Shadow Dwellers the Liopropoma Reef Basslets
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what size koi should i buy?.... MARCH/APRIL ‘20 Vol. 11/No. 02 THE ISHKEEPER For theF Aquarist: Freshwater & Marine The website for the aquarist fishkeeper.co.za Shadow Dwellers The Liopropoma Reef Basslets Crabs in the Marine Aquarium! Magnificent Mollies! Leopards of the Reef! CheCkerboard dwarf CiChlid fundulopanChax gardneri www.thefishkeeper.co.za March/April 2020 the fishkeeper1 While mandarins are often found in small groups or pairs in the wild, males are intolerant of each other in the confines of an aquarium. Terrarium Plants 101...pg28 Should I Feed Mice or Rats?...pg04 Subscribe online at Vol. 13 | No. 03 | May/June 2019 The Bamboo www.ultimateexotics.co.za Ratsnake care and breeding The Bushmaster (Lachesis) WOMA HUSBANDRY AND CAPTIVE BREEDING the #1 reptile and exotic pet website Ultimate .co.za INTRODUCTION exotics TO BLUE TONGUE SKINKS Tarantula Cages Pg. 38 Pg. 08 [email protected] www.thefishkeeper.co.za 2 the fishkeeper March/April 2020 For the Aquarist: Freshwater & Marine Contents South Africa’s only magazine for marine and freshwater aquarium hobbyists. MARCH/APRIL Vol 11 / No 2/ 2020 10 28 features 28 MAGNIFICENT MOLLIES One of the most common families of fish available to the THE CHECKERBOARD CICHLID aquarist. You will struggle to find a shop which does not house 06 Dicrossus filamentosus them. Common but incredibly attractive! A stunning little species of Dwarf Cichlid found within the Amazon. Not very commonly seen, but a great addition to any CRABS IN THE MARINE AQUARIUM Amazon biotype. 34 LEOPARDS OF THE REEF Crabs can provide an amazing addition to any aquarium as a 10 clean up crew, but make sure you pick up the right species and With a variety of species displaying various colours and patterns, not one that might cause a good few problems. you really are spoilt for choice with this family of small Wrasse. A FISH WITH PISCINALITY 40 WHAT SIZE KOI SHOULD I BUY 16 Fundulopanchax gardneri A great question asked by many. We hope this article answers any “F. gardneri is a beautiful killie that is easy to keep and feed, questions you may have on the topic. and some variants can be hard enough to breed that even jaded hobbyists will find it a fun challenge.” regulars SHADOW DWELLERS From the Editor 22 The Liopropoma reef basslets 04 About the Editor Groupers have a lot of personality with most getting extremely big. 05 The Liopropoma basslets break the norm and are beautiful to boot. 42 Advertiser’s Index www.thefishkeeper.co.za March/April 2020 the fishkeeper3 Editorial THE FISHKEEPER volume 11 | number 2 March/April 2020 Managing Editor Design Layout Proof Reading elcome to the March/April Advertisements edition of The Fishkeeper for Subscriptions W2020. Another edition packed Sales with information that we hope you Matt Needham enjoy. My pick of the freshwater articles in this edition has to go to the stunning Contact the Editor at little dwarf cichlid, the Checkerboard [email protected] Cichlid, Dicrossus filamentosus. This for any inquiries on advertising, is a stunning little species of cichlid sales etc which is very common in its natural environement. Having seen these in Above: Dicrossus filamentosus the wild a couple of years ago, they Disclaimer: The Editor and Below: Liopropoma carmabi really captured my heart and through Publishers of The Fishkeeper do this I will finally be adding them to my not accept any liability whatsoever ever growing collection. They are just with regard to any statement, fact, beautiful. advertisement or recommendation made in this magazine and do not necessarily agree with the viewpoints With regards to marines, I would expressed by contributors to The have to choose the Liopropoma Reef Fishkeeper magazine. Basslets. A family of grouper whch are not only the most colourful you will find but are of a size of which most aquarists will be able to keep them and © 2020 by The Fishkeeper. All rights experience the incredible character reserved. Reproduction of any material from this issue in whole or in which this family of fish possess. part is strictly prohibited. Over the last year it was decided to make the magazine free of charge to our South African readers. Unfortunately due to growing costs over the last year we have had to make a decision that The Fishkeeper will no longer be available free of charge but will be offered at what we feel is a reasonable amount for covering the costs of the magazines production. “a righteous man cares for the In order to create the best publication for our readers, The Fishkeeper will needs of his animals,” be available at an annual cost of R150 to our South African readers. It will PROVERBS 12:10 also be available per issue on our app at international rates. Don’t worry our international readers, there is also a subscription offer available for you on our app as well as pocket mags. Our app is available on Google Play Store for Apple and IOS users. In order to find it, just type The Fishkeeper into your search bar. If you would like to make the most of our subscription offer for South African Editor: [email protected] readers then please email us at [email protected]. We hope you enjoy this issue! Happy reading, and happy fishkeeping! Subscribe now! Visit www.thefishkeeper.co.za to The Editor subscribe to the Digital version of The Fishkeeper. Alternatively email us at [email protected]. DEADLINES Cover Photo: Candy Basslet Issue Colour Adverts May/June 2020 20 March 2020 July/August 2020 20 June 2020 Sept/Oct 2020 20 August 2020 4 the fishkeeper March/April 2020 www.thefishkeeper.co.za About the Editor! Matt Needham was born in Durban in 1985. His passion for fish began at a very young age with picking up his first aquarium at the age of 10 as a Christmas present. Around the time he was 16 he had 20 tanks and had started working at his local petshop on weekends, where he was approached to run their fish section. Once he had finished school he attended the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal where he acquired a degree in Environmental sciences life stream. During this period he had purchased approximately 100 tanks and had begun to breed freshwater Angelfish on a commercial scale, with around 20 pairs spawning. After University he moved to the UK for a couple of seasons to pursue his cricket career and unfortunately shut down his breeding operation where he bred well over 50 different species of fish with great success, with the majority of these being Above and Below: The Editor with two different species of Loricariidae Cichlids. During this period he studied a found along tributaries of the Rio Negro river, Brazil. Diploma in Ichthyology through the Institute of Animal Health Care in the UK. On his arrival back into the country in 2010, he SeaWorld under SAAMBR. He started working there inquired about a potential position at uShaka as an intern in January 2011 of which he then received a full time position as an Aquarist in the aquarium from April that year, where he worked with various species of marine fish, elasmobranchs and corals. During his time at SAAMBR he has been involved with numerous projects ranging from reproduction of fish at the aquarium and helping ORI with coral work in Sodwana Bay. In 2017 he won an award at the Pan African Association for Zoos and Aquaria conferance for his presentation on the captive spawning of the coral Acropora appressa and linking it to the wild. In 2013 Matt was invited along as a representative on an Amazon fisheries project called Project Piaba. The goal of the project was to help the local fisherman improve their methods of capturing wild caught specimens for the aquarium hobby. In doing this it kept them in a self sustainable industry instead of moving over to destructive practices such as forestry and mining. Matt has well over 20 years of experience in the commercial trade and breeding of ornamental fish and has regularly contributed to The Fishkeeper over the years. He was approached mid way through 2019 with regards to taking over the production of The Fishkeeper. www.thefishkeeper.co.za March/April 2020 the fishkeeper5 Freshwater The Checkerboard Dwarf Cichlid Dicrossus filamentosus By: Radek Bednarczuk “This dwarf cichlid lives in schools and larger groups, usually staying above the thick layer of fallen leaves, in which it will hide when faced with a threat.” 6 the fishkeeper March/April 2020 www.thefishkeeper.co.za warf cichlids from South America have the snout to the base of the caudal fin, while the enjoyed undiminished popularity among row above it (below the dorsal fin) can disappear. Dhobbyists all over the world for many The body of these attractive cichlids is slender, years. This is largely related to their small size, elongated, and copper-colored, the snout is blunt, which does not require their keepers to possess and the mouth small. huge aquaria. Other benefits to these fish are their attractive appearance, interesting repertoire Distribution in Nature of behaviors, and mode of reproduction. Species These dwarf cichlids inhabit the vast rivers of the of the genus Dicrossus may not be as popular as Amazon, the entire upper western catchment of Apistogramma species, but I can assure you that the Rio Orinoco, and the central and upper Rio they are equally interesting and beautiful. Negro region of Brazil. Dicrossus filamentosus Dicrossus filamentosus (Ladiges 1958) was can be found in small forest streams, where the originally placed in the genus Crenicara, which bottom is covered with leaf litter and a tangle of consisted of all known cichlids featuring a branches and roots.