2 NEWS 107 Inhalt Impressum Once again: Dwarf cichlids from Lake Malawi 3 Preview: Herausgeber: Wolfgang Glaser News No 108 Chefredakteur: Dipl. -Biol. Frank Schäfer Two of the best algae eaters..... will appear on KW 37/38 2013 Redaktionsbeirat: Thorsten Holtmann but who knows their names? 4 Volker Ennenbach Dont miss it! Dr. med. vet. Markus Biffar Sea water: As useful as lovely 9 Thorsten Reuter Tropheus sp. Kasanga 13 Levin Locke Manuela Sauer Golden fishes 16 Dipl.- Biol. Klaus Diehl Layout: Bärbel Waldeyer The Neon Tetra 20 Chinese Softshell Turtles 39 Übersetzungen: Mary Bailey Water chemistry (4) 26 New characins from South Ame - Gestaltung: Aqualog animalbook GmbH Frederik Templin A weather-forecasting frog 30 rica 43 Titelgestaltung: Petra Appel, Steffen Kabisch Red runners with little collars 34 Druck: Bechtle Druck&Service, Esslingen Gedruckt am: 22.4.2013 Anzeigendisposition: Aqualog animalbook GmbH Wollen Sie keine Ausgabe der News versäumen ? und Verlag Liebigstraße 1, D-63110 Rodgau Tel: 49 (0) 61 06 - 697977 Werden Sie Abonnent(in) und füllen Sie einfach den Abonnenten-Abschnitt aus Fax: 49 (0) 61 06 - 697983 und schicken ihn an: Aqualog Animalbook GmbH, Liebigstr.1, D- 63110 Rodgau e-mail: [email protected] http://www.aqualog.de Hiermit abonniere ich die Ausgaben 106-109 (2013) zum Preis von €12 ,- für 4 Ausgaben, (außerhalb Deutschlands € 19,90) inkl. Porto und Verpackung. All rights reserved. The publishers do not accept liability for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. Articles written by named authors do not necessarily represent the editors’ Name opinion. Anschrift ISSN 1430-9610 Land I PLZ I Wohnort Ich möchte folgendermaßen bezahlen: auf Rechnung Visa I Mastercard Prüf.- Nr.: Kartennummer: gültig bis: Name des Karteninhabers (falls nicht identisch mit dem Namen des Abonnenten) Wie und wo erhalten Sie die News ? Jeder Zoofachhändler, jede Tierarztpraxis und jeder Zoologische Garten kann beim Aqualog-Verlag ein Kontingent der NEWS anfordern und als Kundenzeitschrift auslegen. Zusätzlich zum traditionellen Einzelhandel wird die NEWS in vielen Filialen der untenstehen d auf geführten Ketten verteilt. Darüber hinaus liegt die NEWS auf vielen Fachmessen aus und kann auch von Vereinen anlässlich von Veranstal tungen zum Verteilen angefordert werden. Alle Aqualog-Produkte erhalten Sie weltweit im Zoofachhandel, im Buchhandel oder direkt beim Verlag. Zoofachhändler aufgepasst! Aqualog animalbook GmbH Ihr flexibler und schneller Buchgroß- Liebigstr.1 D-63110 Rodgau händler nicht nur für AQUALOG. tel: +49 (0) 6106 697977 Über 3.000 Titel rund ums Thema Tier! e-mail: [email protected] Filialen mit Zoofachabteilung NEWS 107 3 Cichlids are weaker than the dominant one being Once again: killed. This also applies to females that aren't quick enough to find a hiding-place. I had my best experiences with this species Dwarf cichlids from in a 375-liter aquarium populated by 6 males and 15 females. After a while the sur - Lake Malawi viving population settled down together, but I am certain there was only one male among them. There were then no further Pseudotropheus demasoni changes to the population.“ by Andreas Jung Different strains? In News 106 we discussed various Lake Malawi cichlids that are well suited As can be seen from these statements, it is to small aquaria because of their small size and relatively peaceful behavior. hard to imagine two more different views These included Pseudotropheus demasoni , a species whose total length of of the behavior of a single fish species. A 6-8 cm makes it one of the smallest of the mbuna, the name sometimes pair even spawned during a photo session given to the rock-dwelling cichlid species from the lake . in a really small photographic aquarium in the editorial office and behaved very pea - e immediately received several was very surprised at what it said. A. Jung cefully towards each other during the Wcommunications from experienced writes that Pseudotropheus demasoni is one spawning and thereafter. So are there diffe - keepers and breeders of Malawi cichlids - of the most peaceful mbuna. But I refute rent strains of P. demasoni in the aquarium? many thanks for that! They had come to re - that and assert that it is the most aggres - Or is the aggression linked to other, as yet gard Pseudotropheus demasoni as one of sive of all mbuna in the aquarium. I don't unstudied parameters (food, water, light, the most aggressive of all mbuna, whose know the extent of its aggression in the etc)? We don't know. To be safe we recom - long-term maintenance can present pro - lake. He also writes that this species can be mend following the suggestion of mainten - blems even in very large aquaria because kept in small aquaria and is well suited for ance in a species tank, the more so because of its marked aggression. So what lies be - beginners. I refute that as well and assert P. demasoni is sometimes rather fussy in the hind these very different opinions? that an aquarium for Pseudotropheus de - matter of food; the aggression can, of masoni should have a volume of 300-400 course, be avoided or spread in an overpo - Pseudotropheus demasoni in the wild liters and a length of 150 cm. This species pulated tank, but that is clearly not without Andreas Spreinat, book author and one of is best kept alone in a tank. It's behavior re - risk. For the reasons given, the aquarium for the world's top experts on Lake Malawi sembles that of the Tropheus of Lake Tan - P. demasoni should not be less than 80 cm cichlids, writes on page 218 of his book ganyika, with all the males in the tank that in length, even for a species tank. Lake Malawi Cichlids from Tanzania, publis - Pseudotropheus demasoni Photo: Frank Schäfer hed in 1995 (Verduijn Cichlids, Zevenhui - zen), that " Most specimens observed by us were solitary and in a given area were mostly loyal to one site. However, this ter - ritory was not defended against other fish. We also observed that the territory was so - metimes abandoned. In some places, we found several specimens together. Intra - species aggression appears to be quite weak; most of the fish behaved rather pea - cefully." Very aggressive in the aquarium?! By contrast, experienced aquarist Werner Hieber of www.malawipoint.de writes (translated from German): "On reading the article 'Dwarf cichlids from Lake Malawi / Pseudotropheus demasoni ' I 4 NEWS 107 Freshwater fishes Two of the best algae eaters… but who knows their names? by Roman Neunkirchen In the aquarium hobby, algae is a topic that is discussed almost as exhaustively as the weather. There is always something to say about it, and in the final analysis we are all subject to weather. The same applies to algae. One or another species of algae grows in every aquarium. This annoys many aquarists and they look for fishes that will eat these algae. Many aquarists have had good experiences with the Siamese Algae Eater and the Stonelapping Min - now, both of them from Thailand. Like Crossocheilus oblongus, Epalzeorhynchus kalopterus , the Flying Fox, has four barbels. The two species are almost impossible to tell apart when, as in the photo, the dark dorsal-fin markings of E. kalopterus aren't visible. All photos: Frank Schäfer he two species are extremely similar colorless, while that of the Stonelapping The scientific names T in their coloration and hence have re - Minnow is striped, albeit in rather delicate, Scientific names have universal validity peatedly been confused with one other. pastel shades. And finally there is also an worldwide. Every species of animal bears They can, however, easily be told apart by anatomical character that makes it possi - only a single valid scientific name. If - for a number of color characters. In the Sia - ble to distinguish them: specifically, the Sia - whatever reason - a species is described se - mese Algae Eater the black midlateral mese Algae Eater has two pairs of well-de - veral times then only the oldest name has stripe extends well onto the caudal fin, veloped barbels, one on the snout and one validity, and the others are so-called invalid while in the Stonelapping Minnow this lon - at the corners of the mouth, while the Sto - synonyms. By contrast anyone can think up gitudinal band always ends at the base of nelapping Minnow has only one pair of their own popular name, as there are no the tail. The dorsal fin of the Siamese Algae barbels sited at the corners of the mouth rules of any kind. In addition, every species Eater is always completely transparent and and none on the snout. has numerous different popular names NEWS 107 5 Crossocheilus oblongus or an undescribed species? That is the question.... worldwide. In Germany, for example, the cation guides to the freshwater fishes of that should no longer be used. But unfor - Siamese Algae Eater is called the "Siamen - the region. In it the Stonelapping Minnow tunately the Stonelapping Minnow is often sische Rüsselbarbe" (= Long-Nosed Sia - is termed Garra taeniata and the Siamese still found under the incorrect name of mese Barb) and the Stonelapping Minnow Algae Eater (or a closely related species, Garra taeniata in the aquarium trade, as is the "Gestreifte Saugbarbe" (= Striped more of which anon) as Epalzeorhynchus that is the name used in the majority of Sucker Barb). These very different names siamensis. Smith had himself previously older aquarium books. can lead to entertaining soundtracks when described both species as new taxa back in natural history films are dubbed into fo - 1931. When the first algae-eaters were im - Confusion reigns: the Siamese Algae reign languages as the dubbing editor has ported to Europe from Thailand around Eater no knowledge of fishes.