Fish in the News. Three New South American Fish Identified. "I'm very concerned about biodiversity," said Hernan Lopez-Fernandez, who is shown below.
Geophagus winemilleri, a new species, was recently described and named by Hernan Lopez-Fernandez, who named the fish for Dr. Kirk O. Winemiller, an ecology and evolutionary biologist for the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station.
"It's easier to preserve a species if you know it's there. It's very hard to attach a value on something until you know what it is." One of the most endearing features Lopez-Fernandez realized about the Geophagus fish in his research is that the parent fish take care of their eggs in their mouths.
"Just describing a species doesn't mean you know all about its biology," he said. "And yet the more you know about their ecological role, the better you are able to know in detail what makes up an ecosystem."
Constantly sifting the bottom, they may have an effect on the invertebrate community and therefore what lives in the area," he explained. Lopez-Fernandez plans to continue similar research of cichlid fish and their impact on environments worldwide. Click here to read the original story.
More Fishy News. "Octopuses have intrigued scientists for years, because they have both long- and short-term memory, they remember solutions to problems, and they can go on to solve the same or similar problems. They have been known to climb aboard fishing boats and open holds in search of crabs. They can figure out mazes, open jars, and break out of their aquariums in search of food." Click here to read the original story.
Jack Dempsey's Life Span. I have been searching the internet for information on how long a Jack Dempsey lives, and came across your show. I have a Dempsey that is at least 8 years old, and am curious how long I might expect him to live. The best information I have seen indicates that 10 years is an average for Neotropicals. Any further insight is appreciated. Thanks, Dan C., Arlington, VA.
Gel Media for Plants. Just yesterday I was in a pet store and I saw something I had not seen before. Live aquatic plants that came in a clear plastic container that had a clear gel on the roots. The top of the plant was just in air. I couldn't find anything on the net about aquatic plants sold this way. I did find that there is a "GEL" that is sold as a medium to grow potted plants. Do you have any info on this? Mike, Austin Texas
More about Gel. A few days after this show we got an email that said, "Hi Tom and Nevin, On the show on 11/16, you read an email from a listener asking about live aquatic plants being sold in a clear plastic container with a gell around the roots. I have seen these too. I even purchased one about 6 months ago. I found them at Petsmart. They are distributed by a company called "Aqua Plants". Reading the container the plants come in they claim the gell wont hurt the fish but recomend to wash the roots before putting the plant in an aquarium. These plants will not live long in the condition they are sold. I found the fresher plants were on the back of the shelf. They range in price of 3.99 for small plants, 6.99 for medium plants, and 9.99 for large plants. The plant I bought, I washed the roots free of the gell, removed a couple dead leaves. My plant has been doing great. I give it plant food every 3 days. The plant gets big, so I seperate it. I have 3 aquariums in my house. A piece of this plant is in all 3 tanks. Tom questioned about Capital Aquarium in Sacramento. Yes, the store is still there. Most of my fish came from this store. I shop there often. I recommend you do visit this store Tom. Thanks for doing what you do. I enjoy listening to your show."
Vern from Sacramento
George's New Dojo. George from St. Croix, Wisconsin, calls and talks about his new Dojo, which is also called a Weather Fish, and prefers cool water. Tom tells a story about suffering from the cold a long time ago while visiting his hippy friends in Jenner by Sea north of San Francisco.
Breeding Black Fin Sharks. Guys, I have a question regarding Black Fin Sharks (white tip shark catfish). I recently purchased 8 of them and they all seem very healthy and energetic, they range in size from about 3 inches to almost 4 inches in length. I noticed that most of them have a small marking between their eyes in the middle of their foreheads; a couple of them do not have the marking. Is this how you can tell the difference between their sexes? If not, how can you tell the difference in sexes? What preparations do I need to do with my aquarium to promote breeding? Currently, their tank mates are 4 red belly Pacus that range between 2 -3.5 inches long, 2 Tiger Oscars about 4 inches long, and a 5 inch plecostomus in a 55 gal aquarium. I’m also interested in breeding these fish also, and any additional help would be much appreciated. Thanks, Scott
Breeding Tropical Fish. Steve Corandan from New Jersey calls and Tom asks him about breeding Black Fin Sharks. Steve tells a funny story about breeding the Albino Cory Catfish, and time flies as Steve talks with Tom and Nevin about spawning various types of tropical fish over the years.
Tom and Nevin continue to talk with Steve Corandan from New Jersey. Click here to listen to Steve about breeding Cory Catfish. Tom and Nevin tell Steve they recently got an email from "Mark", which says,
An Email from Iraq. "Tom, Nevin, How are you today sirs? My name is Mark Corandan.
I am Steve Corandan, Owner of Corandan's Tropical Fish from
Florence NJ's son. I am his technical assistant as far as set
up design and internet and pictures go. I am currently
stationed in Iraq as a combat Firefighter under the Department
Of Defense. I was wondering if on the next show when my father
calls in if you could give him a little suprise for me.
I just want you to tell him how proud of him i am for the
wonderful things he has done since ive been gone and that i
say hello. I do talk to him through email as well, but he
is so proud to always talk on your show and help the listeners.
I just think if you guys told him i said hello he would be
extatic! Well i hope you can help me out, if not its ok to.
Thank you in advance, Mark Corandan,
EMT, Firefighter, SLEO 1,
DOD Combat Firefighter, Iraq."
Steve comments on his son's tour of duty in Iraq.
How to Sell Pet Fish to Fish Stores. Steve, who is a professional fish breeder, goes on to give some advice to people who want to breed tropical fish and start selling them to pet stores.
Feeding and Breeding Guppies. Kenny from Wisconsin calls and talks about his baby guppies, including information about when the males begin to show some color. Then Kenny makes more interesting comments about breeding his guppies. Tom and Nevin talk about some of their experiences breeding fish, then Kenny also talks about what he's learned about feeding his Guppies.
Evan's Reef Aquarium. Evan from Colorado call at 2:30:05 and Tom says his calls are coming closer and closer to 2:30 each week. Evan says he has decreased the bio-load in his reef aquarium. Then increased his bio-load and added some more live rock. Evan talks about making synthetic seawater with R/O water, about adding two new Blue Leg Hermit Crabs to his Pico Aquarium, about having secure covers on his aquariums so nothing jumps out or escapes, and about the male Fiddler Crab in his freshwater aquarium.
Freshwater Muscles. Hello, I just came across your website and have signed up for the newsletter. I have a thriving 55 gal. aquarium with 5 large Oranda goldfish. I keep lots of plants in it, have some apple snails, as well as a Dojo and a 5 inch Synodontis angelicus. I am wondering if there are any freshwater muscles or other filter feeders that would be compatible in this tank. I recall as a child seeing several different freshwater muscles in local lakes. I keep the tank temp at 77 degrees. Any suggestions or thoughts Thanks, Michael C.
Feeding Baby Cory Catfish. Carl from Albuquerque, New Mexico, calls, and says that he's bred some Aeneus Corydoras Catfish in his 50-gallon aquarium. Carl says he fed the baby catfish Hikari's Powdered Food. Carl says he's looking forward to getting a group of young Angels and breeding them.
Pet Fish Stores in Southern California. Hi, I live in La Verne, CA and I was interested if you know of any huge/big fish stores to buy fish. I been to a few local fish stores, and the Petsmart and Petco's etc but am really interested to go to a extensive fish store if such exists. Thanks, Matthew E.
Nevin's Mystery Snail. Tom interview's his brother, Nevin, about his Mystery Snail. How to choose a good Mystery Snail. This snail eat most of the algae then eat the shoots off of Nevin's Amazon Sword Plant! So Nevin says he feeds this snail sinking Algae Wafers. Nevin then talks about various interesting Mystery Snail behavior.
Thank you. A big sincere thank-you to George from St. Croix, Wisconsin, to Steve Corandan from New Jersey, to Kenny from Wisconsin, to Evan from Colorado, and to Carl from Albuquerque, New Mexico for calling during the show. Tom and Nevin encourage YOU to call Pet Fish Talk during the show and talk about your pet fish.
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