Lateral Line. The. Volume 3, Issue 8 December, 2010

Transcription

1 The Lateral Line Volume 3, Issue 8 December, 2010 Inside this Issue: Will W Will the Real Texas Cichlid Please Stand Up! Xenotilapia bathypilus - A Spawning Report Pacific Coast Cichlid Association Trip CARES Sheet - Prognathochromis perrieri

2 2 Contents: Will the Real Texas Cichlid Please Stand Up! 3 - Walter Wooton Jr. Spawning Report on Xenotilapia bathyphilus 8 - Benjamin L. Smith CARES Sheet - Prognathochromis (Prognathochromis) perrieri 12 A visit with the Pacific Coast Cichlid Association November Greg Steeves The HCCC is a proud member of the Federation of Texas Aquarium Societies. The HCCC is a proud member of the Federation of American Aquarium Societies. As another year draws to a close we can sit back and reflect on the 7th annum in HCCC history. It s been a bit of a strange year. Even though the enthusiasm level for our club and activities has been as high as ever, we have seen a drop off on attendance at both meetings and auctions. I m sure that the harsh economic times facing the country has had some impact and I hope everyone has a better As club members, we will have to work a little harder to ensure our group expands on its main focus which is enjoyment of our hobby. It can never be understated on the role our biggest supporters, local retailers, have had on our organization. Petfrontier and Dave s Rare Aquarium Fish continued their fantastic support of the HCCC and this year, we had two other long time supporters really step up. I would like to thank Darby s Tropical and Amazonia International for their assistance in hosting club activities. We held our second meeting at Darby s this year and were introduced to Dr. Michael Kidd who has become a favorite speaker and now member. This past summer Caroline Estes hosted a African Cichlid Exposition at her shop in Austin where a number of talks were given. The afternoon ended with Caroline doing a rare cichlid auction. All money raised went to funding our FOTAS CARES Convention which will take place the first weekend of November, Speaking of FOTAS CARES, this will undoubtedly be the main focus of our attentions this year. We have a revolutionary convention planned with an incredible speaker line up. I can t wait for this!!! Thanks to the regulars for contributing to this Lateral Line edition. Our resident expert on native waters Walter Wooton, examines some of the confusion associated with Hericthys, Benjamin give us yet another fascinating breeding account of the Tanganyikan sand sifter Xenotilapia bathyphilus, and I wrap things up with a summary of my recent visit with the Pacific Coast Cichlid Association. See you all soon!

3 3 A pair of Herichthys cyanogattatus protecting a large cloud of fry in the Comal River, Texas, The northern portion of this species range. Photo by Greg Steeves. Will the Real Texas Cichlid Please Stand up! - Walter Wooton Jr. There are a couple of different cichlids for sale out there with the name Texas attached to it, but only one is a true native Texan. They all are similar in care and size, but origins are different. The first impostor is the "Red Texas" cichlid. This is a hybridized species with some what unclear linage. I have read that they are cross between a male Herichthys and a female Amphilophus species, but I have also seen where Herichthys crossed with other species. The results from these crossings are a fish that comes out from bright red to pink. The more intense the red coloration, the more desirable and costlier it is to those that want them. Next up is the "Green Texas" (Hericthys carpintis) also sold under the names "Pearl Scale", "Blue Texas" and "Lowland" cichlid. A native of Mexico's eastern coast from the effluents of Laguna de Tamiahua north to Soto la Marina river including the Pánuco river system with the exception of Rio Gallinas so despite its name H. carpintis has no known established colonies in the United States. It is similar to a "Texas" cichlid and will cross with them easily. This is important to both us as hobbyist due to cross

4 This small spring fed brook well north of San Antonio Texas was home to spawning pairs of Herichthys cyanoguttatus despite an air temperature of only 9C. breeding in the tank and also in the wild since there are reports of changes to the geographical barriers separating the 2 species and they may be mixing in the wild. This brings us to Herichthys cyanoguttatus (formally Cichlasoma cyanoguttatum] AKA "Texas" cichlid, "Rio Grande" cichlid or "Rio Grande" perch. This is the only native species of cichlid to the U.S. Its native range is north east Mexico to the lower Rio Grande and Pecos river basins. It has also been introduced ether accidentally or with intent of stocking as a game fish to other areas, but it seems to have only taken hold in a few areas where the water temperature doesn't drop below 60F (15.5C) for extended periods of time. This includes the Verde River basin in Mexico, central Texas, around New Orleans, LA and many areas in Florida. In the aquarium H. cyanoguttatus seems to be more appreciated more the further it gets from its native range. This makes sense since to locals it is a game fish just like the African cichlids are thought as a food source to locals there, yet are highly prized here among hobbyist. This is a beautiful fish with a high back light gray body with small turquoise dots with a couple of black spots one about center and one at the base of the tail and 3 vertical bars on the back half of the body. Coloration and patterning will very slightly depending on collection area. It is a easy fish to care for in the home aquarium. They can withstand a wide range of water parameters from a PH of 6.5 to 8.2, a dh 5.0 to 12.0 and a temperature of 65 to 81F (18-27C), but they tend to thrive in the middle half of that temperature range. Choosing the correct tank Herichthys cyanoguttatus male hovering over a school of fry at the location shown above. size is critical due to them growing up to 12 inches (30.48cm) but 10 inches (25.4 cm) being typical with males and females stay slightly smaller. This larger size requires a 4

5 Top and bottom Hericthys carpintis from an expedition in 2010 to the Mexican interior. Photo by Troy Veltrop. 5

6 6 The geographical range of Herichthys cyanoguttatus and Herichthys carpintis. tank of a minimum of 100gal (400L) for a pair or a 55gal (210L) for a single specimen. Tank setup is easy: just lay in some sand on the bottom with some rock work and wood for hiding spots, maybe some floating plants (they will dig up and destroy rooted plants) and they will do the rest. Feeding is easy being that they are omnivores. They readily accept flakes, pellets, fresh, frozen, or even live foods just make sure they have a diet that leans more towards vegetable based foods. Breeding is easy with them on par with infamous convicts. The female will clean off a flat surface and lay anywhere between 500 to a couple thousand eggs at a time depending on health and size. Egg hatch in about 3 days and become free swimming about 4 days later. The pair will guard the fry with the male becoming much more aggressive so aggressive that they have a tendency of killing the female and for this reason the female should be removed or some sacrificial dither fish be placed in the tank for the male to focus on. The fry should be collected no later then 4 weeks after hatching, this is when the parents will quit defending them and will start eating them. If you are just wanting to keep this species as a "wet pet" in a community tank choose the tank mates carefully. Select companions that are of similar size and temperament to hold its own or that are fast and smart enough to stay out of their way. If you have an unused tank or thinking of changing one you already have you don't have to think globally but you can think locally. We all have wonderful, beautiful fish and plants in our own backyard so think about bringing some of that inside. It can be rewarding and create a wonderful conversation piece since most of your friend never see the beauty that lies below the surface of the local waterways.

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8 8 Xenotilapia bathyphilus in the author s aquarium. Photo by Benjamin L. Smith. Spawning Report on Xenotilapia bathyphilus - Benjamin L. Smith Xenotilapia bathyphilus is a cichlid from Lake Tanganyika. It is found lake-wide, and as its Greek-derived name would suggest, comes from the deeper parts of the lake, ranging from meters of depth. At these depths the water is still alkaline with a ph of 8.6, is very hard, and still relatively warm at 77-79o F3. It was initially classed as a variant of X. ochrogenys but has since been designated as its on species. My color variant was collected near Mtoto and is refered to as Mtoto Blue. The Mtoto Blue is a long slender fish with a sharply sloping forehead with the mouth located close to the substrate which is invariably sand which if filters through its gills to extract food. This behavior places the fish into a category known as sand sifters. The males of the variant I spawned has yellow spangling through the fins, a beautiful blue iridescences on the forehead and dark blue lips. The fish can turn this color off and on like a switch, though the lips usually retain some blue making it easy to identify males in a group. The body generally remains silver though it can have flashes of blue when the light catches it just right. I acquired my fish from Dave s Rare Aquarium Fish as juveniles about 1.5 yrs ago. At that time they were 1.5 inches and showing no color. At that point they were kept in a 75 gallon tank with Triglachromis otostigma and Ophthalmotilapia ventralis. I do water changes of approximately 50% every 3-4 weeks and the water from my tap mimics that of Lake Tanganyika. I feed them DRAF

9 Xenotilapia bathyphilus female holding a clutch of eggs. flakes as adults whereas the fry are started on Hikari First Bites, then Cyclopeze and crushed flake. At just over two inches, they began showing spawning activity, smoothing out a spot in the sand, but not digging a definitive pit and by 3 inches in length the males were well colored and I had females holding eggs. That was 1 year ago. The females invariable spit the eggs after 4-5 days and sometimes as late as 10 days. Now, the fish at 4.5 inches in length and have been moved to a 55 gallon tank w/ a decent amount of rockwork for hiding, the group is down from 2 males and 2 females to 1 male and 2 females. They share the tank with Callochromis melanostigma which are of adult size. The Xenos are spawning regularly now and I strip them at 2 weeks time. The fish are not quite free swimming then and still have some yolk. Stripping this fish hasn t proved difficult, as the female inevitably spits the fry out in the net. I have had 4 recent spawns that went the full two weeks and each spawn was about 6 weeks apart. The dominant male, when I had two, would constantly harass the other but there were never any torn fins. He also chases the females constantly which is why I have more rock in the current setup covering the substrate than there is available sand. While this appears to be working for my X. bathyphilus, my C. melanostigma have stopped spawning, whereas they had been making the attempt every 3-4 weeks just after my water changes. The male I lost was due to him jumping out of the tank so I would recommend a lid with as few open spaces as possible. As I use hang-on-back filters, I always have some space through which a fish can launch itself. Xenos in general can be finicky and fragile, but I have not had any issues with mine. My X. bathyphilus constantly display their colors, though you have to sit still for a few minutes to get a good show. This fish will even spawn in front of you which is always fun to watch. The female will drop her egg, swim away in an arc as the male comes around quickly and fertilizes it. He seems to know exactly where the egg on the substrate is relative to his genital poor and stops abruptly over it, pauses, and then darts back around with the female in a sort of yin-yan pattern of a dance. The female picks up the eggs which number between 10 and 15 for me. I have read from others spawning this fish that the parent will eat the fry if they are allowed to release them in even a species only tank so stripping the fish seems the most likely way to have a successful spawn. 9

10 10 Xenotilapia bathyphilus male in full dress. In all, I would recommend this fish as a good introduction to sand sifters. It has fun behavior, seems hardy and can be kept in a relatively small space. Ad Konings recommends a 30 gallon (3 ft) aquarium. Bibliography 1. Konings, Ad. Tanganyika Cichlids in their natural habitat. Cichlid Press 1998, p Konings, Ad. Back to Nature Guide to Tanganyika Cichlids. 2nd ed. Cichlid Press 2005, p Cichlid-Forum species profiles species.php?id=2026 Xenotilapia bathyphilus spawning.

11 11 HCCC Leadership Group Robert De Leon Dave Hansen JB Edmundson Diane Tennison Dan Schacht Evan Bowers Greg Steeves HCCC Webmaster Robert DeLeon HCCC Database Guru Evan Bowers HCCC Treasurer Dave Hansen HCCC Membership Diane Tennison HCCC Librarian Takeru Garcia (Austin) Walter Wooton (San Antonio) HCCC Lateral Line Editor Greg Steeves HCCC BAP Chairman Dan Schacht HCCC CARES Chairman Troy Veltrop Box Exchange Committee Dave Schumacher Greg Steeves HCCC Honorary Life Members Spencer Jack 2004 Robert De Leon 2006 Anton Lamboj 2007 Dave Hansen 2007 The HCCC Would like to thank the following club supporters. Without you, we wouldn t be what we are! Omega Sea Aquatek Lisa s Lair Bookstore Dave s Rare Aquarium Fish Cichlid Press San Francisco Bay Brand Zoomed Central Aquatics Petfrontier Leslies Pool Supply Darby s Tropical Fish Fish Hobby Supply USA Fish Box Amazonia International Cichlid News Ginger Products Aquadome HCCC CARES/International CARES Committee Claudia Dickinson Dave Hansen Barbara Wooton Troy Veltrop Greg Steeves

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13 13 The mezzanine of the Monterrey Bay Aquarium. A visit with the Pacific Coast Cichlid Association November Greg Steeves I have been keeping aquariums for a long time. Not only have my fish provided me countless hours of entertainment and tranquility, there have been spin offs that I certainly would not have ever envisioned. I have always figured that I would be part of a club related to some aspect of the hobby but hadn t planned on being part of a progressive and enjoyable conservation minded organization as the Hill Country Cichlid Club is. From my involvement with the HCCC, I began writing short articles for our publication the Lateral Line. This expanded to writing for other clubs, internet sources, magazines and eventually being part of a couple book projects. My interest in haplochromines stemmed from the attractiveness of the fish themselves as well as the lack of information out there. My first presentation was to my club and then, out of the blue one day, I was asked to do a presentation on my favorite fish for another club. It had never crossed my mind that others would actually be interested in anything I had to say as I hadn t, and still do not, consider myself an expert in any way. That said, as time has gone on, I have been most fortunate to travel frequently to other societies and conventions speaking on my favorite group of cichlids. This year, my fish trips have been incredible. I returned to Denver Colorado and was hosted by a great friend Bob Grauer. Bob is an accomplished fish breeder with a sizable

14 14 fish room but above all, is a fantastic host. I jump at the chance to attend a Rocky Mountain Cichlid Association event whenever the opportunity arises. A few weeks later I was Chuck Rambo and myself on a pier in Santa Cruz. on my way to Minnesota. My friend Jason Swanson had arranged a trip involving visits to two clubs, the Minnesota Aquarium Society and the Minnesota chapter of the Midwest Cichlid Association. I had an incredible time up there. What great people. I got to revisit Bob Randall and a host of other characters that I now consider friends. This entire trip was perfect. Jason s wife Sara had asked me if there was anything that I needed before I left and I, being a smart a$$ told her I needed red M&M s in my dressing The sparkling Pacific teems with life. room. When I checked into my hotel, on the dresser was a bag of goodies including an entire bag of red M&M s!!! I spoke at the MAS on a Thursday evening and enjoyed being part of such a strong club. On Friday I was free to do whatever I wanted. This is something that doesn t happen often and I appreciated the time I was given to explore on my own. I spent most of the day at the Mall of the Americas where I bought souvenirs for the family and visited the Aquarium there. I topped it off with quite possibly the best pizza I had ever had. Saturday I gave a talk to the MCA in Jason s garage. That s right! He has an amazing muscle car and a large garage to house it in. They put together a pot luck dinner and a perfect sized crowd attended. This is without a doubt, one of the most relaxed and enjoyable (for Sea Lions sunning themselves on a dock in Santa Cruz. me) talks I had ever given. I even got to get a dig in on Jenny. I told her that her beautiful killie fish would make great feeders for some of my vics! All in all this was a great visit and one I ll always rank at the top of my favorites list. Next it was off to the Cleveland and the Ohio Cichlid Association. My friend Lew Carbone a fellow vic head, had invited me up. This was a whirlwind trip that involved my first close call on a plane, cancellations and doing some con-

15 15 A tornado at the DFW airport. Picture taken from inside the plane. Not the thing you want to see when starting a trip! structive traveling to arrive on time. I got to hang out with Lew, see my friend Kevin Bauman and meet some hobby legends. Despite the bad start, it was a great meeting and my only regret is that I would have liked to have stayed to visit a little longer.next time. Next up with a trip to San Jose, California and a talk to the Pacific Coast Cichlid Association. This is my first trip to the west coast and the PCCA is well known in the cichlid hobby as one of the most active clubs in the country. This is the home club of my friend Pam Chin, Ron Coleman, Sam Borstien, Richard Tirzo and Chuck Rambo. Chuck has been the voice for conservation and Lake Victoria fish in the ACA for many years. It was an incredible honor to be asked to speak by him albeit a little intimidating. I arrived on a Friday evening and, as Jason had done in Minnesota, Chuck allowed me to have the night to myself. He had a busy Saturday planned so I appreciated being allowed to wind down after a long day of travel (which included a delayed flight and tornado at the DFW airport. Once I had gotten unpacked I decided to meander down the street from the hotel in search for a bite to eat. I found this place called Vito s and the thought of Italian food seemed like a perfect idea. This was a quaint little restaurant where I had the most incredible scallops smothered with a creamy clam sauce. I had never had anything like this and it was sooooo gooooood! After stuffing myself I returned to the hotel to get some sleep for the next day. Chuck picked me up at 9:00 am with his wonderful wife Carol. She s a hoot. I had always thought of Chuck as the dry serious type but man was I wrong. He s got a great sense of humor and is just as crazy and twisted as I am. We were off. Flanked by huge trees and rolling hills we made out way to Santa Cruz. I was very surprised by several features here. Firstly was the abundance of huge eucalyptus trees. Then, walking along the pier, the sound of barking underneath us was prevalent. Looking down, we were in the presence of hundreds of large sea lions! This was quite a site to see. Here we had breakfast right on the water and got to walk around enjoying the sweet sea air. It had been a long time since I had been able to experience that familiar smell. We then hopped in the car and followed the The scenery on the way to the aquarium was incredible!

16 16 I had never seen a tank devoted to sand dollars. Not much movement but still really interesting. coast to Monterrey Bay. On the way we passed through many small agricultural towns each seemingly specializing on a particular crop. A fresh crop of strawberries was being harvested while other fields were being sewn. We passed rows upon row of artichokes, garlic and lots of other crops before reaching our destination. As we approached Monterrey Bay, small inlets housed hundreds of boats docked together while commercial ships trawled just off shore. I was surprised to be actually able to see the top of the kelp forest. From the shore we could easily see the sea otters lounging on their backs enjoying the sun. It is in this position that they use rocks to crack open mollusk shells. We were also able to view a couple harbor seals later on. These are very cute little animals no where near as large as the sea lions we had seen earlier. Our main destination was the aquarium here. I had no idea that this was the size it was. The place is huge! The displays are all pleasing to look at and very well maintained. There were impressive tidal exhibits complete with artificial surge provided by a machine that dumped thousands of gallons of water over a mushroom like Plexiglas structure that you could actually walk inside of. It would be really tough to explain how impressive this was. It is something you just have to experience. There were touch tanks with sharks and rays, halibut and other creatures. Smaller touch tanks with guided personnel had starfish, sea cucumbers, and anemones. There was one tank with a huge pacific octopus actively stretched out across the front of the tank. I started taking as many pictures as I could before someone pointed out to me the half dozen or so signs that said no flash photography. Carol and I decided that they couldn t have meant us. The facility also had an impressive display of seahorses, pipefish and sea dragons. Among the most memorable of spectacles there was the multi story, round kelp forest tank. I managed to shoot some impressive video of the display but ever as well as it came out, is nothing compared to seeing in person. There was a huge school of sardines all schooling together in a tight ball, then A giant pacific octopus was extremely lively roaming the tank for all to see. From tip to tip this animal was over two meters long.

17 The floor plan of the Monterrey Bay Aquarium. This is a must see for anyone in the area. 17

18 One of the most incredible displays I had ever seen. The three story kelp forest tank. 18

19 19 moving in unison through the flowing kelp strands. I think that this was likely the most impressive display I have ever seen. I could have sat in front of this giant tank for hours upon hours never seeing everything. After the aquarium we walked along the sea shore making our way to another pier further down the bay. Here we had dinner at an amazing restaurant specializing in seafood. I got a seafood primavera dish full of clams, scallops and shrimp. My mouth is still watering thinking about it. By now the sun was starting to set so we made our way back to the car. Driving back to San Jose I had no Victorian guys who had planned on being there. Oh well, all the more reason to go back! After my talk, Sam auctioneered plants and fish. He did a great job. I sometimes have a hard time remembering that Sam is so young. He s a very knowledgeable fish head and represents the future of cichlid science. I have no doubt in my mind Sam Borstein auctioning up a storm! Dinner right on the water with the Rambo s. idea that Monterrey was so close to two very famous golf courses, Spyglass and Pebble Beach. Carol tried to take my picture beside the sign for Pebble Beach but it was dark and the sign was reflective so it really didn t turn out. Once back at the hotel, I had less than an hour to take a quick shower and gather my stuff up for the presentation at the club (I had almost forgotten that was what I was out there for). Chuck picked me up and we were off to the meeting place. Here I got to meet all the people I had hoped to see with the exception of Pam and the west coast that Sam will someday be one of the worlds leading ichthyologists and my only worry is that Ron will corrupt his mind with visions of Central American cichlids distracting him from his true calling, haplochromines (wishful thinking on my part I m sure). All in all jut a really great time. As the meeting fizzled down, Chuck and I left. On the way back to the hotel we had continued our discussion on the hobby, and especially, of great interest to me, the early days of imports from Lake Victoria. I have always liked and respected Chuck, but after this weekend, those two words do not duly describe the person he is; a wonderful host and great friend. Thank you to the PCCA for the opportunity to visit. I hope to see you all again!

20 Thank you to all out club supporters. We wouldn t be who we are without you! 20 Fish Hobby Supply a proud supporter of the HCCC 10% off web orders Foods, Plants, Supplies 15% off total purchase excluding specials, package deals, and sale items Wetmore Rd. San Antonio, TX (210) Leslie s Pool Supply a proud supporter of the HCCC 20% off Pool Supplies 5-20% off selected items All Locations Telephone : (512) Fax : (512) austinaquadome@aol.com Gabe's Fish and Exotic Pets a proud supporter of the HCCC 15% off Livestock and most supplies 5418 Glen Ridge San Antonio, TX (210) AquaTek Tropical Fish a proud supporter of the HCCC 10% off Fish 8023 Burnet Road Austin, TX (512)

21 21 Amazonia International a proud supporter of the HCCC Member discounts: 20% off Fish & Live Plants 10% off Tanks, Stands, Eheims & Eclipses 25% off Filters & Powerheads 4631 Airport #116 Austin, TX (512)

22 The Lateral Line is the official publication of the Hill Country Cichlid Club. Reprinting permitted to non commercial organizations. 22