Fishkéeping Dwarves: Hi a Ram cichlids; small on stature, big on presence paatcteln ascites lo) How to pronounce What are they, how A personal account allthose tricky are they formed, and —_of caring fora sounding scientific how do you keep (very) hard to find fish names yours under control? = TanganyikanFLUUVALD ¥ SHAKER COLLECTION (AWARD Na wri Ree een Cee ae eae ee stunning focal point in any home. Behind the beautiful exterior lies cutting edge technology, including ‘Smart app controlled lighting and the latest Fluval External filter. Blending traditional design with the latest tech, the Shaker Collection will satisfy the needs of any fishkeeper! LNT)a estate . ances ede) ccs SUBSCRIBE TODAY AND START SAVING www. [Link]/june21 01778 392 498 Quote: PRFK/JJUNE21ding te Chameleon fh EVER GET stuck with a scientific name? I certainly do, and those are just the ones that I'm aware of getting ‘wrong. Fossibly the area of the hobby I get corrected most often is where I mispronounce, especially with something that Heart some thirty years ago and have been repeating ‘erroneously ever since, A chance email from 2 new contributor started a joumey to fixing that. Donald Henderson, a palaeontologist over in Canada, messaged ‘me to let me know Td messed something up $0 | invited hhim not only to teach me, but to write something on the subject to help any of my readers who may also be grey inthis area, Such are the delights of correspondence —my emails and letterbox are always open to feedback (on anything If I've made an error always tell me. IP it turns out to be something you know a ot about, invite you to write on it as well. [leven pay you to doit. abel Nathan Hill, Zdior mall a piel aecolsbkeeping [Link] oS Watch us on f Follow us oi ON THE COVER =O am cic, kagophogvs aire = Phaogaph by Chistian Pee [Link] 5lenurioc Sima aen | SPECIES SHOWCASE Rams RAMS The Ram has been a community favourite for decades, yet most are kept incorrectly because of one fundamental error. Are yours housed with the right substrate? F the shin the genus Mitrogegphagus Nowadays, anything labelled o sold WAX PEBLEY: ‘many years ago. Note the k'in the as a German blue should be Waris deetorah mid of that as some Iiterture approached wth an air of caution fe oresettoute might still have one last synonym to — it's likely that these are Blue rams, hola ad aban ter —daeageophags the standard form as far asthe e wiiacaies industry is concerned : Early origins More recently, God, Electric blue Rams, Mikrogeophagus ramirezi, were Black and Dark knight rams have first imported in the mi-1900s from begun to swamp the trade, a huge HERAM cichlid—at Venezuela, and for a while they were array of intrinsic hues emphasised ‘various times called the considered the holy grail of the by the hands of breeders. Some of Blue ram, the Ramirez, aquarium trade. These early fish these fish are indeed beautiful, but - Ramireai’s dwart were all wild caught, and all were the cost ofthis is that they are so far Cichlid, the Butterfly widely coveted. removed from their wild ancestors cichlid or the Dwarf Once captive breeding was that much of their parental instincts ‘butterfly cichlid—is cracked by pioneering cichlidophiles, have been lost, Without direct arguably the most nnew strains began to appear, often _intervention, they can be difficult at colourful of the readily available farfetched from their wild best to breed. aquarium fishes. But itis shrouded equivalents, Amongst these, German What's more, many of these are with misconceptions, folk wisdom blues made theirdebut—a very _ difficult to sex, as we have changed and half-truths, out of which has specific line that was bred by the species’ phenotype so heavily. ‘emerged much incorrect care advice aquarists in Germany. In this line, On top of colours, there are shapes from hobbyists and retailers alike, ‘blues dominated a fish which — Balloon rams with their squat ‘As such, and despite its popularity already displayed all the colours of |_bodies, and long-finned variants and enduring presence in the trade, the rainbow, but these are not the _with draping appendages. Both of how to correctly care fort still same as the Electric blue rams, these present a ‘marmite form’; love remains a mystery to many, which appeared much later. them or hate them, they are here to Right off the bat, one point of Another notable trait of the stay. ‘confusion is the correct scientific German blues was the size — they name to use. Look back through old were large, and significantly so, ‘Some like it hot ‘aquatic publications and you'll find dwarfing most other Rams. Ask the internet how to keep Rams pages dedicated to the fish under Unfortunately, this strain no longer and you'll find yourself in a bog of the name Apistogramma or seems to be extant and if itis, itno contradictions. Alas, while many 4) Papiliochromis/ Papilochromis longer graces the British trade keepers have only dabbled with ‘ramirez In some circles these (Editor's note; The last ime Tsaw a Rams in community tanks, they still synonyms still seem alive and well, German blue for sale, marketed as a feel obliged to share their opinions despite taxonomic updates placing ‘German mega ram’ was in 2004). and one-dimensional experiences. =] 6 PRACTICAL FISHKEEPINGleparroc Siimuiraen | SPECIES SHOWCASE Rams Hailing from equatorial South more forgiving with regards to ‘America, warmth is necessary for parameters once quarantined successful Ram keeping, and | and settled, which ig unusual cannot stress this enough. Many when contrasting wild and tropical fish are chronically kept too captive bred fish. Anywhere warm in aquaria, but for Rams the between 4.5 and 7.0pH vill reverses true. Somewhere between suffice for quality stock. 27-32°C should be considered a From working in the trade, prerequisite. Keeping them in cool have found that after only a water leads to lethargy and general few weeks in captivity, wild- poor condition, inviting bacterial caught specimens can display and other infection in. their full colours and go through the Interestingly wild caught spawning motions even at a pH of specimens seem to be alitlebit 7.2 — albeit in soft wate. \CTICAL FISHKEEPIN Miscou | feracammon Meanuhile, ve found that captive bred Rams from the Far East struggle in such conditions and require an even lower pH to thrive. For farmed fish, anything above 6.5 runs the risk of inviting bacterial infections. Regardless of the source Cf the fish, i's worth aiming for a Jow KH, under 5° for the optimum results and longevity of fish. Mirogeophagus translates os ‘small ‘arth eater and any prospective keeper would be wise to remember that. Kept on anything othe than the finest substrates, Rams will struggle and often fai, despite ctherwise impeccable water conditions. E Sands passed over the gills as 8 > feeding mechanism. tering out any small morsels, much lke @ Baleen whale filtering kill and baitfish from the sea. Ths siing process also helps to clean the gills and being Genied the opportunity to do so may result in specific bacteria infections, localised around the gis and ‘opercular region. This can manifest itself as some mysterious yet lethal disease, with the aquarist looking forall potential causes while ignoring the obvious. On the back ofthat all manner of theories are bor, cach less accurate than the last. FACTFILE Scientic name: Mivogoptagu amie Pronunciation: es-<-a-ch ay gus rane. me Size: To de, considerably ge than ths may be Geman ‘ue ams rig: South America, maine nace repon a een and Colombia Hata: Sow moving reams and stati bodis of mater suchas bors Tank sie: £080.32 Water requirements Sot and sito nodal wate, 57 0pH, 1-5 wld caueht sh) Temperature: 27-:2°0 Temperament: Can be ey withother over ced chewwse pace, b's nt temperature equrenents make [~y ites than sued the cma ak Feeding: Wl ur ais, pals, ean fren Dep boodacm rab and east il types ade ‘in thn farmed vant, ries stating 8 ro, but igh rns in specs te Dat iesHow to sex a Ram Tee are much harder at al . Sa Cece series of elongated black ery Cees CR ers eon gts Poets etd en Potar ec Pree BELLY Males present a consistent base body colouration, while wel-conditioned ery , 4 Oey rd : PELVIC FINS cera Dee Ceres See eas Pe ee arcs Ta ee UcSPECIES SHOWCASE Rams In aquaria with outstanding wat conditions but incorrect substrates, s ia and fungal-like growths may be witnessed In some cases, you might e mptoms (ITH), pinhole siz the 3s will be protra and may lead to fatalities i not recognised and acted upon The best substra is undeniably a in any sitwation grade sand. the most ntforward aspect oftheir cae th flake, frozen, pellet and lve rtually all specimens well formulated prepared foods, but don't be afraid to offer frozen and live ularly, and lo copepod and ostracods growing around the substrate as a bonus. a Distribution The they are found virtu BELC ribution of Ramsis vast, an d Ram: throughout the spa of the Orinoco, They are incredibly commonplace in the Llanos 0 a huge -ompr of savannah and shrubland, not jombia and Venezuela, tropical grasslan and Eas Here, Rams can be found in warm, hallow water, often living over a66 Wild caught specimens seem to be a little bit more forgiving with regards to parameters once quarantined and fon simulans, wil ll thentic Under ideal conditions, a of Rams should spawn, Selecting both sexes should in theory be simple, but given the convoluted history of their domestication, i's worth getting the opinion of an expert on any prospective pair In theory the eggs, should be cared for by both parents, but neglect runs rife amongst the ly with fish teh ater 36-48 hours, but don't become ‘mobile for another five days or so You might find that once they've hatched, the fry need to be into a smaller vessel, where we quality and feeding may be monitored closely, ‘Start the youngsters on small foods such as infusoria and Paramectu (Once they're large enous hatched Brineshrimp, the fry grow quickly 1. Electric blue balloon ram German blue ram Golden ram Electric blue ram 5, Lonefin golden ram WMTW PRACT -ALFISHKEEPING:We usually associate Corydoras with soft and acidic, tropical MVE CO NA GM MMOL introduces and breeds a eciesithat likes things coolerPrd as rece ORYDORAS MICRACANTHU: a relatively small species growing to between 36mm and ‘36mm (standard length/SL) for adult females, with males alte less at 32 to 34mm, ‘The species comes from the Salta and Jujuy provinces of north western Argentina. The original ype specimens were collected from the Rio Mojotoro basin, but the catfish is known to have a wider distribution, ‘which extends to the Rio Grande, Rio Colorado, Rio Blanco and Rio Pescada and its tlbutares all part of the upper Rio Bermejo drainage ‘Across these it inhabits clear and shallow, slowslowing and algae covered racky streams, with abundant marginal vegetation — Watercress and Lugwigia being especially prominent Corydoras micracanthus has been found at elevations up to 1463, ‘meters, possibly the highest known elevation of any Corydoradinae species. The natural temperature range is wide, shifting over the course of a year with extremes going from as low as 10°C toas high as 30°C, and possibly even higher. At peak. the air temperature in the region can reach 40°C. Oniy Coryeoras paleatus, Corytoras undlans, and Corydoras longipinnis are found to inhabit cooler waters in the lower Rio Parana basin Like so many fish, in many ofits locations the habitat ofthis species is under serious threat, and we could lose it altogether Is important that those we have inthe hobby are distributed amongst dedicated hobbyists that will keep and breed it to ensure its survival, Sourcing and raising ycxginal group came from fellow Corydoradinae enthusiast Hans- Georg Evers from Hamburg His group wes spawning during as I was visting and so I returned home with dozen fertile exes. ‘The eggs travelled well and once! savived home, quickly set them up ‘one of my smal hatching containers, using water rom my Corydoras pygmaeus breeding tank — this had Tong been stable at 20°C and 7 1p “The eggs were placed in the container along wit a couple of Alder cones, for protection against fungal atack. Ana stone was added toleep the water moving, maximising oxygen levels and helping to stop any particles rom setling on them the eggs and caus potential contamination Ina litle over three days ten fy emerged, and afer a farther two days alten were fee swimming. At this point they were offered their ist, food in the form ofa small amount (of Miro worm. At five weeks the fry ‘were ll growing well and were moved from the hatchery container toa small shallow 15 lize, mat fltered grow out tank Injustover five months they were not only showing sigs of matury ‘but were also clearly sexable — the youngsters were around 2mm SL ‘with two females being ite larger The group was moved tis own, 30-ite tank, which was als fited with a full-width, mature mat filter across the back, and two airven pli to create a watefiow that was more inline with the natural habitat “The ank hada thin layer of fine sand, as well asa seaterng of some larger 30-40mm pebbles. nd afew pieces of bog wood with Java fers (oF Anubis growing on them. >rr | CATFISH Corydoras micracanthus ‘There was also a large clump of Java moss, and the surface was almost completely covered with Indian fern. One floating and one sunken polyester spawing mop were also added, ‘Ten or twelve weeks later, | spotted ‘what thought were a couple of tiny fry scurrying around under a small piece of bogwood. After moving some of the tank decoration | discovered nine in total, that looked tobe from at least three ferent spawns — the smallest appeared to only be a few days old ata litle over ‘Tm long total length ‘The largest, judging by their size of 12mm SL, and with colours resembling those ofthe adults looked tobe at east four weeks old, which bby then were then approaching just nine months of age, making them less than a year old when they first spawned. Settling the new arrivals setup another small [Link] srovring on tank, ited outwith a ‘mature mat filter, a thin layer of fine sand, afew beach twigs, some flat pebbles and a chimp of Java moss. The tank vas fled with 50/50 mix of water fom the parents tank and HMA fered water and this was given a coupe of days to settle before the nine fry were transferred, “The orginal adult group became secretive for awhile, but aera couple of weeks they were observed more frequently, especially after the tank ighs went off and ony the fish ‘house main light was on, leaving them in sem dares for 30 inate: cr so before complete lights out, Te was during this 30-minute evening window thatthe group was 14 PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING often seen going through courtship activity, with two or three males pursuing one of the females. Spawning activity was not observed at this time, but a few weeks later as they became increasingly settled brief mating clinches were observed. Most of the mating activity seemed to take place in or around the base of the floating spawning mop or deep in the fronds of the large sunken mop. ‘The eggs firly large at 1.7mm diameter, were almost always deposited in the sunken mop, though one or two were seen inthe Foating ‘mop or the fronds of the Java moss. [found that afte laying them, the adults didnot really bother withthe eggs. or with the emerging fry, 20 1 tended to leave them alone andlet nature take its course. However, on two occasions and just for my records after Ihad determined the spawning activity was over, I did ‘harvest the eggs and counted 12 and 10 respectively. Future spawning activity was recorded, (water parameters and conditions), but the ‘cegs and fry were left to their own devices. Every three or four months, or ‘when I could see that there were lots ‘of young in the tank, I would remove the furnishings and collect ll the ‘youngsters except forthe very tiny ‘ones — these were left with the ‘adults The collected fry were ‘acclimated to the growing on tank and then released. The adults took {ew days to settle back down but seemed none the worse fort ‘The feeding regime was alittle lflerent forthe breeding tank. Most ‘of the time there were quite afew varying sized fry in the breeding tank, so I tended to offer crushed Fish Science Corydoras tablets, small size Vitalis Catfish granules and quite a lot of Micro worm, Grindal worm, newly hatched Artemia and finely ‘chopped earthworm, 30% to 40% water changes were ‘made at least three times a week. As stated eater, in its natural sub-tropical habitat this species is happiest in water thats cooler than ‘would usually be considered normal for a tropical aquarium. have found the ideal aquarium temperature for breeding this species is around 18°C to 20°C. However, the species can tolerate 26°C to 28°C for short periods of time. Unlike most Corydoradinae it prefers a pH value slightly above neutral (7.0), with a pH of 7.4 being ideal. If the water is allowed to go ‘below 7.0pH the fish will show signs of distress, will close ther fins and will become lethargic and even stop feeding, My mains water is not the ‘best quality so ether HMA or RO ‘water is used fitered and as necessary itis buffered to maintain the required parameters. ABOVE: The natural habitat.176 ppm, hated Conoras Standard length and Total length When it comes to fish, we measure them in ‘one ofa few ways. The first is Standard length (or SL), which measures from the tip of the snout to either the posterior end of the last vertebra, or the midiateral portion ‘of the hypural plate. n layman's terms, it's the length ofthe fish minus the tal fn. The second is Total length (or TL) which ‘oes from the tip ofthe snout tothe end of the longest lobe of the caudal fin. Because some fish have elongated tail find (think ‘swordtails) they might have an incredible TL but only a short SL. A third methed is Fork length (or FL) wich measures from the tip ofthe snout to the end of the middle (short caudal fin rays, Fork length is only realy used in cases where it's hard to tell where the vertebrae end wr ICALFISHKEEPING, WW NOTES FROM THE FIRST RECOROED ‘SPANING Tak [Link] Water 7.4, Conductivity nH Temperature: msc Exes: 30 Sie LI) dameter Acheson: ang Fert 100% Match rate 100% First foot Miro worm, ney crush Fish Science tabs OUK 18CICHLIDS Soe ee _SICHLIDS FROM THE»... aH St) 7“ CnC RNIN} LUMP ETI eeM CON cre ~ ETM URI) a ‘ ey cichlid, Elliott Ball on es couldn't pass it up. Yr , OCMC COUGL Sa Si Peete %CICHLIDS Tropheus moorii | HEN ) ff srowsins ne LOWY Ff tate ccna aut sores, itsnot happen upon the ever charring black and white spotted jvenes of Tropeus dubs Whist this is one ofthe more commen Tapes to seit certainly notte only one. Here 1 would ke to introduce enother ‘Tropheus species, equally as beautiful, but most likely unseen by most quarts. fora good reason Trphaxs mort Murago “Tanzanis’ is aherivorous, rock weingcichld encemicto Lake Tanganyika n East ‘Aftea and specially to the “Tanzanian shore on the eastem edge of the lake Unfortunately theyre als part of a dwindling population ‘Athough only recenlyescovered backcn 2008 by the Karlsson brothers the popaton of the shin its natural habitats diminishing at a disheartening rt, and its ture in the wilds [Link], we can only hope that ongoing conservation work wl help pt the Brakes on any futher damage Spend jus few minutes on any decent search engine and youl oon understand why this speciesis so sou ater dominant ih boast a gorgeous brown-bronze colour acres the Body witha generous Sprinng of giterysver/blue specking on the head. The Tarzania Murago Tropours almost nique in its markings with one exception — a lose relative thats found onthe westem shore ofthe lak, known as Tropheus moorni Murago ‘green’. As for what to expect fom that sh, the che isin the nae. ‘The Tanzania Mara is found in relatively hallow water, ranging from jst 3-8 meters in dept, and here diel amongst the bounters rocks that ine the shores. Where vegetation exists tals scree, ‘and the landscape is dominated by boulders ove foe gave and sand As wihallof Lake Tanganyika, the wate i extremely bard and alkaline, wih a pH of between 85 and 9.0 ike oer Trphes his his primarily a herbivore, relying on a 18 PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING diet mate up mostly of algae and periphyton. The rocks and boulders that typify its home are exposed to a tropical sun for the majority of the day, and in turn the rocks Flourish with algae. To exploit this, the Tropheus has evolved a specialised feeding behaviour — the primary jaw is downward facing referred to as a ‘subterminal! mouth, replicate their natural range ‘The ultimate aim, as it is for mary ‘aquarists who have the chance to keep rare and! unusual fish, was to get them in such a contented place that they would start breeding ‘The setup Ihad planned to use for these fish was a roughly 600-Ktre aquarium with ‘a powerful external fier —a large filter atoms IE RIM 0 feed sh up Peet ress szinciereds, Ganda underalng The scraping and tering tankealready off mutiious algae boused ome fish Home account that the system was When I was offered a group already amply matured, of these fish —a group Hater found out were unfortunately wild caught — 1 purchased them withthe intention of giving them a large and dedicated set-up. wanted to give them an environment in which I could, in my best capabilites, and these were redistributed ‘eround other tanks that Uhad ready. ‘The choice of sand wasn' fantastic as [had previously used a fine white ‘sand, which isnt exactly what is present in Lake Tanganyika, but it ‘was lean and ready to use. BELOW: Rocky ‘uterops at Lake “Tanganyika, RIGHT: The dazzling speckles of an unusual cichlid.FACTFILE Sciatic name: Tapes mais Maras Tazai! Pronunciation Tokay us neo Tank siz: 12050600 nim Water requirement: atkaliewatr 84-9, inci in pect tay upwards "Water volume of + | G' iN: Wr. [Link] 19t Tropheus moorii CICHLIDS For the layout my options weren't plentiful, as I would only be using rocks to replicate ther habitat. The problem was that due tothe size of the tank, both in width and height, ‘most rocks that I put into the tank ended up looking like a collection of pebbles rather than the ‘boulders ‘hat I needed Inthe event, a local garden centre’ aggregate section saved me, from hich | managed to select some larger pieces of rock. Egg crate was place atthe bottom of the tank and covered back over with sand — this helps to prevent damage to the base of the aquarium ifthe hardscape shifts or sips (and potentially falls) ‘hen the fish move the sand about ‘After the layout was assembled, 1 added an ar supply to the tank as these fish like well exygenated water. An arstone was placed strategically behind the rocks (ange collections of rods can be notorious dead spots that lack a flow of water through them) and Ialso slightly tited the outlets of the fter towards the surface of the water to disturb the surface. I set the heater to 25°C and “Tanganyika buffer and lake dedicated to any new Although the fish were always artvals before mixing them _rasping from the rocks, they would salts were added to ensure TIGA ith your existing stock ‘swim at all and any angles to get at thatthe pH KH and GH were J sieracoupe ct caysintete any parteiaty enping bso where they needed to be, ot PP vewhome,the Tropheusstarted luscious algae grovth, SE become adventurous in theirnew Through observing their feeding surroundings. Sinking pellets witha habits overtime, it occurred to me (Once the fish had arived and setied, mostly vegetable matter content _that they'd almost eamt tole the the fist quarantine procedure ‘were offered, but initially not well algae grow and then harvest it involved dosing with Vetark received, which, tobe fair, was to be A week or two would pass and the Flukesolve, followed after by expected. Ittook a further few days, algae would build up, only for itto be treatments for external parasites and forthe food to be accepted, and once mowed back over the course of afew ‘bacteria, With wild caught fsh from they learnt oftheir new feeding ays. Ths is something Ihave not any part of the world, itis important routine feeding was neveran issue seen with other fish that simply to ensure that they are quarantined After couple of weeks, green and demolish any food source as and ‘Most off ofthe shelf treatments for brown algae had started to cover the when i presents itself parasites and bacteria work wel, and rocks, finaly allowing me to witness these should be applied to the fsh in the unique grazing behaviour ‘a quarantine or hospital tank that's first-hand. It was indeed fascinating Observing the Tropheus use the surroundings, not just for food but for tervitories, was another reward ‘The most dominant male seemed to inhabit a large recess in the rocks, ‘where the other two or three sub-dominant males would patrol ‘outside. It was around seven months from the time thatthe group was Introduced tothe tank thatthe dominant male of the group started to throw his weight around more ‘than usual 66 Like other herbiv boulders that typify its home < a tropical sun for thi in turn the he day 20 PRACTICAL FISHKEEPINGMy intial thought was that head tank. After about three weeks with gone rogue, ater a seemingly my face pressed against the glass well-behaved period spent the tank looking for youngsters I could see However it was almost a relie to see that she seemed to be struggling to this wasnt a hidden vicious streak, hold the babies in, but instead a dance of courtship. As luck would have it, she The female would wat by his ‘eventually came to the top of the prepared rock just outside of the _tankin one ofthe comers and I was recess that he resides in, and watch able to carefully cateh her and him zoom around, twisting and ‘encourage her to safely deposit the contorting his body to show himself young into the net. off Other males were swifly and Iretrieved around 20 fry, each sternly warned to stay away andhe roughly 6mm long, which I was then resumed his choreographed frting able to rale in a separate aquarium, (Once they had started to spawn the ‘Feeding of these small irs female would almost lay on her side generation fish was surprisingly easy and shake, whilst the male closely as they seemed happy and eager to observed. ‘eat just about anything. Of course, Eggs, around two or three at atime, being so small I had to offer tiny were deposited and immediately morsels, 0 ground-up spirulina collected up into her mouth The flakes were fd intially and once they ‘male would then dash infront of her had started to grow, spirulina and and use his anal fn, which is herbivore pellets were also ground up decorated with markings that closely to feed them, resemble eggs, to get the male tom delighted to say thatthe young et pickat the eggs ashe fertlised them. grew well and were eventually placed HSA After the spawning was completed, _backinto their parent tank All are ed " PESRUREIRMEE she withdrew with her mouthful of now happily coexisting a alanger eggs toa more secluded area of the group than Istarted with wv TICALFISHKEEPING [Link]. 21LP rrTarrry TL SESS MNP tats} ee Ie Nort to name names, but... Senn OMe MesCeTn 1 I MON UM MALES RE ; and new contributor Donald MUCUS UUES insight into how to get your pronunciations on point. Peer)Polypterus dethezi eee tore’ y rr Da eucentges tai feoltner aaTareg NAMES! FISH NAMES Pronunciation Ll QUARISTS MIGHT well ask ‘Why do we have these difficult Latin-sounding scientific names for the fishes and other organisms that we like to keep? The reason is straightforward encugh — Latin was the language of scholarship for most of the past two thousand years We are inheritors of scientific tradition of formally naming plants and animals in Latin and Greek that oes back tothe time of Swedish botanist Linneaus in the eighteenth century. That tradition now carries over ino fishkeeping “These ancient languages are used for naming as they have stable and predictable vocabularies and grammars. Their words are not subject to continual evolution in their meanings as are the words cof modern, ving languages, What makes a scientific name? Scientific names are in some ways just miniature descriptions. A scientific ame for a plant or animal ‘comes in two parts: a genus name followed by a species name. Generally, no single Latin or Greek ‘word can fully represent this information, so the genus and species 24 PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING ABOVE: The ‘man to blame, Carl Linneaus. BELOW: The roots of many names are found in Greok and Latin, names are built up from two ormore Painful pronunciation words. These component words are Although written Latin or Greeks not ust nouns, bu incluce modifiers clear, unambiguous and perfect for as wel formal, written communication, Latin basa very efficient (and terse) _ when it comes pronouncing the system of indicating how to modify scientific names in conversation, the orginal noun to indicate how itis things get messy. Different modem used and refine its meaning. In languages have different ways of addition to prefixes, there isarange uttering vowel and consonant of differen sufixes that also sounds, and may place a need watching to as they different emphasis on the carry important syllables that form the information words “The formation of ‘A major problem a scientificname forus readers of foran animal isa Eg oder English is process governed f BM that English by a stict set of toa spelling is an awful rules laid down in ‘mess, with all sorts the International of complicating Code of Zoological historical baggage going Nomenclature. Itis back several centuries, and considered very poor form to the sounds that we have come to name an organism ater yourself, and associate with sets of leters are is expressly forbidden by the Code. often unique to Englsh and can aiffer “This can be related tothe fact that significant from what other scientists are supposed to be European language speakers would ‘objective, and you never use any usually say form ofthe fist person singular(‘T, To get started pronouncing ‘me’‘my)in a scientific paper. As" scientific names, it willbe useful to ‘well as reeking of vanity, naming an know where to break word into its ‘animal after yourself is of no help in syllables. We can think of sylables as bringing a distinctive and identifying ‘sound chunks’ that cannot be spit feature ofthe animal to attention. _apart. Syllables almost always start However, naming something ater _with a single consonant, or a small ‘someone else can be of value. More group of consonants, followed by ‘on this later tether a single or double vowel bp eM LiCIN AFA (All Bi TTL XdTABLE 1. VOWEL SOUNDS In some cases, there will be Note how we have put a syllable Short terminating consonant. boundary between the component a “vin "about in palatable” Here is our ist example, using the words of Pabpterus There is no e “ah in “bony inca Barred bichir Its technical name in syllable spanning the two i in" in “hit” e" in “easy” Greek in this case) is Potypterus ‘components. a a" in 9 Tn ope dele, and it ilustrates several u “uh inbox “or in"hee” features typically seen in scientific Origins of a sound yx “in in" names. The first ishow the nameis Sadly, there are no living speakers of eos tam Gk words built up fom simpler parts. ‘ancient Latin to telus the correct ‘The generic epithet, ope is pronunciation, bu there are three composed of two words, the noun possiblities that we can draw from: pterus (meaning ‘wing’ but in this the ecclesiastical (church) TABLE 2. IPHTHONG SouKos case referring tothe fish fins) anda pronunciation, our current a vin“ modifier poly (meaning ‘mary’, understanding of how the romans au ‘ow now “Together, they refer to the sequence themselves would have spoken, and ei “ay in*say" of many small finlets (each modern English pronunciation, a short atin an‘, ut as quik supported by asi leading fn ray) Unique among the European rs iy into that run along the back toforma languages, English experianced the ui tog latin wand, ut ai quik nearly continuous dorsalfn,then Great Vowel Shift over a period from join up to form the ily webbed the mide of the 15th century nti caudal fn the end of the 16th. This has given ‘The specific epithet dhe refers spoken Englsh an expanded range TABLE 3, CONSONANT SOUNDS THAT IFFER FROM ENGLISH to the person who fist collected the of sounds, or dferent sounds, forthe c lays hard asin ‘aleve sot as BS" fish, a certain Monsieur Delhez ‘vowels that the ancient romans did & alweysarlasin ‘ane’ ngersoasin“en’ Given the above rule forsylable not use. Additionally, the consonants ‘(beginning a word) same as English asin "youth boundaries, we would decompose _of English also have an expanded o siniartaEgish, bt ladasinscstish this name as Fory-pte-us deLhe-i, range of sounds 8 asin “snake’, never as in “miserable” 66 Their words are not subject to continual evolution in their meanings as are the words of modern, living languages 99 I, ae, and ensis ata glance Where 2 fish has been named after a male, the specific epithet (the second part of the ‘name will ed in‘, a in Corydoras grant Paracheirodon named after Steven Grant era Where a fish has been named after a Cee female, the specific epithet will end in ‘ae as in Lebeotropiveus trewavasae, named after Ethelwynin Trewavas. Where a fish has been named after multiple people with the same name (such asa martied couple), the specific epithet will end in ‘orum’ or ‘arum’ as in Panaque suttonorum, named after Dr Frederick Sutton and his wife. Where a fish has been named after a particular place, the specific epithet will end in ‘ensis’, as in Coryooras pantanalensis, > WWYWPRACTICALFISHKEEPINGCOUK 28FISH NAMES ety 26 ta: Ops ‘We will use the much simpler roman forms. A vowel on its own has only two sounds — long or shor. For vowrel pairs, known as liphthongs, the two letters are pronounced slmost simultaneously ‘The Latin consonant sounds closely follow those of English, though there are five notable difference displayed on atable on the previous page CConvenienty, there is only one sound per Latin consonant. Returning to cour working example of the Barred bichir we can now pronounce its scientific name as ‘Paw’ ‘le ‘pu! tare’ ‘us (space) ‘dale’ ‘hay’ ‘zee As mentioned earlier, there are usually modifier words attached to either end of a generic or specific epithet to elaborate the meaning There are a great many prefixes, but here are some ofthe sorts of modifications that can be applied 4 Qualtatives, for example micro or macro — meaning ‘small or large 1 Specifiers of degree of relationship, for example para — meaning ‘beside’ or ‘close to 4 Contrasts (diferent to something already known), for example ps ‘meaning ‘false! ‘ Quantities, for example mono, bi tri — ‘one’, two’, and three respectively, Here are examples of these prefixes. The Neon green ras Micradevario kubotai,is considered related to but much smaller than the fish of the Devario genus. The popular Neon, Green and Cardinal tetras all belong to the Paracheirodon indicating their close ‘connection to other tetras ofthe ‘genus Cheirodon, but being more closely related to each other, they receive a separate generic epithet ‘The Spotted blue-eye rainbow fish, Peeudorusi gertrudae, has a genetic epithet indicates that isnot ofthe ‘genus Mugil which contains fishes such as the Flathead grey mullet ‘Mugil cephalus. There is the popular catfish species with three dark stripes along its sides, Corydoras trineaus three lined’. Just like the prefixes, there isa wide Convo variety of suffixes that come from poth Latin and Greek ‘The that indicate possession, orto ears on the end of many species is common one, and is used toCore trilineatus, CS ed iis ec crn The notable name of the White Cloud minnow Fishkeeping is packed with names that are acknowledge a person. Inthe ease of — singular): -orum’ (masculine OR the Neon tetra, Paracheirdoninnesit neuter plural): ae’ (feminine acknowledges the contribution of | singular -arum’ (feminine pura. Willam T' Innes, whointroduceda further level of detail (or surprisingly explanatory when broken down popular fsh tothe scientific and complication depending on your One classic example is forthe White Cloud aquarist world ew) i introduced with the various Mountain Minnow, Tanichthysalbonubes which bth comments on the person wha discovered the fish and its location Broken down, "Tan's the name of the Chinese scoutmaster who found the fish in 1932 — Tank Kam Fei. ‘ichthys’, simply ‘means fish (the Christian symbol, or Jesus fish is known as an ichthys), ‘Albus’ means ‘The full name translates asInnes's noun declension (fist, second, third (tetra) near to genus Cheirodon etc). The examples given here are Wiliam T:Innes started of one of the only those forthe third declension, ceariest, American aquarium. To sum up, a scientific ‘magazines, ‘The Aquarium’, in 1932, provides a unique label for an Coincidentally the Cardinal tetra has organism using a politically neutral he technical name P axelrodifor language It indicates in a very white, while ‘nubes’ means cloud. Quite Herbert R. Axelrod who also started compact way, distinguishing features literally, the scientific name translates as another American aquarium of onganisms that can ai in Tan's fish from the white clouds’ periodical, Tropical Fish Hobbyist, _ remembering the name and applying Start breaking scientific names down into back in 1982, it in practice. The nulesf Important, the possessive su has to agree in number and gender that can be used by anyone, and it withthe noun that they associated provides a nice historical link to the with, eg.“ (masculine OR neuter past and reliable path into the future, their constituent parts and stick them into 2 search engine to see what other delights you can discover! generating a name form isa universal standard ALFISHKEEPING, 2a eee CONSERVATION ele CUR) OVERLOOKED & UNDERAPPRECIATED: PAN ee Freshwater fish the world over are facing a desperate struggle to survive TUM UL UE LATO aeroNLATE February, Shoal, WWF and 15 other leading conservation organisations released an urgent report outlining the critical extent of the threats and challenges facing freshwater species laround the world. The World's Forgotten Fishes’ went into great detail about the ‘dazzling diversity’ of freshwater fish, about hhow they prop up the livethjoods of rmilions of people globally, and support multi-billion dollar recreation industries — by which we mean the aquarium hobby and angling — and yet many species are faced with the very real threat of imminent extinction. Mike Baltzer, Executive Director of freshwater conservation initiative Shoal, said: "The report isa call 0 action by many of the leading freshwater conservation Organisations. It reveals the beauty and diversity of freshwater fishes, wich have been overlooked by so many for solong. And tis a callto arms for decision-makers to take a deeper interest in freshwater fish, and to give urgent attention tothe freshwater crisis ‘There was a multilateral media push from the organisations involved, but nobody predicted the pickup Would be quite as incredible a it was. According to WWF's figures there Were more than 400 publications that covered the report across more than 45 countries, witha projected reach of an utterly unimaginable two billion people worldwide! So, it obviously piqued the media's interest. But what did the report contain that grabbed people's attention? When was the last time you really thought about the conservation status of freshwater fish? I am going tobe presumptuous and expect most readers of Practical Fishkeeping are passionate hobbyists and therefore ely to be more engaged with fish ‘conservation than the average Joe or Jil ‘But whatif even you do not know that ‘much about the issues facing fst? ‘Can we really expect many other people to know? Probably not "The realty is, most people simply do not know about freshwater conservation challenges, Fish from rivers lakes and wetlands do not get the same airtime as their charismatic mammalian neighbours, or their colourful cousins from tropical reefs cor the epic big blue sea Freshwaters are murkier, the remarkable species that vein them are more hidden, and somehow considered less glamorous, It may come as a shock for people to earn that, even though only 1% Of the planet's surface i freshwater, there are actually more fish species that liven freshwaters than in the ‘ocean, and that, according to the IUCN Reed List, a boggling one in three of these species is threatened with extinction. One in three. Let that sinkin for a ‘moment, Of the 18,075 feshwater fish species known to exist, around 6,000 are threatened with being lost forever, dive in main to human ‘activity. This includes plenty of species beloved by the aquarium hobby, including numerous bettas, kclifsh, barbs, and many, many more, \[Link] 29TAONCERVATION | CONSERVATION Forgotten fishes 66 Even though only 1% of the planet's surface is freshwater, there are actually more fish species that live in freshwaters than in the ocean 99 The reasons for decline ‘The Worlds Forgotten Fishes report Fighlights nine key reasons: ‘¢Habitat destruction “¢Unnatural iver flows “¢Barrers, such as dams and weirs ‘Pollution “4Water abstraction {40 verfshing ‘Wildlife crime ‘lnvasive species ‘4Climate change As Mike adds: “Another reason is. negligence. Fish ae often overlooked and considered simply as a resource for recreation or food, Each of these points alone would damage species populations, but many species face a numberof these teats concurrently, soit s easy to understand why fieshwater fish face these mammoth challenges. Freshwaters are the sharp end ofthe biodiversity crisis” ‘Ultimately, rivers, lakes and wetlands have for centuries been considered somewhere to dump waste, a convenience to ease transportation, a place to exploit, ‘but nota delicate finely balanced. ecosystem worthy of protection 30 PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING ABOVE: Pollution can wipe out whole RIGHT TOP, Once a common aquarium staple, Silver sharks are vulnerable in the wild RIGHT BOTTOM: Palm oil plantations ravage habitats. The role of the hobby Fortunately, all is not lst. Indeed, there are plenty of reasons to be positive, and the aquarium hobby ‘can be a major ally in the fight to halt ‘extintions and recover populations of freshwater fish Itmay not come as a shock to readers of Practical Fishkeeping to ‘ear that fish are far and away the ‘world’s most popular pet, at least ‘numerically. According to the US National Pet Owners Survey, inthe US alone there are 142 milion freshwater fish kept as pets, ‘compared wit 88.3 million cats and 748 million dogs. The Omamental Aquatic Trade Association predicts that around 4 milion UK households ‘own fish — around 14% of the ‘population —and combined they spend between £400 ~ 500 milion ‘each year on their hobby. Globally, ‘some 5,300 species are traded annually in 125 counties at a value of $15.30 bilo. A hobby with this level of investment fem passionate individuals and organisations which ‘generates this much money, has a ‘huge amount to offer in terms of knowledge, expertise, willingness, and of course finance. Many aquarsts breed species at home which are threatened in the wild, effectively propping up populations of the species. Take the utterly splifin, Ameca splendens for ‘example — an aquarium species that listed as Critically Endangered con the IUCN Red List, but preserved. by aquarium hobbyists. ‘The Denison barb, Sahyachia denisoniiis common throughout the hobby, yet is classified as Endangered in the wild. These species are all buoyed by ex situ breeders, bolstering the number of individuals. If ex situ conservation efforts were ‘well coordinated, withthe aquarists offering their expert knowledge and experience to help the scientists,justimagine what could be achiovedt combined efor species could be bred to have the greatest positive impacts on ecosystems upon their release backinto the wild “The conservationists have hhuge amounts to learn from the aquarium hobby, a the hobbyists are eR Me ‘ically the experts eam in understanding Poem eens Sera behaviours Collaboration between the two camps ‘would be a powerful tool in siving species the best possible chance of survival Mike Balizer again: "The truths that fishes are going extinct due in part due to our negligence. But atrue home forthe love and care of fishes and their habitats can be found within the home aquaria hobby JOIN SHOAL Shoal isa leading ater cons ‘organisation that with the best prioritisation directs the expertise to impects on rneeeds. Ifyou or your ‘company are interested in being part efforts, info@shoalconservation ‘org or get in touch on Twitter @Shoal_ Org “The hobby represents a vast ‘potential that, if engaged and rected with the help of Shoal, can ‘save many species and freshwater habitats from being lost forever.” Funding is another way the hobby canhep with conservation If nly atiny percentage ofthe money ened by the hob each year ,_ as reverted back owas 3 ‘conservation then conservation ‘orgmistions would be able to accelerate the essential actions that ‘are so desperately needed to bring ‘vulnerable and declining species populations back from the brink. What else can be done? “To go back to the Forgotten Fishes report, a six-point Emergency Recovery Plan is put forward, showing what steps will be needed ‘on policy evel to give fish a fighting ‘chance in their natural habitats: 1. Allow rivers to flow more naturally. 2. Reduce pollution, 3. Protect critical wetland habitats, 4. End overfishing and unsustainable sand mining 5. Contrel invasive species 6, Safeguard and restore connectivity. ‘As mentioned above, freshwater ‘conservation receives only a fraction of the interest that marine and terrestrial equivalents enjoy. This needs to change. At Shoal, we often discuss the necessity of freshwater3t Jacques Cousteau where the public is discover the ne cry for policymak and individuals to do somethit 66 Of the 18,075 freshwater fish species known to exist, around 6,000 are threatened with being lost forever, due in main to human activity 99LEFT: Many kilfsh are vulnerab RIGHT: Dams block migratory fish routes. BELOW: Ameca fan ‘In 2020 we lst 80 species of sh global to extinction or extinction in the wl, Here are some of their names: 4 Poophuns gadis China 4 Chat opis indonesia Atorns ai, Turkey 6 Anabarilus nares China Barbies amar Philips Barbas boutan, Philipines # Barbades fern! Prins «4 Barbdes ose, Pilppnes 6 Barbus favifscus Pilppines 4 Barbdes heres Pilipies ¢ Barbdes kato, Philippines 6 Barbies loaner, Philipines 6 Barbas manaiak Philipines @ Barbus pants, Prilippines 4 Barbs paloomaphogus, Piippines 4 Barbs pat, Philipines Bards resimus Pippines Barbs tas, Pailipies 4 Netopisamecoe, Meco 4 Oncoryrchus kana, lapan 6 Altec goin, Meco 4 Barddes rancatuts, Pipes, 6 Barbus mrobarbs Rwanda « Chasmistes muri USA Choncastoma seadense, Momenee 4 Opis ylongensis China Eig eigen Meco ¢Evara tustamante Meco ¢ Gia crassicaude, USA Lateowatington Maw Nozambiqu, Zambia Lepidaneda ative USA Miogrex losis sal eastoora face, USA 6 Natmps auldion Mexico Natopis ca, Nexo, USA 6 Atop sladons Meco Paget cscs, USA, 6 Pseutophaoius handle Tutey 6 Ojprnon avr Meco jprinaon longs Maxon 6 Gprnan verancae, axa Sita racesae Non 6 pimps couchinus, Meco 6 peat meer Meio 6 iichtys deacon, USA © Romancgobioantiain. Romania, Ubaine Schatora sats Kazkstin ‘Sypocta sini Meco 6 Taestsukiva, Catia Natu routmani, USA Platytropus samen, Taand Coregonus alpanze, Cana, USA Coregonus beul Fence 6 Coregonus fra, Snteand Coregonus putusus usa, Germany, Switztand Coregonus hieraisSriterand Coregonus ohannae, Canada, USA Coregonus iin, Canada, ust Coregonus arin Belgium, France, Germany, Neen, UK # Parcs osrinctus, New Zealand Saino pala. Moora ‘Sahesns ages USA els mocamensis, Switaelend Sales profundus Aus, Germany Suitland Protaras aly Nadagascar 4 Testramola interned, acl 4 Testamola magdelanae Sy Tastamela sacra sro Aberin cali, Meio © Cyminadn aruatus, USA (© Oypinadon cei Meco ‘pac mamaria, Meco (Engetchtys mariami USA & Funds atone USA ‘Gambia amistnenss USA 6 Gambusia george USA 6 Megupsion aor, Maca Pantanedon madegescareni, Ndagascar 4 Btanstomasolere USA 6 Gastraseusconbints, Romania Cats echints, USA ALFISHKEEPIN 33Fishkeeping Answers Fishkee NSWETS Got a fishkeeping question? PFK's crack team of aquatics experts are on hand to answer whatever you need to know. questions@[Link] THE EXPERTS DR PETER BURGESS toe, Sen auton isu hve patio lems BOB MEHEN Beis a masterot seeping genera and commun ks, hon JEREMY PF GAY eens motton at when eames NATHAN oi atta othe gta for lity ues und, MAX PEDLEY Manis he vg ‘reatting seach Ciesla NEALE MONKS Nels the ma or Bord FOR HEALTHY FISH COLDWATER 1m looking for advice on keeping Bristol ‘hubunkins. I'm experienced in keeping marines. and tropical Treshwater of various types over the years but have never kept golafish, apart from fish {na boul as a child befoe | knew any better What would you recommend in order to keep these fish successfully in terms of tank size and fitration for 3-4 fish? ]ON CERVERA, VIA EMAIL Bristol shubunkins ate beautiful he British goofish keepers and pertected them ular in the UK. in aquaria fish and a cred wo have selectively be over the decades for growth, lots of swimming activity, and the development of that gorgeous tal Sd Pee) Cee d your questions to: Fishkeeping Answes, Practical Fistheeping Magazine, ping Vee tee Pee Bristol shubunkine are brad toa breed standard — very much lke pedigree cogs —and ‘the only place you can usually obtain thee i via members ofthe British ol 5. They tend to sel off the ones th body shape, tall shape or colour, but stil realy bigh-quallty fish, and when you purchase ther, you wil be buying ito perhaps decades that the breeder has invested in that bloodline, The breeders are also he bes vise on their care and reproduction ck itup ‘an internat titer wl be fina, but with lots of partial water changes a pump. Arm yourself with a fluke treatment all solatish get flukes), an achieve their best colour an im in the mood for spawning, place the tank where it wll receive sunshine in the mering, West Stes, Sour, PE1O OPHTROPICAL | have an Aqua One 580 aquarium, holding 75 | of water. ‘mere bio-media or foam if possible. While carbon is thas gravel onthe base and 20 assorted plants, Ihave excellent at ‘polishing’ water to make it look enstal {an Eheim 400 air pump, and a Shark 800Iph internal clear, t doesn't have much benefit biologically. It can {iter with three sponges: coarse, medium and fine, plus ‘aso remove plant foods and medications and in my carbon inthe bottom half ofthe iter cartidge and ‘Opinion is best used as an ‘emergency’ media to ‘4g of bio-media in the top. | do a 30% water sai ‘lean up discolouration of water or erneve ‘change every week and also add plant food medication at the end ofa treatment. weekly. My ammonia and nitrate ae 0 the (Otherwise, your water change regime and pH is 6.3 with 8°GH and temperature water chemistry seem fine 23°C. Te tank contains five Harlequins, a You have a very sensible stocking love at ‘twee Guppies and three Leopard danios Pea the moment, so there shouldbe room for a | have had it up and running fo three years. say ie few more fish or some shrimps. It might be (Can I adel moe fish of some sheimps to my worth considering adding a couple more danios tank? Please could you also achse on whether to boost your curent group, which isa litle small, iy fer set-up i okay? in number, but otherwise your water chemistry ANTHONY BEVAN, VIA EMAIL shouldbe suitable for a range of community fsh such as tetas. For instance, a group of 6-6 Neon tetra, Your filter set up sounds fine, but Paracheiraden ines, should fit in well and add 8 real personally 'é remove the carbon and replace it with spark of colour to your tank TROPICAL | tased my Krib fry after | got new male Krib onthe advice of your expert Max Padley. They bred after tree weeks, I tak the fy out of the tank ata month ek, and two of them reached 2.5em within 3 couple of months. The fry ae 16 weeks old now and the massive male shown in this photo has a red thoat. s there something wreng with him oe is he just eifferenty coloured to his much smaller siblings? CHLOE ALLSWORTH, VIA EMAIL Congratulations onthe Kribensis fy! Dent worry about ne male Krib — he looks in excellent condition. He appears to be the ‘super red form which are bred for their intense red colouration, Which isin no daubt emphasised due to hormonal changes that ‘occur with breeding and raising ry. It may be that some of your younger fish wil show these colour traits too as they grow. BEC U a Tea Moras