WHY DO FISH JUMP OUT OF OUR AQUARIUMS?

 

  
Notorious jumper - the longnosed hawkfish.

I had a fish jumping incident happen recently that was difficult to comprehend. A Reef Tectonics client had a longnose hawkfish (Oxycirrhites typus) that had been in his aquarium for over a year. It was a “happy” fish that seemed to live a copacetic life with its tankmates. While working on the tank, I broke a small portion of the glass top (this resulted in an opening about four by three inches in the front portion of the cover). Before I could replace the top, the hawkfish was found dried up on the office floor – it had jumped out. I was perplexed as to why the fish jumped and how the fish was able to detect the hole in the top that had not been there for its first year in the aquarium?

FLATWORM WORRIES

 Acoel flatworms can reach plague proportions in the home aquarium. The photos shows Waminoa flatworms on a bubble coral.

The acoel flatworms are some of the most primitive animals on the planet. They actually lack a body cavity and a gut. Most of the flatworms we encounter in the aquarium trade are innocuous, causing no harm to corals. The acoels that are most often encountered living on mushroom anemones, soft corals and large-polyped stony corals are reported to graze on minute crustaceans, algae and detritus that adheres to the mucus of these cnidarians. When in small numbers, they do not appear to harm their host, but severe infestations can interfere with the photosynthetic activity of the zooxanthellae-hosting corals they infest.

DEEP WATER DELIGHT!

Cephalopholis igarashiensis (a.k.a., the garish hind) is an amazing grouper that is poorly known to aquarists and scientists alike because of its proclivity for deep reef habitats - it occurs at depths in excess of 250 feet and is most often found in excess of 400 feet. As a result, it is not likely to show-up in your local aquarium store anytime soon.  This individual was selling for $ 6,000 at House of Fins in Greenwich Connecticut (sorry, this photo was taken a couple of years ago and the fish has since been sold). Virtually nothing is known about its biology. It has been reported from southern Japan, Taiwan, Guam, the south China Sea, American Samoa, Tahiti and Fiji. It reaches a maximum length of around 17 inches.

 ©  Scott W. Michael- Reef Tectonics

TANK RAGE!

  Reef fishes, like this dwarf hawkfish, comes into the tank with behavioral baggage that can cause problems in a captive fish community. Photo by Scott W. Michael.

One of the biggest problems encountered by marine fish keepers is aggression. It can cause disease and death, especially in newly introduced fishes. So how do we deal with it in our aquariums? There are several phenomenon related to animal ethology that we need to “unpack” before we try and solve our problems with “tank rage.”

LPS EYE CANDY!

 

How is this for a collection of amazing large-polyped stony corals! The shot includes amazing corals in the genera Scolymia, Cynarina and Balonophyllia. While expensive, all of these amazing corals are fairly easy to keep if given enough light, some food and appropriate habitat (in the case of Scolymia and Cynarina a soft substrate to rest upon). This buffet of calcareous beauties was photographed at the amazing HOUSE OF FINS (owned by my friend Rob Bray) in Greenwich, CT. Photo copyright ©  Scott W. Michael- Reef Tectonics

"OH, WHAT BLUE TEETH YOU HAVE!"

A gorgeous Australian harlequin tuskfish. This species is displaying towards a tankmate.
Photo by Scott W. Michael ©

Our clients love the harlequin tusk (Choerodon fasciatus)! And why wouldn’t they? They are indeed one of the most beautiful fish inhabiting the reefs of the western Pacific. The tuskfishes are members of the wrasse family Labridae and is the only member of the genus Choerodon that is found in the aquarium trade with any regularity.

WELCOME!

Welcome to the Reef Tectonics Blog! We hope that this blog will enable us to communicate with our valued clients as well as anyone that loves aquatic organisms and aquariums! We welcome your feedback on the subject matter discussed on the blog and suggestions on future contributions. You can also visit our website (www.reeftectonics.com) and our facebook page! Happy fish-keeping!