As you listen
to Pet Fish Talk, you can also follow
other underlined links to related web pages with pictures, videos, and more
information about the topics being discuss during the show.
Fish in
the
News.
Each
week the
Bailey
Brothers
start
the Pet
Fish
Talk
Show
with
some fun
and
interesting
stories
about
fish in
the
news.
Thank you, Robert, for another list of interesting links to Fish in the News.
Nevin Spotted this Fish.
Last Wednesday Nevin looked in Tom's 55-gallon Mbuna Aquarium and said, "Whoa! Look at that young male Red Zebra that's covered with egg spots. He's a fantastic fish now and will probably get better, as he grows bigger!!" Tom had to admit that for some reason he hadn't really noticed that fish, shown just above, but agreed it was very beautiful.
Test your Imagination ?
Nevin says he is absolutely positive that he can see baby fish inside the mouth of this female Labeotropheus trewavasae. Tom took these pictures recently in his 55-gallon Mbuna Aquarium.
Papa Tré
In the picture just above Tré, a male L. trewavasae, swims out to protect his cluster of Cichlid Stones, where he spawned with the female, shown above, about 10-days ago. Click here for more about Cichlid Stones, aquarium caves.
An Unidentified Mbuna Species
Just this week Tom discovered an interesting fish in his Mbuna Aquarium. This fish is mostly white with a few gold and light blue highlights. If you can identify this fish, call during the show.
Julius is Tattered and Looking Older.
All the fish in Tom's 55-gallon Mbuna Aquarium are Mbunas, whose ancestors lived among the rocks along the shores of Lake Malawi in East Africa. The only exception is Julius, shown above, whose ancestors lived in Lake Victoria about 400-miles north of Lake Malawi. Julius is a so-called Haplochromis species 44, which has not yet been given an official scientific name.
Clown Loaches Like to Play.
The pictures, just above, are from Tom's 55-gallon Angel Fish Aquarium, which contains eight wonderful Clown Loaches that spend most of their time inside or near the Ceramic Driftwood Logs. Click here to buy these aquarium decorations.
Rainbow Sharks are Quarrelsome.
They are ornery but beautiful and don't do serious harm to other fish ... so far. Rainbow Sharks also like to stay close to the Ceramic Driftwood Logs.
Three Pictures of Tom's Yoyo Loach
This is a really wonderful fish. It's been in the Angelfish Aquarium for a couple of months and grown a lot. It's very curious and has explored everywhere, including all the passageways in all the hollow Ceramic Driftwood Logs.
Wonderful Coloration on this Marbled Angelfish
This Angel has dazzling metallic silver on it body mixed with jet black areas, orange areas, and turquoise spangles. This was an ordinary Angel from AquariumFish.net. Click here to buy Angelfish.
Male Serpae Tetra
Though Serpae Tetras, like this young male, never swim inside an ornament, Serpae Tetras do like to swim and congregate near these Ceramic Driftwood Logs.
Female Bushymouth Plecostomus Catfish
Male Bushymouth Plecostomus Catfish
Pictures from Tom's 55-gallon Angelfish Aquarium. At least it started out to be and Angelfish Aquarium. All of the fish in this aquarium continue to thrive and grow fast, and they seem to love the Ceramic Driftwood Logs shown in these pictures.
Big Blue Bob Looking Good !
He continues to grow, and his coloration continues to increase. He lives happily alone in a 29-gallon aquarium.
An Essay by Jourdan from Connecticut
The Wonders of Being an Aquarist
Well, I have some excellent news. This week in school, I was allowed to write an essay on any subject I desired. I don't think it should come as any surprise to you that I chose aquariums. I wrote The Wonders of Being an Aquarist. My teacher enjoyed it, I suppose, seeing as I earned an A++. Here is the essay, please enjoy!
What is it about aquariums that seem to make people calm and happy? Is it the sounds of bubbles, rising from the depths and disappearing at the surface? Is it perhaps the constant tinkling noises that the filters make, just like a babbling brook? Perhaps it’s the denizens of this moist world, undulating back and forth, moving restlessly to and fro, waving their beautiful fins as pennants. Or perhaps it is the way they conduct themselves, some seemingly lowly, as the corydoras catfish, yet others behaving so regally, as the Siamese fighting fish. Whatever the case, however, when properly executed, aquariums change the atmosphere of a room. They can change the bland, sterile office of a doctor or a dentist into a sanctuary. The journey to the shadowy figure that breaks your jaw, and the wicked murderer who impales your arm, becomes a visit to a friendly dentist who fixes your teeth, and the kind doctor who enjoys healing you.
Aquariums have been proven to reduce stress, and as a result, blood pressure. Not only that, but an aquarium as a focal point can provide endless entertainment, conversation, and be a great source of relaxation. Who takes care of these aquariums, however? One who takes care of an aquarium is known as an aquarist.
Aquarists have much responsibility upon them. For one, it is vital that they start an aquarium properly. They need to carefully add ammonia to a new aquarium before adding any fish. This is to allow the nitrogen cycle to occur. Certain bacteria turn the ammonia into nitrites, and yet another turns the bacteria into nitrates, which are extremely less toxic than ammonia and nitrites.
This is known among aquarists as ‘cycling’ an aquarium, and it is a vital step towards the well being of any of the aquariums denizens. It is done in order for bacterial colonies to become established and help clear the waste products of fish. It is known as biological filtration because of how it employs the help of living bacteria.
In addition to biological, there is chemical and mechanical filtration, the former using various mediums, such as carbon, Zeolite, and assorted resins, to remove chemicals from the water. Mechanical filtration removes particles from the water. Chemical filtration, however, should be used sparingly, and is not a replacement for water changes, another important role the aquarist takes on.
Water changes are vital to the health of aquaria. In addition to removing various chemicals, and debris in the aquarium, they are important for keeping the pH of the aquarium from changing rapidly. They are also necessary to add trace minerals, which though only available in small amounts, are necessary to the health of an aquarium.
Yet another job of the aquarist is that of a landscaper. Making an aquarium beautiful is no small task, simple as it may seem. For one, placement of rocks, plants, statuettes, etc., is very important as to how an aquarium turns out, whether you have a box filled with wet junk, or chest of aquatic wonders. Rocks must be placed in order of size, the largest towards the back of the aquarium, smallest in front. The same applies to plants. It is also important to use important spacing, in order that the rocks aren’t all sitting together in one group, and yet there aren’t gaping holes in the scenery. Not to say a gaping hole is a bad thing, however, considering that it could be used to bring attention to something like a special decoration, such as a castle or bubble-driven ornament.
Sometimes, fish fall ill for one reason or another. It is the duty of an aquarist to now serve as a doctor. There are various diseases that afflict fish, the most common being finrot, a bacterial infection of a fishes fins. This can be brought on by poor water quality, stress, and crowded conditions. The best treatment is to first eliminate the problem by caring for the water quality, and the finrot will usually clear itself. But, if that doesn’t happen, or if the disease is at an advanced stage, the aquarist will use medications made specifically for the purpose of healing finrot.
Yet, in what seems to be much work comes a very large reward: a beautiful aquarium, full of vibrant, healthy fish, and sometimes invertebrates, such as shrimp, clams, and others. An aquarist watches his fish as they go about their lives, socializing, and feeding, mating and fighting, they watch as they rear their young to maturity, the way the small fish interact with one another. Yes, it seems to be extremely laborious, yet what is offered is quite an unparalleled delight.
Aquarists are also responsible for scientific progress as well. Because they spend much time with their fish, they understand many of their complex behaviors in ways that are beneficial to science, and the understanding of just how important certain species are to us, as humankind! Next time you see an aquarium, remember what went into it. Remember that an aquarist was responsible.
Big thanks to Jourdan for emailing us a copy of his essay, which is very well written. Tom and Nevin will probably discuss it during this weeks show.
Callers during this Show
Evan from
Colorado
calls and
says one his
favorite
fish, an
Mbuna
Cichlid,
whose
ancestors
lived in
Lake Malawi
in East
Africa,
recently
died after a
partial
water
change.
Henry
from
Switzerland
calls and
says that he
got the
premium fish
food that
Nevin mailed
to him a
while ago.
Henry says
this fish
food smells
very good.
Sometimes he
tastes fish
food to test
it, and he
agrees that
this food is
very good.
Then Henry
talks with
Tom and
Nevin about
his wild
Indonesian
Catfish and
about trying
to spawn and
breed fish,
like these
catfish,
that have
never been
bred before.
The Bailey Brothers
encourage YOU to call Pet Fish Talk
during the show and talk about your pet fish.
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