Fishy tales from the Aquarium

The other day, I was at the aquarium supplies store, where I chanced upon a young beau debating with picking up a pair of kissing gourami as a  present for his girlfriend. Not doubt he figured it would be an appropriate romantic indication (though I doubt if he realized that the kissing gourami are actually showing off their strength), but it brings into the forefront, a different question – are fish what you should be giving as presents to someone?
A vehement NO – there’s a lot that goes into selecting a fish. For one, an aquarium needs quite a bit of accessories which depends on the profile of the fish. Even if the person to whom you want to present the fish already has an aquarium, the fish you intend to buy him would need to exist with the other fish in his/ her aquarium. (more…)

British researchers studying the behavior of tiny stickleback fish have found that they are much more willing to take risks in search of food in pairs than alone.
In other words, how do you make a fish come out of hiding? Pair it up with a shy mate.
While this is not surprising, given that fish tend to find protection in numbers, the study also found that the fish would slip into the role of leader or follower and that the shier the follower, the bolder the leader would become. (more…)

The North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher unveiled the newest instrument for their outreach program Jan. 27.
They have created an aquarium on wheels which allows people to touch and learn about sea stars, hermit crabs, and other marine invertebrates.
With the van traveling from town to town, teaching folks about marine life found along the coast, the outreach program will brings marine invertebrates, reptiles, and amphibians to schools, libraries, camps, and community groups.
Thanks to a life support system in the van, van aquarium can go on the road for weeks at a time. (more…)

The goldfish, Carassius auratus, has been a popular pet fish for more than 1,000 years, having evolved from the mutant carp in imperial China. Orange became the most popular colour after common people were banned from keeping yellow goldfish, because it was the imperial colour. The oldest recorded goldfish lived to the age of 49, but those kept in bowls typically live eight years or less.
Now however, a goldfish has done the fish version of a Houdini, says its owner, and managed to survive for 13 hours out of its bowl. This would have to be the longest reported time that a goldfish has known to survive out of water.
Barbara Woodford woke to discover Ginger missing from its bowl. Unable to find the fish before leaving for work, she feared the worst.
But when she returned home in the evening she spotted her pet on the floor behind a cupboard, alive and well.
“I picked him up with a spatula and his mouth started moving. I put him back into the water and off he went. He was swimming fabulously. I couldn’t believe it – it was a real Christmas miracle,” Mrs Woodward, 61, of Gloucester told The Telegraph.
Ginger has clearly pushed the limit for generations of goldfish to come.

Pic via here.

Guppies, among the most common aquarium fish are also among the most prolific breeders – put a couple together, and they will breed, giving birth to anything upto 200 fry every 28 days or so. Moreover, female guppies have the ability to store sperm for upto 3 months, so the females can give birth about 3 times, after only once breeding with a male, and after giving birth, the female is ready for conception again within only a few hours.
What makes breeding guppies even more fascinating, is the variety of colors  and shapes that guppies are available in, and hence the possibilities when it comes to the offspring – for all you know, you could create your own strain (of course, that would also need a lot more research).
To begin breeding, ensure that you have high quality fish to start with. While a small tank works, it would be better to have a tank of at least 10 gallons. One tablespoon of aquarium salt should be added for each ten-gallons of water. Guppies do much better in water that has a little salt added to it. For breeding, a temperature to 74-78 degrees F (23-25 degrees F) works very well. (more…)

In the context of an aquarium, substrate refers to the material used on the tank bottom. The material you use for your substrate can affect water chemistry, filtration, be the reason your fish are healthy, not to mention contribute to the visual appeal of your aquarium. You should make sure that you use only natural aquarium gravel for the substrate, which is chemically inert.
Aquarium substrate allows the fish to be oriented in the water, knowing top and bottom. Fish tend to become irritated by a clear bottomed aquarium, because of reflections and increased light sources. (more…)

The Pedder Galaxias, a Tasmanian fish, only lived in Lake Pedder and was expected to die out after the Lake was flooded for a hydro electric scheme in the 70′s. After flooding, the lake was stocked with brown trout for recreational angling. This is a large predator species which preyed on Pedder galaxias. Thankfully, the fish is still alive, though not in its original habitat.
Scientists flew a small group of the small golden coloured native fish from Lake Pedder to a Lake Oberon in a nearby mountain range where they are thriving.
Given the success of this translocation, some of the fish have been moved to another lake at nearby Strathgordon, but the fish there do not seem to be breeding.
But with so many living fish living at Lake Oberon there is confidence the Pedder Galaxias has been saved from extinction … though it continues to be listed as Australia’s most endangered freshwater fish. [Via]

A blue-ringed octopus, found by a researcher from the Susami Crustacean Aquarium, is attracting attention for an unusual reason – its nine arms.
This is unusual for the simple reason that Octopus do NOT have nine limbs – they have all of eight, which is where they get their name from. However, aquarium head Takuya Mori thankfully, has an explanation, which would save it from being a freak “Octopus arms grow back if they are cut off, and it’s possible that the ninth arm grew out of a wound or from some other stimulus.”
Aquarium researcher Atsushi Hirai found the mysterious mollusk, which measures 12 centimeters in length, while looking for sea creatures late on Dec. 15 last year. Blue-ringed octopuses are small, but they possess a deadly poison, allowing them to feed on crabs and shrimp.
Mori said that a common octopus with 96 arms had been found in Mie Prefecture in the past, but it was the first time he had heard of a blue-ringed octopus with nine arms. [Via]