Jul 03 2009

A Marine Biologist’s Trip to the Hawaiian Reefs

Filed under: Scuba Diving and Snorkeling

Cory here. I traveled to the Hawaiian Islands in June of 2008 for my honeymoon, and thought I would take Dave's lead and tell you all about it. I have always wanted to go to Hawaii and thought that a honeymoon trip would be a perfect reason to do so. There are 8 major islands in the chain, any of which would have been an excellent choice. Since Maui is considered the “honeymooners” island, we decided to go there. We stayed 8 days and 7 nights at the Hyatt Regency Resort and Spa on Maui's famous Ka' anapali beach. The Resort was amazing with dozens of shops, restaurants, and even penguins it seemed to have it all. However, Maui had so much more to offer.

There are no longer any active volcanoes on the island of Maui, but the landscape told the story of Maui's volcanic and violent past. Huge, volcanic mountains, covered with lush rain forests that were dotted with majestic waterfalls. Sadly, our time did not allow us to drive up to the summit of Haleakala. Haleakala is a 10,000 foot mountain with a huge crater. This will definitely be in the plans on my next visit.

I didn't really come the whole way to Hawaii to see waterfalls, rain forests, or volcanoes. I came to see the aquatic life (and of course, to celebrate my recent nuptuals). My deep fascination for the oceans is always calling and was one of the best reasons for wanting to visit Hawaii. I have to say that 7 days was not enough time to snorkel the island. There are too many aquatic “hot spots” that needed to be investigated and we just ran out of time.

The first day took us to Honolua Bay, located on the Northwestern shore. Who would have thought the first location we visited would be the best! Honolua Bay does not have a sandy beach, only small rocks and pebbles, but we spent most of the time in the water so it didn't matter. We spent nearly 5 hours in the water and still had to come back a second time to take in all of the amazing fish and coral. I think the most amazing thing I saw that day was a school of Convict Tangs (Acanthurus triostegus). There were over a hundred of them, caring more for the algae that they were eating than how close I was. There were Naso (Naso lituratus) and Orange Shoulder Tangs (Acanthurus olivaceus), Thread fin (Chaetodon auriga), Ornate (Chaetodon ornatissimus), and Yellow Long-nosed (Forcipiger flavissimus) Butterflies, along with dozens of other fish. Wrasses such as the Orange Saddled Wrasse (Thalassoma duperrey) and the Hawaiian Cleaner Wrasse (Labroides phthirophagus) were everywhere. I could go on and on listing the fish I saw, just amazing.

I am a coral junky and was really excited to see some wild colonies. I was however, slightly disappointed in the amount of coral diversity. I knew in the back of my mind that the Hawaiian coral diversity is no match for the fish. Don't get me wrong, the coral was unlike anything I have seen in the ocean, which has been limited to the coral reefs of the Florida Keys. There were huge colonies of blue Montipora, Yellow Porites, and a large pallet of Pocillopora colonies. There was almost always a Hawkfish inhabiting the Pocillopora colonies, guarding them with ferocity. Huge Black Longspine and Orange Pencil Urchins dotted the reef cape with color and caution. I went through sensory overload on my first day and couldn't wait for what the second day would bring.

On the second day, we took a boat trip to Molokini Island, which is located about 3 miles off the southwestern side of the island. The Island was formed from volcanic activity millions of years ago, since then erosion has caused one side to wear away, leaving a crescent shaped island. The inner portion is for snorkeling, which is where we went. The outer half has a dramatic drop off of over 250 feet where only divers venture. This is where you can find sharks and other open water fish. However, the inside portion was amazing. We were dropped off in nearly 200 ft deep, calm water, where the visibility allowed us to see the bottom. We were welcomed by dozens of Durgeon Triggers and Blue Jaw Triggers. Once on the reef, there was so much to explore, huge colonies of stony corals. There were large eels, Yellow tangs, a school of Adult Naso Tangs, and a fight between three Achilles Tangs. From Molokini, we took a short boat ride to an area called Turtle Town where they guaranteed us to see Sea Turtles. Sure enough within 5 minutes of being in the water, the first turtle was spotted. It was an amazing experience, and one that I will never forget.

The entire visit did not involve us and the water, one day was spent traveling the road to Hana. This is a very slow, winding drive through the eastern coastline of Maui. Along the way are lush, tropical plants, dozens of waterfalls and pools. I was amazed by the Rainbow Eucalyptus trees and the black sand beach. The trip took the better part of the day, but was well worth every minute. The photos in the blog are only a sampling of those we have to remember the trip.

Everywhere we went on Hawaii was amazing, from the coral reefs to the rain forests, and even the resort. We fell in love with Hawaii and plan to return very soon.

Check out the rest of the picture's at our Facebook page here, and be sure to comment :) .

Bookmark and Share


Vote This Post DownVote This Post Up (No Ratings Yet)
Loading ... Loading ...


Related Posts:
  • Marine Biology in the News: Famed Oceanographer Jacques Piccard Dies

  • Marine Biologist Blog from That Fish Place

  • Jul 01 2009

    Fish for a Phillies Fan – Setting up a Sports-themed Saltwater tank

    Filed under: Fun Stuff, Reef Aquariums, Saltwater Aquariums

    Phillies LogoAs many of your know, That Fish Place/That Pet Place is located in the heart of Lancaster, PA...thus, we love our Phillies. Hopefully you enjoy this Phillies tank idea (unless you're a Mets fan) from rabid Phillies fan Marine Biologist Melissa was Leiter but now Weibley (she just got married :) . - Ed

    Hey Phillies fans, how about adding something red to remind you of those fighting Phils every time you look at your tank? One of my favorite inverts is the banded coral shrimp. Their claws have the Phillies pin stripes all over them. They have a great personality especially if you can get a pair. If you only get one they tend to be more shy and reclusive. Also you want to be sure you do not get 2 males or 2 females because they will fight.

    Since we started off in the inverts, there are several others that you may want to check out as well. Peppermint shrimp, fire shrimp, and Randalls pistol shrimp. There are also some other cool inverts besides shrimp that are red. We have some red reef starfish, scarlet hermit crabs, and burrowing crabs.

    For those of you coral-loving fans we have something for you to add to your tank as well. Red mushrooms look awesome and will brighten any tank. If you have good lighting the red blastomussa or a red open brain coral would look very nice. For those of you that do not have too much light you could try a red deep water gorgonion or flame scallop. These guys are not photosynthetic they just need lots of phytoplankton to keep them happy. Now for you fish lovers we have lots of fun fish that go with the Phillies theme. For smaller tanks we have some red firefish, flame pygmy angelfish, longnose hawkfish, and flame hawkfish. We even have some clownfish that sport the flashy red for the Phils. They include the maroon clown, fire clown and cinnamon clown. For those of you that love the big boy fish we have that covered too. We have popeye catalufas and white edge lyretail groupers. So for all you avid Phillies fans out there make sure you have at least one of these fish/inverts in your tank at all times. Who knows, maybe it will be the luck they need to win big again this year...GO PHILS!!!

    Bookmark and Share


    Vote This Post DownVote This Post Up (No Ratings Yet)
    Loading ... Loading ...


    Related Posts:
  • Canister Filters for Saltwater

  • TFP Fish Room Facts

  • Jun 29 2009

    Marine Angelfishes: an Overview of Natural History and Captive Care

    Filed under: Aquarium Livestock, Reef Aquariums, Saltwater Aquariums

    Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.  Angelfishes (Family Pomacanthidae) represent to many the “classic marine aquarium fish" - vibrantly colored, active, alert and somewhat delicate.  Ranging in size from 4 to 24 inches, an angelfish of one kind or another is responsible for luring a great many people into setting up their first marine aquarium.

    Diversity and Range

    The 74 described angelfishes range throughout the tropical Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, and generally occur in shallow water (less than 60 feet in depth), often in association with coral reefs.  All are somewhat compressed in profile and spectacularly colored.  A great many species exhibit long, trailing extensions from the dorsal and anal fins.

    Adult-Juvenile Differences

    Juvenile and adult angelfishes of the same species often exhibit striking differences in coloration…so much so that the young of several were initially given full species status.  A number of theories have been proposed to explain this phenomenon.  Young angelfishes of some species consume external parasites from the scales of larger fish.  It may be that their unique coloration advertises this role to larger fish, which might otherwise make a meal of them.  Such coloration may also inhibit aggression from the normally territorial adults of their own species

    Angels in the Aquarium

    Although the cherubfish (Centropyge argi) and certain other dwarf angels are fairly hardy, angelfishes are not recommended for inexperienced hobbyists.  Most are intolerant of sub-optimal water conditions, and a number are fairly specific in their food requirements, subsisting largely upon sponges, corals and fish eggs, and therefore difficult to acclimate to captive diets.

    Diet

    Angelfishes with less specialized dietary requirements should be offered a wide variety of live, freeze dried and frozen foods, including brine shrimp, mysis, squid, prawn, algae and mollusks.

    Be aware that large angelfishes may not bother to eat live brine shrimp and other tiny creatures.  In fact, such may be pulled into the fishes’ gills during respiration, causing irritation and stress.

    Environment

    Despite being quite active swimmers, all angelfishes require rocks and coral among which to shelter for the night.  Dwarf species in particular require a great deal of structure in the aquarium, as much of that time is spent in and around such in the wild.  Deprived of secure hiding spots, most will languish and die.

    Reproduction

    Among this family we find species that are hermaphrodites and others that utilize virtually every reproductive strategy known to fishes – monogamy, promiscuity, harems and leks (in which groups of males gather to display before females).  Although captive breeding is not routine, several species of angelfishes have successfully reproduced in private and public aquariums.

    Outwardly very similar, the sexes may sometimes be differentiated by the swollen abdomen of the gravid female.  In those species that exhibit monogamy, mated pairs rise upward together, releasing eggs and sperm as they go.  The tiny eggs float about among the plankton, and, after a time (which varies from species to species but averages1 month in length), the minuscule fry settle to the ocean’s floor.

    I’ll cover individual angelfish species in the future.  Until then, please write in with your questions and comments.  Thanks, Frank Indiviglio.

    Further Reading

    For detailed information on some of the largest and smallest of the angelfishes, please see the following excellent articles, also posted on this blog: Species Profile: Pygmy Angels http://blogs.thatpetplace.com/thatfishblog/2008/05/02/species-profile-pygmy-angels/ and Species Profile: Queen Angel http://blogs.thatpetplace.com/thatfishblog/2007/09/12/species-profile-queen-angel/.

    Bookmark and Share


    Vote This Post DownVote This Post Up (No Ratings Yet)
    Loading ... Loading ...


    Related Posts:
  • The Natural History and Captive Care of Native Seahorses – the Dwarf Seahorse, Hippocampus zosterae

  • The Natural and Unnatural History of the Koi Pond at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens

  • Jun 26 2009

    Rocky is Spared: The Plight of One Family to Save their Beloved Pet

    Filed under: Aquariums and Fish in the News, Fun Stuff, Invasive Species

    There aren't often stories in the news about fish that give you warm fuzzies, but this one came pretty close.  Fish people are passionate about their pets, and though you typically can't cuddle them or play fetch with them, to many of us they are just as loved as the family dog or cat.  Rocky's story is an example of the love one owner feels.  Rocky may not be the fish that many of us picture as a fun pet, being that he is a snakehead, and we know the trouble they cause, but I have to say that this particular fish I feel for.  His responsible keeper deserves a pat on the back for fighting for his pet's life and for being said responsible keeper.  I guess we can't let all fish fall victim to invasive species profiling.

    Here are just a couple of links to articles on Rocky's plight, there are tons more if you search:

    http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf?/base/news-17/1235642273151050.xml&coll=1

    http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/03/17/2009-03-17_suburban_syracuse_family_begs_gov_paters.html

    http://www.9wsyr.com/mostpopular/story/Rocky-the-snakehead-fish-lives-owner-allowed/CteoroYtG0y9zkULTzKaFQ.cspx

    Bookmark and Share


    Vote This Post DownVote This Post Up (No Ratings Yet)
    Loading ... Loading ...


    Related Posts:
  • Artificial Reefs – Reconstructing Coral Reefs Worldwide

  • Copadichromis Cichlids: Breeding Observations

  • Jun 24 2009

    Overgrowing Pond Plants and Invasive Species

    Filed under: Invasive Species, Livestock, Ponds and Water Gardens

    It's starting to get warm. Really warm in the U.S. And, for many of you, you're starting to notice your pond plants are starting to kick it into overdrive.

    Pond Plants, more than most other plants in my opinion (probably because they always have access to water) can really kick into growth once the water temperature goes up. I've been one of the folks who literally starts throwing  away the water hyacinths I paid 4 bucks for a few months earlier because I have no where to go with them. I've seen the dwarf moneywort in my pond run out of room within and establish itself OUTSIDE the pond. Even hardy pond lillies, while beautiful, can go to town in a mud bottomed pond.   

    It is these rapidly growing plants which form some of the most environmentally invasive species available. Imagine, what's happening in your pond allowed to carry on unabated in a large lake? Unless you can properly dispose or trade them, do not introduce them back into the wild. The threat of serious ecological impact is particularly strong from these seemingly unstoppable plants.

    Many local garden clubs or websites will be happy to share and swap out plants with you. You may even be able to pick up a new species or 2 for your water garden. As in all things, consider the impact before you act.....

    For more information on invasive plant species within the US, check out invasivespeciesinfo.gov.

    Bookmark and Share


    Vote This Post DownVote This Post Up (No Ratings Yet)
    Loading ... Loading ...


    Related Posts:
  • Water Gardening in Natural Ponds

  • Preparing Your Pond Plants After Winter

  • Jun 22 2009

    Freshwater Stingrays: Points to Consider Before Your First Purchase

    Filed under: Aquarium Livestock

    Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. Stingrays - mysterious, beautiful and odd - are difficult to resist, and therein lies their main drawback as aquarium fishes. While not particularly delicate, experience with other fishes does not always serve one well where stingrays are concerned. Their husbandry is not well known, and there are a number of special considerations which must be borne in mind.A marine species (the little skate, Leucoraja erinacea) was the first ray to catch my attention. I was about 7 years old, prowling the stalls of NYC's famous Fulton Fish Market in the pre-dawn light. Accompanied by my grandfather, we were seeking new pets - octopus, turtles, eels and such - that rarely appeared in pet stores at the time. The skates, while living, were in bad shape, but I vowed to give them a try someday. Eventually, freshwater rays appeared in Manhattan aquarium shops, and I was off and running.

    Following are some points to consider before purchasing your first freshwater stingray. Having a handle on these matters beforehand will greatly increase your chances of succeeding with these spectacular fishes.

    Medical Precautions
    Stingrays are venomous animals. While no freshwater species are known to have caused human fatalities, we know very little about the nature of the toxins they produce, and individual sensitivities may be a concern.

    Speak with your doctor and arrange for medical care in the event of an emergency before purchasing a stingray.

    Selecting an Individual: Size
    The small stingrays that appear in the pet trade are not adults but rather are babies of a variety of large species. Even those sold as "teacup rays" will reach at least 18 inches in diameter when mature (2-3 years), and will require a tank measuring 4' x 2' x 2' if they are to thrive. Adults of several trade species approach 3 feet in diameter.

    Furnishing the Aquarium
    Stingray skin is easily damaged by ornaments that are safe for other fishes; they do best in a sparsely-furnished aquarium. Even small specimens will quickly uproot plants and dislodge filter tubes, aerators and heaters.

    Use smooth stones as a substrate. Typical aquarium gravel is too rough and may cause skin lesions. Substrates designed for marine aquariums raise the pH to dangerously high levels and sand, while acceptable, poses water quality problems (please write in for further details).

    Stingrays often alight upon aquarium heaters, but seem not to respond to the high temperatures generated. Heaters must always be shielded by a PVC sheath or heavy rocks.

    Personal Observations in the Field
    While on a field research assignment in Venezuela, I was happily situated within the range of 4 species of freshwater stingrays. The animals spread out onto the flooded grasslands during the rainy season, and were rather easy to find.

    The largest individual I observed was dead and floating down the Orinoco River. Spanning nearly 4 feet across, it easily supported the weight of the black vulture that was feeding upon its carcass.

    A Hands-On Experience with Stingrays
    Please be sure to visit That Fish Place/That Pet Place in Lancaster, PA (the world's largest pet store) for a chance to hand feed our friendly marine stingrays.

    More to follow next week. Until then, please write in with your questions and comments. Thanks, Frank Indiviglio.

    Further Reading
    Please check out the book Freshwater Stingrays.

    An interesting article on the conservation of South American stingrays is posted at http://www.cites.org/common/com/ac/20/E20-inf-08.pdf.

    Image referenced from Wikipedia and originally published by Raimond Spekking.

    Bookmark and Share


    Vote This Post DownVote This Post Up (No Ratings Yet)
    Loading ... Loading ...


    Related Posts:
  • Blackwater Tanks and Water Conditioners – Common Aquarium Questions

  • Massive Stingray Migration in the Gulf of Mexico

  • Jun 19 2009

    Fish Geek TV – River Monsters

    Filed under: Fun Stuff

    So there are those of us out there that find ourselves channel surfing on a Sunday night in a desperate attempt to find something worthwhile to watch. I usually turn to the educational /animal/nature side of things, History, Discovery, you know, not just mindless drivel that pollutes the airwaves. A few weeks ago, I came across a fun series on Animal Planet, and as a "fish geek" I became captivated.

    The show is called River Monsters, and if you haven't seen it you may want to check it out. It may not be up the level of Blue Planet or Planet Earth, but it does capture some amazing footage of the host catching and releasing some of the more monsterous (if not in behavior, certainly in size) fish in the world's rivers and lakes. These are the kind of fish that inspire Sci-fi writers!

    Being in the business, I am familiar with most of the species the host, angler Jeremy Wade seeks out, but it is pretty amazing to me to see adult specimens alive and in their native habitat from the comfort of my sofa. Some of these fish are even common imports, and the show is great proof that most home aquariums are not and will never be large enough to accommodate such species comfortably, a whole new meaning to "this fish gets big." If you're looking for some entertainment on Sunday night, check it out, or take a look at the site:
    http://animal.discovery.com/tv/river-monsters/

    And check out "Natures Most Amazing Events" on Discovery if you like the Blue Planet and Planet Earth series.

    Bookmark and Share


    Vote This Post DownVote This Post Up (No Ratings Yet)
    Loading ... Loading ...


    Related Posts:
  • Monsters from the Deep?

  • Conservation Update: Oriental Weatherfish (Dojo Loach, Misgurnus anguillicaudatus) established on the Iberian Peninsula; Food Trade Decimating Reef Fish off Southeast Asia

  • Jun 17 2009

    Dave’s Bucket list and the Great Barrier Reef

    Filed under: Fun Stuff, Reef Aquariums, Scuba Diving and Snorkeling

    School of Yellow and Blueback FusilierDave here. Most of you have heard of making a "bucket list", a list of things that you feel you have to do before you die to make your life complete.  Well, I am far too disorganized to have much of a list, but one thing that I would have had on by bucket list if I were to have made one, I have been lucky enough to do:  Diving on the Great Barrier Reef.

    Maxima ClamI just got back from a long awaited vacation to Australia, part of which I spent in Northern Queensland, where I was able to make a couple of visits to the outer reefs for some amazing diving and snorkeling fun.  Being born in Australia, and still being an Australian citizen, there are questions that I have been asked all my life from friends and acquaintances. Have you ever seen a Kangaroo? Have you ever held a Koala Bear? What the heck is Vegamite?  Yes, I have seen a Kangaroo, and held a Koala, and Vegamite is an Aussie thing that defies description, if you know, you know.  The question that I have been asked a million times over the years that I have always had to answer "NO" to, I can finally answer "YES" to. YES, I have been diving on the Great Barrier Reef.  I have been a certified diver for 16 years, and ever since I even thought about diving, the Barrier Reef has always been one of my target sites.

    Tomato Clown in host anemone The reef was everything that I had hoped it would be, truly amazing.  I have done many interesting dives, mostly wreck diving in the Carolinas, and some diving in Florida and the Caribbean.  It just does not compare. The shear size of the Barrier Reef is overwhelming, you could spend a lifetime exploring, and still only see a small portion of it.   The pictures that are posted in the blog are from my trip out to the Agincourt Reef System, which is a portion of the outer Great Barrier Reef system about 40 miles off shore out of Port Douglas, Queensland

    You could tell that I was the only reef geek on the dive boat.  While most of the divers on my boat were hoping to see a shark, or a turtle, or maybe a migrating whale (don't get me wrong, I would have loved to experienced a dive with a whale), I spent most of my time in shallow water, looking in all the nooks and crannies, taking pictures of "nothing" as I heard someone say.  The diversity was amazing, and some of what I saw was quite surprising to me.  There were huge colonies of brown Sarcophyton and Lobophytum leather corals, growing very near the surface, and large colonies of White Pom Pom Xenia on the outer reef.

    Fromia sp. starfishA couple of the things in particular that I was looking forward to seeing were some wild Clownfish, and Giant Clams, neither of which I have had the opportunity to see here in the Atlantic.  The reef delivered big time.  I saw some massive T. gigas clams that had to have been at least 4' long, as well as T. maxima, T. crocea and T. squamosa.  Some of the clams were in fairly deep water, one of the T. gigas that I saw was in about 50 feet of water. 

    Clownfish litter the reef, wherever their host anemones can gain a foothold.  Common to many of the large coral boulders were clusters of Green Bubble Tip Anemones (E. quadricolor), which hosted mostly Clark's (A. clarkii) clownfish, and also some Cinnamon (A. melanopus) clowns.  There were also quite a few spots where what I believe were Long-tentacle (M. doorensis) Anemones hosting mostly Clark's and a few Maroon (P. biaculateus).  The most spectacular anemones that I saw were a few bright blue and purple colored Magnificent or Ritteri (Heteractis magnifica) Anemones hosting Pink Skunk Clowns (A. perideraion).  There were others that I caught glimpses of, but I was not sure of the species.

    Soft Corals as far as the eye can seeThe large schools of fish that dart about the reef are equally impressive, one of the more brilliant schools that I saw was one of hundreds of Yellow and Blueback Fusilier (Caesio teres), which are quite common to the reef.  Also seen on the reef were large schools of Green Chromis that dart in and out of the reef formations as they sense danger.

    I hope you enjoy the pictures from my visit.  I think that this experience needs to appear on my list a few more times, as once was definitely not enough.

    You may check out lots more underwater pictures I took of the GBR at the That Fish Place Facebook page.

    Until Next time,

    Dave

    Bookmark and Share


    Vote This Post DownVote This Post Up (+1 rating, 1 votes)
    Loading ... Loading ...


    Related Posts:
  • Merry Christmas From That Fish Place!

  • Cool New Items at ThatFishPlace.com

  • Jun 15 2009

    Hands-On Volunteer Opportunities in Native Fresh Water Fish Conservation

    Filed under: Freshwater Aquariums, conservation

    Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.  Involvement in exciting and important conservation work need not be limited to those select few fortunate enough to have turned their hobbies into careers.  Especially in today's economy, many vital research and recovery efforts rely heavily upon the work of volunteers.  Getting out in the field (or pond, river and swamp, as the case may be!) is a wonderful way of expanding your fish-keeping horizons.  Today I'd like to focus on fresh water species; I'll cover marine fishes in the future.

    Conserving Desert-Dwelling and other Rare Fishes

    The North American Native Fish Association http://www.nanfa.org/ sponsors a number of conservation initiatives, all of which utilize volunteers.  Particularly active in the conservation of desert spring fishes and others in similarly precarious habitats, current initiatives include assisting the US F&W Service in removing introduced plants, fishes, crayfish and bullfrogs from critical Moapa spring fish habitat, training university and government researchers in fish sampling techniques and participating in reintroduction efforts. 

    NANFA members also get to indulge their fish-keeping interests, establishing native fish aquariums in schools and nature centers and advising caretakers on husbandry and breeding techniques.

    A Wide Range of Field and Captive Care Opportunities

    The Native Fish Conservancy http://www.nativefish.org/ maintains an extensive collection of articles on native fishes and fish conservation.  If you are unsure of where to start, a review of these would be invaluable in jump-starting the process and providing numerous options. 

    Through their "Adopt-A-Tank" program, NFC members also help schools set up and maintain native fish aquariums and assist students in sampling local fish populations...the best of both worlds!

    Native Fresh Water Fishes in the Aquarium

    Some of our smaller sunfishes have long been popular with aquarists in Europe, but in the USA native fish-keeping is a lost (or barely developed!) art.  I do not quite understand why, as many are interesting, brilliantly colored and little-studied.  Species diversity here is quite high...even over-crowded New York State boasts nearly 150 freshwater fishes, many of which do quite well in captivity (interesting note: more species of fish have been identified in the Amazon River than in the entire Atlantic Ocean!).

    North America is populated by a wide variety of gorgeous sunfishes of all sizes (our massive large-mouth bass is, technically, a sunfish).  With colors rivaling those of any tropical species and providing extensive care to their eggs and young, these are, along with yellow perch (please see photo), long-time aquarium favorites of mine.  Another neglected species, the American eel, lived in my collection for 17 years, and a pair of brown bullheads that I bred in an outdoor pond provided a notebook-full of observations that I treasure to this day (males are unbelievably protective of their tadpole-like fry, herding them about for quite some time).

    I'll cover the care of various native fresh water fishes in future articles.  Until then, please write in with your observations, experiences and questions.  Thanks, Frank Indiviglio.

    Further Reading

    The US Fish & Wildlife Service currently lists nearly 150 species of native freshwater fishes as threatened or endangered.  Information on each, along with links to recovery plans (some of which encourage volunteer participation), is posted at www.fws.gov/endangered/wildlife.html#Species.

    The Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery  http://www.cshfha.org/ houses an extensive collection of fresh water fishes, amphibians and reptiles, and is well-worth a visit by native fish enthusiasts.

    Bookmark and Share


    Vote This Post DownVote This Post Up (No Ratings Yet)
    Loading ... Loading ...


    Related Posts:
  • Conservation Update: Oriental Weatherfish (Dojo Loach, Misgurnus anguillicaudatus) established on the Iberian Peninsula; Food Trade Decimating Reef Fish off Southeast Asia

  • Keeping the Chinese Sailfin Sucker (Shark) in Outdoor Goldfish and Koi Ponds

  • Jun 12 2009

    Dealing with Pond Plant Pests

    Filed under: Livestock, Ponds and Water Gardens

    Patty here.

    It's inevitable. Just when you think your pond is looking its best and all is right with the world, they invade. Aphids, weevils, moths, beetles and others descend onto those beautiful lilies, floaters, and marginals like a summertime scourge.

    So what are some solutions to these nasty little pests? Being that your pond is most likely home to other inhabitants like koi, goldfish, frogs and other desirables, you'll have to consider safe treatments, and the factor will rule out most chemical solutions.

    Aphids are one of the most common invaders, sucking the life out of lilies, water lettuce and other soft-leaved aquatic plants. To avoid or minimize their foothold, prevention is the first step. Remove yellowing or damaged leaves from plants, they serve as beacons for the little suckers to home in on. Resist the urge to blast them off of leaves with a hose, as it usually serves more as high speed transport to other plants than as an eradication method. If only a few are present, you may be able to dunk the leaves or pull out putted plants and spray them away from the pond, at least as a temporary fix.
    For more serious infestations there are some other methods to consider. You can try natural predator introduction. Ladybugs and green lacewings are natural aphid predators and though you may have a couple of these arrive on their own, you can purchase them online or at many garden centers and introduce them to feast on your pests. Orfes, minnows and guppies may also eat those that you can rinse into the pond. There are increasingly available herbal sprays for pond plants that will not harm fish, but be sure to read labels carefully. These sprays are usually formulated with herbal extracts, so they're natural and mild, but sometimes too mild to really handle the situation. If you have the means you may even be able to formulate a similar spray by making a strong tea of rosemary, garlic, thyme, chrysanthemum or mint. Some suggest adding a cup of vegetable oil or a dash of dish soap to the mixture as well, but especially in the case of the soap, be sure to spray and rinse the plants well outside of the pond.

    Other common pests include mosquitos, Leaf miners, and aquatic moth larvae. Prevention of infestation of these pests consists mainly of good maintenance of the pond and surrounding area, good water movement and the absence of dead leaves and debris in and around the pond. The natural predators mentioned above as well as others like predator wasps and dragonflies that are drawn to flowering plants and water may help, as may the small insect-eating fish mentioned above. Mosquito dunks are effective for the control of many waterborne insects, but they will also affect beneficial water insect larvae, so if you like those dragonflies, they may not be the best option. They are safe for use with fish.
    Even though these pests can create a real headache for those of us with a love for aquatic plants, the overall aesthetic and health of a well- planted pond is worth the hassle. If you have any questions about a pest plaguing your water feature or you have a remedy that has worked for you to share, please let us know!

    Image referenced from MorgueFile here.

    Bookmark and Share


    Vote This Post DownVote This Post Up (No Ratings Yet)
    Loading ... Loading ...


    Related Posts:
  • Preparing Your Pond Plants After Winter

  • Overgrowing Pond Plants and Invasive Species