The Geek Fish Corner 1

Freshwater - Africa

1.    African Electric Catfish (Malapterurus sp.)

·      A voracious piscivore

·      Species only tank

·      Get very large, upwards of 3’

·      Can shock it’s owner and tank mates (this is fatal for the other fish in the tank)

·      Aka “Sheathfish”

2.    African Lungfish (Protopterus sp.)

·      Found in ponds and lakes in Africa

·      Feeds on fish, worms, krill, pellets, etc.

·      Can live 20+ years

·      Can get up to 3-4’

·      Can take any temperature as long as it stays above room temperature

·      They can breathe air (special organ that acts like our lungs)

Freshwater – Asia/Australia

1.    Peacock Gudgeon (Tateurndina ocellicauda)

·      From New Guinea

·      Males – 2.75”, hump head, stronger jaw, red reflection in the eye

·      Females – 1.95”, brighter yellow belly, pointed head,

·      Males look after the eggs until they hatch

·      6.4-7.5 pH

·      74-80F

2.    Kubotai Rasbora (Microrasbora kubotai)

·      Hails from Thailand

·      .75”

·      Green/yellow body with clear fins

·      Easily spawned

·      Best in a small shoal of 10 or more

·      Very new to the hobby

3.    Betta Imbellis (Betta imbellis)

·      Hails from Thailand

·      Approximately 2”

·      Peaceful, community fish (can go with other fish well)

·      Densely planted with many floating plants

·      Dark gravel brings out the colors

·      Males are much more colorful than females

·      7.0 pH

·      77-86F

4.    Cactus Loach/Striped Hillstream Loach

·      Come under the Family Balitoridae

·      Needs very fast water (incredibly adapted to this type of water flow)

·      Do best in a well established tank

·      They tend to have a ‘home’ spot, a spot that they always seem to go back to

·      Feed mostly on algae, but will scavenge

·      Sizes range 1.5-4”

5.    Scarlet Badis (Badis bengalensis)

·      Hails from India

·      Closely related to bettas and gouramis

·      The best way to keep them is one male, many males or in a heavily planted tank

·      Females are very drab in appearance so it is hard to find them for sale

·      Approximately 1”

·      7.0 pH

·      76-80F

6.    Garra Flavatra (Garra Flavatra)

·      Hails from Asia

·      Feed on algae

·      Best kept in groups

·      Prefer fast water flow

·      Can live 5-8 years

·      6.2-7.2 pH

·      Approximately 2.5”

·      72-77F

7.    Rainbow Desert Goby (Chlamydogobius eremius)

·      Hails from Australia

·      Up to 2.5”

·      40-100F (best in high 70’s)

·      Do best with a sandy bottom

·      Absolutely love Shrimp Pellets, but will eat just about anything

·      Only live about one year

Saltwater

1.    Bicinctus Clown (Amphirion bicinctus)

·      Hails from the Red Sea

·      Rarity in the aquarium trade

·      Very hardy fish

·      Goes best with a Bubbletip Anemone

·      Grows to approximately 5.5”

2.    Green Moray Eel (Gymnothorax prasinus)

·      Is actually brown in color, but covered in a yellow mucus which makes it look green in appearance

·      Is an ambush predator

·      Feeds at night on fish, crabs, shrimp, octopuses and squid

·      Can get up to 8’ and weigh 65 lbs

·      Continually opens mouth to pull water in through its gills to breathe

3.    Hutchi Anthias (Pseudoanthias huchti)       

·      Related to Sea Basses

·      Plankton feeder – feed several times a day

·      Keep singly unless in a 150-gallon tank, which then keep in a harem

·      Strong water movement is preferred

·      All are born as females – the dominant female turns into a male

·      Get to be about 4”

4.    Garibaldi Damsel (Hypsypops rubicunolus)

·      Hails from the Pacific Ocean (Monterey Bay, Calif. to Guadalupe Island, Baja Calif.)

·      Marine State fish of California

·      Get as large as 12”

·      Juveniles have blue spots which they lose as they mature

·      Can change its sex when the male/female ratio is out of balance (a fish can do this many times in its lifetime)

5.    Macolor Snapper (Macolor niger)

·      Hails from the Indo-Pacific

·      Extremely fast growing fish

·      Needs a minimum tank size of 200-gallons

·      Grows to an impressive 26”

·      A carnivore and is NOT reef safe

6.    Octopus (Octopus sp.)

·      No internal or external skeleton

·      A hard beak is found inside its mouth which is located on the underside between all of the arms

·      Highly intelligent – probably the most intelligent invertebrate

·      Will build “forts” and “traps”

·      Defense mechanisms – hiding, fleeing very quickly, expelling ink, color-changing camouflage

·      Bilaterally symmetrical

7.    Red Fire Feather Duster Cluster

·      Polychaete worm

·      Not photosynthetic

·      Vigorous water movement – so they can filter feed

·      Do NOT lift out of water if possible (trapped gas can be a problem)