Quality Pets and Supplies

Doug's Articles

The exact date of the first exportation of Cyphotilapia Frontosa
Australe not Australian killies
The aquatic Roses of Texas Herichthys
Salvini a Central American Gem
Cherry
Its All in a Name
Phantom
The King of Clowns
Wham Bam Rams
The Long and Short of Noses
A Loach by Any Other Name

It’s a beauty whether blue or yellow faced

In Europe they call this fish the yellow faced angel in this country we call it the blue faced angel no matter what you call this fish it is breath taking to say the least. With out a doubt this is one of ten most impressive marine angel fish in the world. Known in scientific literature as Pomacanthus (Euxiphipops) xanthometopon or blue faced angel is one of the most sought after marine aquarium fish in the hobby. Formerly Euxiphipops was considered a full Genus not just a subgenus as it is now. All marine angels are in the family Pomacanthidae. The family Pomacanthidae is thought by most marine hobbyist to be the premier aquarium fish family. I will not argue that in the least!

The blue face angel is a large species which can reach over a foot in length although rarely seen this size. All the species in the Genus Pomacanthus go thru a color change from a juvenile pattern to an adult color stage. The juvenile color pattern of the Blue face angel is a bold dark blue body with thin white bands. This angel rarely retains its juvenile pattern be on three inches in length and intermediate patterned fish are real ugly ducklings. The full adult is a sight to behold and worth any price paid.

The diet of the Blue face angel should be varied and include both herbivore foods and Sea foods. Foods like frozen prawns, mussels, clams and squid all sized to meet your specimens needs. Dried marine algae’s are excellent to meet this fishes herbivores needs. Diet is so important to marine angels in captivity.

It should go with out saying that a stable environment is important to all marine angels these fish do not tolerate any organic toxins. Nitrates should also be maintained as low as possible. Do your water changes and use a good quality marine mixture. Often your water source needs to be filtered of impurities its self before being used. This is where reverse osmosis units are used to refresh your water supply.

The Blue face angel likes some swimming space so house them in as large an aquarium as possible. There are two other species in the subgenus Euxiphipops they are the Majestic angel Pomacanthus (E.) navarchus and Koran angel P. (E.) semicirculatus. The Blue face can be mixed with most other angels by choosing specimens of varying sizes and Genus.

In recent years the definition of reef tanks have been changing and some people have been putting large angels in with soft corals and if you believe them it seems to be working. I believe that some pecking at the coral may occur if the fish are feed sparsely but well feed fish seem to leave these corals pretty much alone from these customers reports.

The Blue face angel occurs in the Philippines and Indonesia but no where is it very abundant . This fish has never been inexpensive in the hobby but in recent years its price has been.

Australe not Australian killies

The title for this article comes from a conversation with a beginning killie fish keeper who must of thought that I was saying some thing other then australe. But he sure thought they must be Australian I guess under stand able? This fish is known by the common names of lyre tail or Cape Lopez killies the most often used name in this country is the lyre tail killie. The Latin name for this killie is Aphyosemion australe and has been developed in to two man made strains the chocolate and orange forms. The natural form most closely resembles the chocolate strain but the natural form is the hardest form to locate in the hobby.

The orange lyre tail is one of the most common killie fish in the hobby and is an excellent first killie fish species to try. There is a wide amount of variation among the personal hobbyist strains of this fish. The orange strain was first produced by a European aquarist and has been improved upon by other aquarist since. The first aquarist to sell me these fish was the late Mr. William (Bill) Jacobs in 1972 his fish were gorgeous. It was Mr. Jacobs who introduced me to Mr. Rosario LaCorte and they always debated over whom strain of orange australe it really was. They often traded stock on this highly commercial fish. In my mind they will always be Mr. Jacobs stock to me even if I can no longer buy them from Bill. Bill was a true gentleman in every sense of the word and I really miss him. Mr. Jacobs maintained "toy" fish for over eighty years of his over ninety plus years of life. The best way to describe Bill would be to call him the Jimmy Stuart of the aquarium hobby. Sorry Mr. LaCorte no matter how many years in to the future that I may buy these fish from you and Lord may it be many more you are just in my mind maintaining Mr. Jacob’s stock.

The chocolate lyre tail also can vary greatly among aquarist stock the chocolate strain is closer to the wild stock and tends to get just slightly larger in size and can some times reach upwards of two and half inches in length. The streamers on the caudal fin are also a little more pronounced and outstanding on this strain.

The natural strain is the rarest form in the American hobby market place and only once in my thirty plus years of retailing have I had the ability to receive this species from wild caught sources and they were received in miserable condition. This fish occurs in tropical West Africa my specimens supposedly came from Gabon but this is second hand information and may not be true

The feeding of this killie is easy and standard for most small killies. These fish will not thrive on just flake foods. A variety of frozen foods and live foods are a must live tubifex worms are the best for this fish. Frozen brine shrimp, daphnia, mysis shrimp and blood worms will balance out their diet.

Like all killies the lyre tails are jumpers and must always be well covered or you will be upset. This is a bottom mop spawning species with the eggs hatching in about fourteen days. The babies can feed on brine shrimp nauplii when free swimming. The orange lyre tail is not as fertile as the other strains this often happens with in bred fish.

The lyre tails can be maintained in a community tank of other small slow moving very peaceful companions. Killies their more then just bait fish enjoy!

The exact date of the first exportation of Cyphotilapia Frontosa

The exact date of the first exportation of Cyphotilapia Frontosa to the aquarium scene seems to be lost in time. The time period would appear to be around the late nineteen sixties as Frontosa’s were among the first twenty or so species exported as aquarium fish from Lake Tanganyika. It was the late Mr.P Brichard and his fishes of Burundi team who were the first to export this species as an aquarium fish. He also was the first to export any of the rift lake cichlids as aquarium pets even before being chased out of the Congo! Still to this day his exports from the Congo are considered the golden day’s of Congo exports! His first visit to lake Tanganyika was as a survey of possible export potential of Tanganyikan fish. He collected limited numbers of a few species for export, these were Julidochromis ornatus, Neolamprologus leleupi, Tropheus moorii and T. dubiosi in the early nineteen sixties. He knew his future in the Congo was unstable at best.

At first there was thought to be one lake wide form of Frontosa with no variations known, but as populations were exported with exact localities recorded variations were noted. Soon names like six and seven bars were recorded and documented from certain localities. The next turn in the evolution of the Frontosa keeper’s demands were for exact locals to become known of there future pets. The Frontosa is a true pet fish if there ever was one and this is from someone who doesn’t usually personalize his fish!

It was at this time in the hobby that localities around lake Tanganyika became known such as Cape Mpimbwe and Ikola and that lake Tanganyika was bordered by the countries of Zaire, Zambia and Tanzania along with Burundi. All these locations have distinctive color forms which are likely just geographical variants not different species or even deserving subspecies status. Although in the future who knows what an ichthyologist may find?

The keeping of all the populations are basically the same. Stable biological tank conditions are a must that means zero ammonia and nitrites so don’t stock to quickly or heavily! It’s easier to keep the genie in the bottle than to try to get it back in ,or in other words the reduction of ammonia after the fact is often difficult and to late to do any good anyway. Frontosa’s are also sensitive to nitrate levels above 50ppm. So do your water changes!

On the subject of water conditions Frontosa’s come from hard alkaline, warm waters lake Tanganyika is basically on the equator . Temperatures between 76 degrees to 82 degrees seem to keep them in fine shape. Try not to let the temperature deviate more than 2 degrees in any twenty four hour period of time. Now as far as I’m concerned a really high pH above 8.2 is not necessary and in fact the higher the pH the more toxic an ammonia level becomes! If you are blessed with hard alkaline water from your tap like we are in most of New Jersey live with it so that you can make water changes with out having to be a chemist. If you do alter your water but become lazy about water changes because it takes to long to adjust and stabilize your water you are probably doing more harm than good. Always use a dechlorinater on any municipal water systems supply and use it before pouring the water in to your aquarium.

Frontosa’s in their natural habitat are predators which seem to specialize in preying on resting species of Genera Cyprichromis and Paracyprichromis. In captivity they are not fussy feeders at all, but remember they are deep water fish and do not in nature feed from the surface. So care should be taken to not allow them to inhale air while feeding from the surface. Many hobbyist presoak their Frontosa,s food to try to prevent this or don’t feed surface foods at all. Frozen foods are an excellent choice especially frozen shrimp (raw) of any type. Young relish frozen blood worms in moderation.

The housing of Frontosa’s should be in the largest tank possible at least 75 gallons and beyond. The décor of their aquarium should be sparse as these are large fish and avoid any sharp objects as some times Fron’s do panic and could injurer themselves on them. Large flower pots our often used as décor as our PVC pipes. A more natural look can be achieved with large smooth rocks, but make sure they placed securely to avoid toppling. Fron’s as they are commonly called prefer subdued lighting but plants like Java fern, African water fern (Bolbotis) and Anubias species will grow in these conditions. A thin layer of gravel like crushed coral or an African cichlid gravel mix will help maintain a reasonable pH. Only do a thin layer of gravel to avoid making a dirt trap.

A strong filtration system is a must! You can use a canister filter, wet/dry filter or a fluidize bed filter with the fluidize bed filter you will need some additional mechanical filtration. I prefer a canister filter for these fish due to it’s time between servicing.

A breeding colony of six to eight adults require at least a 125 gallon aquarium in a tank this small one should have no more than one male. Males are famous for their large cephalic hump and their elongated fin filaments. Medium and large Frontosa’s can also be vented as a way to sex them if you are experienced at that. Males also tend to be larger then females reaching up to sixteen inches females rarely reach 12 inches. Females reach sexual maturity at a little over two years of age.

In nature Frontosa’s are found in water deeper than thirty feet and usually require decompression and can be easily harmed if not handled properly .We still receive wild caught specimens from all around Lake Tanganyika and due to the difficulties in collecting still command a good dollar. A very well written article on collecting Frontosa’s was published in the February1975 issue of Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine. The author was the late Mr, Brichard possible the best fish exporter ever!

Frontosa’s are maternal mouthbrooders which hold their young about 24 days and the young can feed on baby brine shrimp upon first release. Brood sizes average in the mid twenties. The fry are large and easy to raise, but do not take well to crowding. Females who are holding young must be moved to separate brooding tanks or stripped of their eggs. The eggs would then have to be artificially incubated till they become free swimming.

Care should be taken due to the unique populations found around the Lake not to mix population s and cause a mix of the gene pool and junk fry. In the early days of the hobby the gene pool did often get muddled.

My first personal pet Frontosa was in 1973 and was a young 5 inch male from Burundi and was maintained in 120 gallon mix African cichlid community aquarium. He was a shy but majestic aquarium fish which was with me until I had to break down my fish room. Fron’s can be maintained with other mid to large size mellow African cichlids as long you give them space.

Some of forms in the hobby are Kavalla yellow top, Zaire blue, Zambians, Ikola, Bismarck, Samazi blue, Mpimbwe and of course the Burundi classic type which started it all. Some names are hard to place to exact populations such as gold heads and blue faced Fron’s.

Frontosa’s are prone to very few ailments. A few hobbyist have encountered bouncy problems on even established fish. So far no exact cause or cure is known. An excellent article just on this subject is in the July, 2003 Cichlid News.

A very rare in the hobby and nature scale eating predator exists that mimics a Frontosa body form and color pattern. I do not know if the pattern is to prey on Fron’s or to just look like an inoffensive species that the Frontosa is unless you’re a Cyprichromis .This species (Plecodus straeleni) has only been encountered by me once in my 40 years of fish keeping it was also the only time I’ve ever seen them offered for sale. It would be interesting to see if the pattern changes along with it’s mimic species at different localities? But that another story.

The Aquatic Roses of Texas Herichthys

The Genus herichthys contains at least nine species and numerous races and populations are known some of which may deserve species status. The Texas cichlid was the first species of this newly resurrected Genus to gain popularity and is real old timer of the hobby. The Texas cichlid (H. cyanoguttatum) is a large and aggressive cichlid which often reaches a length of 12 inches. Males often show a large cephalic hump at full maturity. A ten year old Texas cichlid is not rarity in the hobby.

Now we see the Texas cichlid with less and less frequency in hobby. All Herichthys species are substrate spawners and the species kept so far are very prolific and often out produce their demand. Young feed on baby brine shrimp upon becoming free swimming. As you would think the Texas cichlid is found thru out much of Texas and Northern Mexico.

Now the most common Herichthys in the hobby is H. carpinte some times called the Carpintus or green Texas cichlid. It’s even more beautiful than the normal Texas cichlid. It has a bolder spotted pattern which is green in hue. This species doesn’t reach quit as large of a size as the real Texas cichlid. This is also a hardy and prolific, aggressive species. Found in Northern and Central Mexico.

Herichthys bocourti has yet to gain a common name in the hobby. It has only been in the hobby since the mid nineteen eighties. H. bocourti has never been common in the hobby and still is hard to find for sale. Even a photo of adults is still rare in the hobby. The numbers of specimens that have passed thru my hands have been all too few. From only middle Central America always rare in nature.

Minkley’s cichlid is a look alike to the Texas cichlid and could easily be confused with it. This could easily cause the loss of this species in the hobby due to hybridization between these two species. This species has a rather limited range in central Mexico and care should be taken in maintaining this cichlid. It’s Latin name is Herichthys minkleyi.

H.pearsei is a very different member of the Genus Herichthys and more reminds me of a Uaru species in coloring and behavior patterns. Not a real bully like the other species in it’s Genus. This fish can easily reach over 12 inches in length. Natural range Southern Mexico and Honduras.

H.sp."Pacos rico" is trade or hobby name for a species or race of H. cyanoguttatum which hit the hobby in the late nineteen nineties. It has already all but disappeared from the hobby in just 2003. In Pacos rico region of Mexico is the native range of this fish.

H. tomasopoensis which was described as recently as 1993 by Artigas and Azas was known in the hobby as H. sp."Tomasopo" before this. All the before mention species have been maintained by the author over the course of 42 years.

Other species in the Genus are H. cyanostigma, H. deppii and H. geddesi both H. deppii and H. geddesi have been seen in the hobby in recent years.

The following is a list of populations which have been listed in aquarium literature and there reference points.

H.carpinte "Tempoal" from Aqua log vol.3 South American cichlids

H.carpinte ‘Verde" from Aqua log vol.3 South American cichlids

H.cf.carpinte from Aqua log vol. 3 South American cichlids

H.cyanoguttatus "Pablillo" Aqua log vol. 3 South American cichlids

H.sp. "Rio Nautla" Aqua log vol. 3 South American cichlids

H.sp. "Turquoise" Aqua log vol. 3 South American cichlids

H.sp. (?)= Nandopsis umbriferum? Aqua log vol. 3 S. American cichlids

H.pearsei "Rio Lacanjah" Aqua log vol. 3 South American cichlids

H.pearsei "Palenque" Aqua log vol. 3 South American cichlids

H.sp. "Tuxpan/Pantepec from Baensch photo atlas vol. 1-5

H.sp. "Cazones" from Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine July 2000

H.sp. "Rio Nautla/Misautla" from Baensch photo atlas vol. 1-5

(above could be the same as H.sp. "Rio Nautla" line number five)

H.sp. "Altamira" from Cichlid News October 2002

(has formerly been placed tn the Genus Amphilophus tentatively)

H.sp. Ebano" from Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine November 1989

In 2003 a hybrid was introduced to the hobby by the name of Red Texas cichlid it has been proven to be a real brute!

Some interesting articles on the Genus Herichthys are listed. Also remember that in older literature these cichlids will still be placed in there older Genus Cichlasoma.

Herichthys bocourti in FAMA 6/87 photo, FAMA 4/84, BBB #186, TFH 6/2000, TFH 1/2000, Cic. News 10/2001

H.carpinte in PFK 4/97 , FAMA 9/80, TFH 8/03.

H.cyanoguttatum in TFH 11/58, FAMA 5/82, PFK 4/97, Cic. News 7/02, FAMA 5/03, TFH 7/03.

H.cyanostigma no photo reference only known from Aqua log vol. 3 South American.cichlids.

H. deppii in BBB #208 photo’s.

H. geddesi in Baensch photo index vol. 1-5, Aqua log vol. 3 South American cichlids.

H. minkleyi in TFH 7/81, BBB #196, Cic. News 10/97, Cic. News 7/02.

H.pearsei in TFH 4/94, FAMA 8/99.

H.tomasopoensis in BBB #95, TFH 5/95, AFM 5/99

Abbreviations: TFH=Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine

FAMA=Freshwater and Marine Aquarium magazine

PFK= Practical Fish Keeping magazine

AFM= Aquarium Fish Magazine

Cic. News= Cichlid News

BBB= Buntbarsche Bulletin (The Journal of the A.C.A.)

A.C.A=American Cichlid Association

Salvini a Central American gem

One of the most impressive of all the Central American cichlids to yet be found the Salvini is a wide ranging cichlid with many geographical races. I received wild caught stock in the late nineteen sixties that has still not been surpassed in quality. These fish left me with a life long passion for this cichlid. The salvini is found from Southern Mexico thru Middle Central America.

The coloring of this cichlid varies radically from population to population. Some populations have vivid crimson bellies and blue spangles across the upper body. All this is over a mustard yellow and black body pattern. Exact color patterns to known populations have not as of yet been established in aquarium or scientific literature. Wild caught stock is all but non-existent in the hobby at this time. Aquarium stock greatly varies in quality and care must be taken in choosing breeding stock.

The placement of what Genus to put this former Cichlasoma species is still in debate but most feel that the correct Genus is Nandopsis. This is a mid size cichlid which rarely reaches 6 inches in length.

An easy cichlid to breed once a pair is formed but often a few mangled fish will result before a pair bond is set. Spawns of three to four hundred fry are common. Fry become free swimming in about 3 days. The young can feed on baby brine shrimp at this time.

A thirty gallon aquarium is large enough to maintain a pair of salvini if they are an established breeding pair. If you are trying to form a pair from a colony at least a 55 gallon tank would be much better to avoid deadly confrontations between rivals. To achieve a breeding pair the classical way is to raise a small colony of 6 or more young together and let a pair form naturally. After a pair has formed out of the group they can be moved to a smaller aquarium to set-up house keeping. There the pair will clean a spawning area usually a flat stone and later dig a few spawning pits. Nandopsis salvini is an excellent parent and will defend their young with great fiery.

Strong filtration is a must with this cichlid. A sponge filter with the newly hatched fry is a must. When setting up the spawning pair put an air operated sponge filter in their aquarium to allow some biological filtration to take place when the young are born. A good power filter should be used up to this time but would suck up the fry if left running with free swimming young. Plants are up rooted and shredded by adults with a spawning urge.

Adults are easy to feed and will eat almost any aquarium fare. A flake food with some color enhancers should be used to promote the deep red coloring of the flanks. Diet and the place of origin determine the quality of your salvini. If you have stock which in its gene pool doesn’t have the intense crimson flank coloring no matter how well you feed them it just will not happen.

This would be an ideal cichlid if it just wasn’t so dang aggressive! The Aqua Log of South American Cichlid volume 3 shows a few of the populations of this magnificent cichlid. A few well written articles in aquarium literature are in Freshwater and Marine Aquarium magazine September 1980 and the October 1978 issue of Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine.

Cherry, Royal cherry and Cherry vanilla barbs

Although the cherry barb is now extinct in nature we now have at least 3 strains in the aquarium hobby. The first strain is the classical cherry barb which has been in the hobby for about 50 years. The second is a more intense red strain which may be the super red cherry barb mentioned by Mr. Rodney Jonklass in the Tropical fish hobbyist magazine many years ago. This strain or former race is now traded as the royal or super red cherry barb. The last name refers to an albino strain which was developed in the early nineteen nineties and as small young fish are not very impressive. The cherry vanilla barb does blossom with maturity in to a real beauty.

The cherry barb was from the island country of Sri Lanka (formerly called Ceylon) it has been considered extinct in the wild for about 10 years. This is not the only aquarium fish now gone from the wild in fact another barb from Sri Lankan waters is extinct from the wild and that’s the black ruby barb (Barbus nigrofasciatus) again luckily we have aquarium stock. Please breeders be careful with these fish you are there guardians for the future.

The cherry barb known scientifically as Barbus titteya is a very easy to breed Cyprinidae and was the first egglayer which I watched spawning in my community tank at the age of six. I did not try to raise the young and just watched them spawn in a cluster of princess pine. Princess pine was an aquarium plant sold in all the pet departments of the sixties it was not a true aquatic plant. They looked like tiny Christmas trees in your aquariums they did make good spawning sites for egglayers. About four years later I did spawn this species in a 10 gallon breeding tank. Spawning is as typical egg scatters among bushy aquarium plants or spawning mops. Cherry barbs are not ravenous egg eaters but there is no reason not to remove the parents right after spawning. The young are very easy to raise and can feed on baby brine upon hatching. The eggs hatch in about 36 hours at about 82 degrees.

Cherry barbs are excellent small community fish reaching about 2 inches in total length and can be kept with other peaceful aquarium fish. This barb can even be kept with angelfish (Pterophyllum spp.). Cherry barbs are lower to mid water fish which are not overly hyper like some barbs. A rich diet is required to maintain the brilliant red coloring of the adult males. These barbs are not fussy feeders and always have ravenous appetites. This is a long-lived species and specimens of six or more years of age are common

It’s all in a name

The introduction of Herotilapia multispinosa (Gunther, 1869) to the aquarium hobby was by Mr. Ross Socolof who at the time owed a fish farm (Gulf) in the state of Florida. He was part of a collecting trip thru Central America for the purpose of finding new species for his fish farm and this was a prize find of that trip. His exploits were always well documented in the pages of the old Aquarium magazine published by the late Mr. William T. Innes. In the nineteen sixties and seventies Mr. Ross Socolof was responsible for many first imports of Central American cichlids thru his collecting trips to southern Mexico and other Central American countries. He was very successful with this species at his Florida fish farm in fact way to successful.

So what do you do with thousands of specimens of a virtually unknown cichlid on the aquarium hobby scene. It was not a new species to the scientific community but at that point an obscure one belonging to it’s own monotypic Genus. There were few pictures yet in aquarium literature and that may of been a good thing. Now any new cichlid then and now has a few curiosity sales but there were just far to many Herotilapia multispinosa to be sold to rely on a few curio sales. So how do you sell a mid size fairly mild temperament and simple colored Central American cichlid during the heart of the African cichlid craze.

Well it’s all in a name and what a name Mr. Socolof came up with for this cichlid. How could anyone selling cichlids or who enjoys cichlids not purchase the new Rainbow cichlid on any supplier availability list. Mr. Socolof also released all the fish in one felt swoop to the market place. Only once was this cichlid going to have a chance to make a splash.

Now don’t get me wrong Herotilapia multispinosa the rainbow cichlid is a wonderful aquarium fish, but it is not a rainbow of color in any way shape or form. This maybe the second most prolific cichlid I’ve ever encountered and are excellent parents. This is a typical substrate spawning Central American cichlid which can produce huge spawns for their size. The largest adults of this species I’ve ever seen were a bit over 6 inches in length but only once have I ever seen this fish that large average size being closer to 4 inches in length.

All that’s required to spawn this fish is a true pair a good diet and an aquarium where they can set-up house keeping. Rainbow cichlids will spawn in a cichlid community aquarium but are hard pressed not to lose their eggs to the other cichlids. As mentioned before spawns are large so be prepared to raise lots of young. The fry can feed on baby brine from the moment they become free swimming. This is a harder fry to sell than convicts after the first spawn the first time you spawn them it’s usually easy to sell that batch of young. When you go back to the same sources you find they usually still have your young for sale. Some hobbyist use this fish as a fry factory for other predatory fish at least by producing your own feeder fish you have far less chance of introducing a plague to your fish room.

The Genus Herotilapia was set apart from other Central American cichlid by their unique tooth structure although some debate that this is enough to set them apart from the rest of former large Genus "Cichlasoma" (old sense). A full rich diet is greatly appreciated by this species so include some herbivore type foods to this species diet. The first release of this species to the aquarium market place was in 1969 when I was working although very indirectly for Mr. Ross Socolof, but that another story. In the Tropical fish hobbyist magazine of July 2000 a new place of this species in the Genus Archocentrus has been suggested. This species is found along the Atlantic slope of Central America from Panama upwards thru most of Nicaraguan waters.

PHANTOM PHANTOM

Hyphessobrycon roseus was formerly placed in the Genus containing the red phantom tetra (Megalamphodus sweglesi) so it’s tough to still call this species the yellow or golden phantom tetra but that it’s common name. This diminutive beauty is now becoming a staple of the aquarium scene and already is being mass produced by the Far Eastern fish farms.

At one time this species was a real rarity in the hobby. Yellow phantom tetras make excellent community fish. Even a small ten gallon aquarium set-up with a nice plant decor and about 18 yellow phantoms can be quit impressive and very easy to care for. This is a very undemanding species and a typical egg scattering tetra. I do not know how difficult the fry are to raise of this species.

This species hails from the Guiana’s and recently exports from those Countries have been few and far between to this Country. At one time this was a commonly available area to the American market place.

The yellow phantom tetra can vary greatly in the intensity of the red hue to the body due mostly to diet. Use foods that increase the natural color pigments of aquarium fish there are now numerous brands on the market place. Live foods also help to maintain color and vigor among aquarium fish. This is not a fussy fish in regard to water conditions as long as extremes are avoided. The maximum size for this species is less than one and half inches.

The king of clowns

A lot of popular aquarium fish have the prefix of clown to their common names. The most popular would of course be the marine Amphiprioninae subfamily of the family Pomacentridae the anemone fishes or clownfish. But my favorite clown is the Distichodus species known as the Clown Distichodus. This species known fully as Distichodus sexfasciatus is placed in both aquarium and scientific literature in both the families Citharinidae or Distichodontidae depending on authors point of view. I will leave this to the experts to determine in the future.

The Clown Distichodus is a distinguish resident of the Congo basin although one website said it’s was one of the best Amazonian fish you could own. Now maybe to make conservation easier they moved the second largest rainforest in to the largest but I do not believe this to be the case. But please if you heard differently let me know!

This becomes a really large fish I had one specimen which was returned to one of my stores that was at least 22 inches in length and weight of at least 5 pounds we maintained him a 800 gallon kids swimming pool in the basement of that store. Clown Distichodus are major herbivores and suitable greens are a must to maintaining brilliant rich colors. Aquarium plants are all but impossible to maintain with this fish. I’ve often used excessive growths of water sprite (Ceratopsis) as a treat for my clowns.

The larger the aquarium the better for this species with good strong filtration and lots of water changes I am a strong believer if at all possible to live with the conditions of your source water I have maintained this species in water that was very hard and had a pH of 7.8. I have found this species to be very sensitive to abrupt changes in water chemistry. Be sure to age your water carefully and/or use a quality water conditioner. In the original Aqua World owned by the late Mr. Joseph Young (he passed away last summer,2004) we maintained a large (10 inch) specimen in a 1000 gallon aquarium filled with African rift lake cichlids which were maintained in Union, New Jersey tap water which averaged 7.4 to 7.8 during those years. With that much room he was never molested by the primarily mbuna population.

This is a very strong species but if they do come down with a disease problem treat them lightly with any medications. I learned this the hard way when this fish was still very rare in the hobby circa 1971 and I killed 9 specimens treating them with acriflavine. The largest specimen of the group was clean as whistle and I risked placing him in my 120 gallon Congo display tank. Luckily he carried no diseases and was the lone survive of the group and lived a long life. This was probable my greatest mass loss in my personal fish collection.

In recent years the Clown Distichodus has become almost common on the aquarium market place but this was not always the case. Although this species is a herbivore it will also enjoy other fare such as bloodworms, various types of shrimps and earthworms. The food size should be appropriate to the size of your specimen. .I have not yet heard of any one breeding this species in captivity but young are almost always available from the Congo so who knows?

Wam Bam Rams

The simple beauty of the natural form of the ram cichlid gave casual hints of the things to come from selective breeding. The first strain developed was the golden ram which has been around since at least the mid 1960's. The next was the increase in color intensity to the natural form and the naming of strains such German or blueberry rams. The last development for now was the long-finned strains of both the blue and golden rams. With each improvement (?) of the ram thru selective breeding the ram has become a weaker aquarium fish. These strains have been pushed to the edge of their tolerance to fight off environmental stresses. Once even the weakest strain as adjusted to you conditions this is an easy cichlid to propagate and your young should be strong in your environment. This does not mean that your fish will do well for every one else but if they try to mimic your conditions.

Rams have been bounced around over the years in various Genera from Apistogramma, Papilochromis and Microgeophagus. The current opinion is that Microgeophagus is the correct Genus. There are two described species in the Genus and a possible third species awaiting description. The ram is known scientifically as Microgeophagus ramirezi the second species is Microgeophagus altispinosa the Bolivian ram. The possible third species is known in the hobby as the double spot altispinosa or Brazilian altispinosa this species is from the Mato Grosso region of Brazil. I have maintained all three "species" over the years and have had blue rams routinely spawn even in store environments. All three forms are substrate spawners which are not always the best parents with many pairs being habitual spawn eaters. The fry can handle baby brine shrimp upon becoming free swimming.

Blue rams come from Venezuela and Colombia we still see wild imports on rare occasions this species does best when maintained in the high 70's or low 80's. Depending on the origin of your specimens water conditions can vary greatly wild stock do best in moderately soft and acidic water. Tank raised stock may be use to entirely different water conditions, but warmth with this species seems always to be important regardless of the stock. Rams are not fussy feeders and will eat all the normal aquarium fare.

Bolivian rams are much easier to care for if for no other reason then being less in bred then most blue ram strains. Bolivian rams are not as demanding of high temperatures as blue rams. The first few specimens of Bolivian rams I saw had extensions to the upper and lower rays of caudal fin. This seems to of been bred out of the current aquarium stock what a shame!

The double spot altispinosa or Brazilian altispinosa has not yet become firmly established in the hobby and I have only encountered this species or race twice in all my fish keeping years.

The long and short of noses

One of the most bizarre of all the aquarium fish Families is the Mormyridae or Elephant noses. It is the snout of some of the species which give this family of fish its common name although not all the Mormyrid’s have a proboscis and that one might say is the long and short of this Family of fish. The long proboscis species are called Elephant noses and the short snouts are known as whales or dolphins in the hobby.

Mormyrid’s are found only in Africa and many species are popular food species with one species having a scientific name which shows that (Mormyrops deliciosus).So important are these fish that they appear in Egyptian tombs amongst their hieroglyphics. Mormyrids occur though out tropical Africa including the Nile river system. The great majority of species are found in the Congo region and identifying the correct species is very difficult with current aquarium literature. This is a large diverse family of fish with some species showing some differences although slight between juvenile an adult forms.

All Mormyrids possess electrical organs which are used to detect other Mormyrids among their habitat. They seem to be able to detect the electrical discharges of other fish also. To what degree this helps them is hard to say we still have a lot to learn about this family of fish;

The brain size of Mormyrids have developed to a large size to mange the information gained from their electrical impulse system. Because of this in proportion to their size they have a larger brain then ours. The electrical discharges can change due to organic composition changes in their water and some species are use to monitor municipal water systems in Germany. In one species the male and females discharges are at different frequencies.

All the Mormyrids are sensitive to water conditions and are sensitive to stray electrical discharges in to the aquarium. This will cause a constant uneasiness amongst them. These fish are excellent escape artist when distressed. Avoid medications that are harmful to scaless fish most will be deadly to Mormyrids.

Mormyrids feed on blood worms, tubifex and black worms with great enthusiasm whither live or frozen. Some of the largest "Whale" species like Mormyrops deliciosus are predators of other fish and can reach over 2 feet in length. The following is a list of the "commonly" available species in order of their abundance in the hobby.

Common name Latin name

Elephant nose Gnathonemus petersi common from Nigeria easy

Double trunk elephant nose G. tamandua some years common Congo easy

Black whale Brienomyrus brachyistius rare Nigeria easy

Blunt headed elephant nose Campylomormyrus cassaicus rare Congo easy

Long tail elephant nose C. rhynchophorus rare Congo difficult

Bent beak elephant nose C. curvirostris very rare Congo difficult

Kannume Mormyrus kannume in the 80’s common ? easy

Comma mark whale Petrocephalus simus fairly com. Congo easy

Comma mark whale 2 P. bovei rare Nile easy a one time encounter

Two banded whale G. moori rare in hobby Central W.Africa easy

Long jaw whale Marcusenius longianalis rare Cameroon easy

Short tail elephant nose G. elephas rare Congo difficult

No common name Mormyrus rume rare Lake Chad easy

Beluga whale Mormyrops nigricans rare Congo easy

Silver whale G. schilthuisiae rare Congo easy

Bird beak elephant nose Mormyrops boulengeri rare Congo very diff.

All the above species or fish masquerading under these names have been maintained by me over the years more species seem to be available on occasions in Europe. Their proximity to Africa allows for this. They often use different Latin names on some the species then here in the good old U.S of A. The following is a list of species I have references too.

BAT=Baensch aquarium atlas photo index

ATL 8=Axelrods (TFH) aquarium atlas volume 8

Brienomyrus brachyistius in BAT photo index

B. niger in BAT photo index

Campylomormyrus cassaicus in ATL 8

C. curvirostris in article in TFH magazine Feb. 1995 photo

C. rhynchophorus in ATL 8 & BAT photo index

Gnathonemus abadii in book on West African Fish

G. elephas in BAT 3 & ATL 8 (Sometimes placed in Campylomormyrus)

G. longibarbis in AFM magazine Aug. 1998

G. moori in a paper by Dr. Max Poll,1939

G. petersi references every where

G. schilthuisiae in BAT photo index & TFH Magazine Sept. 2002

G. tamandua in most through aquarium references

Hippopotamyrus ansorgii in book on South African fishes

H. discorhynchus in BAT photo index

H. grahami in book on Lake Victorian Rock Cichlids

H. macrops in AFM magazine Aug. 1998

H. psittacus in BAT photo index

Hyperopisus bebe in BAT photo index

Marcusenius angolensis in ATL 8

M. cyprinoids in article in TFH magazine Feb. 1995 photo

M. longianalis in BAT photo index

M. macrolepidotus in BAT photo index (former Gnathonemus)

M. monteuri in AFM magazine Aug. 1998

M. nyasensis in AFM magazine Aug. 1998

M. senegalensis gracilis in TFH magazine Feb. 1995

M. senegalensis pfaffi in TFH magazine Feb. 1995

M. senegalensis senegalensis in TFH magazine Feb. 1995

M. stanleyanus in AFM magazine Aug. 1998

M. victoriae in AFM magazine Aug. 1998

Mormyrops anguilloides in BAT photo index

M. boulengeri in ATL 8 in BAT photo index as in Genus Mormyrus

M. curtus in paper by Dr. Max Poll 1939

M. deliciosus in TFH magazine Feb. 1995 & AFM magazine Aug. 1998

M. engystoma in ATL 8 (in one book spelled angystoma)

M. lineolatus in paper by Dr. Max Poll 1939

M. mariae in AFM magazine Aug. 1998

M. masuianus in AFM magazine Aug. 1998

M. nigricans in AFM magazine Aug. 1998 & Dr. Poll paper 1939

M. sirenoides in TFH magazine Feb. 1995 photo

M. zanclirostris in TFH magazine Feb. 1995 & AFM mag. Aug. 1998

Mormyrus bumbanus in AFM magazine Aug. 1998

M. callabus in BAT photo index

M. cyaneus in AFM magazine Aug. 1998

M. iriodes in AFM magazine Aug. 1998

M. kannume in BAT 3

M. lacerda in book on South African fishes

M. longirostris in ATL 8 as in the Genus Mormyrops

M. macrocephalus in AFM magazine Aug. 1998

M. macrophthalmus in book on West African fish

M. ovis in AFM magazine Aug. 1998

M. proboscirostris in BAT 3

M. rheni in book on Lake Victorian Rock Cichlids

M. rume in BAT photo index as M. rume proboscirostris

M. tapirus in TFH magazine Feb. 1995

M. victoriae in book Lake Victorian Rock Cichlid (same as Marcusenius v. ?)

Myomyrus macrodon in AFM magazine Aug. 1998

M. pharaoh in AFM magazine Aug. 1998

Paramormyrops jacksoni in book on South African fishes

Petrocephalus ballayi in Dr. Max poll paper 1939

P. bane in BAT photo index

P. bovei in BAT photo index

P. catostoma in ATL 8 & BAT photo index

P. grandoculis in AFM magazine Aug. 1998

P. levequei in TFH magazine Jan. 1994 rare & well done col. & BAT photo index

P. nigricans in AFM magazine Aug. 1998 (same as Mormyrops nigricans ?)

P. pallidomaculatus in TFH magazine Jan. 1994 rare & well done Column

P. plagiostoma in AFM magazine Aug. 1998

P. sauvagei in TFH magazine Jan. 1994 rare & well done Column

P. simus in ATL 8 & BAT 3

P. soudanensis in BAT photo index

Pollimyrus castelnaui in ATL 8

P. ihuysii in book on West African fishes (some times placed in Genus Marcusenius)

P. isidori in BAT photo index (former Genus Marcusenius)

P. nigripinnis in BAT 3 & ATL 8

A LOACH BY ANY OTHER NAME

Botia lohachata has numerous common names in the hobby. But no matter whether you call them zig zag loaches, yo yo loaches , Pakistan loaches or lohachata loaches we are still dealing with Botia lohachata by any of these names. My preferred common name is zig zag loach for this fish.

The zig zag loach has a natural range of Pakistan and bordering areas of India. In the early years of the nineteen seventies we saw slight variations in color patterns among shipments possible representing geographical races. Now shipments are more uniform in size and color pattern which may mean that we are receiving captive bred stock? One thing is for sure zig zag loaches have become a staple of the hobby. At one time it was quit a coup to find this species. In the nineteen nineties was when zig zag loaches became a staple in the hobby market place.

Zig zag loaches can reach at least 8 inches although I’ve only seen a few specimens at or near this size. Like most loaches Botia lohachata is nocturnal by it’s very nature. With time these loaches become more out going especially if kept in grouping of other loaches. Always give any loaches plenty of hiding places this can be done with drift wood and rock decorations. Always check décor when cleaning your aquarium for hidden loaches before removing it. Many a loach has lost their lives by being tucked in a decoration to well and being left high and dry in the décor while you work on the tank. Each loach should have their own hidey hole to prevent additional aggression among the group. I would not trust this fish with smaller species or slow moving species like angels or discus. Loaches have tendency to explore the sides of high body fish that are slow moving and may annoy or even nip them. Their cousin species the clown loach (B. macracantha) has been observed plucking eyes from other fish.

Feeding these loaches is simple they will eat almost anything. An occasional feeding of live tubifex or black worms is relished. Frozen foods such blood worms are also appreciated. Loaches are inquisitive fish and must be kept in a well covered aquarium to prevent their escape to the happy hunting grounds. These loaches will also control snail populations and hydras are also eaten in limited numbers. Zig zag loaches can tolerate a wide range of water conditions as long as changes are not abrup.

A recent review of the Botia Genus has given this species a new name Botia almorhae information from Practical fish keeping magazine September 2004. Numerous other name changes in this article search this issue out it's worth reading.