Sa Bry Vs (SS TONNE Te) ATM Ve) 51 LSIASEOHReef Fusion” 1 & 2 . Even easier than 1, 2, 3... ne] Cte oS] Cee Eee ao prevent this you must provide calcium and carbon- pee Ce te Se Ree ad ‘Carbonate™, but now i's easier than ever to provide Co ec ‘Reef Fusion 1™ and Reef Fusion 2™ are the founda- ton of a system formulated to provide the essentials eee eg ut RO aaa ea Ree ag ao Peete ee eR OL ee) ee eee eas Be teas Cee ees Ce Se ete eee at Cee Cue ad aquarium and provide calcareous species with the Cee ee ee eg am When used as directed, Reef Fusion 1™ and Roof ea ee koa Se ee Meee ee Ce CoeReef Fusion @ Reef Ree; {wo Part System Mainiiy Two Part System Maina, Calcium & Alkalinity Ley Calcium & Alkalinity Len Raises Carbonai Cee ee aa The most concentrated two DCEmu) Cee ear’ Peng RAR) 100,000 mg/L of calcium Tee PeayTwo novel, chemical-free products specially pra el Nitrogen Gas (N,) CESS ETC harmlessly to the surface Pc ROR Uae which is 78% nitrogen gas UENCE 1 The reduction of nitrate in Cet ED TELE LTC uu \ nc (already added in step #1) contains CoO SACU se These select microbes can remove nitrate in the aquarium by converting itto nitrogen gas under the anoxic. COE CECT Cee Tiere OUP PUR EOE LE me & Nitrospira sp. Ue Tat cone een enhance water quality, & reduce ammonia, —_ SOME LTD LETT OP TET TAPES DN AUTRE their gills, fish waste plus TUE CUR CI H CE CT plant matter are broken down by the aquarium microbiota, PACTS ama generating ammonia natural, (HFT HT ane aie aint d(H eee ENTREE EYE TUT UC environment! PCM Nitrobacter sp., and Nitrospira sp.) required for the biological nitrification process, and assures the continued removal of toxic ammonia. DSU RY een to att Preah (TT Fad] necessary Nitrobacter sp. and Nitrospira sp. © bacteria required for the oxidation of Seeformulated to eliminate organic waste matter, nitrite, and nitrate toxicity! Naturally CYCLES BIN AA LOLs mr aNYe|/NAZOl(=16 was Te f AVES avi SAC ecjuly2010 (ur Sath Year «Volume LVill« Number 11 «#652 features Long-Term Maintenance of an Iwagum! Layout Mai wagurloyout sates of he von. Takashi Amano 66 Meet the Victorians Keeping cichids tom Lake Vietotla is 0 great wey to enjoy flnkeoping while presoruing threatened species. Mike Hellweg 72 Breeding the Basketmouth Cichlid Caquetaia spectabilis With large mouths mat can extend 1 thitd of thet boy natn bbasketmouths are fascinating cichids to keep ond breed tagy Tavares 76 Nannacara aurocephala: A Different Dwarf Cichlid Nannacara aurocephata's on out-of the-ordinary eli tha dosn't require a tank the size of your ving room, Karel Zahid 79 Girls Will Be Boys: Cichlid Pseudomales Assuming male eppeoronce ang behaviors some femal ci an run even the bes! teeding program. Adam Smith [An expert aquarium photogiopher and big-cichid lover captures the 80 Today in the Fishroom: The Parachromis managuensis Breeding Cycle ] 8 excting droma of the Jaguar cichlicé moting tual. Me Devlin 86 The Fish Habitats of a Peruvian Amazon River, Part 2 ‘Comping ns journey down the Yorapa River, our South American ‘e@plorerreveais tho fsh populations found in rine cifront micronobifots. Shannon Loughnan 92 A Closer Look at Caulerpa: Common Aquarium Species and Their Care Used resbonsibiy. various macrocigae species of the genus Covlerpa can be ornamental editions to a «splay tank orheip conta the ulin! 09d of a lorge 00! tonk. Adam donkine 96 The Nationall Sea Life Centre in Birmingham, UK A tout through the National Sec Le Cente raveats 3 large voriety Of fsh and other animais, educational dispiays, nd even & Sensorame 4-D Ohema’ experence, Devyani Borade 102 The TFH Breeder's Challenge Part 7 With Mite ropdiy catching up ond Ted's schedule getting busier £60 vino isn tha loadin the yeariong compattion forthe ttle of TH Master Breeder Ted Judy and Mike Hellweg columns 28 Ask Jack 30 Cichtdophiles 34 Livebearers Unlimited 38 The Planted Tank 42 Adventures in Aquascaping 46 Import Report 50 The Reefertotus cos ne cont hye. uh cate he Boy {is bang mpoted clctice of fhe gorus Cyphotlopia have cougit Fe eye of Sein ay ose vans Su aes 6 From the Editor 8 Contributors 9 Letters 10 Freshwater Q&A 18 Saltwater Q&A 4) Aquatic Plant of the Month 56 Marine Invert of the Month 58 Fish of the Month 59 On the Cover 106 Product Spotlight 107 Meeting Place 110 Classitied Ads 112 Index fo Advertisers TROPCFISH. TH Magazine Editorial & Design managing ton: Ata ‘Wott Tad Dendler Coot, PO. Rhonda Witon, Advertising ‘ecvertiong soles cectarNaney 5 Rwodoneka ‘cdvertsng scles manager: John Werikowsi torre mating: Bo Subseriptions TIF, Publications, Inefrom tne editor Summertime uly is a busy month for most people in the Northern Hemisphere, >but with an emphasis on things fun and relaxing-—Like the aquarium hobby! A lot of people take their vacation this month, kids are home from school, and families do aot of things together. All of this means that fishkeepers Ihave even more ways to enjoy their fish, and the hobby gets Dousier, to. More leisure time means mote time for hobby projects, whether making over the living room aquascape or putting up new shelves in the fishroom. And many a spare aquarium is put to use when kids bring home a jar of tadpoles or minnows, In fact, taking a stayeation oF just enjoying the air conditioning during the heat of the day, we aquarists have @ truly year-round hobby, one that brings the tropies into our homes whether outside is arctic oF rainforest-like Entertaining ts a big part of many people's summers, and the extra tention youre giving your tanks will ensue that they are the focal points and attraction getters you intend when friends and family gather in your home, And what better reason to set up that new display you've been thinking about? Get the kids to help, and not only will the job go faster, your children will own the aquarium and bbe more interested in it over the rest ofthe year. OF course, some hobbyists take their fish outside, setting up ‘outdoor tanks, ponds, and container water gardens, Even in a short northern summer, itis amazing the spawning and growth you can get from outside fish setups. Indoor tanks are also easier during ‘warmer months. Summer temperatures make it possible to set up unheated spare aquaria or other containers—inside or out—to temporarily expand your hobby. Generally higher temperatures act as a spawning trigger for many fish species, which makes summer ‘deal lor breeding projects. Many people culture live foods outdoors such as daphnia and mosquito larvae. All that live food makes it ‘easier to breed fish and raise the fry. Traveling vacations can provide opportunities ranging from snorkeling to collecting trips, and even less ambitious vacations can permit you to check out fish stores in other cities. Visiting a public aquarium near home or at a vacation spot is a great way to involve the whole family in your hobby and to expand your appreciation of it With even more ways to enjoy fishkeeping during the summer, youill be pleased to know that Tropical Fish Hobbyist never takes a 6 vwwrwfimagazine.com vacation, and as always we've put together a very interesting lineup for this issue. in addition to our monthly columns and departments, ‘we are sharing in the excitement of the anntal convention of the American Cichlid Association, of which we are the Oficial Magazine (ewwaca2010.com). Many dedicated aquarists reserve vacation days to attend this always-spectacular event. Our eichlid focus includes an overview of Lake Victoria species, the original conservation concern in the hobby, by one of our breeder competitors Mike Hellweg (p. 66). By the way, that “TFH Breeder Challenge” competition has passed the halfway point, and the race is getting loser and hotter (p. 102) The intrepid Iggy Tavares gives us a breeding profile of a challenging cichlid, Caquetaia spectabilis,a fish that cleaely strates the problems of common names, being ealled both a basketmouth cichlid and a false basketmouth cichlid (p. 72) (One of our regular Czech contributors puts « spotlight on an uncommon dwarf cichlid that warrants more attention, Nannacara ‘aurocephala (p. 76), while Mo Devlin illustrates his passion for large fish witha photographie 10-act play about a pair of one of his “attack fish” (p. 80) Many of us love cichlids because of their fascinating behaviors, and this month we have a description of pseudomales—African Cichlid females who look and aet like males, mich to the detrime of just about everyone else (p. 79) [As promised last month, we also have the concluding part of Shannon Loughnan’ sampling of Amazonian fishes by habitat (p 86), Sometimes we forget that many species are found only in certain Diotopes and that two fishes from the Amazon might never occur together in nature, but Shannon's study clearly demonstrates. how isolated from each other they can actually be. ‘Moving off the cichld focus, this month’s Nature Aquarium article is another in a series of discussions of how to maintain a planted tank. The beautiful aquascapes that Mr. Amano creates are works ‘of art, but they are not just examples of setting up a tank—they are designed to remain beautiful for long time (p. 60). Despite the increasing popularity of other marine macroalgae, the genus Caulerpa stl has plenty to offer marine aquarists who can legally keep these interesting saltwater “plants.” They are both decorative and functional, and the article by Adam Jenkins tells all about their proper husbandry and responsible handing (p. 2) Wrapping things up is an armchair tour of the varied exhibits at the National Sea Life Centre in Birmingham, UK, where visitors can see and learn about a diversity of aquatic organisms (p. 96) Whether you're planning a fishy vacation, expanding your hobby cutdoors, or spending your exra time working on you tanks, we keep you up to date, And whether youte reading TFH in a favor chair in front of the air conditioner, in ashaded hammock, or on your ‘computer monitor, we ate always there for you. Enjoy! our) Editor-in-Chief ‘Topical Fish Hobbyist July 2010,(Ocean Nutrition” fake and pellet foods are innovative solutions that ae the very best in ish nuttin, Formulated and extensively tested by aquaculture biologists. They ae the most complete and most nutritious foods available tothe hobby. They area blend ofthe highest quality ingredients lke fresh salmon, kil, shrimp and kelp, plus vitamins and minerals to maximize nutvient absorption and digestibility. Ocean Nutrition” foods ae available in many varieties to meet your fishes needs. Low phosphates low ash and high digestibility also help maintain a cleaner environment, benefiting the ish and allowing the hobbyist to spend more time enjoying their aquarium, ‘Ask for all our flakes & pellets: Formula One Flakes, Formula Two" Flakes, Prime Reef™ Fakes, Spirulina Fakes, Brine Shrimp Plus™ Flakes, Community Formula Flakes, Discus Flakes, Goldfish Formula Flakes, Formula One Marine Pellet, Formula Two Pellet, Cichlid Omni Pellet, Cichlid VegiPellets To leam more vist www. oceannuttition.com -JOCEAN CJINUTRITION; Drea Dd arrears a wu idcontmioutors TAKASNIAMANO ston sina opm Horosentiederencie Inge cindh seta crd A ary ecegunes ome nc easy fo eo Sei tocseons tp topes ts Monsen oe capac pert camebnieo Neenah cruacpurvbyed meted Neue Reusinc aicreonbresisctonioereiech fecconen Seeacaraneincourouteooal nis Arsoeroue Ran egnimromen tahoe rosineses peace. CEVYON IDOLE, .usens went se overseen en topics ranging ftom the mest mundane to the extiemely acceric draun fom ne exoetences ‘of everyaay to. Se kes chocolate cookies. Calin & HobDes Comics, ana Tying her husband's fationde. Vs her blog Verboaty at denentorade blogspot com fo enjoy me aaventisas of Debora har ater ago, MOC\VIIN sve cramer ct ne Ararcon Ces Auzcetn ond curmo Mapeton memend Suntan eee enonee aan Tiere aaeekat tee eye ca acateutnomtean Sena har Famer hes Wats cee oy eae ot eel peony onsen ae Eebed mags lnacolotonhoxrtv inten herenae ee MIKCNEIWEG ter con en betes me hn 8 yo wotkrg cat excxivly with fhe at mature of 4 ints or les Fs 75 tanks. Wh nec 20 ‘speck for 2 fori Nels he top forked Giond Matter Bede ofa ne nis loco ch. Miko Fasserved os Peon of me Masoun Aauorum sec, vice Chaimon othe Ameen (neboorer ‘scooter and Histon for ne Aquate Gardeners Atsocaton. He hos wien over 100 oricles or ‘aroustabby publcators ond curenlyowrscnd operates orto shbusiess CIDOMJENKINS ne ese 9 me nis eon no ano an Paes anal ery tga eres wot ey ew a as Hench heel was emcee tenga ins tiesveness ae te ee ee eee oe ee TOQIUC cies snares cnaisncyacaie is pin ap lb recite gilt emt Fee nee ee eet ee ee eer a tertcneeia tate tan Snare meray cern charac SHOMNONIOUGHNGN ssreireisanicii wives ‘more tnan 20 ears cr hs exsred Resa nobtsn Cant oesouh Areca Win okey Were "Now Wold cries Stenon gu vulsCoso ice whahesperds me cn sind ckes ona es. ‘Stamonnasm.ch expotonce nino whos onameris ncusy nnishome county Atoll, who hhahos goned vauobltnowdge.onmany speces‘ohencbby Nir compleinghs degree oavatc sence he corey uncerokng PHD anual genetcsh Sou a0, CISTI cowreooseneercrto sosertesrareven tory oquaric ever since, Over the years Aca has kept everyfring fom your average tres water community tank ee ee a mere aera Pas in need ew postage soatag nO ate madeneoa ames sees IQOYTOV ONES ites vite it vn cai omerhi ie HY nnten saree ott ee em ymmenny ene force sion ccncroare rt nesceen macnn Gee Meee ee ee esr eee alates Vout pcagooirgtelishora rucuonrshinonibe iecmotontotwawenens Pease ners KOPEIZANTAAKO overran conncmsipinatetohs Sonenegen es teanda ou oop meomaae poe ce emer eee Re we tec ah bears ete coarser ae eae ea nen Ram acne mi eenarnn ae mie ee nis Soe SEracioon Sensuntectaronenseestce ste vwwwfimagazine.com Columns & epariments ted coletti, Pro mark denaro > ae bob goemans wayne leibel, PhD stan sung| import wopor| rhonda wilson 5 planted fan July 2010letters Hybrids L visit my local library to read the latest issues. found your articles on flowerhorns (‘Flower Power: Are Flowerhorns Good for the Hobby?” TFH November 2009) and hybrid cichlids ‘Hybrids: Natural and Otherwise” TFH March 2010) to be great reading. Also one ofthe articles mentioned DNA testing on wild hybrids, Why not perform DNA testing to find out what flowerhorns are? ‘Also thank you for the article regarding the TO percent weekly water change versus 10 percent daily (Time for a Change: A Mathematical Investigation of Water Changes, Parts 1 and 2," TFH November and December 2009). Andi finally future articles on companies in Asia would be imeresting reading The Asian scleatists are coming up ‘with unbelievable hybrids, like the glowing fish. T have seen hybrid ram cichlids in my local tropical fish store. Keep up the good work. Kenneth Kendall Torrance, California Thanks forthe praise! We have nothing against people reading ‘TPH in the library, but we will point out that a subscription to the print or digital magazine would ensure that you never miss Flowerhorns are not a species; they are hybrids of two or more species. Different flowerhorns are hybrids. of different specles—and often the offspring of two hybrid parents. What DNA work has been done confirms their mixed-up ancestry, but new combinations are being produced all the time. While Asia is a hotbed of hybrid fish breeding, itis aso the origin of many balloon, tattooed, and dyed fish that are not hybrids. GloFish® danios are genetically engineered but are also not hybrids. We are not aware ‘ofany hybrid rams, chough there ae several domesticated morphs, Including the lates, the electric blue ram, that was covered in our “Import Report” column in the December 2009 issue. Plant-Only Filtration for the Home Aquarium? ‘out article in the April 2010 issue on plan fitation (Plant Filtration No Water Changes!") has me intrigued. The article spoke of is hatchery in South Texas that uses no mechaical filtration, only plants. I was wondering how this might work on a small scale fora home aquarium Uhave a densely planted 20-gallon tank and have also begun to incorporate tetestral plants, some growing above the water tine and others just hanging off the sides with the rots of the plant inside of the aquarivms, Can this work om this scale? ‘To send a question or commen to “Letters. emai Eommunications, but avery message Ista Tropical Fish Hobbyist ve never had any water quality problems even when L miss 1 few water changes, and even my filter cartridges look clean after being in use for over two months. | perform twice weekly water changes of approximately 30 percent each time, and 1 rately vactuum my gravel. I's stocked with 10 one- to two-inch fish (tetas) Dont get me wrong, I dont mind doing the water changes, bat 1 always thought the point was to have stability inside our quariums—if this can be achieved through natural ways, all the better: Any insight you can offer would be great. 'm sure 1 wont be the only hobbyist with this question ‘Thanks for the great magazine; you have always been a souree for good advice. Rich via email [is unlikely shat you will beable to eliminate water changes, bout you may find you can cut back om them. Actually the multi- thousand-gallon Goliad Farms system does receive a certain amount of water change, since they raise tens of thousands of {fish for the trade and are always bagging up fish, Well water ‘automatically replaces any that és removed or that evaporates, They have, however, successfully replaced water changes as a rmiajor component in maimtaining water quality with massive amounts of vegetative filtration Another important factor is their flooded greenhouses with wooden walkways. In addition ¢o all the surface area in their vats and om the submerged plants, there isan enormous amount ‘af surface area in the greenhouses and walkways. This adds up 0 much more Biaflration than can normally be realized in an ‘aquarium. ‘AIL that said, thelr setup is very impressive. Applying lt to a single aquarium of any size, however, would be very diffcule. The ‘ype of tank you describe is probably the closest you can get, except perhaps fora system incorporating a large paludarium as sump. “The aguatie and terestrialibog plants would take the place of the _greenhouse floes. There isa reason that even planted tank enthusiasts advocate regular water changes: They work! In a small, closed system, things get added to the water and chings get used up. Plants can remove much but not all of what is added. Topping off evaporation loss ultimately increases mineral content. Water changes address both issues. It really boils down to this: Fisk in an aquarium are swimming in an organic soup—the equivalent of us living in our own wastes and sweat. Plants can remove a lot of the polluion, but water changes can remove ital. lersatth.com. Al etters sen! fo TFH may be edited ang published at ihe Biserosion & ihe saitors ans publeher due to ihe volume of mal we roveive, we Gro unable * worscfhimagazine.comQe Areshwater 10 gota question? Send. your questions about the freshwater side. of the aquarium hobby to “OBA” TFH, Publications, PO. Box 427, Neptune, NJ 07754 fr submit via’ e-mail 0. editorarin com, For answers fo more time- sensitive questions, opinions on your SeIUp, oF ust 1o converse wilh like minded members of the aquarium Community, pleose vist the TFH Forum at forums tfhmagazine.com. Keeping Puntius sachsi My local fish store has this pretty gold-colored fish on sale with the scientific name Punts sachs and Tm thinking about buying one. Can you provide any information om its care? Tm still prety new to the hobby, so I prefer fish that are hardy and beginner friendly. Do you think this fish is a good choice from that perspective? Also, what types of food will it eat, what water conditions does iv need, and how big a tank should 1 put i in? { have a 20-gallon community tank that might be able to accommodate another fish. Or, lean set up a 40-gallon tank that ting empty in my basement via email Puntius sachsi, commonly sold as the goldimed barb or golden barb, is @ great choice for beginners, as it 1s generally peaceful and has «reputation for tolerating the occasional novice misstep, but I wouldn't buy just one. This schooling cyprinid species {is best hept in groups of six or more. For that reason, I would lean toward putting a group (of barbs in your 40-gallon rather than trying {o shoehorn one or two specimens into your 20-gallon. That way, you could add a decent- sized school and get a bettcr sense of their natural behaviors B. sachs és omnivorous and will accept ‘most standard aquarium fare; offer a varied assortment of dry, frozen, and fresh meaty and algae-based foods. As far as water parameters are concerned, this species isnt overly fussy provided extremes of temperature, pit, and hardness are avoided. If you choose 10 ald any other fishes fo the tank, avoid shy, passive species, as the fast-moving barbs will likely ‘outcompete them for food. Also avold species ‘with long fins chat might invite nipping. woewfimagazine.com Too Many Fish? 1 set up a 29-gallon freshwater aquarium abouta yearago after a 20-year absence from the tropical fish hobby. The fist thing I did was to see if your magazine was stil available, Tt was, so, of course, 1 subscribed. Its a ‘great magezine for beginners, experienced, hobbyists, and those in between like me. My question is about how many fish 1 can safely keep in a 29-gallon aquariuen, ve read a Jot of articles about this topic and, frankly, there are a lot of things to ‘consider. So let me ask an expert for help, I estimate my 20-gallon aquarium actually has about 23 gallons of water alter allowing for gravel, rocks, and a few antficial plants. 1 am using an external hhanging filter designed to Titer 20- 10 50-gallon aquariums. I currently have three ‘tos, evo albino corys, nine cardinal tetras, and one Female red wagtal play residing in the tank, {change 10 percent of the water twice a week. All of the current occupants are happy and healthy and have been for {quite some time, Td like to add another female red wagtail platy, one more oto, a male bet, and three more cardinal tetras. | think this would equal about 35 inches of full-grown fish, which exceeds the rule of thumb of one inch of fish per gallon of water. However, given the activity level of these fish, the size of the filter, and the frequent water changes, do you think the aquarium could handle this amount of fish or would it be overcrowded? Thanks for your help. Joseph Boravsky Woodbury, Minnesota gallon-of-water rule is really not very helpful when it comes to determining the appropriate number of specimens an aquarium can hold Judy 2010To wnderstand why this rue is of litle value, compare an 8-inch oscar 10 eight Linch cardinal tetras. Clearly, the escar—with its ‘much greater body mass and messy eatingy heavy excreting habits—represents «much ‘more significant bioload than those eight tiny cardinal tetras do. Considering the adult size of the species you have in mind and the fact that cardinal tetras (which reach only. about an inch) ‘account for the greatest number of specimens, 1 dont think your system is in danger of being overstocked with the additions you list. However, I might suggest just a few changes to your stocking plan. For one, platies prefer water that is ‘more hard and alkaline than is favored by Otocinclus catfishes, Corydoras carfishes, ‘and cardinal tetras. Now, your water parameters may strike a happy medium in. general, vebearers arent the best choice for a Dretween these conditions, bu system that features mostly South American spectes—Just something to thin about. Also, Tm not a big. proponent of puting bettas in community tanks. These slovs swimmers, encumbered as they are with those Tong, flowing fins, realy need a calm, placid fenvironment with minimal ssater movement and warm water temperatures (low to mid ‘80s Fahrenheit), From my experience, they just seem to suffer when kept under typical ‘community-tank conditions. Ideally, they should be given a small heated, filtered system (not a bowl or vase!) of their own with conditions tailored specifically to their needs see no problem with adding three more cardinal tetras or another oto catfish. would also point out that Corydoras catfishes are best kept in groups, so perhaps instead of ‘adding the betta and platy, you might consider adding a few more cory cats to your lineup, J some questions for you about B catlish whiskers, My mom said you could probably answer them. Why do they have whiskers, and can they sting you with them? Kendra Smith via email Catfish whiskers, which are called barbels, are J covered with caste buds and J spectal scent receptors, so they do the job that your tongue and nose de Carfishes use them to help find food in Tropical Fish Hobbyist ‘murky water, lke at the bottom of rivers or lakes, Though a lot of people think catfish can sting with their barbels, this is not true, Barbels are actually soft and flexible not stiff and sharp like you might think. Many catfish do have really sharp spines in some of their fins that can poke bigger fish that try to cat them or people who try to handle them, tn some catfish, like the striped cel catfish Plotosus lineatus, which is found in the ocean, these sharp spines are also quite venomous; people who Rep them in aquariums have to be really carefull Venomous or not, catfish spines are a hazard to hands and to nets, but the barbels are perfectly harness vworatfhmagazine.com Dear TFH, first of all, your is wonderful. Ive wef) zeszin been reading for two years, and its given lots of helpful information, A few months ago, | bought a red and white ryukin goldfish from the pet store where I work. He lived at the store for about two years and 1 was completely in love with him, but he started 0 develop a swimming problem. Mask, as he’ named, could no longer stay upright. At first we thought it was a swim bladder issue, but the usual cures didn't help. We came 10 the conclusion that he had a balance issue, and ry manager let me have him at half price 11 lhely that Mas elated 0 the swim this is a very common problem among ryukins and fish varieties that are selectively pleasing t hand in hand with a distorted swim bladder which can impair proper function and lead to swimming. ima An online search will yield variow prototypes of harnesses such as the scribe, usually developed through the genuity of conscientious hobbyists, such as yourself, who are trying to masimize the alance-imp Wish nnel) that i fishin bers or foam) by thread or monofilament AAshing line. One design 1 came across als M 0 ued small fishing sinkers sewn into the tank in a net breeder because the other fish tera tosuppor to help keep the fish atthe desired depth, were picking on him, but the net is start s body rode in water and inkering will be necessa to rub on his sides, So, my co-worker and | nd ten pe of contraption just right, and are setting up a tank for him, and we wan ing will eventually deco to use some kind of floating harness to help via email Nap hy dd = Ao and need to be replaced. Still, t might prove CO? Life Deliver carbon dioxide to your aquarium PE Se ee Resim ea es oes delivery system releases CO? by electrolysis using an easy to change carbon cartridge. Oc et nT ued See at coke Be uae etn eee eae eed Seem em Se Eo Pre Comte er oy CeCe Reo eT ce NN OS STS ee . ATR oa ale miner eato be @ low-tech, low-cost solution wo a frustrating problem Feeding Schedule How important iit to feed fish have avery unpredictable work schedule, 0 ean always stick to the same feeding routine, I always give my fish the same ftumber of feedings and the proper quantity and types of food, but just a Is there any problem with this? Jerry Kemp Jersey City, New Jersey In my opinion, theres nothing at all with your feeding schedule (hat ts, wrong, varying provided youre not trying to feed Ik and all the fish ave in vesting mode). In nature, fishes ‘cant expect food 10 magically materialize at specific intervals each day, so they have while i pitch davle in the t to be at least somewhat opportunistic n chs regard. Certainly, ther are more likely to be actively searching for food, for instance, depending on whether they surnal species, but in the ‘aquariuon environment, most fishes will learn ‘ames when fishes ‘are diurnal or 1 to eat whenever fod is available Snakeheads and Pike Cichlids Related? was wondering about the found itata per store and purchased it, Iwas told of fish that Had years ago. that it was a snakehead. It had a voracious appetite, especially for live food, and grew quickly. The pet store also told me that it was able to breathe oxygen from the air and could live outside of water for a short ‘amount of time, Lasked at a local pet store recently and was told that snakeheads are now illegal to sell—something about people releasing them into ponds and them taking over and eating the native fish, The stiakehead looked very similar to a pike cichlid, and 1 am wondering if it was related, Are you familiar with this type of fish? G, Sheeb via email Though somewhat similar supesfically, snalheads ana pike cichlids ave not closely related. The snakcheads are members of Tropical Fish Hobbyist the family Channidae (genera Channa and Parachanna) and are native to Asia and Africa, whereas the pike cichlids belong to the family Cichlidae (genera Crenicichla and Teleocichla) and ave naive to South America, The similarities between the two groups in body shape and coloration stem from the evolutionary concept of convergencesims habitats with similar adaptation requirements can result in superficial similarities in form ‘ancl behavior between wnrelaved groups The fish you had could very well have been 4 snakehead, as several snakehead species were once commonly sold on the ‘aquarium market. The importation of thes fish and transporting them across state lines is illegal, and they ave illegal even to ovsn in places. This stems from the release of Introducing The Best As Nutritious as Live Food Without the Risk of Bacteria or Parasites High Natural Protein for Healthy Growth 3 Rich in Vitamins and Minerals ~ Sensational, Natural Color Enhancement O28, jc ssacca wormfhimagazine.com cremaon the web Get a behind-he-scenes look at al ings TFH on TFH Blogs at snow featuring the al-new From the Editor blog by Editor-in-Chief David E. Boruchowitz. Take a glimpse of thislagoon-style tank complete with clownfish, cardinals, wrasses, and more—all in HD. Check out the video on Did you run out and get Apple’s latest and greatest—the iPad? If so, you can carry your favorite magazine with you! Check out how on snakeheads, particularly Channa argus, into various United States waterways and fear about the possible ecological impact. tition have five well-loved goldfish and strive to take Goldf Rf optimal care of them, They reward us by displaying their wonderful personalities and seem to enjoy interacting with us. My favorite memory is seeing all five of them lined up, side by side, intently watching my husband and myself as we worked on a project together. They are very aware of us and their surroundings —so much for the myth of “dumb fish"! lam perplexed, however, regarding their nutrition. {recently read by nature, vegetarians. In stated that a goldfish’ diet should not consist of foods high in protein, and such items should not be listed first among the ingredients of a prepared food. | have several types of goldfish food from lakes to pellets, However, all of them list protein, such as fish meal, whole salmon, and whole herring, as their fist ingredient Can you shed some light on the needs of goldfish in their daily diet? 1 am in the habit of giving them occasional 1reats, such as citrus or leafy greens, but their daly diet consists of prepared food, [want to be sute Iam feeding them what they need. Thank you. Joann Sakaguchi Portland, Oregon As true that goldfish are primarily herbivorous and eat mostly plant foods in nature, Many goldfish keepers ‘consider diet that is disproportionately high in animal HYD proweis as inked to che all-t00-common problem of constipation and bloat seen in goldfish, These people recommend that the emphasis in a goldfish diet should be placed on greens—such 4a blanched terrestrial veggies (cucchini, cucumber, shelled peas, spinach, etc.) and algae-based wafers, pellets, or flakes—and they feel that protein-based prepared foods should only be offered as an ‘occasional trat. However, there is some controversy on this subject, food mani and testing into the producto your golfsh flakes and pellets Ingredients, Ths does not mean that they are predominantly meat, only ‘that the single most predominant ingredient is meat, That might be 30%, with che next seven ingredients being vegetal ingredients at 10% ‘each, This would make the formula 30% meat and 70% vegetables! and commercial J acturers put a great deal of research ‘of their products. You mention that ist fish, salmon, and herring as frst July 2010Manufacturers also produce special wheat sermbased foods for Jeding goldfish in Ponds when the water ts col. since meaty foods of any formulation are definitely @ hacand under those condions. If you have rot had any dietary problems with your dfs, that isan argent in fvorof your feeding regimen. Ifyou sl have concer, 1 augget contacting the menufacturers of your Joos, They probably cin provide a detailed explanation of ther golish fod formulations My local fish store sells a fish identified as the Rio Grande cichtid. It looks very similar to pictures I've seen of the Texas cichlid Are these two fish one and the same? Can this fish? Maury Steinberg via email Ws Whely that the cle saw for sale at your fish store is Herichth id you species is commonly called the Texas (o the United States (you have to discount veal clchlid or the Rio Grande cichlid, among all the introduced cichlid species, for ‘other names. H. eyanoguttatus has the example in Florida waters reach about a foot in . feyamoguttatus, and, yes, this distinetio being the only cichlid native This species ¢ = Growing Force: cra ts Pr Te LoLogy Sal BA hiooiinaswinG ee Oe eRe eee Coors tree toaster Tropical Fish Hobbyist wormgfhimagazine.com 5length and can be « real scrapper, so it must De Rept in a large cank—at least 7 for a single specimen—and any tan allons ‘must be big and feisty enough to stand up to this rovdy Texan, Large Central and South American cichlids are usually good Of « in pairs urse, keeping this species vith other tankmates would necessitate «much larger tank pe a Posters erent oe a irate area se re eter ee ie ate coated after the extrusion pi ICHLID & MARINE vod target water parameters include 4 pH between 6.5 and 73, dH between 5 and 12, and water temperature around the mid-70s, but this spectes is quite adaptable in terms of water chemistr and temperature, U will not, however tolerate declining water quality important to perform frequent partial water changes, cm process bridges the gap between extruded and frozen foods, a arene gee see acs Ee ee eects 100% Natural » No Fillers * No Che Tee ORS Bg Pa at 16 ee erie hs) ree Do ey Arliss Nea worwiimagazine.com H. cyanoguttatus is omnivorous and generally easy 10 feed, accepting standard aquarium fave, Its natural feeding ind sifting through the substrate for edible lems, so is important fo aquascape with this propensity in mind (firmly securing rocks and other heavy items s involve dig that could shift or tumble and crack the aquarium). Live plants are usually uprooted ‘andor eaten, and so are best left out of tanks cichlids containing Tex I recently bought a new houss that came complete with a stocked koi pond. 'm a novice koi keeper, 50 1 have a lot to learn about them still, All the koi in the pond small, only about 10 inches or so, but 1 know they will get much larger iT take ad cate of them, How do you go about moving large kol—for instance, if you want to put one ina separate container so a veterinarian ean take a look ati? Tm pretty sure those little green nets they sell at the pet store arent going to cut it! Bill Hanson Chattanooga, Tennessee There are different types of specialized nets that koi Freepers use when ( yy need to move a specimen, One is called As the na 4 pan » siuggests, a pan net ‘a large, round, shallow net outfitted with 4 long handle (sometimes telescoping). This type of net is not used to actually lift the koi ofthe water, but to gently gulde into @ | tub or viewing bovl placed in the pond Once th Lub oF bowl (with just enough water init co beep the specimen submerged) is then lifted fou. As you can guess, this procedure usually le and partially filled with water roi has been guided in, he whole takes more than one person to execute A 0% with a rigid hoop attached to a handle at The opposite end of the sock-like net is open, If you can picture the wind net is a narrow, elongated net one end. sock you see at the airport, then you get the general idea. When moving a oi with this type of net, the fish is coaxed to swim into the sock through the hoop and the open end is gripped to prevent the specimen from swimming out. Then, keeping the net as he hol is moved to the merged, the grip is released on the end ofthe net and the straight as possible desived location. Once re-su Fkot can swim right out. "© July 2010Add Depth to Your Living Work of Art PetSmart Can Help Laat eek el Roa ToL Roles dal) See ae tne cme Kolar ies Sch taecmeu ne raea cei) gered oe Red Mo Re Romig Cums conn Gree en Rees of aquariums, decor and fish Dye a force iai co Lao MVC LCe lanl Mo} ‘our stores and we'll test it for free. Niale lest Tameolaa Moco Ri Aor. } information or to find a store near you Osa ineBe Q&A scitwater is gota question? Send your questions about the saltwater side of the aquarium hobby to “Q8A." TFH, Publications, PO. Box 427, Neptune, NJ O7754, (or submit vio e-mail fo edttor@ith, ‘com. For answeis to. more time senstive questions, opinions on your setup, oF just fo converse with tke minded members of the aquarium community, please vist the TFH Forum at forums.tthmagazine.com. Boxfish Care Tye heen looking for a unique fish to add to my aquarium and ‘was thinking about getting a boxfish, but I've heard they requite spectal attention. Just how hard is It to keep one of these fish? Gray Levison via email Boxfishes present certain challenges that, in my opinion, can make ‘keeping them problematic. Most significant among these challenges is the fact that when stressed for any reason oF harassed by tankmates, many’ species inthis family (Osracae) ar capable of exuding «poison called estracitxin, hich can wipe out all af the livestock inthe sytem including the bois). Though no all species sold on the aquarium market have tis propensity tothe Same degre. it isa consideration that must be taken seriously nonetheless ‘Another concem fs the fact that busfishes seem inordinately prone to marine. ich (Cryptocaryon intans) infections and various bacterial and fungal diseases. That by itself wouldnt be such a ig problem ft sverent for the fat tha osfses lack sales and, therefore, may reac adversely to certain medications, especially copperbased ones. Moreover, the administration of medications and other therapies for treating. piscine diseases can actually ses these fishes t0 the point of releasing. the aforementonet straits 1 also important to not that, while some boagishes reach « manageable adult sie, many species gow quite Targe—up t0 18 inches or more—and can easily outgrow the average home aquarium. If these wartings dont discourage you wwwifhmagazine.com and you'd still like to keep a boxfish, my Dest advice is to ascertain which species ‘you're getting so you know how lage a tank ie will need, quarantine the specimen in a separate tank for at least four wees, avoid housing At with aggressive or overly boisterous eankmates, minimize stimu inthe einiy of the aquarium that might stress or spook the specimen (children tapping on the lass, lights turning on suddenly, et), wilize ‘activated carbon én your filtration system fs a hedge against toxin release, maintain exceptional water quality, and keep plenty of lean salt water on hand so you can intervene immediately with massive water changes if toxin release is suspected Hyposalinity: How Low Should You Go? How far do I need to lower the specific gravity in my 29-gallon saltwater aquarium during a hyposalinity treatment? My fish have experienced an outbreak of salivater ich, and T would like 10 use this, ‘method to eat it rather than copper. Steve Nottman Carrollton, Texas you have live rock or any invertebrates in your system, you'll need to move your fish to a separate hospital tank Jor hhyposalinity treatment, Whe the fish should bre able to tolerate the pronouncedly lower specific gravity (SG) necessary to destroy the Cryptocaryon irvtans parasite, many sessile and motile invertebrates as well as many conganisms encrusting live rock will not be able to withstand this ceatment. The SG you should target for hyposalinty treatment is in the range of 1.010 to 1.012, You'll want to achieve this very gradually, July 2010replacing « small amount of salt water with conditioned fresh water every day um the desired SG is reached. Or, you can fill your hospital tank about halfway with salt ‘water from your display tank and very gradually diiute it with fresh water until you've reached the therapeutic SG. Maintain the fish at that SG for at least four weeks, After that, you should very gradually —over the course of several days—restore the SG to its normal value Keeping all of your fish in the hospital tank for at least four weeks will also ensure that no parasites remain in your display tank to reinfect the ish when they are returned, Absent host fish, C. irvitans parasites die shortly afeer emerging from the encysted stage «and becoming free-swimming. 1 should also point out that hyposalinity therapy is nota surefire method of eradicating C. invitans, as some strains of this parasite are able to withstand the lower SG. Harlequin Shrimp Difficulty? Are harlequin shrimps hardy or are they dificult to keep? I would like to keep a pair of them in a dedicated tank. Tm aware of their need to eat starfish, so if Tm able to provide a regular supply of starfish for them to feed on, wll the pair do okay otherwise? Chatles Momines Miramar, Florida ‘Well, you've identified the biggest challenge when it comes to Keeping. the various species of harlequin shrimp—the fact that they're obligate feeders om echinoderms. In other words, their need to feed on live starfish (oF sea urchins is non-negotiable. With that hey requirement ing met, however, they can be kept successfully in aquarium systems. To provide Jor this need, some hobbyists coffer relatively inexpensive species of starfish, such as Protoreaster nodosus, the chocolate chip stafish, to their harlequin shrimps. Little Asterina stafishes may be a more convenient ception, as they often proiferate in abundance in reef systems anal you might be able to get a regular supply rom: other hobbyists who have them to spare. As you might imagine, though, this mode of feeding raises certain questions of practicality, Not 19 mention, certain ethical considerations inevitably come into play whenever its necessary (feed one living thing toanother, especially when the animal feeds on alive animal fo an extended peri of ime Tropical Fish Hobbyist Mellow boxtsh Ostracion cubicus; boxishes are conable of releasing o deadly toxin when ttrested ang ore highly suscepliie To cisease, making them Gificull aquarium residents. |The graatest challenge in keeping a harlequin shrimp ks providing i witha consistent source of lve sorts, the only food i wll accept Skimmer Undersized? Tim in the process of setting up my first saltwater aquarium, es a 75-gallon tank, and I plan to keep only fish for now. Once Ive gained a little ‘more experience, | might switch over t© a reef tank. Tve already got most of the equipment for the system, but now Tm worried that the protein skimmer I bought wont be adequate, ts rated for a tank up 0 75 gallons, buta fiend of mine recently vworwtfhmagazine.com told me you should always buy a prot skimmer that is rated for a bigger tank than the one you have. Is this true? Marcia Gerskis via email 16S true that some hobbyists choose to utilize oversized skimmers for the added margin of safety they provide, especially Imheavily stocked systems, However, assuming you've purchased « quality. model from a 19reputable manufacturer, the skimmer you Dought should have no problem keeping pace ‘with the level of dissolved organic compounds ‘mn your aquarium, Just be sure (0 keep the system’ bioload 10 a minimum by avoiding loverstocking and overfeeding, Of course, performing frequent partial water changes will help prevent the buildup 3fe Win A Marineland 1 Aiptasic onemones can quickly overtoke an aquarium it here isa decline in water qually of these undesirable compounds as well Furthermore, staying on top of routine skimmer maintenance chores—regularly ‘wiping clean the chamber neck, keeping tubing and vahes free of salt and calcium carbonate deposits, ete—will go a long way toward maximizing your skimmer’s performance. > Mm Mwave ine Series 24 Hour Lighting System! reef 2010 DIY Video Contest for details and free eCity feu « Live Corals &fiverts Breer Nes jafden Ponds San Ce (aS ABE —~ 20 Ly cpr WTAE La Mpserreyerer sons ii ig successfulwe're successful! Cairo ted can attest wwwtfhmagazine.com Keeping Aiptasic? After adding a few new live rocks to my reef tank, Ive discovered. what I think is an Alptaia anemone living on one of them. 1 know tmost hobbyists view these anemones as undesirable and try to get rid of them, but [find the lite critter kind of fascinating Is there any reason I cant just keep this anemone and enjoy it Frits own sake? Bud Albert via email The appearance of one Aiptasia anemone in your tank isnt ecessaily cause for alarm, andit certainly could be said that these rugged litle anemones have an wnderstared beauty all their ovn, Indeed, in a well maintained, very judiciously fed system (e ‘ane with very minimal suspended or dissolved ruiriems), the population of these anemones may never exceed a manageable level That being said, the Aiptasta can reproduce ‘o plague proportions —and start netting thelr enidarian neighbors—any time conditions become favorable. That means any neglect of mainienance on your part could lead to a population explosion. And when it comes to Aiptasia outbreaks, once the proverbial genie is out of the bottle, getting it back in again is no small challenge: While the population in your tank ts still limited toa lone specimen on a single piece of live mck, I would recommend removing it jst tobe on the safe side Crosshatch Trigger Refusing Food ve had a new crosshatch tuiggerlsh in my quarantine wank for a week, and it has not eaten entire time. Pm rel its going to starve to death, though it still looks plump and healthy. 've given it all kinds of frozen and fresh foods, including plankton, brine shrimp, mysid shrimp, bloodworms, chopped scallops, chopped shrimp, and chopped clams. I even dug up 4 few small earthworms and offered them to the trigger with aquarium tongs, but it just wont go for anything, How much longer do you think it ean keep going without food, and can you suggest any other foods to ty? Karen Rainer Raleigh, North Carolina July 2010PhosBan Reactor tee ‘You put the PhosBan in, it takes the Cerca and that's what it'll about, eS Ss 3 S & 4 5 PA = Cx Two Little Fishies Advanced Aquarium ProductsAssuming the triggerfish you have Is Nanthichthys m BA probably worrying u essai A week may seem like a long time tous, but iS not unusual for this species ‘and other members of is genus to take even longer t start eating. For example, my anthichthys auromarginatus would take 4 bite of fod for a good week and « half. But then, i feeding response suadenly kicked in and it started accepting just about everything AZEN offered. ve heart of other specimens holding ‘out much longer than that In nature, Xanthichthys. tiggerfishes 50 keep offering nelle foods in’ small amounts. (m) feed on zooplankton, plank X. auromar natus was eventually won ‘over with fiogen mysid shrimp). It may take a jew more days to another week or longet, but ultimately, your specimen should start eating, Just be sure to siphon out any ‘ammonia spike. By the way, hudos to you for Myf) iam fascinated by the WIN symbiotic relationship of pistol shrimps and shrimp gobies and would like to get one of each for my aquarixim, My question is, can you put any species of pistol shrimp together with any species of shrimp goby and have them form a pair, or are they more picky than that? Hassan Taki San Jose, California In nature, the so-called shrimp which humerous. species belonging 10 WM sodics, several different genera, are Inown to form mutualistic associations with particular species of pistol shrimp Alpheus spp. Sometimes a shrimp goby and pistol shrimp hat wouldn pair up naturally wil fake up residence together in captivity, jus 4s captive clownyfishes might adopt anemones that aren’ their natural host. However, you can count on this, tuncaten food on a daily basis to prevent an ae Location: Queen Mary Hotel Long Beach, California uly 30 - August 1, 2010 3 day International event, 18 speakers, ver 30 exhibitors ftom the Marine Aquarium Industry Banquet & Reception Saturday Night Spocal ot oom pricing tom OM $110 Aight eave upto S200 right wwengfhag July 2010Your best bet for getting a good paiving is to match the goby species with its natural shrimp symbiont. Ideally, you should try to purchase a goby and shrimp that were actually collected together fiom the wild Such pairs are readily available in de trade A Horseshoe in the Reef U have a 75-gallon reef tank with 90 pounds of live rock, several varieties of leather coral, as well as various mushroom and zoanthid polyps. My fish inelude a coral beauty, Clarks clownfish, golden w and yellowheaded sleeper goby substrate consists of about 2 inches of fine sand, My question is, would it be safe to add a small horseshoe crab to this tank or ‘would it pose a threat to my invertebrates? Dave Young Bridgeport, Connecticut ‘Constantly requling tve food ina ‘and growing fo € sue of 2 fee, ners ‘ras are realy not suite 0 eqjuarum ite A horseshoe crab won't bother your sessile invertebrates, but iu a poor choice for your reef system for different reasons. (One reason is this animal's ultimace size Limulus polyphemus—the species youre ‘most likely t0 encounter in the aquarium trade—can reach 2 feet. A creature that size ying to burrow through your sand bed would be tike the proverbial bull in a china shop in a 75-gallon reef system, Also, horseshoe crabs feed by sifting through the substrate for small, edible tidbits. Your 2inch sand bed would be picked clean in no time, leaving the horseshoe crab to starve (this animals usual fate in home aquariums, fm afraid). What's more, your yellowheaded sleeper goby Valenciennes strigata, a sand-sifer in its own right, will be competing for the same foodstulfs, thereby hastening the depletion of edible fauna in che substrate Topical Fish Hobbyist Adding insult to injury, Le polyphemus, an Atlantic species, is accustomed to lower ‘water temperatures than can be provided in a tropical reef tank. Pyramid Butterflyfish Reef-Safe? Is the pyramicl butterflyfish considered reefs, or is it one of the butterflies that feeds on coral polyps? 1 ‘would like to add one to my 90-gallon reef tank, Will that be enough room for one conce its full grown? Could I keep a group of five ina tank that size, or should I stick toasingle specimen? Randy Cloum via email GOT KELP? Pellets & Flakes Made With Fresh Ocean Kelp From OsVeGA\ One Fresh Ocean Kelp! Now how Cool is tht? And we know its sh because we barvest it ourselves. Our manufacturing fay is located on Baranof Islnd inthe Gulf of Alaska, ‘Because ofthis unigue location, we have direct acces to ast supply of fesh el, ‘in minerals and tae elements. lier we harvest the kelp, we rind ittoa very fine slaty ee ate ar (ei: kes THE INGREDIENTS worwgfhmagazine.com BAssuming the species you're general, though, itis considered reef-safe referring to is Hemitauriehthys. polylepis, you shouldnt have fo worry too much about single specimen of H. polylepis (it reaches your coral polyps because this species 1s about 7 inches), but a group of five would be Planktivorous and not one of the corals pushing things ina tank that size, especial polyp-feeding butterflyfshes. However, it if you already have other fish in the tank Ninety. gallons is just about the smallest tank that can reasonably accommodate a hhas been known to nip at the occasional fleshy soft coral, such as Xenia. spp. In It's Back and It's Better Than Ever! and depending on how much swimming space is available ae a gear a l Beginner to Breeder is now Pree ee meet) PIE ee) Tou ae Cee eee nue guarium hobby, sure-handedly guiding PCat ri ‘aquariums and moved into reefkeeping and Pea a Ee eee! Pee mee eta Pre eC cc ral han 40 years of saltwater aquarium ‘Marine Aquatium Handbook Crete 3 The Marine Aquarium Handbook covers Pe eae ud {to get started and be successful, including Pr te ee oes a ect maintenance, fish selection, diseases,and. Drees The third edition of the Marine Aquarium Cea Couey ESC a eo Ee ee eee a Pei ene te eee le Cc Tm having a problem with IG ny bubble coral, tt no longer expands when the lights come on in the rmoming like it used t,t has been behaving, this way for about two weeks. I thought the problem might be related to water quality, but Tye tested everything and nothing seems out of line, Ammonia and nite are 0, nitrate is 5 ppm, phosphate is, and my pH is 82. Do you Fave any idea what else might be going on? Leon Pike Via email Wall, its defintely helpful that youve provided most of your basie water parameters, but there are many other factors that could be coming into play here. For example, have you recently upgraded your imps? In that ing or replaced aging case, your bubble coral Plerogyra sp. cou be reacting adversely t0 the increased light Inensity. Have you altered the water flow in the vicinity of the specimen? Current that is too intense for example, strong linear current dicted ri atthe specimen) will often cause generally prefer ‘gente, cwbulent water flow—just enough to this response. Bubble corals, prevent debris from seling on their tissues What about livestock auditions? Have you cen introduced any new fishes, such as a tang or dvarf angefsh, that might be nipping At the corals tissues; motile invertebrates that ight be crawling over it (eg, hermit crabs: or 4 new coral that might be stinging itor waging “chemical warfare”? Also, are you feeling the specimen? Bubble corals definitely benefit from regular feedings of small meaty foods And finaly, did you move the bubble coral shortly before cis problem began? Ifo, it may not be happy in its new location or nce afew weeks to Essentially, youll need (0 figure out may get acclimated hat factors have recently changed in the coral’ environment or what might be July 2010rw item UV Sterilizer. , — rf Ser rs, Se area Breet hy fahevekene Tropical Fish Hobbyist worstfhmagazine.comlacking in the care youve been giving it. 1 think if you retrace your steps a bit, you'l soon get tothe bottom ofthis. Keeping a Keyhole Angel information on the keyhole angelfish? U would like to add one to my en Se 60-gallon FOWLR (fish-only-with-live rock) tank, Thank you, Carol MeGurk Assuming the angefish you're refering to is Centropyge ubicen, the keyhole angelfsh is one of the socalled dwarf angelfishes— aay el@\WeieaMe WAMVACUACA Roos LEIEONAY fe offer a large selection of aquarium supplies for both, freshwater noe recap Iori kee cece k thousands of aquarium supplies such as protein skimmers, air pumps, Coca ened ai Kobra per recat Sore aA 6 Pe ara acs eee and much mor wiengfhag ‘hough, reaching over 7 inches in length, it actualy gets quite lage by dvaf angel standards (most reach only 310° inches, depending on the species). Still it should do just fine in your 60-gallon FOWLR tak and most individuals of this eastern Indian Occanvester Paci specs adapt quite readily to aquarium colton 16s good that your system features live rock most dwarf Wishes do best when they have plenty of mate live rock 40. graze because, from my experience a and forage upon througout the day. An omnivorous species, C tibice demands wide variety of small meaty sds and greens—mysid shrimp, plankto chopped mollusk or crustacean meat, spirulina based pellets or flakes, fizen herbivore formulas, ete—and should be offered se sonal feedings daily Behavior-wise, C tibicen, in common with many Centropyge species, can be very aggressive toward conspecifics, heterospecifis ‘ha ae similar in sige, shape, o color; and any somales, more passive fishes dha are introduced to the tank ajler t, so ep these tendencies in mind when selecting tankmates. Nano Reef Calcium Supplementation Whats the best way. 10 supplement calcium in 2 20-gllon nano ref tank housing sft corals? Tim Adler via email In a tank that small containing only soft corals, you really should be able to matitain appropriate and stable calcium and alkalinity levels hough regular partial water changes, so I wouldnt necessarily recommend any’ form of supplementation. Just keep an eye on these ‘parameters dough regular testing with quay repwable tes hts to make swe water changes to meet the calcium demand of the covals in your system. If you notice that these parameters are starting 1 drift away frm the desired ranges (400 to 450 ppm for calcium and 7 to 10 dKH for alkalinity) in between could possibly happen as your corals increase im mass—you might water changes—as start dripping kallewasser (calcium hydroxide dissolved in purified water) when topping off evaporated water or you could use one of the commercial two-part caleiwn/alkalinity supplemenss on dhe market, Oderwise, lange, Frequent water changes should be all you need to heep your calcium and alkalinuy levels right where you want therm," July 2010‘The effectiveness of all chemical filtration media \s determined by a Law of Physies called = der: Pes Molnat These weak atomic bonding forces are the mechanism that allow all chemical filtration media to remove dis contaminants / pollutants (called solutes) from a solution (water) through adsorption in he aan nce ‘The weak nature of Van Der Waal forces require that for effective filtration flow rate of solution is direotly dependent omvolume of media, On average you need 2 liters of media for every 1 liter per min of flow. If your cireulating pump or your tap water runs 3 to 5 gallons per minute 1.45 t0.18.9 Liters per minutel you wil wed 75 gallons or 284 Liters, be 48 to 55 pounds of media, f Van der Waal force limitations are exceeded, tunneling through the media, surface coating of the media plus collapse of Hy attractive charge on the media, al eontribute to rapid failure of the medias ability to adsorb contaminants / pollutant, ‘Sowhat's the best way to address your tank and tap water filtration needs in light of Van Der Waal limitations? {Reduce the volume of media by choosing media with large surface areas / media pore sites. 2, Remove as many contaminants / pollutants carly, through pre-fttering, ‘4 Require your chemical filtration media to be slow to tunndl 4 Resist the notion that effective filtration ean be performed by small volomes of IE resins. $ Reotify your water quality before adding tt to your aquatic environment: Poly Filter’ reduces the need for large volumes of media by bonding adsorbent polymer media to long fibers, not spheres, Ingreasing surface contact area, Kold Ster-iP removes many comtaminants/pollutants ini’ first two stages of pre-tiltration before solutes reach Fatented activated carbon block / charged earamie iter Poly Filter? removes excess beavy metals quickly. Poly Filter* requires no special treatment to prevent tunneling, even at flow rates of $ to 5 apm. Poly Fite’ resets the ed for large voles of wea by maxiizingsortace area Kold Ster-iP reetifis tap water's callum, maguesiom and alkalinity deflelencles while atthe sate time adsorbing ‘ontaminants/pollutants. 1D) () Poly: are Inc* ale edeecegt a ce ee Pers hae }Jick Watley 6 neve the mos rete name ns cing Bade ue eto cha ak the fade wh med Aeig hes ow Ie has eos ‘Sarg hs ogre ol roel (ef Oe dace bor —wih cpr ‘og ever des ands ‘ne of uy vd a fame Adasen cha fo the ‘ACA ang po theo a hh me trope hess baor ‘dss and goal aces he plat jack wattley 28 Dear Jack, In one of our in Grafing, Germany 1 have found a small live food that is being sold for African cichlids—Gammarus, To date 1 hhave not purchased any, and would like your opinion as to whether the Gammarus ‘would be suitable for my discus. The shop was also feeding them to marine fish, Siegfried Kon Grafing, Germany Dear Siegfried, On many occasions have fed Gammarus pulex “shrimp” to my diseus, Gammars fre small crustaceans that ca be found in Some of the South Florida fresh waters. 1 have hand carried them to your country at times for the discus breeders to feed their fish. My (late) dear friend Dr. Eduard Schmidi-Focke always. had Gammarus cultures of hs own, and he used mine 0 cross with his own. The “shrimp” were a large part of hs discus feeding program. tn aur hatchery we find we can get excellent sparing results by feeding lake and pellet foods, and so we donot include Gammarus or other tive food tn our feeding program. Gammarus crustaceans are omnivorous, although ve found they breed and generally do better if most of their food is green matter. They are easy to breed, tind although they have hard chitinous exoskeleton, larger discus have no trouble chasing them down and eating them ‘A large number of Gammarus (40 0 50) can decimate a dark-green romaine lettuce leaf im several days, amd in time they can do the same to most aquarium plants ‘if they become established in the home ‘uquartum. However, with enough discus in the tank there will be no problem ‘wwenefimagazine.com Dear Jack, My home is near Auckland, New Zealand, and 1 finally am able to attempt my hand at discus keeping You have a very good friend in New Zealand, Don Handley, whom you have written about, ‘but I cant locate him in Auckland. Do you know where he is now? T know that you have always spoken very highly of him. Justin Payette: Napier, New Zealand Dear Justin, Don Handley and his wife, Marguerite, lived in Tiirangi, New Zealand after having ‘moved from Australia. However, 1 received the very sad news from a friend of his several ‘months ago that Don Handley had passed away. But T will give you the information regarding discus that Mr. Handley, as well fas other successful discus breeders in your area, used. Yf your city of Napier has the same ‘municipal water as that of Titirangi (an Auckland suburb), you should have no problem with discus fish. The pH of Auckland water is 62, a dream for any discus breeder! The carbonate hardess reads 1.0, with a ‘general hardness of 4.0. All he discus breeders I visited in Ttivangi used clean rainwater when available. This vas clean rainwater that had run off clean roofs. directly into large outside holding tans, Peat was a must forall the breeders to use, and they were very fortunate in having, the best peat in the world right in their own country. Here in the United States, New Zealand peat is the most expensive, for any use, and is highly prized in orchid culture He changed the water (wo times per week and removed approximately a thind of the total volume each time. 1 wasn't impressed with that removal rate, ours being about 40 July 2010percent each day. Every breeder I visited had water sprite Ceratopteris. plants floating ‘in their tanks, although water sprite can be successfully planted inthe substrate. A heavy growth of floating water sprite ts 10 me very aesthetically pleasing, and it certainly plays «large part in keeping up the water quality The Auckland discus breeders employ a varied diet of fod for ther fish. Whiteworms Enchytracus were fed on a daily. basis, When 1 saw this, i asked what food was being fed to the whiteworms. 1 was quietly told that the Enchytracus were being fed a non-fatening, high-protein diet of cheeses. When I had whiteworms, 1 didnt feed them the usual white-bread, whole-mill fattening, My worms were fed yogurt, which they quickly accepted. Even though the Enchytracus were the ‘main diet of the discus in Auckland, they were also fed carefully trimmed fresh beef heart, as well as a small worm (similar to tubifex) found in the local Auckland waters A few lines of interest regarding Mr Handley’s breeding of tropical fish—he was having suecess breeding cardinal tetras Paracheirodon axelrods. 1 saw a number of cardinals in different stages of growth. His breeding pairs were kept in 20-gallon tanks until they were r dy 0 spawn, at whic time each pair was placed in a 5-gallon tank with peat onthe bottom, Fontinalis plants in the tank, anc ch ‘with black paper so light only came in from the top. The water was kept at 80°F. The fry were fed infusoria for the first 10 days and then switched to live baby Artemia, front, back, and sides covered Dear Jack, tly have a number of young discus that have been swimming for five T pres days and eating from the parents for three days, At what point do I attempt to feed them another food, and when do 1 move th first n to their own tank? This will be my tempt with diseus, and I don't want to mess things up, Jerry Manuel Metairie, Louisiana Dear Jerry, ‘With strong discus pairs that are no highly inbred, you should be able to attempt to feed their young a second food, which generally is newly hatched Artemia, about five days after their inital feeding, While feeding from the parents, the stomach area of the fry wil be a gray color, but as soon as you view them accepting the newly hatched Artemia you Tropical Fish Hobbyist mn us ofe not vegetarians by any means, including tome green vegetable matter will see that the area quickly becomes an orange color After the fry have totally accepted the Artemia, you can make plans ta either move them to another tank oF to move the parent {ish to another tank. I have seen situations ‘where the young fish have been left with che parents for a long extended period, where they were literally destroying the bodies and fins ofthe parent fish in their desir for move Jood. i extreme cases such as this, the parent Jish may never fully recover. When the time arrives that the young fish are fully on their own, they can be placed in their own tank The tank size depends on the ‘number of fry. In our hatchery their number will be approximately 100 to 175. These young will do very well in a 15-gallon tank, ‘with the same temperature and pHl as the tank they hatched out in There are several ways to transfer the young discus into their new tank, Many discus breeders siphon their young into a net and then divectly into the new tank. te never attempted to siphon young fry into the ‘new cank but have found that simply netting them in a quick sweep, dvectly into the new tank, 0 be the best procedure. With a bit of dexterity, one sweep can result in all fry being netted. A soft net, such as one used for ww nefmagacine.com such o8 spirulina algae in helt diet con be benetical fo heir growth ond wel-being, nevily hatched Artemia, works nicely The young discus are now in the new tank, and it time to broaden their feeding spectrum. No more dependency on any food from the parents. We now feed the fry ‘huee times daily, with the only variation being when we are not able co maincain the feeding program. We can continue with the nevly hatched Artemia, and have found the Artemia can continue to live in ihe discus water as long as approximately six hows— thereby allowing the fry to have accesso live food that will not spol fora period of time However, we have also added to the diet « umber of pellet and flake formulas that the young fish quickly accept. All these formulas Artemia allow us to gradually reduce th feedings unl he dit consists only of the dry formulas. And although discus are not herbivorous foeders, | feel a formulated diet including green vegetable maiter is important The addition of spiralina alga int thei diets is quickly accepted by m Another flake formula, one we use on a daily basis, i a special high-protein food that is easy for young discus to digest. A point of interest here regarding this high-protein food: {ve introduced this fod into tank of Pacific butterflyfish and found they also accepted the food. "8 5 discus. 29