That Fish Blog – Aquarium Advice and Information

Hey Fish Bloggers!

Desiree here.

It’s the dead of winter….so invariably my thoughts go to planning my summer vacation.  Some fortunate colleagues of mine have already taken winter retreats to Florida or elsewhere.  But as I pour over maps and travel catalogs, and look at pictures from those friends in Florida, I have realized that you can’t take a fish nerd on vacation. 

It doesn’t matter where you go, the power of “fish nerd-dom” is impossible to overcome in any environment.  I think those of you who fall into this category know what I mean and are laughing hysterically right now.

If you are somehow not in this particular category of nerd – Imagine the last time you went somewhere, anywhere with a real “fish geek”.  In any city we nerds visit there’s ONE question… “Where’s the aquarium?”  We’ll go, not shut up once about anything we see, critique it according to where we’ve worked or visited in prior trips, and then move on to the next one.  Think camping is safe?  NOPE.  Wherever we are, we’re looking for a stream or pond where there are fun rocks to turn over or aquatic plants to identify and more likely than not – all sorts of mundane things (like riffles) to photograph.  OOOH LOOK – A cichlid in a ditch!!! 

And don’t even think of taking a beach trip!  Hobbyists are bad enough, but your trip is hopeless with a “Marine Biologist.”  We’ll instantly revert to stories of field studies, trawling trips, dive sites, and the obligatory drunken college boat trip.  We’ll wax philosophic for what seems like hours on the ramifications of eco-tourism, native fish collection, global warming and garbage vortices, much to the annoyance of those who aren’t quite so passionate about the subjects.

Non fish nerds can’t relate to any of this seemingly insane behavior and are instantly bored out of their minds and think “Here we go again!”  Well, like I’ve told my own non-nerd husband – you’ll have to grin and bear it.  Fish nerds are a passionate bunch and there’s just no way to take a “normal” vacation with any of us.  It’s best just to sit back and enjoy the ride, besides you might just learn something.

 I think New England looks good this year – so many rocky shorelines and tidal pools to fall into!!  Maybe I’ll turn over Plymouth Rock to see what’s under it.  It’ll be great!!

Until Next Time,

Desiree

Melisa here. Well, it is that time of the year again. It’s a bit chilly these days. What better to do than snuggle with the one you love or find someone to love…right?

The Anglers and frogfish that are commonly kept in our aquariums have much less complicated rituals.  Just before mating (usually 8-12 hours before), the females of many common types will begin to fill with eggs, typically 40,000 to 180,000!  Their abdomens become distended, making them quite buoyant.  When the male comes along he nudges the female’s abdomen, stimulating her to move to the surface where spawning occurs.  The eggs are usually released as an egg raft or veil that drifts along for a few days before dropping to the sea floor after the embryos hatch.  Post-planktonic frogfish (1-2 months old) take on the appearance of a perfect tiny Frogfish, but often display bright defensive colors!

Some species actually tend to the eggs, protecting the clutch until they hatch. Lophiocharon trisignatus males attach the egg clusters to their bodies until they hatch.  Some species hold the eggs not only to protect them, but also to lure prey closer with the eggs as a prospective meal for the clueless prey!

Deep sea anglerfish of the superfamily Ceratioidea probably have the most interesting way to find the” love of their life,” to say the least.

When scientists first started studying ceratioid anglerfish they were confused why all they appeared to capture were female anglerfish. It was also noted that most of these anglerfish that were studied had some type of parasite attached to them. It was later revealed that the “parasite” was actually what remained of the male anglerfish. With some further investigation scientists were able to tap into the secret lives of these anglerfish.

At birth the males are programmed to detect scents in the water. They immediately begin their search for a female in the deep dark depths of the ocean. As they mature, the males digestive system shuts down, making the males incapable of feeding themselves. If he does not find a female he will die. Assuming he finds a female he takes a big comp and attaches himself for life. The male anglerfish releases an enzyme that fuses his body with hers. From the moment they are one the male becomes an autotroph living off the female. As time goes by the male begins to degenerate, leaving only lump with is gonads enclosed to release sperm when the female releases her eggs. This extreme mating ritual assures that when the female is ready to release eggs they will be fertilized. 

If you know of any other bazaar mating rituals in the fishy world I would love to hear about them.

Until next time,

Patty

Back for another installment of FAQs submitted to Marinebio@thatpetplace.com!  Here are two questions we hear pretty often.  We’re here to help, so keep the questions coming.

Ryan wrote us with a common question about anemone behavior:

I have a pink-tip anemone in a seventy five gallon tank. I have had it for a couple months now and it seems to be doing good, but it never stays in one spot. It is always moving around on the glass, around the rock work, everywhere.  Is this normal? Is there anything I should do or just leave it alone?

Marine Bio responded:

That sounds like a fairly typical behaviour for that type anemone. They move constantly it search of favorable conditions as far as lighting, water flow, and feeding opportunity, as they depend a lot on food items passing by in the current that they can grab onto. It may eventually find an area that it favors and it may stay there for awhile, but probably not for extended periods.  Host anemones are often more prone to finding a position they like. In a spot with good conditions, they can anchor onto a solid surface for longer amounts of time, expanding to feed and take in the light, though they do move periodically as well.  Just make sure that any intakes to pumps or filters are covered with a sponge so that if he crawls on them he won’t get sucked into the equipment! Other than that you shouldn’t have to do anything except feed and maintain the aquarium as normal. They move to a happy place, maybe every day, maybe once a month.

 Beth wrote to MarineBio with a question about feeding:

I have a 75-gallon saltwater aquarium housing a lawnmower blenny, false-eye sharp-nosed puffer, long-nose hawkfish, spot-tailed wrasse, and 2 blue damsels. I feed my fish the frozen food and pellets recommended by the professionals at That Pet Place. I have been reading about the freeze-dried foods–shrimp, plankton, etc. I was wondering if freeze-dried food would be acceptable as an additional supplement to what I already feed them so that they are getting a healthy variety of foods to include all vitamins and minerals they need. If freeze-dried foods are appropriate, what would you suggest I get for my fish?

Marine Bio response:

Freeze-dried plankton and/or Mysis would work well for you. It is hard to give you fish too much variety. It is important to vary their diet as best as you can so that their dietary requirements are met and they don’t develop nutritional deficiencies, and that goes for any type of fish tank.  I typically recommend a good basic flake or pellet like Spectrum or Ocean Nutrition supplemented with a frozen mix and freeze dried treats appropriate for the fish you’re keeping. In your case, the fish you have will be most interested in a meatier diet, though some of them will happily take vegetable matter too, like sea veggies or bits of algae in the frozen formulas, especially if you lack natural algae growth. You can customize your feeding regimen according to their needs, but be sure not to overfeed the tank. Smaller amounts of a variety of foods can be fed at different times, or at your scheduled feeding time, but make sure the fish are consuming the foods and they are not falling to the floor of the tank or collecting elsewhere where they can cause water quality issues.  It sounds like you’re doing just fine!

One of our most frequently asked questions is answered below.  There tends to be a spike (pun intended) in cloudy aquarium questions after the holiday season has passed and all of the new gift aquariums get set up.  This might help if you’re a newbie!

Tom wrote:

I have a 90 gallon fresh water tank with a Fluval 405 canister filter. The tank is about 4-weeks old. I have been using Cycle to speed things along, but my water for the most part of 4-weeks has a white cloudiness to it. When I do water changes, the water clears up and then a day or 2 later it’s cloudy again. I have well water with a built in water softener and sediment filter.  My main question is, do you recommend the use of resins in conjunction with carbon to battle this problem?

From Marinebio@thatpetplace:

If the cloudiness is caused from particulates in the water, then yes a resin will help. If the cloud is from a bacterial bloom, which is highly likely, then resins will not solve your problem. Have you tested your water? Any ammonia or nitrite present? If either of those are showing levels above 0ppm, small weekly water changes of around 5% will help keep the toxic levels of ammonia and nitrite diluted, while still allowing you to cycle the tank. The trick is to keep the levels low enough to not lose fish, yet high enough to not to disrupt your nitrogen cycle and the beneficial bacteria that are trying to colonize. Large water changes can lengthen the amount of time it takes to finish your cycle, thus lengthening the time your tank stays cloudy. So if you can test the ammonia and nitrite levels, we can see where you are in your cycle.

For additional info on beginner aquarium basics and the nitrogen cycle view the following articles:

http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/displayArticle.web?Filename=../Article_archive/Fish/Aquarium_Setup-Beginners_Guide.html

http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/displayArticle.web?Filename=../Article_archive/Fish/The_Simplified_Nitrogen_Cycle.htm

Brandon here. One of my favorite types of fish is one that is often overlooked because it lacks the cute appearance that so many other saltwater fish brandish.  In fact, many people believe them to be one of the ugliest saltwater fish we import here at That Fish Place.  The orange toadfish and freshwater lionfish are just two of many different species that belong to an order of very odd looking fish.

All toadfish belong to the order Batrachoidiformes.  This order is home to around 80 different species of toadfish, most of which are saltwater and brackish species.  Toadfish are characterized by their scaleless bodies, extremely large mouths, powerful jaws, and drab color (with the exception of a few reef species).  They get their name from the croaking sound they produce from their swim bladder to communicate with one another and attract mates.  Caution should be taken when handling toadfish.  Many species have spines that can inflict painful wounds, and in certain species the spines are connected to venom glands.  Most species have very powerful jaws that, in a large individual, are even capable of breaking fingers!

In the aquarium, most toadfish are extremely hardy, although they are shy and tend to hide.  You can usually spot their faces poking out from under the rock work in your tank.  They can persist for extended periods of time without eating, but will gorge themselves when food is available.  Toadfish do well on a varied diet of frozen meats including shrimp, krill, squid, and fish.  Their food should be enriched with a vitamin supplement such as Vitachem to ensure that they are receiving proper nutrition.  Tank mates should be chosen carefully as toadfish will not hesitate to eat anything small enough to fit into their mouth, including each other.

Several classmates and I have been successful at breeding the Oyster Toadfish (Opsanus tau) in captivity.  In fact, they have been extremely easy to breed.  We placed seven individuals into a very large tank, fed them well, and the fish did the rest of the work.  A pair of toadfish would lay several dozen eggs on the roof and sides of a rock cave.  One of the parents would remain and stand guard.  The eggs were yellowish in color and about the size of a pea.  After about a week the eggs would hatch and the fry would stay bonded to the rock.  After a few more days the fry became free swimming and would go off in search of food.  They will not take frozen food, so live brine and ghost shrimp would be a better offering.

 While breeding the oyster toadfishes’ tropical cousins may not be as easy, they are still an interesting fish to keep in the home aquarium.  If you’re looking for a predator that is a little out of the ordinary, why not try a toadfish?