This genus is a good example of why we should use scientific names when referencing a species
of fish.  Some names given these fish include:  Lionhead Cichlid, Blockhead
Cichlid, Buffalo Head, and Humphead Cichlid. In addition, Frontosas are sometimes called Bumphead Cichlids.

Steatocranus gibbiceps (Boulger 1899) is a species not seen often in the hobby, and I was fortunate to obtain 5
fry from Darrell Ullisch in May of ’08. They will eat most any foods, including frozen brine shrimp, beef heart,
spirulina and regular flake foods, and they especially relish worms.  When they got about 2 inches they began to get
aggressive with each other.  When they pair bond, it is often for life, but they will drive out any others of their
species from their territory.  I put the pair in a 20 gallon long aquarium along with pelmatochromis buettercofferi, a
Moonlight Gourami, a silver Dollar, and a pair of albino plecos.  Steatocranus are cave spawners so I put
several caves and tubes around the tank, and all the fish seemed to get along.  Water changes were done
regularly, and the sponge-pan filter was renewed about every 3 weeks.

Not long ago I was observing the tank and noticed a few fry around the ceramic cave.  The gibbiceps fry seemed to be about a month
old and would not venture far from the cave. Now the parents were getting aggressive with the other fish in the tank,
so I removed them all but the pair of plecos, which I hoped would keep the tank
clean.  Not a good idea—as I later found that the male pleco was beat up pretty bad, so I removed that pair also.  These fish are excellent parents.  The female mainly tends the fry and the male
patrols the territory.  An Internet report stated that one pair had attended 3 different batches of their fry at
the same time!  My male is about 4 inches and the female about 3 inches.  About 40 fry are in the batch and they are ¾ inch long and have vertical black markings
and a black spot at the base of the dorsal fin. The adults are black, even in much of the fins.  The black dorsal spot remains in the females,
but disappears in the males as they mature. Males are larger, sometimes twice as large as the females and have
longer extensions on the dorsal and anal fins, as well as the larger nuchal hump.

S. gibbiceps in the wild eats small invertebrates and some algae.  Temperatures from 73-81 degrees are best.  They will rid a tank of snails
quickly.  This is an interesting and easily bred fish that I recommend for hobbyists keeping African cichlids.  I really enjoyed watching their excellent parental care!

This is a somewhat demanding plant, which requires high to very-high light and little to no surface water
movement.  It is not as picky regarding fertilization but it does appreciate it. This plant also seems to prefer an
open-top aquarium or a calm pond or tub in full sun.  Small (2-3mm) white flowers are produced
under good conditions and when grown outdoors, small red fruits are produced.  The seeds are miniscule, being
approximately 0.5mm in diameter.

The dime- to nickel-sized alternating leaves are circular with upwardly curled edges and
have a pronounced central rib which varies in color from light green under low
light, to burgundy under full sun.  The leaves are formed along a central runner that produces frequent offshoots.

The result is the formation of a large mat if the plant’s growth is left unchecked.
Each offshoot can form a new plant if broken off of the central runner,
which is the primary, and most successful, method of propagation.

I have grown this plant in both an open-top 90 gallon with two 175w metal halides and outdoors in a tub under full sun. I have
had success in both settings.  Once established in the 90, it grew from a clump the size of my hand into a
two-inch-thick mat covering the entire aquarium in less than three weeks.  All things considered, it’s an excellent
aquarium plant, if the right conditions are met, and one that I plan to maintain long-term.

Tom Reynolds

See website for details and current updates.
www.ala2012.com

Tropical Fish Hobbyist
is the Official Publication of the 2012 ALA Convention

Hosted by

Gold Coast Aquarium Society of South Florida   (GCASSF)

April 26th – 29th 2012

Airport Hilton Ft Lauderdale, Florida
1870 Griffin Rd
Dania Beach, Florida 33004
Phone (954) 920-3300

Hotel Rates:

Booking URL:  http://www.fortlauderdaleairport.hilton.com

Rates good three days before and after
Single or Double – $99
Triple – $109
Quad – $119

Parking fee: $7/night (normally $14/night)

Convention Rates:
See website for details and current updates.
www.ala2012.com

Register before February 29, 2012

Full package – $75
Speakers only – $35
Banquet dinner only – $35
Side trips at $30 each

Register before March 29, 2012

Full package – $85
Speakers only – $40
Banquet dinner only – $40
Side trips at $35 each

*~* REGISTER EARLY TO GUARANTEE T-SHIRT SIZES & DINNER *~*

CONCORD MALL
3701 S Main (US 33) Elkhart IN

Directions from Interstate 80/90
Exit 72 (SR19) go south to Main Street then go south to the Mall or
Exit 96 (CR17) go south to the US 20 bypass then go west to the
US 33 exit then go south to the Mall
Auction
Registration 9:00am to 10:30am Starts at 11:00am
All Times are Eastern Daylight Time
For More Information
Vern Cloud  v.cloud@sbcglobal.net
Matt Bielski  ski82566@aol.com
Ben Slocum  ubstamps@comcast.net

Threadfins have done great in my Lake Michigan tap water, but do require small foods. Mine have a
special fondness for live baby brine shrimp. They will eat flake and small prepared foods if that is all that is offered, but I highly suggest using live
foods in order to bring out their best coloration and behavior. I have found that the daily addition of live foods to their diet also resulted in an  increased quantity of eggs being produced on a daily basis.

Breeding is not exceptionally difficult, and I have found it to be typical of the other rainbows I have spawned, although more spectacular. During courtship the male
fully extends his first dorsal and anal fins with a flicking action as he circles the female. Males also have a blaze along the dorsal ridge from the
head to the first fin at this time. The best success I had in getting them to produce eggs was when I moved a pair to a 55 gallon tank that held smaller
cichlids and some live bearers. The temperature in this tank was only 71 degrees, was in front of the north facing basement window, and had more
current. I still fed the adults baby brine shrimp along with powdered dry food. For spawning media in this 55 gallon tank I used a floating spawning mop that
was dark in color and had long strands of yarn. Based on my observations and the number of eggs collected, the majority of spawning occurred in the morning
hours.  I picked the eggs off on a daily basis and placed them in small plastic cups of the parent’s tank water along with a touch of methylene blue to prevent fungus. I kept the cups covered and
stored them on top of the tank. As the fry neared hatching I started using a small baster to do partial water changes in the cups. Replacement water was
used from the parent’s tank.  The hatch rate was close to 100%. After they had been free swimming in the cup for a day
or two I would catch them in a small eyedropper and transfer them to a 2.5 gallon tank with a slow flowing air stone and a small snail. I kept the tank
bottom bare to make it easier to remove any sediment. The water in this tank was comprised of half parent tank water and half pond water. I collected this water
from the pond down the street and it was full of little “bugs” including daphnia and rotifers. I also placed in the tank a couple pieces of vegetation
from the pond, thinking this would nourish the infusoria. The pond water worked great and I think it helped a lot getting the fry through their first few
weeks, but it wasn’t as clean as I thought. When I added the pond vegetation I accidentally introduced a couple dragonfly eggs that later hatched and a hydra.
Hydra and baby rainbowfish do not mix well. I lost a few fry before I found and removed the invader. The biggest difficulty I had was in rearing the fry.These babies are small, and very slow growing.  Along with the pond water, I also fed them Wardley’s Small Fry liquid food for the first month. I started supplementing the liquid food with Hikari First Bites after that, and four months later they are still eating this along with live baby brine shrimp.

 Other small live foods would have also worked during their first couple months, but I opted to use prepared foods. At two months of age I moved the fry to a bare bottom 5.5
gallon tank with a sponge filter. I used the existing tank water they were in, and added some more water from the 55 gallon. I also started using tap water at
this time for water changes. Except for the hydra incident, loss of fry was minimal. I did notice some fry growing even more slowly than their tank mates
and were not able to take the baby brine shrimp when it was first offered. A mix of foods was needed to ensure all the fry got the appropriate sized food.

 The Threadfin Rainbows remain one of my favorite fish, and have been rewarding to maintain and breed. Besides raising the fry, one of the
biggest challenges you might face when trying to breed them is obtaining females. Most shops only carry males, and I accidentally bought a few immature
males last year thinking they were females. I was lucky enough to chance across a very nice healthy mature female earlier this year which made breeding them
much easier. Not going to get many eggs with a tank full of males. Even if you can’t find females I highly recommend keeping a school of this species in a
planted tank. The males are very active and are constantly flicking their fins to each other which makes for a very entertaining display.

The Potomac Valley Aquarium Society is proud to present its fifth bi-annual All-Aquarium Catfish Convention. This is the official website for the convention, and your source for all things Catfish. Join us for an exciting convention as we “Bring ‘Em Back Alive” at a new, expanded location in Herndon, Virginia!

http://catfishcon.com/

The ACA 2012 is shaping up to be one of the best conventions ever! We have lots of world class experts that are preparing excellent talks that will blow you out of your seat!

http://www.aca2012indy.com/wordpress

ANNUAL
WINTER SWAP MEET

SATURDAY JANUARY 19 2013

10:00 AM TO 2:00 PM

LOCATION: THE HOME SCHOOL BUILDING

5625 BURLINGAME, WYOMING, MI 49509

BUY AQUARIUM FISH, PLANTS AND SUPPLIES

ADMISSION: $3.00 INDIVIDUAL, $5.00
FAMILY

For
more information or if you would like to sell contact Patrick Miller at pmlife4@att.net.
each! No splitting. No parking lot sales.

Spawning the Reticulated Hillstream Loach

Sewellia lineolata

Sewellia lineolata have been
on my must have fish list since I first saw pictures of them back in 2007. They
are an exotic looking, beautifully patterned hillstream loach species with
spots and dashes of gold over a dark brown body color. These loaches are native
to fast flowing streams in Vietnam, and are built for life in a torrent. The
adult body shape is flattened, with the overlapping pectoral and pelvic fins
spread out to the sides like butterfly wings. The whole body shape is perfectly
adapted for maintaining a suction cup like grip on the rocks of their native
fast flowing streams where they feed on aquatic invertebrates and algae.

I finally had my opportunity to obtain a group
of lineolatas when Blue Fish Aquarium received a shipment of them in mid 2009. They
are not exactly inexpensive fish, but not outrageously pricey either. Expect to
pay at least $10.00 a piece for these fish. Sewellias should probably be sold
for much more than that considering how long it took to catch them out of the
store tank. These have to be one of the hardest fish to catch because of their quickness
and ability to instantly hold fast to the smoothest of surfaces. I found the
easiest way to catch them is to keep a small pleco or cichlid cave in their
tank and after the fish swim in to the cave hold a net under the cave opening
and slowly drain the water out. Most of the time they swim out with the water,
straight in to the net. This is much easier and less labor intensive than
trying to get them off the glass! I’m sure it is less stressful on the fish
too.

I have found that
maintaining these fish is relatively easy. As long as they have some cover and
smooth rocks to graze from they appear quite content. Larger rocks appeared to
allow the fish to establish some sort of territories, and allowed for easy
escape during their frequent quarrels. In their natural habitat the bottom
consists of hard base rock, with little or no substrate or cover. I chose to
add a fine layer of sand to the tank bottom for aesthetics. As with all my
fish, I used straight Lake Michigan city tap water for 75% water changes that
were performed every two weeks or so. I fed them a mix of pelleted, flake and
algae wafers along with the occasional live blackworm. I don’t think they ate
the blackworms though, since a colony of them became established in the tank. I
also rotated algae covered rocks from my other tanks so they had a constant
supply of new pasture.

Male and female Sewellia
lineolata are relatively easy to tell apart, if you know what to look for. When
viewed from above or below the males have a more angular outline from the head
to the transition point of the pectoral fins. Females have a smoother outline
when viewed from above or below. Males also have a bit more frill to the edges
of the pectoral fins. Breeding was very easy once I gave them the right
conditions. Being hillstream loaches you’d think they would need to spawn in a
cave, under a rock or in a sand pit and require a lot of current and cooler
water temperatures. Actually these fish spawned for me in a 20 hex with only an
air driven sponge filter for current and a temperature of 76 degrees. Provide them
with a tall tank, good diet, and no back or canister filters. The secret is
that these fish spawn in the water column and their eggs and larvae are
planktonic. Looking at pictures of these fish in their natural habitat over a
solid rock bottom, this makes sense. Obviously the impeller from a back or
canister filter would be detrimental to the survival of the eggs and larvae, so
I chose to forgo the addition of an external filter to increase the chances of
success. I have read instances online where aquarists would find babies in
their filters, so if you do use one check the water in it before dumping it out
during maintenance.

I did not realize my fish
had spawned until I observed very tiny fry zipping around near the base of the
rocks. Since the lineolatas were the only fish in the tank, these little fish had
to be their offspring. I was able to observe spawning behavior shortly after
seeing these first fry. It occurred shortly after the light on the tank was
turned off. The male would rapidly swim down and around the dorsal area of the
female as she was stuck to the aquarium glass. It looked almost like he was
nibbling along her back. He always started on her right side, and worked from
head to tail, then tail to head on the left side. I never saw them spawn, but
have read accounts of the event. After this courtship of back biting, the male
and female rapidly swim up to spawn in to the water column. I do not know how
long the eggs take to hatch, but on occasion I would see very small larvae
wriggling through the water column a few days after seeing the courtship
behavior. As I watched the first fry over the next week I realized they looked
nothing like the adults. Their body shape was that of a more typical loach, not
flattened out at all. They appeared to grow rapidly on a diet of First Bites,
Tetra Tabs and infusorians. I would often see them picking at the rocks and
sponge filter. Over the course of two months the body shape of the fry morphed in
to that of their parents. This was quite a rapid and amazing transformation to
witness. As their body shape changed they began spending more time on the glass
and rocks instead of the sand, and appeared to graze on the rock bio cover more
aggressively. They also frequently chased each other around just as the adults
did. I never saw any physical harm come from these quarrels.

The Sewellia lineolata were
a rewarding and very interesting species to keep and breed. There are great articles
online at www.loaches.com with more information on breeding and there are also some
great pictures of the fish in their natural habitat. The web site www.brianstropicals.com
also has an interesting page with pictures.

We will also have our usual mini auction and raffle of donated goods.