The Marine Betta
September 2, 2009
There are so many fish that are attractive and tempt the aquarist, from small to moderate to large in size. Some are aggressive, some sensitive but are they suitable for the aquarium? The answer of course is mainly ‘yes’, with the addition that they all need to have their preferred environment provided.
One fish that is not as brightly coloured as some others, but is colourful and very attractive nevertheless, is the marine betta, as can be seen at the following link. Another common name for the fish is marine comet. The proper name is Calloplesiops altivelis.
http://www.ozanimals.com/Fish/Comet/Calloplesiops/altivelis.html
The beta is covered in dots and has large finnage which is where the common names probably come from. When the fins are extended they look spectacular. These fish are capable of growing to around 6¼” (circa 16cm) so they are not for the small aquarium, if they are to be comfortably housed a 36″ (circa 91.5cm) aquarium or thereabouts is recommended. Normally only one beta should be kept. Their tank mates should be selected carefully as they are fairly shy and not at their best when housed with bold, high action and/or aggressive fish, the companions should be of a similar size or smaller. It is also best not to overcrowd the fish, which is good practice in any aquarium anyway – a lower fish population is advantageous.
Having said companions should be smaller, care is again needed as the beta could predate on much smaller fish. It tends to ambush them from whatever area it has decided to hide in. Care also needs to be taken with smaller crustaceans as these will sometimes be eaten.
Once the fish has settled in feeding is not normally a problem, good quality frozen food is usually accepted and often so is freeze dried food. There will no doubt always be exceptions, but flake food is not particularly attractive to them. The aquarist needs to observe the fish in the aquarium at feeding time, as is the practice anyway, as the beta could lose out to faster and greedier fish it is necessary to ensure it has fed sufficiently.
For the fish to settle well the aquarium must be furnished with rockwork, be this live rock or otherwise. The rockwork needs to be arranged so that there are one or two caves, preferably several, that are large enough for the fish to hide in and watch the outside world from.
A very bright halide lit reef aquarium is not ideal for the beta as it prefers moderate light – a reef that houses soft corals and is lit by fluorescents would be better, as would the lesser lit fish only system. The fish could become accustomed more or less to brighter light but in this circumstance is likely to hide away for longer periods. The natural habit of the fish is to hide away during the day, but in the lower lit aquarium the fish should be seen more often for longer periods.
When the fish is first introduced to the aquarium it is likely to hideaway for quite a period, most fish hideaway at first but the beta’s period could be longer. The fish should start to appear when ‘dusk’ occurs (that is, main lights off and actinics only on before lights out) or maybe it could be ‘dawn’. Whatever, it should settle provided it feels secure and the environment is of high quality and then be seen more.
The only defence the fish has (to my knowledge) is that when it feels threatened it will put its head into the rocks and leave only the tail and rear body showing. The markings on the rear end seem to be similar to a moray eel, and any potential aggressor will consider twice before mixing with those.
This lovely and interesting fish will be excellent for the aquarium provided its tank mates are suitable, the lighting isn’t too bright, there are suitable hiding places and the seawater is of high quality. The aquarist could need to search a little before a fish is located.
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Ouch! Know Your Enemy
August 25, 2009
Last week I was helping my neighbour move a broken up concrete garage base to make way for a new one. Because the lumps of concrete were pretty rough I wore protective gloves.
Without warning a pain similar I suppose to having a red hot needle stuck into me occurred on the inner wrist. The pain didn’t last long, about a second, so it wasn’t severe. The only word I uttered was ‘Ouch!’ I saw the wasp leave, somehow or other it had got caught between my wrist and the glove. Over a couple of days my wrist did swell to an extent, but there wasn’t a problem though the itching was an annoyance.
When it happened I tried to recall the standard remedy. I knew that a wasp and bee had opposite sting make-up, one being alkaline and the other acid. Should I dose the sting spot with milk or vinegar? I wasn’t sure so I did both.
Later I found that a bee sting is acid, so milk would be appropriate, and a wasp sting is alkaline, so vinegar would be appropriate. Pretty straightforward really and seldom a real problem unless the person involved is likely to severely adversely react and/or is stung many times.
Australians often take a bottle of vinegar to the beach in case of stings. There are some nasty life forms that could make their presence felt. Another way if vinegar isn’t present is to use urine so I’m told (so perhaps those few beers on the beach could help in more ways than one!).
Vinegar, milk and urine are not the correct medications for all venomous stings and bites etc.
Marine aquariums are to be found in many places around the world. In the US and EU they are very numerous. Considering livestock, there’s a few that could cause problems.
In the sea there are some dangerous creatures and some of these find their way into aquariums. For example the blue ringed octopus is kept by a few aquarists. This little octopus, properly called Hapalochlaena maculosa, is around the size of a golf ball and is attractive, though the rings only turn blue when it is about to attack or as a warning to another life form considered too close. The size makes it a possibility for inclusion in a suitable aquarium. However, it has a deadly bite because it injects toxin.
Another dangerous creature is the stonefish (one type is Synaneichthyes verrucosus). I have seen a stonefish for sale, though only once, but why anyone would want to keep one I don’t know. The fish is sedentary, sitting still waiting for prey. They look very like a rock. On the back of the fish are 13 grooved spines which inject toxin if they penetrate the skin, somewhat like hypodermic needles. The intensity of pain and subsequent problems is subject to an extent on the number of spines that penetrated the skin. The pain is stated to be excruciating.
A problem caused by a blue ringed octopus or a stonefish needs immediate medical attention or death could occur. There are other dangerous creatures in addition to the two mentioned.
Most of us marine aquarists don’t keep such life forms. There are a similar few that are kept but are not as dangerous perhaps, but dangerous nonetheless.
One such fish, and well known, is the common lionfish, properly called Pterois volitans. There are other types but the common lionfish is the most readily available. The body markings are quite striking and the finnage beautiful. In the aquarium they need careful selection of companions or the companions could be eaten! The fins are the problem to the aquarist; they are able to inject venom that causes great pain.
Another well known and commonly kept fish is the foxface, properly called Lo vulpinus. These fish are also colourful and are a ‘different’ addition to the aquarium because of their head shape, though why they should be called foxface I don’t know. The danger with these fish again lies with the venomous fin spines which are capable of injecting venom which could take a long time to heal.
Another commonly kept life form is not a fish this time, but a coral. It’s very innocuous looking and kept in very many aquariums from beginner to advanced. It is quite tolerant and is usually able to resist some errors made by beginning aquarists. They are the zoanthids or button polyps which come in various polyp sizes and colours, normally covering the upper surfaces of a rock. Who would think there could be any danger from these? The danger comes from the species Palythoa, Protopalythoa and related species. Many aquarists handle zoanthids without any problem – in fact, problems from handling are rare. The fact is that the mucus of these zoanthids contains a neurotoxin which could be very dangerous or deadly to the aquarist. It is known that some tribes used to dip their spears in the mucus for use in battle and hunting*. So when one of these polyp groups is to be handled at the very least the aquarist should be sure there aren’t any cuts and abrasions on the skin. Wearing suitable gloves would be better.
The aquarium inhabitants mentioned above aren’t the only potential dangers that could appear. What is necessary is that the aquarist knows the potential problem(s) that could be introduced with newly purchased livestock to ensure he or she is happy with the situation. More important the knowledge should ensure the aquarist takes precautions and exercises caution when carrying out maintenance etc. The knowledge about livestock comes from some simple pre-purchase research.
In addition it is necessary, like a good scout, to be prepared. So as the potential problem is known the aquarist can find out from the internet or other sources what course of action should be taken should a mishap occur. Obviously medical assistance could be required, but it is important to be able to take initial action, if any, to help control the problem before medical help is available. It is also important to be able to advise the medics what it is that has happened, for example a puncture from X fish that is known to carry venom. At the extreme it could save your life.
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Firefish
August 1, 2009
These little fish are really worthwhile owning for both interest and beauty. They are usually easy to obtain and don’t cost a king’s ransom.
Firefish are also commonly called fire gobies. The proper name for them is Nemateleotris xxxx. The reason I have shown the second part as x’s is because there is more than one type (this method is not common practice!). Probably the best known is Nemateleotris magnifica. The link shows photos of this fish:
http://fins.actwin.com/species/index.php?t=9&i=119
As said there is more than one type in this group, two more lovely types are Nemateleotris decora and Nemateleotris helfrichi.
The fish could grow to around 3 1/8 inches (circa 8cm). They stand out not only because of beauty but because they have a very long dorsal fin, or the front part of it anyway. They are a peaceful fish which should not cause difficulties with others or with reef livestock such as corals.
The downside with these fish is that they shouldn’t be kept with larger more boisterous and/or belligerent types. This means that a fish only system is usually unsuitable. If they are kept in such a way they are likely to be always nervous and not show their true colours properly. A nervous and stressed fish is more likely to succumb to disease or just fade away.
The best place for firefish to be housed is in a reef system. The fish need a cave that is deep inside the reef for security, which they can dive into if danger seems near. This is the problem with incorrect tank mates; the firefish could be mostly afraid to leave their cave and even if they do it will not be for any distance. In the reef system they should be kept with small quiet non-aggressive fish. As said there isn’t any danger to corals.
Stocking is straightforward with simple guidelines. The firefish should be one of the first fish into the aquarium so that it can settle before other fish arrive. They will select a cave deep in the reef and gain confidence. One firefish could be introduced, but in the wild they tend to live in pairs* so two could be introduced at the same time. More than two pairs could be introduced provided the aquarium is large (the minimum suggested size for a pair is 30 inches (circa 76cm). This way the flicking of the dorsal fin will probably be seen, this is thought to be a signaling device. It might be thought that the higher seawater circulation in a reef system would be a problem for the fish, but usually it isn’t, the recommended flow is medium to strong. Though it doesn’t usually cause a serious problem, strong lighting is not particularly liked; the preference of the firefish is for moderate intensity. However, if the firefish is unhappy it could select an area where the lighting is not so strong, these usually are present in most reef systems.
Feeding is not a problem normally. In nature the fish take food from the seawater column, mainly plankton. Of course this is not possible in an aquarium situation. However, if suitably sized food is floating in the current the fish will normally go for it. Marine flake, brine and mysis shrimp are suitable, plus any other foods that are similar. If live foods are available such as brine shrimp these will usually also be taken.
When the aquarist first introduces the firefish to the aquarium they are likely to dive into the rocks and disappear. However, after a time, maybe a day or so, they should re-appear and start to hover in the seawater column. At this early stage they will probably dive back into the rocks when the aquarist approaches. However, as time continues this should reduce and the fish could even commence to ‘beg’ for food as do many other species. The normal daytime practice is for the firefish to hang in the seawater column above the home cave location waiting for food to pass by.
The firefish is reported to be a ’jumper’, that is, it has been known to jump out of the aquarium. Why this should be is not certain, maybe more boisterous fish spooked them. When I kept firefish they never jumped at all – their companions were peaceable and small so perhaps that was the reason.
In a suitable environment firefish should not present any problems. They are usually easy to feed and provide, in addition to their beauty, a slightly different looking fish.
(*Reference: Marine Atlas. Helmut Debelius & Hans A. Baensch)
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The Powder Blue Surgeon
July 4, 2009
This surgeonfish is commonly called the powder blue though the proper name is Acanthurus leucosternon.
The fish is very attractive but should not be found in just any aquarium. For example, it would be wrong and cruel to have one in my reef as the aquarium is too small, and in addition the reef takes up too much of the free seawater space available for swimming making that too small. Many would say the fish should not be kept in an aquarium of less than 5ft (circa 152.5cm) by 2ft (circa 61cm) by 2ft. Subject to the fish load and the available swimming space it could be reasonable to bring the length of the aquarium down to 4ft (circa 122cm). Again the rockwork should leave plenty of swimming space for the fish. There is a further point and that is that in all aquariums the growth potential must be considered. When purchased the fish is likely to be fairly small but, in the wild at least, it has the potential to grow to about 12 inches (circa 30.5cm). It can be seen why larger aquariums are best for this fish.
To keep the fish healthy and happy it is important that seawater is kept at high quality, which is a requirement for any system anyway. Also as in any system, it is important to ensure the seawater is as oxygen rich as possible. This is done by ensuring that seawater movement is optimum so that air/water interfaces are fully efficient.
Only one powder blue should be kept in an aquarium as they could be, and usually are, aggressive and territorial. Further, the fish could take exception to any other surgeon fish present in the aquarium particularly another blue one (of any shade). The fish may even take exception to any other largish blue fish, surgeon or not. It has also been advised that butterflies could be attacked.
So it sounds as if the powder blue is a fish to be avoided. Not really, there are many aquarists who have found keeping one has not caused unfortunate problems. Environment and selection of suitable tank mates is very important, and it could be a good idea to introduce the powder blue to the tank as one of the final additions.
Initial selection of the fish is very important, as it is with all livestock. Time should be taken to ensure the fish is in good health with nothing present that could cause any questions to arise.
Feeding does not present any problems at all. The fish will readily accept the general fare that is offered most other fishes, such as de-frozen food and flake. However, in the wild they feed nearly entirely on algae and so it follows that in captivity algae should be available. In most aquariums the natural algae growth will be insufficient and therefore commercial produce is required. This could be in the form of dried Nori algae, for example, which comes in sheets. The sheet can be reduced in size if necessary and hung in the aquarium on a lettuce clip for the fish to eat. Any uneaten or loose Nori should not be left too long but removed and replaced with fresh. It is likely that if the sheet remains fixed in place it will be eaten, especially if there are other algae eaters present. The aquarist can soon judge the correct amount needed.
There are some marine fish that clearly let the aquarist know how they are feeling by their colouration and the powder blue is one of them. If the fish is a fairly deep blue and the head black then the fish is fine and happy. If the blue has turned pale and the usually black head grayish then the fish is off-colour (sorry, pun not intended! I should have said not well). Check for correct diet and enough of it, seawater quality and any sign of disease. In a high quality environment the fish is reasonably trouble free.
Assuming that the powder blue is not exposed to disease problems and is homed in a suitable situation it adds movement, shape and colour to the aquarist’s collection. Longevity should be good too.
The link provides some pictures of the powder blue, placing the mouse pointer on a picture enlarges it:
http://www.whatsthatfish.com/fish/396
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The Banggai Cardinal At Risk?
June 2, 2009
The Banggai Cardinal, properly called Pterapogon kauderni, is a fairly new fish for the salt water aquarium. The fish in the aquarium is fairly sedentary, but has lovely colouring, with black vertical striping on a silver body and a long forked tail, again silver/black. It has become popular for obvious reasons.
A while ago it seemed likely that supplies of this fish from the wild would dry up because it appeared that the wild fish was under threat. Not a happy situation if correct.
The ‘under threat’ problem arose because it is believed that around 700,000 of these fish are collected for the aquarium trade each year. When the total estimated population in the wild is considered the cause for concern becomes obvious, this number is 2,000,000, so most would agree that the collection ratio is high. The fish only come from one small part of the Pacific Ocean so there is considerable collection concentration. The fish are mouth brooders (like freshwater cichlids) so perhaps the ratio of successful births to adulthood is high. However, whether that is the case or not, the fish only raise a few fish at a time so the ‘threat’ isn’t reduced. Open spawning fish produce huge amounts of eggs, and others such as clownfish produce far more fry. So the danger of insufficient natural replacement seemed real.
CITES became involved and the situation was under discussion. It very much looked as though a CITES ban on the importation of the fish would occur, if this ban appeared all imports into the US and EU would be prohibited.
Supply would be reduced to aquarists breeding the fish (a not impossible task) and commercial breeding which is being done, though limited.
However, as CITES ban did not occur. A considerable amount of discussion and agreed cooperation has avoided this. The government of the area has undertaken to strictly manage the situation, which includes training of local collectors and control of the numbers of fish collected relative to the estimated wild population. Aquarium trade groups and monitoring authorities have also undertaken to be involved. CITES had declared the fish as ‘at risk’ without further current action.
It seems likely that the number of these fish being exported from the collection area will or has reduced. This could have an effect on price, but who is going to complain in a circumstance such as this? Home bred fish but mainly commercially bred ones should counteract any fish scarcity to an extent.
Combined discussion and action seems to have produced a sensible outcome, the fish are being protected and at the same time interested parties such as aquarists and collectors have not been locked out.
The link shows a picture of the fish and some breeding information:
http://www.geocities.com/capecanaveral/hangar/6279/RaiseBanggaiCardinal.html
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The Copperband Butterfly
May 22, 2009
There are quite a few fish that could be said to fly the flag for the marine hobby. One of them is a member of the clownfish club, the so called common clownfish, Amphiprion ocellaris, with its gaudy ‘painted on’ colours.
The fish that for me anyway is the king (or queen) of the reef is the copperband butterfly, Chelmon rostratus. It is striking in shape and colour, drawing the eye like a magnet.
The fish has the typical butterfly shape, though its body seems a little more elongated vertically. The colours are vertically striped, alternating between silver and more narrow ‘copper’, hence the name. The snout is long, and the tail clear. The fish could grow to around 5″ (circa 12.75cm). A suggested minimum aquarium length is 3 ft (circa 91.5cm), though larger is better.
The fish isn’t normally bothered by another of the same species in the aquarium, though aquarium size could have an effect on this. In addition, the food that the fish requires could well be exhausted if there are too many predating the same sources. It is generally best to have one, and to try to ensure that there aren’t any others that will also predate on the copperband’s prey.
Following on from the last paragraph, the best aquarium for the fish is a very mature reef system. This is because there is likely to be a considerable population of tiny life that the fish will hunt. It searches carefully for food, slowly moving along the rocks and using its long snout to drag food out when found. The fish is reef safe and is unlikely to damage corals. However, fanworms and some other worms will be attacked.
The usual fish that could be found in a reef system are reasonable tank mates for the copperband. Fish that are overly territorial and/or aggressive should be avoided. The copperband defends itself in the usual butterfly fish way; it dips forward and expands the dorsal fin, confronting the aggressor with spikes.
The copperband appears to be ideal for the reef aquarium and it is. However, there is one major potential drawback and this is feeding. When a copperband is purchased the aquarist takes a gamble on whether the fish will feed or not. It is reasonably certain that the fish will follow its instincts and hunt for live food as previously mentioned. However, is there enough live food among the reef structure to sustain it? When a copperband is being considered for purchase a request should be made to see it feeding, hopefully it will feed. Take a note of what the food supplied is, this could be used until the fish accepts a changed diet – if it does. There are as many aquarists who report trouble feeding the fish as there are who have no trouble at all.
When I kept a copperband it fed, but what a performance it was! There was insufficient live food in the aquarium to sustain it, so additional feeding had to be done, unfortunately the fish refused any food in the water column. I had to obtain a small sheet of acrylic and fasten some rock to it (the rock was cut so it had one flat side). The rock was full of holes and crevices so these were filled with defrosted food, anything from brine shrimp to bloodworm. The rock was then lowered into the aquarium and leaned against a glass panel. Sure enough, eventually the fish came and looked at the rock but didn’t take anything. It was decided that this was because the food didn’t move (I have no idea if this was the real reason) so I gently shook the rock plate until the copperband came and took some. Unfortunately, the fish never learned that the food was there anyway whether the rock shook or not, it wouldn’t eat unless the rock was shaken! So the copperband received dinner when the others had eaten theirs.
There is an alleged benefit with the copperband that could please reef aquarists immensely, and this is that it attacks and eats Aiptasia anemones. These anemones are the weeds of the aquarium and a real nuisance, the aquarist has to keep them under control or they will spread throughout the aquarium. The copperband as said could assist in the battle and possibly even control the anemones on its own. However, (there’s always a ‘but’ isn’t there), although many aquarists report the fish does indeed have a go at the anemones, including some well respected ones, there seems to be just as many who advise that their fish ignored them. It may be that the fish attacks the anemones, damaging them and keeping them closed up. I don’t actually know, but any assistance in the battle with Aiptasia can only be good!
The experienced aquarist who has a decent sized well aged reef aquarium could obtain a copperband, bearing in mind the comments on feeding. Hopefully the fish will feed well and find lots to eat within the aquarium. Also hopefully it will take food provided by the aquarist. If all is well, the captive reef will be adorned by a fish that is – what can I say – superb.
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Show Off!
August 16, 2008
I’ve had my soft coral reef now for quite a while. In October this year it will have its 6th birthday. Everything is fine, corals show good growth, there is some beautiful encrusting algae (I’ve just got a new bit which looks like multiple snowflakes stuck together – where did that come from?) and the fish are healthy and happy.
There used to be three fish but one, a flashback dottyback (Pseudochromis diadema) disappeared and I have no idea why. This occurred about 18 months ago. The remaining two are a blue damsel (Chrysiptera cyanea) and a flame angel (Centropyge loriculus). They both show wonderful colour.
The flame angel is the boss of the aquarium and always has been. Presumably the fish sees the aquarium as its territory. It acts perfectly normally until feeding time arrives. This isn’t any feeding time though; it’s the evening one, the time when the normal basic diet of marine flake is provided. Both fish eat well without dispute and always eat their fill. I have to be careful as I feel sure they would both eat to excess and then semi-digested food would pass into the aquarium – not wanted.
After feeding in the evening, the blue damsel goes to its favourite haunt which is mid-water at the right hand end of the aquarium. The flame angel however starts its antics. It doesn’t threaten the blue damsel but cruises up and down the front glass seemingly shouting ‘Look at me!’
With all fins stiffly extended it moves slowly along and it could hardly do anything else but move slowly. Making itself as big as possible it bobs a little upwards and then a little downward. Clearly it’s displaying and I have always assumed it would be to its own reflection in the glass. However, I moved to the end of the aquarium and the angel followed. I moved back and it didn’t. So I waited until it had got to the other end again and went to the opposite side – the angel followed. All of a sudden the fins went in and the fish became normal again, swimming much more efficiently around the aquarium. The damsel popped out, the angel gave a quick chase, and then all was peace and normality.
So what was that all about? As said the fish was clearly displaying but was it to me? My movements seemed to indicate it was, but maybe it was all coincidental. It does its display regularly after feeding in the evening but this is the first time it has reacted to my movements. I’ll have to try it again.
I remember a good number of years ago with a different aquarium there was a bit of fun at cleaning time, that is, when the magnetic scrubber went in to remove algae from the glass. At the time the aquarium contained a regal tang (which was a gorgeous blue and had been resident for a good while. When the magnetic cleaner appeared the fish would swim stiffly up to it and zigzag back and forth with fins erect. Obviously the magnetic cleaner didn’t take any notice! As the cleaner moved back and forth the fish would follow it, totally oblivious to the presence of my hand. The fish seemed to become more and more enraged and changed colour – the blue faded and it became much more of a pale blue/white. Clearly this was a territorial display and it only happened at cleaning time. The colour of the cleaner was blue so this strange square fish was an interloper into the territory, maybe seen as another tang of the same type.
The flame angel maybe sees the reflection in the glass and interprets it as an interloper. The movement outside (me) maybe connects with that and it follows.
If that is correct the fish is just boosting its street cred!
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