That Fish Blog – Aquarium Advice and Information

Hello everyone! I often write about odd freshwater fish. This blog I wanted to write about another personal favorite, the Dwarf Malabar Puffer, also called the Pea or Pygmy Puffer.

Dwarf Malabar Puffers, Carinotetraodon travancoricus, are cute little bundles of energy that come from the inland waters of Southern India, where they can be found in slow moving rivers amongst dense vegetation. These pea-sized puffers are a dwarf species that only grow to about 1.25 inches in length. They are colorful little fish with a body that is a deep golden hue. They are splotched with dark blue, black, or green spots. Males will often develop a dark stripe along their belly, especially when they want to show off or court a female.  Read More »

Hey cichlid fans! So, finally we come to the last installment in my series of top 10 cichlid lists. This time I will share my first 5 favorite Malagasy (Madagascar) species and uncommon or oddball cichlids, that can’t be missed. My main reason for keeping Malagasy cichlids is that they are all almost extinct with some species already gone, except from some public aquariums or breeders. It’s a matter of conservation at this point, and serious aquarists play a vital role in keeping these species around. As for the oddballs?  Well, I just love species you don’t see everyday. So lets begin with the first five, I’ll follow in a few weeks with the final five. Read More »

If you have a saltwater tank, there is a good possibility that you’ve had some experience with the pest anemone, Aiptasia. Aiptasia can seem to spring from live rock or new corals from nowhere, quickly becoming an unsightly “weed” all over the tank. But despite their prolific nature and the possibility of damage to coral colonies from their stings, eradication may not be your only solution.

I noticed that around the overflows of some of the holding tanks the Aiptasia anemones seemed to gather. Only a small amount of Aiptasia appeared within the tanks, on walls and rocks. Intrigued, I decided to research this in Anthony Calfo’s book, Book of Coral Propagation. He revealed an interesting use for the pest anemone.   Read More »

Hello, Jason here. Every day I find a customer seeking a colorful fish that they can put in their reef tank. The decision can be difficult because so many of the fish are far from reef safe and many fish will pick at (if not devour) corals. One fish to consider for your reef is the Chalk Bass (Serranus tortugarum). This Caribbean fish occupies rubble and sand bottoms from South Florida to to the Bahamas. Read More »

Hello, Cory here. Almost every day you can find some piece of news involving sharks, and in many cases, the news is another instance of someone, somewhere discovering mutilated shark carcasses or that a commercial fishing boat has been found throwing finless carcasses overboard. Just the idea of shark finning is terrible, I’m not sure how anyone can support and/or participate in the shark fin trade. Shark finning has been banned in many countries such as the US, but remains a problem in European and Asian countries. Despite the concern over shark populations and environmental impacts, shark finning continues, even growing from year to year in popularity, all to cater to a taste for an expensive bowl of soup.  Read More »