH is 68. What am I doing wrong? Should I remove the eggs toa bare tank? What should Tbe feeding then? the canister filters, so Fm now using only the uncle est the water every week with a test stip. The nitrate By the way, I have been getting your magazine for a couple of years now. The malt thing I ike s the Q&AS. Keep up the great work Bob Fulton Huntingtown, Maryland ne.com 5Us great (0 hear that you enjoy as close ¢o zero as possible through some ‘anh, but doing so might help maximize the the QGAs! The one area of — hefty water changes. Also, you didnt indicate survival rate of your fry. A 5- to 10-gallon concern that really stands out to what your water temperature and ammonia tank equipped with a heater, simple sponge ‘me upon looking over your water readings are, but Ill assume these parameters filter, and an airstone would be just about parameters isthe nitrate level. Forty ppm is are in good shape given the fact that your ‘right. Once the eggs hatch, daily water definitely on the high side for successfully angels are healthy and breeding and their ges and careful siphoning of uncaten rearing angelfish fry eggs are hatchin will be critical for maintaining water would work to bring that level down l’snot necessary to move the eggs toa bare quality, an these chores are much easier (0 carry out in a small, bare-hottomed tank Many breedets also add methylene blue othe hatching tant to prevent the growth of fungus rstone should be positioned 01 creates gentle water movemtent over the eggs to hep them clean ‘Once the fry are free-swimming (approximately five days after hatching), you «can begin feeding them. Newly hatched brinc shrimp are a good first food. Keep in mind that frequent light feedings are preferable 1 a single heavy feeding for developing ry. Tye read in @ lot of aquarium Hiterature that Ws best to rmedieate sick fish in a separate hospital tank rather than in the display tank. Why Dennis Kwan via email There are several good arguments for transferring a sick fish to a Separate quarantine tank before administering @ medicinal treatment. Among them: To dose medications safely and effectively, you usually need . calculate the exact volume ‘of water in the system that is being treated This isnt as easy as it might seem in a display tanke because you have (0 account for any water displaced by the substrate, ocks, drifwood, plants, and other decor In contrast, i relatively easy (© measure the Dainichi Dy exact amount of water you fill up. Duneht c hospital tan union! Priviché oY your hoxpial tank is significa S £ smell than your display tanks H takes = a maintain a therapeutic level, proportional = cutting your treatment cos added toa small + Some medications could disruptor destroy wr display aquarium’ biofiter: CYCLOP-EEZE Si + Some fishare moresensitive a than others, so its best not to trea the entve medications community unless its absolutely necessary ‘#16 much easier to monitor the recovery of a sick specimen in a small hospital tank where i has fewer places to hide, ®® 16 worwihmagazine.com March 2010ee ea Quiet Performance The Aqueon QuietFiow™ power fil completely Cleans more water... more often. Independent lab ing Confirmed QuietFow fiters have the highest jaw rates in their class. Patented biological and ‘mechanical components help keep aquarium water Clear and clean so y ive and stay healthy, a vibrant. QuetFiow filters are also selt-priming, simple to set up and easy to maintai forcomplete test resus please vst: ‘queonproducts:com 800.255.4527Bs Q&A scitwater is gota question? Send_your questions about the saltwoter side of the oquarium hobby to “OBA.” TFH, Publications, PO. Box 427, Neptune, NJ 07754, oF submit via e-mail to ecltaratin.com Hermaphroditic Cleaners have a pair of skunk cleaner shrimps Lysmata_amboinensis in my 60-gallon marine tank, and today T noticed something very unusual about them. Since buying the pair about « year ago, Tve observed one carrying a clutch of eggs on a few occasions. Tve always assumed that the one with the eggs Is female and the other is male, Stands to reason, right? Well, imagine my surprise this morning when 1 noticed that both shrimps are carrying a batch of eggs! How fs this possible? Is there any chance that the eggs will hatch? If so, will the babies survive in my tank? Jon Sefton Via email Actually, this event isn as uncommon as lt might seem, Lysmataamboinensis and ‘other members of its genus ‘are hermaphvoditic—possessing oth male tana female sex organs. Hence, wo sexually ‘mauuire individuals have the ability (0 cross- Jertilize one another, which is what happened ‘with your paix The eggs may very well hatch in your ‘aquariuon, but is unlikely you'l be sucessful in raising any of the larvae there. They'll either be eaten by other tank inhabitants or get slurped into a filer intake, powerhead, etc. Some experts and dedicated hobbyists hhave succeeded in raising L. amboinensis larvae in separate rearing vessels, but this is 4 very labor-intensive endeavor Cementing Corals |s cyanoacrylate glue or epoxy safe to use for cementing coral ww wifhmagazine.com in a reef tank? Thank you. Neal Small via email There ave numerous cyanoacrylate adhesives (Guperglues) and eposies on the market that you can safely use 0 cement corals in a reef tank. These products are sold under various brand names, and some are marketed specifically for aquarium tse while others are no ¥ would recommend getting a product that is expressly labeled as safe for use in aquariums. Though some of the glues and «epoxies sold through your local hardware or home improvement store might have identical consttuens to those labeled for aquarium tse (and might even costa bit less), theres also the possibitity that some will contain potentially harmful adizves 1 beter to be sae than sory. ‘Many aquarium retailers sell cyanoacrylate gels (which are preferable ( the runny, watery kind for the purpose of cementing corals) and two-part epoxies that are reliably safe for aquarium use, provided they are ‘applied in accordance with the manufacturers Tempted by Blue-Ringed Octopus Can you tell me how 10 properly cate for a blue-ringed octopus? ‘local aquarium store has several for sale, and Ym really empted to try one. L know these animals have dangerous venom, but 1 have several years of experience in keeping venomous lionfish and would handle the jctopus with the utmost caution Terry Weaver March 2010The best way T can suggest to cave Jor a bluesringed octopus is to leave it in the ocean, In fact, this diminutive ectopus—which could be one of several species in the genus Hapalochlaena—should be right atthe top of every marine aguarists of-limis list because there is simply no safe way to handle them Even expert professional aguarists are highly wary of them, Blue-rings dont merely possess a dangerous venom; they possess a deadly venom Inown as tetrodotoxin, or TTX. 1 hate to put itso bluntly, but your experience ‘with lonfish cannot prepare you forte potential risks involved in keeping one of these octopuses. After all, nfih sings, while extremely painful, are rarely fatal. A bluc-ring bite, onthe other hand, will abmost certainly ill you Moreover al actopuses, including blue-rings, are true aquatic Houdinis that can squeeze their body through any opening large enough to accommodate their beak (for a golfbull- sized octopus, thats a very” small opening Indeed), making ic very difictt co keep them contained within am aquarium system, I dont now about you, but the prospect of finding a deally octopus sluhering across my’ fshroom {floor sends chills up my spine! And, think what ‘might happen i somone else whois unfamiliar with the danger this animal poses were to come aerons the escapee firs. To make matters even worse, blue-rings have 4 horrible econd in captivity, rarely surviving Tong after capture. If all that doesnt discourage you from buying ablue-ringed octopus, consider ‘the fact shat these creatures spenl most oftheir time in hiding and have a very short macural espan. If you were 10 buy one, you'd seldom see itand even if adapted well to captivity, i ‘would probably live but a few short months in your tank. In my humble opinion, that taking ‘on alot of risk jor very lake reward Water Changes and Nifrate hope you can help me with av ongoing problem I fi with my 30 gallon marine tank, My nitrate level is very high at 60 ppm an ends to st right in that range no matter how much water I change out. It drops dawn for a shor tine immediately ier 1 do a big water change bout then Bounces right back up in a matter of days. My tap water cat be the source of the problem because fuse RO wate. toed diferent vst kis and gotten prety much the same raul, Any suggestions? R.J. Molinet Palm Bay, Florida Tropical Fish Hobbyist | skunk cleaner strimp lysmota amboinonsis ore heimaphrodilos, mening that they hove ‘he abllty to cross forilze gach ofher. When an aquariums: nitrate level remains high in spite of major water changes and tap water has been ruled out as a possible source, you can usually assume that the system is overstocked and/or overfed, o” that an excessive amount of organic debris hhas become trapped in the substrate or a filter medium and is gradually breaking ddown and releasing nutrients into the water. In these cirewmstances, water changes of worwfhimagazine.com {The blueringed octopus snot a sate choice for any aquarist ue fois deadly venom. any size or frequency won' lower the nitrate level for long because the root ofthe problem hhas not been eliminate. For the sake of analogy feenager’s bedroom with a big pile of dirty, picture a tadiferous laundry in the corner. You can ‘open a window and air out that room as ‘many times as you Tike, but the edor wil just come right back as soon as you close the window—that is, unless you eliminate the source of the stench, 19oul need to doa bit of sleuthing to determine the underlying cause ‘of your nitrate problem, but the frst factors look at ave your cwrent Pioload, your rate of feeding, and the possibilty of excessive detritus buildup in your substrate or elsewhere in the system, efish Fight T recently bought a pair of iefish (the reddish one put them in my 20-gallon x turns out to have been a bad decision rot the purple one PD ano tank. 7 because the larger of the two started savagely beating up the smaller te tank to save its life fone. Thad to move the litle one to a sepa Lm Fe eet Cee eae {vas under the impression that you could keep these fish together as Tong as they're kept two t0 a tank, Should try wo reintoduce the smaller one after it vecovers, oF will their domestic dispute just Latisha Mayor Yonkers, New York Assuming the firfish you have are Nemateleotris P\, nagnitica, i is possible to keep two specimens in the same tank provided they are a mated pair—not just two Y sandom individ als thrown together But absent ths bond, ith typical forthe larger ofthe two (or the largest of any size group) 0 Dehave aggressively toward the smaller specimen(s), 1 sincerely doubt ‘that reintroducing the victim after it recovers will yield a different result, Perhaps the two could learn to coexist in a much larger tank with Tots of hiding places, but there’ not much hope for this in a 20-gallon tank (77% Hermits and Nassarius Snails ) see s0plon esr vita Hisicderpand Pei I seer ose el shel el felp cen say fl that my fish lave Bend. However, te tank also contain fe Sart hermit cube, Wl the bs ose any test othe sul wa Tovould like to add some Nassarius snails to ‘even f they will be under the sand most ofthe time? If possible, Ta like to keep them both. Thank you! Meredith Norton Durham, North Carolina International Marine Aquariun Location: Queen Mary Hote! Long Beach, California 30- August 1, 2010 uly 30 3 day Itorational event, 18 speakers, ver 90 ‘xhbitors from the Marine Aquarium Industry Banquet & Reception Saturday Night Special ot oom pricing om aM = $119 Aight save up to S200 right izine.com March 2010Paguristes cadenati, the species ‘most commonly sold as the scarlet hermit crab, is a well- Frnown snail mibbler and snail shell stealer Even burrowing snails, such as Nassarius spp, commonly fall prey to this crab when they shave an aquarium. Though they spend much of their time buried in the sand, Nassarius snails typically emerge whenever fod is introduced tothe tank as well 4s after lights out, and they are vulnerable to predation by hungry hermits at those times. If were you, I would find a new home for the Ihermits and introduce the Nassarius snails for the sake of maintaining a healthy deep sand bed. You wont be disappointed in their sand-stirring performance! SNassarius snclls con help maintain a healthy deep sand bed by keeping the fond wal sired Pufferfish with Prolapse? Have you ever seen, or know how or why, an’ Atlantic porcupine pullerlish’s intestines would ‘come out through its rectum? I just had to release one to the “big ocean in the sky.” | noticed it today swimming strangely and, upon further inspection, found that its intestines were tangled in some Caulerpa and portions of other organs were also hhanging out W had been healthy and active to the point that I could hand feed it truly stumped by this, and the necropsy showed no sign of a blockage in the colon, Any thoughts or help would be greatly appreciated, Robb Ditter Tropical Fish Hobbyist Te read several accounts of puffeyfishthathave had incestinal tissue protruding from the anus to varying degrees. However, 1 must adit that I've never heard of a case so severe thatthe intestine actually becomes entangled in macroalgae! Why this condition sometimes de in pufers isnt exactly clear Some suggested lops RAUA | explanations have included constipation or other intestinal blockages (hough, as you mention, this was not observed during necropsy), internal parasites, and certain bacterial infections ‘its any consolation, there ist much that a hobbyist can do when this condition develops except wait and hope forthe best. Mild cases, where only avery small section of intestine (Sori TFSi] . better than ever before! Hydor' response to the continuous demands ofthe ‘ing equa market-on the wave ofthe Koala sucess @ new concept of crcuotin pump ee Dap sa, Cate ante covdeblsair “- t> eau lpeSosen cp appt New Inganrnay sees Unum ig oe ied he ig ‘Seaeeseioe hidor HYDOR USA Inc. coeur fatto 0) Ph. 916.920.5222 - Fax, 916 920 8522 «ema hydorusa@hydoccam « wwwhydorcom worwgfhimagazine.com{s protruding, can sometimes be resolved by isolating the specimen ‘and treating the tank with Epsom salts. But given the severity of your Puffer’ prolapse, I doubt Epsom salts could have helped. Unfortunately, there are conditions in all animals—ineluding humans—that currently have no effective reatment and are terminal Painting Aquarium Back Hello TPH. What isthe best method for painting the back pane ofa glass aquarium? What colors do people usually use? Should 1 go with an oil-based of latex paint? Do you just brush the paint on, or do you have io somehow Prepare the surface ahead of time? How many coats are necessary? Thanks in advance for your help. Leonard Pietszak via email Wall, the choice of color is entirely a matter of personal preference, hut most people gn with black or shades of blue, Lex paint is your best bet. As far as surface preparation goes, dene nothing special tha you have vo do, Just be sure to clean and dry the glass thoroughly before painting so any dust, debris, or oly residue doesnt incerfre with adhesion 1 also a goo dea fo tape sheet of plastic or newspaper over the opening of the tank to prevent paint fiom splacring inside 1 okay co apply te palne with patbrush bu Tv found that you get more even coverage using a smal paint voller Tivo cos wll usualy sufice for complete coverage. Jus be sur allow the frst coat to dry completly before starting the second coat or the ist coat il pet off patches Cinnex Protests Aver Eaemer salt wawFinnex net The compiete line of titanium neaters + Ytualy anbretabie. cores os heat elmer Precnen aia or econ temperate eats ‘Beale frm S00 t 000 vworwafimagaine.com lThe larger opening en the mantle of a Tridacna clam, the inhalant ‘Hphon, takes in water and nutons Which Siphon Is Which? Thave a question about glant elam anatomy that Tm sort of embarrassed to ask. I know these clams have ‘in their mantle, one that brings in water and another that expels water. How can you tell whieh one is which? Casey Reed via email “Jim, don’t take this the wrong way, but have you ever considered growing something other than elkhorn coral?” March 2010at ae ae a tier tne ee ee er ’ Hee ee ee i wons beneei ee soaker, Bluehead Wrasse A I dont sce any problem with adding a bluchead wrasse Thalassoma bifaciatum co your system as described. PA rier tan ay mop compet ees wah HON sour carnenttineup of fishes, and it shouldnt pick on your corals or clams. Just be sure to avoid introducing any small ‘mouile invertebrates, such as ornamental shrimps, or amy fishes that are significantly smaller than the wrasse. These might become a meal {Jor the wrasse—or forthe hawifish or triggerfish for that matte. Two Part} “Two Little Fishes is wel versed in the science of calcium and alkalinity ‘maintenance, Ths why we brought youth frst two-part calcium and alkalinity maintenance system tha! adjusts calcium, magnesium, and strontium ions to Natural Seawater ratios, and achieves balanced ionic residual. We cali C-Balance®. And is perormance has Its a complicated composition, but an easy movement, Jus! add equal amounts of part A and B according to the dosage instructions. ‘And you can gett fora song - ty our gallon concentrate the economical \ay to Keep your calcium and alkali in perfect harmony. Packaged in hwo 1602. bottles, or two 32oz.botles and as a concentrate in a ‘Two Little Fishies ‘Advanced Aquarium Products “wo Lil Fishes, Ic. 1007 Park Cente Blvd. Miami Gardens, FL 33169 USA Te: 305 623.7695 wav .woltlfshies.com Topical Fish Hobbyist wormgfhimagazine.com -™ Tropical Catalina Goby? it | was visiting my local fish store today and saw a fish a) ented asa opal Catalina goby. Ive never heard y ofthis fish, but the dealer confirmed thatthe sign was accurate. The fish looked somewhat similar to pictures Ive seen ‘of the Catalina goby, which I know isa cold-water species and not appropriate for topical tanks, but it wasnt exaetly the same. Te had many more blue vertieal stripes running along its body than the Catalina goby does, and its colors werent as eye-catching. Any idea 2Bwhat species [saw and whether its actually or less matches your description. Ive never specimen in question is indeed L, 2ebra, Fi appropriate or a topical system? seen this easter Pacific species for sale in say thereS no reason you cant keep it in a Lance Harris my neck of the woods, but it is supposedly topical system, via email available on the market from time to time In The Conscientious’ Marine Aquarist I wonder if the Jish you saw QMierocosn/TFH Professional Series, 2001), Gramma Yesterday 1 added a royal \ A was Lytheypnus zebra, a Bob Fenner notes that this species “ls just ~) mo \ congener of the Catalina goby as gorgeous as its cold-water cousin, and is sgramma to my 40-gallon tank BOX iytirypns dati, sehich more a true topical” If you can confirm that the containing a Rainfords goby, coral beauty Clark’ clownfish, yellowtail blue damsel, and scarlet cleaner shrimp. This morning when I turned on the lights, I noticed that the gramma is missing patches of sea fon one side of its body, You can actually see white tissue through the purple color, Could this be a symptom of disease? 1 ORC mc Poem Peete ea) Cee aece seu products and alist of retalers cally fH We edced hear you that carry them asta w AA 08 nore tie cha the mising AY, scatescre tie result of chasing and PPAR _ uttsing by a tanmate. The most HAY ikely catpricof the bunch isthe CO emia i persists, you should be able to hon the block ands sgvamma alone As far as the injury is concerned, it will probably heal provided the chasing/bullying subsides, optimum water conditions ave maintained, and proper nutrition is ofered. "8 m4 swiewtfhmagazine.com March 20104 Sizes Available in both Marine & Freshwater une Configui Mi Electronic Ballast built into Fixture makes installationJick Watley 6 neve the mos rege ‘name ass, ein Bade ug eto cha ak the fdlh med Aeag hes how Ie has eos srg hs ogre ol roel (ae Usd eon —eih pr ‘rouge eer or dees and ‘ne of uy vd a fame Adasen eva! fw he ‘ACA ang po tho at ih me trope hesilentsetambasor ‘dss and goal acs he plat jack wattley 26 ask jack Dear Jack, Aer contacting you, | finally did set up 1 very nice 35-gallon tank for discus. The aquarium shop representative sold me the high-tech filters Il need, plus the overhead lighting, water testing kit, ete He said not to use carbon in my discus tank, and you agreed but didn't really explain in any detail as to why you said the salesman was correct—so Tm wondering, why shouldn't I use carbon with diseus? Joseph Ledoux Kenner, Louisiana Dear Joseph, have spoken in the past regarding the wse of activated carbon in discus tanks. 1f the carbon is activated and placed in an aquarium filter in discus tank Jor an extended peried of tim, i appears to case body Blemishes and ragged fins onthe fish. This seems 10 happen more when tage amounts of activated carbon ave used, and if the water is soft. The problems generally occur aier the carbon has boon running inthe filter for about eight toren days. We never use activated carbon in any of our discus tanks because, in our experience, the carbon can slowly remove the slime coating {fiom the epidermis of the discus, thereby allowing any harfal (anaerobic) bacteria 1 cause serious damage tothe discus. With the removal ofthe activated carbon, we have een that the fish very quickly return to normal And please be aware that the life of the activated carbon cam be short ifthe volume of ‘water passes rapidly dough the filter: Dear Jack, During a recent business trip to Japan 1 was very fortunate to be able to visit a few of the discus breeders you had put ‘me in touch with. One breeder—in his limited English—explained to me that he added several of the local algae to his food formula for discus. He was not able to explain the amount of algae he added ‘wweneyfimagazine.com to the food formula, Do you know wh: percent, more or less, he was mixing into the food? Jan Ward La Crosse, Wisconsin Dear Jan, When 1 have time T tend to feed one of the types of algae to my discus. A number of the Japanese algae can be found in most health food stores. Laok for nori, konbu, or wakame—they are some of the ingredients ound in sushi always soak the algae in water unl US very soft, at which time ie can be easily ised into a regular discus formulated die. My discus always accept the algae with no problems, and at times they have eaten icin small pieces even before 1 mixed it into the other food. Your fish will eagerly accept 15- 10 20-percent algae added to their other food. ‘And, after sofening the algac, how about adding some of it ino your foods? They were all processed for humans, not for tropical ish. Use the algae in your soup, or In salads when in Japanese restaurants you will always Jind nori or one of the other algae in your ‘miso soup, Dear Jack, recently purchased a ni in Laredo, Texas although my home is Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. L would like to give them a growth hormone, as they haven shown any growth since I purchased them. Do you know of any hormone | can use? [Lam very familiar with growth hormones for planis, but not familiar with any for tropical fish, Luis Reyes Garza, Nuevo Laredo, Mexico Dear Luis, Growth hormones for tropical fish have never played any part in my discus breeding program. [Auxins, or plant “hormones” are quite different from animal hormones, and + of discus March 2010although some fish breeders use hormones to artificially alter their animals to increase sales potential, it is a very bad idea to administer any hormone to any animal tunless it is for valid therapeutic reasons and under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian—Eus.| The “growth hormone” Ihave wsed has been water changes. What most employ forex discus breeders hisnothing ellen discus gro ‘more than large large are those changes? How about 40 to 50 daily water changes. How percent each day? As Ive sald—foo many times—many discus breeders in Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia, make as much as 90 percent daily water change IML expl before the hatchery: was mi ‘about this test in my “Ask Jack column before, but Ill explain ie again here Ws very interesting and important regarding water changes. here about a tittle test 1 made fed to Miami Tye wr T used two tanks—the largest being 20 gallons and the The two tanks had the same amount of light, ler being but 2 gallons both being placed side by side. I kept both tanks at 83°F. 1 placed a large sponge filter {in the 20-gallon tank and the filter contained Ded of aerobic bacteria. In the 2-gallon tank ¥ only) ce filter were operating at al times, I placed 50 discus fry in che 2-galon tank, and 25 fry were pu in the 20-gallon tank. Alt fry in both tanks were from the same spawning event and were the Both the airstone and the spo» same size, approximately one inch The fry in both cans were fed the same food, which was my discus formulated food. The 30 discus in the 2-gall amount as the 25 fish in the on tank received vice the 20-gallon tank, and all fry were fed three to four times daily. Because of the sizes of s—plus the number of fry per tank—excess food was siphoned out daily. the ovo t However, the amount of water removed ‘from each tank, percentage wise different. From the 20-gallon tan 50 percent once daily, and from the 2-gallon tank, holding 50 fry, 1 removed at least 90 percent of the water at te day, maximum 10 times per day. Remember ‘that the 20-gallon tank had an active aerobic ‘operating filter, while the 2-galton tank had but one airstone removed st cight times per Alter a period of one week, and with my checking growths of the fry in both tanks, a slight disparity began co appear. Let's go on for three days more, at which time the fry in thesmaller tank were showing appresimately Tropical Fish Hobbyist ae wh saat” 14 inch more than their brethren inthe larger tank, At the end of the four week 2-gallon tank fi compared tothe ere clase to double in size n fry saw Several adultsize discus in our local aquarium shop and purchased all of them. There were two that looked a lot like your turquoise discus and the other was a royal blue discus, IT were to cross one of the turquoise diseus with the royal blue discus, do you have any idea what soung would look like All three of these discus were showing some pre-spawning activity, so | want (© take advantage of this activity and attempt to breed them. Th zallon aquarium, and T have active sponge filters operating full time The fish are fed some flake food that 1 ought from your hatchery, plus frozen bloodworms, and frozen adult brine shrimp. The tank is kept at 82°F and the water is part rain water, pact city water ted. Lhave been making daily water changes of about 25 percent. that has been t ww neflmagacine.com Thank you. Brad Quinn Melrose Park, Florida In that I know nothing abou the history af these three discus, itis difficult to give you an answer as 0 how any offspring would turn out. Even spawning the ow turquoise fish, without knowing a thing about their history, It is impossible 10 say what they would look like. Who is the breeder? Will the aquarium shop ame of the breeder? 1 tend 10 loubs it However, if you are able to cross the ‘uurquoise discus with the royal blue discus, you may be able to get some interesting looking offspring. Tale some time, look for offspring that don’t resemble either of the parents, put them into another tank, and grow them out. You might be very pleased with their colors and patterns. I will probably take 16 to 18 weeks for any rue coloring (o appear, at which time you should have a good idea as to which young discus look the best for you. *&cichlidophiles Hybrids: Natural and Otherwise ‘Noe SL PD ma he lr of de hokon Cc eco NC Jr ates ln Jorn, onl wm mak on ACA fie Wb Wht sal on HCA 5 Bro of ona, es fi ne S Glomayedar fice jan il cmon We eg ont tl hee forall Bons htt et jo ec Gremio oe 1 my kis pot cd andy cretion ich wayne leibel 28 fn this final column in a series of three addressing various aspects of the species question, | would like to finally turn directly’ to the issue of hybrid cichlids both in nature and in our hobby. In the first column (What Is a Species?” TFH December 2009) we reached a definition of species useful for aquarium hobbyists, ‘Our definition includes the classteal Typological Species Concept (TSC): Fach species corresponds toauniquemorphological type having diagnostic anatomical characters that separate i rom all other species. I also includes the equally classical Biological Species Concept (BSC), which defines species as: genetically cohesive groups of interbreeding individuals that are isolated {fram all other such gene pools For hobbyists, this means attention should be paid not just t0 what a cichlid looks like but also the population it comes from, ifthis collecting locality information is known, And fish should be distributed, whenever possible, with such locality Information attached, and we should not six populations in our breeding attempts. Inother words, isolated gene pools (species) should be kept isolated in our tanks! As 1 concluded in that first column, cichlid hobbyists are not mere fishkeepers wearealso naturalistsand conservationists accountable for the responsible management of our aquarium inhabitants, some of which are threatened or extinct in the wild, So where do hybrids fit into the cichlid hobby? To be sure, hybrids and hybridization have played 'a-major role in the development of several established ornamental strains of Livebearers (eg. ‘swordtails,platies,mollies) but fortunately for cichlid aficionados, this has not been wwwifhmagazine.com the case yet for our beloved cichlids, with the possible exception of discus and a few suspect African cichlids Yet this potential for hybridization certainly exists as part of the basic biology of these fishes, and the artificial creation of cichlids such as the blood parrot and flowerhorn has been upon us for a while, Thele place in the elchlid habby Is contraversial to be sure and has been the topie of muich heated debate in American Cichlid Association (ACA) circles Tom Lorenz's recent article, “Flower Power: Are Flowerhorns Good for the Hobby?” (TFH November 2009), ably reviewed the controversy and presented the competing issues Assuming a basic knowledge ‘communicated in my recent columns abo what species are (What Is a Species" in ‘TFH December 2009) and how they come 10 be (Cichlid Speciation: How Does It Happen?” in TEH February 2010), 1 like to spend the rest of this column on the subject of hybrids and hybridization, What Is a Hybrid? So what are hybrids? Hybrids ate genetic crosses occurring between individuals of ‘two otherwise reproductively isolated (biological) species. In population genetics terminology, itis genetic introgression— swapping of genesfalleles between otherwise isolated gene pools, Hybridization may take place naturally as the result of two physically separated species populations reestablishing contact, or it may be foreed by no-choice contac usually brought about by humans. The poster child for hybrids in our own experience would be the mule, a genetic mixture made by breeding a female horse Equus caballus with a male donkey Equus March 2010sinus, and the reverse eross (horse male x donkey female) a hinny. Either direction of this crass produces viable but infertile offspring, which is not surprising because horses and donkeys have different numbers of chromosomes. Mules and hinnies must bbe created anew each time, But this ts not always the ease for hybrids. Some of them are indeed fertile once created, If we define species as isolated gene pools that don't naturally interbreed in the wild—the Biologieal Species Concept—we leave open the possibility that they can and will mate successfully in captivity in a rno-choice situation (as above), and that the resulting hybrid will be fully viable and fertile, The catch here is selective mating in the wild, Either the two species in question don't normally encounter each other in the wild, or they have distinct breeding seasons, or are sufficiently selective in their choice of mates that crossing will not foceur (assortative mating). Most species are indeed selective in theit breeding choices. The Species Recognition Concept (SRC) was an add-on to the BSC to take care of these cases where no-choice captive breeding results in fully viable and fertile offspring. Mayr (author of envisioned the BSC, 1963) the exchange of appropriate i between male and female to ensure the mating of conspecific individuals and to prevent hybridization of individuals belonging to different species” The SRC fas proposed by Paterson (1978) states succinctly that *members of a species fare vied together by the fact that they recognize each other as belonging together and reproduce only with each other In a Glass World Tell that to a tank of mixed mbuna, oF 1 co-housed collection of peacock cichlids (Aulonocara sp.) who will readily cross in captivity, even without a no-ch situation, Perhaps it is the artilicialiy Keeping them in a relatively small and unnatural glass box of water, but any and all of these will cross successfully in captivity while breeding assortatively in the wild—or in more natural captive environments such as a many-thousand- gallon public aquarium. In fact, one of the more ornamental of peacocks, the OB peacock, is clearly a hybrid between a peacock Aulonocara sp. and a zebra Metriaclima sp. that does not ‘occur in nature. And if you want to start Topical Fish Hobbyist 1 One of the most infamous examples ofa hybrid cichild, lowethoms are hybrids of fish from diferent genera, '§ Srawborty peacock child; e hybrid ean formin no-choicesluations whore species that would not normaly mate in the wild choose fo do so because no ether member of thelr species is present in he aquarium. artificially collecting sperm and eggs and brokering fertilization with these wst- tube gametes, much is possible. But itis not natural So, if a tank full of various mbuna species isa recipe for interspecies and even intergenus hybridization, how do they sort itout inthe wild? And, is there evidence for mistakes in assortative mating in the form of naturally occurring hybrid cichlids? Hybrid Cichlids in Nature ‘The short answer is that cichlids relatively complex courtship and reproductive behaviors, and their principal reliance on visual communication and species recognition, lead to very effective worwgfimagazine.com assortative (conspecific) mate choice. Males of diflerent species have evolved species-specific nuptial colorations that are easily recognized by conspecific females whose spectrally tuned visual systems (visual pigments: opsins) have ‘o-evolved with the nuptial coloration males are programmed to scarch for the color patterns of their males: the SRC. at work! Why and how do they get it wrong? Environmental interference with their visual system ((e,,water turbidity changing the wavelengths of available light and the overall clarity of the water) is one source of error. And while evolution as always pushes females of a species in the 29direction of strict assortative mating, like most characteristics, choosiness itself as a sne-controlled behavioral trait is subject, to genetic variation and polymorphism. Some females are less choosy than others. Much more than just a forum! Come see why tens of thousands of hobbyists visit us every month: — www.cichlid-forum.com— 30 So, for a number of reasons, assortative ‘mating can and does break down even in the wild But whats the evidence that it has, and what's the extent of the occurrence, if any, of natural eichlid hybrids in the wild? There are some examples and most of these have been recenily catalogued by Ad Konings (2008), He relates that in the more than 2000 hours of diving he has done in Lakes Tanganyika and Malawi, he has only once observed a recognizable natural hybrid: a male of intermediate phenotype between Labeocropheus fuelleboral and Pseudotropheus purpuratus Obviously mbuna usually sort it out correctly in the wild under natural conditions, even if they don't in home community tanks, Using DNA sequence analysis, Smith et al. (2003) found that the zebra cichlid population at Makanjila Point, Lake Malawi hybrids between a forn contains natural 1 Metriaclima anjila Point pyrsonotos. from ‘bra found north of M and a form of M, Chimwatani Reef, Additionally, the Lake species Neolamprologus _marunguensis is actually a natural hybrid between N. pulcher and N. splendens Salzburger et al., 2002), and Lepidiolamprologus nkambae is another natucal hybrid (Shelly etal, 2005), both confirmed by DNA an In South America, naturally occurring hybrids have been reported (and confirmed by DNA analysis) in peacock bass Cichla Tanganyikan ‘woo wffmagazine com monoculus x C. temensis (lieveira et al 2006) and in Heckel discus Symphysodon discus x blue-brown discus S. aequifasciatus (Ready etal, 2006; Bleher etal, 2007), Human intervention is upping the ante both in Lake Malawi and in Lake Vietoria In Lake Malawi, introductions of species populations from one end of the lake to the other, often around an island—to facilitate case of collection for ornamental tuse—has resulted in some instances of hybridization For example reported possible Cymotilapia afra and Mctriaclima zebra. at Thumbi West Island after C.afra, originally from Likoma Island, was introduced there (1996) Stauffer et al Sechausen (2004) has shown instances of natural hybridization hetween several species of the 250 or so cichlids endemic to Lake Vietoria as a consequence of uurbidity due wo cleat ceuting and runoff, TIl have mote to share about this situation in another column, as the situation with respect to Vietorian cichlid speciation and hybei quite illuminating So, with all the wond color and behavior that character 2000 to 3000 species descr of yet) from the family Cichlidae, fone of the most diverse and successful families of freshwater fishes (about 10 percent of total species). it is difficult to and 1 and not (as arguably understand the drive to create ‘mean that literally—new cichlids, of course and idization in which males and females Tam, speaking here of intentional artificial hybr ave placed in no-choice situations or even ped of their gametes, which are then mixed and resultant offspring raised apart from parents. Two recent examples of this in the cichlid world are blood parrots and more recently flowerhorns, which are the result nus crosses. betwe Admittedly, Central flowerhorns can be aesthetically beautiful and blood parrots cute (i you overlook American cichlids, proportions), But what purpose do these serve in the hobby? Tam aware, as the recent TFH article (Lorenz, 2009) explained, how the beauty of the flowerhora—and yes, some March 2010of them are spectacularly. beautiful— transcends mere aesthetics to enter the realm of luck and feng shui in Asian cultures where they were initially created. Not to mention the financial reward that initially accompanied their creation. But, with so many beautiful and interesting natural cichlid species available to us in the hobby, 1 don't tunderstand the fascination with these human-made hybrids T have no problem with selective line breeding to produce a particular phenotypic result—good examples in the cichlid world include cockatoo dwarf cichlids Apistogramma cacatuoides of colorations (eg, triple red gold, ete), the several oscar Astronotus cellacus olor morphs, albino strains of many species, or even red peacocks Aulonocara sp. “stuartgeanti German red, ruby. red etc. There ate also the more obvious examples of angellish Pterephyllum scalare and diseus Symphysodon sp. which [do not object to as long as the stock species remain genetically tunadulterated and unmixed, The Bottom Line 1 personally draw the genetically (and therefore taxonomically) distinct species are knowingly hybridized, however. In addition to the aforementioned blood parrots and flowerhorns, the line-bred discus types have, themselves, arguably line where originated from the crossing of two or more distinct species of Symphysodon (Bleher et al, 2007) Many have questioned what the philosophical difference between selective line breeding and hybridization really is, since both approaches are done with the intention of creating a calculated phenotypic endpoint or phenotypic novelty. They say embracing the former and rejecting the latter is, inconsistent, even hypocritical, and indefensible. But for me there is a big difference between artificial (line breeding) of a single genetic species and forced genetic introgression between ‘wo oF more genetically distinet species While hybridization does occasionally go om in the wild, clearly nature, for the ‘most part, successfully guards against iit is relatively rare in the natural Topical Fish Hobbyist ive porto! cichlids have various physical problems—for exemple, hey cannot tly close tmeir mouths. clchlid world as far as we can tell. With so many natural cichlid species to choose from and available in the hobby, why is there a need to ereate more Frankentish, as some have called then? ‘As Ad Konings (2008) has said, “Enjoy your natural cichlids!” For an alternative view and a well-articulated airing of all sides of the issue, please see Lorenz's flowerhorn article in the November 2009 Issue of TFH. Meanwhile, no flowerhworns fr blood parrots for me, thank you! References Bleher HL, KN. Stole and A. Meyer. 2007. Genus Symplysodon (Feleostei: Perciformes: Cichlidae) based on molecular and morphological characters. Aqua International Journal of Iehuyology 13:133-174 Konings, A, 2008, “Are Hybrid Cichlids Natural?” Buntbarsche Bulletin 248:4-8, Lorenz, T. 2009, “Flower Power: Are Flowerhorns Good for the Hobby? Tropical Fish Hobbyist 580) 74~ Paterson, H. E, 1978. "More evidence against speciation by reinforcement ‘South African Journal of Science 74:369- 37h Ready, J. S. E. J. G. Ferreira, and S. ©. Kuillander. 2000. “Discus fishes: mitochondrial DNA evidence for W. Salzburger, Revision of the Heckel, 1840 worwtfhmagacine.com harrier in the Symphysodon urnal of Fish a phylogeogeaphie Amazonian genus (Teleostei: Cichlidae) Biology 69:200-211 alzbuarger W,,S, Bare 2002, “Speciation” via introgressive hybridization in east African cichlids? Molecular Ecology 11:619-625 Sechausen, ©. 2004, “Hybridization and ‘Adaptive Radiation.” Trends in Ecological Evolution 19(8):404~405, Shelly, R. M., W. Salzburger, &. Koblmaller, N. Dufiner, and C. Sturmbauer, 2005. “Phylogenetic relationships fof the lamprologine cichlid genus Lepidiolamprotogus _(Teleostei. Perciformes) based on mitochondrial and nuclear sequences suggestin introgressive hybridization.” Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 38(2):426— BS, Smith PF, A. Konings, and 1. Kornfield. 2003. “Hybrid origins of a cichlid population in Lake Malawi: Implications for genetic variation and species Molecular Ecology 12:249; ne C, Sturmbatter, diversity 2504, Stauffer, J. N. J. Bowers, T. D. Kocher, and K, R, McKaye, 1996, “Evidence of hybridization between Cynotilapia afra and Pseudotropheus zebra following an intealacustrine translocation in Lake Malawi.” Copeia 1996:203-208. 8 31livebearers unlimited The Northern Mountain Swordtails Ted Cle, PRO as ben on apr for oer 25 yeas el pcg Unelarng fh ond ater anne te has sed the Bo of the Anercan and Noch ber Acca heater a fer Book Aquat are of Usha ‘pled by TEM aie! Pane & choy earings he fit (eure an mame he "Bac lois Compe tha agaswrrs ‘crn De Tecan ahd ‘chlo ted coletti photographs by Leo van der Meer except as noted 32 is month we close our five-part series fn the fascinating and popular genus Xiphophorus. The final act will focus fon some new kids on the block that also happen to be some of the most stunning, and challenging livebearers in the hobby. Ifyou are an old-time hobbyist, you may remember some of the swordtals you see this month—but under different species names. An important re-clasification by Drs. Rauchenberger, Kallman, and Morizot in 1090 created several new species and split old species up, sorting out nearly 100 years of confusion, The result was the Mexican Rio Panuco swordta also known as the northern mountain swordtails, Twenty years later (can you believe that?), these fish are revealing new information about xiph behavior, ecology and evolution. They are also all the nage today, even among cichlid hobbyist. The Northen Mountain Swordtails The northern mountain swordiails ‘currently comprise nine species inhabiting the wibutaries of the Rio Pinuco Basin ‘They are the oddballs of the Xiphophorus {genus and are not as closely related to the northern platies as one would suspect, and as a rule are found in mountain streams nd pools from 130 to 3900 feet above sea level, rather than in coastal plains like most other plates and swordhails. Some of the species possess the largest swords and widest dorsals within the genus and are now being used to create a renaissance in faney hifin xiphs. Much of this credit goes to hobbyisuscientist Roy Levine. See his wonderful article on his amazing hybrids “Xiphophorus Interspecies Hybrids: The Marriage of Heaven and Hell’ in the October 2009 issue of TFH, and/or ww wifhmagazine.com his website at hupy/xhifin org. The Rio Panuco swordiails did not become readily available to hobbyists until the start of the 21" century, with the increased distribution of descendants from the stock of collectors such as Rusty Wessel and Rich Serva. 1 was distributing several strains from the Xiphophorus Genetie Stock Center around this time as well. The dawn ‘of the Incernet fish auction had also begun, which really helped 10 spread the species around. Today the northern motintain swords have come into their own, often taking the top spots at lish shows and high prices at live and online auctions. The Cortezi Clade This is the southemmost group of the Panuco swordhails, and since evolution generally traveled northward (if you've been following our last few columns), the similarities with X. varlatus and evelynae are obvious when one looks at the wide dorsal fins that all three species possess. They also share a tolerance for cold, nd the species in the cortezi clade are truly temperate-zone swordtails due to the fact that they ate found at higher elevations, which have Muctuating temperatures both seasonally and night and day. Water temperatures in the 50s are not uncommon. Keeping these swordtails in unheated, cooler tanks from the mid-70s in summer to the 60s in winter (like one does with goodeids) is advised. The clade is characterized by a single zigzag lateral stipe, X. cortezi (ROSEN 1960) ‘Named afer the Spanish conqueror ofthe Aztecs, this hardy, widespread species prefers rocky streams, Males come in two sizes, and both sexes reach 2 to 3 inches in length. It March 2010was reported that temperatures above the ow 70s stunt their growth due to faster ‘maturation—they stop growing when they ‘manure, so fast-maturing fish are smaller The highland swordtail was named alter the slave mistress of Hernan Cortes. I hails fro Jevations up to more than ¥4 mile, so keep it cool, In nature it can be collected tunder floating plants in. sandy-bottomed shallow waters It is a stunning fish once acclimated and comfortable, but 1 have found it to be delicate, Since the strain has been domesticated more during the past decade, it may be hardier The sheepshead or swordless swordtail was named afier one of its collectors and generally enjoys rocky, well-oxygenated, flowing waters. Unlike its cousin X. corte it does better in a tank of its own. X. Dirchmanni was introduced to the hobby and scientific community earlier than most realize: Collected in the 1930s by Myron he though Gordon, this was the lost Montezuma swordiail, and it was treated as such for several decades. it was later called X. cortezi, which also proved to be false, The male’ large yellow fins and) humped back have made quite a splash at shows in recent years. I now see body sizes exceeding 3 Inches. Recent research by Drs. Held Fischer ‘and Gil Rosenthal discovered that ths finnage {snot used (0 entice females (as with mollis) ‘butt ward off competing suitors. The females actualy prefer smaller dorsals! With Dr. Bob Wong, th that males will spray their urine in the direction of females to entice mating and to distinguish themselves from X. malinche and X, cortezi, who inhabit different parts of their range, Sadly, pollution in its biotope is disrupting. this chemical communication system and creating hybrid fish in nature later discovered swordtails are beautiful are shy and delicate in the The pygmy changes: tha home aquarium, Their natural habitat is the small swift rivers that arise in front of the Sierra Madre mountain range, where they favor the shady banks and springs. The best results when keeping them Tropical Fish Hobbyist come from the use of heavily planted (top to bottom) species tanks, gentle water circulation with frequent water changes, and the liberal use of live and frozen foods, The pygmy swords are noted for having a variety of naturally occurring size and color ‘morphs among males. Be careful of sneaky smaller males who may mate with females, siring most of the fry. The large males are less shy and more interesting. courtiers, Brood sizes ave smal This nearly swordless swordtail from the Rio Axtla has smallish males that worwgfhimagazine.com reach an inch and females that reach 1¥4 inches. The original 1939 collector reported lovely gold-morph males, as well as more common brown-striped, blue-sheened boys and girls, Temperatures in the low 70s suit them well A challenging species that benefits from a large tank with lots of hiding the high-backed pygmy swordiail prefers the deeper, faster waters of the Rio Choy drainage. 1 found this species to be a stunning but scrappy charge, Even as fry 33|W Among the largest swordtols in he hobby, X. montezumae males ‘can have a sword that is hee fimes a long at thet Bodh, you will sce dominance and aggression. Use larger, langer tanks, and | recommend a mostly carnivorous diet. The species name refers to its many vertical bar markings. Males ccome in four different sizes that have varying sword lengths. A gold morph appears occasionally and can casily be confused with a different species X. nigrensis (Rosen 1960) The delicate EL Abra pygmy swordtail is truly an interesting animal, They are closely elated to X. pygmacus, with Females ofthe two species being almost identical (X. nigrensis tends to be more ‘humpbacked). This tte xiph Itkes to be near strong currents that are heavily shaded and/or vegetated. The body coloration of a mati X.migvenss male is an iidescent ste] blue, but three color morphs exis. Males can vary in length from less than an inch with no sword to over 1¥ inches witha sword almost equal {size to their body length. Size is function of time to maturity SEF YOUR MIN) Now ASK FOR THE HYDRO-SPONGE MINI S900) a ww wifhmagazine.com Mxnown as the swordiess swordiall, X. pygmoeus only reaches 1's ‘Inches and has an exceptionally small sword In 2003 a study by M. E, Cummings, Gil Rosenthal, and Mike Ryan discovered a possible explanation as to why short-sworded and smal-bodied males have survived natural selection, despite female xiphs instinctually preferring swords and large bodies, X. nigrensis reflects ultraviolet light off its sword, which can be perceived by females and is most desirable. Even short-sworded small-bodied males can reflect ultraviolet light AQUARIUM TECHNOLOGY, INC PO, Box 38628 Decatur, GA.0033 ax 408-373.2912 satponge com iia i i March 2010The northernmost swordtails are separated from their cousins by the folded ridges and valleys north of the Rio ‘Tampaon-Rio Sania Maria Axis (San Luis Povost and Tamaulipas). The clude contains three species that seem to have litle relation based on outward appearances, but proximity and genetics indicate otherwise. A great show fish whose sword length is the stu of legend, this species (along with Endler livebearer guppy) helped create a livehearer renaissance at the turn of the ‘millennium that we enjoy today. Inthe hobby there isa Rio Gallinas complex ‘of mottled fish: “Rascon,” “Famasopo Wessel 985 1 Quince,” and an Arroyo La Cienega complex. of gree yellow solid fish: and “blue-green, populations extensively several yents. ago and fear that hybrids within the various populations may be happening now in the hobby. Keep your fish pure with collection data! ‘ojo caliente,” “capuchin,” T distributed three of the Topical Fish Hobbyist Te only takes couple of emails to track dover your fish history. Montezumae swords are often found in clear, open waters near springs, rivers, and waterfalls All he males have the characteristic sworded tail that can be up to theee times their body length (10 inches total fish length), as well asa large, rounded dorsal, Males can take one 10 to years 10 sex hobbyists into thinking th hhave a tank full of female fish, Temperatur in the mid-70s suit them well The species sullers from @ convoluted history only being rediscovered by the hobby jn the 1990s, nearly 100 years aler is initial scoveryby legendary ichthyologist Seth Meek During the 20 century, several imposters in the form of hybrids and other species were given the designation “montezumae™ until Rauchenberger, Kallman, and Morizot sorted ‘things out in 1990 thanks wo thei diligent fiekl collection data via the Xiphophores Genetic Stock Center I penned a two-part investigative reporton the Montezuma swordailin my April and May 2005 TFH columns ("Montezuma Revenge" and "Montezumals Revenge, Part 2: Stains of the Day”) out, confusing wormgfimagacine.com ‘The El Quince swordtail is known from only a single short headwater spring of the Rio Ojo Frio, where it is sympatric with X, ‘montezumde. In stark contrast to its cousin, X. continens males only possess a tiny ‘word, reach about an inch in body length, and prefer the heavily planted areas of the biotope. The lack of exaggerated finnage, pigment patterns, courtship rituals, and large size makes it an anomaly among platies and swordtals, and the species is being studied extensively ‘The late Derek Lambert found this species a peaceful and easy charge in the home aquarium, Temperatures in the low 70s are recommended. Ne: and are widespread at vary (and temperatures). Fortunately, the popuilations floating around the hobby In the United States—"E! Salto” and ‘Ocampo™ the Xiphophorus Genetic Stock Center and prove had. Nezzies are playful fish famous for their long, curved swords, They seem to be found rmosily in waters with good current with rocky bottoms. X. nezahualcoyot! is named afier the emperor of the Texcovo nation, similar to the naming of X. montezumac for the Aztecs. From the 1960s through the 1980s this fish was thought to be the Montezuma swordial, and older books will display it as such, es ate the northernmost swordialls “That concludes our five-part series on the exciting Xiphophorus livebearers, | hope you will uy 1 enjoy this diverse and exeti group of fis Cummings, M. EG. Rosenthal, M. Ryan 2003. “A pate ulvavile: channel in visu communication” Procaigs in Blogical Science 2701518) 87-904 Fiber, HS, and G. G. Rosenthal. 2007, *Male ‘swords court with an audience in mind Bologica Lets 35-7. Rauchenbeger, M, KD. Kallen, and) D.C Morizt 1900.°Monopkylyand geography ofthe Rio Pinaco Bin sword (gens Xphphons) ‘with description of four new species” Areca Musean of Naural sory 2751-41." 35the planted tank Bringing Plants Outdoors Rhonda Wit hs Hl se tall dmg equate ond sated Aine arto as. Sh ‘fin ih aot pane nk honda hae a TT se the mal 7s and she coauthored the LEH. Fre ‘The Smpc Guide to Pare Aqua Ate val ad mata aaron gras fre 16 se Siang a pr ato of he Avan Leer Aston, she ‘ew mas fora on er nee ‘ehh agro rhonda wilson photographs by the author except as noted 36 hile winters are. typically mild here in the Phoenix, Arizona area, most ofthe rest of the nation has experienced significant cold and snow, There are probably quite a few of you getting a litle tired of winter and looking forward to warmer days and the staet of a new spring. As you prepare for warmer weather, you -may want 10 consider moving some of your aquarium hobby outside. Many plants and animals in the home aquarium can be transferred to outdoor areas such as patios during the warmer months. Ifyou live im a swarm-enough area, some of them can even live outside year-round, Small container ponds can be a new and interesting way to expand your aquarium space over the warmer months ancl provide you new ways to experiment with raising your fish and plants, Location Careful planning for proper placement of your small pond isthe best way to avoid problems. Salety should be a primary concern when considering where to locate your small pond. Remember that, when left unsupervised, uragic accidents can hhappen involving small children, pets tnd sometimes even wild animals, The reverse is also true—small children, pets, and wild animals can be deadly t the inhabitants of small ponds. When planning the location of a small pond, choose a protected location that can be directly supervised. Remember that waters very heavy, even ia smaller container is used for a pond. You will also need to make sure your containers are on sturdy, level surfaces that will be able to hold the water. Ifstanls ave used, be careful and make sure they are very stable. Something else to consider that will ww wifhmagazine.com affect your pond is how much sunlight it will get—youl need enough light for your plants to grow; but too much sunlight will cook your pond and its inhabitants. Direct sunlight can make the temperatures in your small pond increase rapidly and cause stress to the fish and plants. Large ponds are able to resist minor fluctuations in alr temperature, providing stability 10 fish ‘but small ponds quickly mirror changes in alr temperature and therefore must be kept ‘out of diveet sunlight Is best to put hardy tropical fish into 1 small pond outside in the spring when the temperatures stabilize in the upper (60s oF lower 70s, and wait even later for ‘more sensitive species. If you are using tank heaters, it might be a good idea to turn them down a week or so before transferring the fish outside so they ean begin to acclimate to cooler water, When you transfer them, make sure you match ‘the indoor and outdoor water temperatures so you don't shock your fish You can use floating aquarium thermometers in your small pond, of purchase a special pond thermometer to ‘monitor the temperature, In cold areas, when temperatures start getting low again in the fall, ponds in small containers will need 16 be dismantled before winter comes. Here in Arizona and other warm areas, they can be used year-round Containers eel free to use your imagination when considering suitable containers for your mini ponds. You may even have a suitable container at your home already. Just remember that they have to hold the water ‘without leaching harmful substances into the water, and they will need to be stable and not tip over easily. In terms of practical and inexpensive containers, 1 like the large plastic flower March 2010pots and planters, Round storage containers also work fairly well, but they uswally don't hhold up for mote than a year or two in the brutal Arizona sun (they may last longer in other areas, of course). Flower pots are usually a bit sturdier and last longer, and they ean also be more decorative Livestock watering tanks are often used as ish ponds. These large plastic tanks can bbe purchased at most feed stores. Children's wading pools are also an option, and Tve used these many times myself wish they would make them without the cartoon characters around the outside edges, though, as they distract from the actual pond. If you want to use something less conventional as your pond, or something that isnt quite up to holding water, such as ‘wooden half barrel, a pond liner may have two be used, Pond liners ate usually found at many garden centers and may also be purchased through the mail. Vendors can be found in magazine advertisements, through catalogs, or on their websites, Linees come in many sizes, There are even liners made specifically for hall-whiskey barrel ponds. For other projects, he sure to check carefully to get the appropriate size, The haste recommended size for pond liners is calculated so the length of the liner should be equal to the length of the pond ‘oF container plus twice the depth of the container, plus an additional 2 feet 10 allow 1 foot of overlap on both sides. The width is caleulated the same way: the width of the ppond plus twice the depth, plus 2 feet to allow for overlap Pond liners can sometimes be purchased cout by the square foot or sometimes in basie sizes, The smaller ones "ve seen available are 5 x 10 feet, so with a small container there 1 lelt over, pedhaps enough for a second container pond There are also pre-formed ponds and planters made specifically for small water features. These can come in all sorts of shapes and including some with various accessories, such as filters, pumps, and fountains, As they do in the aquarium, filters help keep your pond water clear bby mechanically removing materials and process ammonia and nitrite with a high concentration of beneficial bacteria, may be s is ndwaterfallsarequiteattractive Fountains and Water Fountain and create the sounds of gurgling water, very nice feature for any pond. The water is moved to these features with a pump. Small Topical Fish Hobbyist pumps and features are available at many garden centers, Since small container ponds have become popular in recent years, many stores also carry pre-made water features in complete or partial kis Fountains and waterfalls help move water and expose more water to the surrounding more gas exchange: oxyge 1d earbon dioxide out, When the wa shallow and agitated and broken up into litle droplets—when spraying in the air or running down a waterfall, for example— more of i is exposed to the air than when it is deep, flat, and calm, thereby greatly increasing the rate of gas exchange. ‘Waterfalls and fountains ean also provide increased, well-oxygenated, underwater surface areathat can be colonized by thesame beneficial bacteria found i filters, providing more biological filtration in a small pond. Your decision on whether 10 use filters, fountains, waterfalls, or a combination of features, depends on your goals—practical, aesthetic, ora litle of both—and the ever- present limitation on all great projects: your budget, Using a large planter you find in the shed and plants and fish from your existing setup can mean little to no cost, while an all-new decorative preformed pond with pumps, filters, fountains, and waterfalls will, ‘of course, cost much more T usually try to get several species of h outside in the summer to breed, so my containers tend to be practical and inexpensive, I like the kiddie pools and tubs—round tubs, to be exact. Lean tel you from experience that rectangular plastic tubs dont do very well, as the sides will bend out when you fill them with water thot ate ww nafmagacine.com 37Plants When plants are moved outdoors, they're going to go through transitions just as they did when you originally acelimated them 10 your aquarium, Since T lke to experiment, 1 ty just about everything, Tthink most people will do beter with their plants outside tn summer than Ido with mine any dime of year here in Arizona due to our hard water and fntense heat and sunlight Despite this, I have had success with a ‘numberof plants outside here in the Phoenix: area, Sagittaria andl Valisneria have both done well and bloomed freely. Bacopa, which loves to grow all over my fishroom, enjoys growing outside as well, Banana plants, which Tve only had very marginal suecess with in the aquarium, grew quite well for me outside during the year I ied them, Zosterella dubia does well for me, as do Chara and Naja, Other plants Te teied have done well at times, but they usually succumb to some of the extremes of weather we have out here ‘You may have much beter suecess with other plants in less extreme areas. ‘Potted plans lke this small rush can be used In @ contolner pond, ‘You may also want to include some of the ‘more traditional pond plants you may not be able to grow as well inthe aquarium. These «ean be acquired from other pond ovsners, at many garden centers ancl aquarium shops, of theough the mail ve done well with catails, rushes, iis (come types do better ip the garden and some types prefera more aquatic environment), and some types of selges: There are also popular floating plants that do well in ponds, Unfortunately, most of floating plants have been placed on federal or state noxious weeds ists, so be very careful Conduct thorough research before acquiring floating plants for your ponds, and make sare you arent inadvertently breaking any Jaws, Federal and stae noxious weed lists are available on the United States Department of Agriculture site Fish Many aquarium fish will do very well ouiside as long as the temperatures are within, their confor ranges. Check books or articles & Deadlinesyvisit AquaticPlantCentral.com ee swiewtfhmagazine.com Moher plants suitable for a small planted ond Include interesting primitive plants fixe those fromthe genus Equisetum, to find the natural temperature ranges of the fish you'd ke to Keep outside and compare their ranges with the aver You may be surprised at what your fish cam do outside. Often alter trying some of their fish in outside containers, hobbyists will report that their fish display brighter colors and more interesting behaviors. And many ties, fish wil spawn even when they havent previoush; Ive had several fish that 1 had trouble breeding. in aquariums do extremely well ‘outside, Since like livebeares, Ive tried quice few of them outdoors and most seem 10 do quite well—Gambusia seems to do very well in particule: Common native fish often found in the aquarium like flag fish Lucania goodei and Heterandria formosa also do well ouside for me, as well as puplish, Guppies often do very nicely outside for me to0 in the spring and all, though they have trouble in the extreme heat and cold They would probably do well all summer i other areas, In other areas, colder- water fish such as zebra danios and white cloud ‘mountain minnows may do wel, Some of the anabantoid, like paradise fish, might also be considered. Whether with gurgling water or quietly reflecting the area around them, temperatures atures can be very attractive additions 10 patios, baleonies, decks, o garden rooms, Containers and sinall ponds ean be a fun and interesting way to expand your squatium hobby experience. March 2010yh Vie Nes CD L WSS SCHKUHR Threestamen waterwort, longstem waterwort, mudwort Division: Magnoliophyta Magnoliopsida ler: Theales nily: Elatinaceae Natiy United States and Canada Aquarium Placer Foreground R ents: CO,, high light, heavy iron supplementation, ‘and macrofertilizer d ation: Elaine triandra is a delightful foregeo plant, Its stall stem width of % to 1 inch, rich bright olor, and ease of growth make it a beautiful choice in size aquarium, The somewhat elongated and rosette-like leaves at the stem’s end make it a unique foreground plant, In nature this plant grows along the edges of waterways and, more specifically, in the mud flats of tidal rivers and marshes. Its natural habitat is in the cooler regions, and it reseeds itself foreach growing season, making it an annual plant, Relatively tare and hard tofind, itcan be obtained from fellow hobbyists. It does not ship well and is not generally available commercially. Use in Aquascaping: E, triandra is a nutrient hog: high light, rich macrofertilizer, heavy iron supplementation, and €O, are essential, If these are not supplied, the plant will melt and disappear. Even when a rich, nutritious substrate is provided, additional fertilizer must be dosed into the water column Growing quickly, E. trlandra will run along the substrate and fill all available space. It will grow over itself if not ae ee 7 Photograph by the author trimmed, eventually shading the under-layer, causing the whole mass to detach from he substrate, Many aquatists lind that the time and work to maintain it is just to Others, enjoying just replant the lifted lawn, letting it regrow the foreground. much, its beaut continue to pagation: Propagation is ea The trimmings can be shallowly planted or gently weighed down so it touches the substrate where roots will form and take hold, The plant is also known to spread by seed propagation in the submerged state Notes: E. triandra is just one of 10 Elatine species, and out fof those only three are kept by aquarists: E. americana, E minima, and E, criandra. itis important to know which species you are getting before purchase because all three have some unique care requirements. Another important point is that it will take a good deal of effort to obtain any of the three species, since they are unavailable commercially and can only be obtained from other hobbyists.w@ iMport report Phoenix Barb Spinibarbus denticulatus ub lant ‘tba Gm the nr, Ter on. gala Tirta atconaa ag roviog Tih Asotier specie to ie add to tha is otune tain ike eect coevintered phoenls barb spiibrdus dence ike the hiss in the genus Tor spiburbus are woually found tn the deep Poss of Ciatna, and Southeastern China, nledingRatn ond cise‘ tee ge die buon, Neve He opps populations. The phocls i being fav alse tn China for As aquarium subjects, phoenix barbs make smashing show fish so long as they are placed in very large aquariums that will accommodate their whopping adult size of 16 inches. Smaller Spinibarbus appear similar wo Tor spp., but with ‘a more chunky and less streamlined body. They are also slower swimming and not as active as Tor spp. in eaptivity Ata size of around 3 inches the operculum will begin to turn a raspberry shade of red. This coloration intensifies co my fvorie gous f sho ape whl calling Oms ‘re merits he gems Prats thane nae oud hl ayo tee cei ike fees tract squaring tat te a foh pup of res so ry ingore forthe saa wade hcspces hasbeen more rom Inn under etre name Prisolps sp. "neatns-The ony specs ure described fom Inno rpnta and ay tor ut th thee stat sane pein iets anol try snr appear to grt andthe relia may alo renal be Wend ss thaqeces Thiisapoveflsvinmingleafishadapteto thelr unning seams of te Wester Ghats n eta: Throughou the vient have ound Sn Sh cal fh ab Pristotepis living sete ta in watercourses of i pcp onl oor, every description, fis sage tn om Neate ina The larger and dat etd a eee eee allt foe more commonly Steyr de pe dagen found P._ fasciatus ney eg nate ‘eh Sakon Cll ape ‘Beaches of Slo is quite frequently encountered in we Cc erased ponds though the reddish species Tvecome across have always been sampled from flowing forest stan sung photographs by the author 40 vwwvegfhmagasine.com and spreads as the fish mature, Spinibarbus are peaceful but may become more boisterous as they grow. All foods are accepted and a staple diet of vegetable-based pellets is recommended. The most important criterion to keeping these fish is ample space that wil allow the fish to develop into all of their adult glory. Malabar Leaf Fish Pristolepis sp. “Redfin” All meaty foods are accepted, with chopped market shrimp being a favorite food item. ‘Adult Pristolepis in good condition can be sexed visually. The males of the Malabar leaf fish grow larger, have more clearly defined scales, and have slightly larger fins than females, Females tend to be somewhat yellowish in their belly region while males are uniformly dark maroon. Females in breeding condition also show a full and rounded abdomen, This fish has been bred in captivity. The male will dig a pit among pebbles and guard this territory ferociously against intruders, The male guards its young until they are free: swimming. This species tops out at under 6 inches and makes unique and attractive oddball for the home aquariun March 2010