In May, David Banks (our host), Susie (my wife), and I drove up Lake Champlain to Canada where I spoke at the Montréal Aquarium SocieT monthly meeting. Dave’s wife, Janine, couldn’t attend due to water board meeting where she was apparently put on the board to inhibit her rabblerousing; I don’t ... Read More
Blog
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Otter Valley Vermont Talk
In May I spoke at the Otter Valley Aquarium Society in Vermont. Their meeting is on the top floor of a very interesting library building. Interesting architecture. My presentation was on Breeding Techniques, mainly from a genetics viewpoint. It was the first time I’d used this presentation. It went ... Read More
Micropoecilia picta ‘Red’
I just made a deadline for Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine for an article on Micropoecilia picta ‘Red.’ This is a great little guppy-like fish. The hardest part wasn’t writing the article; it was taking the photos. The autofocus on my camera can’t get a fix on a fast moving little fish. Hundreds of ... Read More
Our Herichthys carpintis (Pearl Scale Cichlid) Spawned in Community Tank
This morning I came into the office to find our pair of Herichthys carpintis, the Pearl Scale Cichlid or Green Texas Cichlid, had spawned in the 130 gallon aquarium. I wasn't happy. Having seen them building a spawning pit, I'd planned today to clear a vat for them and move them to it for spawning. ... Read More
Albino Cockroach
Ashley, one of our employees found an albino cockroach (Periplaneta americana, common names American cockroach and waterbug) in the office bathroom on another employee’s (Robyn) boots that are left here for when they are necessary. I photographed it in its habitat, next to the boots. When I told the ... Read More
Texas Weather: Persistent Drought with Occasional Flooding
As is often the case in Texas, a drought (we’re a half year into another drought after the last ended a few months before this one started), ends with flooding. Saturday, while Susie and I were in Fort Worth, the farm got 3.2”, the biggest single day rainfall since Tropical Storm Hermine in ... Read More
Blue Iridescent Sword
Once again the urge to create a new fish struck. So, today, while going through our blue mickey mouse maculatus, I imagined the iridescent blue of the platies on a swordtail. I selected a few female platies and, after some thought, picked a male swordtail to father the new color strain. Which sword ... Read More
Duckweed and Chickens
The most feared phrase for our employees is “Go do duckweed.” Duckweed, sometime within the first couple of months of our operations, got introduced into the vats. It is impossible to eradicate; it can only be controlled…somewhat controlled. Since our livebearer vats contain fry, it’s not ... Read More
Fish Photography
Today I finished (a day before deadline) an article on lyretail mollies for my column in Tropical Fish Hobbyist (TFH) magazine. Unfortunately, I still have to take photos of the mollies. I’m not a photographer and my editor and her staffers at TFH insist on what I deem “artistic” photos. Whereas I ... Read More
White Mickey Mouse Sword
Today, while sorting through our White Mickey Mouse Maculatus Platies to select breeders for our breeding colony, I thought, “Wouldn’t it be nice to have this color pattern on a swordtail?” No sooner than thought, I set aside eight female platies. After finishing with the platies, I picked a ... Read More