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Re: Home Address and ...More
Chris Darrow:
South Newfane Vermont (southern Vermont in the south east corner in
what we call the tri-state area only 15 or so miles from New hampshire
and Massachussets.
I know that there is one other Vermont native fish enthuiast (D Moody)
possibly making Vermont the highest representation (e-mail that is) of
interest, per capita of any state ;-)
Conservation, I'm certainly concerned in the environment, biodiversity
is important.
M&M s..... I don't really like them. But my favorite color is green, I'm
a plantsman by trade
On another note I guess I'm primarily a hobbyist, I'm interested in the
behavior and breeding of native fish.
Maybe I can generate some discussion, here are some observations and/or
information I have:
Florida Flagfish Jordanella floridae:
Many members of the Aquatic Plants Digest (a e-mail list server like
this one) swear by them as a means of cleaning hair algae and such from
their aquariums. One fellow went so far as to say he keeps a special
tank with only Flagfish in them and when ever he has a plant that is
becoming covered with algae he will place it in the Flagfish tank for a
period of time until the Flagfish have eaten all the algae off the said
plant. Apparently the Flagfish never eat the choice aquatic plants and
so act as perfect cleaners!
Mosquito Fish Heterandria formosa
These guys are voracious snail egg eaters, I saw a female tearing into a
snail egg sack like a terrier, shaking the eggs as she tore bits off to
eat.
There seems to be a higher percentage of male H formosa to females
born. This seems to make sense in that the male are bolder and more
active while the females are more retiring and secretive, resulting in a
greater likelyhood of the males being eaten by predators. Also by
foraying out the males are more likely to come across other females thus
increasing their chance of breeding and contributing their genes to the
next generation?!
Everglades Pygmy Sunfish Elassoma evergladei
I think this one of the coolest fish I've seen. These guys are tiny but
the males are stunning, black with bright blue highlights.
I have several in a 5 gallon tank, and it seems to me that the dominate
male developes the brightest color. I have one male that is jet black
with intense blue spots whereas the other male has some dark coloration
but not as intense as the other. I have yet to observe any cichlid-like
territorial behavior in regard to challenges between the two males but
one does seem to be dominant.
BlackBanded Sunfish Enneacanthus chaetodon
This fish is amazing! The group I have recognized me as a source of food
with in a day and were absolutely fearless. They make excellent aquarium
fish. I have noticed that some of the fish are much paler with subdued
stripes etc., I suspect these fish to be lower in the pecking order as
the bright coloration is usually a sign of the dominant fish (at least
in cichlids).
Any comments? I've only had these fish for a few weeks so I may be
mistaken (my disclaimer :-) ). I think the most fun of keeping fish is
observing their behavior, amongst themselves and towards other fish and
can possibly give you some real insight into their ecological niche.
C Darrow
References: