This is one of the wild short fin mollies (non-sailfins) we just processed. We got this fish at the American Livebearer Association’s 2012 convention auction in Florida. They were sold by John Boylan who collected them February 27, 2009, at La Margarita, Panama. Here’s what John recently wrote me ... Read More
Fish
The Greater Akron Aquarium Society Show
In June of this year I got a request for fish show entries from Rich Serva of The Greater Akron Aquarium Society (GAAS ). Rich offered to receive and process the fish for the show if we’d send some. We often donate fish to clubs for their auctions, but earlier in the year had also sent fish to the ... Read More
Dragon Blood Peacock
Today we processed our single vat of Dragon Blood Peacocks. The photo is one of our three breeding males. We got our starting breeders of this fish from Live Fish Direct the end of November last year. After growing up the juveniles, we found the fish to be more than advertised. They are ... Read More
Plecostomus
Today we processed our Sciaenochromis fryeri (commonly known as Electric Blue Ahli Cichlids). But, this blog isn’t about them; it’s about plecostomus. We put our breeding colonies of cichlids, usually 6 males and 40-50 females, in 300 gallon vats, where they stay for three to four months before ... Read More
Cherry & Cherry Marmalade Labeotropheus fuelleborni
Yesterday we processed some miscellaneous cichlids and got a pleasant surprise in a vat of Labeotropheus fuelleborni I’d set aside a while back. They were part of a group of juvenile Blue Marmalades I was keeping as potential breeders. Three of the fish turned out to be almost red, two non-marmalade ... Read More
Green Lyretail Sailfin Molly
Ashley and I processed the Green Lyretail Sailfin Mollies today. This a is relatively old strain of ours, having been developed in the late 1990s by crossing some Red Leopard Lyretail Mollies from an Asian farm with Poecilia latipinna, San Antonio River, which we had collected in 1998. As usual ... Read More
Aulonocara jacobfreibergi ‘Lemon Jake’
This morning we processed Aulonocara jacobfreibergi ‘Lemon Jake’. It is a very pretty fish. The photo is one of our six breeding males. We got our beginning breeders (as 1-2” juveniles) last year in July from our customer Fish Gallery - Houston. They were grown up to form a breeding colony in ... Read More
Freckle Hifin Genetic Tests
I recently sent off a column to Tropical Fish Hobbyist (TFH) magazine about a strain of Hifin Platies we have that breeds true. For those of you who don’t know, the hifin gene is a homozygous lethal in swordtails and platies. Fish that inherit two hifin genes, one from each parent, die as embryos. ... 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