That Fish Blog – Aquarium Advice and Information

Happy Halloween fish blog readers! I thought I might stay in the theme of things and introduce some of the more frightening and bizarre fish you might find in the tanks here at That Fish Place. I’ve always been drawn to fish that a lot of people find to be ugly or plain, I just don’t think they get the credit they deserve. I think that a fish or invert with bizarre characteristics is way more fascinating than the more popular pretty stuff.

One of my favorite types of fish is angler fish, or Frogfish. Though there are examples of brilliantly colored frog fish, most of the ones that we see have muted colors, brown, grey, pale yellow, nothing too exciting. Frogfish are masters of disguise, mimicking their surroundings to blend seamlessly with rocks, sponges, floating seaweed, and other articles in the reef. They can even change color over time to blend if necessary. This ability to blend is essential as they are ambush predators. They lay in wait for prey to pass close enough for them to snatch with lighting speed. Anglers have some unique anatomy that allows them to be effective predators. They have a lure on their head that can extend and jiggle, attracting smaller fish and inverts to within striking distance. Their gill openings are found behind their modified pectoral fins so the movement is hidden from the view of prey. And another amazing feature is their capability to swallow prey their size, accommodated by a huge mouth and highly expandable abdomen. They’re a ton of fun to watch, and they’re adorable in their own lumpy, grumpy way.

Sea Goblins are aptly named; these guys would fit in just right in Jim Henson’s monster shop. They and their scorpionfish and stonefish cousins are intimidating in appearance, but by nature are not aggressive with the exception of their predatory nature. They are content to blend like the anglers, waiting for unsuspecting prey to pass by. Some of these fish are brightly colored, too, but many are cloaked in colors to blend with rock and the sea floor, many even have fins, spikes, and frilly skin and appendages that help them to blend and make them even more ferocious looking. Many, with faces only a mother could love, are not respected for their unique looks, but for their needle-like venomous spines, reliable means of defense.

Trumpet fish are weird and amazing predators. They seem so docile and shy, their long, slender bodies hovering on and above the rock reef. Unassuming prey should not underestimate the stealth and speed of these hunters. With incredible speed they swoop in and suck down their prey like a vacuum with their long, specialized snout and mouth.

I really have to give some freshwater fish props too. With the exception of piranhas, I don’t think people find freshwater fish to be as intimidating and scary as many marine fish. There are, however, lots of freshwater fish that are pretty unusual and frightening to look at, even if they don’t have demeanor to back it up. Take for example, the vampire tetra. Even when they come to us at only a couple of inches in length, their fierce fangs can give you a shudder. Same goes for Goliath Tiger fish and Alligator Gar, especially if you’ve seen any articles on the adults.

In a previous article, Frank Indiviglio posted a profile of blind cavefish. Fish with no eyes? Pretty creepy!
Glass catfish and Indian Glass fish are two fish that share a unique trait. Both of these fish are crystal clear! Neither of them is remotely scary, but it’s rather a strange characteristic. You can feed them different colored flake foods, and actually see the foods in their guts. Fun.

No wonder the Sci-fi channel never runs out of ideas for Saturday premiere original movies! With crazy creatures you can find at the local pet store leering at you from the dark corners of aquariums, it doesn’t take too much imagination! Come on in and check out the selection, and have a terrific Halloween!

Hey everyone! Gearing up for Halloween, I’ve been looking at some of the freakier fish that I’ve been introduced to over the years. We get a lot of weird things in here, some are lumpy, some are crusty, some have large fangs, and some have no eyes. But some things we don’t often get to scrutinize are obscure deep water marine species, for obvious reasons. I’ve watched a lot of documentaries and read lots articles on deep sea species, newly discovered and others, and I always find them fascinating and frightening at the same time. With the increasing ability of scientists to explore the depths of the world’s oceans, it seems like we’re introduced to a new and amazing creature or creatures at every turn. One segment of the Blue Planet series on Discovery Channel was entirely dedicated to creatures nearly no one had ever seen before, all from ridiculous depths and conditions. From the crazy little pea-sized predators to huge lurking sharks and cephalopods, it truly is the most alien environment on the planet.
I came across this article of some rather ghostly fish recently in the news, the deepest living species filmed yet, and I thought I could share it with you all. These pasty white snailfish fish remind me of big tadpoles or brotulinas. Apparently they’re social creatures that swarmed to the bait dropped 5 miles down to the bottom of this Pacific trench. They’re simple yet you have to be amazed at the conditions where they exist with unimaginable pressure, temperatures and darkness. Anyway, the article is pretty interesting, so please take a minute to read it if you haven’t seen it anywhere already.

To read the article, click here, or check out the video below.

Thanks and enjoy!

Patty

Brandon here. Some of my favorite saltwater organisms are the pistol shrimp. There are several hundred species of these shrimp found throughout the world. They are not only found in tropical reefs but closer to home. I have heard these little guys snapping away in muddy areas right offshore in Virginia. Despite the characteristic that gives these creatures their name, snapping shrimp are usually peaceful little critters and interesting additions to a reef tank.

Pistol shrimps belong to the family Alpheidae. They are characterized by their one large claw responsible for the snapping sound they produce. These shrimp are usually known for their mutualistic relationship with certain gobies. The shrimp will dig and tend to a burrow in a sandy or muddy substrate while the goby stands guard at the entrance, watching for prey and predators. The shrimp will even close the entrance to the burrow at night to keep predators out. There are also colonial species of shrimp that live in sponges, somewhat like ants in an anthill.

What makes pistol shrimp fascinating is their enlarged claw. The closing of the claw in itself does not produce the snapping sound. Rather there is a groove in the claw which channels water out as it closes. The water is forced out at around 60 miles per hour. This speed produces an area of low pressure and forms a bubble. When the bubble collapses, intense sound, heat, and even light are produced. This is where the snapping sound that we hear comes from. Temperatures of about 5000 degrees Kelvin, or about 8500 degrees Fahrenheit, can be reached. This blast of pressure is enough to kill small fish and invertebrates. The snapping shrimp is considered one of the loudest creatures in the ocean, and large colonies of them are loud enough to white out the sonar of submarines.

To give you a better idea of what this all looks like (or just to see a shrimp get blasted) watch this video:

Until next time,
Brandon

They came from foreign waters. With stealth, appetite, and agility on their side, they’ve become one of the most successful invasive species in recent history, and realistically, the invasion has only just begun. Their deadly and dizzying beauty is of little consolation to those following the invasion of the Volitan Lionfish.
About a year ago, Dave posted a blog on lionfish as invasive species and the responsibility of aquarists to not release non-native species into waterways. Brandon has followed up with similar articles on some other invasive non-native species, too. Just this week I came across 2 more recent articles about the lionfish invasion, this time about populations established in the Caribbean and off the coast for Florida. I wanted to bring you the articles and an update, as the problem is only getting worse as we could have predicted.

Both articles pinpoint the beginning of the problem as six specimens that escaped into open waterways from a Miami waterfront aquarium that was smashed during hurricane Andrew in 1992, though it is highly likely that there were other contributions, too. It is becoming a serious concern as the predators multiply, their numbers in the thousands, and devastate native populations. The articles liken the invasion to a plague of locusts. NOAA studies show that the populations in some areas have increased tremendously, from 22 per hectare in 2004 to 200 per hectare in 2008. The predators are having a huge effect on commercial fish populations and populations of herbivores that keep algae and other marine vegetation at bay, especially on reefs.

As the drama unfolds, it really is compelling to read about, and it will be interesting and scary to see what will happen in the next couple of years if there are no solutions found to keep the populations in check. Scientists are scurrying to find natural predators of lionfish to aid in control, and they’re encouraging fishermen and restaurants to utilize them as entrees. It’s open season on these fish in many places, but with such huge numbers and range, the outlook is bleak for control…disturbing on so many levels.

http://blogs.thatpetplace.com/thatfishblog/2007/11/07/invasive-species-volitan-lionfish/
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/news/article4538370.ece
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/news/article4538370.ece

Until next time, Patty

Jose here. Madagascar is the world’s fourth largest island, about the size of Texas or France, and has been isolated from the African mainland for over 160 million years. Madagascar is home to more than 250,000 species of which 70 percent are found nowhere else on the globe.

The first time I came across anything from that country was when I first saw a day gecko and thought wow the colors were amazing. And it wasnt until I came across my first Bleekeri at a cichlid show that my eyes were opened to the livestock of that great country. The fish was pushing maybe 11 inches in a 29 gallon and trying to attack anyone that stepped up to the tank. I needed one!!! I eventually got my hands on one, yay fun times. Spartacus ( yes i named him, later found out it was a her.. oops) in 1 year grew to 8 inches and was a pure terror to me, attacking my hand every time it was in the aquarium.

Now I wanted to breed these fish and as luck would have it she had passed away while I was on vacation. So back to Africans I went. Wasn’t maybe a year later that we got in some Paratilapia
Polleni: the small spot. I purchased 3, 2.5 inch fish for my 40 breeder – 1 dominant male, 1 female and a
younger male. The water conditions were ph 7.6, general hardness of 12 degrees and a carbonate hardness of 8 degrees, with a temperature of 78 degrees. They acclimated very well eating that same night. Their diet consisted of nightcrawlers, marine flakes, krill and marine pellets. The less dominant male was found dead 3 days later and the young pair had started hanging out in an ornamental tree trunk. After about a month and a half the male started becoming very aggressive: not so much with the female but with me. After some time of watching him attack my hands, the female caught on and joined in on the fun: sometimes attacking him, who was double her size.

Now here is where my hate relationship begins. At 6 months the male was a little over 7 inches and the female was close to 4 inches. Then came the day I was waiting for: their breeding tubes were displayed and they were both cleaning the top of a rock. Three days later they had laid what looked like about 200 to 300 eggs. The eggs were not laid on the rock like normal Central or South American egg laying cichlids, these eggs were pinkish orange in color and hung on a string which resembled mini grapes in a clump. The male and female’s aggression stepped up to a new level. And now begins the hate. I tried to take pictures of the parents and eggs and each time I did the male would look at me once and turn around and start eating the eggs. I thought nothing of it as it was their first spawn and I was just happy they bred. The second and third times both happened as I was heading to cichlid shows, and while I was away my girlfriend at the time kept an eye on them. They never once bothered the eggs while I was away, but when I got back and I looked in the tank there went the male eating the eggs again, a slap in the face. They never bred again after that. We shortly moved then and in the move I lost both fish. Temperature change was the culprit as it was 2 or 3 in the morning in October. It will be a while before I keep them again but I know I will. In closing they are fun and anyone who have kept Centrals will enjoy Madagascars.

Until then have fun with Cichlids!

 Jose