That Fish Blog – Aquarium Advice and Information

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.  Many fishes that we tend to think of as “tropical” actually inhabit quite cool waters in the wild, and adapt readily to both heated and unheated aquariums.  The popular Gold Barb (Puntius semifasciolatus), also known as the green or China Barb, for example, is equally at home at 62 or 75 F. Read More »

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.  California’s Steinhart Aquarium (a “must see, by the way”) has become the first American aquarium to breed the dwarf cuttlefish (Sepia bandensis), and the first anywhere to do so on a large scale.  Marine hobbyists have reason to celebrate, as this smallest of the world’s cuttlefishes, the only one that can reasonably be expected to do well in home aquariums, has until now been in short supply (large cuttlefish species require a great deal of room, and are not practical inhabitants for most home or even public aquariums).  Lessons learned at Steinhart may someday help to establish breeding populations of this most fascinating Cephalopod among private aquarists. Read More »

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.  In Part I of this article we discussed general lobster care and took a look at the Dwarf Red or Hawaiian Reef Lobster, Enoplometopus occidentalis.  Today I’ll introduce the Purple or Blue Spiny Lobster, Panulirus versicolor, and the Hawaiian Brown Slipper Lobster, Parribacus antarcticus. Read More »

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.  I thoroughly enjoy keeping lobsters, and have even been lucky enough to work with the Atlantic or Maine lobster (Homarus americanus), known better to diners than aquarists.  Unlike this huge cold-water beast, a number of small, colorful tropical lobsters are ideally suited to home aquariums.  Today I’d like to take a look their general husbandry as well as the care of a popular species, the dwarf red lobster (Enoplometopus occidentalis).

Diet and Feeding Techniques

All lobsters are, to some extent, scavengers, but should not be expected to subsist on leftovers alone.  In aquariums with fishes, lobsters rarely get enough food unless they are individually fed, or, if only diurnal fishes are kept, fed after dark.  Feeding prongs or tubes greatly simplify lobster feeding, and most readily adapt to these implements. Read More »

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. The biggest stumbling block in keeping the fascinating seahorses, pipefishes and seadragons (Family Syngnathidae) is providing them with a balanced diet – all are confirmed live-food specialists, and need a variety of prey items if they are to thrive.  However, once past that hurdle we are sometimes faced with a dilemma unique to these fishes – a buildup of gas in the male’s pouch.

Pouch Malady

Seahorse and their relatives are well known for their unusual reproductive strategy.  Females deposit eggs in the male’s special brood-pouch, where they develop and hatch.  Male seahorses have even been shown to adjust the salinity of the water in the pouch to meet the special needs of the incubating eggs.

For reasons not fully understood, gas sometimes accumulates in the pouches of male seahorses and related fishes.  Animals so afflicted float head down at the surface and soon expire. Read More »