Archive for March, 2009
A Community Aquarium for Fishes, Shrimp and Frogs – West African Oddities – Part 2
Mar 18th
Frank Indivlgio here.
Check out: A Community Aquarium for Fishes, Shrimp and Frogs – West African Oddities – Part 1, to read the first part of this article.
Water Quality
Great care must be taken with water quality…in fact, the elephant noses’ sensitivity is such that they have been used to monitor water quality in industrial situations. They should only be introduced to well-cycled aquariums, and the test kit mentioned earlier should be employed regularly to test ammonia levels and other water quality parameters. That being said, when cared for properly the elephant nose will reward you with many years of enjoyment…I know of no one that regrets adding them to their collection.
African or Fresh-Water Butterfly Fish, Pantodon buchholzi
Inhabiting the same waters as the elephant nose and well suited to the same aquarium is the African butterfly fish. Living on the surface and active by day, the butterfly fish is the elephant nose’s polar opposite. The two rarely interact and nicely illustrate diverse and very unusual survival strategies.
An Unusual Appearance and Lifestyle
Wing-like pectoral fins lend this oddball its common name, and long rays trailing down from the pelvic fin add to its unusual appearance. When viewed from above it does indeed bring a butterfly to mind, but it is more likely a dead, floating leaf that the fish is imitating.
This well-camouflaged predator spends its life floating quietly on the surface, where its appearance and upturned mouth suit it admirably as a specialized hunter of terrestrial insects that fall into the water. In West African rivers teeming with competitors, the butterfly fish, much like the elephant nose, has evolved a unique way of exploiting a food source not available to most other fishes.
Feeding African Butterfly Fishes
African butterfly fishes feed only at the surface and will not dive for food. While most individuals will accept flake and freeze dried diets, they really come to life when offered live insects. Their reactions at such times will leave you with no doubt as to their dietary preferences.
Being highly evolved to feed upon a unique food source (land-dwelling insects), butterfly fishes do best when provided with the same in captivity. They will take a variety of foods, but I have found them to fare best on diets comprised largely of small live crickets, newly molted (white) mealworms, mealworm beetles, wax worms and wild caught moths, spiders and other invertebrates (the Zoo Med Bug Napper is a very useful insect trap).
Canned insects provide a convenient of increasing dietary variety. Zoo Med’s Anole Food contains small freeze dried flies – another great way to provide a natural food item to this most interesting denizen of tropical West African waters.
As you might gather from the foregoing, butterfly fishes rarely thrive in typical community aquariums. However, when fed properly and established in an appropriate environment, they are very hardy – living well in groups and not at all shy about revealing their unique hunting skills. The powerful pectoral fins enable this fish to skitter across the surface when threatened and to jump well, so be sure that your aquarium is securely covered.
Further Reading
Please see my article The Use of Electrical Impulses in Elephant-Nosed Fishes for further information on a newly discovered mode of elephant nosed fish communication.
You can read about the natural history of the African butterfly fish at http://www.fishbase.com/Summary/speciesSummary.php?ID=2075&genusname=Pantodon&speciesname=buchholzi
Next time we’ll take a look at some interesting invertebrate and amphibian members of the “West African Oddities Community Aquarium”. Until then, please write in with your questions and comments. Thanks, until next time, Frank Indiviglio.
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Loading ...A Community Aquarium for Fishes, Shrimp and Frogs – West African Oddities – Part 1
Mar 16th
Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.
The subjects of this article are often sold in pet stores as “curiosities” to be added to aquariums housing typical tropical fishes. Unfortunately, due to their unique dietary requirements and feeding methods, none do well in such situations. As most hobbyists are unaware of their fascinating behaviors, tanks are rarely set up solely for these creatures, and most perish in short order.
I recently set up a tropical West Africa themed exhibit for a public aquarium, based on similar tanks I have maintained at home and at the Bronx Zoo. It was a big hit and generated many inquiries from visitors who wished to have a similar aquarium in their homes.
The aquarium I’ll describe here is similar to that exhibit. It houses animals from the same region of Africa, and includes two of the pet trade’s most interesting and overlooked fishes, a social shrimp and an active, aquatic frog. All follow different lifestyles and utilize unusual feeding methods, yet they co-exist very well.
General Considerations
The animals described below hail from West Africa, and all prefer heavily planted aquariums maintained at 78-80 F. They are quite sensitive to water quality, so be sure to choose a filter that is of an appropriate size for your aquarium, but avoid strong currents (from the filter’s outflow) within the tank. A comprehensive water test kit should be used regularly to assure that pH is held between 6.8 and 7, and that the water is moderately soft (water softness is not a major concern, but is best monitored).
Due to the feeding habits of the elephant nose (see below) and the desirability of establishing a lush growth of plants, I suggest that you use Porous Clay Gravel as a substrate.
Peter’s Elephant Nose or Elephant-Nosed Fish, Gnathonemus petersi
This first recommended member of the aquarium is truly interesting in appearance and behavior. It uses the greatly extended lower jaw from which its common name is drawn to root in the substrate for aquatic worms and insects, its main food source. Organs near the tail discharge electrical impulses that allow the elephant nose to navigate, hunt and, according to recent research, to communicate (please see the article referenced below).
Feeding and Observing the Elephant Nose
The elephant nose is a confirmed live food specialist, and rarely feeds before nightfall…hence it is always out-competed for food when kept with swordtails, platys and other typical community fishes. A heavy growth of live plants will encourage it to move about by day; Moonlight Bulbs are great for use in observing nocturnal behavior.
Although only small specimens are usually seen in the trade (adults do not ship well at all), the elephant nose can reach 10 inches in length – a group of adults foraging in a large aquarium is a very impressive sight. Live blackworms can form the foundation of their diet, but you should endeavor to include live bloodworms, glassworms and other such invertebrates regularly.
Click: A Community Aquarium for Fishes, Shrimp and Frogs – West African Oddities – Part 2, to read the rest of this article.
Frank Indiviglio.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Venomous Fish vs. Poisonous Fish
Mar 13th
Eileen here. A lot of people who come into our store see fish like our lionfish and scorpionfish and ask if they are poisonous. The answer? Technically, no. They’re venomous.
People also see warnings on some cucumbers, Sea Apples and Boxfish that they are poisonous and wonder if they might get a painful bite or sting. The answer? Probably not. They’re poisonous.
So, what’s the difference that makes the lionfish venomous but the boxfish poisonous? The key is all in how the toxin is delivered. The term “toxin” simply means a harmful substance produced naturally by an organisms and is used for both venomous and poisonous animals. Venomous animals inject their toxin into their target using spines (lionfish, stonefish, rabbitfish), teeth (sea snakes, Blue Ring Octopus), or specialized stinging cells known as nematocysts (jellyfish, anemones, some corals). Some of these animals use their venom to hunt; jellyfish and anemones paralize whatever prey is unfortunate enough to end up in their tentacles before they draw the prey to their mouth. Others like the lionfish and rabbitfish only rely on their venomous spines as defense against being preyed upon themselves. This venom can range from very mild as in the case of anemones to fatal. The Blue Ring Octopus is one of the most toxic animals on the planet and has no known antivenom. People who are sensitive to bee stings are much more likely to have a severe reaction to common venomous animals in the aquarium trade like lionfish and anemones.
Poisonous animals like boxfish, puffers or sea cucumbers, on the other hand, rely on their target absorbing the toxin. This can happen across any membrane – through the skin or gills, in the stomach or digestive tract, even in the lungs. Poison is used almost exclusively as a defense mechanism. Puffers and boxfish have special toxin in their bodies – usually the liver, ovaries and skin – that they can release when they are stressed to hopefully deter any possible predators. Unfortunately, in a closed system like an aquarium, this toxin can eliminate an entire tank – including the puffer or boxfish itself. Some groupers like the Clown Grouper also have a similar toxin in their slime coat. Cucumbers, especially the large Sea Apples, can also poison a tank if they are stressed, picked on or dying. These animals can be deadly in an aquarium but aren’t much of a threat to aquarists; if in doubt, use gloves when handling any of these animals, especially with any open wounds or cuts.
Whether venomous or poisonous, harmful or peaceful, the keywhen dealing with any animals is knowing what they are capable of and how to handle them properly. Being able recognise when an animal is stressed or how it defends itself is important in knowing how to keep that animal, its tankmates and yourself safe and happy.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Cool New Items at ThatFishPlace.com
Mar 11th
Dave here. Recently we’ve been getting some new items in at TFP worth taking a look at, so I thought I’d take Wednesday’s post and give an overview of a few of them.
1 . Frag Racks from EShopps
As our recent frag swap can attest (take a look here), lots of folks are fragging these days. These new racks are really inexpensive, and ridiculously handy at keeping the little guys going, even within your main tank. They attach with magnets too rather than crappy suction cups. The clear-ness is great too because it doesn’t obsruct the view of your tank all that much. They’re available in corner and straight versions too. Check them out online, or stop by the retail store. Our main frag tank has one installed.
2. Fluval E-Series Aquarium Heaters
Haven’t actually had a chance to try one of these out yet, but the reviews have been nothing but favorable. Anyone who’s ever had a heater breakdown and ruin your tank, or accidently broke the sleeve on your tank wall, will be impressed by the Fluval Es. Each one uses an LCD display to report the temperature, and actually uses a color coded system to alert you when the temperature fluctuates plus or minus 2 degrees. A fish guard keeps the sleeve away from tank walls and your fish. Temperature sets to the nearest .5 of a degree to for more specialized jobs. Basically, they’re the Rolls-Royce’s of aquarium heaters at this point. Take a look at the Fluval E Series heaters here.
3. Instant Ocean Salt in the 200 gal - Pro Sized Box
Ok, I’ll admit, sometimes having the empty salt bucket around for water changes and stuff is pretty handy, but Instant Ocean’s new ProSized Salt-in-a-box helps save waste/make things more green/Save the Planet…all that stuff. Cardboard is way more biodegadeable and friendly than the oil-rich plastics processing that takes place with the good ol’ 160 gal bucket, so as a reef enthusiast, it seems like the way to go. Each box has 4, 50-gal bags so you can actually dump it into your old salt bucket. Take a look at Instant Ocean Salt-in-a-box here.
Anyway, these are just of the few of the cool things coming into ThatFishPlace.com. For a l ist of all of our new Aquarium Items, click here.
Until next time,
Dave
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Summer Adventures and a Portuguese Man O’ War
Mar 9th
Melissa here. Well, summer is just ahead and I was thinking about what I had done past summers for amusement. One particular mini-vacation popped into my mind. I found myself in Emerald Island, North Carolina after a summer class had ended. When my parents and I arrived at the beach I walked up and down the beach for hours identifying things I remembered seeing in my class. I found one particularly unusual jellyfish. Looking at the jellyfish laying on the sand the bright blue with purple caught my eye. Definitely didn’t remember seeing any of those. I thought it was cool so I scooped it up in the bucket I had been carrying. I wanted to take it back to my car to identify what kind of jellyfish I had found. Before identifying it i wanted to clean off some of the sand. I assumed that it had been on the beach for a while and was probably dead. I was trying to be careful since I knew most jellyfish could still sting many hours after they washed up on the beach. As I was attempting to wash the sand off a few of the tentacles must have sneaked out of the bucket and brushed up against my foot and across my hand. I didn’t feel anything right away. When I started walking back to the car I felt something burning across my foot and hand. Sure enough, when I looked down there were bright red streak marks becoming visible. Once I got back to the car my hand and foot felt like they were on fire. I got my field guide and was shocked to see that I had found a Portuguese Man O’ War. In big bold letters under the name it said, “DO NOT TOUCH, DO NOT COLLECT”. Immediately I thought, “O crap, what have I gotten myself into?” I knew I had to tell my parents in case it got worse and they have to find me a hospital. I grabbed a bottle if ice from the cooler in the car and headed back to find mom to let her know I had a slight little problem. When I told her what had happened and showed her the red streaks, lets just say she was less than thrilled. She told me that we were keeping the “creature” in case I had to go to the hospital. I guess she wanted the blob as proof of what stung me since she had no idea what it was. After 4 hours or so it still stung and burned. By this point there was also some minor swelling. The only thing that helped a little was keeping my foot and hand iced. Around noon the next day the red streaks were still visible but it didn’t hurt anymore. I guess I was lucky that is all the reaction I got since I am allergic to bee stings.
If anyone else has any interesting beach encounters I would love to hear about them!
Image referenced from Wikipedia commons.
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