Weird, forbidden, love - Ram Chiclid and Empire Gudgeon

Hello all,
Well, something weird occurred in the tank the other day. A visitor to the aquarium, a male Mikrogeophagus ramirezi whom we will babysit over the summer, apparently made our Hypseleotris compressa feel like a man.
I discovered the compressa making advances and showing the full, beautiful, colours that the males of this species get when in heat. The object turned out to be the Ram chiclid who really didn't know what to do. So the two males kept circling each other, while the compressa attempted to persuade the chiclid into some sweet love...
I only managed a few unfocused pictures and a brief video but it does make for interesting watching:

All the best,
Kasper

Fun: My Cat fishing for fish in the Aquarium

Howdy all,
we recently acquired two kittens, and while they are fun and adorable, and all that, what really makes me alugh is when they try and get the fish through the glass fo the aquarium. they still havn't quite figured out that they won't be eating any of them anytime soon.
Here is a video of Tosca in action:

They have tried a few Shrimps and Guppies (who died when I forgot to empty a fishtrap :-/) and they ate those with great glee!

All the best,
Kasper

Video: Epiplatys annulatus and Hymenochirus boettgeri

Hello all,
Found this video of a beautiful species of killi fish I used to have. They are called Epiplatys annulatus (AKA Clown killi, Banded panchax, or Pseudo-Epiplatys annulatus) and are absolutely stunning!
I've written more on the species and how to keep them here.

In this video they are sharing their tank with Hymenochirus boettgeri (AKA Congo dwarf clawed frog or African dwarf frog), not a tank mate I would recommend in the future.

All the best,
Kasper

Video: Skin eating Hymenochirus boettgeri (AKA Congo dwarf clawed frog or African dwarf frog)

Hello all,
My Hymenochirus boettgeri (African Dwarf frog) shares a habit with all other African Dwarf frogs; it eats its own skin once it has shed it. Apparently this is a great way of regaining nutricients, but it does look really weird and a bit disgusting. But also entertaining to watch it try and stuff its skin into its mouth without having useful hands. They do this every week or so, but normally they do it hidden and catching it on camera was lucky.

In the background is a puzzled male Aphyosemion australe (golden) killi, who was on a short holiday in the tank.

All the best,
Kasper

Video: Aphysemion australe (Lyretail Killi) and Apple Snail (Ampullariidae)

Hello all,
Found this old video that illustrates why you shouldn't keep killi fish with fance snails.
The male Aphysemion australe (golden) is a brilliant specimen of the killi species, but as all killies he is curious and opportunistic and the eye stalks of the apple snail is just too tempting. As a result he kept nibbling them and in the end I had to put the snail in another tank. 

Apart from this incident, the Aphysemion australe killi fish remains one of my favourite fish - it always looks happy and is investigative active fish.

All the best,
Kasper

Fruit paste as fish food?

Hello all,
Well, apparently fish really like fruit paste :-).
As the stuff sinks, is full of good stuff, and is often not eaten by my kids, this is really nice - no more throwing it in the trash.

All the Best,
Kasper

White Growth on Red Moore roots? Causes and a quick fix

Hello all,
was just reminded of one of my first "wtf"-moments of keeping fish. I had bought an expensive piece of 'driftwood', called Red Moore roots (AKA Spiderwood) and was thoroughly enjoying it.

The root, seconds before the fungus attack .-)

And then this weird, white growth appeared and crawled all over my pretty decoration.
Nasty, I thought and began panicking.
Today I know better and would love to share this with all of you :-).

Causes:
Apparently whenever a root that has been boiled or similarly treated is inserted into an aquarium, a species of marine fungus will take this as their chance to prosper. And when they prosper, they grow large enoguh that we can see the resulting white fussy and fluffy growth.
And good luck searching for the scientific name of this species of fungus. Each type of wood has its own particular species of marine fungus. And as marine fungi are among the worst investigated lifeforms on Earth, theres quite a good chance we shall never know the name of the redmoore eating fungus.

Solution:
Well, this is the easy part. If you are not in a hurry, then just let it be. Once your aquarium gets better established the inherent bacteria will triumph. Growing much quicker than the fungus, they will soon conqour the spot and eat the easily available nutrients that the root is leaking.
If you are in a hurry (or find the growth disgusting), all shrimps love the fungus, and quite a few catfish (and other types of fish) will also eat the growth. So either way nothing bad will happen - either it will disappear on its own, or it will provide free food for your aquarium :-).

This qoute (from an old defunct homepage) sates the above in better English :-):
Floridadriftwood
About Fungus

Sometimes when an enthusiast brings driftwood home, the temptation to boil it before adding it to their aquarium becomes too great to ignore. When they do this, they sterilize the wood and leave it vulnerable to fungal colonization. If this happens, do not panic! Two things to note:

1. This fungus is harmless to both fish and plants. In fact, many fish will seek it out to eat it. Yes, it looks unplesant but boiling the driftwood again and again to get rid of it is futile. This just restarts the cycle of colonization.

2. This fungus is temporary. Once the natural bacteria in your aquarium have a chance to get a foothold, they will colonize the driftwood and out compete the fungus. The fungus will then seem to disappear; almost overnight.


All the best,
Kasper

Fish spotlight: Chromaphyosemion bitaeniatum 'Ijebu Ode' (Killi fish, AKA Aphyosemion bitaeniatum))

Hello all,
if there is any one fish type that I really love then it would have to be the Killifish. Almost all of these (and there are thousands of different types) are beautiful, intriguing, and entertaining. One species I've really enjoyed having in my aquarium was the Chromaphyosemion bitaeniatum.

An unfussy eater, beautiful swimmer and very pleasing to the eye: 

Male Chromaphyosemion bitaeniatum

I bought my original trio at a Danish Killi-auction (ca. 3$) and instantly fell in love with them. Well, the entire family did, and the youngest even named them 'Dragon-fish'. They were from the region of Ijebu Ode.
I contacted the seller and it turned out that she had decided not to continue breeding the line and I got her remaining males for free. Wonderful lady!

Here the new Chromaphyosemion bitaeniatum males arrive - very curious.

Their larger brother goes closer to show them who is the boss!

Nothing beats Chromaphyosemion bitaeniatum males showing of against each other.

Chromaphyosemion bitaeniatum and a Aphysemion Australe

In general this is a very easy fish - eats anything and is very peaceful even with rivalling males sparring no injury will occur. The only downside is that you cannot expect mor than 1½ years out of them. But in that span of time they will charm anyone :-).

All the best,
Kasper

Mystery eggs

Hello all,
So there was a surprise waiting for me in the fishtank. Unfortunately I screwed up and destroyed it. *Insert sad face here*
Apparently someone has been busy and deposited a large patch of eggs at the back of the fishtank, on the root system of a small Pistia stratiotes. Sadly, I didn't notice until the plant had been out of the water for some time. At first I thought they might be from my Pterophyllum scalare, but now I think they might be snail eggs - as I havnt seen so much goo around fish eggs before.

There is a small colony of Marisa cornuarietis at large int he fish tank, they might be responsible.

Hmm, what might they be? Stay tuned as I investigate the case of the Mystery Eggs!
Anyways, I put the plant back again, but the eggs were soon eaten by hungry fish, now that they were not hidden in the background anymore.

EDIT: Well the case was solved a few days later - read the solution here...

All the best,
Kasper

Fish spotlight: Sturisoma aureum (Giant Whiptail, Golden Whiptail)

Hello all,
Roughly a year ago I got the chance to acquire three young catfish of the species Sturisoma aureum (AKA Giant Whiptail).Although we lost one fairly quickly, the remaining two have proven quite sturdy and have grown fast. This beautiful catfish, originally from Columbia but mine were bred locally (just a few kilometers from where I live by a talented lady), is a constant enjoyment. It almost never hides and I really wouldn't call it nocturnal as one often reads on the internet, instead it often rests on a leaf or on a treeroot in full view so we can always appreciate it. It is an excellent community fish, and a very elegant one, with its fancy elongated dorsal fin.
 

A beautiful Sturisoma aureum

This is a video from when they were still fairly small - the largest is now more than 15 cm:

All in all a very pretty fish, and one that I really recommend!

A young Sturisoma aureum

From experience I can relate that they eat a fair bit of algae, but prefers catfish pellets and vegetables (peas, cucumber, etc).


Wikipedia adds the following:
Sturisoma aureum is a species of armored catfish endemic to Colombia where it is found in the Magdalena, San Jorge and Cesar River basins. This species grows to a length of 20 centimetres (7.9 in) SL. This species can be found in the aquarium trade.


All the best,
Kasper

Live Food: Hyalella azteca, using as food

Hello all,
Just a quick video that shows how my fish (well-fed already) goes ever so slightly crazy as the Hyalella azteca (scuds) that were shown here are poured into the aquarium :-).

Hoped you enjoyed that almost as much as the fish. More information on breeding, care and using as live food in freshwater aquariums, please click here.

All the best,
Kasper

Fish Spotlight: Heterandria formosa - AKA least killifish, mosqu or midget livebearer

Hello all,
Once in a while you find that one of the fish you keep turns out to be a favourite although there is no good reason for this. The small Heterandria formosa is just such a fish. Unremarkable in colour, not a really good swimmer, and as small as you are likely to find any fish to be, it still is surprisingly lovable.

 So whats to love? Well, for one thing it breeds remarkably easily. As with guppies, it will keep throwing out babies (the smallest slivers that are barely visible). But it is also very, very, undemanding as it can tolerate temperatures from 5 to 30 degrees.
It is also just plain weird.
Size-wise, the male is less than half the size of the female.
The female will give birth to between one and three baies every three days or so, the only livebearer to do so, which is due to how the eggs mature. At our house it is sometimes referred to as the "rapist", the large 'genital' that is almost half the size of the male, can be swung around and used to perform "swim-by-rapes". The male can literally impregnate the female from afar. And will do so often and at every opportunity. As a consequence studies have shown that the female has developed an ability to eject semen from her body, but (gets weirder and weirder) also the ability to only do so with semen from fish that are too genetically close to her (i.e. 'brothers').

I've found them to unpecky eaters (they will eat anything they can get in their mouth) and will not, generally, eat their own offspring.
Easy, somehow adorable, fish. Highly recommended for small, possible low tech (i.e. no heater and filter) aquariums.

This is what Wikepedia has to offer:
Heterandria formosa (known as the least killifish, mosqu or midget livebearer) is a species of livebearing fish within the family Poeciliidae. This is the same family that includes familiar aquarium fishes such as guppies and mollies. H. formosa is not as commonly kept in aquaria as these species. H. formosa is one of the smallest fish in the world (7th smallest as of 1991), and is the smallest fish found in North America. Despite the common name "least killifish", it belongs to the family Poeciliidae and not to one of the killifish families.
Heterandria formosa is the only member of its genus to be found in the United States. Its range covers southeastern United States, from South Carolina south to Georgia and Florida, and through the Florida Gulf Coast to Louisiana. It is one of the few aquarium fishes to come from North America.
H. formosa lives primarily in vegetated, slow moving or standing freshwater but also occurs in brackish waters. 
Heterandria formosa is one of the smallest fish and smallest vertebrates known to science. Males grow to about 2 centimeters (0.8 inches), while females grow a little larger, to about 3 centimeters (1.2 inches)^.
The fish is generally an olive color, with a dark horizontal stripe through the center of the body. There is also a dark spot on the dorsal fin and females also have a dark spot on their anal fin. Like most poeciliids, males' anal fins are modified into a gonopodium that is used for impregnating females during mating.
 Like most poeciliids, H. formosa is a livebearer. The male uses his modified anal fin, or gonopodium, to deliver sperm to the female. The fertilized eggs grow within the female until they hatch, and the young are released free swimming. H. formosa has a unique breeding strategy even among livebearers. Rather than all the young being released at once, as many as 40 fry are released over a 10 to 14 day period, but occasionally over a longer period.



All the best,
Kasper

Fish Spotlight: Hypseleotris compressa

Hello all,
Found the place where I kept the pictures of my Hypseleotris compressa. This fish is full of character and, if treated well, will become an instant favorite of spectators. We've named our male "the red baron" (although my youngest just calls him the 'angry fish'). and he is among my favourite fish. Although their behaviour is not that impressive (they seem to be ambushers, i.e. they find a place and lie in wait for prey) and they will rarely take a swim through the aquarium they are always around, wathching you. And once you start feeding they come out and dazzle everyone with their colours (well the male does, the female is not that dazzling to be honest).
Mine take dry, flake food, but much prefer live food (i.e. daphnia, Hyalella azteca, RCS shrimps etc), but will happily munch on frozen mosquito etc. Somewhat slow feeders they have no problem bullying other fish away and our male has an area in the tank where no other fish go to feed.

Female Hypseleotris compressa

Female Hypseleotris compressa

Female Hypseleotris compressa

 All the best,
Kasper

Fish Spotlight: Epiplatys annulatus (AKA Clown killi, Banded panchax, Pseudo-Epiplatys annulatus)

Hello all,

Used to have a small group of these wonderful little killies, Epiplatys annulatus. Alas they died one after the other over the course of half a year. One day I'll definately try them again, but this time in a larger tank and with much more 'cycled' content - I think they would really enjoy a heavily organic tank filled with insects of various types.

Pictures:

Epiplatys annulatus

Epiplatys annulatus

This is all Wikipedia has on this fish:
The Clown killi or Banded panchax (Epiplatys annulatus) is a species of African rivuline native to fresh water habitats in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in West Africa.

Here is a link to an article (in Danish) I wrote on this fish: http://www.akvariefisk.dk/species/show/?ArtID=15976

All the best,
Tokasper

Fish Spotlight: Betta Splendens - Siamese fighting fish

Hello all,
A few pictures of my fat male Betta splendens:

Betta splendens - don't mind the algae, this was just before I cleaned the tank :-)

Betta Splendens - Siamese fighting fish

Betta Splendens - Siamese fighting fish

Betta Splendens - Siamese fighting fish

If you should want to see where this blue beauty lives then this is its tank: http://fishtankdk.blogspot.dk/2012/12/cryptocoryne-country-20-l-nano-aquarium.html

Information from Wikipedia:

B. splendens usually grow to an overall length of about 3 inches, including fins. Although known for their brilliant colors and large, flowing fins, the natural coloration of B. splendens is a dull green and brown, and the fins of wild specimens are relatively short. Brilliantly colored and longer finned varieties (i.e. Veiltail; Delta; Superdelta; and Halfmoon) have been developed through selective breeding.
Properly kept and fed a correct diet, B. Splendens lives approximately 2-4 years in captivity but 5 is not uncommon. It is possible for them to live up to 10 years in rare cases.
The fish is a member of the gourami family (family Osphronemidae) of order Perciformes, but was formerly classified among the Anabantidae. Although there are nearly 50 other members of the Betta genus, B. splendens is one of the most popular species among aquarium hobbyists.
Betta Species also prefer a warmer water climate than other tropical fish - around 25-30 Degrees Celsius.(77-86 Degrees Fahrenheit)
Betta fish have an organ known as the labyrinth organ which allows them to breathe air at the water's surface. It is often wrongly thought that this organ allows Betta fish to be kept in unmaintained aquaria. This is a misconception as poor water quality makes all tropical fish, including Betta Splendens more susceptible to diseases such as fin rot.

The people of Siam and Malaya (now Thailand and Malaysia) are known to have collected these fish prior to the 19th century.
In the wild, bettas spar for only a few minutes or so before one fish backs off. Bred specifically for fighting, domesticated betta matches can go on for much longer, with winners determined by a willingness to continue fighting. Once one fish retreats, the match is over. Large amounts of money are wagered during these fights, with potential losses as great as a person's home.
Seeing the popularity of these fights, the king of Siam started licensing and collecting these fighting fish. In 1840, he gave some of his prized fish to a man who, in turn, gave them to Dr. Theodor Cantor, a medical scientist. Nine years later, Dr. Cantor wrote an article describing them under the name Macropodus pugnax. In 1909 the ichthyologist Charles Tate Regan, realizing that there was already a species with the name Macropodus pugnax, renamed the domesticated Siamese fighting fish Betta splendens.

Siamese fighting fish have upturned mouths and are primarily carnivorous surface feeders, although some vegetable matter may be eaten. In the wild, they feed on zooplankton, crustaceans, the larvae of mosquitoes and other water bound insect larvae. Typically, commercial betta pellets are a combination of mashed shrimp meal, wheat flour, fish meal, brine shrimp, bloodworms, and vitamins. These fish will also eat live or frozen bloodworms, mosquito larvae, brine shrimp, daphnia, small freshwater shrimp, and small fishes.
Hatching brine shrimp is a popular method used by many in the aquarium hobby to obtain live food for their Betta fish. Brine shrimp are the easiest live fish food to procure, hatch and cultivate and are particularly nutritious when the nauplii are in their early stages. Some aquarium fish are reluctant to accept dried or flake foods therefore live food is occasionally necessary.


All the best,
Tokasper