That Fish Blog – Aquarium Advice and Information

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, Jason here with some lesser known facts about a very commonly purchased fish. Also known as the Common Pleco, the Trinidad Pleco, Hypostomus plecostomus, may be one of the most frequently offered algae-eating “sucker fish” in the aquarium market. It is sought after by many freshwater aquarists to solve their algae problems. But, the fact that is that though these fish can be effective algae eaters in a tank, they grow too large for most home aqauriums.  A full grown Trinidad can grow to a length of 24 inches. That is about the same length as a 20 gallon tank. They have a pretty rapid growth rate, so it does not take them long to outgrow most tanks. Realistically, they should have a tank that is a minimum of 150 gallons, and even a tank of that size may not give these fish enough room to turn and move about freely. Read More »

Hello everyone! Craig here again. Within the hobby there are certain niches that develop for fish keeping. You have your African Cichlid aficionados like Jose, reef geeks like Cory, the discus fanatics, and many others.  Then you have those hobbyists that are into livebearers.  When I say livebearers, I am not just talking about Mickey Mouse Platies or Twinbar Swordtails, but also odd and wonderful livebearers known as Goodeids. Read More »

Hello everyone! We are only ten days away from the second annual TFP/NCPARS Winter Frag Event, being held here at our retail store in Lancaster, PA .  On Saturday January 30^th our store will be invaded by coral reef enthusiast from all over the northeast, we are looking forward to having a great time, and a great turn out.  Last years event was a blast, everyone had a great time, we think this year will be even better.  The event is open to anyone who wants to attend, there will be an admission charge to enter the frag swap market area, and have access to the special speaker presentations, and Raffles.  Visit Fragswapper.com to pre-register and get more information.  Pre-registration is not required.  Whether your just starting out in the reef hobby or you’ve been collecting for years, you may find something awesome to take home to your tank.  There should be in excess of 1,000 frags available between the swap and TFP’s own stock! 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 »