fshfanatic’s Blog

It’s a sad fact of fishkeeping that sometimes, fish take a long time to let go of life. Watching a beloved fish struggle to breathe is tragic and helps no one, including the fish. In some cases, a fish may be carrying a contagious disease that needs to be ended as quickly as possible. Often, putting the poor thing out of its misery is the only humane thing to do. There are several ways to euthanize a fish, some more humane than others. Continue Reading »

boraras-brigttae

The rasbora genus Boraras is a small group of very small fish. None of them are over 1 1/4 inches in length at maximum size; and the redfin dwarf rasbora (Boraras brigittae) is one of the smallest members of the gigantic family Cyprinidae (the carps and minnows). They all are colorful, and each species is interesting in its own right. They make excellent members of either a dedicated species tank or a tiny fish community tank, and are perfect residents for one of the desktop aquaria that are so popular now. None of them will do well in community tanks with large or boisterous fish. In such situations, they spend all of their time hiding and trying to avoid being eaten.
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Tags: Boraras brigittae

The Albino Bristlenose Pleco is a fish that is arguably an intriguing fish for the planted aquarium.  I currently have an Albino Bristlenose Pleco in my 40 gallon planted tank and must say that it has become my favorite fish.  Despite its size and appearance, it exhibits a peaceful nature and is quite animated in behaviour.

On a daily basis, I often see the rest of my fish in my 40 gallon constantly chase one another.  The Kribensis female cichlid constantly chases the male Kribensis away and the male often goes into hiding to avoid being battered.  My Siamese Algae Eater will often give the black skirt tetras chase.  Fortunately, there are three black skirt tetras, so the Siamese Algae Eater finds that s/he is only able to chase one black skirt tetra at a time. It gives the other two a rest period until it is their turn to play “chase”.   Among all this chaos and turmoil, the only fish that seems to keep to itself and not bother any other fish is my Albino Bristlenose Pleco.  What is even more interesting is that I have yet to see the Albino Bristlenose Pleco become the target of attack by any other fish. Continue Reading »

Tags: Pleco, Plecostomus

The term “Nano” Aquarium is often used by hobbyists as a descriptor for small aquariums, usually under 20-gallons in total volume. Many “nanos” are 10-gallons or less. These tanks with their small footprints are ideal for kids and/or desktops. However, due to their size, stocking them successfully with fish and invertebrates can become problematic. Some simply find it too hard to resist adding “just one more”! So, let’s talk about how to stock such aquariums with long-term success. Continue Reading »

West Africa is host to a variety of aquatic habitats harboring many tropical fish of interest to the hobbyist. In this article I’ll show you how to set up an aquarium to accommodate some of them.

The region is vast, and regular imports include fish from areas such as forest streams, river rapids and flood plains. The selection of species is rich and diverse and is comparable to that of the Amazon.

If you’re into keeping oddballs then a West African tank could be the tank for you. Take your pick from lungfish, mormyrids, pufferfish, knifefish, spiny eels, snakeheads and Polypterus. Continue Reading »

My Africans:
(4) Altolamprologus calvus Ink Fin
(4)Altolamprologus calvus White Chaitika
(3)Altolamprologus compressiceps Black Nangu
(4)Altolamprologus compressiceps Malasa Gold Head
(3)Altolamprologus compressiceps Red Lufubu

(5)Cyprichromis leptosoma Malasa
(4)Cyprichromis leptosoma Utinta
Cyprichromis sp. Assorted Cyps
(4)Lamprologus brevis Katabe
(3)Lamprologus brevis Namansi “Sunspot” “Wild”
(4)Lamprologus ocellatus Gold
(3) Syn Petricola
(2) Mustache cats

All doing great an none of them are bigger than 6″ yet…

These beautiful carfish are actually one of my favourite fishes. I have a small 6″ one in my 180 gallon Jardini Arowana tank

Origins: Apparently you can find these red-tailed Brazilian flatheads in much of the Amazon and its tributaries. They call them mighty tasty pirararas locally. They use pirañhas for bait.

Name: Phracto = flat, cephalus = head, hem = red, pterus = fin. Or red-tailed flathead. Same as our local flatheads plus a red tail and a less finicky appetite. Our flatheads eat only live fish. Red-tail catfish fish eat ‘em dead or alive (or plastic).

In the Wild: Red-tail catfish eat crabs and fruits.

Foods in Captivity: Not known as picky eaters, red-tail catfish love fish, worms, and crustaceans (which bring out their reds). They also eat enough pellets to bulge their bellies if given the opportunity. Large red-tails also eat rocks and can apparently spit them out at will.

Occasional Fasts. Any critter that “carbo-loads” at every meal needs an occasional meal off. Give him a meatless Friday and let his digestive system catch up. He’ll start swimming around when he gets hungry again.

Grows Huge: The cute two-inch red-tail catfish you bought grows to three or four feet – 18-inches in the first year. They live for 15 years.

Security: Small red-tail catfish will spend their days hiding in caves. As they grow, they need no security.

Friendly: Red-tails make great pets. They quickly learn to eat from your fingers. Start by feeding them in the evenings. They also put up with being petted. We don’t recommend this, however they seem to like rubbing against your hand.

Bad Substrates: Don’t put a lot of marbles or rocks on the bottom. Red-tail catfish will eat anything swallowable. What else would you expect from a critter that swallows crabs whole?

Mixers? Not many other fish will mix with these critters — especially smaller fishes. Asian red-tail catfish tend to beat up South American catfishes of the same size.

Temperature: As you might extrapolate from a fish that lives in the world’s second longest river, red-tail catfish adapt to a wide temperature range.

Breeding: No breeding reports yet. Here’s the way I’d do it … I’d give an Asian fish farmer 10 red-tail catfish. Then come back in five years to pick up half the babies.

Shedding? Red-tail catfish exude a mucous film occasionally. It reminds you of caecilian worms in this respect. You need to remove crud like this. Continue Reading »