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My Top 10 Favorite Malawi Cichlids, From the Mind of a Cichlid Mad Man

Posted on: Friday, November 6th, 2009 in: Aquarium Livestock, Cichlid Aquariums, Fun Stuff, General

Hey folks, as promised, here’s the first installment of my favorite fish! Just remember everyone’s opinion differs and I would like to see other peoples faves,  too, so please leave a comment if you have an opinion.  Here goes, (in no particular order)!

Copadichromis azureus – This haplochromine is a zooplankton feeder. Males attain a length up to [...]

Dragonets – Beauties with Specialized Palates

Posted on: Monday, November 2nd, 2009 in: Aquarium Livestock, General, Reef Aquariums

Hi everyone, Jason here!  Reefs can be described in so many ways.  They have every color imaginable, and creatures different in such drastic ways all living in closely intertwined communities.  Some are the hunters and some are the prey.  You could explore the same section of the reef everyday and there is a decent chance of discovering something new, whether [...]

Reef Trends – The Chalice Coral Craze

Posted on: Friday, October 30th, 2009 in: Aquarium Livestock, Aquariums and Fish in the News, General, Reef Aquariums, conservation

Hello, Cory here with a short blog on an interesting new wave in the world of reefing, the new obsession with Chalice corals.  A couple years ago, Chalice Corals were not very popular or in demand type of coral, despite the ease of care and collection. They were offered around the country, at very reasonable prices. [...]

The Danios – Little Fish with Big Potential

Posted on: Monday, October 26th, 2009 in: Aquarium Livestock, Freshwater Aquariums, Fun Stuff, General

Hello everyone! This is Craig, just writing a short blog on a group of fish that seems to be seeing a swell in popularity within the aquarium hobby lately. The danios. Yes… the lowly, boring, indestructible danios. You might just be surprised at how diverse and beautiful this group of fish has now become within [...]

Freshwater Sharks – Striking Species for the Semi-aggressive Community

Posted on: Friday, October 23rd, 2009 in: Aquarium Livestock, Common Aquarium Questions, Freshwater Aquariums, General

Hey Fish Blog Followers! There are lots of different types of freshwater communities created by hobbyists. Some people choose a peaceful community of tetras and other small docile fish, while others opt for a tank populated with predators or other territorial species, often a fine balance between tolerance and aggression. Many aquariums are somewhere in [...]

Amphibians Masquerading as Fish – Notes on the Rubber Eel

Posted on: Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 in: Aquarium Livestock, Freshwater Aquariums, Fun Stuff, General

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.  As a child, I constantly combed the pet stores of the Bronx and Manhattan in search of the odd catfishes, lungfishes and eels I so favored.  I distinctly recall first coming upon some creatures labeled as “rubber eels”, and realizing that I was looking at something special – I just didn’t [...]

Damselfishes and Clownfishes – Part 2 – The Percula Clownfish

Posted on: Monday, October 19th, 2009 in: Aquarium Livestock, Fun Stuff, General, Saltwater Aquariums

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.  Please see Part I of this article for information on the natural history of the clownfishes and their close relatives, the damselfishes.  Today we’ll take a look at the most popularly kept of the clownfishes, the beautifully-colored Percula clownfish, Amphiprion ocellaris.
Even before being skyrocketed to fame by the movie Finding Nemo, [...]

The Electric Catfish – A Unique Species for the Serious Catfish Fancier

Posted on: Friday, October 16th, 2009 in: Aquarium Livestock, Freshwater Aquariums, Fun Stuff, General

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.  It takes some doing to stand out among the catfishes, a group that contains some of the most bizarre creatures on earth.  Yet the Electric Catfish (Malapterurus electricus) does this quite admirably.  Indeed, this species is so unique that it and the small mouth electric catfish (M. macrostoma) are alone classified [...]

Popular Marine Aquarium Fishes – Damselfishes and Clownfishes – Part 1

Posted on: Wednesday, October 14th, 2009 in: Aquarium Livestock, Common Aquarium Questions, Fun Stuff, General, Reef Aquariums, Saltwater Aquariums

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. Damselfishes and Clownfishes are closely related, with all 325+ species being classified in the Family Pomacentridae. Among the most numerous and conspicuous fish on tropical coral reefs, a number make hardy marine aquarium inhabitants.
Range and Habitat
Damselfishes and Clownfishes are found throughout the world’s tropical and semitropical seas, with the greatest diversity [...]

The Wrestling Halfbeak – a Tiny Brackish Water Warrior

Posted on: Friday, October 9th, 2009 in: Aquarium Livestock, Brackish Aquariums, General, Uncategorized

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.  This Southeast Asian fish’s slender, 3-inch- long body belies its reputation as a fearsome combatant.  However, in betting parlors from Thailand to the Sunda Islands, matches between male wrestling halfbeaks (Dermogenys pusilla/pusillus) rival those featuring the better-known bettas (Betta splendens) in popularity.  In contrast to bettas, battling halfbeaks rarely inflict any [...]