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FRESHWATER AQUARIUMS & TROPICAL DISCOVERY

Aquarium Wizardry ❙ Inventions, Gadgets, & Low-Tech Innovations ❙ Rio Negro Biotopes ❙ Pike Cichlids

JULY/AUGUST 2017

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EDITORIAL AMAZONAS 4

Dear Readers, Many aquarists evidently have the “DIY Gene”—at least that’s the impression I get when I visit friends in the hobby, which is many more than a few times per year. Everyone likes to try this or that little gadget, and some specialists and inveterate tinkerers like to build their own solutions to problems that arise. In recent years, some amateur aquarists’ inventions have been so good that commercial concerns in the trade have started making their own versions and offering them for sale. A good example is the catfish clay cave, originally developed by breeding wizards working in basements and home fishrooms! I have been looking forward to this issue for a long time. It is full of gadgets and introduces some very clever ideas from aquarists, for aquarists. Of course, we couldn’t pass up an interview with Gerd Arndt, one of the most active “gadgeteers” in the trade. English-language readers will be fascinated by the techniques used by Steve Waldron in his ongoing “Creating Nature” series and Mike Tuccinardi’s creation of authentic Rio Negro biotope aquariums. For those of you with spring fever and reproduction on your minds, we have compiled several husbandry and breeding reports, and the story behind culturing the stately new Santa Isabel Angelfish is likely to create a lot of envy and discussion. For catfish fans there is a group of pretty Corys from Suriname. I am particularly pleased with the contribution on the Banded Bushfish. These well-known labyrinthfishes from Africa are still cultivated by some aquarists, and they have lost none of their fascinating nature. Given all the novelties that we encounter over the course of time, we always enjoy reminding you about “ancient” aquarium fishes like these. We still have many beautiful arrows in our quiver for coming issues, so there’s a lot to look forward to. In the meantime, savor the issue you hold in your hands! Yours, Hans-Georg Evers

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Finally!

H Hans-Georg Evers • Pleco experts, as well as attendees of the International L-Number Days, a have long known that the beautiful Scarlet Cactus Pleco, L25, from the Rio Xingu had been examined by scientists and would soon be described and receive a name.

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THE WELL-KNOWN L24, sometimes called the Flame Pleco, was described last year as Pseudacanthicus pitanga Chamon, 2015. Now Chamon & Sousa (2016) have described L25 as Pseudacanthicus pirarara. The species epithet refers to the Brazilian name for the Redtail Catfish, Phractocephalus hemioliopterus, which is called pirarara in reference to the bright red scarlet tailfin of both species. The aquarium fishers of Altamira call L25 “AssacuVermelho” or “Assacu-Pirarara,” a reference to the Assacu tree (the Sandbox Tree, Hura crepitans, Family Euphorbiaceae), which frequently occurs in the Amazon. Pseudacanthicus pirarara lives endemically in the Rio Xingu and some tributaries, including the Rio Iriri and the Rio Bacajá. We now know a total of seven species in the genus Pseudacanthicus. The new species has been known among aquarists for many years and is regularly exported from the Rio Xingu all over the world. For the fishermen of the Rio Xingu, the species is a seasonal source of income. The species description is very insightful, and aquarists will appreciate the underwater observations and photos. The second author, Leandro M. Sousa, is not only a professor of ichthyology at the University of Altamira, but also a respected guest speaker at the biennial International L-Number Days in Hanover, Germany. He is well aware of the enthusiasm and dedication that many aquarists devote to the care and rearing of the plecos of the Rio Xingu. It is not surprising, then, that the importance of P. pirarara for aquarists is mentioned in the description.

We can finally call L25 by its scientific name and enjoy knowing that there are ichthyologists who work well with serious aquarists and value our findings. Contrary to radical “pets’ rights activists,” we “consume” no animals, but strive to observe, breed, and appreciate them. By the way, descriptions of other new species from the Rio Xingu are expected. Stay tuned! REFERENCE

Chamon, C.C. and L.M. Sousa. 2016. A new species of the leopard pleco genus Pseudacanthicus (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from the Rio Xingu, Brazil. J Fish Biol, doi:10.1111/jfb.13184: 1-14.

Portrait of a male Pseudacanthicus pirarara.

H.-G. EVERS

AMAZONAS

L25 finally has a name: Pseudacanthicus pirarara.

AQUATIC

Panaqolus tankei Hans-George Evers • Just before this issue’s editorial deadline, the scientific description of another pleco from the Rio Xingu reached us. Panaqolus tankei Cramer & Melo de Sousa, 2016 lives below the recently completed Belo-Monte dam.

THIS PANAQOLUS HAS LONG BEEN KNOWN AS L398. It was named after Andreas Tanke, a well-known German aquarist, who is a noted expert on the genus and was the first to report the breeding of this attractive species. He has been working intensively with the care and breeding of this fish and exploring its natural habitat for years. In their present work, Cramer & Melo de Sousa (2016) provide images of all the species of the genus that have been described so far, thus giving aquarists a nice overview of their diversity. They also publish many locality data and pictures of the new species in its natu-

ral habitat. Photos of the Panaqolus in the aquarium were provided by different aquarists—the description is a perfect example of good cooperation between scientists and aquarists and expressly mentions that the species was named in honor of Andreas Tanke for his contributions to research and his exemplary cooperation with participating scientists. REFERENCE

Cramer, C.A. and L. Melo de Sousa. 2016. A New Species of Tiger Pleco Panaqolus (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from the Xingu Basin, Brazil. PLoS ONE 11(11): e0165388. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0165388.

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A. TANKE

Tanke’s Dwarf Pleco, Panaqolus tankei aka L398.

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Riddle of the Rams This specimen, caught in 2015 in southern Peru, is probably Mikrogeophagus altispinosa.

Hans-George Evers • In 2004 American fish collector Lance Peck, who lives in Puerto

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A RUMOR THAT A THIRD SPECIES of the genus might exist in southern Peru started going around. Peck tried to corroborate the species’ existence, but, unfortunately, he did not immediately succeed. The site of the single specimen is located on a laterite road that branches off the new highway from Cuzco to Puerto Maldonado and continues on to Brazil. I visited these waters in the years 2014, 2015, and 2016 in search of Corys. This is a moderately to very fast-flowing clearwater biotope with very low electrical conductivity of 20-45 μS/ cm and water temperatures that range from 74.5 to 79.7°F (23.6– 26.5°C), depending on the season. In November 2015, Peck and Ian Fuller managed to capture another specimen of this species in exactly the same place, a calm, flowing outcrop overgrown by shore vegetation. Peck and I tried again in September 2016 and were able to catch a single fish. Fuller’s fish has now grown well and is the subject of the photo that accompanies this story. Along with several dwarf cichlid specialists that we consulted, I consider this species to be the Bolivian Ram (Mikrogeophagus altispinosa). So the riddle is probably solved. It is not always new species that one catches, but it is also interesting to be able to prove that this species exists in Peru. The site is located in the Río Manuripe drainage, a river in northern Bolivia near the border with Peru. This should be another indication that the species determination is correct.

The calm, clearwater Peruvian brook where the Ram-type species has twice been found.

TOP: H.-G. EVERS; BOTTOM: I. FULLER

AMAZONAS

Maldonado, Peru, near the border with Bolivia, caught a single specimen of a dwarf cichlid, apparently a Mikrogeophagus—perhaps the Bolivian Ram.

AQUATIC

Home waters of the new goby, the upper reaches of the clean, fast-flowing Poitete River on Kolobangara.

A new lipstick goby from the Solomon Islands article & images by Ole Arnold Schneider • In addition to the successful reproduction of

AMAZONAS

gobies that was reported in the last issue of AMAZONAS, we have taxonomic news from this group—specifically from the climbing gobies, Sicydiinae. A new, previously unknown, species has arrived from the Solomon Islands.

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MOST AQUARISTS KNOW VERY LITTLE about the freshwater fishes of the Solomon Islands and other islands of Oceania. Certainly the most famous are rainbowfishes from New Guinea, the largest island of Oceania. However, many people are surprised that there are also streams and rivers containing interesting and colorful fishes on these countless small islands. Although the inland and freshwater streams seem pretty small, it is clear that they hold new discoveries. In 2016 we reported several times on new climbing gobies. This time we present a new representative of the genus Lentipes. The genus was last expanded in 2014, when three species from Indonesia, some of which were already in the hobby (Evers 2013, 2014), were added. Until recently the genus included 18 species, but now a nineteenth has been added. Four species are present on the Solomon Islands, two of which are endemic. Lentipes

kaaea, which was described first, was originally known only from New Caledonia and Vanuatu (Watson et al. 2002), but was later confirmed by Jenkins et al. (2008) on Fiji and the Solomon Islands Makira and Ranongga. At the same time, the authors described a second Solomon Lentipes species, given name L. salomonensis, which is present on Makira, Ranongga, and Rendova. And L. multiradiatus, previously known only from New Guinea, was recently found on the Solomon Island of Choiseul (Keith et al. 2015b). All Lentipes representatives, as is typical for their subfamily, populate small streams with strong current, especially the upper reaches. Lentipes is an important indicator of water quality (Keith et al. 2015a), found only where streams flow clean and clear. The new species was also described from the upper area of the Poitete River on the island of Kolobangara. Kolobangara lies in the western part of the Solomon

Islands, drained by about 80 streams and rivers. Since most of the specimens were found here, the species received the name L. kolobangara, which means “king of the water” in the local language and alludes to the fish’s graceful appearance. In addition to the one found on Kolobangara, however, populations also occur on the islands of Choiseul, Makira, and Ranongga. The males have a particularly attractive color, which is common for climbing gobies. There is a striking cherry-colored area that extends above the anal fin as far as the second dorsal fin. The upper lip and the bases of the pectorals are also bright red. The red lips are seen in some members of the genus, leading to the common name “lipstick gobies.” The second dorsal fin is trimmed in white and decorated with a black spot. The anal fin is white and trimmed in light blue. The primary coloration is predominantly gray and/or light brownish in both sexes. The male’s body has three thin, vertical black stripes, whereas in females the body has only a few yellowish areas. For aquarists, color is not especially useful for identifying individual species, because they differ mainly in the shape of the genital papillae. But at least for the Solomon species, it provides an easy way to exclude certain species. Apart from L. kaaea, no other Solomon Lentipes is similar to L. kolobangara in male coloration. Only L. rubrofasciatus from the distant Marquesas is similar to L. kolobangara. A reliable distinction between L. kaaea and L. kolobangara is possible only on close examination of the genital papilla. In L. kaaea it is surrounded by lobules that are absent in L. kolobangara. In addition, the genital papilla of male L. kolobangara can be extended. Unfortunately, this species will not appear in the commercial trade soon, because no freshwater aquarium fishes are being exported commercially from the Solomon Islands. Since all climbing gobies have so far resisted human attempts to breed them, no captive imports are to be expected either. Nevertheless, L. kolobangara is a nice new discovery and enriches the hobby, at least ichthyologically. If you are interested in Sicydiinae, take a look at Indo-Pacific Sicydiine Gobies, SFI, 2015. (Link below.) Clara Lord, one of the authors, has kindly provided photos for this article, and we offer her our sincere thanks. REFERENCE

http://sfi.mnhn.fr/sfi/6.livres/75-Sicydiine%20IndoPacific.html.

A male L. kolobangara, one of a fascinating group known as climbing gobies.

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Top: The Pearl River Stingray was named Potamotrygon jabuti. Bottom: The Itaituba or Tapajós River Stingray, Potamotrygon albimaculata (aka P14).

Veggies for cichlids

Novel stingray descriptions Hans-Georg Evers • A whole series of Brazilian stingrays H in the genus Potamotrygon received names in 2016. In the spring, the description of Potamotrygon wallacei from the Rio Negro, the smallest species known to date, was published.

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CARVALHO (2016) DESCRIBED P. REX AS BEING CLOSELY related to P. henlei and occurring syntopic in the river system of the Rio Tocantins. In this work, the author mentions a group of so-called black rays consisting of P. henlei and P. rex of the Rio Tocantins, P. leopoldi of the Rio Xingu, and a fourth species from the Rio Tapajós that was designated as P14 in aquaristic circles. Now, Carvalho (2016b) has described P14 as P. albimaculata. In the same work, the well-known Pearl Stingray is finally given a scientific name: Potamotrygon jabuti refers to the name it is called by the natives and fishermen who live along the Rio Tapajós. After so many years of precious little movement in the taxonomy of the Brazilian river stingrays, we suddenly have a raft of new names to learn. REFERENCES

Carvalho, M.R., R.S. Rosa, and M.L. Araujo. 2016. A new species of Neotropical freshwater stingray (Chondrichthyes: Potamotrygonidae) from the Rio Negro, Amazonas, Brazil: the smallest species of Potamotrygon. Zootaxa 4107 (4): 566–86. Carvalho, M.R. 2016a. Potamotrygon rex, a new species of Neotropical freshwater stingray (Chondrichthyes: Potamotrygonidae) from the middle and upper Rio Tocantins, Brazil, closely allied to Potamotrygon henlei (Castelnau, 1855). Zootaxa 4150 (5): 537–65.

H.-G. EVERS

———. 2016b. Description of two extraordinary new species of freshwater stingrays of the genus Potamotrygon endemic to the Rio Tapajós basin, Brazil (Chondrichthyes: Potamotrygonidae), with notes on other Tapajós stingrays. Zootaxa 4167 (1): 1–63.

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Male Aphyosemion bitteri, displaying labyrinth of red markings on its tail fin. Female at rear.

Aphyosemion bitteri

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Get the App now! Apple, the Apple logo, iPad and iPhone are trademarks of Apple, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple, Inc. Android and Google Play are trademarks of Google Inc. Amazon, Kindle, Fire and all related logos are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

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Hans-Georg Evers • Aphyosemion bitteri, a new killifish from Gabon, was described in honor of a respected killi expert, AMAZONAS editorial board member Friedrich Bitter. THE SPECIES LIVES IN THE NORTH of the Massif du Chaillu in small rainforest streams in the drainage of the Ikoy River. It can be distinguished from similar representatives of the A. grelli species group by the labyrinth-like red pattern on the caudal fin. Aphyosemion bitteri is maintained and bred by a few specialists. Like many species of fish that occur in the elevated regions of Gabon, this one likes cool water temperatures, below 77°F (25°C). The description by Valdesalici & Eberl (2016) includes biotope photos and gives information about the habitat of these small (1.2–1.6 inches/3-4 cm) and very colorful killifish. The editors congratulate Friedrich Bitter for having such an extraordinary and pretty fish bear his name! REFERENCE

Valdesalici, S. and W. Eberl. 2016. Aphyosemion bitteri (Cyprinodontiformes: Nothobranchiidae), a new killifish species from the northern Massif du Chaillu, Gabon. Aqua 22 (2): 61–68.

F. BITTER

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Staff Report • Right after the most recent issue of AMAZONAS came out, we stumbled onto the scientific description of the Blue-Red Peru Tetra (often called “Bleeding Blue”). In that last issue, Daniel Wewer presented its biotope near Saramiza on the Marañón River. Zarske (2016) has now described this tetra as Hyphessobrycon margitae in honor of his wife. HIS DESCRIPTION WAS BASED on aquarium specimens without exact location data (the information from the exporter— “Province Loreto, in the drainage of the Río Nanay”—is wrong), but the location mentioned by Wewer is correct, so a correction should be made in the scientific literature. In any case, now that the species has a scientific name it should be easier to establish it in the trade. REFERENCES

Wewer, D. 2016. Auf Fischfangtour mit dem Motorrad 2. AMAZONAS 68, 12 (6): 54–57. Zarske, A. 2016. Hyphessobrycon margitae spec. nov.—ein neuer Salmler aus dem Einzugsgebiet des Rio Nanay in Peru (Teleostei: Characiformes: Characidae). Vertebr Zool 66 (2): 105–15.

H.-G. EVERS

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CITES for Aquarium Fishes SPECIES LISTED IN APPENDIX I ARE completely excluded from commercial trade because of acute endangerment; Appendix II species may be traded with special authorization (CITES papers). The countries of origin permit export in exceptional cases and only after a thorough examination (a scientific “safety test”). Appendix II species may be maintained by private individuals and their offspring may be sold, but any changes in the population must be reported. This prevents uncontrolled trade and keeps unqualified people from acquiring the listed animals and plants. Lovers of frogs and orchids rejoice! Finally, those species listed in Appendix III may be exported from the country of origin only if an inspection like that for Appendix II species has been carried out. This puts an increased administrative burden on the exporter. It should also prevent the species from being smuggled abroad through third countries. Anyone who wants to import such an animal must request export papers from the country of origin. The stocks of species that have already been exported and bred can be traded freely and restrictions (CITES papers). The species in Appendix III are listed at the request of the countries of origin, and their inclusion on the list is intended to protect the stocks in that country from excessive exploitation. Now, Brazil and Colombia have published such species lists.

Hans-Georg Evers • As of January 3, 2017, several species of fish are are now listed in Annex III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). These species are designated to be scrutinized and protected from over-collection and smuggling, but not banned from sale and possession. Brazilian species: Hypancistrus zebra, and all Potamotrygon stingrays.

Colombian species: Potamotrygon constellata, P. magdalenae, P. motoro, P. orbignyi, P. schroederi, P. scobina, P. yepezi, and Paratrygon aiereba. As you can see, all known species of river stingray in Brazil and Colombia are on the list. In Brazil, catching and trading Zebra Plecos (Hypancistrus zebra) has been prohibited since 2005, but people continue to smuggle them, as well as the beautiful black-and-white stingrays, whose export from Brazil has been regulated by quotas for years. The purpose of the new measure is to prevent this illegal trade. The question is, will the smugglers succeed in creating fake documents? For aquarists who are already keeping these species, nothing will change; if you wish to buy wild-caught fish, you should be aware of the new regulation and ask for CITES papers accordingly. ONLINE

https://cites.org/sites/default/files/notif/E-Notif-2016-056.pdf http://www.reef2rainforest.com/2016/10/14/2016-cites-results-foraquarium-fish-and-inverts/

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H.-G. EVERS

AMAZONAS

Although illegal to collect in Brazil, Zebra Plecos are part of a smuggling trade that CITES hopes to control.

Gollum’s Cave

AMAZONAS

AN AQUASCAPING PROJECT

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The author’s realistic riverbank cave adds a sense of mystery to this system. The dark cavern is meant to shelter spawning dwarf pleco catfishes.

article & images by Johnny Jensen • Aquascaping does not always have to be constructed using only natural materials. With a bit of craftsmanship, you can make use of artificial materials to create a realistic element that makes a nice centerpiece in the finished tank.

C OV E R

former director of Tropica Plants, Claus Christensen. I already had some pretty good ideas, but, as usual, things didn’t go quite as I had planned. My plan was to make a cave with a sort of overhang, with roots appearing to grow through it all, creating a realistic environment. I had seen this kind of aquascape

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AFTER ALL MY YEARS OF DECORATING AQUARIUMS with natural items, sometimes combining them with artificial roots and rocks, I decided it was time to try something different. I also wanted to experiment with the new aquascapestyle planting, and for that I relied heavily on what I had learned from planted-tank specialist Oliver Knott and the

STORY

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A group of Phoenix Tetras, Hemigrammus filamentosus, energizes the open swimming area.

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in the Amazon jungle, and ever since then the idea of recreating it had lurked in the back of my mind. The first step was to find or build a structure to imitate this cave, and I eventually ended up using plastic tubs, which seemed to fit in my new 40-gallon (160L) tank and would be able to support the weight of the material I wanted to put on top. I cut the tubs and glued the pieces together using aquarium silicone. Straight away, my friends started calling it “the bat cave.” Next I decorated the outside of the cave using MakeMake Dan-

ish hobby concrete, a cousin of Plaster of Paris. It was the first time I had tried this material, and I have to say it is fantastic, very easy to handle and sculpt with. You start with a base layer containing fiberglass threads for strength, and when it has dried you can continue sculpting the object with the decorative layer. While the concrete was still wet, I stuck witch hazel branches into the front to imitate exposed roots of a tree. At first, I wanted to have whole roots embedded through the whole thing, but it would have been extremely diffi-

I chose Dwarf Hairgrass, Eleocharis acicularis “Mini,” for the cover of the cave, shown shortly after planting.

Hemianthus callitrichoides “Cuba”—a variety of Dwarf Baby Tears—in front of the cave.

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cult to fit the contraption into the tank without pruning the branches. In any case, with plants in place, the illusion of real trees and root structure is quite good. Lastly, I built a barrier to keep the aquarium substrate from spilling down. I decorated this low wall with rocks, pebbles, and sand of various sizes to make it look natural in the places where the Java Moss did not cover it completely. To complete the illusion, I glued some sticks and roots underneath with silicone. There was one thing, however, that absolutely did not look natural—

the exposed side of the cave. It looked like what it was: amateurishly molded concrete! At this point my amused friends started calling it “Gollum’s Cave.” I racked my brain trying to figure out how to cover the concrete with rocks and/or branches. But, as fortune would have it, I had just accidentally knocked a new artificial rock onto the floor, where it shattered into 100 pieces, so I simply glued some of the shards onto the side with silicone, fitting them together like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Eventually the cave looked natural enough. Talk about making lemonade if all you have is lemons! This project took about a week to build, and then I was finally ready to decorate the tank itself. With the

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I cut the tubs into parts glued them together with silicone.

I used two of these commonly available plastic tubs to form the walls and roof my riverbank cave.

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The completed cave, viewed from above. The filter inlet and the rear part were filled with black filter foam.

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Moss can also be glued with silicone to a fine screen, which is then attached to the artificial roots. After a few weeks, the grid and the silicone are no longer visible.

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The entire cave top is covered with black aquarium substrate. Note the low retaining wall of stones cemented in place to keep substrate from spilling out.

Using zip ties, I attached Java Fern to pieces of sunken wood at the back of the tank.

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While the cement was still moist, I inserted branches, stones, and gravel (as a barrier to the aquarium substrate), giving the impression of a natural cave with roots growing through.

I covered the faux cave with easy-to-process decorative concrete.

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Very realistic artificial roots are draped over the cave with some real witch hazel branches.

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I used elastic thread to tie moss to the roots to get the plants started.

Microsorum pteropus “Narrow” at the back. After four weeks you couldn’t see the zip ties.

The finished aquarium was allowed to cycle for four weeks before adding the first fishes.

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Apistogramma sp. “Wilhelmi” (aka Apistogramma sp. “Abacaxis”) glows with beautiful colors.

AMAZONAS

The dark areas of the riverbank cave are populated by catfish species, such as Hypancistrus sp. L260.

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cave structure in place, allowing space for the plumbing to the external filter (through the glass), I filled the empty space behind the cave with filter foam so I would not have to fill it all up with aquarium substrate—I used a layer just thick enough for the plants to take root. I fitted two big artificial roots on top of the cave, and then added more witch hazel branches of all sizes. I already knew that I wanted small pleco catfishes to live in the tank, so I placed five small catfish breeding caves under the overhang, in the darkness and out of sight. From there on, it was all about the plants. I chose various types of Java Moss for the overhang and the big roots, to which I attached the moss with ultra-thin elastic thread, or squeezed them into place, or silicone-glued them. On top of the cave I put Dwarf Hairgrass, Eleocharis acicularis “Mini,” to make up a grassy area; around the base of the cave I planted Hemianthus callitrichoides “Cuba”; and in the background I used Java Fern, Micro-

sorum pteropus “Narrow,” tied to sinking bits of artificial root with plastic ties. I cycled the tank for about four weeks before putting any fishes in, doing water changes almost every day and adding CO2 and fertilizer. Slowly but surely, the plants grew and covered the areas as I had envisioned; in fact, it looked even better than I had hoped it would. I don’t need to do much maintenance, other than removing some algae from the glass; a couple of Crossocheilus reticulatus take care of other types of algae. My other fishes are Hypancistrus zebra, Hypancistrus sp. L260, Hypancistrus sp. L471, Hemigrammus filamentosus, Hyphessobrycon amandae, Dicrossus foirni, Apistogramma sp. “Abacaxis,” and Apistogramma megaptera. My friends still call my masterpiece “Gollum’s Cave” to try and vex me, but I know they’re impressed with the result—so much so that they have started to build stuff with MakeMake themselves.

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C OV E R

STORY

Aquarium Wizard: Interview with

Gerd Arndt, “Chief Gadgeteer”

Gerd Arndt in his shop.

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This, and many other practical gadgets for the most beautiful hobby in the world, go back to the ideas, developments, and inspired wizardry of a true tinkerer. AMAZONAS had many questions for Gerd Arndt, the “chief gadgeteer” of the German hobby scene.

J. PETERSEN

AMAZONAS

by Hans-Georg Evers • Have you ever heard of the Gerd Box? The ”Gerd Box,” meant for isolating eggs and/or young fishes, can be hung on the aquarium, inside or outside, and comes with swappable screen frames with different mesh sizes.

Above: Zebra Pleco catfish in a slate cave. The female waits on the “balcony” before slipping into the male’s cave. Below: A classic, wellused Gerd Box hangs over the rim of a larger tank.

GA: When I was a student, my friend’s room, where we did homework together, was my favorite place and it had a 200-L (50-gallon) aquarium—at that time, the end of the 1960s and beginning of the 1970s, it was a giant pot! There was so much to see, and it never got boring. After I had begged long enough, my parents agreed to get an aquarium for me. I got my first tank when I was about 12, and it was 80 cm (31 inches) long. My uncle was a welder, and he agreed to build the frame. After my mom and I had decided on the exact size, we ordered the steel. It came in a piece 5 m (16 feet)

long, which I then had to cut. When the welded and rather crooked frame was finally finished, I knew what you could do with a metal saw. We took the frame to the glass shop and, two weeks later, I was the proud owner of an aquarium. I set it up, filled it with water—it was tight, with no leaks. It was more trapezoidal than rectangular, but it was mine. I bought a few Guppies with my pocket money, and I was very proud, ready for my first breeding attempts with livebearers. Until the end of the 1970s, I was on a “killi trip.” Now I had a few more tanks. I mainly bred Aphyosemion species, beginning with the most famous species, Cape Lopez (Aphyosemion australe) and Fundulopanchax gardneri. Later, when my breeding attempts were successful, I added “difficult” species, such as Diapteron georgiae, D. fulgens, D. cyanostictum, and Laimosemion xiphidius.

AMAZONAS

H.-G. EVERS

AMAZONAS: Gerd, we have known each other for half of our lives, but tell our readers how you got into the aquarium hobby. What did you start with and what were your aquaristic priorities?

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IG BSSW (http://www.ig-bssw.org). I met even crazier catfish people, including you and Ingo Seidel. Yep, at that time in Hamburg there was really something going on with L-plecos. We were all fixated on the importance of creating caves for our catfishes. I still remember how, in the early 1990s, I gave you the sizes of my males on the phone (the Internet was still quite exotic and for technology freaks) and you crafted caves that were tailor-made. How did that actually happen?

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A patent for the pleco caves would have been in order at that time. Today they are available in standard sizes in every good aquarium shop in the world. But your name is actually much more connected to the famous Gerd Box [German: Gerdkasten]. Kindly tell us the story behind it! Aquarists always need space. Especially in a small system with only a few aquariums, the breeder quickly

J. PETERSEN

In the 1980s, I moved and had a whole basement available—now there was room Bottom: An internal Gerd for other species. I expanded Box with coarse gauze my capacity to roughly 5,000 bottom used for fryL (1,320 gallons) of water in dropping livebearers or about 90 aquariums. I bred as a rearing container for everything that I liked or larger juveniles. To prevent the pregnant female from found interesting and started jumping out, the box can keeping livebearers again, as be covered. there was enough space. At the end of the 1980s, the pleco boom began. DATZ Magazine started assigning L-numbers in 1988, and beautiful new species were being imported constantly. And then came L46, today’s Hypancistrus zebra. Nothing could hold me back—I had to learn how to reproduce that fish. I joined a regional aquarium society that would eventually become what is today the Top: Arndt still builds his boxes with glass and plastic mesh.

That all started with Hypancistrus zebra. For my Ancistrus I used the usual coconut shells, or sometimes a suitable hollow bone from the butcher, for spawning. There were not many new L-catfish species that accepted these caves. I had to think of something for the “Zebras,” so I used three different materials to build caves. There was the Solnhofen fossilized limestone, which could be split into plates about 1 cm (0.4 inch) thick. Then there was red sandstone, which could also be split but was somewhat thicker, and black slate, which was sold in shingles 0.5 cm (0.2 inch) thick. I glued different-sized pieces of these materials together with aquarium silicone and offered the caves to my Ancistrus, who promptly accepted them. It occurred to me that the males preferred caves that had such a narrow entrance that they could just barely squeeze through. The entrance had to be so small that the male could plug it with his body. Thus, the female would be protected while depositing her eggs. The cave entrance for an adult Hypancistrus zebra is 12 mm (0.5 inch) high and 20 mm (0.8 inch) wide. When you see the cave entrance, you cannot believe a fish can fit through it! Because Solnhofen slabs were difficult to work with, the roofs of some caves were overhanging. The females were drawn to these “balconies,” and I starting making these caves for the Zebras. I had believed that the animals would prefer the almost-white Solnhofen plates, but actually they preferred the darker slate caves. They also seemed to prefer caves with an overhanging roof. That suited me well, as the slate was easier to work with. Now I was making caves of all sizes out of slate. I found that the males needed several cave sizes during their lifetime to accommodate their growth. Some Ancistrus species began to spawn at a length of 5 cm (2 inches), and by the time they reached their adult size of 12 cm (4.7 inches) they had gone through four or five different cave sizes.

This rearing box was developed for aquarists who have limited space. It is hung on the outside of a larger aquarium and connected to an airlifter to provide water that eventually flows back into the aquarium.

on one side, and a filter with an airlifter that moved the water into the box. The mesh window is 5 cm (2 inches) above the bottom, so a water change in the host tank leaves about 5 cm (2 inches) of water in the box, preventing eggs or fry from drying out. At first, I built four sizes: 15, 20, 25, and 30 cm (6/8/10/12 inches) long. Later, I added four more sizes, mainly extending the base area. The large boxes are also suitable for growing angelfishes or discus fry.

reaches his or her limits. So I needed a way to accommodate as many juveniles as possible in different sizes. This is best accomplished using a box hanging on a larger tank. In the early days, we used the typical livebearer boxes with slots on the side. There was nothing else available. Later the net-covered plastic frames came on the market. They were sufficient for the bigger juveniles of livebearers. But when I bred other fishes, like tetras, barbs, gobies, Corys, whiptails, and so on, I quickly learned that livebearer boxes and net cages were not suitable for these fishes with small fry (1–1.5 mm). Not just the food, but also the tiny juveniles got washed out of the livebearer boxes. I lost whole broods from these net cages. The fish larvae looked for cover in the corners. They squeezed themselves between the net and the frame, got stuck, and died. If I did not want to set up a whole new tank for every hatch, I had to think of something. The first homemade boxes that hung on the inside of a larger tank had two gauze sides and a bottom made of gauze. They were simply hung into the current, which made water changes less essential. Any water changes were done quickly: you lifted the box, let the water drain out, and then rehung it—done. I had some of these first boxes in operation when my pleco catfishes discovered that the boxes were a food source. The fry in the boxes were fed Artemia nauplii, and the plecos sucked them out through the gauze, along with the tiny fish! The hanging boxes needed to be modified. I used glass all around, a long, screened window as an overflow

Nothing has changed in the basic design or the eight standard sizes. The functionality remains unbeaten. The larger boxes are now also offered with swappable screen frames. These interchangeable frames have various mesh sizes. This idea came from a marine aquarist who breeds seahorses and anemonefishes. In the first days, the animals are fed the finest plankton. For this purpose, a 50-μm mesh is sufficient. The food size increases as the fishes grow, and so does the mesh size of the screen on the interchangeable frames. Other mesh sizes are 100, 200, 500, and 1000 μm. The 50-μm gauze must be cleaned regularly to prevent clogging. The larger the mesh, the less likely it is to become clogged. You work mainly with glass. Is that your material of choice? What you make of glass has already been copied by many

Spawning trap with removable screen for large breeding tanks. The eggs fall through the gauze and can be vacuumed up as needed, while the trap remains in the tank.

Even more refined is this submersible spawning trap with cover. The spawning fishes (e.g. tetras or barbs) slip in and out via the overhang. The cover prevents eggs from being carried away by currents before they drop under the screen and keeps mulm from ending up in the trap.

AMAZONAS

J. PETERSEN

The original prototype is already a bit dated. How does the latest model look like?

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1 3 1. A larval kreisel for raising sensitive pelagic larvae.

2

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people, often using acrylic, which is not as long-lasting. In addition to the Gerd Box, many other devices have come out of your workshop, including incubators, baby escape chutes for livebearers, overflow tanks, wedge tanks, and special spawning tanks for egg-layers. It looks as if you were not satisfied with conventional products and improved on them. How do you get your ideas—for example, for a special breeding aquarium? Do you just go into your workshop and start tinkering?

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Often, aquarists or breeders come to me with their ideas. For example, the wedge incubator was the idea of a breeder of Malawi cichlids who wanted to hatch the eggs of mouthbrooders artificially. Phone calls, emails, and drawings bounced back and forth until we were both of the opinion that it would work. I built a prototype and the breeder tested it. We modified the prototype three times until it worked satisfactorily. Many ideas, such as the wedge tank, come from the ranks of the International Society for Barbs, Loaches, and Catfishes (IG BSSW). A member saw it and made me a sketch, and I built it. The tank worked right away. The overflow tank, which I saw in an AMAZONAS article about Blue Eyes, was presented by Herbert Böck. The baby “slide” for platy breeding was presented in a breeding report in AMAZONAS. An idea from a marine aquarist led to the swappable frames on the Gerd Box, and so on. A seahorse breeder wanted a larval kreisel. After we discussed everything, I searched the Internet and found

pictures of the “Haribo Kreisel”: a breeder had transformed an empty Haribo candy tub into a larval kreisel. Now that I had images showing how the kreisel functioned, I built three prototypes. One was operated with air, one with a pump, and one with airlifters. We decided on the air-driven kreisel, since the flow could be adjusted better. The best result the breeder had had was 50 seahorses surviving from a hatch of 500; the first time she used the new kreisel she got about 150 juvenile survivors. I think this kreisel could also be used for raising gobies, Amano Shrimp, or other pelagic larvae. I found a picture of a breeding cave for Synodontis lucipinnis on an English website. The breeder had stacked two flowerpots head-to-head. On the bottom was the perforated intake pipe of an airlifter, which carried the eggs into a glass bowl on the cave roof. This was a very good idea, but too many eggs remained in the cave, where they were exposed to the parents’ appetite. I redesigned the breeding cave using a 10-cm (4-inch) drainpipe. In the middle is the cave where the fish spawn. The bottom of this middle section consists of coarse screen, through which the eggs fall into a funnel and are conveyed by means of an airlifter up into the top part, which has a fine gauze bottom. So no eggs are lost. Based on the same principle, a screen is needed for breeding egg-scatterers, as they can be greedy spawn robbers. I bought mesh from the hardware store, cut it, and clamped it between the glass sides in the tank. At first, the breeder would come home from work and find that the fish had, indeed, spawned. There would be a few eggs left, but the breeding pair had made it under the screen to eat the spawn. This was not an isolated incident. After

J. PETERSEN

2. This larval kreisel was integrated into a hanging box to ensure more stable water parameters in a large aquarium. 3. Light-sensitive larvae are lured into this darkened larval trap through the lateral openings. A viewing window on the long side allows the aquarist to observe his or her success.

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tially lacking money, later lacking equipment that was not available commercially. At some point, it became my second hobby after aquaristic husbandry, and it has remained so to this day. But it is also because I simply cannot sit still. I must always have something to do. After I had a long hospital stay a few years ago, my wife told me, “It’s time for you to go back to the workshop—you’re getting annoying again!” An incubator for eggs. The eggs float in the wedge area and are supplied with sufficient oxygen.

Because I am not the home-improvement type or a detail technician myself, I’m glad that there are people like you. From your first slate caves to today’s innovations, you have come a long way. What motivates you now? I know that money is not your driving force.

AMAZONAS

I never really thought about the money. As a student, not having the money to run my hobby the way I wanted to motivated me to build stuff myself. I remember when an old friend who installed and maintained underground oil tanks visited me. He was playing with a small white tube that he found in his pocket. When I asked, he told me that it was silicone, a sealant for connecting pipes. He got my attention when he said the stuff was so great that you could even use it to glue glass—he had already tried. Whenever he visited, he brought me several tubes. Now I could build my own aquariums! Well, the first tanks ran as pure “research and development,” but at some point I had it figured out. Later I made him an L-shaped 300-L (80-gallon) tank with an internal filter, which is still in operation after about 40 years! Perhaps the early silicone was better than today’s; it definitely dried harder. So, what drives me? The gadgeteering came from need—ini-

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The spawning cave for Synodontis described in the text.

The incubator is also available as an “egg battery.”

At the moment, I am constructing a large hanging box (30 x 20 x 20 cm/12 x 8 x 8 inches) into which a larval kreisel will be placed, so that the larvae have stable water values. I am also building a larval trap for anemonefish larvae and a larval trap for Amano Shrimp. As part of these projects, I will finally quantify the volume of water moved by the airlifters I build. There are many suppliers of airlifters on the Internet, but if you look at the performances of the different devices you realize that they are almost all the same—as if, with very few exceptions, they had all copied each other. I have built airlifters with different-sized holes and with 20, 40, and 60 holes. I now test them in water depths of 10 to 70 cm (4–28 inches). I also want to know how high the various holes can carry the water (head height). For example, the smallest airlifter, which is also used in the boxes, delivers a whopping 170 L (45 gallons) per hour with an internal diameter of just 10 mm (0.4 inch) at an injector depth of 70 cm (28 inches). In previous tests with a 40-mm (1.5-inch) airlifter with an injector depth of 50 cm (20 inches), 1,200 L (317 gallons) per hour were pushed up 50 cm (20 inches). Perhaps I can get to the point where I can push water up to a 3-, 4-, or even 5-meter (10–16-foot) head height with airlifters. I have already done this once; at first there was a strong flow, but after a short time the water almost stopped and only air was being pushed. I think I have figured out the mistake, though, and I hope my guess turns out to be right! I have heard people say that we aquarists have a “strange passion.” Your adventures into inventive wizardry seem to confirm this. Dear Gerd, thank you very much and I wish you success—and fun—with your next projects!

J. PETERSEN

a few trials, the continuous breeding aquarium was developed. There are many breeders who have good ideas, but they cannot put them into practice. I like to help them realize their ideas.

You are a craftsman by profession, but as far as aquaristics are concerned, you deserve an engineering diploma! You have already reached retirement age, but what else can we expect to come out of Gerd’s Shop?

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C OV E R

STORY

Make your own CO 2 DIFFUSER: suitable even for non-smokers

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Longfin Cherry Barbs populated an early phase of the author’s 65-gallon planted aquarium, on display at Aquarium Zen in Seattle, Washington.

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The DIY diffuser produces an adjustable stream of small CO2 bubbles.

A nano aquarium with functioning CO2 fertilization that contributes to lush plant growth.

article and images by Petra Fitz • CO2 fertilization in a nano tank? Why not? The author explains how to build your own mini-diffuser.

AMAZONAS

CO2 FERTILIZATION IS USEFUL, EVEN IN A NANO AQUARIUM if it is lushly planted. I originally installed the Dennerle Mini-Flipper CO2 system in my nano tank, but the bubbles stayed in the diffuser for an extremely short time and almost immediately rose into the collecting cup, and the diffuser did not seem very efficient. I tried using a ceramic ring diffuser, but this produced tremendous resistance, which I noticed when trying to blow through it.

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AMAZONAS

After 10 months in operation, my mini-diffuser still works very well.

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It was difficult to get just the right amount of CO2. When I opened the valve on the CO2 bottle, nothing happened—until suddenly a large quantity of fine CO2 bubbles flowed through the diffuser. If I reduced the feed, no more bubbles could be seen. It was all or nothing; this method was virtually non-adjustable. On several occasions this resulted in critically high CO2 values, followed by very low CO2 values. Over the course of time the diffuser became coated with sludge, which further decreased its permeability. In my search for the best way to add small amounts of CO2, I found the following option on the Internet: Take a one-way syringe, cut it in half, and plug the open end with a cigarette filter. This produces a bubble counter and CO2 diffuser in one. Cigarette filters are made from chemically modified cellulose, which is processed in such a way that the filter retains particles smaller than 0.2 μm, so the pore width is very small. The For my first cigarette filter should ensure very attempt I fine CO2 bubbles. used only one This looked promising, and filter, but this I wanted to try it. As a nondid not work smoker, I was reluctant to buy satisfactorily. a pack of cigarettes or bum one from a smoker, but I discovered I could buy 120 “roll-it-yourself” filters for €1.1 (just over $1 US)—cheap enough! I purchased 1-ml syringes from a pharmacy, and these filters fit snugly inside them. I also had a glass tulip left over from an old CO2 system, so I connected it to the packed

The components for the mini-diffuser are reasonable and easy to obtain.

syringe with a thin silicone hose. I used a thermometer suction cup to mount the reactor in the aquarium. Now I just needed to connect the diffuser via a CO2 hose to the control and check valve on the CO2 bottle. In my first trial, the CO2 somehow bypassed the cigarette filter, resulting in relatively large bubbles, so I put another filter in the syringe. That did the trick. Most of the bubbles appear in one place, but they are nice and small and they rise relatively slowly. With the commercial ceramic diffuser, the bubbles were larger. I arranged the filter outlet so that the ascending bubbles swirl around and the CO2 has time to dissolve in the water. The number of bubbles can be counted in the lower part of the syringe. So I have a bubble counter and diffuser in one, and spent very little money on it. What more could one want? My mini-diffuser has been in operation for 10 months. During that time the protruding 3–4 mm of the filter has turned brown, but the diffuser still functions perfectly. It produces almost no back pressure, so the amount of CO2 can be adjusted very precisely.

AMAZONAS

39

REPORTAGE

PART 2

BIOTOPE AQUARIUMS OF THE

Rio Negro article & images by Michael J. Tuccinardi • Steeped in history and biodiversity, Brazil’s Río Negro is a complex ecosystem—a number of unique microhabitats are found among the countless forest streams (igarapés) and blackwater shallows that feed into its 1,390-mile (2,230-km) length (see “Biotopes of the Rio Negro,” AMAZONAS January/February 2017, page 58). Each of these habitats boasts not only unique conditions and characteristics, but also an incredibly diverse assemblage of fish species. As the

AMAZONAS

largest blackwater river in the world and the second-largest tributary of the Amazon, the Rio Negro is home to over 800 species of freshwater fish, a disproportionate number of which are suitable for and regularly kept in home aquariums.

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Gnarled roots, tea-colored water, and a small school of brightly colored Rummynose Tetras combine to recreate a scene from the Rio Negro in one of the author’s aquariums.

THE TANNIN-RICH WATERS of the Negro are hotbeds of diversity for cichlid, characin, and catfish species (among others). My own travels to this fascinating river system have inspired a shift in my approach to keeping aquarium fishes from this region at home—a shift toward replicating their natural habitats as closely A typical scene from the Negro. This aquatic habitat, characterized by dark as possible. water and massive amounts of cover in the Biotope aquariums are something form of submerged tree roots, is home to of a labor of love, an attempt not to dozens of common aquarium species. adapt your fishes to the aquarium they inhabit, but rather to design and set up your aquarium based on the fishes Flooded forest cichlid habitat and their own native waters. Obviously, even the best biotope aquariums have inherent limitations— The quiet blackwater swamps on the margins of there are some natural forces that we simply cannot the Rio Negro are truly cichlid-dominated habitat. replicate in the confines of a glass box—but, as both Within the deeper igarapés and tributaries, large technology and our understanding of freshwater fish cichlids like the famed Tucunaré (Peacock Bass) and habitat and life history improve, accurate representamassive Crenicichla spp. pike cichlids glide among the tions of wild habitat are easier than ever to create in submerged logs, hunting smaller fishes and defenda home aquarium. Building the biotope aquarium ing territories against rivals. In these waters, entire is also an iterative process, requiring experimentafamilies of cichlids have adapted and thrived, divergtion and willingness to try new things to see what ing into new species and evolving to take advantage works—and, more important, what doesn’t. Over the of nearly every available ecological niche. From the last few years, I’ve had the opportunity to set up and colorful dwarfs of the genus Apistogramma to the work with several different aquariums representing heavy-bodied Oscars guarding swarms of tiny offvarious microhabitats found throughout the middle spring, the waters of the Rio Negro are an epicenter and lower Negro, and in so doing have been able to of cichlid diversity. develop a workable, rewarding approach to keeping Many of the Rio Negro cichlid endemics have fishes from this amazing region. become staples in the hobby, and even among In this article I’ll walk through the process of the rarities there are plenty of excellent aquarium setting up Rio Negro biotope aquariums based on subjects. One of my larger biotope aquariums was specific microhabitats that are common along the designed with some of the medium-to-large cichlids igarapés and tributaries of the river system in Brazil. of the Negro in mind and is intended to replicate a Each example focuses on replicating the typical habifairly common habitat type often encountered there. tat type and grouping of fish species one would find This habitat type is often seen when one ventures out within, utilizing wild-collected specimens from the beyond the extreme shallows in an igarapé or, during Negro and its tributaries when possible. the times of year when waters begin rising due to the

AMAZONAS 41

annual flood, in the lower stretches of the flooded forests themselves. In these deeper reaches, visibility can be somewhat poor and the dim lighting beneath the canopy is compounded by the tea-brown water. Larger cichlids often can be spotted from a distance due to their redorange eyes or the characteristic ocella (eyespot) near the base of the tail. Larger characins, like Hemiodus, Anostomus, and the unmistakable Banded Leporinus (Leporinus fasciatus), are also typically encountered among the cichlids in this habitat type. Aquascaping

Unlike the busy shallows, the deeper areas of the flooded forest inhabited by large fishes tend to be rather sparse in terms of structure. To recreate this habitat in the aquarium, it can be useful to select just one or two large pieces of driftwood to serve as focal points, taking care not to let them dominate the overall layout. Negative space can be used to great effect in a layout like this to give the appearance of depth and replicate the reduced visibility one would encounter in the wild. Dim or spot lighting,

combined with the tinted, tannin-rich water, can add to this effect and add visual interest to the entire display. In the wild, large cichlids are surprisingly shy and tend to congregate around large structures, especially overhanging branches. Big, branching pieces of manzanita driftwood serve well in the aquarium, as they are quite reminiscent of the low-hanging or fallen branches one would find submerged just below the water’s surface, where small groups of fishes would typically be encountered. For the relatively simple aquascape in this large aquarium, I used two medium-sized pieces of Spider Wood to evoke root structures resting on the substrate and a single large manzanita branch extending down from the surface. The wood also serves a practical function—it provides cover for smaller fishes and a visual barrier that cuts down on intraspecific aggression. For substrate, I used my go-to light sand (Sunset Gold by CaribSea), which in both color and grain size looks very much like the material found in the streambeds of the middle Negro igarapés. I added a light litter of Indian Almond and Magnolia leaves, both to produce the characteristic tint of the Rio Negro as they release tannins and for their aesthetic value—although in deep-water habitats, leaf litter is often relegated to the margins and the typical substrate is exposed sand. Inhabitants

AMAZONAS

Any number of the cichlids that inhabit the Rio Negro would likely be at home in an aquarium such as the one described here (size permitting), but my selection of spe-

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Cichlid inhabitants at home in a large biotope aquarium: the Dwarf Pike Cichlid (Crenicichla regani, top) and the big, showy Rio Negro Chocolate Cichlid (Hypselecara coryphaenoides, right). Most medium to large cichlids are found in groups close to fallen branches and submerged logs.

Blending old and new, the author’s Rio Demini shallow water biotope utilizes a restored Metaframe aquarium from the mid-1960s. Leaf litter and lots of branching driftwood add a natural tint to the water.

of the Rio Negro—the True Parrot Cichlid (Hoplarchus psittacum). I was quite excited to obtain a juvenile specimen of this large-growing and unmistakable cichlid, and this tank-bred fish seems to be quite content in the faux flooded forest. These fish, named for the vibrant iridescent greens of adults, are gentle giants, and I have witnessed very little aggression or territoriality in my single specimen (although it still has much more growing to do). Also inhabiting this aquarium are two dwarf pike cichlids, Crenicichla regani, which add a splash of color to the subtle earth tones of the larger cichlids. The Rio Negro is home to several small pike cichlids, including the endemic C. notophthalmus and probably some as yet undescribed dwarfs. They are found from extreme shallows to moderately deep habitats alongside larger cichlid species. Most are quite bellicose toward conspecifics, and in the case of the two in this aquarium, I think the abundant visual barriers and cover are responsible for their continued coexistence. Rounding off the tank’s inhabitants are a small group of juvenile Uaru, or Triangle Cichlids (Uaru amphiacanthoides), commonly seen throughout the Negro. These fish grow to be quite large as adults and ultimately require a large aquarium, but they are relatively slowgrowing. The juvenile form of this fish is a voracious grazer that will readily eat fruit (which comprises a significant portion of their diet in nature), vegetables, and even filamentous algae that periodically appear on driftwood. The beautiful One-Spotted Eartheater (Satanoperca

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cies included some personal favorites as well as species I frequently encountered while exploring the blackwater flooded forests of this river system. The focal point of this aquarium is almost certainly the pair of subadult Rio Negro Chocolate Cichlids (Hypselecara coryphaenoides). This is a beautiful and somewhat uncommon aquarium fish that is frequently encountered in the middle and lower Negro, where the common Chocolate Cichlid (H. temporalis) does not occur. These two boisterous fish are the aquarium bullies and consume the lion’s share of the food at feeding time, but they are not overtly aggressive toward other fishes in the tank. Chocolate Cichlids appear to have excellent vision, and I have often observed aquarium specimens positioning themselves close to the water’s surface, head up at almost a 45-degree angle, and “staring” upward. I was fortunate enough to see this behavior displayed by wild H. coryphaenoides during one of my visits to the Negro, and there was a simple explanation for it: The fish were beneath an overhanging branch, waiting for flying insects to land on the water’s surface (or even just above it). They made short work of the insects within their range, even jumping to catch them on the wing. This is a fascinating adaptation for a cichlid and one that is very interesting to observe in the aquarium, where they stalk houseflies and the like attentively, even those that are well outside the aquarium glass. The next species is also a bit of a rarity in the hobby, but fairly common along the margins and tributaries

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In a well-designed biotope, fishes tend to exhibit the same behaviors that they would in the wild. Here, a group of Eques Pencilfish (Nannostomus eques) school in their characteristic “head up” position.

An adult Checkerboard Cichlid—a common leaf litter–dweller in the shallow waters of the Negro -—in one of the author’s aquariums.

lilith), endemic to the Rio Negro, would also be at home in this tank, but the species is quite rare in the trade and I was unable to source any.

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Rio Demini shallow igarapé

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At the edge of the flooded forest, in the shallow waters winding quietly through partially submerged trees, root systems, and fallen branches, schools of colorful characins can be found by the thousands. Here we find aquarium classics like the Rummynose Tetra (Hemigrammus sp.), the Bleeding Heart (Hyphessobrycon socolofi), the Marbled Hatchet (Carnegiella strigata), and, of course, the Rio Negro’s most renowned aquarium fish— the Cardinal Tetra (Paracheirodon axelrodi). But, unlike the aquariums most of these fishes will wind up in— gravel substrate, clear water, neatly arranged décor—their natural habitat is a busy, dynamic, and somewhat messy place. During low water, armies of hungry tetras rove through the shallows, waiting for fruit or other organic matter to fall from the trees and provide a bit of scarce food. The entire ecosystem in these shallow swamps is built on the trees—their root systems and fallen branches

provide cover, fallen leaves (and the biofilm they accumulate) are grazed on and used for breeding, and fruits and nuts from the many food-bearing species fall into the water, only to be eagerly devoured by any number of opportunistic fishes. It is not difficult to imagine that deforestation along the river’s edge would impact not only terrestrial life—like the sloths and parrots perched watchfully among the branches—but also the dozens of fish species that are equally reliant on these trees for food and shelter. With this aquarium, I wanted to combine a bit of new and a bit of old—to put together a biologically accurate biotope that reflects the important role aquarium fish species from the Rio Negro have played in the hobby and their long history. To that end, I used an antique Metaframe tank—circa 1966—which I resealed and restored to useable condition. This tank represented the state of the art in the 1960s, complete with slate bottom, sleek stainless steel frame, and tacky black tar sealing the thick glass panels and making the whole unwieldy box watertight. As an unabashed enthusiast for antique aquarium-related items, I may be a bit biased in saying this, but in its refinished state the aquarium looks every bit as sleek (if not quite so modern) as a high-end rimless tank. Aquascaping

The habitat I’m replicating in this aquarium is dominated by gnarled root systems and fallen branches, so I relied heavily on branching driftwood to provide cover and structure. The intent was to create not a carefully arranged hardscape, but rather a somewhat random

The author’s 15-gallon Cardinal Tetra biotope aquarium closely replicates the extreme shallows these fish inhabit in the wild, including the dense carpet of leaf litter and other botanicals. ONLINE BONUS

Visit Reef2Rainforest.com to see the author’s step-by-step creation of this 15-gallon Rio Negro biotope. www.reef2rainforest.com/rio-negro-biotope

A scene from the wild or an aquarium? A biotope tank is intended to blur that distinction.

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assemblage of roots and branches like one would encounter in the wild. The result looks a bit messy and busy—both adjectives I would use to describe the shallow igarapé habitat in Rio Negro tributaries. In this habitat leaf litter is particularly prevalent, so I used a blend of different leaves to keep the substrate more or less covered. The breakdown of these leaves from decomposition and constant grazing by the fishes in the aquarium creates a significant amount of particulate organic matter floating around in the water column. Aesthetically, this is a bit difficult to get used to, but once again, it is a good representation of the actual habitat where these fishes are found. The shallow igarapés of the Rio Negro are awash in this particulate, which often serves as a food source for detritivores.

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An underwater photo of a typical Cardinal Tetra habitat. This microhabitat, dominated by leaf litter, fallen branches, and sparse plant life, provided inspiration for my “extreme shallows biotope” aquarium.

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Inhabitants

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As mentioned earlier, tetras reign supreme in this shallow-water habitat. During the low-water season they are often found in mixed-species aggregations that cruise along the riverbanks. For this tank, I chose a group of around a dozen wild Rummynose Tetras, all collected from the Rio Negro. The Rummynose has been a staple in the aquarium hobby for decades, and deservedly so—active, fast-moving schoolers, they resemble miniature torpedoes in high-contrast streaks of red, white, and black in the aquarium. The wild fishes display exceptional color, with the characteristic red streak extending far past the “nose” of the fish. Also inhabiting this tank is a somewhat rare relative of a common aquarium fish—the Flameback Bleeding Heart Tetra (Hyphessobrycon pyrrhonotus). This is another Rio Negro endemic, largely collected from the Rio Demini not far from the town of Barcelos. Juvenile fish can be difficult to distinguish from the popular and widely available common Bleeding Heart Tetra (H. socolofi), but adult H. pyrrhonotus display a more vibrant pink body color with a streak of deep pink running along the back. These fish have markedly better coloration in heavily tannin-stained water, and I can usually observe improved color and display behavior among males within a day or so of adding fresh almond leaves to the aquarium. Completing the mixed-shoal effect I was aiming for in this tank is a small group of wild Green Neons (Paracheirodon simulans) and Unifasciatus Pencilfish (Nannostomus unifasciatus). The Green Neon is found throughout most of the same home range as its close relative, the Cardinal Tetra, but rarely are they encountered together. Green Neons are generally found in extreme shallows

and in the lower reaches of Rio Negro tributaries (like the lower Demini, just a short distance from Barcelos), whereas Cardinals tend to congregate further afield. Green Neons also appear to exhibit a marked tolerance (and perhaps a preference) for higher temperatures, and are quite comfortable at 90°F (32°C) and above. Like Green Neons, many pencilfish species are well adapted to the high temperatures and low dissolved oxygen typical of shallow-water swamps. The Unifasciatus pencils generally stay close together in the aquarium and spend much of their time near the water’s surface. The addition to the aquarium of fresh dried leaves—which float for about a day before sinking to the bottom—seems to induce spawning behavior in the fish. There is also a pair of adult Butterfly Plecos (Dekeyseria brachyuran, L-168), another inhabitant of the Rio Demini, in the lower level of the aquarium. The plecos are voracious grazers on almond leaves and the biofilm that accumulates on them, even when offered gel food in abundance—which leads me to suspect that leaves and detritus make up a significant portion of this species’ diet in the wild. They are thorough algae grazers as well, keeping the glass and driftwood largely free of diatoms and brown algae.

A shallow-water habitat on the middle Negro. Cardinal Tetras (along with many other species of characin) can be found in large numbers here.

Extreme shallow igapo—a Cardinal Tetra biotope The most recent Rio Negro biotope I set up was prompted by my desire to try a new approach to keeping blackwater aquariums. It was inspired in no small part by the availability of a huge variety of aquatic botanicals that, until recently, had not been readily accessible to most hobbyists. Although I have kept a number of tanks designed in some way to replicate the shallow-water habitat of the Rio Negro’s most iconic species, the Cardinal Tetra, I had never been truly happy with the results, given the limited aquascaping materials at my disposal. So with this selfimposed challenge in mind, I made liberal use of materials from Tannin Aquatics (an online retailer specializing in botanicals for blackwater aquariums) to see if I could create a truly authentic biotope as similar as possible to the tea-colored shallows of the middle Negro. With this aquarium, I also wanted to integrate some elements of aquascaping and focus on aesthetics without sacrificing biologically appropriate aquascaping and stocking.

The tank itself is an excellent 15-gallon (57-L) “all in one” aquarium by Fluval (part of their recently released

Inhabitants

The selection and number of fish species for this relatively small tank was somewhat limited, but it was not difficult to find a good balance of habitat-appropriate species. The centerpiece of the tank is—of course—a small group of Cardinal Tetras collected from the Rio Negro. They dominate the middle level of the tank, congregating around the driftwood in a loose school, just as they would in the wild. Close to the substrate, a pair of Checkerboard Cichlids (Dicrossus filamentosus) dart around, alternately chasing each other and arranging bits of leaf litter into neat piles around their preferred territories. These dwarf cichlids are extremely common along

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Aquascaping

“Flex” line) with a curved glass front and a false back that hides the filtration and heater. I wanted to recreate the richness in organic matter that characterizes this habitat “from the ground up,” so to speak, so I started with a shallow base layer of thoroughly rinsed organic potting soil underneath a fine sand substrate. To the sand itself I added a blend of other botanical materials, including fine bits of dried leaves, coconut husk chips, and a handful of seed pods. Above this I placed several dense layers of leaf litter—a mixture of dwarf Magnolia, small Indian Almond, and other leaves. This thick coating of leaves covers the entire lower level of the aquarium and is an extremely close representation of typical Cardinal Tetra habitat I’ve visited, where an inches-thick carpet of fallen leaves provides habitat and grazing area for a number of fishes. Although plant life is very sparse in most of the Rio Negro, a bit of aquatic vegetation would not be totally out of place in this biotope, and I used a small bunch of Green Foxtail (aka Green Myrio, Myriophyllum pinnatum, which is occasionally found in shallows throughout the region) to add a splash of green in an otherwise earth-toned layout. A small manzanita branch stands in for the dense tangle of fallen twigs and small branches so prevalent in the shallows, but aside from these components the aquascape is dominated by botanicals—from the large palm fronds draped across the background to the various seed pods used as visual accents. Much of the aquascape also has functional benefits, giving the fishes grazing surfaces, protection above and below, and ample visual barriers and territory markers. As is often the case, mimicking the enormously complex habitat that the igarapé-dwelling denizens of the Rio Negro inhabit tends to encourage the same complex behavior they exhibit in the wild.

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These wild-collected angels from the middle Negro will thrive in an aquarium that accurately represents their wild habitat.

high temperatures and very low levels of dissolved oxygen. This group of fish fills out the tank quite nicely, making for a full, but not busy look. Other species that would easily work in such a setup are the hummingbird or darter characins of the genus Characidium. A particularly stunning species, the Green Darter Tetra (Ammocryptocharax elegans), inhabits the middle and lower Rio Negro and has been making its way into the hobby lately. Other dwarf cichlids, like Apistogramma gephyra, would also be at home in this microhabitat, as would the Marbled Hatchet (Carnegiella strigata), which is often found close to shore in blackwater shallows.

A window to the wild: reflections on the art of the biotope

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Triportheus angulatus, a species commonly seen near the water’s surface, makes an excellent and biotope-appropriate dither for a cichlid aquarium.

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the middle Negro, but remain relatively uncommon and, sadly, underappreciated in the hobby. In my opinion, there are few freshwater fishes that can rival a mature male Checkerboard in full display. A single Pyrrhulina sp. hovers near the water’s surface, adding some activity to the upper level of the tank. This rarely seen tetra, which tends to inhabit stagnant, shallow pools, arrived as a contaminant in a shipment of Splash Tetras (Copella arnoldi), a close relative that would also be at home in this habitat. Rounding out the layout is a small group of Eques or Diptail Pencilfish (Nannostomus eques), which hang nearly motionless in tight formation around the manzanita branch, occasionally picking at patches of biofilm with their beaklike mouths. This species of pencilfish, more than most, is regularly seen in the extreme shallows and seems to be able to tolerate

The diversity of both fish species and habitat types found along the Rio Negro makes it an aquarist’s dream— and replicating these habitats (albeit imperfectly) has been an immensely rewarding process. This incredible river system offers something for aquarists of every caliber. From the Regal Discus hovering among fallen branches, to the enormously diverse Corydoras catfishes found in its black waters, to the even more numerous array of dwarf cichlids, this blackwater river and the surrounding flooded forest is a treasure trove of freshwater biodiversity with few parallels—especially with regard to the aquarium hobby. For those who put the time and effort into creating aquariums inspired by the Rio Negro and its tributaries, these biotopes and their inhabitants have the ability to transcend glass walls and transport the viewer, if only momentarily, from his or her home to the heart of the Amazon, where these same fishes swim wild in the timeless cycles of birth and death, flood and drought that birthed such an incredible profusion of species from its tannin-stained waters. To witness aquarium-fish behavior that so closely matches that of their wild counterparts as they interact with their environment, display to one another, and select and defend territories is perhaps the pinnacle of what a home aquarium can be—a true window to the wild. In creating these aquariums I was taken right back to my earliest days in the hobby, when I eagerly flipped through the pages of well-worn books to find the exotic-sounding

names of the places where my fishes originated. It is with much the same sense of wonder that I find myself gazing into these miniature habitats, amazed to see the nuances and interactions between species that have evolved to fill various ecological niches in a somewhat extreme environment. I think almost any hobbyist can relate to the moments of awe and pride I feel when these microcosms of my own making take on lives of their own. Unlike many of the world’s freshwater habitats, the igarapés and flooded forests extending along the banks of the Negro remain—for the time being—largely free from major human threat. In many places, the forests and waters of this remarkable river system are protected from harm by the same men and women who collect the fishes that end up populating our home aquariums. This remarkable relationship between the aquarium fish trade and habitat preservation has been particularly well documented in the Rio Negro system, and continues to be the focus of Project Piaba (see “Cardinal Sins,” AMAZONAS 4 (2): 52–60 or visit www.projectpiaba.org for more information), but the future of this fishery is increasingly unclear. It is my hope that I have imparted both a touch of inspiration and plenty of practical information for fellow hobbyists with this in-depth look at Rio Negro biotopes, and I encourage anyone interested in creating one of these biotopes to seek out wild-collected Rio Negro fishes to populate it. Wild fishes display wild behaviors better than their tank-raised counterparts in many cases, and purchasing them contributes to the survival of an environmentally beneficial aquarium fishery and supports sustainable livelihoods along the Brazilian Rio Negro and its tributaries.

Thoughtfully curated botanicals and other natural materials to help you create memorable blackwater aquatic displays.

www.tanninaquatics.com www tanninaquatics tanniinaquatititics com

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Michael J. Tuccinardi, a senior editor of this magazine, is active in Project Piaba. He lives in Boulder, Colorado, with his wife and fellow traveler, Susan.

Tint the World

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PART 2 • IMPLEMENTATION

creating nat ure article & images by Steve Waldron • Now that we have committed ourselves to the Nature Aquarium path, studied the works of master aquascapers, invested in quality aquascaping supplies, and started learning how to grow aquatic plants and feed our creative spirit with natural inspiration, the time has arrived to set up an aquarium. THE FIRST STAGE IN NATURE AQUARIUM DESIGN IS ABOUT CONTEXT—where in the room will the aquascape dwell? We don’t want to place an aquarium too close to a window, where the variable natural sunlight could throw our carefully controlled lighting scheme out of balance, and we want to avoid areas with heavy foot traffic that could startle our fishes. The aquarium should be placed on a level stand that can hold the weight of the water, substrate, and hardscape. If you have a rimless aquarium it should be placed on a dense foam mat to protect its fragile glass bottom and corners.

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Glossostigma elatinoides has been a signature foreground plant since the 1980s, when it was rare and highly sought after. Popularized by Takashi Amano, it is now widely available from nursery stock and tissue culture propagation (as seen here).

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AQ UATI C

PLANTS

A step-by-step implementation guide

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The author’s demonstration Nature Aquarium, created for this article, a week after planting. This aquascape is a 60 x 30 x 45-cm (approx. 24 x 12 x 18-inch) high-clarity rimless aquarium with pre-soaked driftwood and Aqua Soil that in a few short weeks will be filled with a riot of plant biodiversity and beauty. The plants used in this layout include Glossostigma elatinoides, Blyxa japonica, Syngonathus sp. "Giant," Cyperus helferi, Hemianthus micranthemoides, Rotala sp. Green, Rotala sp. H'ra, Myriophyllum mattogrossense, Ludwigia x. lacustris, Potamogeton gayi, Mayaca fluviatilis, Bucephalandra spp., and Willow Moss.

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1 There is also the aesthetic significance of context—how will this Nature Aquarium beautify your home? A well-executed planted aquarium is a living art piece and should be the centerpiece of the room. Going slowly and spending time with an empty aquarium, reflecting on its potential impact in a room, is an important exercise. In my opinion, one of the true masters of context is Adam Paszczela, a virtuoso aquascaper from Poland. Adam has created a beautiful aquascaping studio with rustic beams, wood floors, natural light, and just a lot of elegant style that shows off his magnificent Nature Aquariums to their best advantage. I want to live in his studio! (See Online, below.)

Laying down the substrate

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Once the aquarium has been set up in its final position, the first installation step is adding the substrate. If your goal is to grow a dense garden of aquarium plants with wall-to-wall coverage, a nutrient-rich, soil-based substrate will make your job much easier. I prefer to use ADA’s Amazonia Aqua Soil, and have had great repeated success with it, though I am sure other alternatives are fine too. I tend not to use any soil additives, as I usually break down an aquascape after a year or so and like to start out with fresh, fertile soil. For the aquascape shown in this article’s photos, I used one 2.4-gallon (9-L) bag of soil for the 12 x 24-inch (30 x 60-cm) footprint. Generally, you will need at least 2 inches (5 cm) of soil for stem plants and other plants with robust root systems, and at least 0.75 inch (1.9 cm) for carpeting plants. You can shape your soil layer any way you like—the sky is the limit. Some aquascapers create steep, high-banked substrates with precipitous slopes and inclines; some prefer zones of thick plantings over soil, broken up by patches of bright cosmetic sand. For this demonstration I chose a classic, gentle slope of shallow soil in the front, angling up to a higher bank at the back; this offers a nice perspective of the aquascape when viewed from the front and provides a base for my carpet of low-growing Glossostigma. If you are new to aquascaping I recommend keeping it simple, with one substrate type and a basic substrate layout, as you will likely change up your plant arrangements many times before arriving at your final destination.

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Hardscape choices

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One of the most common questions I field at my shop is: “Why are these sticks and rocks so expensive? Can I just find something out in 4 the woods or on the beach and put it in my aquarium?” Not all natural materials are suited for aquarium use—resinous wood, like the conifers that are so prominent in the forests around my home, can release potent secondary compounds and natural chemicals that are toxic to aquarium life. Some stones release pH-altering minerals into the water. Anything found on a beach will release salts. In general, we want to choose hardscape material (i.e., stone and wood) that is inert and will not change our water chemistry. I like to soak my 1. An empty aquarium is a vessel with endless creative potential. 2. The author’s sandbox: a useful tool for pre-visualizing a hardscape layout before it is applied wood in a trash can that I have to an aquascape. designated for this purpose to 3. The final version of the wood hardscape is installed over a soil substrate and shimmed into leach out tannins and keep the place with stones; the tank is nearly ready for planting. wood waterlogged and ready for 4. Gently filling the aquarium using the shower setting on a garden hose nozzle disperses the use. The stone and wood sold in energy of the incoming water, keeping the hardscape from shifting and the substrate line intact. aquarium shops has proven to be

Going slowly and spending time with an empty aquarium, reflecting on its potential impact in a room, is an important exercise.

A hardscape layout should be able to stand on its own with interesting visual presence and natural grace.

obscure the weaker points of the hardscape. Make sure to take your time figuring out your hardscape arrangement, because it will become the backbone of your aquascape, the prominent aesthetic structure that will define the plantings and the overall visual impact of your creation. The thoughtful and artistic arrangement of charismatic stone, wood, and plants is really what distinguishes a Nature Aquarium from the average planted aquarium. Here are a couple of hardscape tips: I like to play around with stone and wood layouts in a “sandbox” dedicated to this purpose. I built a 48 x 18-inch (122 x 46cm) wooden box filled with playground sand and use it to visualize a hardscape layout. It’s a lot of fun and I find it a meditative, relaxing process. Some aquascapers use a sandbox as a sort of daily exercise and ritual to perfect their style. I take lots of photos of a layout that appeals to me, and even mark or label the faces of stones and pieces of wood so I can recreate more complicated layouts in the actual aquarium. Sleep on a hardscape layout before

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suitable and safe for aquarium use. However, if you have the inclination, some knowledge of botany or geology, and an experimental mindset, there is no reason why you can’t find some natural materials for your aquascaping projects in your own neck of the woods. I have been wanting to try the root structures of local riparian trees, like willow or alder, and collect basalt, lava rock, and slate when out on hikes. When it comes to choosing hardscape materials for their aesthetic value, you have two choices. You can select materials that have strong visual presence and character of their own—a fine piece of driftwood or stone can look like a natural sculpture, and you might want to highlight such a piece in your aquascape. The horn wood pieces I chose for this article’s demonstration aquascape have such a strong presence that it is kind of hard not to make the layout interesting! Or you can choose humbler, less interesting rock and wood and test your ability to bring out the best in these simple materials, perhaps covering them in beautiful arrangements of ferns and mosses that

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Glossostigma broken up into small pieces in preparation for planting. A good pair of planting forceps makes installation of the propagules much easier and faster.

This bunch of Bucephalandra was considered prior to committing it to the aquascape. In the end, it was omitted, as it overwhelmed the sense of scale provided by the other fine and delicate plant selections.

you commit to it, and you might find yourself switching things up a few days later. Time and patience can only improve one’s results. One thing to think about when creating a hardscape is the concept of “creating tension.” I think the most appealing hardscapes are those that look slightly impossible—like they are somehow defying gravity or on the verge of collapse. A flat hardscape is a boring hardscape. You don’t want to overdo it, but bringing some tension into your hardscape arrangement will really give it impact. I use small stones to shim up pieces of wood or stone, raising them up off the substrate to accentuate their strength, beauty, and grace.

sp. “Giant,” a plant that is new to me and that I wanted to experiment with. For the background I decided on a screen of Potamogeton gayi, Mayaca fluviatilis, Ludwigia x lacustris, Myriophyllum mattogrossense, Rotala sp. Green, and Rotala sp. H’ra. These plants were selected for their complementary and contrasting leaf structures and colors. The sedge Cyperus helferi would provide bold vertical brushstrokes of bright green throughout the aquarium and pay homage to Amano’s early Nature Aquariums. The Glossostigma would come from tissue culture, my preferred source of plant material these days—tissue culture plants are algae- and pest-free and will grow uniformly from tiny starts, giving the aquascape a more cohesive look. However, most of the plants in this aquascape were grown out in farm tanks, so they were already adapted to my water conditions and ready to thrive once planted. The mechanics of placing the plant material are fairly straightforward. I drain down the aquarium to the point where the water barely covers the substrate. Planting in a loose, wet substrate makes for easy gardening and limits damage to the plant cuttings, and it doesn’t make a mess as it would if the aquarium were full of water. I tend to start the planting process with the foreground plants. I prepared the tissue culture Glossostigma in advance by removing it from the cup, rinsing gel from the roots of the plant mass, and breaking the nodes up into small chunks. A good pair of planting forceps is essential in making this process as smooth as possible. I like to grab the plant with the forceps, enter the soil level at sort of an oblique angle, pull up on the plant a bit to allow the soil to fill in around the entry point, and then release it. It might take some practice to perfect your own technique. I spread the foreground starts out in an even distribution pattern. For this layout, I also mounted little bits of Bucephalandra and epiphytic moss, attaching them with the aid of the gel form of cyanoacrylate glue. After the epiphytes were mounted, I finished off the aquascape with the background stem plants and Cyperus. I like to keep a spray bottle filled with water on hand during the planting process, misting the delicate aquatic plants from time to time to keep them hydrated until the aquarium is filled.

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My aquascaping process

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For the layout in this article’s photos, I had a few general ideas in mind prior to beginning the aquascaping process. I had some beautiful, rather dramatic wood pieces that I wanted to use to emphasize the vertical orientation of the aquarium and its unique dimensions; I wanted my plant selection to include a lot of diverse colors, textures, and forms to reflect the blossoming trees and flowers I was seeing during my spring walks in Seattle’s parks and neighborhoods; I wanted to use some classic Nature Aquarium plants that I associate with Takashi Amano’s early layouts from the 1990s; and I wanted the whole thing to look as if the driftwood was being engulfed by lush plants, the dead wood being overtaken by the exuberance of life. As with most things, having focused intentions before starting a project will aid in its success and keep it from going off the rails. After spending a few days considering my hardscape arrangement, removing and adding pieces of wood and shimming them in place with stones to bring in a little tension, I set about planting. Aquascapes are often broken down into foreground, middle ground, and background when considering planting schemes. This is an effective and methodical approach to designing a layout. For my foreground carpeting plant, I chose Glossostigma elatinoides, a staple of Nature Aquariums since Amano first started using the plant in the late 1980s. The middle layer would consist of Blyxa japonica, Hemianthus micranthemoides, Bucephalandra spp., and Syngonanthus

“Epiphytic” plants like aquatic ferns, Anubias, and mosses can be easily mounted to stone or wood hardscape material with the gel form of cyanoacrylate glue.

Planting a background screen of stem plants is made easier with a thick substrate layer of wet, loose soil. Do this before the tank is filled.

A plastic tray filled with carefully layered, cleaned, and prepared aquarium plants is the aquascaping equivalent of the painter’s palette.

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Immediately after planting, the aquarium is gently filled with lukewarm water. A haze from fine substrate particles fills the water column. Canister filtration and daily 50 percent water changes for the first week are essential for regaining water clarity and keeping algae blooms at bay.

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Lighting considerations

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Once the plants were installed, I gently filled the aquarium with water, using the shower setting on my garden hose nozzle to avoid disturbing the aquascape. I then installed the light. For this aquarium I chose a Twinstar 600ES, a rather elegant LED unit with a beautiful color rendition. I hoped the Twinstar would pop the colors of the bright Ludwigia and Rotala in the background hedge, and the unit itself just looks very sleek. When choosing lights for a planted aquarium, we want something in the 6000 to 8000 Kelvin range for a color temperature that is pleasing to the eye. Aim for an intensity of at least 50 PAR units at the substrate if your intention is to grow a carpet of foreground plants. If you are serious about aquascaping, a PAR meter is an essential tool that will take the guesswork out of a lot of your planting decisions. In general, we consider 10–20 PAR to be low light, 20–50 PAR to be medium light, and 50 PAR and above to be high light. With the Twinstar 600ES installed on my 18” tall aquarium, I was getting 75 PAR at the substrate, which I know from past experience should be more than adequate for growing a dense carpet of Glossostigma in the presence of injected CO2.

Injected CO2 allows the plants to grow more efficiently, even under moderate light intensity. The light unit was hooked up to a light timer set for an "on" period of eight hours. In the next episode of “Creating Nature” I will cover carbon dioxide injection, filtration, fertilization, maintenance, trimming plants, cycling the aquarium, and animal selection. Let’s hope the water in my tank clears and the plants in my Nature Aquarium begin to root, grow, and come to life! Steve Waldron is an AMAZONAS senior contributor and the co-founder of the retail aquascaping shop Aquarium Zen in Seattle, Washington. He is the editor of the English-language edition of Origin of Creation, the official Takashi Amano biography (Aqua Design Amano, 2016). ONLINE

ADA Poland—check out Adam Paszczela’s work on Facebook and at http://www.aquadam.com.pl. Waldron, S. Creating Nature: Part I—Inspiration. AMAZONAS 6 (3): 44–50, http://www.reef2rainforest.com/2017/04/20/creating-nature-part-1%E2%80%A2-inspiration.

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HUSBANDRY

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The Banded Bushfish

an unusual bubble nester from Central Africa article & images by Stanislav Kislyuk • Although they are not nearly as common as their relatives from Asia, there are some exciting African labyrinthfishes. One of the true classics, the Banded Bushfish, is a feast for the eyes—especially a variant from southern Cameroon.

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WITH THE FINAL DISAPPEARANCE OF THE LAND BRIDGE between Africa and Asia 25 million years ago, the labyrinthfishes (suborder Anabantoidei) separated into two groups. While the Asian group developed a remarkable variety of species, with over 140 known including the Bettas and Gouramis, there are only 31 African species. Microctenopoma (dwarf bushfishes) is one of just three genera that occur in Africa; the other two are Ctenopoma and Sandelia. An essential characteristic of the “dwarf” bushfishes is that they care for their offspring; Ctenopoma representatives do not carry out any brood care. The ancient Cape bushfishes of the genus Sandelia occur exclusively in South Africa and strongly differ from the other two genera in both behavior and morphology.

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A classic The Banded Bushfish (Microctenopoma fasciolatum) was kept in an aquarium for the first time in 1912. The species is highly variable in color and has developed into several different-looking varieties. Some are predominantly blue, others an inconspicuous brown. The specimens that have occasionally been imported from southern Cameroon in recent years are among the most beautiful representatives of their species. The males have conspicuously large pectoral fins, and their long caudal, dorsal, and anal fins have fine filaments. To maintain this species, which grows to a maximum size of about 3 inches (8 cm), we recommend an aquarium at least 30 inches (80 cm) long—in the 30–40-gallon

A male Microctenopoma fasciolatum.

(114–150-L) range. The tank should be richly planted and have plenty of sheltering spots. Floating plants will dampen the light, making the bushfish less shy, and provide both protection and food for the juveniles in their first weeks. Microctenopoma fasciolatum shows very little intraspecific aggression. I keep my five animals with other African fishes: a group of Green’s Moon Tetras (Bathyaethiops greeni) and Blue Diamond Characins (Alestopetersius smykalai). You can also keep them with cichlids that are not too aggressive, such as Kribs (Pelvicachromis pulcheri) or the dwarf Congochromis sabinae. The intraspecific aggression of the variant from Cameroon is much more pronounced than it is in the brown

forms, but serious injuries are still rare. However, the blue animals always keep a certain distance from each other, even when they are not spawning, whereas the southern populations tend to form packs.

Care and reproduction That said, I do recommend keeping several specimens in a fairly large aquarium, because ample space shows the males to their best advantage. Their displays are very impressive: Opponents meet repeatedly at the borders of their territories with fully spread fins. Gently shaking with excitement, they try to impress each other with flaring finnage. In the right light, they appear to spray sparks of blue color into the water. The broad brown bands and

Female Banded Bushfish are all brown.

Males from southern Cameroon show their true splendor when in spawning mood.

A male under his bubble nest; the nest is larger or smaller, depending on the availability of floating plants.

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Shortly after hatching, the larvae still carry large transparent yolk sacs. The upper half of the tiny larva is already darkly marbled. Freshly hatched larvae in the aquarium. There is hardly anything left of the bubble nest.

glowing red eyes are in sharp contrast to the intense body color. Females can be recognized easily because they have shorter fins and their body coloration is not as dazzling. Their readiness to spawn is signaled by a bright, broad horizontal stripe. As for diet, these fish will accept any dry, frozen, or live food. Water values are not crucial either: the water should not be too hard and the pH should range from 6.0 to 7.5. This bushfish species prefers temperatures between 68 and 75.2°F (20–24°C), so their aquarium should be set up in a shady place, at least in the summer months.

After three days, almost all of the yolk sac has been consumed and the larvae must start eating. First foods include infusoria and vinegar eels.

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Nest options

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If the temperature is in the optimum range, the fish often spawn willingly in the community tank. The male usually builds a foam nest…but not always. Interestingly, this species’ reproductive behavior depends on the presence and density of floating plant cover. If the vegetation is not particularly thick or is absent, the male builds a large foam nest, with bubbles that can get as big as 0.4–0.8 inch (1–2 cm) in diameter. When dense floating plants are available, he builds a minimal nest and the female releases the eggs directly into the vegetation. A few days before spawning, the male begins to defend a territory. During spawning the male wraps around the female but does not turn her upward, as many other labyrinthfishes do. The eggs have oil droplets, so they float, and the male recovers from spawning rigidity just in time to pick up any sinking eggs and carry them to the nest. After a few hours, there are several hundred eggs in the cache. Immediately after spawning, the male drives the female out of the area. The small, helpless larvae begin to hatch 24 to 36 hours later, and at the same time the foam bubbles dissolve. The male watches over his nest from some distance, usually hanging motionless 4 to 6 inches (10–15 cm) below the surface and hidden among the plants. However, he reacts immediately to any disturbance within a radius of 8 to 12 inches (20–30 cm) and drives

intruders away aggressively. The larvae remain under the males’ care for five or six days and then disperse among the vegetation. The male’s protective instinct immediately switches off at this point. For managed rearing, the offspring are skimmed off with a plastic beaker two or three days after hatching and kept in shallow plastic containers. They are fed infusoria and vinegar eels for the first two weeks, until they are large enough to cope with Artemia nauplia. They grow very quickly and have to be regularly sorted by size, as they have a strong cannibalistic urge. Initially transparent, they slowly begin to color up when they are about 0.6 inch (1.5 cm) long. Alternatively, you can just leave the young fish in the parents’ tank—with dense plant cover the adults rarely chase the fry, and it is interesting to observe the differently sized bushfish searching for food and having minor spats.

Larva about two months old.

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REPORTAGE

Corydoras

from Suriname

Corydoras punctatus was the first Cory to be described. M.E. Bloch described it in 1794 as Cataphractus punctatus.

by Hans-Georg Evers • Lovers of Corydoras catfishes have a new

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SURINAME IS EASY TO REACH—there are direct flights between Amsterdam and Paramaribo (PBM) and several airline options from North America. However, only the coastal area is developed, and aquarium enthusiasts must deal with very poor roads to get to the Corys’ habitats. Distant destinations in the backcountry can be reached only with persistence. Hardly anyone wants to make the effort. After all, there is more and easier money to be made on the coast—in trades other than aquarium fishing, a tedious and risky business. There have been several attempts to establish aquarium fish collecting and exporting in Suriname, but these efforts have failed. Only a few Surinamese species of the genus Corydoras have found their way into our aquariums in the last 25 years. Most of these imports were due to the initiative of traveling aquarists. I was able to bring Corydoras baderi back in 2004, and I have bred the species regularly since then. Ingo Seidel and others caught and introduced several species before that. Unfortunately, since then only the beautiful C. boesemani has been maintained in the hobby and regularly bred by Cory fans. Werner Seuss traveled to Suriname in the 1990s and brought back C. punctatus and C. sipaliwini, among others, but these, too, disappeared over time. Since early 2016, we started seeing online images of beautiful Corys from Suriname being sold in East Asia at exorbitant prices, but westerners could only sit and stare longingly at these pictures. Recently, Karsten Schönherr and his fellow travelers undertook targeted collection expeditions and succeeded in bringing home various Corys, including some particularly nice species, including C. punctatus, C. coppenamensis, and C. surinamensis. Schönherr recently reported (2016) on the Corys of the Coppename River. He has given me some of his treasures, and I have already managed to breed a couple of them. It also seems that something approaching a regular export business has been established in Paramaribo, and now many of the species shown here are reaching Holland, so you may soon be able to get access to them!

H.-G. EVERS

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reason to be happy. Suriname, a small country in South America, is a hotspot for these fishes, but for many years very few were exported from the former Dutch colony. This all changed in 2016.

The thickened ends of the first pectoral ray in dominant males are characteristic of Corydoras geoffroy.

Lacépède established the genus Corydoras in 1803 by describing Corydoras geoffroy.

The Corys of Suriname are quite well studied, most notably by the famous Dutch ichthyologist Han Nijssen (1970). On the occasion of the construction of the Afobaka Dam, he and other ichthyologists were commissioned to investigate the fish fauna of the affected waters and others. This resulted in the best and most comprehensive publication on the Corys of any country at that time. Nijssen introduced 17 species and described 7 species and subspecies. From later descriptions (C. filamentosus, C. sipaliwini) and current collections, we know that there are still more species in

Corydoras cf. aeneus from Suriname.

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F. WANG

Diversity

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For a long time, Corydoras filamentosus was a phantom among Corys. More recently, animals from Suriname have been exported several times.

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Surinamese waters. These undescribed Corydoras are now appearing more frequently in export shipments, and I present them briefly here. It is easy to explain the high species diversity in a very old genus that is widespread in South America in a relatively small country like Suriname. All the rivers of Suriname drain into the Caribbean, and none are connected to the waters of the Amazon. The ancient rock formations of the Guyana Shield have been drained for millions of years by rivers that are not connected to each other in the coastal region. The lowland region is separated from the upper reaches by strongly sloping rock layers, resulting in high waterfalls that are insurmountable for these fishes. Many different types of Corys evolved in

the many side branches of these isolated rivers, such as Corantijn, Coppename, Saramacca, and Marowijne. We can only speculate about the ancestors of these Corys. Recent genetic studies by Alexandrou et al. (2011) on Corys from all over South America have shown that there are several clearly separate genera. The authors refer to these as “lineages.” At the moment, several scientists are working on this topic.

Species flood After a long dry spell, aquarists suddenly have the opportunity to quench their thirst. A nice species similar to Corydoras aeneus that has a short golden stripe at the top of the head is appearing in all the recent imports and

F. WANG

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A female Corydoras filamentosus.

CW114 from the Kabalebo River.

seems to be widespread in Suriname. I also know this fish, Corydoras filamentosus, from the Corantijn basin, but only from preserved specimens. For many years, the type location was only accessible by helicopter. Apparently, either it is now easier to get to or the species has been found in a more accessible location. For whatever reason, specimens have begun to appear in imports in East Asia and Canada. However, the species is not cheap—collection and shipping are very costly. Imports of Geoffroy’s Corydoras, C. geoffroy, a species originally described from Suriname’s Marchall Creek and also known from French Guiana, are likely to be similarly expensive. Corydoras geoffroy is the type of the genus, that is, the first species described as Corydoras, and there-

fore particularly interesting for Cory fans. The long first pectoral fin rays, with the pillow-like thickenings at the ends, are a special feature of dominant males of this species, which grow to about 3 inches (8 cm). Corydoras wotroi has long been a synonym of C. brevirostris from Venezuela. The different shape of the body (C. brevirostris is much more high-backed) and the long distance to the type locality of C. brevirostris make it very likely that C. wotroi is a valid species. A revision of the entire C. melanistius group is currently underway (L.F.C. Tencatt, pers. comm.), and we can expect some taxonomic changes soon. It is very interesting for us aquarists that Karsten Schönherr was able to bring back some live animals that correspond in appearance to the specimens depicted by

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F. WANG

Corydoras sipaliwini made a brief appearance in the hobby a few years ago.

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very similar forms are occasionally introduced into the hobby. The very similar C. sanchesi is now also in the hobby. Another new import of this group of modestly colored Corys from Suriname that I call Corydoras cf. guianensis has large, dark eyes. This group includes a similar small Cory whose body is covered with fine dots. Seidel and his colleagues caught the species, which received the code number CW15, in the Tapanahony River. The saddle-snouter in this group of species is C. heteromorphus, which entered the hobby a few years ago and which I was able to reproduce. A rather robust species, another saddle-snouted Cory, is C. saramaccensis. A pointy-headed species was imported along with C. saramaccensis, but it has not yet received a CW number. Corydoras oxyrhynchus, a saddle-snouter described by Nijssen, has also appeared in recent imports from Suriname. This species is reminiscent of similar

F. WANG

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Nijssen (1970). He kindly gave me some of these, and they are already making moves toward reproduction. Corydoras bicolor has already appeared in the hobby. Specimens caught in northern Brazil near the border with Suriname, as well as specimens taken directly from the Sipaliwini River in Suriname, have already been kept. To my knowledge, nobody has managed to breed these fish. Similar to C. sipaliwini is CW114, a small species from the C. bondi group, which was initially called C. sipaliwini but lives in the Kabalebo River in the Corantijn Basin. CW114 is probably still undescribed. Schönherr (pers. comm.) also found another species of this group in the Kabalebo that looks a little like C. coppenamensis. This species, too, is obviously undescribed and has not yet received a CW number. Corydoras guianensis was also an aquarium phantom for a long time. Now, imports of this species and some

Top, far left: This fish corresponds to the description of Corydoras wotroi, which is still a synonym of Corydoras brevirostris from Venezuela but is probably a valid species. Bottom, far left: Corydoras bicolor from Suriname. Top, left: This fish could be Corydoras guianensis. Middle, left: This species, which I call Corydoras cf. guianensis, is similar to C. guianensis.

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F. WANG

Bottom: This new species is syntopic with CW114 in the Kabalebo River.

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Fans of saddle-snouters will be enthusiastic about Corydoras saramaccensis.

Corydoras oxyrhynchus is a very attractive saddle-snouter from Suriname.

CW15 from the Tapanahony River, the round-snouted Cory similar to Corydoras heteromorphus, is now collected in large numbers.

Corydoras heteromorphus, a saddlesnouted species for the specialist.

Among the Corydoras saramaccensis were several specimens of this pointy-headed species, which has not yet received a code number.

species from neighboring French Guiana (C. solox and similar species). Suriname is always good for a surprise. There could even be an abundance of new species from this former Dutch Caribbean colony that has many intact indigenous tribes working to protect huge tracts of wilderness. Seeing a new stream of aquarium fish exports should be exciting to all aquarists, not just Cory fans.

REFERENCES

Alexandrou, M.A., et al. 2011. Competition and phylogeny determine community structure in Müllerian co-mimics. Nature 469: 84–88. Nijssen, H. 1970. Revision of the Surinam catfishes of the genus Corydoras Lacépède, 1803 (Pisces, Siluriformes, Callichthyidae). Beaufortia 18 (230): 1–75. Schönherr, K. 2016. Die Corydoras des Coppename River. Teil 1: Die aus dem Fluss beschriebenen Arten. BSSW-Report 28 (2): 30–41.

F. WANG

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Corydoras sanchesi is rather modestly adorned.

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These juveniles (about 2 inches/5 cm long) greedily eat very small foods.

Juveniles at the age of three months.

of the tail fin. They still lived together as a swarm and were always hungry. In addition to various varieties of frozen foods, I also gave them live pond food and occasionally offered half-grown Guppies, Platys, and Swordtails. I also fed them high-protein pellets, to which they had grown accustomed from a young age and still liked to eat. Rearing the fry is not difficult if you feed them well and perform regular water changes, even if there are large, robust species in their tank. Crenicichla saxatilis is a fascinating fish to keep, but it needs a spacious aquarium and dedicated husbandry. ONLINE

Fishbase: http://www.fishbase.org/summary/Crenicichla-saxatilis.html

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A juvenile Crenicichla saxatilis at 4 inches (10 cm), shortly before assuming adult coloration.

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Visit: www.sfbb.com, Email: [email protected] or Call: (800) 624-7322

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HUSBANDRY

& B R E E D IN G

Breeding Pterophyllum sp.

“Santa Isabel”

Female Pterophyllum sp. “Santa Isabel” have a flatter, more concave forehead than males. This is an adult.

article & images by Simon Forkel • There are always

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new angelfish wild forms coming into aquarium circles, but Pterophyllum sp.“Santa Isabel” is particularly spectacular and has been successfully bred, so hobbyists may one day be able to see it for themselves.

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I HAVE BEEN PROPAGATING Pterophyllum scalare, Pterophyllum spp. wild forms, and P. altum, including different Altum varieties from the Rio Atabapo, Inirida, and Orinoco, for nine years. I have also bred the beautiful Red Shoulder Angelfish from the Manacapurú several times. A few months ago, I managed to breed P. scalare “Guyana” from the Essequibo Basin. These angels are characterized by red dots on the head and back that develop into red spots as they age. Last year, I expanded my breeding system from about 1,800 to 3,200 gallons (7,000–12,000 L) and brought other fishes into my breeding program, including the Flag Cichlid (Meso-

A stately wild male Pterophyllum sp. “Santa Isabel.”

nauta insignis), the Crying Whiptail (Loricaria sp. “Rio Atabapo”), and the Royal Farlowella (Sturisomatichthys aureum), so that I could offer my customers ideal tankmates for their angelfishes. My connections with wholesalers enable me to access new Pterophyllum wild forms. I kept seeing the name “Santa-Isabel-Scalare,” and it made me curious. Unfortunately, I rarely found these animals on stock lists, and when I did they were listed at very high prices. A good customer, however, told me that he already owned some of these extraordinary “Scalares.” He was able to buy five of them from a dealer. Since he wanted to acquire several varieties of P. altum for his show tank, he offered the scalars to me in exchange for some P. altum. I did not have to think long before agreeing—these fish fascinated me. They had already reached a size of 10–12 inches (25–30 cm) and were very healthy and evenly grown, because the previous owner had reared them very carefully. These animals came from a wild importation and at the time had a height of about 5.5 to 6.3 inches (14–16 cm). They are now two and a half years old and have very nice red dots on their heads and backs on a blue ground and beautiful long fins. Their swimming behavior is very elegant, similar to that of P. altum, and they are every bit as beautiful. Of course, I wanted to breed these extraordinary examples of a large Pterophyllum species. After a short time, a pair formed from my group of five. I moved them into a separate tank that measured 60 x 20 x 24 inches (150 x 50 x 60 cm). The substrate consisted of 0.8–1.2 inches (2–3 cm) of gravel and there was one plastic plant for decoration. I placed three stacked spawning cones in the tank to offer the fish a tall spawning place. I was aware that these wild fish would need acidic water in order to reproduce. My tap water values are pH 7.5, 4°dKH, and conductance

“Santa Isabel” from the upper Rio Negro at Santa Isabel, Brazil, has multiple red dots on the back and red areas on the fins. The red color is very variable. The female in this photo has many small red dots on a blue background.

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Top: The stripe pattern develops at the age of 28 days. Middle: Day 31—all of the little Santa Isabel angelfish, now striped, swim around in a loose group.

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260 μS/cm at 82.4°F (28°C), so I had to very carefully adjust the pH to 6 and the conductance to 120 μS/cm. After I made these adjustments, the courtship behavior of the angels became more pronounced, so I knew I was on the right track. With three to four daily feedings of frozen Artemia, white mosquito larvae, and krill, as well as occasional red mosquito larvae and live water fleas, the female became gravid, and after a few weeks her ovipositor gradually emerged. At this point I started changing about 30 percent of the water every other day and lowered the pH value to 5.3; two weeks later the pair spawned. I removed the spawning cone with the eggs about half an hour after the end of the onehour spawning event and moved it to a 16-gallon (60-L) tank. The water came from the breeding tank, so it had the same values. The substrate consisted of a 0.8-inch (2-cm) layer of white quartz sand, which has also proved its worth in the breeding of P. altum. At 84.2°F (29°C), the

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Choose a large rearing tank for the fry, even when they are small, so that they will grow evenly.

first of the larvae hatched after 45 hours, and they developed well because I had lowered the pH value below 5. The next day, 90 percent of the larvae had hatched and were hanging on the cone. A few fell to the bottom, but they lay on fine sand, where I believe there is less risk of bacterial attack than if they had landed on bare glass. Six days after spawning, I began to change 1.3 gallons (5 L) of the water twice daily. Just a day later, the young larvae swam up and formed a swarm of several hundred individuals. From then on, I fed them freshly hatched Artemia nauplii five times a day and continued to change about 10 percent of the water three times a day, always vacuuming up leftover food. After 10 days I moved the larvae into a larger tank (95 gallons/360 L, 40 x 24 x 24 inches/100 x 60 x 60 cm). Two foam filters supplied sufficient oxygen for the approximately 450 fry. The bottom was black gravel, and for decoration I used a single plastic plant. I continued to feed Artemia nauplii every day and also fed frozen Cyclops. Twenty days after they became free-swimming, the small “Santa Isabels” willingly took frozen Artemia; a few days later, they even accepted thawed white mosquito larvae. They grew rapidly and their fins developed nicely. The rapid growth of these angel fry made moving them absolutely necessary—the tank simply became too small. I put around 150 young fish into a tank measuring 47 x 24 x 24 (120 x 60 x 60 cm) and another 200 in a tank measuring 63 x 24

x 24 (160 x 60 x 60 cm). These aquariums have built-in biofilters equipped with foam mats and filter wool. The filters are operated with airlifters. The bottom consists of fine gravel, and decoration, as before, was nothing but plastic plants, so cleaning the tanks was easy. I changed about 50 percent of the water twice a week and fed the young fish five times a day to ensure rapid growth. The angels reached a size of 3 inches (8 cm) in 12 weeks—a sellable size! All my offspring are adapted to pure tap water before being offered for sale. Keep these “Santa Isabel” Angelfish as one does P. altum, in a swarm of six to eight animals, to ensure natural behavior. Good tankmates for a speciesappropriate South America aquarium would be shoals of tetras, such as Rummynoses, or a group of Corydoras sterbai and other catfishes.

Right: Spawning Pterophyllum sp. “Santa Isabel” using an inverted ceramic plant cone. Inset: The larvae hatch after about 45 hours.

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& B R E E D IN G

Male (top, 6") and female (bottom, 7"), approximately 1.5 years old. By 2 years of age, the male is the same size as the female and has comparable fin extensions.

Breeding a glorious eartheater:

Geophagus mirabilis “Aripuana” article & images by John Lambert • I still consider myself a new aquarist, but I’ve had some

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encouraging success straight out of the gate. In the two and a half years that I’ve been a hobbyist, I have successfully bred German Rams, classic angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare), mollies, and various plecos. I also discovered that I have a weakness for the wonderful South American eartheaters, and have managed to breed Geophagus altifrons and Geophagus sp. “Tapajós.” Then, less than six months into my newfound hobby, I acquired a few Geophagus mirabilis “Aripuana” fry. I presumed this species would be similar to my Altifrons and Tapajos, but my experiences had not prepared me for the beauty, challenges, and surprises of the Mirabilis.

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I BECAME AWARE OF G. MIRABILIS “ARIPUANA” when I read hobby news articles about the species’ description in December 2014. Searching the Internet, I discovered little information, few pictures, and no fish for sale. What little information I did find seemed to conflict and lacked any husbandry

directives, but by all accounts this sounded like a remarkably handsome species with a likable, mildmannered disposition. Despite the relative dearth of information, when captive-bred juvenile specimens became available in May 2015 I purchased six from the

The male (front) and female interacting during a break in spawning. Note the faint but visible horizontal body stripe, a coloration that peaks when the fish are actively spawning.

ally, I’ve found that Mirabilis are not weak, sensitive, or passive—but also not strong, tough, or aggressive. They are sociable with their keeper and their tankmates, and they move around the tank constantly, rarely hiding. Mirabilis seem to enjoy moderate water movement and décor when they do want to hide; they do not seem to like caves. They move a lot of sand around. Under my care the fish live in clean, hard water (TDS 480, GH 340ppm, KH 100ppm, Calcium 60ppm, 0 chlorine, 0 copper, 0 nitrites, 0 ammonia, and under 40ppm nitrates) with a pH of 8.3 and temperature around 80°F (26.6°C). They are moderately sensitive to water parameter changes. For daily feeds, Mirabilis seem to prefer sticks and bits over flakes. My adults and juveniles have been fed a varied mix of flakes, bits/sticks, freeze-dried and frozen foods, and fresh or frozen vegetables that are not leafy. They accept any food that sinks to the bottom of the tank and eat eagerly twice a day. After about six months in my care, my initial group started to pair and began courtship displays consisting of wiggles, circling, scraping, and other typical Geophagus courtship behaviors. Once courtship began, these peaceful fish gradually became a bit more aggressive, but not overly so. The pairs demanded their own space and kept all other fishes away from their territory. There has not been any biting, nipping, or extreme aggression toward others, but they do push or T-bone others away from their claimed area. While a smaller aquarium

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Wet Spot in Portland, Oregon, via Aquabid.com. Upon arrival, the F2 Mirabilis were just 1 inch (2.5 cm) in total length; I placed them in a 55-gallon (208-L) tank to grow out with a few other fishes of similar size. Based on the data I’ve since accumulated on the growth rate of Mirabilis fry, I estimate these initial fish were about six weeks old. When the Mirabilis reached about 3 inches (8 cm) they began to show blue, green, red, brown, and yellow colors. Their tails reflect a reddish tint and they have a yellow/brown base body color. Their coloration changes when light reflects off of them from different angles or when their mood changes. Depending on the lighting, their levels of stress or excitement, and their environment, their colors can be quite vivid. Pictures that do them full justice are difficult to capture, and the camera’s eye is often overwhelmed by the intensity of the colors. I now realize why they are named as they are—mirabilis in Latin means “marvelous” or “wondrous.” At one point or another I have kept G. mirabilis of different ages with many other species: similarly-sized German Rams, mollies, tetras, barbs, plecos, angelfishes, Heros spp., and rainbowfishes. I’ve also housed G. mirabilis with other related species: G. sp. “Tapajos,” G. altifrons, and the Threadfin Acara, Acarichthys heckelii. When the Mirabilis are not spawning they are peaceful, and may be somewhat intimidated by more aggressive species, such as G. altifrons. Mirabilis mix well with the other species that populate their area at the bottom of the tank. Behavior-

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The pair actively spawning; the male makes a fertilization pass over the slate while the female prepares to deposit more eggs.

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The female picking up viable eggs approximately 36 hours after the spawn has finished. Note that one half of the slate is now absent; it has been removed for artificial incubation and hatching.

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footprint might work for a pair, I advise keeping them in a tank measuring at least 48 x 18 inches (122 x 45 cm), with decorations roughly dividing their area and a good number of hiding places. Mirabilis do not appear to form harems or groups and seem to prefer remaining in pairs after courtship. These fish are sensitive to their environment and will not spawn unless they are comfortable. Dither fishes are a must. Once I determined their preferred environment, two pairs had spawned by the time they were nine months old.

Maturation and sexing As fry and juveniles, it appears that females grow faster and develop more quickly than males. Differences in the sexes are extremely difficult to determine up until the age of about 12 months; the larger size of females is a telltale sign of sexual differentiation. Once the fish are about 12 months old and large enough, sex is best determined by venting. My experience with my initial six Mirabilis suggests that up until the age of 18 months the females may be larger, more dominant, and the aggressors in pairs. After that the males seem to undergo a growth spurt and grow to the same or larger size than the females. Adult males appear to develop a slightly different forehead shape, and after about 18 months show a slight red/ brown tint. Today, at nearly two years of age, in one breeding pair the female is larger and more dominant and in the other pair the male has grown larger and takes the dominant role. The two remaining fish from the original purchase were thought to have been a male and a female, but when they were about two years old, venting showed that they were actually both males. The fish that I thought was the third female never developed the male characteristics described above.

Spawning triggers I have documented and collected data on 48 spawns from my two pairs of Mirabilis during a period of just over 16 months. All but one observed spawn occurred between dusk and dawn. I have found that spawning can be encouraged by performing water changes and/or lower-

ing the temperature, moving rocks or driftwood, and/or giving the pair a tank of their own. In my opinion, critical factors that ensure successful spawning include providing enough territory for the subdominant mate to retreat and hide, limiting tankmates to other non-threatening fishes, and furnishing clean water. I have had best results when the pair had no conspecific competition in the aquarium and dither fishes were in place. My most prolific pair was not my first pair to spawn, but they now spawn every two to three weeks if they are comfortable and are not busy tending to wigglers or fry from a prior clutch. I have moved the original six Mirabilis many times, testing their compatibility with different species and willingness to spawn with different partners and trying alternate tank decorations, setups, and water movement options. I have found that a female will allow multiple males to fertilize a spawn and will also pair with different male partners placed into her tank. Multiple females in a tank with one male compete with each other for the male’s attention and become very aggressive toward each other. Pairs are recommended after nine months of age. To promote additional spawning after nine months of age, I have kept just two pairs of Mirabilis in the same 4-foot (1.2-m) tank with dithers. Dithers are necessary to help lessen competition and cut down on aggressiveness toward mates and other fishes. When a pair is kept alone in a tank, the dominant mate becomes overly aggressive toward its mate and other fishes, and he can easily damage, injure, or kill them. Sharp objects, rough rocks, or anything else that might injure a fleeing fish should be removed.

Courtship behaviors The spawning cycle usually begins about 10 days before the eggs are laid. The male starts to display more nervous behavior. He moves more than the usual amount of sand, making piles and creating small pits around the intended spawning site. He flashes and becomes increasingly assertive until the female starts to show some interest. Over the next few days the male and female take turns being the aggressor for minutes, hours, or even a day or two at a time. The aggressor chases its mate, flash-

Water Chemistry Data Table Nitrates (ppm)

TDS (ppm)

KH (ppm)

GH (ppm)

Temperature (F)

Dissolved oxygen

General care

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