Pterophyllum altum

Another view

Pterophyllum altum

 

The 4 surviving Pterophyllum altum juveniles. They have been growing quite fast.

Pterophyllum altum

It's been a week since I brought them home and 8 juveniles are gone. There are 3 or 4 more 'thin' ones that I hope would make it. The rest are quite robust already. Pictures to follow.

Pterophyllum altum

It has been 72 hours since I took the 18 juvenile altums home, I lost 4 of the 18 - which is better than the previous experience. I have kept my water temperature at a constant of 32 degrees centigrade and intermittently added Sera's Baktopur (I am on a drip system with water being continuously replaced maintaining almost zero to none of the nitrates). Still keeping my fingers crossed as I do not have the luxury of time.

Pterophyllum altum

Just couldn't resist testing myself - I took home another 18 juveniles. Will keep you updated as I am still quite busy acclimatizing the new arrivals.

Pterophyllum altum

Yesterday, the last remaining juvenile altum was gone. It has been a miserable week or even two, and I am not expecting any soon. I am currently quite busy with work (which is good because it also takes the frustrations off my mind for sometime) and finally I will get my customized aquarium delivered soon (I am really tempted to brag about it but I am not allowed to - it is from a major brand), and the prospect of having a one-of-a-kind aquarium is keeping me involved in the hobby after the heartbreaks and ego-busters. The best of thank yous to friends who suggested to let go this time and focus instead on my brand new aquarium (but still shocked to find out of the cost of materials for the aquarium stand) for next year's batch of altums(?). Also thanks thanks to those who despite the odds, came up with the customized tank - Deric, Boy, and Hazel to name a few). I am still working on that delivery and trying to fit the new tank inside my room (if I can really manage to get it inside because of its width).

As in any loss, there are quite a few things I learned or that should be recognized - carelessness is really dangerous and time management is an important tool in maintaining fish to cite a few. Next time, next time should be a mantra a hobbyist needs to recite quite often.

Pterophyllum altum

For documentation, here's the lone surviving juvenile P. altum I have after all the 'disasters' I went through. Note the length of the ventral fin is longer than the body height. This is what I am trying to find out - whether they P. altum grow out with shorter fin length when mature in captivity. Very few mature P. altums that I see online have fin:body length ratio that Bleher considers as the real ones.

I added two more today, which pales in comparison when it comes to size and fin length (I strongly believe that P. altums should be in a group) - and the new ones already have the longest fins among the stock left from the seller.

Aquarium Water Temperature

It was a terrible accident waiting to happen because of my work schedule, which is also quite erratic. I discovered to my 'surprise' that my planted tank's water temperature has risen so high 35 to 36 degrees. And the worst part, it got nothing to do with equipment failure - I am using Jager's heater (an Eheim brand) which is really the most reliable one can get hold of - but I totally forgot that during the last water change, I turned the heater to max intending to hasten the increase in temperature for the new water and completely forgot all about it for two days. Two days and fishes started dying off on me. I started to check on all the components of my system and there it was - temperature was way off what would be considered as part of the range of what would be ideal, way off the mark with 10 degrees. For fishes like corydora sterbai, they weren't affected (so far and in terms of mortalities) because they do require higher temperature than c. melinis and others that died. Will further update you on the after-effects of the 10 degree increase in water temperature in two days time.

Pterophyllum altum

Last Saturday, I added three more seemingly healthy juveniles to the 4 surviving ones. In less than 2 days, all three were dead. I have been reassessing the situation because the mortality rate reached as high as 3 out of 4. Comparing this to last year's import and other's experiences, the mortality rate is almost the same. But, reading through the different fora (mortality rates range from 1 out of 5 to about a third of a batch survival) made me realize that I maybe facing another problem related with the way I select which juvenile to bring home.

Whenever I choose a fish, I always try to choose the healthiest ones. For the juvenile altums, meanwhile, my primary consideration was physical (to choose the tallest ones in terms of the fin length and more prominent bars) for the next stage of my altum experiment. Additionally, I was more keen on the coloration (reddish tinge fins) than the behavioral display. Even while picking on my first batch this year, I noticed that quite a few were easily caught. The second time I went to pick up the 3, I even hesitated to pick another because it was easily netted. Thus, to begin with, I may have been choosing the slowest swimmers and darker ones as I wanted the juvenile altums with the most prominent barring - which can also be construed as picking on the weakest of the lot.

As I researched into juvenile altums, more specifically about selection, I read last night that healthy juveniles are paler than those who remain darker and slower, partly as a behavioral response. That might just be the answer to what has been a bit disappointing week. The frustration is slowly building up but the hobby of keeping altums remain challenging. Will keep you abreast everything.

Zebra Pleco or L46

After several days of observing, I finally got the zebra pleco to 'vacate' the cavity (admittedly, with some 'hard' persuasive acts). And it is an empty nest! No success in spawning the zebras despite all the 'rituals' the pair underwent - sharing the driftwood cavity with one blocking the entrance, the 3 to 4 day eviction of the other (presumed to be the egg-layer) and 'fanning.' Just like that, it all came to a naught.

Pterophyllum altum

Fourth, for some tech-geeky reasons, I finally ran my ORP (Redox Potential) gadget. Ok, that it is something that is a bit too much for an ordinary hobbyist, but with the juvenile altums, I wanted to document anything I could handle. Despite low 100+ values during the initial monitoring, when the problems started (physical signs started to show) - the ORP, started to increase reaching as high as 300. Now it's back to 250 and a bit reassuring. There was that feeling of 'what's with the water?' And these with water parameters that could be summed in zeroes for the dreaded ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. My pH remained stable between 6.8 to 7.0 and TDS at 150s (for my planted tank, this was something one wants to avoid a pH crash). To this night, it doesn't really make sense (why the increase in ORP values). Still, and I should admit, I was also tempted to increase the ORP to 350 at certain times using my ozone generator to finish off anything that shouldn't be there - but that entails more risk than necessary as a male zebra pleco is caring for the eggs laid by my lone female L46.

There are many other possible reasons - but one thing is sure, I am enjoying this. It is the challenge a serious hobbyist needs - to strive harder. And for those who are getting their P. altum juveniles, I suggest, increase your water temperature (the first thing Ken Kennedy of Pinoy Angelfish fame asked me if I did when we talked), start the antibiotic treatment right away upon quarantining them. I am using Sera's Baktopur although Potassium Permanganate would do as well albeit it is more risky. You will soon realize why one of the hardest fish to keep are P. altums.

Pterophyllum altum

So how difficult it is to care for juvenile Altums? I have been a hobbyist for 30 years and always quite good in maintaining my water parameters and fishes. And last year, I got my first-ever community of P. altum around 4 to 5 inches tall with very little problems encountered along the way becoming just a hobby without the challenges - it was a matter of time before I got bored with them. A week or two ago, I opted to release my 2009 P. altum community knowing that a new batch of juveniles are coming in. So, when they arrived the week before, I took home 12 x 2.5 to 3 inches tall juvenile P. altums and it has been quite a different experience. As of tonight, there are only 4 left of the juveniles. Picture above shows the 'dominant' juvenile which is now without its dorsal and ventral fins - but remains the alpha of the remaining 4.

So what was the cause of the losses? A mix bag of costly mistakes really.

First, I forgot to increase the water temperature. I have since gone 31 to 33 (degrees centigrade) and somehow it is working.

Second, I initiated deworming and didn't do as the importers do - that is add an antibiotic as a precautionary measure as they are wild-caught (I do endorse an active quarantine procedure but do not actually practice it in reality, which should be another series of postings in the future). For two days now, I have been adding my ever-trusted Baktopur (Sera's, always keep this in your fish medicine cabinet) and so far it also has done wonders. The fish disease am dealing with is, columnaris based on the physical signs.

Third, there were probable tankmates which could have done more harm - local shrimps I have kept in the planted tanks that I have seen attack and finish off (as fish meal) anything that it can get hold of. They have since been transferred to another tank.

Pterophyllum altum

A few hours ago, two fellow hobbyists came to visit my tanks. Nothing much to see that is out of the ordinary except for the newly arrived Pterophyllum altum juveniles (or Altum Angelfish) and Potamotrygon schroederi (Flower Ray)- both of which are rare in the country. Presently there is good enough interest in Altum Angelfish that probably it should be good to refer back to several posts I made earlier on this blog. It is a fish that very few in the country has experience with. Even among those who had the opportunity, it was never an easy task.

There are several reasons for this, first and foremost is the scarcity of the fish itself in the local market and even elsewhere. This despite claims of success in captive breeding in other countries - which is not universally accepted and thus remains controversial - the demand quite easily surpasses that of the supply. In fact, the high demand for Altums have created a market wherein even wild-caught Pterophyllum scalares are being sold as Altums, a good example here is the so-called Peruvian Altum. Additionally, the fish, especially wild-caught is available only seasonally. Although in the past year or two, most of the wild-caught P. altums have been juveniles.

The scarcity (thus our own lack of experience) and being wild-caught make it doubly difficult for anyone wanting altums in their show tanks. It may look and sound easy but if you read the finer details, you will find the technical requirements that you probably won't even encounter for most other fishes. The same scarcity and high mortality rates in transit and even during acclimatization also affect the price of available P. altums and most do complain because they simply do not understand.

Pterophyllum altum 3rd Night

More Potamotrygon sp. Pictures

How Difficult It Is?

How difficult it is to take care of juvenile Pterophyllum altums? Just today, despite perfectly normal water parameters (except for an increasing redox [238 - 240 before bed and now at 280s]), I lost 3 juveniles (one out of technical problem with water flow because of the increased aeration).

The other fishes are all doing well including several new addition to the lone Corydora melini left in the fish tank. It wasn't as difficult when I started with 4 to 5 inches last year, to say I did well would be an understatement compared to what I am experiencing now.

Altum Season is On Us!

They are here! Pterophyllum altum juveniles at around 2.5 to 3 inches tall (inclusive of dorsal and ventral fins). They are just beautiful but quite delicate too - so am crossing my fingers.

Am reconfiguring my filtration systems (and fish tanks) to accommodate the newly-arrived juveniles especially with a customized 90 cm tall tank for them. Will update you also on this.

Zebra Pleco or L46

It has been 4 days and the other zebra pleco is now out of the 'cavity.' It is quite difficult to see whether there are eggs inside the 'cavity' as the remaining zebra pleco is there. Will keep you updated on the developments.

Cichla kelberi

After a few days, I finally got a picture of the Cichla kelberi, the latest addition in my collection.

Zebra Pleco or L46

If indeed the pair of zebras are in spawning mood, for purposes of documentation, I also need to put down the following:

At present, there are 3 mature and 2 juveniles in a 40 gallon Kotobuki planted tank with several other fishes (more than a 200 in all of different sizes, 0.5 inch to 3.5 inches). Filtration systems include 4 units of Liberty 2042 (hang-on-back, each unit is good for upto 50 gallons of water) and a Eheim pro3 (canister with pump rate of 600 liters per hour). All filtering units are filled with Siporax rings.

Water parameters: 28 to 29 degrees, pH 6.8 to 7.0, Ammonia/Nitrite/Nitrate are 0. Minimal water flow. Nitrates have been zero for a week with the addition of a 'drip system, previously readings ranged from 20 to 40.

Diet mainly live tubifex, Sera's welse-chips and frozen blood worms.

Zebra Plecos or L46

Second day stuck in the driftwood's cavity, picture shows the two zebra plecos. The one on top covers the one inside whenever I approach. Hopefully this will be a successful pair.

Potamotrygon schroederi update

While P-Noy was presenting the SONA on television, I took some pictures of the flower rays. Barely two months since they arrived, they have started to darken more showing the yellowish floral pattern and black base.

The flower rays are considered as one of the specials among the freshwater stingrays but also with the highest mortality rates (or deaths). It is rarely imported into the country and due its beautiful floral pattern, is sought-after. Do look into my previous post as there are 3 variants with some newer hybrids being sold as flower rays.

My French Bulldog Chi-Chi

I took him home because he was malnourished and the breeder's kennel conditions weren't too good. He'd grown since then with an attitude that can be best described as 'stubborn' and 'sutil' yet remain quite adorable. He is often mistaken as a cat and a day ago while driving home with Chi-Chi on my lap, a passing PLDT cab passenger actually screamed with 'ang ganda ng pusa mo.'

Biofiltration

So why is Oxygen important in your fish tank?

First and most important, your fish need oxygen just like we do to live. That should be simple enough.

To make it more interesting though, there are several reasons for the presence of oxygen aside from that needed by fishes in an aquarium. The nitrifying bacterial colonies or the so-called good bacteria requires oxygen to convert ammonia to nitrite and nitrite to nitrate. This is one of the reasons why trickle filters are quite popular nowadays as oxygenation is enhanced when used properly (more on this too soon).

Additionally, other unwanted dissolved organic substances are eliminated or transformed into lesser complicated ones (ok, less dangerous) in the presence of oxygen through a chemical process (simplified here).

Zebra pleco or L46

Yesterday, I was sharing with a friend who happens to be one of the very best fish hobbyist in the country about 3 adult zebra plecos occupying a cave of their own in my planted tank and of the probability that all are males - well what do I get instead?

Above picture may just be the answer. A second zebra pleco in the 'residence' of another. Will keep you updated on this as there are very few instances of zebra plecos being bred in the country at this time.

Biofiltration

Another concept that I am not about to leave out is Oxygen, more importantly, it's availability for your fishes and the nitrifying bacterial colonies. Availability is directly proportional to the air-water interface where most gas exchange occur. Increasing temperature and dissolved organic compounds will decrease the availability of Oxygen.

One can increase the availability of Oxygen in practice is to enlarge the air-water interface - aeration with the production of air bubbles (more bubbles means more surface area for the air-water interface), providing a larger surface area at the water level (rectangular fish tanks will have more than a square or round one) or increasing the rate of gas exchange by increasing the flow on the water surface.

More to follow....

Biofiltration

Now that I have shared a bit about Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate - it is important to come up with the issue of eliminating all these elements (or atleast decrease the amount that will accumulate) in a closed system (that's your aquarium). Besides regular partial water changes which I doubt anyone truly relishes this part of fish keeping - one needs a system to effect a near optimal environ for your fishes. The system is filtration, more specifically that of biological filtration. I wish I could add biochemical filtration but this could come later as I want to deal first with the more immediate concerns of anyone 'plunging' into the hobby. Filtration as I use the term in this section should be thought of as a functional whole rather than individual parts (mechanical, biological, chemical, etc.).

Again let me start with a few general concepts here on filtration.

There are many kinds of filtration and 'best' is a rather relative word, wherein a hobbyist will always find someone with claims of having the 'best' system (including myself) - but believe me when I say, to each his own here - what works for one particular fish species may not work for another given the same conditions, the same is true in terms of the experiences of different hobbyists using the same system. SO I will not make any claims on which is best, but how a system of filtration (in this case biological filtration) would work in relation to its primary function - that of eliminating the unwanted Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate in an enclosed system.

It is noteworthy, too, to state that there is no such thing as over-filtration. One can never approximate what nature can provide. Over-filtration just means more than enough the estimated requirement of a volume of water vis-a-vis that of a filtering unit. In most cases, in more common usage is all about the number of units one places in each fish tank and should never be taken seriously.

In both - do consider these keywords - reliability, convenience and cost-benefit ratio should precede cost when selecting what fits your needs most (more of the fishes' really). A lot still do put cost at the forefront but this prioritization makes it costlier in the long run.

To be continued.....

Nitrate

The last by-product is also the most difficult to remove despite claims to the contrary (plants [read http://www.aquabotanic.com/plants_and_biological_filtration.htm to find which plants prefer nitrates], denitrators). At lower levels and short term exposure, nitrate may not be such a problem. But prolonged exposure brings some dire consequences like organ damage, etc.

The only practical means to remove is to do regular partial water changes and even this will not totally eliminate nitrates. Again Nitra-Zorb may be used to prevent accumulation and one may try the intricacies of a denitrator.

Around a week ago, I added a 'drip' system (I will write on this soon) for several of my fish tanks and today when I finally took time off from a very hectic schedule - I got for the first time, again a FIRST in my 3 decades of being a hobbyist, zero nitrates in all the tanks where the 'drip' system were used.

Nitrite

This one definitely is something you do not like seeing in your water. Simply because it really can kill. I wrote earlier that it blocks Oxygen from being carried through the blood by some transformation in the hemoglobin structure. Other sources also claim that it may be directly toxic to the fish. Nothing much can be done except to do water change when it comes to nitrite levels in 'immature' or 'uncycled' tanks (it is a reminder of the importance of properly cycling your biofilter as it takes around 3 weeks to establish enough colonies of bacteria for nitrite to nitrate conversion, remember the bacterial reproduction takes 24 hours to form another cell plus the fact that ammonia to nitrite conversion is way faster than nitrite to nitrate conversion, so nitrite levels add up quite faster).

Just a quick preventive measure: Try a product called Nitra-Zorb by API (which is available locally) to reduce the 'risk.' Although Nitra-Zorb is rated for ammonia removal, the package insert do indicate that it does indeed remove nitrite and nitrate at a lesser degree. I have tried the product during start up (of some of my tanks in the past) several times and it did work.

Ammonia

The two pictures above are examples of Ammonia detectors (ok, I have all of them to detect/test for Ammonia).

I usually place Seachem's Ammonia Alert (second picture) in my overstocked aquariums for convenience - to continuously detect any changes (for upto a year) in the ammonia level in each tank and I find it quite sensitive. The cost is a bit prohibitive (but remember it last a year) and it may take around 15 minutes or more (if I remember it right) to level off after higher readings (and upon refilling the aquarium with fresh water during water changes).

An alternative are the API Ammonia Aquarium Strips (right most in first picture) for those who are a bit lazy like me. With 25 test strips, it cost less than half of Ammonia Alert. The most affordable are the test solutions.

So what does one do if these test kits are not available? Simple, just follow what I do most of the time, when in doubt, do 'water change.' Oftentimes, the 'intuition' that something is wrong is right especially if one is a keen observer specially of fish behavior.

Other clues that will make one suspect some problems (read higher ammonia levels than usual) relate to the effects of ammonia on the fish nervous system and gill membranes. These include spasms (jerks for example), erratic movements and eventually losing their balance, swimming to the surface and sinking to the bottom later and dying. Another clue is water cloudiness, although this is often thought to be ammonia - it is actually the effect of increased in heterotrophic bacteria population which is due to the availability of ammonia in the water.

Long term effects of ammonia toxicity includes lesser growth rates, susceptibility to gill membrane bacterial infection, organ damage, and even abundant secretion of mucus.

It is important to note here that, there are differential effects of ammonia to different fish species, meaning, each fish species will have differing tolerance and toxicity will depend on this. In general though, one again should remember that ammonia is toxic even at very low levels and its presence only indicates that the biofiltration system isn't working properly or even inadequate. Addition of rock salt was found to effective in lowering the effects but is less than the degree afforded by calcium chloride.

The Nitrogen Cycle in Practice

Generally, water parameter testing isn't practice by the majority of fish keepers. And most do without them, successfully keeping their pets too. Despite the cost, I am a stickler for water parameter testing, as I consider a live fish more valuable than a dead one (and I do overcrowd my fish tanks).

So how does one apply knowledge of the nitrogen cycle into our daily chores in fishkeeping?

Nothing is sterile (or devoid of any living organism) when one starts. Anything you place into the tank, including water will have colonies of bacteria (and other microscopic organisms, too) and the nitrogen cycle should start as long as ammonia is present (it is 'food' or 'fuel' for the nitrifying bacteria).

The most important thing to do in starting a new tank is to increase the nitrifying bacteria population and to provide the 'food' or 'fuel' - and the most practical thing to do in the former is to make this initial population of 'good' bacteria is to increase their numbers. One may ask for some old filter material (or even in-tank substrate) from your local fish stores (but this brings in the risk of acquiring the unwanted organisms that can cause infections or diseases in your tank's occupants). An alternative is the utilization of bacterial preparations (like Sera's Nitrivec) but this entails additional cost and for some hobbyists, are unnecessary or even ineffective. Or add so-called 'starter' fish that will be the main source of ammonia. Just an additional fact, the nitrifying bacteria grow everywhere inside the tank where it is wet, including in the biofilm on the water surface, and all one needs is to provide the food or fuel for survival and population growth in the form of ammonia. Thus in fish-less cycling, ammonia (fertilizer) is added.

The Nitrogen Cycle

Here we see that, it takes roughly 6 weeks (against 4 weeks from some local online forum) to say that enough 'good' bacteria is present in the biofilter, taking into account the bacterial growth rate (e.g. 24 hours splitting for the second stage), etc to handle the ammonia produced by the fish tank's occupant(s).

Note that I wrote 'enough' to indicate that of population rather than 'mature' which would imply stability as it takes longer to mature the biofilter. In some online sources, give or take 6 months should be a good take off point assuming the following conditions are met: no sudden increases in 'bioload' from addition of new or more fishes, or decaying organic matters (excess feeding or uneaten food, poor filter media maintenance, die-offs, etc.) and, adequate oxygenation (which is an entire topic on its own that I will be dealing with in later posts). Suffice to say that oxygen is a necessity for both the fish and the bacteria as the bacteria do require the element to convert ammonia to the other by-products. Although there are other pathways, this is the major one.

Next I will be writing on this 'little' knowledge of nitrification into practical applications in the hobbyist's day to day situation.

The Nitrogen Cycle

Nitrite

The next product in the nitrogen cycle is also the most toxic as it can cause immediate blood changes that blocks the transport of oxygen through the body (at levels as low as 1.6 mg/L). Also exist in two forms, but in more acidic water the amount of the more toxic form (nitrous acid) is higher, in contrast to that of ammonia (lower pH is related with the less toxic form). In softer water, the same is true.

Compared to ammonia to nitrite conversion (through oxidation or reduction), nitrite to nitrate conversion takes a longer time as the bacteria (nitrospira) divides more slowly (24 hours to double the population). Thus commonly, it takes 3 weeks and longer to establish enough population of the nitrospira to convert nitrite to the least critical nitrate. At all times, the nitrite level should be maintained below 0.1 ppm or 1 mg/L.

Nitrate, the final by-product of nitrification, although less toxic than the two earlier by-products should be maintained below 50 ppm as it can stress the fish and lessen the resistance to diseases. Despite the popularity of using aquatic plants to remove nitrate from the tank, a more recent study provided evidence that most aquatic plants preferentially use ammonia than nitrate. The only means to lower nitrate levels is through regular partial water changes.

In all these processes, it is important to note that oxygen is a requirement. Both stages are also light-sensitive (more so with nitrospira).

To be cont'd...

The Nitrogen Cycle

So I already dealt with an overview of the nitrogen cycle, the next step is to know of the different chemicals and bacteria involved in the two-stage process that is important in a closed system like an aquarium.

Ammonia

The fish excretes ammonia through the gill membranes (primarily the source of most ammonia in a fish tank) and additional levels are contributed by decomposition of waste materials (poop, leftovers, dead bacterial colonies for example) by heterotrophic bacteria. Ammonia exist in two forms (the more toxic ammonia [NH3, also known as free ammonia] and ammonium [NH4]) and most test kits will provide the sum of both forms (typically called total ammonia). At lower pH (acidic) range, more of the total ammonia exist in the less-toxic ammonium thus provides for a relative safer environment. Ammonia levels should always be maintained below 0.1 ppm (parts per million or 0.1 mg/L. In an established aquarium, there should be no ammonia as this is easily converted into nitrite (which should also be zero although it takes more time to convert into nitrate by nitrospira).

Ammonia is dangerous for your fish (it could kill and these are the things to watch out for: spasms, spinning in small circles and laying at the bottom of the tank. Other signs include increased mucus production, bleeding gills, darkening, gasping and increase respiration as ammonia destroys the gill membranes impeding gas exchange.

It is usually associated with the so-called 'new tank syndrome.' Ammonia is expected to rise and peak within 3 to 5 days of starting a new set up and should be zero at the minimum on the 10th day if the cycling is done properly.

The Nitrogen Cycle

Since we know where ammonia comes from (protein by-product and is excreted mainly through gill membranes and waste that is decomposed by other microscopic organisms), then we could start talking about the nitrogen cycle. It is again, I need to reiterate this, a recycling process of the nitrogen.

The nitrogen cycle is simply not as simple as presented in most online source pertaining to fish keeping. It involves a multitude of pathways (or processes) which are often not put into detail. The typical presentation is that of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate as a non-reversible 2 processes, one followed by the other....

Ammonia, which will impede oxygen exchange in the gill membranes, once present in the water is converted to nitrite by a population of bacteria. Nitrite which is more toxic (related with oxygen transport in fish blood) than ammonia is then converted by another group of bacteria into nitrate (ill effects takes a longer time to manifest, in short it won't kill your fish immediately unless the levels are really high).

The two processes is a means of simplifying the 'cycle' but the finer details one needs to know here is how long it takes to achieve the conversion of the substances involved and how fast the two groups of bacteria to populate the filter media.

In reality, it is reversible in a sense that there are other pathways that can convert the nitrate back to ammonia but that will not be our main concern here, we are after all sticking to the basics.

To be continued.....

Still on Water Changes

Before I write further on water changes, let me tackle some basic concepts of the nitrogen cycle as I get quite a few inquiries on the topic. So let me try to simplify it in a way that it can be applied by the hobbyist in dealing with a new aquarium and/or maintaining an old one as I believe information that is known will only serve its purpose if it is applied and again, silly as it may sound, I do not see this in most discussions and even reading materials.

The operative word to begin with is 'recycle.' It is a process of moving one particular form of element - nitrogen which is part of ammonia, nitrite, nitrate - to another form so that other organisms could use it (like ammonia, nitrites, nitrate) to the final end-product (surprise, surprise - back to nitrogen) so that it can be reused, thus the terms I use is 'recycle.' That is nature at work, nothing is wasted as nitrogen is part of the basic elements of life (specifically of proteins - building blocks of life) and as such is needed by any living organism.

One organism takes in proteins and excrete it in another form. But as per nature's design, nothing is wasted thus the waste produced by one is actually 'food' for another, whose own excreta will also be consumed or utilized by another until nitrogen is released back in nature from which plants take it up and start the process again. Recycling indeed was never new, it has been there all along.

Now, fish excretes what it eats. What it excretes remains within a closed system (that is what an aquarium is until you do water change). The waste then is decomposed by another set of organisms that produces ammonia and this is where all the problems start. Ammonia. One more fine detail and quite important too, fish do excrete ammonia, most of them through their gill membranes - so one needs no poop to have ammonia in your aquarium because the gill membranes releases most of it. Thus when one encounters high ammonia levels, fish gill membranes are the first to be affected. Gas exchange is impaired and that could really make it dangerous for the fish.

Melnor Time-A-Matic

The Melnor Time-A-Matic

Water Changes Woes

I am finally working on making my life easier as a hobbyist or to make it more appropriate, even 'more convenient' in keeping fishes. Not that I am complaining really as I still rely on my present filtration set-up (think Eheim pro3/pro3es and several liters of Siporax, Substrat Pro and even Aquaclay) to maintain the different fish tanks. But despite the top-of-the-line equipment and filter media - one can never avoid regular water changes for two reasons:

1. Reduce the nitrate level (and other substances) as it can never be totally eliminated from a 'closed system' not even with aquatic plants - most of which have preference for ammonia from a recent study and which is contrary to the popular notion. I haven't worked with denitrators so I can not say much of its effects at the moment.

2. Accumulation of organic by-products like ammonia make water acidic as time passes as buffering properties of freshwater is used up to neutralize the acids. Water changes also increases the buffering capacity and replaces consumed minerals.

So what is there to do?

Water changes are time consuming (and laborious) especially if you are dealing with overcrowded tanks and big volumes of water. As I wrote earlier, even the best filtration systems can only do so much - for example, an Eheim filter provides reliability (translated as peace of mind), convenience (best for those who got not much time) and (electrical) cost efficiency while Siporax which is made of sintered glass compared to an ordinary ceramic ring have an surface area upto 30x for beneficial bacteria (1 liter of Siporax is roughly equivalent upto 34 liters of an ordinary one) - thus we are talking space here. In the long run, using both Eheim and Siporax leads to greater cost-benefit ratio.

The first solution I depended on is to do 'overfiltration' which is really ironic as there is really no such thing in a closed system but from my experience, this atleast made the frequency of equipment maintenance and water changes less often. At the minimum 6 months for maintenance (change of filter wool) upto a year and water changes atleast once weekly or every two weeks.

Another adaptation is to set up a system for easier water drainage and refilling but this kept me waiting too as my inline dechlorinator (with a 1 micron prefilter and activated carbon blocks) but was still time-consuming and accidental overflows are common especially when one is multi-tasking.

All these years, I followed the above solutions and have been trying out ideas how to make it more efficient (and convenient). Fortunately, a week or two earlier, after a heavy downpour and caught in the flooded streets again, I spend a little time in a nearby hardware store chain and to my surprise, they were selling a Melnor water timer. Yes, you read that right - I wrote 'water timer.' It is one of those things that can make life easier for the hobbyist especially those who do ponds or at the minimum 50 to 100 gallons of water changes. The manual water timer basically shuts itself off after delivering the amount of water one picks from the dial. Now that is a big leap towards having more time and should be worry-free refilling of the pond.

Potamotrygon schroederi Update

It has been two busy weeks and finally got time off from all the pet chores and work, so here's an update on the P. shcroederi or more popularly known as the flower ray. The base color has started to darken in both (picture above taken while doing pond maintenance today).

Sudden Ray Death

I lost the female Potamotrygon sp. 'pearl' today. I found it lying still next to the other one midday and couldn't comprehend until now what happened. The water is perfectly normal that its other tankmates, my lone surviving show-grade discus and a chocolate colored goldfish are doing quite well. For most, this is what one would call a 'sudden ray death.'

Yes, that is the term and it is something that has been quite known among ray enthusiasts (with P. schroederi having the highest mortality rate among all the commonly exported freshwater stingrays) that the only advice is to get the healthiest ray to keep and place them in the biggest fish tank one can afford. Recommended tank length is 5 to 6 x and width 2 x of mature stingray size. Still it happens and a variety of possible reasons for its occurrence which I will be discussing here. I am not in a way pointing to a single reason as it most probably is multi-factorial.

Ammonia

Freshwater stingrays are very sensitive to even the minutest levels of ammonia after evolving from their marine ancestors millions of years ago. This has something with the inability to produce urea from ammonia (which is toxic as it interferes with oxygen extraction in the gills, also the same site where ammonia is excreted in fishes) and its excretion in the presence of ammonia in the water (the process is part of osmoregulation just in case you are interested to read further). Remembering that freshwater stingrays also have high metabolic rates which translate to higher ammonia production then it becomes obvious why even low levels of ammonia in your tank water will be harmful specially to ray pups.


Unhealthy Ray to Start With

Oftentimes, the freshwater stingrays that are imported are tea-cup in size (tea-cup refers to size of pups and not a common name for any freshwater stingray as they grow roughly to a foot in diameter even among the smaller Potamotrygon species) and are quite young really. In transit from their place of origin, they have been subjected to many stresses (stress itself lowers immunity) and may not have been fed to lessen the risk during transport (pups need a lot of food as they have high metabolism for growth) and thus the pups can become 'skinny' (concave between the eyes and protruding bones right before the tail) and susceptible to disease(s) because of the lowered immunity associated with stress.

To be continued....

Potamotrygon schroederi

There are two other P. schroederi variants that may not show the characteristic tail pattern and have dorsal patterns that are dissimilar to the Ventuari. An example, the so-called Sacha ray.....

http://www.elasmodiver.com/Potamotrygon%20schroederi%20Pictures.htm

http://www.amazonasrochen.ch/pictures/dezembernullsechs/mini-P1010033.JPG

http://www.amazonasrochen.ch/pictures/juninullsechs/mini-!cid_image018.jpg

http://www.goslinea.com/Gallerie/Rochen/Seiten/Potamotrygon%20schroederi%20var.htm

Pterophyllum altum

Some observations on the Orinoco angelfish – the community seems to be 'well-behaved' than the P. scalare (Peruvian altum). The Orinocos hasn't been aggressive at all to their present tank mates unlike my wild-caught P. scalare that devastated my stocks of 1.5 in cardinals, mature lemon, head and tail light tetras.

Potamotrygon schroederi

The flower rays 6 hours after I got them. The flowery pattern of the spots are now more distinguishable (the disc base color will darken/develop as they age) and the tail pattern of alternating vertical black and solid white/yellow bands are characteristic of the true Potamotrygon schroederi (the only other Potamotrygon species to show the same tail pattern would be the P. menchacai). This variant is only found in the Ventuari (also Apure River).

Typical adult colors and patterns can be seen on this link: http://www.stingraysource.com/StingraySource/dreamline/p4p.htm

Potamototrygon schroederi

In the past few months, several freshwater stingrays have been sold in the market as flower rays. I bought several of these so-called 'flower ray pups' and after obsessively looking online for pictures of the real 'flower ray' pups (that is the term used for stingray babies), I found that what I got mostly were hybrids of P. motoro and Potamotrygon sp. 'mantilla.' Another thing I learned is that there are probably only two sites that have photos of what a Potamotrygon schroederi 'pup' looked like. Today, I finally got hold of my first two true flower rays.

Pterophyllum altum

The following pictures will show atleast some of basic differences (however some maybe a bit trivial)....

The seocnd photo is that of an Orinoco angelfish with the opercular spot (behind the eyes). It is also known as the mood spot and is assumed to be a means of communication among fish of the same species, others claim it only appears when the fish is aroused (whatever that means but i believe more of dominance indicator). For P. altum, the spot is a revert d shape while that of P. scalare consist of two crescent forms of darkening behind the eye.

Take note too of the difference in color of the fishes. Most report that in wild-caught P. scalare, there is lost of the bluish iridescence after a while in captivity. The lost is presumed to be due to environmental factors.

Pterophyllum altum

Some more pictures of the Orinoco angelfish

Pterophyllum altum

Two pictures which highlight the acute predorsal notch or indentation which Kullander considers not as solely that of P. altum but may also be seen in P. scalare. This is one but few of the controversies in species identification, the others being collection site and 'height' of an altum angelfish.

Pterophyllum altum

The Orinoco angelfish i have are very similar to the pictures posted by a forumer in cichlid-forum.com. It was considered by some (including Bleher) as the Rio Negro altum, which isn't a true altum. It is according to another, a natural cross between P. scalare and P. altum. although much later, the person acknowledged by Bleher as the only person to have spawned the real P. altum in captivity (documented), stated that the pictures were similar to his own P. altum.

The P. altum is described to have wide deep/dark brown or gray bars/stripes instead of the usual black bars in p. scalare. The vertical stripes in P. altum are also bordered with thin white strips. The rest of the body actually has a greenish hue. But, the P. altum may not always be brown and white; it can also have the silver of a P. scalare. The fins of altum are without markings. Meanwhile the tail fin is said to be fan-shape. In comparison, wild P. scalare is silvery with green iridescence as they mature and the bars or stripes are black and thin. There are other variants of P. scalare like red spotted and red shouldered depending on the source or collection site. Overall, the main body color is silver.

Pterophyllum altum

Let me continue.....

When an ichthyologist (those who specialize in studying fishes) make the meristic count, it is usually from a number of fish specimens from different location or collection points. They do make maps of this (and are readily available online). Which makes the meristic count as a 'range' of all the specimen they collected. the meristic count itself thus shows the natural variation in the species and may show, at least some morphological features of a particular collection site. The mapping of meristics also assist in the visualization of a 'cline.' Simply said - it can show the gradual change of features of a species in a given area of distribution. This also explains the importance of collection sites among ichthyologists and even hobbyists.The P. altum is supposedly only collected from a few sites, namely: Atabapo and Inirida only (Bleher) and Puerto Ayacucho (for some). Others do claim that P. altum can be found in a much wider are although not as wide as that of P. scalare - and the sites include upper Orinoco.

Source or collection site can be a little bit misleading unless one did the collection himself and obviously that is next to impossible in our case when we get our fish mostly from the local fish stores. As to the importers, I believe they follow what the suppliers provide. Which leaves us with no choice but to rely on meristics which is the one reliable (and documented) basis for identifying the P. altum at this time (or for other fishes for that matter aside from genetics), this will be based on fish morphology.

Potamotrygon species

Potamotrygon motoro 'triple spot'

Due to the wide variation in patterns and colors, identification of the different freshwater stingrays usually involves tail markings, presence or absence of denticles, ratio of the tail and body lengths and position of the eye.

Potamotrygon sp. Hybrids

I am into freshwater stingrays. I started with freshwater stingrays in the 90s starting with a P. motoro, after losing my first one, I simply stopped as it was very expensive to acquire another one then. It was only last year after a friend requested if I could give up on one of my zebra plecos (L46) that I decided to take in two P. motoro pups in exchange for the L46 instead of getting paid for it. Since then, I haven't looked back and still quite amazed at the varieties now available in the market.

Here are two pics of some P. motoro hybrids (P. motoro x Potamotrygon sp. Mantilla) that I am taking care in my fiberglass pond now. The pictures were taken on the day I took them home with me. One has since died of unknown causes with 4 remaining showing differing patterns.

Potamotrygon sp.

Sometimes, I believe the pet finds us. Today while buying some feeder fish at Toto's (Sam's Lagoon), the store owner showed me a newly arrived freshwater stingray and I was totally smitten. So I brought it home to add to my collection. Comparing the photos with online ones, it looks quite similar to a hybrid between Potamotrygon sp. pearl x P. motoro marbled.

Pterophyllum species

According to Kullander, the following can identify the different species.

Pterophyllum altum has 46-48 scales in a lateral row, and notched predorsal contour.
Pterophyllum leopoldi has 27-29 scales in a lateral row, and straight predorsal contour.
Pterophyllum scalare has 30-39 scales in a lateral row, and notched predorsal contour.

Just in case some are wondering - with so much information online about P. scalare and P. altum already - including from well-known personalities involved in the discussions, why am I too keen on Kullander?

Simply because I am following a basic tenet of science - that is, the last published study in the form of a scientific journal/book, is the most authoritative on the subject - that is unless proven otherwise by a newer study backed up by the same scientific inquiry and accepted by the scientific community (atleast by the majority). The last review of the genus Pterophyllum was done in 1986.

Pterophyllum species

Let me first state that this won't be as comprehensive nor can I claim any expertise on the subject matter. But like any serious hobbyist, I am eager to learn more about the hobby and simplifying what I have known or read so that others can understand more of the fish, the issues and even controversies involved.

Science like any other aspects of the real world, is as confusing with the amount of knowledge available (especially through the internet) as there are different school of thoughts on a certain subject or issue. What is really important to understand are the basics of science - science in effect is a means, to understanding and trying to disprove what previously have been well-accepted and even proven. As we go further, a theory in essence is only as good as long as it isn't disproved or replaced with a new one.

How many species are there within the genus Pterophyllum? Answer is simple, depends on whom you listen to or read from. Generally atleast, it is widely accepted that there are three known species, namely scalare, leopoldi and altum. others claim that there are indeed only two, scalare and leopoldi with the altum as a subspecie of the scalare. Thus, P. scalare scalare and P. scalare altum. This is based on the fact that scientists follow several criteria for defining a species. The following are a few of the criterion (thanks to B. Bolival for sharing them):


Typological Species Concept wherein a species is a group of organisms that share a unique set of diagnostic morphological characters that make that group different from all other species.

Biological Species Concept concerns itself with species as a cohesive natural group of interbreeding individuals that are isolated from all other groups (isolated gene pools).

And Recognition Species Concept which states that a species is a group of organisms that recognize and breed only with each other in the wild - it is unimportant what they can and will do so in an artificial no-choice situations in captivity.

To be continued.....

Potamotrygon sp. 'black pearl'

Now there are two of them. One of my favorite freshwater stingrays - Potamotrygon sp. 'pearl ray' are really beautiful when fully grown (details of markings should be seen at 2 years of age) although they are quite similar to P. motoro 'marbled' early in their life .

Pictures of adults (on this link - http://www.h20customaquatics.webs.com/pearl.html)

Things to Remember Before Buying a Pet

As I have been dealing with things to remember before buying a pet, a need that is often overlooked is the need for 'company' for most fishes. I use the word most here as there are certain fishes that are not 'adapted' to a setting where there will be another con-specific (that's the word to indicate the same kind of fish or fish of the same species) and one ends up with too much bullying, infighting and even death of the other. The need for company basically stems as a function obviously for reproductive purposes (ok, another term is survival of the species).

But aside from the obvious, another reason for that need for company in nature is safety (in numbers) or security. Schooling or simply a group of fish together provides the following presumed advantages - it is a form of anti-predation (the chances of being eaten if one is all alone is higher than where there are many other choices from the menu), enhanced foraging (one can easily find more food with more eyes), spawning aggregation (some do congregate for spawning), and schooling also helps in migration (something to do with hydrodynamic efficiency). Some of those reasons should discourage potential pet owners in ending with just a single fish in a tank. I should also note when we speak of schooling, the usual recommended number is around 6 to 8 fishes to consider as a school.

To end this topic for now, I should also include the hobbyist's time to care for his or her pet. Time becomes imperative as a basic need simply because our pets will almost entirely depend on the caretaker a lot. Without enough time to maintain your aquarium, feed your fishes and interact with them, it will not be all worth it. Of course,I am not writing here to discourage one into the hobby but more of its realities. As there are realities, there should also be practicalities and I will be writing of these soon. The hobby shouldn't be an enslaving one.

It should be convenient (I should be writing on aquarium, equipment and accessories soon), relaxing (you should see a beautiful aquarium set up and you'll know what I mean, it's one of the best way to de-stress from a hard or difficult day), and functional (I often use aquarium set ups to soften the interiors. Others do ponds.)

Things to Remember Before Buying a Pet

Yesterday, a friend from another website came to see my remaining Japanese kois and to update each other on the happenings in the industry. As an accountant, Paul was inclined to always look into the cost-efficiency of anything he gets into and one of the things he shared was how his goldfishes grew in a few months (and won a prize at another fish event) at less cost by feeding koi pellets (Tomigai's whose formulation is from our very own Mike Hernandez of Kois and Ponds). I am always amazed at the way Paul would do a cost analysis - here's an example that by using koi pellets that the actual cost was only around 10% than using pellets meant for goldfish.

So that's another factor to consider in terms of nutritional requirements - cost especially in the long term.

Just a note on brands I sometimes mention, I am not paid nor given anything by the product distributors or resellers nor do I wish to receive anything from mentioning their products and I am not supposed to. I do recommend the products I mention because I personally use and trust the products which I also buy.

Things to Consider Before Buying a Pet

Back to my previous topic......

Basic needs also include dietary requirements. It is the easiest on anyone's mind but again, this is the pitfall of several beginners and even among experienced hobbyists. It should be easy if we really put ourselves in the fishes' place and fed daily with the same food for every meal (flakes, pellets, or even frozen forms for fish). That would make for a boring existence really. The operative word in fish keeping should be 'variety' and 'appropriate' diet.

Variety to make it not as boring but more so because we want to provide what may be a missing component of the diet in feeding just one kind of fish food. Of course, most producers make the claim of completeness in their fish feeds but why not try. Taking into account how my earlier community of goldfishes gobbled up the duckweed with so much gusto, there must be something when one provides variety or atleast incorporate part of their natural diet once in a while. Of course, I also went for staple, growth and color enhancing fish food.

Appropriate here means knowing whether your fish is an carnivore (or simply meat-eater or high in protein content), herbivore (prefers plants) or an omnivore (will do good with both). In some cases, some may even have special requirements like panaques (a member of the locariids just like the invasive plecostomus inhabitants of Marikina River and elsewhere) need some substance from driftwoods to aid in their digestion. Or fishes whose main staple is algae (like otocinclus), can one provide enough algae (and the right kind) for the fishes?

To be continued....

Tancho Sanke

Monday should have been an easy day. I was almost done setting up two new aquariums and I was looking forward to having a better day after a week of reconditioning back some of my fishes that went on display the week earlier. And what do you know? Upon getting out of bed, I was shock to see my fiberglass fish pond almost empty of water! My super red arowana and other taller fishes were basically lying on their sides gasping as the water was more or less 2 to 3 inches! The others were a bit more 'fortunate' as there was enough to expose the dorsal fins above the water surface. Not wanting any additional distress to my fishes, the first thing I did was to refill the pond with fresh filtered water which fortunately went on maintenance the night before. At the end of the day, I lost my only Tancho Sanke (top-most koi in the picture above and whose head is partly covered by the tail of the showa).

So why am I sharing this to you? Sad as it maybe, I believe there is a lesson for all of us in here - and it is about equipment failure. I have always been a firm believer of over-filtration (which is actually a misnomer as one can never approximate nature's capacity) and always made sure I have the best equipment I could afford and unbelievably reliable too, but I also do miss out on some things at times. The loss of almost all of the water was not due to a leak from any cracks with the fiberglass material but simply from disconnection of the hose supplying water to the trickle filter from the pre-filter/pump which was easily preventable with the use of clamps to keep it in place. Just as simple as that and I lost a Tancho Sanke! The same thing happened to a hobbyist friend during the christmas holiday who lost many discus while his family was out of the country, and it was all because of a disconnected air tubing. Thus, here's the suggetion, or better still, add it to your checklist, always check on your connections, make sure they won't easily disconnect.

Things to Consider Before Buying a Pet

Cont’d....

An aquarium as a habitat is limited by the available space to start with. Although there are recommendations such as an inch of fish per gallon of water – originally only meant for the likes of smaller tetras but somehow became like a ‘mantra’ for every hobbyists afterwards even with wider and bigger fishes – studies have shown that fishes kept in an aquarium only grows on the average up to 60% of their maximum growth potential compared to that of fishes measured in the natural setting. With this limitation in space, it is thus highly suggested that one get the biggest tank one can afford and keep the number of inhabitants to a minimum.

Related to the available space which in reality also translates into volume is the realization that in reality, a typical aquarium is a closed system. The idea of a closed system is used here to differentiate it from the setting in nature which could be considered as an open one – where nature replenishes what it loses without any intervention. A river is a good example of an open system wherein nothing remains stagnant - upstream water replacing the water that flows downstream with all the waste materials that can be deleterious to living organisms that inhabits that particular space. A close system meanwhile is akin to a pail of water, evaporating a little each day, accumulating dirt thus in a few more days, the water quality will have deteriorated without human intervention. Or just imagine, a person living inside an fully-enclosed room where human waste is produced and not eliminated, the room will definitely will be unbearable once enough waste has accumulated. This is one of the rationales for doing regular water changes in a fish tank.

More tomorrow.....

Things to Consider Before Buying a Pet

Filipinos everywhere tend to keep pets - that literally means almost in every locale where an animal could be tended. Despite this propensity for keeping pets and at times, access to knowledge through the internet and from more readily available sources, very few knowledge is generated and shared that would raise the standard of pet keeping in the country. It doesn't help that a lot of the staff of local pet stores and even among hobbyists themselves are not as knowledgeable or have inadequate know-how and thus are unable to share or even communicate the very basics of pet keeping. Pet keeping should always be easy – convenient to the responsible pet owner and comfortable to the pet one has took care of. The same is true in fish keeping. I have met a lot who wants to get into fish keeping but are discouraged by the 'technicalities' of maintaining an aquarium or a pond. Is it really as technical as one always hear or as simple as others make of it?

I am taking a different tack here. First, one needs to remember that keeping pets will never be easy if one doesn’t understand the concepts of the needs of our pets. Thus, in more responsible websites, a prospective pet owner needs to answer several questions to ascertain whether the selected pet will fit into one’s lifestyle. This is one of the most important factors in any responsible pet keeping and is often the least of concerns for any trader and even to those who are considering taking in a pet. Take for example; the needs of an Asia arowana, the ideal recommended aquarium size is at a minimum of 6 feet (L) x 2 feet (H) x 2 feet (W). But how many keep theirs in smaller tanks? I am quite sure, the majority does. This discrepancy in providing for adequate housing for one’s pets already makes it more difficult in the longer term. And that is only an aspect of the basic needs of a pet one is to care for. Responsible care means one needs to know these basic needs not only in terms of the present but more importantly, in the future when a pet is fully mature. A responsible pet owner should learn more about the pet one is considering and obviously the problem lies when one relies mainly on what a trader shares. There’s a whole gamut of information published online and on paper and there is no reason to miss out on these.

Secondly, it is a matter of fact, that we can never really truly approximate what nature provides. It is imperative to state this now - any animal is best kept in their natural environment than owned as a pet. But once one owns one, then one should at least provide something near to the natural conditions with what one can best possibly afford. Unlike in their natural setting, an aquarium is quite a different habitat.

More to follow....

Corydora sterbai eggs

Two weeks ago, I was wondering which of the members of my South American community tank laid eggs on the glass wall. I wish the fish on the background - Pterophyllum altum - were the culprit but the angelfish aren't mature enough to spawn so it occured to me that any of the other fishes in the community were busy 'propagating' the species to say it more mildly. As I was busy then, I just had to let go of idea of catching the culprits 'in the act.'



A few days back, I was surprised to see two Corydora sterbais 'roaming' around depositing eggs on the walls of the fish tank. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera ready.

Cyphotilapia Gibberosa Community Tank

One of my favorite fish from Lake Tanganyika despite all the controversies related to species identification. More commonly known as Zaire Blue Frontosa and sold as such, these group of Cyphotilapia gibberosas are now considered as entirely different from Cyphotilapia frontosa. The different commercial names like Mpwimbwe and Moba are based on collection point. Issues on inter-breeding between the two members of the genus cyphotilapia remains unanswered.

Dr. Ben Vallejo at PETFish 2010

Dr. Ben Vallejo is an environmental scientist who is working on Philippine endemic freshwater fishes. He is connected with the University of the Philippines Diliman. More on Ben with later posts.

Boni Labatos and Endemic Freshwater Fishes

Boni Labatos, a fish biologist and taxonomist also shared on our country's endemic freshwater fishes at PETFish 2010. He is presently working with the Asean Center for Biodiversity. More on Boni in future posts.

Ken Kennedy and the Pinoy Angelfish

One of the most awaited PETFish 2010 speaker is the world-renowned Ken Kennedy of Pinoy Angelfish fame. Ken, who happens to be a Filipino despite the foreign sounding last name, is a biologist who was able to 'produce' the sought-after Pinoy Angelfishes. More about Ken in future postings.