Keeping and breeding the Green phantom plec

Keeping and breeding the Green phantom plec

Keeping and breeding the Green phantom plec

Copyright © Practical Fishkeeping

The beautiful Green phantom plec, often still labelled as L200 in the shops, could actually be any of at least three species, says Rupert Collins.

Introduced in 1995, a new bright green loricariid plec instantly captured the imagination of catfish enthusiasts the world over. Before its scientific description ten years later, the fish was known under the L200 tag name, or the mysterious ‘Green phantom plec’.

The species is hard to confuse with many other loricariids, as it has a distinctive olive green coloration, yellowish fins and creamy golden spots. However, it can be confused with two others.

More species?
When imports of this suckermouth catfish began, shipments were contaminated with a different form of L200, coined the L200 ‘hifin’. This appeared almost identical at the time, but had an enlarged, shark-like dorsal fin. More differences were then noticed, such as the hifin’s membranous connection between the dorsal and adipose fins.

Subsequent description of L200 as Hemiancistrus subviridis (subviridis meaning greenish), and L200 hifin as Baryancistrus demantoides surprised many in the hobby as the two fishes were not just different species but different genera!

The genus Hemiancistrus is not strongly defined and considered polyphyletic. The group has historically included many species that could not reliably be placed in other genera.

Consequently, when further taxonomic work is carried out, H. subviridis could find itself in a different genus.

H. subviridis and B. demantoides are both found in the upper Orinoco river bordering Colombia and Venezuela. The former appears widely distributed and known from the Río Iguapo, Río Ventuari and Río Casiquiare, as well as the Río Orinoco.

B. demantoides however, is known only from a smaller range around the confluence of the Orinoco and Ventuari.

There’s also L128 (pictured above) which superficially appears similar to H. subviridis, but rather than olive green has a bluish-indigo-green hue and usually more spots.

Hemiancistrus sp. L128 is captured for the trade further downstream in the Orinoco near Puerto Ayacucho.

Reports exist of intermediate forms being found in other localities, so it remains to be seen if the L128 population represents a different species or is just part of intraspecific variation within H. subviridis.

Regardless of taxonomic details, the two forms are phenotypically different and so should therefore not be interbred.

Always try to purchase fishes from the same source when setting up breeding colonies.

Ecology
Natural habitat of H. subviridis, which can reach 20-25cm/8-10”, is typical of other ancistrin catfishes: flowing water over exposed bedrock, in crevices under boulders and within interstices.

Much of the Río Orinoco is part of the granite Guyana Shield formation and the tributaries, where H. subviridis is found, have either a clearwater or mildly blackwater profile. The water is warm, flowing and neutral to slightly acidic.

Specimens were captured in early spring at a depth of 2m/6.6’ when water parameters were 32.4°C/90.3°F, pH 7.04 and conductivity <50µs/cm.

Loricariid species sympatric with H. subviridis across its distribution include H. guahiborum, Hypancistrus contradens, Hypancistrus sp. ‘L201,’ Hypancistrus debilittera, Leporacanthicus aff. galaxias ‘L240’, Leporacanthicus triactis, Baryancistrus beggini and Pseudolithoxus tigris.



Aquarium life
H. subviridis adapts well to aquarium life, providing set-up and water parameters are appropriate and quality stock purchased. Like most fancy ancistrins, they can be in poor shape when imported.

A good dealer will acclimatise and quickly restore them to health, but only buy alert individuals seen to feed, have full bellies and are not shimmying or swimming on the spot.

Hemiancistrus tolerate a range of pH and hardness values, but soft (<200µs/cm), slightly acidic water (pH 6.5) is ideal. Extremes should be avoided. More important is warm water (27-30°C/81-86°F), well oxygenated with air stones and circulation pumps.

Most appropriate décor comprises inert rock structures with a thin layer of sand/gravel mix. As much 3D structure as possible will provide H. subviridis with a natural environment where they can stake out territories, and take to cover quickly.

As these crevice-dwelling fish are territorial, especially when mature, always provide more caves or resting places than fish. Silicone heavy rockwork together to prevent tank breakages.

There are aquatic plants in their wild habitat and, due to size and herbivorous nature of the species, rooted stem plants in the aquarium are unlikely to be successful. Java fern or Anubias attached to bogwood can be used, however, if greenery is desired.

Small amounts of wood are likely in the natural biotope so bogwood branches can be incorporated in your aquarium.



Feeding
H. subviridis falls into a group of omnivorous loricariids which scrape aufwuchs from hard surfaces. This includes algae, detritus and small invertebrates. Stable isotope analysis carried out at Auburn University in the USA suggested a meat and vegetable signature to diet.

In the aquarium they should have a varied diet of frozen (bloodworms, Mysis shrimp) and prepared foods (algae wafers and quality flake), but blanched vegetables (courgette and sweet potato) should always be available to graze on.

Aquarium care
This species is not small so needs a correspondingly large aquarium of several hundred litres, especially if a decent-sized breeding group is to be maintained.

As a thermophilic riverine fish, current is needed to maintain high oxygen levels. Water movement does not need to be unidirectional, but enough to continually turn over the water. Aim for between ten and 20 times tank volume per hour.

Many catfish enthusiasts are moving to high output, reef style circulatory pumps, designed to shift large volumes of water with minimal power. Large loricariids can be big eaters, so heavy duty external power filtration is a necessity. Water changes should also be frequent and copious, with nitrate levels kept below 20mg/l.

Bright aquarium lighting may well encourage algae growth for Hemiancistrus to scrape off but, perhaps initially at least, do not expect to see much of these these large but shy plecs when your full overhead lights are on.

Tank mates
Potential tank mates should enjoy warm turbulent water. Pencilfishes, or tetras such as the Rummynose (Hemmigrammus rhodostomus) from the upper Orinoco would be appropriate as attractive dithers, although many Rasbora or Puntius could be equally suitable.

Small catfish, such as Corydoras sterbai, would also work well and help clean up food scraps.

While H. subviridis can be kept as single specimens in a community of other loricariids, the most rewarding way to enjoy this fish is to maintain a breeding group.

Bear in mind, however, that like most loricariids H. subviridis can become quite belligerent towards any conspecifics and similarly-sized competitors.

Breeding
Most ancistrini can be sexed in a similar way. Males tend to be larger and have bulkier, broader heads. They will also be hairier, with thick hypertrophied odontodes on the pectoral fins and cheeks.

Odontodes are also present in the body, behind the dorsal fin in males, but not to the degree of dwarf Panaque.

Only mature fishes in good condition can be sexed accurately and as many of the distinguishing features are relative it is not always easy.

Buy a group to try to achieve a viable ratio.

While males are able to reach 25cm/10” and females under 20cm/8”, spawning can be expected at half this size.

H. subviridis is a cave spawner and caves can be constructed from clay tubes, plastic pipes or stacked rocks. Offer a selection of sizes and let the fish choose.

The yellowy eggs are quite large, but expect a female to lay 30-40 per spawn. These take around five days to hatch.

The male usually takes better care of the eggs in his cave, but fry can be target fed in a breeding trap. However, bacterial issues can result from this approach. Best let the male take care of the fry, and once they leave the cave and use up their yolk sacs they can be gathered up and grown out in a separate tank.

Loricariid fry are usually large and can immediately eat soaked flake and tablet foods.

Cleanliness is an issue as the fry can be sensitive to bacteria on the substrate, so feed often and never leave anything to rot.

Source: http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/content.php?sid=4055#comment2007

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Freshwater shrimps from Sulawesi

Freshwater shrimps from Sulawesi

Freshwater shrimps from Sulawesi

Source:
http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/content.php?sid=3054

Copyright © Chris Lukhaup

Freshwater shrimp expert Chris Lukhaup explains how to keep the stunning new freshwater shrimps being exported from the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.

In the central highlands of the Indonesian island Sulawesi, formerly Celebes, the ancient systems of Lake Poso and the Malili lakes harbour two independent and endemic species flocks of the freshwater shrimp Caridina.

These are part of a well known genus in aquatics, but less well known, until now, were the flamboyant colour patterns in some species that resemble marine rather than typical freshwater shrimps.

However, these colourful shrimps are exclusive freshwater dwellers and occur only in those lake systems. They all have rather large eggs and their larvae only develop in freshwater " in contrast to other Caridina species with some salinity tolerance at the larval stage.

The fauna of Lake Poso and the so called Malili lakes, or Malili lake system, was first studied by Swiss naturalists and cousins Fritz and Paul Sarasin in 1895 (Lake Poso) and 1896 (Malili lakes). Apart from shrimps, the lakes are also home to several other endemic and partly colourful species; for example fish, snails, crabs or snakes.

An international team of researchers is describing the species diversity and trying to understand how it could evolve.



Lake Poso shrimps
Lake Poso is a solitary lake with adjacent rivers and a maximum depth of 450m/1,476 . It has very low nutrient and organic content, or, in other words, it is oligotrophic.

Four shrimp species are currently described from the lake and its river system and are Caridina acutirostris, C. ensifera (the original 'red' form is pictured above), C. longidigita and C. sarasinorum " mainly by E Schenkel in 1902 based on the Sarasins collection and revised by Cai and Wowor in 2006.

Two more are currently described by Kristina von Rintelen, Germany, and collaborators. One of the new species is still known as Caridina ensifera, but recent anatomical and genetic analyses revealed the existence of two species with two distinct colour patterns of red and blue (compare von Rintelen, K von Rintelen, T and M Glaubrecht, (2007).

Red is the original C. ensifera described by Schenkel, 1902, and blue will be described as a new species. Both are difficult to distinguish if present as the alcohol-bleached material commonly found in scientific collections, although living specimens (adults and juveniles) can always be told apart.

Besides conspicuous blueish body appendages with an otherwise transparent body in blue versus not blueish in red, the main difference is prominent in the tail fan.

Blue has an elongated blue patch on the distal part of each endopod as an upside down V-shape, whereas red has a smaller red spot on the distal part of each exopod.

Both species are abundant in the lake itself but absent from the rivers, whereas, for example, C. acutirostris, not featured here, is a typical riverine species absent from the lake.

They not only differ in colour, but also in ecological preferences and behaviour.

Blue is rather stationary and mainly found on hard substrate (wood and rocks), whereas red is often found in pelagic swarms or sporadic on various kinds of soft and hard substrate: for example, sand, macrophytes and rocks.

The latter also has the highest density of all shrimps in the lake and is often caught by local fishermen.

Shrimps from Malili
The Malili system comprises five lakes sharing a common drainage. The three major ones are Towuti, Matano and Mahalona with two small satellite lakes, Masapi and Lontoa or Wawontoa.

At approximately. 590m/1,935 Lake Matano is the eighth deepest lake worldwide. Canadian scientists measured its temperature at 27-29C/81-84F at the surface and around 27C/81F at 560m/1837 , a pH of 7.4 and a conductivity of 224 S that also did not change with depth.

Two of the Malili lakes, Matano and Towuti, and Lake Poso are known to be oligotrophic, although the three smaller lakes of Mahalona, Masapi and Lontoa are more shallow and probably have a higher nutrient content, and provide very similar ecological properties for its inhabitants.



The majority of the Malili shrimps were first collected in 1932 by R Woltereck and later described in 1937 by his daughter E Woltereck with eight species (Caridina lingkonae, C. lanceolata, pictured above, C. loehae, C. masapi, C. opaensis, C. tenuirostris, C. towutensis and C. spinata), followed by the description of C. spongicola, (Zitzler and Cai, 2006).

Currently Woltereck s species are revised and several new species are added by Kristina von Rintelen and Yixiong Cai from Singapore. Neither Schenkel nor Woltereck knew about the spectacular colours of their shrimps so unusual for the genus Caridina, although some colourful species have been sporadically described, for example C. trifasciata from Hong Kong.

All Malili species exclusively occur in the lake system, including its drainage, but some are widely distributed within the whole system. Others only occur in one or two of the lakes, or only in rivers. The lakes provide a number of micro-habitats with different substrates (soft like sand or plants, hard like rocks or wood), and the majority of shrimp species are specialised to one substrate.

Their detailed food compounds remain unknown, but in the gut of some specimens several diatoms were found, although they might also consume detritus and algae.

Distributed generalists
Not all species are specialised. Some are generalists that often occur on different types of substrate and usually widely distributed within the Malili lake system.

Their choice of habitat is rather unspecific and they can occur on soft substrate (water plants, leaf litter) or hard substrate (wood, rocks).



These are for example Caridina lanceolata, C. masapi and C. sp., a still undescribed riverine species (pictured above).

While the latter only occurs in rivers surrounding the lakes, C. lanceolata and C. masapi mainly be seen in the lakes themselves.

C. masapi has the widest distribution of all shrimps, being the only one living in the small satellite lakes of Masapi and Lontoa, but also occurring in the other three lakes and in rivers.

C. lanceolata can mainly be found in the three major lakes Towuti, Matano and Mahalona and their connecting rivers such as the Tominanga or Petea.

All generalists have a less spectacular coloration than the other more specialised species; from a reddish-translucent pattern in C. lanceolata to brownish with lighter stripes in the other species.

The specialists
More conspicuous are the colourful species usually not widely distributed within the Malili lake system, but rather occurring locally restricted and highly specialised.

One extreme example is C. spongicola which is associated with a yet undescribed freshwater sponge and whose occurrence is limited to those areas where the sponge grows.

Some other examples are described here. Colour patterns are species specific, their intensity however can change depending on food supply (substrate) and water conditions " for example, some red species were observed to turn blue under stress.



Typical rock dwellers
There are a number of rock-dwelling species from Lake Towuti, the largest and southernmost of the Malili lakes, for example the beautiful C. spinata (pictured above), C. loehae and three other yet undescribed Caridina sp. C. lohae is mainly red with some white stripes or dots, C. spinata is rather dark red, sometimes almost purple with yellow or orange stripes.

The first C. sp. shows characteristic red and white longitudinal stripes with conspicuous white front legs (cheliped), the second a rather brown and white pattern of horizontal stripes. The colour pattern of the third closely resembles that of the sponge dweller C. spongicola, although it is a different species with specific substrate preferences.

These three undescribed species often occur together with C. loehae on gravel or smaller rocks in shallow water or with C. spinata between boulders in deeper water below 5m/.16 .

Another beautiful rock dwelling shrimp from Lake Matano is an also undescribed species that has a dark red body with white dots and white body appendages.

Life under leaves
One lake species lives mainly under dead leaves, although it can ocasionally be found on other kinds of substrate.

It is mostly dark brown, sometimes almost black body coloration with lighter stripes optimally adjusted to the mainly dark brown colour of leaf litter in the lakes.

This species behaviour seems to be able to adjust for, when disturbed, it usually lets itself fall downwards instead of moving in other directions.

Swarming typeIn the Malili system, depending on time of day, two species were observed in larger swarms, similar to the red C. ensifera from Lake Poso.

One is C. lanceolata, the other C. lingkonae, whose inconspicuous reddish coloration resembles that of C. lanceolata, but which can also be characterised as a specialised pelagic species.

It often occurs in huge swarms mainly in Lake Towuti, but one specimen was also found in the smaller Lake Mahalona. More details about the life history of C. lingkonae are unknown.

The colour pattern of this as yet undescribed Caridina shrimp closely resembles that of the sponge-dwelling C. spongicola.

Sulawesi lake fauna
The shrimps colour diversity is only one aspect of the fascinating fauna of Sulawesi's ancient lakes.

These are also home to many rare and unusual species, for example the shrimp sponge association that make it similarly worthy of protection as the Galpagos Islands.

Some of the highly specialised and locally restricted species with very small populations, especially the colourful ones, are already threatened with extinction by illegal logging around the lakes and other human impacts.

So, sampling living specimens should be sensibly limited to preserve the species and colour diversity for future generations.

For more information on Sulawesi shrimps check out the article: Eight new shrimps described from Sulawesi.

Eight new shrimps described from Sulawesi

Scientists from Germany and Singapore have described eight new species of Caridina shrimp from the lakes of Sulawesi.

Many of which have already been imported for the aquarium (see Sulawesi shrimps).

Kristina von Rintelen and Yixiong Cai published a revision of the lacustrine Caridina of Sulawesi in the most recent issue of the Raffles Bulletin of Zoology in which they describe these eight species.

The eight new species named are Caridina dennerli, C. glaubrechti, C. holthuisi, C. parvula, C. profundicola and C. striata from the Malili lake system, and C. caerulea and C. schenkeli from Lake Poso.

The authors also raise the concern the effect of collecting large numbers of lacustrine Sulawesi shrimps for the aquarium trade may have on the survival of these species.

The December issue of Practical Fishkeeping magazine includes pictures of the species and interview with Dr Kristina von Rintelen.

Caridina dennerli

This species has been sold as Caridina sp. cardinal in the aquarium trade, and is named after German company Dennerle, who supported the authors project.

The body and most appendages of C. dennerli are dark red to purple, with a pattern of conspicuous small white spots on the body.

Most of the first two pairs of legs, the antennae and part of the snout are white. It is found on or under small rocks, and between boulders in Lake Matano.

Caridina glaubrechti

This species has been sold as Caridina sp. red orchid or Caridina sp. brown camo in the aquarium trade, and is named after Matthias Glaubrecht, who initiated the project and collected some material.

Caridina glaubrechti is brown with several white bands or patches on the body, with a conspicuous white band on the abdomen and transparent or partly brownish appendages. It lives amongst rocks and boulders in Lake Towuti.

Caridina holthuisi

This species has been sold as Caridina sp. Matano black tiger in the aquarium trade, and is named after famous carcinologist (a scientist who studies crabs) Lipke Holthuis.

Caridina holthuisi is dark brown, often with transverse beige bands or a beige dorsal longitudinal band on the body. It lives amongst leaf litter in the three major lakes of the Malili system and in the Petea River.

Caridina parvula

This species is named after its small size (Latin parvus=small). Caridina parvula has a light red body (which can turn completely blue when stressed) with a few faint white transverse bands, and transparent appendages.

It lives amongst rocks in lakes Matano and Towuti, and in the Petea and Tominanga rivers.

Caridina profundicola

This species is named after its relatively deep habitat (Latin profundus=deep and collere=to inhabit).

Caridina profundicola has a transparent yellowish body and usually has two conspicuous yellow bands on the abdomen. It lives amongst large rocks in the deeper waters of Lake Towuti.

Caridina striata

This species has been sold as Caridina sp. red stripe in the aquarium trade, and is named after its characteristic colour pattern of red and white stripes (Latin striatus=stripe).

Caridina striata is red with a characteristic pattern of white stripes and spots and reddish transparent appendages except for the first two pairs of legs, which are usually white. It lives amongst rocks in lakes Towuti and Mahalona.

Caridina caerulea

This species has been sold as Caridina ensifera blue in the aquarium trade and is named after its partly blue colour (Latin caeruleus=blue).

Caridina caerulea has a transparent reddish or yellowish body, bluish legs and snout, and a pair of prominent blue patches on the tail fan. It lives amongst wood and rocks in Lake Poso.

Caridina schenkeli

This species has a transparent yellowish or brownish body and is found on various kinds of substrate (rocks, riverine vegetation, roots, dead wood) in the rivers east and south of Lake Poso.

For more information, see the paper: von Rintelen, K and Y-X Cai (2009) Radiation of endemic species flocks in ancient lakes: Systematic revision of the freshwater shrimp Caridina H. Milne Edwards, 1837 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Atyidae) from the ancient lakes of Sulawesi, Indonesia, with the description of eight new species. The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 57, pp. 343"452.

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Snails from Sulawesi

Snails from Sulawesi

Snails from Sulawesi

Copyright © Chris Lukhaup

The Tylomelania snails are beautiful, inquisitive, lively and adaptable — in fact almost everything you don’t generally associate with aquarium snails. Chris Lukhaup explains why they are truly exceptional.

The Tylomelania snails from Sulawesi surprise us all with their colours, patterns and forms. Their size is another factor that makes them without equal in our aquariums. Those colours range from orange to gold-dotted and they proudly show them off if left in relative peace.

During the last few years, the genus Brotia, with their well-known representative, the Brotia pagodula, was a sensation in aquatics. However, it was soon discovered that most imported species do not do well in captivity.

Yet the Sulawesi snails do. If kept at suitable temperatures of 27-30°C/81-86°F, they are the largest imported water snail compatible with tank keeping. They even reproduce in the aquarium.



Stunning appearance
Their appearance is very variable, but always stunning. There are many varieties, from relatively smooth shell structures to heavily-sculptured long, conical shells. Most species have not been scientifically described so far, but many are already offered in the trade.

The shells grow to 2cm-12cm/0.8-4.7“ in length, so some could rightfully be called gigantic. Their apices are almost always corroded. They all have a trap door (operculum) with a central nucleolus surrounded by five to 11 rings. However, the operculum is too small to close off the shell entirely.

The bodies and feet display truly a feast of colour. Some have black bodies strewn with white or yellow dots. Some are monochrome, yellow or orange, or pitch black with yellow tentacles — but all of them look truly stunning.

Their eyes, at the bases of the straight, thin tentacles, are clearly set off against the long, soft, almost cuddly snout.

There is a clearly visible groove, starting in the shell and running over the body and foot, within which the eggs are transported to the outside when they are released.

Range and habitat
Sulawesi (formerly Celebes) near Borneo has an uncommon form. Due to this and its location the island has different climatic zones. The height of the rainy season lasts from late November to March. The mountain ranges, up to 3,500m/11,400’, are mostly covered with tropical forests. Narrow flatlands are close to the coasts.

The height of the dry season is July/August. In the lowlands and on the coasts temperatures are always between 28-32°C/82-90°F. During the wet season, temperatures fall by about two degrees Celsius.

In the Lake Malili system, Lake Poso and their affluents, Tylomelania snails are found on hard as well as soft substrates. The largest population densities have been observed in depths of 1-2m/3.2-6.6’ and their numbers decrease sharply in deeper regions.

On Sulawesi, at the species locations of the snails imported to Europe, temperatures between 26-30°C/79-86°F prevail all year round and the water is similarly warm. Temperatures of 27°C/81°F are still measured at a depth of 20m/66’ in Lake Matano.

The snails described here originate from Lake Poso and the Lake Malili system. Poso is situated at 500m/1,640’ and Matano at 400m/1,312’. Both are in Central Sulawesi. The water is soft and the pH values are between 7.5 (Poso) and 8.5 (Matano).

To provide the snails with appropriate water parameters, the hobbyist snailkeeper should make sure the water is soft and pH high. However, some enthusiasts keep them in medium hard water, although it is not yet known whether this shortens their lifespan or not.



What to feed
Shortly after being introduced into the aquarium and adapting to water parameters, the Tylomelania snails start looking for food. They are not picky eaters and accept additional food.

They eat Spirulina powder, herbivore food, food tablets with a high percentage of animal proteins, and vegetables like cucumbers, bell peppers and courgettes.

Snails originally living on hard substrates will accept vegetables sooner than the others and also like to chew on intact aquatic plants.
When actively looking for food they dig into the ground and hard substrate-dwelling snails will rest on filter mats and decoration placed in the tank.

Reproduction
Of course, we‘d like these snails to reproduce and they have proved to be able to do so in captivity.

As front-gilled snails they are dioecious, the male fecundating the female by passing a spermatophore. This is a lump of spermatozoa held together by cement liquids produced by glandular appendages of the sexual organs.

The offspring grow in eggs in the mother’s brood pouch; each embryo lying in its own section and feeding on the nourishing substance there.

When the embryo‘s development is sufficiently advanced it is transported to the outside from under the mother snail‘s shell lip in a white-ish egg. Within a few seconds the white substance covering the juvenile dissolves and a fully developed youngster emerges.

The egg is transported to the outside in a groove in the mother snail‘s right side. Depending on the species, the juvenile snail is 0.28-1.75cm/0.1-0.7“ long.

When the snail has recently been introduced to an aquarium, so-called shock births happen frequently, possibly caused by differences in the water parameters — so snailkeepers are able to watch these births live shortly after putting the snail into their tanks.

The juveniles born inside their eggs are often a little smaller than usual. However, they can survive — but under normal circumstances they would just have remained inside the mother snail‘s brood pouch a little longer.

Generally, larger species release larger and less juveniles than the smaller Tylomelania.

These snails do not produce a massive population, as they usually release just one young at a time at intervals, and these juveniles need a long time to grow from only a few millimetres to a respectable size.



Aquarium behaviour
After being slowly introduced into the tank, these snails regain their activity pretty soon and go discovering. Only older adults remain in one place for a few days before they start to wander and they don’t change this behaviour pattern later on.

Only when powdered food is fed do they start crawling actively around in order to ingest it!

Many snailkeepers are disappointed with this sedate behaviour. However, if you adapt feeding habits and start giving powdered food several times a day as well as vegetables, you will observe the adults coming out of their shells, too.

For almost all Tylomelania snails taken from nature it soon becomes clear that they do not like their tanks too bright. Sure signs of excessive light are if the snails are jumpy and retreat to darker corners. If you offer them hideaways, in the form of crevices or dense foliage, they will make use of them.

Juveniles hatched in the aquarium are not secretive. They soon get used to the light and crawl freely through the tank. They are agile and eagerly go exploring — going everywhere, regardless whether hard-substrate or soft-substrate dwellers.

However, juvenile snails living on hard substrates can also be found on rocks, plants and wood and so enable us to see them more often.

When stocking a Tylomelania tank, be careful which animals you combine. There are hybrids in nature and different species have been proven to crossbreed in the aquarium, too.

Whether these crossbreeds are fertile is still uncertain. If a true-breeding strain is important, you should refrain from socialising several Tylomelania species.



Home comforts
Most Tylomelania species do well in a 60 or 80cm/24 or 31“ long tank. It should be clear to every snailkeeper that a species that can grow to 11cm/ 4.3“ rather belongs in a 80cm/31” tank, whereas those that reach a maximum 3-4cm/1.2-1.6“ can be kept in a smaller one.

Temperatures should be between 27-30°C/81-86°F and seasonal fluctuations might be sensible.

The snails also need enough room to move, so extremely dense vegetation is rather counterproductive.

Generally Tylomelania snails do well in the company of dwarf shrimp, small catfish and unobtrusive fish. It is important not to co-house them with any large populations of food competitors, so enabling them to find enough at all times.

Substrate should consist of mud, loam or fine sand and having larger rocks is recommended so that snails living on soft substrate as well as those hard substrate dwellers always find what they require.

A good tank decoration should include stacks of stone slabs creating shadows into which the snails can retreat, as they like to do.

These snails are best kept in a dedicated tank, possibly together with some Sulawesi shrimp, for which the water parameters are also appropriate.

An overstocked tank will take all the joy out of watching these beautiful snails, so gather all the necessary information on which snail you want beforehand and house it according to its requirements.

Don’t forget that the amount of food these snails need bears no relationship to what is eaten by those we usually kept in our tanks — Bladder snail, Trumpet snail and so on. They must get extra food, even in community tanks.

These are from an enchanting genus truly coming into their own when kept in a low-stocked tank. For a technical reference, if looking for details on these snails you’ll need to know their taxonomy, note the class is Caeogastropoda; order is Cerithioidea; family is Pachychilidae, and the genus Tylomelania.

Thanks...
To Thomas von Rintelen, of the Humboldt University of Berlin, who has provided me with an insight into these snails and made text documents of the respective scientific works available.

Source: http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/content.php?sid=3053

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Shrimp Shangri-la!

Shrimp Shangri-la!

Shrimp Shangri-la!

Copyright © Chris Lukhaup

Chris Lukhaup visits China and Hong Kong to examine and photograph the elusive and protected natural habitats of most of the shrimps we see in the trade.

Of the shrimps in the hobby, most are found in South China. Until now little was known of their biotopes and living conditions and most information was gleaned simply from aquarists’ experience. Reason enough then for the Crusta10 team of Werner Klotz, Andreas Karge and myself to head east to get a privileged insight into the natural conditions of their remote hideaways.

Bee, Bumblebee and Tiger shrimp, all widespread in the hobby, originate from the province of Guangdong (Canton) in South China where they live in headwaters of small mountain rivulets. Other species are also there but less interesting in coloration and/or pattern.

Many are only known from scientific descriptions, others are unknown and probably yet to be scientifically described.

The Crystal Red shrimp also has origins here, its ancestors living in a rivulet in Greater Hong Kong. However, you’ll look in vain for photographic evidence or for water parameters of this habitat!

With the help of Ping Yiu Tang, a fish wholesaler from China who was our interpreter and guide, we visited some small brooks, previously kept secret by insiders, to gather data with the help of his local shrimp collectors and to film the habitat.

We flew to Hong Kong and first visited Mr. Tang’s farm just over the border in China, where some 8,000 shrimp caught by his collectors are temporarily housed and prepared for export to Europe and Japan.

They are kept in large tiled concrete basins, and animals from different locations sitting together in one tank are not exceptional. This means that several species may be put into one bag, which makes identification difficult.

Next day we made a three-hour drive to the long-promised habitat. The rivulet we visited is among mountains near the city of Heyuan and belongs to the owners of the huge Xingfeng Jiang reservoir. This remote corner is also home to Caridina meridonialis, a Bumblebee shrimp only recently described.



Appeasing the god
However, the collector said that to catch shrimp we had to get the mountain god’s permission. So we climbed for one and a half hours through mixed tropical forest to offer sacrifice with candles, rice wine and fireworks on a centuries-old altar. This appeased the god and enabled us to collect shrimp!

After the ceremony we descended for about 30 minutes until reaching a small, clear rivulet in the forest where we could see black and white Bumblebee shrimp.

They were mainly in shallow areas along the bank and not shy — probably due to the fact that there are no predators, like fish or waterfowl. There were also stray colourless shrimp, which, though still unidentified, might belong to the group of C. serrata or C. cantonensis. The Bumblebees were C. meridionalis, as expected.

After filming and photographing we took some water parameter figures from the habitat. The brook was about 1m/39" wide, slow-flowing and had a temperature of 16°C/61°F. There was no detectable carbonate hardness and conductivity was only 12 µS, while the pH was only 5.8. The habitat therefore had all the typical characteristics of a softwater brook.

On the banks of the heavily shaded rivulet were interesting ferns and mosses. In the brook itself, with rocky to sandy ground, we could not find any waterplants or mosses. There were vast amounts of fallen leaves in the larger pools, though, and this is where we found most shrimp.

The next rivulet was also quite remote but easier to reach. Here we also found dwarf shrimp with black and white stripes, even though their pattern was a little different. The habitat was comparable to the first, but the riverbank plants seemed to grow more densely here.

The brook’s water parameters were even more extreme than those of the first habitat. Water temperature was the same, but conductivity was only 7 µS, as taken with our pocket conductivity meters. However, the pH of 5.4 backed this finding and indicated the lack of any hardness buffers. We did not find any acid-binding capacity (ABC, KH) with our drip tests, even with the double amount of water. We could say the shrimp here live in pure rainwater.

Driving coastwards to the border between China, Macao and Hong Kong we collected in a small brook, winding around large granite blocks in an amusement park. A few metres upstream we could see blueish-grey shrimp and Werner assumed they might belong to the genus Neocaridina, as many females had a broad stripe along their backs and looked very much like those exported from Hong Kong as Neocaridina sp.

However, Werner and Andreas later discovered that these had to belong to the group related to C. serrata and C. cantonensis. Later, at home, they corroborated this finding under the microscope.

Much to our surprise, we found another shrimp species with dark and light bands. The younger animals particularly showed a very clear black and white pattern. Some were even blue and white, and quite different from those collected at Xingfeng Jiang reservoir a few days earlier.

We later found that the blue and white as well as the black and white shrimp belong to a species of the C. serrata group, which therefore makes them a distant relative of our Bee shrimp.

It’s possible that we have now found the shrimp that Taiwanese and Japanese breeders used to create the Red bee shrimp.

We also saw professional collectors looking for shrimp in this brook. It is highly probable then that animals from this location were mixed with other species in the wholesalers' tanks and so made their way into the hobby.

Nearly always working in full sun we were able to find shrimp in this habitat in nooks and crannies of granite rocks where they were searching for food on the sandy to rocky bottom. They were well camouflaged by their pattern and much more shy than their congeners in the forest rivulets. One reason might be because of the fish we detected in this brook.

However, the banded shrimp were less common than the uniformly greyish-blue ones. With the brook in full sun, without any riverbank forest for protection, water temperature was 22°C/72°F and significantly higher than the rivulets. However, the water was very soft, conductivity was 32 µS and we could not detect any KH. The pH was 6.0.



Easier habitats
After our experience in China, the Hong Kong habitats seemed a lot easier to find. Shrimp are even said to live in the small park brooks within the city itself.

Four species are currently known from there: C. serrata, C. trifasciata, C. cantonensis and C. apodosis — and all belong to the group of C. serrata.

When the shrimp hobby started to boom, Bees were named Caridina serrata as it was then unknown that they might belong to a completely new species. The true C. serrata (above) is transparent to greyish or reddish brown, has irregular dark lateral bands and looks totally different to the black and white banded Bee shrimp.

It’s highly unlikely that these shrimp have already made it into the hobby. The species is endemic on Hong Kong island where it lives in small mountain brooks carrying water year round. You can find large numbers, often where a lot of dead leaves have accumulated.

Water temperatures of these brooks were quite coolish at 18-19°C/64-66°F. A small, slow-flowing rivulet had a low conductivity of 80 µS and a pH of just under 6. Here we also found other inverts like Brotia hainanensis (above) a snail species common in Hong Kong, and a hitherto unidentified crab species.

In the estuaries in the east of the New Territories we stopped by a small river in the tidal zone that had little water at this time of day. We caught a Caridina species under some rocks that science has labelled C. elongopoda, which, however, shows clear differences compared with the true C. elongopoda from Malaysia, according to Klotz and Karge. A more thorough examination might be necessary to place these animals in the right species.

We were also able to catch several Macrobrachium and a Palaemon shrimp species. We also collected nerite snails of the genus Clithon on the algae-covered rocks. These snails are variable in colour and vast numbers of their egg cocoons were the rocks. The banks were strewn with crab caves, but we did not see any crabs.

The water in this area, about 500m/1,640’ from the estuary, was slightly brackish with a conductivity of 1,120 µS, at a temperature of 19°C/66°F and slightly acidic pH of 6.8.

When following this brook up to the mountainous forest area the conditions changed. The water body was heavily shaded, slow-flowing and there were masses of dead leaves on the bottom.

Here we found Caridina cantonensis, the most common species on Hong Kong island. Some are reddish yellow, some rather blueish with a red-brown dotted pattern. The higher you climb, the stronger the current, the steeper the rivulet’s gradient, the more shrimp can be found. They look very much like Red tail shrimp already in the hobby.

These shrimp shared their habitat with some Brotia hainanensis and a Macrobrachium longarm shrimp not yet identified. There were also fish in these waters, among them a loach species identified as Liniparhomaloptera disparis and a small goby with a bright orange dorsal fin from the genus Rhinogobius. The water up there was around 2°C cooler than in the brackish area, pH was 6.4, and there was no detectable KH.

Next day we went to the eastern part of the New Territories where Tang wanted to show us a rivulet where he used to collect shrimp and where Caridina as well as a Macrobrachium species could be found.

Hands as food
When we reached the brook, the longarm shrimp’s behaviour astonished us all. They were far from shy and if you held your hand in the water they literally swam towards it to see if it was good to eat. These belong to the species of Macrobrachium hainanense.

There seemed very little food in the brook, there being no other explanation for this excitable behaviour. Moreover, we could not detect any larger fish there that might pose a danger to them.

The dwarf shrimp population is very small here, the longarm probably predating on them — which would explain this remarkable phenomenon.

We followed the rivulet, which ran through rainforests with abundant vegetation as well as open landscape, upstream. On a small plateau where the brook had carved into the rock we found some smaller fish species in larger pools and many Caridina cantonensis in those pools that had large amounts of fallen leaves.

We found it astonishing that the dwarf shrimp were not in the pools with algae and mosses, but in those with rocky bottoms and lots of detritus. Parameters were pretty much like those we had taken so often during the previous days: temperatures around 18-19°C/64-66°F, conductivity between 45-48 µS, and pH values correspondingly between 6.0-6.4.

One secret too many...
Could we actually get to see the original Bee shrimp habitat? The Holy Grail itself?

Mr. Tang had helped make the arrangements for the last day of our trip, but it ultimately proved impossible as if collectors learned he had shown their top secret location to strangers they would poison the entire brook — as they are reported to have done before.

In order to protect their interests, the professional collectors of Hong Kong seem to stop at nothing.

Source: http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/content.php?sid=3668

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Rarest Fishes in the World

Rarest Fishes in the World

Rarest Fishes in the World

27 Aquatic Lifeforms You Never Caught While Fishing:

Black-lip RattailThese sorts of rattails feed in the muddy seafloor by gliding along head down and tail up, powered by gentle undulations of a long fin under the tail. The triangular head has sensory cells underneath that help detect animals buried in the mud or sand. The common name comes from the black edges around the mouth.

Humpback AnglerfishThis black seadevil, of the size of a tennis ball, is one of the weirdest fish in the world. Female humpback anglers have an enormous head dominated by a cavernous mouth full of long slender teeth that can fold backwards when prey is being swallowed.

Atlantic WolffishThe Atlantic Wolffish is a large bottom-dwelling predatory marine fish. The species is widely distributed across the North Atlantic.

AxolotlYou can learn more on this amphibian called axolotl on http://www.axolotl.org/ . This one is in the same family than the tiger salamander. The only place on earth you can find those one are at Lake Xochimilco in Mexico.

Black ChimaeraChimaeras are related to both sharks and rays. They are jawed fish with paired fins, paired nostrils, scales, two-chambered hearts, and skeletons made of cartilage rather than bone. Chimaeras grow up to two meters long, are found in the ocean floors and have a venomous spine which they use for defense purposes.

Black SwallowerThe black swallower (Chiasmodon niger) is a deep sea fish that has the ability to extend its stomach 3 times its size so that it can swallow fish that are bigger than itself. It can be found in deep seas up to 1,500 meters or in hot tropical waters. It creates its own light because of the darkness found in some parts of the Pelagic zone. The black swallower can grow up to 25 centimeters.

Clown TriggerfishThe Clown Triggerfish or Big-spotted Triggerfish is one of the most spectacular looking marine species. This species grows to 50 cm in length and is usually found in the warm parts of the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. Even though its appearance is quite innocent; this fish is an aggressive carnivore that primarily preys on shelled invertebrates.

CoelacanthThey are the oldest kind of fish we know on earth. They were believed to be extinct before fisherman captured a couple of them in the 1930s.

Deep-sea glass squidA martian? No, it’s the glass squid. This odd looking creature is located in the southern hemisphere and is the prey of many deep sea fish (ex: goblin sharks), whales and oceanic seabirds.

Deep-Sea LizardfishThe Deep-Sea Lizardfish, is a member of the Synodontidae family, it is found throughout the world in tropical and subtropical seas at depths of between 600 and 3,500 m. It is considered as an ambush predator hunting in the abyssal seafloor and devouring prey with its razor sharp barbed teeth.

Deep-sea stargazerStargazers are a family of muscular bulldog-like fishes that typically bury in the seafloor and ambush passing prey. Stargazers are the ultimate ambush predator, with the eye sets on top of the head allowing it to be almost completely hidden. This is combined with an electrical capability which can be used to stun its prey.

Dumbo OctopusThe deep-sea “Dumbo” octopus got its nickname from the ear-like fins protruding from the top of their “heads” (actually bodies), resembling the ears of Walt Disney ’s flying elephant . They are benthic creatures, living at extreme depths, and are some of the rarest of the Octopoda species.

EelpoutThe eelpouts are a family of perciform ray-finned fish They are found in Arctic and Antarctic.

Fangtooth Fish

The Fangtooth fish is found in midwater depths of about five kilometers (three miles). They are extremely muscular and their teeth are so long that when the jaw is shut, the lower pair must slide into special sheathes on either side of the fish’s brain to avoid impaling it.

Giant HatchetfishThe giant hatchetfish is found in deep tropical and subtropical waters of all oceans, except the north Pacific. Its length is between 8 and 12 cm. The giant hatchetfish is a deep-bodied species with large eyes that are directed upwards, enabling prey to be silhouetted against the faint light coming from the surface, and a large mouth also directed upwards.

Leafy Sea DragonSea Dragons are arguably the most spectacular and mysterious of all ocean fish. Leafy Sea Dragons are very interesting to watch– the leafy appendages are not used for movement. The body of a sea dragon scarcely appears to move at all.

LionfishA distinguishing feature of the Lionfish is its large fan-like pectoral fins. They are potentially dangerous, not only to the smaller fish the prey upon, but to humans, as well. The spines on its dorsal fins contain a strong poison, which is perhaps one reason they are totally unafraid of divers.

Longhorn CowfishThe longhorn cowfish are found in the Indo-Pacific region. Their flesh is poisonous and would not make for a very good meal !

Longlure FrogfishThe Longlure frogfish are found in tropical oceans and seas around the world. They are small fish with large odd looking heads. They are mostly bottom-dwelling fishes that are well camouflaged; they employ the first dorsal spine as a fishing lure to attract prey.

LumpfishThe longest lumpfish so far recorded from the American coast measured 23 inches, and weighed 13¼ pounds; the heaviest weighed 20 pounds but measured only 21½ inches (both from Orient, N. Y.), and the proportion of weight to length varies similarly in smaller fish.

Mantis ShrimpThis highly intelligent hunter with claws can lash out at prey with the force of a gunshot. Larger varieties have been known to shatter glass or sever human fingers. Most are either “spearers” (with sharp, mantidlike claws) or “smashers” (with blunt, clublike claws for cracking hard-shelled prey). Rare among invertebrates are the monogamous mating habits that several species demonstrate. Mated pairs share a burrow, and the male hunts for both his mate and young.

MudskipperThe mudskipper are special kind of fish that live most of their life on land beside than into the water. They are located in the Indo-Pacific as well than in the Atlantic coast of Africa. Mudskippers are quite active when out of water.

Northern SeahorseThe seahorse is also one of the top weird sea creature. The male are carrying the egg in a special abdominal pouch, like you can see on the picture.

Robot FishThis one is a robo-carp you can observe at the London Aquarium. It’s a self-guided robot-fish who use artificial intelligence and sensors to avoid obstacles . It’s a 50cm long common carp, swimming with thei living counterparts.

Slander LanternfishThe slender lanternfish are so abondant in the ocean that some people pretend they are the most common fish in the sea. Lanternfishes are recognised by their small light organs dotted along the undersides of their bodies.

SnaggletoothScience experiment gone wrong? Sadly this is not the case. The Snaggletooth or Astronesthes slightly resembles the South American Payara without the charcoal finish and lack of scales. The Snaggletooth is a powerful predatory fish who resides in the deep waters between Australia and New Zealand.

Prehistoric Frilled SharkFlaring the gills that give the species its name, a frilled shark swims at Japan's Awashima Marine Park on Sunday, January 21, 2007. Sightings of living frilled sharks are rare, because the fish generally remain thousands of feet beneath the water's surface. Spotted by a fisher on January 21, this 5.3-foot (160-centimeter) shark was transferred to the marine park, where it was placed in a seawater pool. "We think it may have come to the surface because it was sick, or else it was weakened because it was in shallow waters," a park official told the Reuters news service. But the truth may never be known, since the "living fossil" died hours after it was caught.

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