SaltwaterSense

Hobbyists Breeding Tropical Marine Aquarium Fishes

I have a friend named Matt Wittenrich. He is the author of The All-New & Complete Breeder's Guide to Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH Publications 2007), a very important book in the evolution of the marine aquarium hobby. Matt is currently pursuing his doctorate at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida with research focusing on the development of feeding abilities in the larval stages of coral-reef fishes. Inspired to science by a love of marine aquaria since the age of 15, Matt successfully raised more than 56 species of marine fish and shrimp in his parent's basement in western New York.

He did that when he was still just a hobbyist.

Hobbyists are on the cutting edge of the marine aquarium industry, and the frontier before them is captive breeding. Today there is more information about breeding available to hobbyists than ever before. From online forums to print publications and local aquarium clubs, everyday hobbyists are engaged in dialogs with other hobbyists, marine biologists and commercial breeders. It is exciting, and it is important.

I do not subscribe to the view that a marine aquarium industry based solely on tank-raised fishes and inverts should be the goal. I believe that striking a balance between sustainable wild collection and captive breeding is essential. This is particularly the case when it comes to species that are threatened in the wild or ones whose survival record is dismal in the marine aquarium.

Mandarinfishes and filefishes have gotten a lot of airtime recently—these are both fishes that traditionally have not done well in aquaria. While new husbandry information has increased the chances of success with these animals, the reality is that the very great majority of the wild-caught individuals imported for the marine aquarium trade perish in the aquarium. So why give them the airtime in the hobby magazines? Won’t this only result in more people purchasing these fishes? And won’t that only result in higher mortality?

These are questions I know my friend Matt grapples with daily, as he has been one of the people who has “popularized” hard-to-keep species in the hobby magazines. And yet Matt sees a future where hardy captive-bred mandarinfishes are available to hobbyists—mandarins that readily accept a captive diet and mandarins who thrive in the home aquarium. Because of Matt's work, that future is now much closer than you may think.

There is an interview in the documentary “Hearts of Darkness” with filmmaker Frances Ford Coppola, where he talks about the next great filmmaker possibly being a kid in the Midwest with little more than a video camera and an idea. In the same way that technology has made making movies accessible to just about anyone with a camera phone, today almost any hobbyists can participate in the exciting and important work of breeding marine fishes. After all, Matt got his start as kid with a hobby in the basement of his parent’s home in western New York…

Go breed!

Angelfishes from the Genus Genicanthus are Fantastic Reef Aquarium Fishes

Many saltwater aquarists are inspired to take up the hobby after observing the beauty of an angelfish or the stunning, almost extraterrestrial, growth forms of coral species. Or both. Unfortunately, many angelfishes are incompatible with a reef tank, so keeping the two together is not a good idea. There is, however, one genus of angelfishes that is indeed quite suitable for the reef tank, and it is this genus I want to discuss today.  

Angelfishes from the genus Genicanthus are commonly called swallowtail or lyretail angelfish because of their distinctive tailfins, and they make great reef aquarium angelfishes. If you look closely, you will see that the species in this genus have small mouths. This is because these fishes are planktavores that feed primarily on plankton in the water column—not coral!

The upside to keeping angelfishes from the genus Genicanthus does not stop with their feeding habits, however. These fishes are, generally-speaking, long-lived and peaceful animals that make great community reef fishes, and their small size means they don’t require the massive amount of space that some of the other angelfishes require. Do be cautious when adding a Genicanthus angelfish to a reef tank housing smaller planktavores (especially certain gobies and wrasses), as the smaller fishes may be harassed as they compete for the same foodstuff.

Another great attribute to angelfishes from the genus Genicanthus is that they may be kept successfully in small groups. The aquarist may plan to keep one male with one or more females. Theses angelfishes, are known for their dramatic sexual dimorphism and dichromatism (in short, males and females are different in shape and color), which makes keeping a pair or small harem both behaviorally interesting and aesthetically appealing.

Members of the genus are generally parasite and disease resistant, but they should, like all fishes, be properly acclimated and quarantined.

Of the Genicanthus angelfishes most commonly available to the tropical marine aquarist, the bellus angelfish (G. bellus), the Watanabei’s angelfish (G. Watanabei), the Lamarck’s angelfish (G. Lamarck), and the swallowtail angelfish (G. melanospilus) are some of my personal favorites. If you are looking for the ideal reef-compatible angelfish, look no further than the angelfishes from the genus Genicanthus.

Do’s and Don’ts of Dottybacks in the Tropical Saltwater Aquarium

Pseudochromis, a.k.a. dottybacks, make some of the best saltwater aquarium fishes for the novice marine aquarist, but they are not without some pitfalls. Small, hardy and shockingly beautiful, dottybacks can also be little terrors if they are placed with the wrong tankmates. They are also known for losing their bold coloration and committing suicide by leaping from the tank. By adhering to the following “do’s and don’ts” of dottybacks, the novice aquarist can expect success with these wonderful little fishes.

• Keep only one dottyback per tank.

• Cover any tank which houses a dottyback with eggcrate.

• Make sure the aquarium has plenty of quality live rock with lots of hiding spots.

• Plan on having the dottyback be the smallest fish in the tank.

• If the dottyback is not the smallest fish in the tank, make sure the tankmates are semi-aggressive.

• Add the dottyback near (or at) the end of your stocking order.

• Use a specimen cup to hold the dottyback in the aquarium for a couple days upon introduction.

• Buy tank-bred dottybacks, as they acclimate better and are hardier.

• Feed a well-balanced diet of mostly high quality frozen, flake and freeze dried foods designed for carnivores.

• Periodically offer dottbacks small chunks of fresh, meaty table seafood (e.g., shrimp, clams, etc.)

• Periodically offer an herbivorous food to your dottyback.

• Maintain high water quality with robust filtration.

• Maintain high and stable specific gravity (salinity) in the 1.023 – 1.025 range.

• Keep the pH stable and high (8.1 or higher).

• Maintain a stable temperature with less than two-degree daily fluctuation.

Finally, if you're going to get a dottyback, consider the following, relatively peaceful dottybacks. These are my personal favorites for the beginning aquarist: the striped Pseudochromis (Pseudochromis sankeyi), the springeri Pseudochromis (Pseudochromis springeri), the bluelined dottyback (Pseudochromis cyanotaenia), or the orchid dottyback (Pseudochromis fridmani). In addition, there are some beautiful hybrids such as the so-called indigo dottyback (Pseudochromidae fridmani x Pseudochromidae sankeyi).