That Fish Blog – Aquarium Advice and Information

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.  Until recently, freshwater shrimp have largely been ignored in the US aquarium trade. I’ve kept a few native species over the years, and was awed by some huge, long-clawed specimens that I collected and released in Costa Rica.  But it wasn’t until I visited Japan several years ago that I became aware of the scores of small, colorful Asian and South American shrimps that were being bred and sold regularly there.  Happily, most of those I came across at that time are now well established in the trade here in the USA.

Environment and Tankmates

The following shrimps will co-exist with one another, provided the dietary needs of the specialists are met.  All thrive at temperatures of 74-80 F and a pH range of 6.5-7.5.  They do best in heavily planted aquariums with moderate water flow and, like many invertebrates, are very sensitive to ammonia.  Many species appear somewhat social, congregating together, and most gravitate to and forage on driftwood if such is provided. 

Freshwater shrimps may be housed with small, peaceful aquarium fishes, but will be attacked buy predatory species and crayfishes.  I have had very good luck in keeping breeding groups with guppies, armored cats (Corydoras spp.) and hill stream, coolie and yo-yo loaches.

Feeding Shrimp

All the following species consume algae, with some favoring hair algae, but they also take a wide variety of flakes, pellets, carrion and organic detritus.  Shrimp of all types are seemingly always foraging, day and night, and should be provided with a wide variety of food options. 

In addition to live algae, I offer freshwater shrimps tropical fish flakes, shrimp pellets, spirulina tablets and live brine shrimp.  If water quality is not an issue, it is also a good idea to allow them to feed upon an occasional small, dead fish.

Amano or Japanese Marsh Shrimp and Relatives, Caridina multidentata

This East Asian import was one of the first species established here, and is still a favorite.  Please see the article referenced below for further information.

The closely related dwarf blackberry shrimp and emerald green shrimp, both native to Thailand, are beautifully patterned and may hybridize with the amano shrimp.  All three prefer to feed upon hair algae, but will take a wide variety of other foods.

Bumblebee Shrimp, Caridina trifasciata

Another Japanese import, the bumblebee is strikingly marked in black and white and possessed of a squat build that makes it seem larger than its ¾ inches.  Voracious scavengers as well as algae eaters, a group of these beautiful shrimps makes a spectacular display.

Orange Halo or Bee Shrimp, Caridina sp.

Favoring hair algae, this native of Thailand is bright orange in color and reaches ¾ inches in length.  In common with its relatives, the orange bee shrimp does best in groups.

Pearl or Snowflake Shrimp, Macrobrachium mirabile

A giant among the dwarf shrimp, this long-clawed species may top 2 inches in length.  It hails from India, where it favors the brackish water of river mouths.  Captives do fine in freshwater, however, and make excellent scavengers.  Despite its size, it is inoffensive to its smaller cousins.

Further Reading

For information on keeping the popular amano, cherry and bamboo shrimps, please see An Introduction to Freshwater Shrimps.

To learn more about a truly unique shrimp, please check out my article Keeping the African Giant Filter Shrimp.

Next time I’ll cover a few species that are rather new to the trade, as well as some more colorful and unique favorites.  Please write in with your questions and comments.  Thanks, until next time, Frank Indiviglio.

 

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.

In Part I of this article we examined some important points concerning freshwater stingray ownership. I’ll continue here with more husbandry tips and a look at the natural history of two unique species.

Selecting an Individual: Health

Large rays may have been collected via hook, do not ship well, and usually arrive in very poor condition. Check those over 12 inches in diameter carefully. Their adjustment to captivity is much less successful than that of smaller individuals.

Do not purchase a stingray whose fins are curled upwards along their margins. For reason as yet unknown, such animals invariably expire in short order.

Identifying the Various Species

It is important that you lean to identify the commonly available species before making a purchase. Animals in the genus Dasyatis, commonly sold as “freshwater stingrays” are actually native to brackish waters (river mouths) and may fare poorly in freshwater aquariums. Others, including ceja, antenna, tiger and China rays, have unique feeding and water quality requirements, and make quite delicate captives.

The hardy, popular common or motoro ray (Potamotrygon motoro) exists in 6-8 distinct color morphs, and is difficult to identify based on appearance alone.

Diet

Freshwater stingrays have fast metabolisms and need 2-3 feedings each day; dietary variety is vital to good health.

Live blackworms, ghost shrimp, crayfish, earthworms and small fishes are necessary for newly-acquired specimens. Eventually, most can be habituated to accepting canned invertebrates and animal-based frozen foods, but live animals remain an important component of the diet.

Stingray Tankmates

While rays often get along well with each other and certain other fishes, the usually benign suckermouth catfishes (i.e. Plecostomus spp) present an unusual problem. They often latch onto stingrays’ backs, sucking at the skin and causing lesions and stress-related ailments. The reasons for this behavior have not yet been thoroughly investigated.

Legality

You would be well-advised to check the legality of stingray ownership, as 8-10 states currently prohibit the keeping of freshwater species.

A Freshwater Ray in the USA?

Most freshwater rays offered in the trade hail from South America, but others may be found in Asia, Africa and Australia.

Interestingly, Florida’s St. John’s River is home to a population of marine rays that have adapted to life in fresh water. The species involved, the Atlantic stingray, Dasyatis sabina (please see photo), is known to forage in river mouths, but the St. John’s River population is the only one that has become independent of the sea, even breeding in freshwater.

An Amazing Giant

Southeast Asia is home to the world’s largest freshwater stingray, Himantura chaophraya. In January of 2009 a researcher captured a massive specimen in Thailand’s Meaklong River. Spanning nearly 9 feet across and weighing an estimated 660 pounds, the giant appeared pregnant and was released unharmed.

A Hands-On Experience with Stingrays

Please be sure to visit That Fish Place/That Pet Place in Lancaster, PA (the world’s largest pet store) for a chance to hand feed our friendly marine stingrays.

I’ll cover the care of freshwater, marine and even some native stingrays in detail in future articles. Until then, please write in with your questions and comments.

Thanks, Frank Indiviglio

Further Reading

You can learn more about Southeast Asia’s spectacular giant freshwater stingray here.

Please also check out the book, Freshwater Stingrays for more on captive care.

Image referenced from Wikipedia and originally published by the user Abigor.

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.  Involvement in exciting and important conservation work need not be limited to those select few fortunate enough to have turned their hobbies into careers.  Especially in today’s economy, many vital research and recovery efforts rely heavily upon the work of volunteers.  Getting out in the field (or pond, river and swamp, as the case may be!) is a wonderful way of expanding your fish-keeping horizons.  Today I’d like to focus on fresh water species; I’ll cover marine fishes in the future.

Conserving Desert-Dwelling and other Rare Fishes

The North American Native Fish Association http://www.nanfa.org/ sponsors a number of conservation initiatives, all of which utilize volunteers.  Particularly active in the conservation of desert spring fishes and others in similarly precarious habitats, current initiatives include assisting the US F&W Service in removing introduced plants, fishes, crayfish and bullfrogs from critical Moapa spring fish habitat, training university and government researchers in fish sampling techniques and participating in reintroduction efforts. 

NANFA members also get to indulge their fish-keeping interests, establishing native fish aquariums in schools and nature centers and advising caretakers on husbandry and breeding techniques.

A Wide Range of Field and Captive Care Opportunities

The Native Fish Conservancy maintains an extensive collection of articles on native fishes and fish conservation.  If you are unsure of where to start, a review of these would be invaluable in jump-starting the process and providing numerous options. 

Through their “Adopt-A-Tank” program, NFC members also help schools set up and maintain native fish aquariums and assist students in sampling local fish populations…the best of both worlds!

Native Fresh Water Fishes in the Aquarium

Some of our smaller sunfishes have long been popular with aquarists in Europe, but in the USA native fish-keeping is a lost (or barely developed!) art.  I do not quite understand why, as many are interesting, brilliantly colored and little-studied.  Species diversity here is quite high…even over-crowded New York State boasts nearly 150 freshwater fishes, many of which do quite well in captivity (interesting note: more species of fish have been identified in the Amazon River than in the entire Atlantic Ocean!).

North America is populated by a wide variety of gorgeous sunfishes of all sizes (our massive large-mouth bass is, technically, a sunfish).  With colors rivaling those of any tropical species and providing extensive care to their eggs and young, these are, along with yellow perch (please see photo), long-time aquarium favorites of mine.  Another neglected species, the American eel, lived in my collection for 17 years, and a pair of brown bullheads that I bred in an outdoor pond provided a notebook-full of observations that I treasure to this day (males are unbelievably protective of their tadpole-like fry, herding them about for quite some time).

I’ll cover the care of various native fresh water fishes in future articles.  Until then, please write in with your observations, experiences and questions.  Thanks, Frank Indiviglio.

Further Reading

The US Fish & Wildlife Service currently lists nearly 150 species of native freshwater fishes as threatened or endangered.  Information on each, along with links to recovery plans (some of which encourage volunteer participation), is posted at www.fws.gov/endangered/wildlife.html#Species.

The Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery  http://www.cshfha.org/ houses an extensive collection of fresh water fishes, amphibians and reptiles, and is well-worth a visit by native fish enthusiasts.

Also known as the Tailbar Cichlid, this particular species hails from the rivers of Central America. It frequents areas of still or slow moving waters , hiding amongst root tangles.  An uncommon fish in the hobby, we have been carrying 2″ juveniles for a little while now, along with a beautiful 6″ male in a separate aquarium that also arrived.

An omnivore, Hartwegi feeds on anything from plants to small fish and shrimp. In the home aquarium, I would recommend feeding a varied diet with the staple being greens as it will help to brighten and maintain their coloration.  Males and females both grow to close to 12″, particularly in the wild.  The males are more robust in build, and develop a much denser spangling of red throughout the body than females have.

As for aquarium size, I would recommend a 55 gallon (minimum) for growing out a group, and at least a 65 gallon for a pair of adults.  In regards to temperament, they are mildly aggressive towards other fish, but when it comes to their own they are very aggressive, and it gets worse when they are defending a spawning site.   Have a divider ready if you suspect you have a pair ready to spawn, or there will be a strong possibility you’ll end up with battered or dead fish. Broods can number from 100 to 1000 eggs, and water conditions should be kept stable, with temperature being 76 to 78 degrees, ph 7.5 to 7.8 and moderate to hard water. Provide hiding places for others in the tank to help in minimizing the brunt of the abuse that a dominant male can and will exert on tankmates.

I have read that they are very intelligent fish, and can “play games” with their owner. With the male we have here I can see some truth to that statement, as he is very anxious for interaction. I would highly recommend this species for someone looking to keep a very personable first cichlid.

Until next time,

Jose

Jason here. Working at That Fish Place, I have many people ask me about bottom feeders that they can put into a tank with their African Cichlids.  Since cichlids tend to be aggressive, it can be difficult to find suitable tankmates.  A great solution to this problem is adding a Synodontis catfish species. 

There are many species of Synodontis that grow to various sizes.  Synodontis are great because they are often found in many of the same locations as the cichlids. One of my personal favorites is Synodontis petricola, often referred to as Pygmy Synodontis among hobbyists.  They are a relatively small, in comparison to the other members of the genus, maxing out at around five inches.  This catfish is native to Lake Tanganyika, in Africa, which is part of the group of lakes commonly referred to as the African Rift Lakes and has a pH ranging from 7.0-8.5.  Their coloration is usually brown with black spots.  Their fins are black with highly defined white trim.  Dietary choices consist mostly of meaty foods, but they will also pick at algae from time to time.

Another excellent choice for those with an Afican cichlid tank is Synodontis multipunctata, also from Lake Tanganyika.  In their natural environment, their preferred pH ranges from 7.8 – 8.5.  They have a similar appearance to the Pygmy Synodontis, only with less defined white trim on the fins and a larger max size, as in the aquarium they grow to approximately 8 inches in length.  They prefer tanks with a lot of dark places to hide out.  Like the petricola, they are omnivorous and are known to pick at algae along with their main diet of meaty foods.  They can usually be found under the common name Cuckoo Synodontis, though petricola also shares that common name.

Our most commonly sold Synodontis is a tropical species that tends to swim upside down.  It gets its common name, Upside-Down Synodontis Catfish because of this odd style of swimming.  Its scientific name is Synodontis nigriventris.  Unlike the prior two catfish noted, this one won’t do as well in with the African Cichlids, but makes an excellent addition to tanks with a lower pH, ranging from 6.0 – 7.5.  Full grown they will only reach about 4 inches, and they are active and interesting to observe.  They can be kept with most tropical fish, but they have been known to cause some problems with the smaller tetras.

There are many other many possibilities, when looking for an interesting bottom dwelling species to add to your home aquarium.  There are many different colors and sizes.  Come in to see us or drop us an e-mail at Marinebio@thatpetplace.com if you need any help or advice in choosing a species.