Tis the Season for Updates at AmazonTropics

Tis the season to share so I thought I would share a few updates with everyone. Our Hypancistrus sp. "L136" have spawned again. A few individuals from the previous spawn can be seen below and are considered L136c. This is perhaps the most desired form. The species produces a wide array of varieties which are typically listed as a, b and c forms.

We also have had a lot of various species of killifish start to spawn with the cooler weather. Be on the look out for the following come spring: Aphyosemion amoenum, cameronense, cognatum, elberti, exigoideum, sp. COFE and sp. "Lobaye", Epiplatys lamottei and roloffi, Procatopus nototaenia and similis.

Another update on our mouth brooding Loricaria which were featured in the current Amazonas magazine. Our Loricaria sp. "Rio Atabapo" continue to spawn, laying larger and larger groups of eggs. Check out this male with a clutch of eggs that he has carried around for nearly a week. The eggs numbering around 50 are just starting to develop. They should hatch in less than two weeks.

Last, I will be speaking at NEOFish in January.  If you have any interest in our fish, now would be a great time to arrange for pickup. You can avoid shipping charges this way and hopefully be entertained at the same time. The talk will be brand new and focus on catfish. All of my talks offer something for everyone though so don't be discouraged by the topic if you are not into catfish. For details, follow this link: http://www.neo-fish.com. Hope to see everyone there!

Aphyosemion cameronense

Just in time for the holidays, our Aphyosemion cameronense have started to produce eggs. We have two forms of A. cameronense both with a lovely blue/green and red markings. The eggs below are from Aphyosemion cameronense "ABDEK 12/502". We place the eggs on wet coconut fiber so that they can develop. In one month we will fill the container with water to see what hatches.

Fundulopanchax puerzli

October turned out to be quite a busy month with a lot of Fall Auctions. Unfortunately I did not get a chance to post anything to the blog last month. Some big updates will be coming over the winter as we start working on building our new fishroom! I am excited although it will entail quite a lot of work. Stay tuned as things come together. It will take some time before things are set up and ready. The one thing this hobby teaches you is patience.

Recently we acquired Fundulopanchax puerzli "Dibeng" from Tom Payne of the Columbus Killifish Group (CKG). The pair has done really well for us in a 15 gallon aquarium. So far we have roughly 40-50 fry in several aquariums with more on the way. It is our hope to re-establish this species in the killifish hobby. Below is a photo (from my phone) which while not our best, gives you an idea of the fish. We will work on a better photo.

Fundulopanchax fallax and Apistogramma eunotus

It has been a crazy few weeks. I just now feel like I am getting back to the fish. An update on a few fish species. We have recently acquired more Fundulopanchax fallax "CI98". The goal will be to establish these in our tanks so that we will have these fish long term. Once we get enough of a population going the hope will be to offer this species on a somewhat regular basis. The issue tends to be the high percentage of infertile eggs. We will continue to try new tricks until we get it right. This fish is worth the extra time!

Lastly, our Apistogramma eunotus F2 Orangetail have produced more offspring. It will be our goal to have these available some time in the late winter or early spring of 2015. The parents are taking excellent care of the offspring. We will soon place the offspring in a grow out tank for further growth.

Happy Fishkeeping!

More Eggs!

I guess we are on a roll here. Our colony of Centromochlus perugiae laid two more clutches of eggs this past week. Along with the woodcatfish eggs, our lipbrooding catfish, Loricaria sp. "Rio Atabapo" also have a clutch of eggs. Lastly, our Fundulopanchax puerzli which were obtained from our friend Tom Payne, have started to lay eggs. This is a neat killifish from West Africa which has rounded markings in a checkerboard fashion. Look for photos of these here soon.

Centromochlus and more

We continue to find more fish spawning in the fishroom this week. We just had our Centromochlus perugiae lay a batch of eggs. These fish are very popular and for good reason, just look at the photo. So far, this is the only woodcat that cares for the eggs once they are laid. It will be interesting to see if any other Centromochlus share this behavior or if this is a rarity in the Auchenipteridae.

Also this week we found eggs from our Pseudomugil paskae and Pseudomugil ivantsoffi. Both species are splendidly colored and are members of the Blue Eye Rainbowfish group. We are hopeful to be able to offer offspring of these and other Pseudomugil very soon!

Where is summer going?

Where is the summer going? At least it has felt like spring for most of it! So I am now a homeowner and the fishroom will be moved sometime in the not too distant future. The plan is to add even more aquariums to better serve the Columbus Ohio area and beyond. Yes, it does have a full basement mostly for fish.

Along with the new home, a few new updates. One, the Apistogramma sp. "Tefe" have fry! I have waited a year for these guys to finally produce. Fingers crossed I start regularly being able to offer fry. Along with the Apistos, the Tatia intermedia laid several batches of eggs as well as the Loricaria sp. "Atabapo". Hopefully some of these are large enough to start offering in the fall.

Zebras!

A quick update on the fishroom. Our Hypancistrus zebra, zebra plecos, are at it again. Within the last month we have had three different spawns and it appears another male has a female trapped in a cave. Fingers crossed that it will be four in a row!

Last, we will be moving our fishroom in the coming months. The move will allow us to increase our fishroom. It will be a long process but will be worth it in the end. We will keep you updated as things progress.

May 2014

Had a great time in New York over the weekend at the American Killifish Association convention. A few updates on the fishroom for everyone. A few fish species have spawned in the last month including our Hypancistrus zebra, H. sp. "L-136" and Tatia intermedia. We continue to get eggs from the majority of our killifish species. We hope to continue to have these available in the future. The biggest news has to be that we will be moving our entire fishroom over the summer. It will be a huge undertaking but will allow us to expand our current offerings. Our goal is still provide quality tank raised fish species. Beyond that, our article on the Jaguar Catfish, Liosomdoras oncinus, should be appearing in the next Amazonas magazine. After the article appears we will be sharing an update on the offspring. Stay tuned!

CAFE Convention

Here is another nice reason to attend the 2014 CAFE Convention:

As promised, an announcement in regards to our convention. For those that preregister for the event by March 15th, you will be entered to win various donated items by our event Sponsors. A chance to win a subscription to Amazonas magazine has already been announced, we have three to give away. Now you have a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to The Wet Spot! http://www.wetspottropicalfish.com/. Register today at: http://www.columbusfishclub.org/CAFE_ConventionSignup.php

CAFE Convention Plug

I would like to plug the upcoming CAFE Convention. Hope to see everyone there as we are planning to have talks that will appeal to everyone as well as fish in a Silent Auction. Here are the details on the speakers:

Six talks and a Round Table Discussion for only $30!!! What a deal!!! Register today!!!
http://www.columbusfishclub.org/CAFE_ConventionSignup.php
Friday 7pm  Ted Judy -  Cameroon: Part 2 with recap of Part 1 from 2010 Convention
Friday 9pm  CAFÉ Convention Round Table with all four guest speakers!
Saturday 9am  Mike Hellweg - Anabantoids: Keeping and Breeding Fish that can Drown
Saturday 11am  Regina Spotti - Girls, Pantyhose and Fishkeeping
Saturday 1pm  Eric Bodrock - Spawning Oddball Fish
Saturday 3pm  Mike Hellweg - Fishy Business: The Other Side of the Counter
Saturday 5pm  Ted Judy - The Importance of Numbers: A Hobbyist's Guide to
Conservation Breeding

More News

I am happy to report that we have had spawns from our Hypancistrus sp. "L333" F-1 Yellow King Tiger Plecos, our Altolamprologus calvus "Black Inkfin" F-1 and our Apistogramma baenschi F-1. We are hopeful that the fishroom will remain productive in the coming weeks.

Also on the horizon, look for our article in Amazonas on the first captive spawning of Liosomadoras oncinus, the jaguar catfish. There have been rumors of other aquarists spawning this fish but no photos. There will be photos of the juvenile fish. Keep posted for updates in the future. Thanks!

Cinci Swap

The next event on our calendar will be the Greater Cincinnati Aquarium Society's Swap Meet. We plan on being there as long as the weather holds out. If you are interested in something, please make arrangements prior to the event for pickup. Details of the event can be found at: gcas.org. See everyone there!

Presale Only
Lamprichthys tanganicanus F2/AS 1" unsexed juveniles 6/$60
Chilatherina fasciata "Faowi Village" 2-3" 4/$60
Melanotaenia lacustris Turquoise Rainbow Aquarium Strain 3" 6/$60
Geophagus megasema F-2 (Rare) 1"+ 4/$60

Additional Fish Available
Lamprichthys tanganicanus F-2/AS eggs 1 dozen/$10
Melanotaenia praecox "Pagai" Gary Lange stock 1 1/4"+ 6/$40
Procatopus similis "Kumba" F-1 6/$40
Aphyosemion exigoideum "BBW 00/03" 1" sexable pair $12/pr
Aphyosemion striatum "Lambarene" F-2 1 1/4" sexable pair $12/pr
Aphyosemion cognatum "Congo" CI 2011 F-1 1 1/2" sexable pair $15/pr.
Loricaria sp. "Rio Atabapo" F-2 (Lipbrooder Catfish, very neat) 1 1/2-2" 4/$60
Tatia intermedia F-2 1 1/2" 4/$60
Teleogramma monogramma F-1 1-1 1/2" 4/$60

I may be able to bring eggs of few species of killies. Email me at jeremybasch@gmail.com

Jaguar Catfish Spawn

There are a few moments in an aquarist's life that makes keeping fish special. Whether it is finding a new species of fish or being the first person to have a species of fish spawn, it is truly rewarding. So here it is, the first report of Jaguar Catfish, Liosomadorus oncinus, being spawned in captivity! This also confirms, if there was any doubt, that L. oncinus is an Auchenipteridae!
 
I must say that I have not done anything in particular to have them spawn. Foods include frozen bloodworms, shrimp, New Life Spectrum and Repashy Gel Foods. Water is straight tap water with a pH of 7.2 and a hardness of around 180ppm. The temperature is set at 80 F. The tank has received a few extra water changes in the last month or two. Perhaps this triggered the spawning? The parents are between 6-8" and were acquired around 6 years ago. There were around 200 eggs with around 20 infertile eggs. The next step is to get them to the juvenile stage.