Dual-Lamp TS HO LIGHT FIXTURES Aquatic Life Marine Dual-Lamp Light Fixtures include energy efficient TS High Output lamps specially designed for growing corals. Each fixture includes one 10,000K lamp which produces 2 bright white light. Complimenting the white light is a hybrid actinic / blue lamp. This blue-colored lamp produces light in the Actinic (420 nm) spectrum which benefits most corals and the blue (460 nm) ‘spectrum which enhances fish colors. FEATURES: [= Electronic ballast built into fixture makes installation easy |= Included tank frame mounts hold fixture securely on top of the aquarium |. Anodized matte finish provides visual appeal and years of lifeAquaticLife* BRINGING THE OCEAN TO Yo! WHEREVER YOU MAY BE." can eae trasBRUT Si) Ts ae AT ] IESALT ow i soe AES 4 Cy CTS i .) a 6 a 5] Pee ETC on ne eadWorking Globally... Available Locallyseptember? 01 | (Our 60th Year “Volume LX - Number 1 = #665 features 56 62 66 72 80 86 92 % Expressing Perspective Through Aquatic Plant Arrangement The aquascoping master describes @ novel technique for creating the ison of depin a layout hrougy creative pati. Takashi Amano Pleasant Platies Coming in @ wise ary of color and patterns. plies are easly kept hardy, ond fun feh, perfect for beginners ana advanced aqua lke, Maddy Hargrove ‘Aquarium Science: The Biomechanics of Fish Color Have you ever wondered how fen can dkplay such an astounding veaity of colors? Lec how fsh come by thei extacrcinary beauty. Donna M. Reektenwalt A Survey of Eartheaters Picking up mouthful of sand 9 sain for foo ites nthe subse, ‘eatheaters hove aute he oppropricte monker Dscover the mary Sspacies of goophoaines fora range of aquetum S208 and styles Radek Bednarezuk Book Excerpl: Marine Aquarium Handbook: Beginner to Breeder Gat an exclave look a he easontct guide fr any earn aque, wh ps.on everything fom ensuing stable water choristy fo breeding ‘topical manne speciss. Martin A. Moe, Jt. The Weird and Wonderful Frogfishes Keown for hake tanning ses at prey of almost any se, trogtahes x0 erptic yet dynam antras that ae perfect fora snglespecmen ‘cavaitim Seotf Micha! Corals on the Front Lines [Atrough aggression i fypicaly winessed betwesn fkhes,sesle Invertebrates engage in some of the most deoly encounters on he ‘oot. Bll Rosser Marvelous Triggers Tigges ore rough-and-tumbe root dwolors that offen create problorrs [email protected] aquarium, but those fom the genus Xanthichihys a ‘comparatively peaceful and can sometimes even be housed no reat ‘enk Edward Adam Jackson, columns 28 Cichlid World 32 The Planted Tank 36 Adventures in Aquascaping Jt sate 40 Import Report sensing 44 Going Nano 48 The Reefer{tn ot out rogha ore rum ma moth n seat Wino Starner tag 8) departments 6 Edilor's Note/Reader's Forum 8 Contributors 10 Feature Photo 12 Freshwater Q&A 20 Soltwater QA 54 Fish of the Month 102 Behind the Brand 104 Meeting Place 107 Aquarium Society News 108 Classifieds 110 Product Spotight 112. Advertiser Index TROPCLEISH ymagezinecom TFH Magazine executve ster: Gin Axrod publaner: Honey 5. Rvadenaia corse pubther Abort Cornet. Editorial & Design moneaing ector: Abert Coney conasing ri oe: Woon Bzoen PO. Ned Penok Advertsing covering sles ctoctr: Nancy 8. Rodentia averting preduten manager: Kyl ier averting cis manager Blonne Maine intemet maseting: ok tedesch Subscriptions AvigallM. Meroay:curlomenupperatmcom ‘asb-t97 9088 ‘TFH, Publications, nc. pesisent che! executive cicer: Gln. Assrod ep Fe ye SSNs. pba mony S80editors noite Enjoy! David Boruchowitz Eaitor-in-Chiet Topical Fish Hobbyist 6 vwornefhimagazine com reader’s forum Popular Livebearers Readers react to “7 Forgotten Livebearers” (TFHL ‘August 2011) by Neale Monks: ‘Thank you so muich for this article! As a member of the American Livehearer Association, | have kept many of these fish and hope to keep many more interesting livebearers, Almost all of the 50 tanks in my lishroom are dedicated to livebearers, Thank you, Dr. Monks, for the article, and thank you, TFH, for continuing to support livebearer husbandry Bill Allen, via t hmagazine.com Halfbeaks of all species come into Japan by the large bagful. Usually they are dirt cheap. Limia ‘goodeids, and unusual species ofthe other livebearers can be hard to find here On the other hand, I know at least a dozen people who breed Endler’ guppy hybrids that are outstanding for unusual color and finnage. Edward Venn via tfhmagazine.com This isa good read; | would like to see more. Being. ‘a member of the Missouri Aquarium Society and American Livebearer Association, you ean find these with no problems. Derek Walker via tfhmagezine.com Ei TFH Facebook Poll How Otlen Bo You Perform & ‘Water Change on Your Tank? so- 49% Once or twice o week 32% Once every other week 14% once a month ) A% Daily or more often 1%When it needs it Tithe uly 2001 sve we Incorrecly Wenied Mo Devlin the oman tht ii sin Ac a ned ‘September 2011Make PetSmart Part of Your Monthly Maintenance oes eg HN ercontributors f tokashi amano was bom in 195419 Nigata, Japan, He has explored the remote juncies ‘of South America and Attica ‘during his asinguished career as & prizewinning nature. pholographer fand author. Hs. ressaren lero topical fish husbondry ang ‘aquatic plant cultvation ‘led te Fis developing the oquatc plont layout method “Nature Aquarium,” combining his extensive experience In the observation of nature ond his nique sansa of beauty. In 1998 Mr ‘Amano estabished Agua Design ‘Amano Co. Lid, where he serves os president and CEO. soot w. michael 's on ftemotinaly_recognzee ‘ate uncerwcler photoprhe, Gnd teseurcher who speeches Sioumebronchs in. shore tae and Toy). ond col tect shes fle nos wien IT boots onthe behavenal ecology On¢ oquakan soonay clara ane Tisorides eguaty oppearinmary intemotonal publeotens A man aquastance boyhood, Soot hes been teeping mate hes for mote than 35 yous, wi mary year of xen Ivoamentneuag o forod ofa ste canes fhe cquorun node. Soot rsiges in uncon, Neotosa wns we Sorine Gams Mchool(a deposed New zeclonder ond oscompine Underwater photograph) and he aon reer bona 8 roadek bednarczuk livgs in Poland ond is @ graduate of a medical academy. He hos willfen numerous articles Cconceming fishkaeping and shares his knowledge ond experience with hobbyists fom al over the World. One of his major interests i South Americon cichids. He is & photogiapherwithcmaringpictures ‘nat of often used in articles and hos been featured on the cavers of several aquarium magazines, and he owns and operates © website wwwradbedcom MO6, Jr. olds @ master’s degree ttom the Unwersty of Sout Floida ond ns (ricies and books cote back o 1982 \whenhe began hscareerasamatne Biolog for tho stata of Ard. Ho ccccomplshed the fst commercial cure of marine topical fh in a (gerage in 1972 and hos eared more than 30 species of marine topical ‘sh, He founded the fist commescit ‘matine fish haichery, Aquatfe Ressarch Comoraton 1973. After three yeas of wok developing the technology for largescdle breeding coftneleng soned eo cin, Moss ‘been succestu, and this fechnology may be Ietumentol fue cor reef restoration efforts the topical \westem Atlontic ond Carboecn. 1 maddy hargrove 'sa.Canddon'bom aute who has een vaeeing Hopi fen fo more than a) yours. She ho culhor of numafeus. cquatium B00, ‘noting Froshweror Aquorums for Dummiss ‘ond nos been wg columns ond files for sovera ‘plea fs puoloatens over tne couse of the past two cacodes Inher spare ‘ima. Mosdy ao anys scuba dling. underwater photography, woodworking, rowing. corGons, ond Sreecing recktenwalt Ws @ afer ond Dobby from southern Ohio ond on ache momber of vera ‘cquorkm Crgorisators, who bagon teeping gupoies oF 0 ir the yoo Shooto noe nerooxed both he furnborettmisthe ete ara tho warty of fin so koeps. she fos sucovsuly bed. hunber of species, nung tis, some of he is common Webeatrs, Seve nes carn Ondo ets vwvenefhmagazine com a > edward adam jackson ‘shoown by nsmcdoramo of Adam. Ho wos bom cndhoslved Sauthem CaitreaHs ente fo, ond he hor oc natua ay kr suing ond rr eis padres, Acrn hos ‘rperencein oquote habarcty be fagon the fesnwoter davai feBby os oon wn fis pores ond Slated inf mains crustum hoy from age Is on he own. Adorn? tron Gea’ of sy hor focised pound tocclogy ans fH Gon Sp rocked rough welwsomeda eam wha be No priate ok 0 tomb of ob orf expon crow fe con co bo veachad trough ni tml EadomAcsni@me com oron Tuteecom @Accrnockor SA rosser has habe in the development of several fell stores. most recently managing 0 store wh « S00-ga10n shat ond ray aah. Ho hopes to taing awareness fo the picht of mathe ie and & row focusng a7 ‘conservation through education ond ‘captive propagation. ail operates RepiAquatcscom which offes 0 \ost amount of information senioes. IWestock and supplies, as wall cs quorum maintenance for bom resdonfol and commercial dspivs (ond educotional dsolays » ond Presentations. You con ema Bi ot lwmrosser@reptoquatics. com, ‘September 2011AQUATOP ga” Pao Cont Corset} (UT et te (heal eat Heaters | Pumps | Filters & UV Lamps | Nutritional Needs | Tank Health Cee a Ma Me COST Cy Ara a E Ca Ged Pred CC en eS oe Seat aces ay cay ot Po Src = a 2 LJ HI eer ro ee Peni ee ee td anetey cit Era rosy Bor coy Cr Ce on re Pees 559 String 1 5399 oor De oe en a En ns Sa CTSA] WALMARTcom il www-AqueTop.com | Call us at (888) 915-2782 enmils Q&A resrwater 2 gota question? Send your questions about the freshwater side of the cquarium hobby 10 "Q&A," FH, Publications PO. Box 427, Neptune. NJ. 07754 (or suomit vio e-mall to editor@rtn, ‘com. For answers 10 more time: sensitive questions, opinions on your selup, oF just fo Converse with like minded members of the aquarium community. please visit the TH Forum at forums tihmagazine.com, African Butterflyfish on Hunger Strike Thave an Alican butterfyfish that won't eat. T have it in a 40-gallon aquarium, and the only other fish in the tank are six cory catfish. t basically ignores flake food completely. It scems {0 show some interest when { feed brine or mysid shrimp, but T don think it has actually eaten any. Bloodworms donit get any reaction, either, On a positive note, ay cory catfish are very well fed with all the foods Tve used to ty to tempt the buttefyfish. Any suggestions on how to get thisstubborn fish to eat before it staves, to death? Mark Ashford Houston, Texas Well thee are certain factors that commonly coment play when an ‘African berfyfish (presumably Pantodon buchhol2) refuses to at—some elated t0 the fshs environment ‘and some related to the foods themselves. The {rst thing I would check isthe environment at the surface ofthe aquarium (where this species ‘feeds and spends all of is tne). P buchboet ivors relatively calm ater and subdued ‘nination.ifyou havea filter or powerbead that i creating a strong current ov turbulence the surface andor lighting that is overly intense, youl need to rectify these conditions, as they could be stessing your specimen to the point that thas gone of ts fed. Another element that is highly beneficial when keeping P bauchholai isthe presence of floating plants, ovhich help make this skits species el more Secure, If yu dont ave amy at preset, yo night consider adding some, With respect to foods, in nature, 2 bruchhoks feds on floating ternestral insects wo waflmagazine com and their aquatic larvae as well as small surface-dvelling fish and erustaceans. This surface feeder typically ignores sinking foods altogether Initially, you may need to ply your Duuterlyfish with small live insects, such as simall crickets or wingless fruit flies both should be available at any pet retailer that deals in eptiles and amphibians), which will ‘Float on the surface and wiggle enticing. Over time, then, you might try working in some freeze-dried mysid. shrimp, mosquito larvae, bloodworms, or other offerings, which will remain at the surface uniil they become waterlogged, giving the buteftyjish more time to figure out that they're edible, This species usually cam be trained to tale floating ‘lakes cn pele. Salt and Nitrite Toxicity Tee read that adding a small amount of salt to an aquarium will make nitrite less toxie to fish. Is that true? Ifso, how does it work? Alma Ferguson via email I is rue that adding a small ‘amount of sodium chloride to ‘aquarium water can help protect fish from nitrite poisoning. tn laboratory testing, calcium chloride was even more effective in preventing or reversing nitrite poisoning, Nitrite kills fish by oxidizing the hemoglobin in their blood 0 form ‘methemoglobin, which does not transport oxygen to the lissues eficiently, That’ why nitrite-poisoned fish typically gasp for oxygen atthe surface. The exact mechanism by which horide salts protect the fish is not fully understood, but itis thought that chloride fons are preferentially absorbed across the fishes gills instead of nitrite. ‘September 2011The first course of action in a case of nitrite poisoning should he a massive water change t0 reduce or eliminate the nitrite ‘concentration, Salt can then be used to treat the potsoning Once the fish ae safe, the cause of the poisoning must be eliminated, namely identifying and correcting the problem ith che Cank’s biofiler. Remember that the problem will recur until the biofilter is fully {unctional and that a nitrite spike will follow ‘an ammonia spike. A careful aquarist should never have to deal with nitrite poisoning. Nierite poisoning will not be a problem if you cycle your aquarium completely before incroducing fish and if you add specimens very ‘gradually and feed sparingly: The addition of salt is only a quick fee for a nitrite problem fand not @ substitute for these important practices. It is difficult to determine the ‘amount of salt necessary, since It involves several factor, including the level of nitrite in the fish blood and the sale tolerance ofthe affeced fish species. 8 ly fascinated by all, the different adaptations fish have that help them survive in different environments. In science class, we leared about the betta fish and how it has a special organ that allows it to breathe sit. My teacher stid she thinks there’ also a catfish that can do this, but Do you know what itis? Jayden Holmes Evansville, Indiana couldint remember what is called. The organ youre referring to Is called a labyrinth organ, and PR there are actually many catfishes BANC ince famity ciaridac thar have one, which enables them to survive in ox poor water and, in some cases, even to wavel short distances across land in search of other Bodies of water. The most recognizable of these labyrinth catfishes is probably the so-called walking catfish Clarias batrachus, ‘and that may be the species your teacher hacd in mind. In the United States (and probably many other countries as well, 1s illegal 10 own C. batrachus because ofits potential to invade non-native waters. (W's already done so in some places, such as Florida) I should point out that the labyrinth catishes ‘arent the only cagfshes that can breathe ai For example, while the popular Corydoras catfshes dont have a labyrinth organ, they Tioplcal Fish Hobbyist hhave the ability to gulp air at the surface and then absorb exygen fiom ic im their intestine Fortunately, this doesn’ give them the ability to leave che water and travel across land, 30 we an sill enjoy them in our aquariums ve set up a 180-gallon tank, in which I had intended to keep a group of oscars. After testing the pH of my tap water and getting a result of 74, fm having second thoughts, as wna ve been told that oscars require more acidic water. I'm so disappointed because 1 really had my heart set on oscars. Can you recommend a similar lish with personality that will tolerate the pH of my water? Josine Calbert via email ApH of 7.4 is right within the natural range for oscars Astronows ocellatus (6.0 to 80), so there’ no reason you ‘ant stick with your original plan of stocking B‘ofa similarly passive nature. your 180-gallon with a group of them, Besides, this species has been bred in captivity for so dong (its very unlikely that you'll come across. 4 true wild-collected specimen in your local fish store) that i¢ is very tolerant of diferent ‘water chemistry values. What A. 0 cant tolerate ellas however is a high level of ‘Boing peacotu sh, spotted blue-eyes Peeudomugl gerrucae should only be kept with species dissolved nutrients in its water: Your focus in Ieeping this species, in addition o providing an aquarium of adequate size (which you've already done) and a varied, nutritious diet that does not include live fish, should be on providing exceptional water quality through frequent, large water changes. Spotted Biue-Eye Care Hello, 1 recently purchased 10 Pseudomugil gertrudae and Tm wondering if you could provide information about the species to me, a5 1 paid a considerable amount of money to acquire the fish. Any information regarding aquarium conditions, water chemistry, breeding, and feeding would be very helpful, 1 just want to make sure | am providing the best possible care for them. Thank you very much for your time’ Conner Feld via email Of course research the care requirements of any aquarium species before purchasing it. P. gertrudae commonly called the spotted blue-eye, hails {from Australia and New Guinea and reaches Water parameters in its natural range include ‘@ temperature between 77° and 86°F and 44 pH between 52 and 67, thous) not especially fussy with respect to water les always best to ‘a standard length of 14 inches, eis parameters provided extremes are avoided. CNCERETSR ICSI Ce OME OF THE KEN KEEDY PHELPPIME BLUE, ‘POY, AND PARAIRA ANGELA snarncaucsisansnencunoar out THE ANNUAL AQUARI AWARDS Cera Begs Descent Coe eee) eet ees) ws and the Oscar goes to. 4 wonaflmagazine com September 20112p gho#! catfish requie very steady water parameters This species wil feel right at hame ina planted ve fish will ake and small pellet foods ims, such as mysid nia, Hloodworms aswell as tiny” meaty Shrimp, brine shrimp, ana cyclops Pe gerrudae 1s best hep ast sx. A 10 specimens, y in groups of already in good shape in pecs tans ideal for this ish, but i can also be houscd with other small, peaceful sp P gertrudae, an egg scatter paaticularty dificult to breed. Keep Irceders im a ratio of one male to atleast thre clumps or a spavsning mop. Females eypically lay a N number of eggs each day. These can be desire, toa sep and raring. The eggs sh days, anal the ne moved, if you hatching re large enoug Ghost Catfish Care What a for keeping. thy fully? My local fish stor has a tank with a school of thi display, and i's the o seen! [ asstime it's nec species in a group, but what else do I need w kno Kevin Ghesquiere Montgomery, Alabama the requirements ian gho st thing I've ever sary to keep this Tioplcal Fish Hobbyist The Asian ghost catfish you Kryptopter or a closely related species, and you're comect in assuming that its b least six. K. minor is not cific pH. i a group—a demanding in terms nai) Pitelef feat) Megalo Tag ee CP zenena Reece cy aan atest x=) PEL e aren sages etree Rees) weer ee s(t Gastelngue cel wonaflmagaine com ‘and temperature values. However, it does not tolerate fluctuating parameters well, so stability of water chemistry and temperature is more important than precise values. Also, this species tends t0 be quite sensitive to dissolved mutriens, 50 conscientious. water changes are essential As far as is physical environment is concerned, 1 would consider « 30-gallon tank to be reasonable minimum housing for 4a school of six specimens. The tank should be planted along the back and sides, and fan open area for midwater schooling should be provided. K, minor prefers dim lighting so Reep that in mind when choosing a Tight fixture, Floating plants can be utilized to difjuse bright lighting Creating a moderate current (with a powerhead or external filter return) that travels through the tanie Is recommended as well. The caifish will naturally orient their bodies facing imo the current. Meals can then be delivered dirccily upstream (eg. using a turkey baster) so that they drift right into the school for greater ease of capture. Good food choices include smalt- meaty items such as daphinia, glassworms, bloodworms, mosquito larvae, and mysid shrimp. In time, the ghost catfish should learn to accept dry flakes or pellets as wel. My local fish store has a fish called the Hong Kong pleco for sale, Can I touble you for some information on this species? Will it do well in a typical South American tank? Marty Craig via email Let me assure you that your question is no trouble at all. This Is one of those situations where the use of common names can cause a lot of confusion and potentially lead to the loss imens, The term “Hong Kong pleco” is actually applied to various loach species in the family Baltoridae the so-called hillstream loaches. Though somewhat superficially similar these loaches ‘are not related to the loricariid cafishes that we tend (0 lump together under the general heading “plecos” and will not thrive under the same conditions. So, you definitely would not want to try keeping them in a typical South American setup. ‘Specifically, being subopical Asian species, the hillsteam loaches (eg, Sewellia and Gastromyzon spp. among others) prefer cooler September 2011temperatures, Something in the vicinity of 68° to TOF isa good target A suitable pH range is betveen neutral and 8.0. Also, as their common name implies, dhe hilstream loaches hail from shallow, fast-moving streams, so i important to provide a strong current as well as highly xygenated conltions inthe aquarium. Tm nature, these fishes. get most of thelr nutrition by rasping algae from rocks, 50 a good captive diet will lean heavily toward based foods (sinking wafers, pellets, etc,). Be accept small, meaty items, such as b and mysid shrimp, amnivorous, they will also gladly Nutrient Export Explained As a newbie to the aquarium hobby, fm finding there a. lot of unfamiliar terminology out there. One term, (of many) that has me confused is * does that mean? Ist just filtration?” export.” What exact a fancy way of sa Matthew Lee via email Essentially, musent export & the total romoval ofthe pollutants dat degrade water quality and fuel undesrabie algae growth fom an tothe water va fh waste decomposing ih fod dea and decaying organisms, tap water ws for ‘water changes and tp of, and other sures While some forms. of flration provide rurient esr, these ters cannot he considered synonymous. Chemical filtration e.g, the use (coud regular replacement) of activated carbon to pull dissolved organic compounds out of the waters considered a form of nutrient export Mechanical fitration, physically straining out particulate vaste as with a hang-on power fer can be considered ort any when the fier medium is rinsed or replaced. In the meantime, the particulate waste, while sequestered in the mechanical fier medium, continues ¢0 release dissolved muriemt into the water Biological filtraion less hari nitrogenous. compounds—actully has a dissolved nutrient (vivate) asa byproduct While veal ro the heathy fun vwe certainly cant consider balagicl tration a for of nutrient expor. In addition to the en the conversion of dealy ammonia (0 on ofan aquarium, rment of certain forms of filtration, murient export in freshwater systems is most commonly achieved through partial water changes and substrate vacuuming. Pruning aquarium plants and removing algae can even be considered a form of nutrient export Tioplcal Fish Hobbyist because these actions eliminate the nutrients that the plantsfalgac have taken up from the water Chemical Contamination Dear TF, my brother cles his filter witha toothbrush that bre also used to stan some wood. Now all but, the pleco are dead. I usualy give him advice ‘on what to do with his tank, but I dont know ‘what to tell him about a chemical that has found its way into the tank already. He said there’ a film on the glass, Any advice on how to clean up the tank? He also said he did several water changes, but that hasnt helped Thanks for any hep. Steve Maus via email RE ar cy Lettre The Ingredient WHOLE ALASKAN SALMO. =. ee erty ww neifbmagazine.com PINCUS muaShrimp Tankmates have a 30-gallon planted tank that contains Amano. shrimp, cherry red shrimp, and snail They ate all doing well The pH 8 good, and the shrimps and snails are breeding, Can I pat kui leaches and ory cats in the tank ith them? T want 10 see some fish in adion to the shrimps. If that is « problem, pleas Kuli loaches Pangio spp. and jsand shrimp pramy cory cats (eg, Condoms pygmaeus, C. hastaus, or ¢ habrosus)' should make excell your brother hasnt done so yet,1 way 10 remove the chemical residue from the ankmatesfor your Amano anlcherry shrimps cand would urge him ¢o move the pleco tank itself. bu anvot be sure the solvent are well sited for a k. These specie immediately, withow any uses self safe for fish, Certainly the substrate peaceful and have small enough nis aquarivm, to another, non- decorations, and equipment (ili et.) are best contaminated aquar igi alive, considered. atta less. This wifortunate incident shrimps to ay si underscores ehe importance of the advice to concern sei tha ful might A raintain a. see of pails, hoses, brushes, and potentially prey on the tiny baby chery shrimps tank recommendation other tank-cleaning equipment used solely for (Amano shrimps Cardia japonica dont bcd would he to avoid using the contaminated tank your aquarium. Almost any household chemical succesfully tn aygurium seating, whereas ed ne Re om, : Neoearidina heteropoda bred future losses just too great. There might be a concentration x. 0 the babies youre se onsterFishKeepers.com Reece ee cmeave, no doubt, cherry shrimps). So, f yo ike beep as many babies alive as possible, you might ‘want 10 heep an eye on the laches as they reach sige and be prepared fo move the baby shrimp to separate quarters if necessary Can you explain to me what a blushing angelfish is? The aquarium store in my town is selling a beautiful pair identified as such, The salesperson suid they who breeds angellish. My the pair over thor obvious physical trait th designation, and the salesperson dda knows ame from a hobbyist wife and { looked and couldnt see a ‘would explain this much about ther either. Rod Gochenour Westminster, Colorado ‘Thanks off Bllbac of the Greater City Aquarin Society in New York, can provide a logical answer (0 your question, While giving me a {our of his wonder fiivoom, Jf denied some angefish specimens in his care as blushing and perhaps sexing the lool of bewilderment om face ashed if was familiar ith dhe ter, Iva all afer an explanation tha involved wring on the aquarium lighs ac an edd hour ae catching set the angelfsh in their underwear when he pointed out the pink hue arco the anglfshs gil wh rmaae them appo asf thr checks were Bshing ‘vith embarassment Asi tums out angelsh with this trait have ranstacet gil ples that allow the bloodvich gil issue undermeath to shaw eo As the angelfsh age, the il pl ‘more opaque, soit may be that dhe angelsha your tends to become ec fish stove are imply mature specimens and, Inence the blushing eas nt evi A few months ago, my wife and uansfered our swordtals (one male and three females) ftom a 20.zllon tank toa more suitably sized 40-gallon tank, After mowing all the fish, we took our merry time about tearing down the 20 gallon. All the equipment was shut of, but the tank sat hal filled with water and rather overgrown with algae fr several weeks. When we finaly started to disassemble the tank and remove decorations, immagine our surprise when a halfinch sword sauddenly appeared! Ordinarily we wouldnt be suprise to find a sworhail baby, but how do you suppose this litle guy survived all that time with no food? Ako, the heater was turned olf, s0 the yater would have cooled 10 room, temperature. How i it posible that the cold Tioplcal Fish Hobbyist Afr alli doesnt take an abundance of fod to ingle swt fry fora hand of weeks With respect to water te defies on the cool side. In fact, 72°F is right abou the low en ofthis species Whats more, cooler water holds more dissolved exygn than warmer water and lack of oxygen didnt do him in? Greg Fayette Oshkosh, Wisconsin rawr, sworkails dont mie ben Tough you werent feding the tank, the baby sworttail pr cya rat temperature rege pleuy to nibble on given che copious Algal growth you mention as well as water does, so he lower temperature was probly the varied microns tht, no dx, resided in ie in chat rege Featuring Antarctic Krill, two types of See et er one een eae ee eer Sere te eer antes ‘with other Dainichi Foods, these exclusive are coated after the extrusion process with key heat sensitive ingredients such as digestive enzymes, color enhancers, mineral clay, garlic, and vitamins. By utilizing ingredients in theic uncooked, natural state this teuly unique process bridges the gap between extruded and frazen foods making it possible for your fish to achieve growth, colors intensity and vigor not possible with typical dry foods. ee ke es Dee yee)! Prec | ia ink) Ce LN meal ww neifbmagazine.com 19Be Q&Asatwater 20 gota question? Send your questions about the saltwater side of the oquotlum hobby to "GBA," FH, Publications PO. Box 427, Neplune, NU 07754 6 submit via @-mall fo editordith, com, For answers to more time: senstive questions, opinions on your setup, oF just fo converse with tke: minded members of the oquerium. community, please visit the TFH Forum at forums fmagazine com. Sohal Size Potential | would like to put a sobal tang in my 90-gallon FOWLR (fish- only.with-livesrock) tank, I know this tank is too small for this fish, but dont worry. Tam planning to upgrade t0 a 180-gallon tank as soon as my budget allows. Is the sohal tang as aggressive a5 all the stories ‘out there suggest? Albo, this species is listed as reaching around 16 inches in the ‘wild, but Ive read on Internet forums that it probably wont get that large in captivity. 1s thar true? Crystal Vargovich Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Tm not a big fan of housing a Jish tha has considerable growth potential in am unsuitably small aquarium wth the expectation of upstzing your tank at some point in the misty fate. I dink if hes to postpone such livestock purchases until an appropriately sized tank has actually been acquired. 1 should also point out that 180 gallons should be considered an absolute bare minimum for keeping the large, fast-swimming, highly tervitorial sohal tang Acanthurus sohal. And, yes, this species comes by its reputation for hyper-aggresiveness honest. In fact, some expents discourage heeping this species in home aquarius altogether owing to its prodigious adult size and notorious ‘aggression ‘With respect to A. sohal’s sige potential in captivity, you really must assume it wil reach the same size as it would in the wild—around 16 inches, as you indicate— given adequate swimming space and proper ‘are. An aquarium specimen that is ept in cramped quarters, malnourished, andlor subjected to poor water quality will become stunted and fal to reac is masimum growth potential, which is certainly nota desirable outcome. wovnerfhmagazine com Darkening Clownfish and Zoanthids My tomato elowntish, which used 10 be a beautiful bright red, has recently tured almost completely brown jn color with red remaining only on its face and fins. I this color change nonial? Te heard that coming into contact with zoanthid polyps can eause discoloations on clownfish, and Ido havea small colony of zoanthide in the tank, However, Ive never really seen the clownfish interacting swith them, Te usually spends all of is time at the opposite end of the tank, Is this something to be worried about? Do you think I should remove the zoanthids? Eric Kunst via email This color change is likely nothing to be concerned dabout. As they reach maturity, its normal for female tomato clownjish Amphiprion frenatus to take on the coloration you describe. L suspect thats all thats going on here. Anecdotally speaking, F have observed black discoloration on a percula clownfish A. percula that repeatedly attempted to neste in a zoanthid colony. But this pigmentation looked more like randomly scattered blac fecles rather than a uniform color change across most of the body: Besides, this frecing dint seem to bother the percula ctownfish in any manner. So, no, 1 dont think thereS any reason to remove the small -oanthid colony that’ in your tank, Lumpy ippo Tang 1 ought a small (about S:inch) hippo tang yesterday, and today I've noticed that it has several sonal lamps in its belly almost like it suallowed something. that is pushing though. I looked it over pretty carefully ‘September 2011Ive also tried keeping the colony at different heights in the tank. Its easy to test different locations because I have the zoanthids on racks ina frag system, So fae 1 can only determine that they do best about 'Ditferent species of zcanthids must be given plonty of space to avoid conflict. midrange in the tank, but forthe life of me, Tean only help the green ones thrive. My system is soft-coral dominated with large-polyp stony corals (hammers and frogspawn). At first I thought that my fragmenting was causing this problem due to chemicals released by the other corals, despite my applying heavy loads of carbon alter fragmenting a specimen. So, I stopped fragging for five months, but there was no change. There has also been no notable change since I resumed fragging ‘This is the only speeles in the tank that not only will not grow, but fails to thrive Any help would be greatly appreciated. Tel rather not have to frag each one out ‘of the colony to keep it alive. It used to have a beautiful mix, which cells me there shouldn’ be a problem with them sharing the same rock, Thanks, Blair C. (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Thanks so much for your kind remarks! 1 dont thine that anything yout doing in terms of water quality: current, or lighting Js causing the problem with your strugling -oanthid colony. Fhave a pretty strong hunch that ‘theissueis stemming from alelopathy—chemical warfare—between your zoanthid colonies, and ‘that the green zoamuhids just happen tobe getting ‘the upper hand (tentacle?) inthe conflict. 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Mami Bardens, FL 38169 USA Tl 305 623 7695 swatasileies com ‘Two Little Fishies Inc. Lea Imagine, Create” 2 wwsnerfhmagazine.com September 2011Tivo statements that you've made are revelatory here: 1) that some frags of the zoas in question are doing well apart from the mother colony in the same tank and 2) when you attempt t0 mix the two zoanthid varieties on the same plug, they move away fom one another. Both of these situations suggest to me that the different varietes are ‘competing chemically. If broader water= ‘quality, lighting, or water-movement issue was involved here, I would expect the coanthids in question to struggle regardless of their proximity tothe other colony. Not fo mention, youd very likely experience problems with ‘other corals in your system as well As for why they were doing fine together ‘on the same rock ssken you bought them, that could be a reflection of the system they were originally kept in, For example, if that system held a significantly greater volume of water, turned over much more frequently, and/or had more robust protein skimming ‘and chemical filtration than yours does, then the effects of any allelopathic compounds might have been negated. T hate to say it, but your best bet at this point might be to frag out as many of the remaining polyps as is practical and get them started on rocks or plugs elsewhere in your system. F chink you've done just about ‘everything else possible to help them along. Protein Skimming id Nitrate ms eG iy fist saltwater aquarium has been up and running for six months, and 1 just recently got to the point where I can afford to add a protein skimmer, Prior to hooking up the skimmer, T tested my nitrate level because | wanted to see hos much it would change after the skimmer vas in operation for a while, A week later, the nitrate level has not changed from what it vas before the skimmer was added around 20 ppm, Why i that? Do [have the skimmer adjusted wrong? Ws producing a thick foam that turns into a coffe-colored liquid. My dealer says this sounds perfec, but why hasnt my nitrate level dropped? Jack Oreutt AA sree with your dealer. Based BN ox your description, it sounds PPA ite sourve gor your protein TON ssininer diated in fost righ However, think you might Be confused about the role a shimmer plays In en Tioplcal Fish Hobbyist ‘aquarium system. No matter how well a protein skimmer is functioning, it won't ‘actually remove nitrate from the water The best way to do that is through regular partial water changes. Protein skimming will, however, remove dissolved organic compounds, which, if left in the water would decompose and ultimately cause your nitrate level to rise. So, one could say that [ protein skimming can help minimize the Duildup of nitrate, but i won't eliminate nirate that is already present in the water. T think that if you bring your nitrate level way down through some major water changes, you'll be pleasantly surprised to sce that it doesn't climb up again quite so rapidly now that youve added a properly adjusted skimmer: AQUARAY® SOUD STATE LED LU Ee SHTING Mencee) in length Halide 1200 Lumen eres Pen Tie reealaony eter ers aa See ee cam a eee eater ww neifhmagazine.com eT saRayUS/ a ay