Fishalicious

Goodbye Pinky

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 18:46:00 +0000

Today was a very sad day in my fishy world....my Ram female Pinky passed away. From what I can see it was from old age... I had the joy of having her in my life for 4 and a half years nearly which is double of what most Rams reach.

The above photo was taken just last night...she had lived so long I thought she was going to live forever....

She has always been Queen of the tank and I also notice today that all the other fish are looking for her... she was always the first one to greet me in the morning and could never be bothered waiting for the frozen food to melt in my hands in the tank and just eat from my hand.

I could write a blog about her and the funny things she did every single day for at least a year...she was such a character and an amazing mother to her offspring.

One of her funniest quirks was when she would go in the huff...if she had a fall out with any other fish she would really go into a huff like a human..she would sit in her corner pouting like mad .. she would be so grumpy at these times that the other fish quickly learnt that the pouty lip meant she was in one of her moods and stayed clear...the only thing to lift her mood usually was food.

Just look at that bottom lip!!! LOL Pinky in the Huff

She will be missed so dearly.... I hope she enjoyed her time with me as much as I did with her xxxxx

Been a Bad Bad Blogger!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 22:35:00 +0000

Now don't get a fright...yip I am still alive <smiles> I have been soooo busy lately with everything that I haven't had time to keep up my beloved blog...I have about 50 articles to get posted on here but every time I plan on doing so something else pops up. I promise to try and be a bit more regular again and take the time to keep everyone updated with fishy news in the world etc. This is just a quick photo blog to update some folks that have been mailing asking for piccies. I hope to get back to proper blogging soon.

The newest tank in the house at the moment:

It is the ever changing tank as since owning it (2 months) it has changed every few weeks LOL

Some new fish since last blogging:

Microgeophagus Altispinosa

Cleithracara maronii

Panaque Maccus

Apistogramma eremnopyge

Sadly my male Ramirezi died of old age or bullying from the Angels not sure which but there is a new man in town:

Dicrossus filamentosus

There are more other new fish but many are bred - at the moment I have a spawn of 30-40 Diamond Tetra Frt which I am the most excited about...I wrote a little while ago about how they are endangered in the wild.

The Angels breed every month on cue and usually just as I want to do a water change...I swear they do it just to annoy me LOL I got a quick video of the last spawn they had which are now happily swimming in the tank.

What else is going on...mmmh I am breeding Celestial Pearl Danio's, Apistogramma's and anything else that is in the mood LOL

There are new shrimp in the house which I am also breeding although they do that all by themselves:

Blue Pearl Shrimp

And Green Babaulti's

On other news I am now Moderator on a Fish Forum which is taking up a lot of my time but I get to talk about lovely fishies all day long which is never a bad thing.

I think these are the most important updates out of the way.... will be back soon.... I promise xxxx

Pleco invasion ravaging natural habitat

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 20:31:00 +0000

The Usumacinta river, Mexico has been completely ravaged and destroyed by a huge group of pleco's - it is unknown if the were introduced or if it was through a irresponsible or/and ignorant hobbyist doing it. In less than six months thousands of adults (over 60 cm as reported) plecos had invaded the river where they had never been seen before.

Locals have even started calling them “Pez Diablo”

A video giving a good idea of how bad the situation is

Sexing Microgeophagus ramirezi - German Blue Ram

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 20:31:00 +0000

So you've decided to buy a pair of these gems... maybe in the hopes of breeding ... but even then ...they are lovely to keep as a couple as a male & female... even if they don't breed they will happily live alongside each other and stay together pretty much all of the time. We all know how things can be if you put two females or two males in a room after a while <grins> That is not to say that these characteristic little guys never have a 'lovers' tiff - mine often get the hump with each other but usually make up again pretty quickly.

So your in the store and you see a tank full of these cuties... usually if you can get comfy and the store owner is not bothering you too much you can watch their behavior and pick out a dominant male pretty quickly - even when they are young... a dominant male likes his ladies and will have picked his favorite in the tank... by observation and patience you should be able to see 2 rams that have taken a shine to each other as they will stay together quite a lot... usually this is already a good sign that it is a male and female... but you have doubts niggling in your head so to be sure here are some signs.

The female:

Will have black stripes going though her pelvic fins (this is a great one to remember as when they are very young this coloring already shows if all others fail... the stripes are usually also apparent in a stressed colorless fish)
If she is a happy little gal and shining then you can see that her shiny blue dot's cover her side black marking.
If she is a very happy little gal then her belly will show a pink hue to let those men know that she is ready for a mate.

Sorry for the horrible pic of her.. (she'll kill me if she see's this on the net) but it shows nicely all the above points

Males:

No black lines in the pelvic fins
The black marking on the side is solid black
Bigger built and the dorsal fin will be longer and spikier
Not a pink hue in sight on the stomach area

I hope this helps some peeps who are going to treat themselves to a pair of these beauties or those who have some doubts on the ones they have.

Moenkhausia pittieri - Diamond Tetra's scarce in the Wild

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 20:30:00 +0000

It seems one of my favorite tetra's are becoming quite rare in the wild which is really sad news... one crew went out looking for them and it took them 3 years until the finally found them in the wild with even rumors they are close to extinction. Well I know what fish I am breeding next!!!

All My Birthday's & Christmas's at once - new tank

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 20:30:00 +0000

I have to send big love to the best mum in the world - awwwwww - yip and that mum is none other than my own! She decided to feed my MTS (Multiple Tank Syndrome) habit and give me a new tank for my upcoming birthday - now if that doesn't qualify her then I don't know what will. She knows my biggest passion and knows how much pleasure it gives me.

Anyway's before you all grab for the buckets here is the new tank in it's entire empty gloriousness.

Some Specs:

160 x 60 x 60 (576 Liters) - 5.3' x 24 x 24 (153 US Gallons) - (126 UK Gallons)

4 x T5 80 Watt lamps

An aquarium computer that fully automatically dims the lighting individually at different stages (sunrise to sunset), cloud , rain, lightning simulation. Automatically measures all water parameters and has a CO2 shut off.

CO2 - Dennerle Pro Set

Filter: Eheim Pro III 2128

A backing wall is being delivered next week - as it is going to be a Amazon biotope tank I have chosen an Natural Amazon looking backing.

More updates to follow as it is all being built up ;)

In other news at home the Pseudomugil Furcatus babies are still growing slowly but they are looking like proper little fish now

The male at the front is now 3 months old and the smaller one behind is now 1 month old. In all there are 27 little ones now and it seems the majority are male from what I can tell.

My Angelfish are still laying eggs on a weekly basis - shame there is no big market for them as I would love to let them carry the breeding through to fry but unfortunately they are so cheap here and most people do not have tanks large enough to house them that I am worried I will be left with a tank full.

The Apistogramma Erempoygne have also had a few nests but it has not come to any free swimming fry yet - the beginning is there though... very excited about these.

So that was the little update... and mum if you are reading this:

LMMT NMW x

A Man After my Heart - Heiko Bleher

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 13:18:00 +0000

I could write a book about this man... actually volumes...we have so much to thank him for in the fishkeeping hobby today

He has had the most fascinating life and still has and continues to do so and enrich our hobby.

Here is just a fraction about this wonderful man

Heiko Bleher was born on October 18, 1944 in a bunker in the ruins of Frankfurt on Main. He was the fourth and last child of Ludwig Bleher and Amanda Flora Hilda Kiel. Amanda’s father Adolf Kiel was the well-known “Father of Water Plants”, a pioneer of the modern aquarium who established the world’s largest plant and ornamental fish farm in Frankfurt.

At 4, he saw his first discus at an aquarium fish exhibition in the still ruined Frankfurt Zoo. Later he traveled with his mother to Africa then, aged 6, throughout Europe collecting plants and fishes. When he was 7, his mother took him, his elder brother and two sisters with her on his first discus hunt – a highly adventurous exploration trip deep into the “green hell” of the of South American jungle. They reached areas inhabited by unknown Indian tribes, some of whom had killed and eaten 4 missionaries shortly before. They lived with the natives for over 6 months, sampling 60 new aquatic plant species, countless fishes and many other animals. Still a child, Heiko learned to live like the Indians, eating the same food and collecting fishes and plants in the Mato Grosso, He learned about the life and behavior of fishes, and became familiar with the amazing variety of fish that exist in unspoiled nature. He also discovered the wimpel-piranha

In Rio he opened Aquarium Rio and started his own collecting in Brazil. He first opened several compounds in the interior, others later in other parts of South America. At the end of 1964 he discovered the first new species to be named after him – Hemigrammus bleheri, the brilliant rummy-head tetra, now one of the most widely-sold aquarium fishes

A photo of one of my Hemigrammus Bleheri

He also discovered the “Royal Blue”, his first new strain of discus, now world famous along with many other species. Some years later Heiko explored many new, uncollected areas, and by 1967 he moved his company Aquarium Rio to Germany, returning monthly to Brazil and South America to collect.Over the years, generally alone, Heiko penetrated jungles in all South and Central American countries. He also travelled to the Amazon area as many as 10 times a year in search of discus and others species. In the 1970s he expanded his operations to include Africa, Asia and Oceania (Australia, New Guinea, etc.) and began to give lectures around the world. He made his first Discus-TV film, “Expeditionsziel Aquarienfische” with the German ZDF and made many TV appearances in different countries

His first documentary film “The Wimpel Piranha” was made In 1983, followed by films on freshwater fishes in New Guinea, Australia, Central America and Brazil then four films on discus in the 90s. Until 1997 from Frankfurt he supplied wholesalers world-wide with new species, including new discus variants every year, mostly from his own discoveries.

Between 1965 and 1997, besides introducing most of the wild discus variants into the hobby – directly or by means of the breeders – he introduced more than 4,000 aquarium fish species he had discovered (or re-discovered). This includes the variants such as “blue-headed Heckel”, “Alenquer”, “Red-spotted greens” from the “Coari” and “Japurá” regions and the famous “Rio Içá” discus, and also rainbowfishes such as Melanotaenia boesemani, M. lacustris and M. praecox (most probably now one of the most sold aquarium fishes), angels such as Pterophyllum altum, dwarfs such as Nanochromis nudiceps and Steatocranus bleheri or Channa bleheri. Among other fishes attributable to Heiko’s explorations are also many loricariids (as many as 800, at the time of printing), new Corydoras species, almost countless tetras and dwarf cichlids from West Africa and South America, knife fishes, puffers and flounders.

His life is dedicated to fishes, aquatic plants, flora, fauna and the conservation of species threatened of extinction worldwide.

Can you tell.... I'm in love LOL LOL

To read more about this marvelous man - Heiko Bleher

And Heiko if you read this -

THANK YOU!!!!! for all you have done & discovered x

Amazing Arowana Breeding

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 13:18:00 +0000

Just beautiful!! One lucky owner managed to catch it on camera... I am amazed at the size of the eggs

Aquarium History - Where it all started

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 13:18:00 +0000

Fish have been kept for more than 4000 years! The earliest known fish keepers were the Sumerians, who as long ago as 2500 B.C. kept fish in ponds and used them as food.

Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 B.C.). Studying their structure and other characteristics, he carefully recorded accurate information on 115 species of fish then living in the Aegean Sea. Today, scientists have classified more than 20,000 species of fish around the world.

Egyptians bred certain species of fish specifically for their beauty and decorative characteristics. Pictures of fish are found in frescoes in Egyptian tombs, showing them as a sacred object.

1853 the world's first public aquarium opened in Regents Park in London. Over the next 15 years, similar public aquariums opened throughout England, as well as France and Germany. Unfortunately, many of these early aquariums did not survive because their fish didn't. But by the early 1870s, aquarists had learned more about aeration, filtering and water temperature, and new aquariums opened and thrived.

It was during the 18th century that ichthyology was to become of age, when the works of a Swedish man named Peter Artedi (1705-1735) were to be recognised as having established the generic concept. His concepts were that the genus represented a group of species that was typically consistent with each other, although, having minor characteristic differences. He then proceeded to group the genera into the “Family” conceptualisation that we know of today.

By the end of that century Germany was firmly established in the forefront of aquarium culture and was exporting tropical fishes to the USA. This formed the foundation for a nation-wide interest in the hobby that has flourished to this day

Today, fish are America's second most popular pet, trailing only cats but outnumbering dogs

Funny Fish Advert

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 13:17:00 +0000

Funny Videos

Guppies sexually harass threatened species

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 13:17:00 +0000

Male guppies may sexually harass females of another fish species to prevent them from reproducing, researchers suggest. They believe the guppies – which have invaded Mexican rivers and lakes – are using sex as a way of suppressing one native fish population.

The researchers also think the guppies may physically harm the native females so they are unable to reproduce with males of their own species, or shy away from further interactions with males.

Guppies, originally from Trinidad, invaded Mexican waters in the 1950s. The pet trade is generally blamed for introducing them around the world as aquarium owners wanting to get rid of fish, sometimes dump them into rivers.

In Mexico and elsewhere, the released guppies rapidly reproduced. "Male guppies are very sexually active," explains Alejandra Valero at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico, who led the new study. She says guppies are "like sex machines".

Declining species

One species that suffered from the invasion of the guppies was Skiffia bilineata, a fish native to Mexican waters which is threatened with extinction. Female skiffia look like female guppies, so Valero and her colleagues wanted to find out if this was contributing to the species' decline.

Skiffia

They put male and female guppies in aquariums with female skiffia and found that no matter how many female guppies were around, male guppies would try to copulate with females of both species.

Their advances were unsuccessful, but Valero and her colleagues believe that the attempts at sex might be harming the female skiffia. If this is true, the skiffia may not be able to go on to reproduce with males of their own species.

The two species have very different ways of reproducing. Skiffia sex is consensual – males have no extending reproductive organ so the only way for their sperm to reach the females' eggs is for the two animals to line up their genital openings.

Sexual harassment

Guppy sex is more violent. Males have a hooked genital organ known as a gonopodium, which they insert into the females. Past research has shown that the gonopodium maims guppy females. It is thought that the resulting inflammation locks the sperm inside the female.

Valero and her colleagues believe that the guppies may attempt to insert their hooked organ into female skiffia and harm them in the process.

"We see the males draw their gonopodium forward and try to insert it into the genital pore of the Mexican females," says Valero. "In some cases, we think they did insert it, because we saw the skiffia females jerking away."

NewScientist

Anetome Helena - Snail eating Snail to the Test!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 22:25:00 +0000

I wrote about this beauty of a snail a while ago - fight snails with snails LOL

Anetome Helena Blog

Well here are one of mine

Kinda cute for a snail huh? I have 5 of these guys and thought I would share my experiences with them...

They are very very active and FAST! you see them constantly crawling around the glass, plants and substrate on the hunt. On the first day I put them in I sat for about 45 minutes watching them just waiting for them to grab a snail and see them in action (I had purposely infested this tank with snails for them) but it was not to be on day one..disappointed I let the guys sleep for the night.

Day 2 - the light goes on and I notice all other snails in the tank are at the VERY top of the glass looking like they are ready to leave...evil me gave them a little push back into the tank <muhahahaha> and then it happened the Helena grabbed one of the snails that had just fallen to it's doom and before I knew it 3 other Helena's came crawling over to enjoy the feast. So far I have only caught them snacking on normal pond snails....

Day 3 - had to clean the tank today and to my shock I find loads of empty Malaysian Trumpet snail shells ... wow these guys can even munch the toughest of the tough.

So without logging the days further it is more than apparent that the Helena's truly are snail eating snails and they do a very good job - it is now 1 week further and there are plenty of snails left in the tank for them to snack on so I wouldn't expect any miracles with these guys if you are needing a quick snail remedy.. but slowly and surely over time I am sure this tank is going to be completely snail free.

They are housed in my shrimp tank and I have not seen them go near any of the tiny little baby shrimp...

What?? Self Sustained aquarium in a condom???

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 22:25:00 +0000

Just when you think you have seen it all.... we know there are some really sick individuals in the world luckily most aren't too dumb to believe in this kind of crap... still I would like to get this taken off Youtube just incase a mindless kid comes along and thinks it is a cool idea...

It could... would not...and never will work...don't try this at home kids!!!

Working 9-5 with fish tank in the office

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 22:25:00 +0000

I hate the idea of sitting behind a desk and working all day long listening to customers complaints....until I saw this office... I would be working overtime LOL

Pretty cool idea and very relaxing I bet....

How to euthanize a fish - by a fish biologist

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 22:24:00 +0000

A question often asked and answered I myself use clove oil and it works for me ...

So what does a fish biologist say:

"Fish can't feel pain, right?" It's usually phrased exactly that way, too—they aren't looking for an accurate answer, they're looking for a reassurance that casual brutality towards cold and slimy creatures is acceptable. The actual answer, though, is "Of course they can feel pain, you clueless boob! Mind if I put this barbed hook through your lip?"^* The fish cutaneous sensory network is intricate and exquisite, and they react vigorously to noxious stimuli. We often don't recognize their responses because fish faces are rather expressionless, but if you're in the know you learn to notice the signs. Zebrafish, for instance, blanch noticeably when they're stressed or fearful or in pain.

So how should one kill a fish? People recommend some incredibly brutal methods. Throw them in a blender, they say, it's quick—yeah, and I imagine that throwing cats in a woodchipper would be quick, too, but no one suggests that humane societies should adopt it. There's also the 'club them over the head' method, or 'pick them up by the tail and whack them hard against a table edge'. Those work, if the executioner is swift and sure, which most people aren't. In most cases you end up with a fish frantically flopping on the table, or a bleeding mess of an animal that's feebly twitching, so you have to whack it a few times. (This is how my father and I used to kill salmon, though: we had a heavily weighted club, and we were also very quick and confident.) I think plucking an aquatic animal out of its environment and swinging it through a hostile atmosphere also counts as inhumane.

Less nasty techniques are the freezer and alcohol strategies. I don't think putting a fish in a freezer is humane: they don't seem to react strongly to slowly freezing to death, but then they can't—their metabolism is shutting down. Fish tend to be very sensitive to cold, though, and seek out optimal temperatures and avoid the cold, and can respond to changes of a few degrees with shock, so I have my doubts that this is a good way for them to go. Putting them in water with a few percent alcohol might be OK; they do get drunk, pass out, and die, just like people can.

Here's the way I euthanize fish, though, and since I've killed many thousands, I can say it's the cleanest, least painful way to do it, for both me and the fish. It's an anesthetic used for frogs and fish that goes by various names: ms222, MESAB, 3-aminobenzoic acid ethyl ester, tricaine methanesulfonate, or, as most of the pet and aquaculture supply houses call it, Finquel. For routine anesthesia, I use a 0.2% solution of the stuff—let a fish swim in it for a few minutes, they lose consciousness, you can do various surgeries on them, and then put them in clean fresh water, and a few minutes later, they're awake and swimming around again. If I need to euthanize them, I use a 0.4% solution (or more crudely, I use my 0.2% stock and sprinkle a few extra crystals of the ms222 powder in the beaker), put the fish in it, they fall asleep…and after 3-5 minutes, their heart stops. It will kill them at lower doses, but simply takes longer.

http://pharyngula.org/index/trackback/3153/5N57ybwk/

Well that was easy.. furcatus breeding

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 22:24:00 +0000

My new breeding challenge of breeding with Rainbows - Pseudomugil Furcatus has gone 10 times faster than I ever could have expected....

After first getting them home I put them in my cherry shrimp tank for a few days to give me time to prepare the 70 liter tank to breed with them and to start conditioning them.

They have now been happily swimming around in the larger tank and I was not planning on breeding yet until I had conditioned them to the best....

Yesterday I completely emptied the shrimp tank for a new re-scape so all plants were taken out as well as most of the shrimp ..today I go to feed the shrimp and low and behold I see a tiny little bright blue eye darting about at the top... what the $%^#$??? Have another look....more tiny little blue eyes swimming around... then the penny drops... the furcatus!!!! So they had bred without me even trying and by removing them to the larger tank the little ones could be born and grow in peace...I could cry when I think about the amount I probably lost due to emptying the tank the other day...

The fry are tiny! if you look reallllllly closely you can see two fry on the below picture.

But still a nice surprise... I will 'intentionally' breed them soon and then it looks I am going to have to look for a new challenge ... I am open to suggestions xxxx

Another piccy update of baby furcatus - now 6 weeks old

Been a while

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 22:23:00 +0000

It has been a while... my apologies... life just takes over sometimes....

I have a lot of new fish since last blogging but not had time to take foto's of all of them yet

The Shrimp tank had a revamp:

At the very front of the glass other than the annoying piece of paper I did not move for the pic - sheesh I am slacking - you can spot a snail. One of the new inhabitants Helena Anetome.

Also in here are Boraras Maculata

Celestichthys marginatus

Some Corydoras Pygmeus

And the usual 10,000 shrimp..... ;)

In other tanks new fish are

Corydoras Punctatus

Nannostomus beckfordi

Poecilocharax weitzmani

And my fave new fish - Apistogramma Eremnopyge

What a load of colors ... who said freshwater fish are dull compared to salt water??

Oops I forgot and Caridina japonica

They don't really count as new fish but my Angelfish have been in a breeding frenzy lately and I have so many fry that I have started removing the eggs.

Can you see why? Look at the amount of eggs each time!!!!

One of the couple are wonderful parents - too good!!! Even though they are in a community tank they manage to keep the eggs safe and bring up little ones

That's the update on fish so far ;) ;)

My Crazy Apistogramma - MacMasteri & Cacatouides crossbreed

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 20:28:00 +0000

Apistogramma are my most favourite fish - their character, their looks and their amazing behaviour can keep me watching them for hours. During one of my hour sessions of watching I discovered my Macmasteri female heavily flirting with my Cacatouides male!!! What is going on? They even took it a step further and she picked a corner to breed in with him... I managed to capture their illicit affair on camera and it shows quite nicely the pre-mating flaring and behaviour as well as the chasing off of other fish not matter how big.

Terminalia catappa - Indian Almond Leaves in the Aquarium

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 20:28:00 +0000

I have been using these for yeaaaars - I first came across them whilst breeding and since then I have used them in nearly every aqua I have - I swear by them and would never be without.

Besides being a natural miracle cure for many human ailments they are amazing for the aqua.

They remove and purify water of heavy metals.

Have high anti-bacterial properties

Strengthen the fish's immune system & well being.

Quickly heals and prevents finrot, head in the hole disease and fungus infections.

Great for conditioning fish especially betta's and it makes their bubblenests sticker as well.

Because of it's high anti-bacterial properties it also keep cyano bacteria at bay (blue-green algae)

They come in different sizes obviously and I use the really large ones - I always use 1 per 100 liters but you can also put them in the filter if you don't like the look of leaves in your aqua.

I noticeably notice that my fish are happier when there are leaves in the aqua with them and they colour up more intensely as well....

I love the leaves and what they do for my fish so much I am thinking of purchasing a tree to harvest them myself ;) ;)

Video of the Month - Angelfish Baby Feeding

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 20:28:00 +0000

I loooove this little clip from youtube showing baby angelfish getting their baby brine shrimp feeding - brilliant - as someone else says they look like a pack of piranha's LOL

New Breeding Project - Pseudomugil furcatus - Forktail Rainbow Fish

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 20:28:00 +0000

I'm in the mood to breed... having bred catfish, tetra's, killifish and cichlids I was looking for something new...my eyes fell on these little hyperactive guys

Rainbowfish... my first and I chose the Pseudomugil furcatus

Family:
Pseudomugilidae

Category:
Rainbowfish

Distribution:
Indo Pacific; Originally discovered in the streams of Papua New Guinea

Main Ecosystem:
Stream; Found in small freshwater jungle streams that are fast flowing,

Temperament:
Peaceful; Best kept with other small community fish such as tetras, danios, barbs. Males can be occasionally aggressive towards females if kept in pairs, but being kept in groups with more females helps limit aggression.

Diet:
Omnivore; Omnivore

Care:
Feed with flakes as staple diet, and with live or frozen foods such as bloodworms. Easy to keep as long as frequent water changes are given.

PH:
6-8

Temp:
24C - 27C (75F - 81F)

Potential Size:
Male: 6cm (2.6")
Female: 6cm (2.6")

Water Region:
Middle Surface; Middle-Surface

They are now happily swimming in their own 70 Liter (19 gallon) tank and I am conditioning them with live white mosquito larvae & live Artemia. So if all goes well I should have little ones soon.

Fingers crossed ;) xxx

Another New Apistogramma - Hongsloi

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 20:27:00 +0000

Meet the newest Apisto on the block - the Apistogramma Hongsloi ... I got him yesterday and he is settling in really well...I should really take him back and exchange him for a Macmasteri male but I have already fallen in love with him <sighs>

I cannot wait to see him in full colour as these foto's were taken just a few hours after being in the tank... he really is a beautiful specimen if I may say so myself <grins>

1 Year Anniversary of Blogging

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 20:25:00 +0000

A year ago I started this little blog and I still really enjoy doing it... time doesn't permit me to write as much as I would like to but I hope that every visitor has managed to find something interesting and still enjoy reading it ;)

If anyone has suggestions, comments or questions just pop me a line at Fishaliciousfish@gmail.com

A big thank you to my readers xxxx

Sick Fish? Fish need vitamins to stay healthy

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 15:22:00 +0000

So you have a sick fish - panic - you start to go through all the books and the net to try and find out what is wrong... diagnosing a sick fish is really difficult and let's face it, fish can sometimes too just have a 'down' day as well. You sometimes don't even know what is wrong with the fish but you know it is not well... most people at this stage start throwing in salt or spectrum meds for different diseases. But wait.... what a lot of fish keepers sadly do not think about is vitamin deficiency and the effects it can have on fish - no medicine will help in this case but a proper diet.

Feeding your fish an improper diet is as common a mistake as overfeeding.

Providing the correct diet is essential for fish growth and health. Dietary deficiencies will not only shorten the lifespan of fish and cause many diseases, but will also contribute to a deteriorating water quality by polluting the water.

The diet of fish varies based on their individual nutritional needs. Some require meaty foods (carnivores), some plants (herbivores) and some a combination of both (omnivores).

Protein is necessary for growth and for repair of cells and body tissue. Proteins must be supplied regularly to ensure good growth and health. It is the most expensive component in feed and may comprise anywhere from 25 percent to 55 percent of the diet, depending on the fish species and size. While it is an important source of energy, excessive protein will simply increase ammonia production. Fish and shrimp meals are common sources of protein in fish feeds.

Lipids (fats and oils) are important to fish since they provide energy and allow the uptake of fat-soluble vitamins and other crucial nutrients. They are available from many sources, and extra fats can be stored in the body. Too much fat can affect the liver’s ability to filter and cleanse the blood.

Like fats, carbohydrates provide energy for body functions. However, only omnivores (meat and plant eaters) and herbivores (plant eaters) utilize carbohydrates well; carnivores (meat eaters) do not.

So here's a look at the different vitamins fish need, why and the effects of deficiency: -

Fat Soluble Vitamins

Vitamin A
Functions: - normal vision, cell growth and resistance to infection
Deficiencies: - poor growth, poor vision, abnormal bone formation and hemorrhaging at the base of the fins

Vitamin E
Functions: - antioxidant, may play a role in muscle cell respiration
Deficiencies: - anemia and poor growth

Water Soluble Vitamins

Thiamine (B1)
Functions: - aids growth, digestion and fertility, nervous system
Deficiencies: - poor appetite, muscle atrophy, convulsions, loss of equilibrium and poor growth

Riboflavin (B2)
Functions: - vision, protein metabolism and enzyme functioning
Deficiencies: - photophobia, cloudy lens, dim vision, abnormal colouration of the iris, striated constrictions on the abdominal wall, dark pigmentation, poor appetite, anemia and poor growth

Nicotinic Acid (niacin, B3)
Functions: - plays an important role in lipid, protein and amino acid metabolism
Deficiencies: - loss of appetite, poor growth, lesions in colon, erratic motion and weakness, edema of stomach and colon

Pantothenic Acid (B5)
Functions: - adrenal functioning, cholersterol production, normal physiology and metabolism
Deficiencies: - poor growth, sluggishness, clubbed gills, loss of appetite, hemmorhagic skin and cellular atrophy

Pyroxidine (B6)
Functions: - plays a vital role in enzyme systems and protein metabolism
Deficiencies: - nervous disorders, fits, loss of appetite, poor growth, rapid and gasping breathing, flexing of opercles and hyperirritability

Cyanocobalamin (B12)
Functions: - enzyme systems, cholesterol metabolism
Deficiencies: - poor appetite, poor growth, anemia and dark pigmentation

Ascorbic Acid (C)
Functions: - enzyme systems, bone, tooth and cartilage formation and healing
Deficiencies: - hemorrhagic shin, kidneys, liver, intestine and muscle tissue, eye lesions and scoliosis of the spine

Biotin (H)
Functions: - enzyme systems, purine and lipid synthesis, oxidation of lipids and carbohydrates
Deficiencies: - loss of appetite, poor growth, anemia, skin lesions and muscle atrophy

Choline
Functions: - good growth and food conversion
Deficiencies: - poor growth, poor food conversion, hemorrhagic kidney and intestine

Folic Acid (M)
Functions: - blood cell formation, blood glucose regulation and fish metabolism
Deficiencies: - poor growth, lethargy, dark skin, anemia and fragility of the caudal fin

Inositol
Functions: - cell membrane permeability
Deficiencies: - poor growth, distended stomach, skin lesions and increased gastric emptying time

References & Sources: from Fruland and Miller 1980; Moyle and Cech 1982 Fruland, R. and W. Miller 1980. Vitamins and the marine aquarium.FAMA 3(5): 36-75. Moyle, P.B. and J.J. Cech Jr. 1982. Fishes: An Introduction toIchthyology. Prentice-Hall, Inc., New Jersey.

Ban it Now! Cruel Ipod Speaker with Betta

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 15:22:00 +0000

I can hardly believe and if I saw one in a pet store near me I would be jailed for the night ....

Luckily it is sparking outrage with many animal activists around the world and the RSPCA are calling for a ban on it. Unfortunately that did not stop it being sold out at a Sydney store and the sales being huge.

The $70 Ipond is being sold at Pets Paradise and Pet Goods Direct chains. Users can play their iPods through a speaker built into the bottom of the brick-shaped tank. The tank's water capacity is about 650millilitres once rocks are placed in it.

Pets Paradise is selling Siamese fighting fish with the iPond.

I'm not even going to mention what the poor fish has to go through with some pumping music blaring out of it's housing. Even if it does live it's not [a] life worth living ... it's really just a torture box.

Ahhhh what companies will do for money.... just so low! It is so sad that Betta's keep getting such a bad deal - such a waste of an extremely beautiful fish

While we are on the subject of being cruel to Betta's - #$%#@#%^**%^%^$%$%##$%!!!!!!!!