Weekly Fish ID-Quiz - Just for Fun !! Each week we post some new pictures here on the Listening Guide for this week's show, and we leave the names off. It will be a good exercise for you to try to identify the item in each picture. Some pictures will probably be easy to identify, but others will probably be difficult. Tom and Nevin will identify each picture during the first few minutes of this show.       An Email from Audra in New Jersey Hi Tom and Nevin,   We had a 5.8 earthquake affecting us here yesterday in the Northeast. It happened in Virginia and we felt a tremor here in NJ. I work on the 6th floor in an 13 story building and the building literally swayed back and forth for a few seconds. We immediately evacuated, no damage reported and everyone was safe. My family was home and luckily did not feel a thing. My heart goes out to the folks affected by the earthquake.   I'm writing because I wanted to know what kind of damage could have happened to my 8 tanks at home, if my house swayed the way my office building did. I have (6) 30 gallon tanks, (1) 5.5 gallon and (1) 55 gallon tank. Five tanks rest on 3/4 inch plywood on hardwoord floors, the other 3 are on 3/4 plywood on a carpeted floor.   Could they have shifted or cracked? Do you have any advice on how to prepare, look out for problems with tanks after an earthquake?   Audra New Jersey       Henry from Switzerland had a Question! A couple of weeks ago Henry from Switzerland called and right at the end of the show asked for hints about how to get a reluctant eater to eat. Tom and Nevin did not have time to answer but today they'll try.       An Email from Kathleen in Clovis, California Tom and Nevin,  I sure wish I could take the day off and call the show but since I can’t I’ll send a few e-mail comments about the last couple of shows.   I always really enjoy Roland’s calls. I hope he is enjoying his trip. I really felt for him when I saw his photo of his baby discus. They really had some size on them – it must have been awful when they started dying.   Nevin mentioned the submersible heater being fully submerged in the photo surprised him. I’ve always fully submerged mine (isn’t that what they are designed to do?) and often I place mine horizontally just as Roland has his in the photo. There is no reason to keep the control portion at the top of the tank unless you want to fiddle with it a lot.   Web is definitely a kick! ... Those Toadfish, Opsanus beta, that he has 9 sound like lots of fun. Did you look at the orange, captive bred, variety he mentioned?   http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/216817/product.web   http://www.theboxofwater.com/products/Orange-Toad-Fish-(Opsanus-Beta,-).html   Don’t the California toadfish make so much noise sometimes that they bother people?   Last week I embarrassingly didn’t realize that the photos of the pencilfish were of the same fish. I know very well that they have different spotted patterns at night while they “sleep” than the stripes they have during the day. Sterba’s book also has photos of the night patterns. I guess I figured one was of the spotted species like N. espei. Occasionally mine will take on the spotted pattern during the day/lights on apparently when stressed – for example the females hiding from the excessively amorous males. Did you take the photo when the fish was “sleeping” or what? The one’s I’m keeping are N. beckfordii and N. marginatus. Also Nevin mentioned that not all in the genus have adipose fins – even more peculiar is that different individuals of the N. eques species may or may not have an adipose fin.   Speaking of adipose fins. I think there is a trick to sexing the blue emperor tetras, Inpaichthys kerri, that you featured last week. I’ve never kept them myself but from photos, fish in the fish store and what I’ve read on the internet the female has a red adipose fin while the male doesn’t. I have kept and bred the original Emperor Tetras, Nematobrycon palmeri, and there is a sexing trick with them too. Sure the mature males have fancier tails but even when they are smaller the sexes can be told apart by the color of their eyes! Blue for Boys and Green for Girls -- did you know that?   Last comment, got to go to work---you badmouthed barbs a bit “most somewhat onery”. I don’t consider the cherry barb or the checker barbs to be aggressive. I especially like the checker barbs – one of those fish that never look good in the fish shop but become very lovely when they are happy. They were nice enough to spawn for me once too.   Best Fishes, Kathleen   What do you know about dwarf platies? I have some from PetSmart they called Dwarf Coral Sunset and they are so round I wonder if they have a bit of the balloon gene but they don’t look deformed like most of those balloon mutations do.       Fish in the News from Brad in Troy, Michigan Gentlemen, Please watch the video, saving a Humpback Whale. I promise you will enjoy it!   http://www.wimp.com/humpbackwhale/   Brad Troy, Michigan       Fish in the News from Brandon in West LA http://news.yahoo.com/ ... 39994.html   http://news.yahoo.com/ ... 15858.html   http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov ... id=51757   http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/ ... shooting/   http://www.cbsnews.com/ ... tag=re1.channel   http://news.yahoo.com/ ... slideshow/       An Email from Mike in Mid-Michigan Hi guys, Hope ya got a good rest from the vacation. Wish you would let the cat out of the bag on what ya did. My curiosity is purked up and i think others is also. :)   Here's a couple pics of my Green Terror with a problem ... I don't know if its life threatening, just annoying me because i want to cure him and cant.   http://i37.photobucket.com/ ... 19-39-08_870.jpg   http://i37.photobucket.com/ ... 09-39-19_242.jpg   Its been going on at least a year. a) He eats fine. b) Stands on head in corner...see photo. c) Swims erratically sometimes, swirling, etc d) Acts normal sometimes also. e) Area around anus swelled also.   I have put him in a separate tank and treated him for parasites, the jungle brand stuff. Raised temp to84.Give or take. Also treated him a different time by adding epson salt and raising temp. lately i found a guy on ebay that sold medicated koi food. I thought maybe by eating that it might kill internal parasites. I keep thinking parasites because of the swollen anus but my knowledge is limited. People keep saying swim bladder but why won't anything fix him. I tried the green pea thing also. Maybe its a condition that he will just live with. Any info will be greatly appreciated.   Thanks, Mike in MidMichigan   PS. If I think of anything else I'll shoot ya an email. He is in 100 gallon now with a female GT and my little clown loach, 3 inches or so. remember this pic? The loach playin possum.   http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e77/dragon429/fishstuff/clown2.jpg   They all are peaceful and get along fine. The female wants to spawn but he is too busy swirling around every once in awhile and standing on his head, :)   PS2. Here's a link to my Green terror with no symtoms.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yva1Pu47Z7I       An Email from Mick in Carnforth, UK hi ... just listened to last weeks show and i am now desperate to find out what the big secret is about your vacation break. was tom swimming with white sharks? or did he spend 2-days at a luxury health spa? was he skydiving over baileys tropical fish depot taking some arial shots? i suspect i am wrong on all counts so SPILL THE BEANS GUYS!!   best wishes, mick-carnforth uk.       An Email from Dean in Oklahoma Hey guys this is Dean from Oklahoma I have 3 tanks a cichlid tank and 2 semi aggressive tanks. I love the show and listen to every episode on I tunes but can never call in because I'm always working when you tape the show. My question is I have a penguin 350 power filter with 2 bio wheels and I have spent to many hours trying to keep both bio wheels spinning. I can usually get one going good but getting both going for a long periods is rare. The filter is maybe 6 months old and gets cleaned often. Thanks for any help and if you can let me know of you'll be able to read this on air I'll try my hardest to listen to in live and call in. Thanks guys and keep up the good work - my fish thanks you.  : )     Callers during this Show  ;^ } Jay from Evansville, Indiana, calls and talks about the new TV show on The Planet called Tanked, which follows the antics of two brothers-in-law as they run the largest aquarium manufacturing company in the nation. Tanked dunks viewers into the high-decibel, family-owned business of Acrylic Tank Manufacturing. ;^ }     Download of this Entire Show Here's how: Right-Click here, then click on "Save Target (or Link) As ...".  Navigate to the folder you prefer, and click on the button labeled "Save". Later you can copy the MP3-file to your iPod or other MP3-player. You can also burn files to CDs, then play them in a CD-player.  Click here to download the PodCast for this show. 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