That Fish Blog – Aquarium Advice and Information

Melissa here, just figured I would write this blog on some new Banded Coral Shrimp species we have in stock. Banded Coral Shrimp are members of the Stenopodidae family, and are referred to as “Boxing Shrimp” because of the way their large pincher’s are held. They are ready to take a swing at whatever comes close enough like a boxer would.  Banded Coral Shrimp should be given plenty of space to scavenge without their long antennae touching neighboring corals or anemones, and lots of caves to hide in. Banded coral shrimp are relatively hardy, but must be acclimated slowly to avoid any salinity and/or pH shock. They are intolerant of high nitrates or copper levels, but iodine is encouraged to promote proper molting.  Banded Coral Shrimp are generally peaceful towards fish, but may harass other small shrimp and are intolerant of others of the same genus. For this reason they must be kept singly, or in mated pairs.  In the wild, banded coral shrimp are know to feed on parasites, dead tissue removed from fish, and other tiny organisms. In the home aquarium, Banded Coral Shrimp will usually accept most flaked and frozen foods, plankton, and meaty items. They are also known to be effective bristleworm hunters in the reef aquarium.

Most people are familiar with the first species, Stenopus hispidus as the most common species in the trade.  They have a red and white banded body and claws resembling the stripes of the American Flag. I happen to have a pair of these banded coral shrimp in my tank at home.  They are out all of the time and usually only an antennae length away from each other. My female is constantly carrying eggs. Something really cool that I have witnessed several times was when my female is within a day or so of releasing her eggs the male waits on her hand and foot. He brings her food and makes sure none of the fish bother her. That is about the only time I ever see them apart. I would have to say my favorite invert would have to be these shrimp. 

Other species of banded coral shrimp we get in from time to time are the Golden Banded Coral Shrimp, Stenopus scutellatus and the Blue Banded Shrimp, Stenopus tenuirostris. They have similar red and bands on the tail and claws as seen on Stenopus hispidis, but have a bright yellow or violet blue body and white antennae. The Blue Banded shrimp also has golden bands between the red bands.

There is also another really cool species that recently arrived here, Stenopus zanzibaricus. This shrimp is mostly white with two red bands on the tail and two red markings on the proximal portion of the front arms. It has white claws and red antennae. Do not attempt to mix the Zanzibar shrimp with Stenopus hispidus because they will fight to death, usually with one usually  loosing the battle and its life.

Eileen here.

The poetic tranquility of water. The bliss of a flowing stream. The subtle euphoria of the aquatic world. We marine biologists know it well. But, as German researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology have found in recent research, it truly may not be a feeling of completeness and belonging imposed from finding our place in the aquatic world and sensing that special oneness with nature and all things hydrologic.

Nope. Turns out its just some little critters in the mud emitting laughing gas. Go figure.

Laughing gas, otherwise known as Nitrous oxide and one of the most notorious “greenhouse gases” is released by animals that feed by eating and sifting through sediments. According to the study, animals  that dig through the mud also end up eating nitrogen-converting bacteria which then in turn causes the animal to release the Nitrous oxide byproduct as they digest their food. While the researchers don’t feel that we have anything to worry about with the amounts of nitrous oxide produced, they do feel that the amounts could significantly increase if the amount of polluted water entering the streams rise. Looks like we’ll have to keep enjoying bodies of water the old-fashioned way – by boring our friends and loved ones to tears while we try to scientifically identify everything we see.

You can read the full article on LiveScience.com. 

Hello everyone! This is Craig. Just the other day I was helping a customer and was showing him some fish that would be hardy enough to cycle his brand new freshwater community aquarium. I went through the normal fish selections of zebra danios, blue danios, and white clouds. He expressed a certain… lack of enthusiasm towards fish that, while being sturdy and inexpensive, did not show as much character as he would have hoped. “Everyone has those fish…” is a common response to the zebra danios. Having thought about this a bit… I decided to put together a short list of fish that are durable, inexpensive, and… well… different than the zebra danio.

First on the list would be the brilliant rasbora. Rasbora borapetensis is a beautiful and hardy fish. An elongated fish with gold and black lateral stripes and a red tail, the brilliant rasbora will attain a size of close to 3 inches in length. In larger schools they are quite impressive as they cruise the aquarium in a tight formation. They will not nip at plants or long fins, so brilliant rasboras make a beautiful and active addition to the community aquarium.

Staying with the rasbora group of fishes, the harlequin rasbora ( Rasbora heteromorpha ) is another fish that is beautiful, hardy, and peaceful. The harlequin rasbora is a small schooling fish that is pink with a large black triangle covering the back half of the fish. Barely reaching 1.5 inches, this fish shows very well in schools of 8 or more. As the fish ages, the color intensifies and is really quite spectacular. The harlequin rasbora is a little gem that can be included in almost any small community aquarium.

Another hardy and colorful fish that can be used a “starter fish” is the Serpae tetra. The Serpae tetra ( Hyphessobrycon eques ) is a beautiful tetra that does best in schools of 6 or more. This fish has had a long standing history of being one of the more sturdy tetras and, when kept in a warm aquarium, can show a deep crimson color with a black spot on their sides. When kept in smaller numbers, the Serpae tetra can be somewhat nippy, but that problem is easily solved by adding more individuals to the school.

The cherry barb ( Puntius titteya ) is still another colorful and hardy small fish to add to this list. While most barbs have a tendancy to be little nippers, the cherry barb is quite a bit more relaxed and very rarely nips at fins. The males of this species are a nice cherry red, while the females are a burnt orange color. This barb swims toward the lower regions of your aquarium and will do best in groups of 5 or more. Mixing the ratio of males to females will produce the best color and will also produce some interesting courting displays from the males.

So, for those of you that want to start your freshwater community with a little more color or variety, there are options! There are actually more options than listed above, but these 4 species of fish are, quite possibly, the top 4 choices for cycling a new tank. Just remember to be patient when beginning your new aquarium, and you should have no troubles at all!

Frank Indivlgio here.

Check out: A Community Aquarium for Fishes, Shrimp and Frogs – West African Oddities – Part 1, to read the first part of this article.

Water Quality

Great care must be taken with water quality…in fact, the elephant noses’ sensitivity is such that they have been used to monitor water quality in industrial situations.  They should only be introduced to well-cycled aquariums, and the test kit mentioned earlier should be employed regularly to test ammonia levels and other water quality parameters.  That being said, when cared for properly the elephant nose will reward you with many years of enjoyment…I know of no one that regrets adding them to their collection.

African or Fresh-Water Butterfly Fish, Pantodon buchholzi

Inhabiting the same waters as the elephant nose and well suited to the same aquarium is the African butterfly fish.  Living on the surface and active by day, the butterfly fish is the elephant nose’s polar opposite.  The two rarely interact and nicely illustrate diverse and very unusual survival strategies. 

An Unusual Appearance and Lifestyle

Wing-like pectoral fins lend this oddball its common name, and long rays trailing down from the pelvic fin add to its unusual appearance.  When viewed from above it does indeed bring a butterfly to mind, but it is more likely a dead, floating leaf that the fish is imitating. 

This well-camouflaged predator spends its life floating quietly on the surface, where its appearance and upturned mouth suit it admirably as a specialized hunter of terrestrial insects that fall into the water.  In West African rivers teeming with competitors, the butterfly fish, much like the elephant nose, has evolved a unique way of exploiting a food source not available to most other fishes.

Feeding African Butterfly Fishes

African butterfly fishes feed only at the surface and will not dive for food.  While most individuals will accept flake and freeze dried diets, they really come to life when offered live insects.  Their reactions at such times will leave you with no doubt as to their dietary preferences.

Being highly evolved to feed upon a unique food source (land-dwelling insects), butterfly fishes do best when provided with the same in captivity.  They will take a variety of foods, but I have found them to fare best on diets comprised largely of small live crickets, newly molted (white) mealworms, mealworm beetles, wax worms and wild caught moths, spiders and other invertebrates (the Zoo Med Bug Napper  is a very useful insect trap). 

Canned insects  provide a convenient of increasing dietary variety.  Zoo Med’s Anole Food  contains small freeze dried flies – another great way to provide a natural food item to this most interesting denizen of tropical West African waters. 

As you might gather from the foregoing, butterfly fishes rarely thrive in typical community aquariums.  However, when fed properly and established in an appropriate environment, they are very hardy – living well in groups and not at all shy about revealing their unique hunting skills.  The powerful pectoral fins enable this fish to skitter across the surface when threatened and to jump well, so be sure that your aquarium is securely covered.

Further Reading

Please see my article The Use of Electrical Impulses in Elephant-Nosed Fishes  for further information on a newly discovered mode of elephant nosed fish communication.

You can read about the natural history of the African butterfly fish at http://www.fishbase.com/Summary/speciesSummary.php?ID=2075&genusname=Pantodon&speciesname=buchholzi

Next time we’ll take a look at some interesting invertebrate and amphibian members of the “West African Oddities Community Aquarium”.  Until then,   please write in with your questions and comments.  Thanks, until next time, Frank Indiviglio.

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.

The subjects of this article are often sold in pet stores as “curiosities” to be added to aquariums housing typical tropical fishes.  Unfortunately, due to their unique dietary requirements and feeding methods, none do well in such situations.  As most hobbyists are unaware of their fascinating behaviors, tanks are rarely set up solely for these creatures, and most perish in short order. 

I recently set up a tropical West Africa themed exhibit for a public aquarium, based on similar tanks I have maintained at home and at the Bronx Zoo.  It was a big hit and generated many inquiries from visitors who wished to have a similar aquarium in their homes. 

The aquarium I’ll describe here is similar to that exhibit.  It houses animals from the same region of Africa, and includes two of the pet trade’s most interesting and overlooked fishes, a social shrimp and an active, aquatic frog.  All follow different lifestyles and utilize unusual feeding methods, yet they co-exist very well.

General Considerations

The animals described below hail from West Africa, and all prefer heavily planted aquariums maintained at 78-80 F.  They are quite sensitive to water quality, so be sure to choose a filter that is of an appropriate size for your aquarium, but avoid strong currents (from the filter’s outflow) within the tank.  A comprehensive water test kit  should be used regularly to assure that pH is held between 6.8 and 7, and that the water is moderately soft (water softness is not a major concern, but is best monitored).

Due to the feeding habits of the elephant nose (see below) and the desirability of establishing a lush growth of plants, I suggest that you use Porous Clay Gravel as a substrate.

Peter’s Elephant Nose or Elephant-Nosed Fish, Gnathonemus petersi

This first recommended member of the aquarium is truly interesting in appearance and behavior.  It uses the greatly extended lower jaw from which its common name is drawn to root in the substrate for aquatic worms and insects, its main food source.  Organs near the tail discharge electrical impulses that allow the elephant nose to navigate, hunt and, according to recent research, to communicate (please see the article referenced below).

Feeding and Observing the Elephant Nose

The elephant nose is a confirmed live food specialist, and rarely feeds before nightfall…hence it is always out-competed for food when kept with swordtails, platys and other typical community fishes.  A heavy growth of live plants will encourage it to move about by day; Moonlight Bulbs  are great for use in observing nocturnal behavior. 

Although only small specimens are usually seen in the trade (adults do not ship well at all), the elephant nose can reach 10 inches in length – a group of adults foraging in a large aquarium is a very impressive sight.  Live blackworms can form the foundation of their diet, but you should endeavor to include live bloodworms, glassworms and other such invertebrates regularly.

Click: A Community Aquarium for Fishes, Shrimp and Frogs – West African Oddities – Part 2, to read the rest of this article.

Frank Indiviglio.