AMAZONAS Magazine, Volume 10, Number 6, KEEN ON CORYS, on sale October 5th. On the cover: Corydoras CW160 (top) and Corydoras CW155 (middle), Ingo Seidel; Corydoras CW133 (bottom), Hans-Georg Evers.
The November/December 2021 issue of AMAZONAS Magazine is printed and arriving at the homes of magazine subscribers, local aquarium shops and better bookstores!
NEW -> If you prefer video content, we are now offering Inside Look as a video too! Check it out!
Readers of the Digital Edition can access this issue starting October 12th, 2021: log into AMAZONAS DIGITAL EDITION
Paid subscribers can log in with their email addresses and password for instant access. The AMAZONAS web-based digital version is available for desktop and laptop computers, tablets, and phones.
To gain access to the current issue and a digital archive of back issues, become a subscriber by following this link:
If you just can’t wait to see what’s showing up in the mail, or your favorite retailer keeps all the AMAZONAS in their protective poly sleeves, we are offering this INSIDE LOOK at the newest issue—a sampling of articles and opening pages for readers curious about what the issue will bring.
The Table of Contents for the November/December 2021 issue of AMAZONAS Magazine. You can view this TOC online!“Many Corydoras species that are new to the hobby and, in some instances even new to science, are found in the wild each year. Needless to say, these new discoveries keep the cory catfish scene exciting. We could easily fill our pages on cory-related topics without even scratching the surface of this species-rich genus.” – Courtney Tobler, Executive Editor, introducing the new issue.Aquatic Notebook features shorter stories and articles of interest to freshwater aquarists. In this issue, we discover a gorgeous new species of snakehead and explores co-mimicking in Corydoras species.
Hans-Georg Evers shares a complicated story of mistaken identities and fleeting chance encounters that ultimately lead to the successful breeding of a new dwarf cory catfish, Corydoras CW133.
Ingo Seidel features a new group of desirable Corydoras species from the Río Tapajós basin, sometimes called Jabuti catfish. They have now reached the European aquarium market, but they are often confused with one another.Oliver Lucanus ventures into the secluded Brazilian Cachimbo Mountains (the Serra do Cachimbo), home to several new, rare, and expensive Corydoras, such as CW171, CW111, and CW145, that have made their way into the aquarium trade.Tomocichla tuba is a common cichlid in its range, yet finding specimens in the aquarium trade is difficult. Jim Cumming presents his observations of this large Central American jewel in the field and his experiences with the species at home.Many factors need to fall in line to breed fish: the right pairing, the appropriate water parameters, and an ideal diet tailored to the specific needs of the parent fish. If the fish refuse to spawn for a long time, waiting for success can become a real test of patience. Such is the story of breeding Lamontichthys llanero, as told by Norbert Knaak.Numerous articles discuss the capture and maintenance of South American characins, but the African darter characins often seem more neglected in this regard. The African darter characin fauna nevertheless has much to offer, such as these three interesting Nannocharax species from Sierra Leone, introduced by Anton Lamboj and Ahmid Mansaray.It’s interesting to see often overlooked North American native fishes (and invertebrates) having such a strong following internationally, perhaps a case of “the grass is always greener”? The North American crayfishes of the family Cambaridae have long been very popular with aquarists. Rightly so, as some are gorgeous and impressive in the extreme, and all of them are very interesting! Freidrich Bitter offers a unique and experienced perspective of these colorful and intriguing native freshwater crustaceans.Can there be a more ideal candidate for algal control in a freshwater aquarium? Is the Zebra Nerite, Neritina gagates, the snail to ruin all other snails for you? It might just be the case, as Dr. Paul V. Loiselle discovers and shares this high-contrast mollusk with you.Benin There, Done That! Go afield with Lawrence Kent as he explores the region nestled between Nigeria and Togo on Africa’s West Coast; the Republic of Benin is home to an array of fascinating brackish and freshwater fish!The unprecedented stress of lockdowns and small businesses turned upside down could drive anyone mad, but a rooftop garden of potted vegetables, tubs of medaka ricefish, and aquatic plants helped the author cope with the confusion and upheaval of the COVID pandemic in his urban landscape. Aquarium Zen’s Steve Waldron invites you into his secret urban garden refuge.Hans-Georg Evers showcases a brand new tetra from Brazill that is destined to be a hit; meet Hyphessobrycon negodagua! See even more exciting new tetras like this in our forthcoming, first-ever special edition, Characins—New Brazilian Tetras, available for order now!Matt Pedersen provides an experienced look at Ange, the freshwater angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare), one of the most recognizable inspirations for a cast member of the forthcoming animated children’s series, Weird Waters. The AMAZONAS Events Calendar returns with ACTUAL EVENTS to share! Event organizers, as you start to “reopen” your clubs and swaps, be sure to notify Janine Banks (janine.banks@aquaticmediapress.com) so we can return to normal and start sharing these gathering opportunities once more! View our events calendar online, anytime, for the most up-to-date information we have available, but remember, check with any event organizer directly to learn the status of their event. ‘Tis the season to support some of the finest independent aquarium retailers! (Well, it’s ALWAYS a good time to shop your local independent pet retailers!) Be sure to check out the AMAZONAS Magazine sources list for some of the best aquarium retailers out there. It’s in the back of each issue, and available anytime online!We close out each issue with Species Snapshots, a look at rare and unusual fishes showing up in the aquarium trade and hobbyist circles. In this issue, Oliver Lucanus examines Araichthys loro, the Río Papagaio pleco, and Friedrich Bitter recounts the recent first import and initial experiences with Macrognathus pavo, a spiny eel we first revealed in the March/April 2021 issue of AMAZONAS.
We’re excited to bring you our pre-issue sneak peek in the new video format!
That’s right, you can now get Inside Look, your exclusive sneak-peek at the brand new issue of the aquarium magazine AMAZONAS, in video format! Host Alex Rose walks you through the latest issue, KEEN ON CORYS, the September/October 2021 edition. You can still get a KEEN ON CORYS Inside Look in a readable format as well!
Readers of the Digital Edition can access this issue starting October 12th, 2021
Not a subscriber yet? SUBSCRIBE & SAVE!Print subscriptions include free digital edition access and start at just $39 per year—Save 35% off the newsstand price!
SAVE MOREif you subscribe for longer terms, up to 55% off the cover price!
We’re excited to bring you our pre-issue sneak peek in the new video format!
That’s right, you can now get Inside Look, your exclusive sneak-peek at the brand new issue of the aquarium magazine AMAZONAS, in video format! Host Alex Rose walks you through the latest issue, FRESHWATER FLATFISHES, the January/February 2022 edition. You can still get a FRESHWATER FLATFISHES Inside Look in a readable format as well!
Readers of the Digital Edition can access this issue starting December 15th, 2021
Not a subscriber yet? SUBSCRIBE & SAVE!Print subscriptions include free digital edition access and start at just $39 per year—Save 35% off the newsstand price!
SAVE MOREif you subscribe for longer terms, up to 55% off the cover price!
AMAZONAS Magazine, Volume 11, Number 1, FRESHWATER FLATFISHES, on sale December 14th. On the cover: Brachirus selheimi (top), M. Hammer; Brachirus cf. selheimi (middle and bottom), Stefan Baldus
The January/February 2022 issue of AMAZONAS Magazine is printed and arriving at the homes of magazine subscribers, local aquarium shops and better bookstores!
NEW -> If you prefer video content, we are now offering Inside Look as a video too! Check it out!
Readers of the Digital Edition can access this issue starting December 15th, 2021: log into AMAZONAS DIGITAL EDITION
Paid subscribers can log in with their email addresses and password for instant access. The AMAZONAS web-based digital version is available for desktop and laptop computers, tablets, and phones.
To gain access to the current issue and a digital archive of back issues, become a subscriber by following this link:
If you just can’t wait to see what’s showing up in the mail, or your favorite retailer keeps all the AMAZONAS in their protective poly sleeves, we are offering this INSIDE LOOK at the newest issue—a sampling of articles and opening pages for readers curious about what the issue will bring.
The Table of Contents for the January/February 2022 issue of AMAZONAS Magazine. You can view this TOC online!“As hobbyist, we tend to gravitate towards extravagant elements such as the flowing fins and vibrant colors of our fishes and the lush plantings of our tanks….At first glance, freshwater flatfishes may not exhibit obvious allure and grace. Most show modest grays and browns, and all have weird, asymmetrical faces. These features, however, are what make flatfishes interesting.” – Courtney Tobler, Executive Editor, introducing the new issue. A new species of Badis was recently described from the northeastern Indian state of Mizoram. Badis kaladanensis, named after its native distribution in the Kaladan River drainage, is a member of the Badis badis species-group. Learn more about this new species in this installment of Aquatic Notebook.How, exactly, did swordtails get their impressive caudal fin ornamentation? Michi Tobler distills recent research into the answers in this issue’s Aquatic Notebook.Ole Arnold Schneider introduces our cover stories about Freshwater Flatfishes, nothing that “With their asymmetrical appearance, slanting mouths, and eyes on one side of the body, flounders, soles, plaice, and other flatfishes are more reminiscent of Picasso’s creations…As ornamental aquarium fishes, however, they are less celebrated. This marginalized role is completely undeserved as these truly unique fishes should receive more attention in the freshwater aquarium hobby.”Our cover stories continue with an exciting article by Stefan Baldus detailing his experiences keeping, and successfully breeding, a freshwater flatfish currently being treated as Brachirus cf. selheimi. This fascinating story could help pave the way for other captive-breeding successes with related species!Stanislav Kislyuk shares his experiences with a bottom-dwelling, asymetrical freshwater dwarf sole from Malaysia. Watch our AMAZONAS social media channels and newsletters for a forthcoming AMAZONAS interview with Kislyuk, hosted by Alex Rose.Aquarists may be somewhat familiar with the routinely available Morgurndamorgurnda or Nothern Purple Spotted Gudgeon. Now, author Kurt Heims introduces aquarists to the related and undescribed Mogurnda sp. ‘Fruta’ from the Bomberai Peninsula in West Papua. Panaque cochliodon? Panaque suttoni? Panaque suttonorum? Are you one of the many aquarists who are confused by all the name and color variations of “Blue-Eyed Panaques”? Mark Regent presents a very eye-opening investigation and update covering the various forms of this highly sought-after pleco as they are being encountered in the aquarium trade.Ernst-Otto von Drachenfels transports you to South America with a step-by-step travel guide for aquarists who wish to participate in ecotourism at Camp Voltaire in northern French Guiana.Once you are done reading “Fish Eggs Through a Lens” by Ralf Britz, we guarantee you’ll have an entirely new appreciation for these unseen details of fish reproduction.This is an issue you won’t want to be without if you’ve ever experienced problem algae in you freshwater aquarium. Veteran aquatic gardener Bailin Shaw examines each type of pest algae that aquarists and aquascapers are likely to encounter, examines their underlying causes, and presents options to remediate algal problems for good!Ernst Sosna returns to the pages of AMAZONAS with a fresh, in-depth look at the husbandry and breeding of an exemplary South American dwarf cichlid for the home aquarium: Apistogramma panduro. It’s been a hot minute (long time!) since AMAZONAS brought you to the rift lakes of East Africa, so we’re eager to dive in and explore the featherfin cichlid genus Ophthalmotilapia from Lake Tanganyika with author Wolfgang Staeck!Courtney Tobler returns with another installment of Keeping The Cast. This time we feature the piscine inspiration for “Bolo”, the Black Ghost Knifefish, Apteronotus albifrons, which thankfully isn’t as scary as its on-screen counterpart!The AMAZONAS Events Calendar returns with ACTUAL EVENTS to share! Event organizers, as you start to “reopen” your clubs and swaps, be sure to notify Janine Banks (janine.banks@aquaticmediapress.com) so we can return to normal and start sharing these gathering opportunities once more! View our events calendar online, anytime, for the most up-to-date information we have available, but remember, check with any event organizer directly to learn the status of their event. ‘Tis the season to support some of the finest independent aquarium retailers! (Well, it’s ALWAYS a good time to shop your local independent pet retailers!) Be sure to check out the AMAZONAS Magazine sources list for some of the best aquarium retailers out there. Sources are listed in the back of each issue, and available anytime online! Have a shop and want to carry AMAZONAS? Reach out to Janine Banks (janine.banks@aquaticmediapress.com) for further details!We close out each issue with Species Snapshots, a look at rare and unusual fishes showing up in the aquarium trade and hobbyist circles. In this issue, Dr. Paul V. Loiselle introduces us all to an overlooked yet vibrant North American killifish, Fundulus rubrifrons, and Oliver Lucanus shows off the wonder apisto, Apistogramma sp. ‘maravilha’!
In a retrospective look at Brine Shrimp spanning nearly a century, Jason Oneppo looks at the industry that Artemia built, as San Francisco Bay Brand Celebrates 50 Years: 1968–2018. First published in both AMAZONAS Magazine and CORAL Magazine, September/October 2018.
San Francisco Bay Brand Celebrates 50 Years: 1968–2018
A Special Excerpt from CORAL and AMAZONAS Magazines, first published September/October 2018.
by Jason Oneppo with staff contributions, images by San Francisco Bay Brand unless otherwise noted.
San Francisco Bay Brand Celebrates 50 Years: 1968–2018
The origin story of brine shrimp as a fish food staple starts around 1928, when the curator of the new Steinhart Aquarium in Golden Gate Park discovered that the small crustaceans from the nearby sunny San Francisco Bay salt ponds were irresistible to many challenging-to-keep freshwater and marine fishes.
At the outset, Dr. Alvin Seale, one of the preeminent ichthyologists of his era, worked with members of the San Francisco Aquarium Society who collected and brought him a few gallons of the small crustaceans weekly to feed the fish at the Steinhart. Fish species that had previously been prone to starving rather than eat were suddenly feeding ravenously and thriving. The small collection operation grew as appreciation of the value of brine shrimp as a nutritious food for aquarium fishes slowly spread. Eventually the small bootstrap enterprise gave rise to the company known today as San Francisco Bay Brand, Inc.
The little, energetic crustacean called Artemia salina had been known to biologists since 1755, when a Dutch naturalist and medical doctor named Johannes Albertus Schlosser wrote about finding a new “insect genus” in the salt ponds near Lymington on the English coast. Linneaus mentioned these so-called “brine worms” in his great work, Systema Naturae in 1758–1759, and today some seven to nine different species of Artemia are recognized.
Salt evaporation ponds formed by saltwater impounded within levees in former tidelands on the shores of San Francisco Bay. The predominant micro-organism in each pond determines its color. Image credit: Doc Searls, CC BY 2.0
Brine shrimp are believed to be ancient life forms, traceable back 100 million years, having evolved to proliferate in high-salinity conditions where few predators other than shore birds are found. Female brine shrimp have the rather astonishing ability to brood and deliver live young when water and temperature conditions are good. In times of extreme salinity and stress, however, they can switch to producing encysted eggs—tiny fertile packages encased in leathery shells that, when dry, can remain viable for decades. How the genus Artemia became one of the most important foods in both aquaculture and the aquarium hobby is a tale with many twists and turns over the past five decades.
The Founder
Anton Schmidt, who would later go on to become the owner of San Francisco Bay Brand (SFBB), and his family emigrated from Germany to the United States in 1955. Having been trained as a tool-and-die maker, Anton found employment at a small firm in Los Altos, California, repairing aquariums. Schmidt and his wife, Martha, worked there for two years before opening their own aquarium-manufacturing business in 1957: Schmidt’s Aquarium.
Future SFBB owner Anton Schmidt began manufacturing aquariums at Schmidt’s Aquarium in 1957.
The Artemia operations got serious in 1964, when the Steinhart Aquarium and the Leslie Salt Company, a salt-producing giant that then owned some 50,000 acres of evaporative ponds in the San Francisco Bay Area where sea salt was produced and where brine shrimp thrived, formed San Francisco Fish Farms and began selling live brine shrimp to tropical fish hobbyists. The history from here on reads like a Who’s Who of the aquarium trade, with company names and brands that all veteran aquarists will recognize.
In 1965, Aquarium Pacific (parent company of Pemco, an aquarium manufacturer) merged with East Coast Manufacturers (which sold the iconic Gro-lux fluorescent lamps), Wil-nes (pioneering innovators of aquarium products such as the first thermostatically controlled heaters, founded by the Willinger Bros.), and Long Life (manufacturer of fish foods and other aquarium products brands), among others, and formed what was known as the Metaframe Corporation. Schmidt’s Aquarium manufactured stainless-steel framed aquariums until they merged to create Metaframe. The Metaframe Corporation then purchased San Francisco Fish Farms in 1968.
SFBB 1976 Life Magazine advertisement.
Sally is Born
Sally, the cartoon brine shrimp synonymous with San Francisco Bay Brand, was trademarked in 1965.
It was during this time that San Francisco Fish Farms was branded as San Francisco Bay Brand and Sally’s Brine Shrimp was born. The San Francisco Bay Brand logo, with its cartoon brine shrimp named Sally, was trademarked in 1965, but it did not go on the packaging until the acquisition of San Francisco Fish Farms by the Metaframe Corporation in 1968. (Due to the brand’s worldwide recognition, the logo was even used on counterfeit products in China during the eighties.) Metaframe is best-remembered for its gleaming stainless steel-framed aquariums, now considered highly desirable collectors’ items.
In the early 1970s, Mattel, Inc., the toy company, purchased the majority of Metaframe, which included San Francisco Bay Brand, Inc. In recounting the changes in company ownership and vision, Harding Willinger, one of the founders of Wilnes, said that Anton Schmidt was extremely passionate about brine shrimp, saw the potential, and just needed a vehicle to deliver it nationally. Harding provided him with that vehicle while at Mattel.
Mattel ran Metaframe for several years, starting around 1972. The company made some great strides, introducing injection-molded plastic undergravel filters, plastic trim for aquariums, and the SFBB Live Brine Shrimp Dispenser. They also introduced Dynaflow magnetic drive filters, Bubble Ups and plastic plants, Hush air pumps, flake foods, aquarium ornaments, and even advertised SFBB frozen brine shrimp with Metaframe aquariums in LIFE magazine. Most notably, they placed 14,000 Star Coolers in pet store across the US, including Sears Garden Centers and Woolworths, and placed larger freezers in all their distributor’s warehouses. It was this move that established packaged frozen fish food as a staple in the aquarium hobby in the US.
The placement of 14,000 coolers in pet stores across the country made frozen fish food widely available for the first time.
Post-Metaframe Era
Things went well until a dock strike changed Mattel’s fortunes in the middle of the 1970s, and Mattel divested all of the divisions of Metaframe, leaving San Francisco Bay Brand, Inc. under the Schmidt family ownership in 1979. After purchasing the company from Mattel, Anton Schmidt started to work in the University of California system, which was interested in the use of Artemia for aquaculture feed. At that time the commercial-aquaculture-farming industry was in its infancy and garnered interest worldwide by companies such as Cargill, Coca-Cola, and ConAgra, just to name a few.
The current president of San Francisco Bay Brand, Andreas (“Andy”) Schmidt, son of Anton Schmidt, started taking an active management role in the company in 1980, operating the San Diego Brine Shrimp, Salt Lake, and Salton Sea aquaculture facilities, which supported research and brine shrimp harvesting for SFBB’s aquaculture business. By the mid-1980s, Anton’s travels and marketing efforts in South America, China, the Middle East, and other locales around the world had proved instrumental in making brine shrimp a staple feed in the aquaculture industry in 38 countries.
Meanwhile SFBB added frozen plankton and krill, packaged by Murex (Canada Gold), to their line of foods for aquarium fish in 1984. These were the first non-brine shrimp products to be offered by the company.
San Francisco Bay Brand, Inc. made an offer to acquire Ocean Nutrition In 1987. The offer was turned down. Ocean Nutrition, founded in 1982, was the first company to produce frozen specialty diets for the marine and reef aquarium hobby; they were made in the San Diego area using fresh seafood and packaged in flat-pack bags. The diets were originally developed as a food for conditioning marine broodstock and were used to culture hundreds of thousands of clownfish, gobies, jawfish, and Garibaldi (Hypsypops rubicundus) starting in the late seventies.
Also, in 1987 SFBB started experimenting with bioenriching brine shrimp with Selco, a practice common in commercial aquaculture at the time, in collaboration with Artemia Systems Ghent. Then in 1988 they went on to bio-enrich brine shrimp with Spirulina and pharmaceuticals for testing with Abbott Laboratories. Enriching brine shrimp is the process of feeding live Artemia with nutritional formulations until the intestinal tract of the feeding shrimp is fully packed (gut-loaded). As soon as the shrimp are enriched they are immediately harvested and cryogenically frozen.
Harvesting Artemia; 27 buckets, at 40 lbs each, this is a half-ton (907 metric tons) of brine shrimp before washing.
The Space-Age Era
By the 1990s, SFBB had developed a line of formulated diets to meet fishes’ specific nutritional needs based on their diets in the wild, while also expanding the range of frozen single-ingredient fish foods, to include bloodworms, silversides, fish eggs, mussel, squid and many others still used today.
The nineties were an exciting time for San Francisco Bay Brand. Besides expanding their offerings of frozen fish food products, they were also a corporate supporter of Sierra College’s Brine Shrimp Experiment. Sierra College conducted preliminary in-orbit experiments aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis during the flights of STS-37 and STS-43. Artemia was used as a model system to assess microgravity effects on developing organisms.
Left to right: Andy Schmidt, Anton Schmidt, and Ralph C. Hagen (date unknown).
In 1992 Andreas Schmidt became president of San Francisco Bay Brand, Inc. and divested the aquaculture business to focus on the pet trade and zoological institutions. Since then he has continued to focus on providing high-quality all-natural diets for aquatic hobbyists, zoos, hatcheries, and public aquariums. He has served the pet industry as the president of The World Wide Pet Supply Association in 2000 and president of the Pet Care Trust Association from 1999 to 2003.
San Francisco Bay Brand brought blistered packaging (cubes) to the US as a standard in 1994 through cooperation with the Dutch firm Van Gerven B.V. who at the time specialized in bloodworms. Up until then, 95 percent of all frozen fish food in the US was packaged in flat pack bags holding a single slab of brine shrimp or other product. It is interesting to note that the packaging equipment used in 1994 for making frozen fish food cubes were modified machines marketed for packaging pharmaceuticals in blister packs. Machines manufactured for the purpose of packaging frozen fish food in blister packs had not yet been manufactured. This required SFBB to tool its own parts and dies and have a machine shop in-house.
Other SFFB Advances
1990s: First frozen reptile product, the Iguana Veggie Burger, developed in conjunction with Zoo Med Laboratories, Inc.
In 1999, Andreas opens the company’s first China factory utilizing an existing building in Tianjin so that many of the single-ingredient products could be packaged fresh. These include some of the most popular single ingredient items on the market, which are indigenous to China, such as brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, cyclops, rotifers, and bloodworms. This made SFBB the only US-based producers of frozen fish food to own and operate their own factory in China, adhering to the company’s own high standards for processing and quality control.
In 2000, SFBB purchases Murex (Canada Gold), a Canadian producer of frozen brine shrimp, plankton and krill. Also known as Artemia Canada, the company adopted a logo with Sally in a maple leaf.
In 2004, Andreas sets out to build a new factory in Tianjin, along with SFBB’s biologist Steven Geerts (a graduate of the Artemia Reference Center, Ghent University). Built from the ground up, Steven now runs the factory and oversees the day-to-day operations of SFBBFE (Far East), where they process more than 100 metric tons of bloodworms on an annual basis along with many other single-ingredient products used today.
SFBB opens a Louisville, Kentucky warehouse in 1994 dedicated to shipping. In 2007 they built a new warehouse in Louisville, to accommodate their growing product line: The new warehouse is essentially a giant freezer with an office inside. Its central location allows SFBB to efficiently ship to customers east of the Rockies, and in Central and Eastern Canada.
In 2009 SFBB acquires Ocean Nutrition Americas, providing the respected ON brand with greater availability in domestic and worldwide markets.
New products continue to be developed. In the past couple years, SFBB has added Capelin fish eggs, Coral Cuisine (coral food), and the Reef Multi-Pack (four varieties of food in one pack) to its frozen fish food lines.
San Francisco Brine Shrimp, Artemia franciscana.
Retrospective Panorama
As for the beautiful salt ponds of San Francisco Bay where it all started, they are now part of the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge and are being restored as lower-salinity tidal wetlands. SFBB sources its live brine shrimp from inland aquaculture ponds in northern and central California and China, while Artemia cysts are harvested from Great Salt Lake in Utah. The actual species of brine shrimp in modern foods may be Artemia franciscana or Artemia parthenogenetica, the latter of which may be a descendant of Artemia salina or a domesticated hybrid form that has evolved in pond cultures in California and Asia. (The genetics and taxonomy of brine shrimp could fill volumes and are still of scientific interest as Artemia spp. are important both as fish foods and as ideal small invertebrate laboratory animals.)
Looking back, it is hard to imagine where the aquarium world and commercial aquaculture would be without the early discovery of the values of brine shrimp for aquarium husbandry. Many of the advances in keeping and breeding tropical fishes and invertebrates over the past five decades might never have been achieved without more nutritious, palatable, and convenient-to-use foods. And, with only a few of the innovative companies that helped to shape the modern aquarium hobby still being operated by family members of their original founders, it is refreshing to take a retrospective glance back to see how San Francisco Bay Brand started and how it has continued to thrive and innovate through the dedication of a second generation of the Schmidt family.
“As we celebrate our 50th year in business it is hard to believe that it has been 50 years,” says Andreas Schmidt. “Who would have predicted that a little crustacean known as brine shrimp (Artemia spp.) would lead us to develop so many wholesome products to meet the needs of aquatic pets?”
Jason Oneppo, San Francisco Bay Brand
Jason Oneppo has been a salesman and head of research and development for San Francisco Bay Brand since 2001. He has been involved in the aquarium industry since the age of 14, and currently resides in Rhode Island with his wife Dana and their two lovely children, Layal and Jasmin.
AMAZONAS Magazine, Volume 11, Number 2, GOODEIDS OF NORTH AMERICA, on sale February 15th. On the cover: Allotoca maculata, Chapalichthys encaustus, Chapalichthys pardalis, Skiffia multipunctata, Characodon audax (top to bottom). Photos: Wolfgang Gessl
The March/April 2022 issue of AMAZONAS Magazine is printed and on its way to the homes of magazine subscribers and racks of the best local aquarium shops around the world!
NEW -> If you prefer video content, we are now offering Inside Look as a video too! Check it out!
Readers of the Digital Edition can access this issue starting February 22nd, 2022: log into AMAZONAS DIGITAL EDITION.
Paid subscribers can log in with their email addresses and password for instant access. The AMAZONAS web-based digital version is available for desktop and laptop computers, tablets, and phones.
To gain access to the current issue and a digital archive of back issues, become a subscriber by following this link:
If you just can’t wait to see what’s showing up in the mail, or your favorite retailer keeps all the AMAZONAS in their protective poly sleeves, we are offering this INSIDE LOOK at the newest issue—a sampling of articles and opening pages for readers curious about what the issue will bring.
The Table of Contents for the March/April 2022 issue of AMAZONAS Magazine. You can view this TOC online! We open with a letter from the Editor, where Courtney Tobler explains the relationships between the springfishes, poolfishes, and splitfins that make up the family Goodeidae, and how aquarists can play important roles in the much-needed conservation efforts of these imperiled species.
Aquatic Notebook: a collection of short articles covering happenings in the world of freshwater aquariums, fishes, conservation, and science. In this issue: The newly described cory species, Corydoras fulleri, formerly C115/C116, another newly described species of tetra, Moenkhausia cambacica, and the passing of Andy Schmidt.
Our first cover story is Splitfins—extraordinary jewels from Mexico. Author Michael Köck presents a deep dive into the life history of Mexican highland toothcarps including an alphabetized overview of the entire splitfin genera. It’s a huge amount of useful information all in one place.The next cover story, ENIGMA—fishes in the desert, by Shawn Goodchild, focuses on some of the fascinating and highly endemic desert fishes of the American southwest. These imperiled fishes living in the Great Basin of the Mojave Desert face innumerable survival challenges, but conservation-minded aquarists can help save and protect these species.This issue features a great interview with Michael Köck, the founder of the Goodeid Working Group, where we learn all about the endangered lives of most of these species, as well as the critical importance of conservation breeding to the preservation of splitfins.Arely Ramírez-García and Omar Domínguez-Domínguez report on their inspirational ongoing efforts to return the golden skiffia, Skiffia francesae, to its native waters of the Teuchitlan River in Mexico. The reintroduction of this species is a complex process that has been approached from a multidisciplinary view, and it’s all covered in this article.Anja Katzschmann and Norman Behr share a first-hand account of a fish-collecting trip focused on exploring the lowlands of the Rio Pachitea drainage in Peru.Andreas Spreinat offers a pretty humorous but informative account of his quest to build the perfect fly trap to catch fresh food for his predatory Congo tetras.Bailin Shaw introduces a feast for the eyes as we showcase the results of the 2021 Aquatic Gardeners Association (AGA) International Aquascaping Contest, open to hobbyists worldwide. The fishes and shrimps that get to live in these aquariums have truly hit the jackpot.Wolfgang Staek has penned a detailed profile of the Moga or Nicaragua cichlid, a brightly colored and distinctly patterned Central American fish, that is fairly uncommon in the hobby as a result of its large size and a corresponding need for a lot of aquarium space.Our issue brings another installment of Keeping the Cast from the cartoon series Weird Waters where we’ll get introduced to Poofer, one of the villains of the show modeled after the green lantern platy, Xiphophorus maculatus.The AMAZONAS Events Calendar once again has ACTUAL EVENTS to share! Event organizers, as you start to “reopen” your clubs and swaps, be sure to notify Janine Banks (janine.banks@aquaticmediapress.com) so we can return to normal and start sharing these gathering opportunities once more! View our events calendar online, anytime, for the most up-to-date information we have available, but remember, given the ongoing impact of the COVID pandemic, check with any event organizer directly to learn the status of their event.We close out each issue with Species Snapshots, a look at rare and unusual fishes showing up in the aquarium trade and hobbyist circles. In this issue, readers will enjoy three species reviews: Champotón mosquitofish (Carlhubbsia kidderi), a livebearer from Mexico, and two tetras from South America; Hyphessobrycon cf. epicharis from the lower Rio Negro, and Hyphessobrycon sp. ‘inferno’ from the eastern slope of the Serra do Cachimbo in Brazil.
We’re excited to bring you our pre-issue sneak peek in the new video format!
That’s right, you can now get Inside Look, your exclusive sneak-peek at the brand new issue of the aquarium magazine AMAZONAS, in video format! Host Alex Rose walks you through the latest issue, GOODEIDS OF NORTH AMERICA, the March/April 2022 edition. You can still get a GOODEIDS OF NORTH AMERICA Inside Look in a readable format as well!
Readers of the Digital Edition can access this issue starting February 22nd, 2022.
Not a subscriber yet? SUBSCRIBE & SAVE!Print subscriptions include free digital edition access and start at just $39 per year—Save 35% off the newsstand price!
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We’re excited to bring you our pre-issue sneak peek in the new video format!
That’s right, you can now get Inside Look, your exclusive sneak-peek at the brand new issue of the aquarium magazine AMAZONAS, in video format! Host Alex Rose walks you through the latest issue, STELLAR STARGAZERS, the May/June 2022 edition. You can still get a STELLAR STARGAZERS Inside Look in a readable format as well!
Readers of the Digital Edition can access this issue starting April 12th, 2022.
Not a subscriber yet? SUBSCRIBE & SAVE!Print subscriptions include free digital edition access and start at just $39 per year—Save 35% off the newsstand price!
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AMAZONAS Magazine, Volume 11, Number 3, STELLAR STARGAZERS, on sale March 29th. On the cover: Astroblepus species from Peru. Photos: Anja Katzschmann & Norman Behr
The May/June 2022 issue of AMAZONAS Magazine is printed and on its way to the homes of magazine subscribers and racks of the best local aquarium shops around the world!
NEW -> If you prefer video content, we are now offering Inside Look as a video too! Check it out!
Readers of the Digital Edition can access this issue starting April 12th, 2022: log into AMAZONAS DIGITAL EDITION.
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The Table of Contents for the May/June 2022 issue of AMAZONAS Magazine. You can view this TOC online! We open with our Letter from the Editor, where Courtney Tobler introduces us to the waterfall climbing tendencies of these amazing stargazers, as well as some legislative threats to our hobby, which we detail more in the next storyIn this edition of Aquatic Notebook, we tackle the specifics of the Lacey Act Amendments in the America COMPETES Act and break down what this proposed legislation would mean for the pet industry and aquarium hobby if it were to be voted into law. We also celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Greater City Aquarium Society of New York.Our first cover story from Norman Behr and Anja Katzschmann is all about the climbing catfishes of the genus Astroblepus, a name that directly translates to stargazer. Not only do they have very remote distributions, but they also have challenging ecological requirements.Anja Katzschmann and Norman Behr examine the conservation status of Astroblepus in the wild, and explain how habitat destruction, environmental pollution, and competition with invasive species endanger these unique fishes.How exactly do fishes climb? Norman Behr and Anja Katzschmann answer that question with a fascinating article discussing climbing as an adaptation to extreme habitats, with a focus on the genera Astroblepus, Cordylancistrus, and Beaufortia.We diverge from the catfish content and bring you a low-maintenance killifish from Colombia, a bright orange rivulid that’s extremely simple to keep. Florian Lahrmann offers a warm introduction to Laimosemion leticia.Wolfgang Staeck introduces the species and varieties of convict-type cichlids in the genus Amatitlania, including how to successfully keep and breed them.When extremely rare, endangered species are discovered or rediscovered, one might think that local and federal governments would do everything possible to ensure their protection. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case, as author Víctor Manuel Ortiz Cruz found out in his native Mexico. Together with fellow campaigners, he established an initiative to promote the preservation of endemic Profundulus killifishes.Natasha Khardina shares the winning aquascapes of the 2021 BIOTOPE AQUARIUM Contest, providing an underwater glimpse of aquatic habitats from around the globe. See aquarium favorites in nature-like settings; no snorkel needed.The number of scientifically described species of the genus Badis has been steadily increasing. While most of the novel badids hail from India, B. pallidus resides further east in Bangledesh and has already found its way into the aquarium trade. Torsten Kortum shares his experience with this rare and beautiful badid.We hope you enjoy this truly informative piece from Friedrich Bitter about a very recognizable fish with a century-long aquarium career, the iconic harlequin rasbora, Trigonostigma heteromporha.Han-Georg Evers brings us more Notes from the Field, this time penning an article that takes us to the tropical island of Sulawesi, one of the biodiversity hotspots of our planet. Evers focuses on the unique discovery and troublesome plight of his namesake fish, Oryzias eversi, Evers’s ricefish.Courtney Tobler offers another installment of Keeping the Cast, our ongoing coverage of the cartoon series Weird Waters. In this issue, we have a look at the care requirements of Boom Boom Cheeser, the animated dragon blood peacock cichlid.The AMAZONAS Events Calendar once again has ACTUAL EVENTS to share! Event organizers, as you start to “reopen” your clubs and swaps, be sure to notify Janine Banks (janine.banks@aquaticmediapress.com) so we can return to normal and start sharing these gathering opportunities once more! While COVID appears to be on the decline, be sure to check with any event organizer directly to learn the status of their event. Keep a lookout for AMAZONAS at aquarium events around the U.S. this year, and please be sure to stop by and say hi! And be sure to check the online events calendar for the most current info, and events going beyond the current printed calendar!Check out Sources, our printed and online listing of local aquarium stores in the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, and Sweden, where you can buy AMAZONAS right off the shelf. Rumor has it, they probably have fantastic aquatics departments considering they have great taste in aquarium literature! We close out each issue with Species Snapshots, a look at rare and unusual fishes showing up in the aquarium trade and hobbyist circles. In this issue, readers will enjoy three species reviews. Dr. Paul V. Loiselle examines the Vilmae tetra, Hyphessobrycon vilmae, and a glorious African killifish, Scriptaphyosemion guignardi. And, we let Joshua Wiegert have the final word with his insights into the mouth almighty, a freshwater ambush-predator cardinalfish known to science as Glossamia aprion.
The bottom substrate of fine sand suits the way of life of the freshwater soles.
article & images by Stanislav Kislyuk
Fish diversity knows no bounds. Some fish have contrast-rich patterns, while others have fabulous coloration, and some are at the very least simply bizarre in appearance. The bottom-dwelling, asymmetrical freshwater dwarf sole from Malaysia belongs to the last group.
MOST PEOPLE ARE LIKELY FAMILIAR WITH members of the flatfishes (order Pleuronectiformes), especially if they enjoy consuming flounder or halibut. Getting to know them usually begins and ends on a plate in a restaurant, attractively garnished with parsley and a wedge of lemon. By contrast, freshwater soles are more of a mystery. I first encountered them during a vacation trip in Southeast Asia.
Those who want to see freshwater soles for themselves can find these bizarre and mysterious fishes on almost every continent. I decided on a trip to Malaysia, as a particularly small freshwater species, Achiroides leucorhynchos, lives there. This dwarf sole is fairly widespread from Thailand across Malaysia to Indonesia. It grows to a maximum size of about 3.25 inches (8.6 cm), but usually remains significantly smaller. They are euryhaline (tolerant of a wide range of salinity) and occur in marine coastal areas, brackish lagoons, and in soft freshwaters, where they feed mainly on crustaceans and, to a lesser extent, on fishes (Nurhayati and Prianto, 2008).
This river in the Malaysian rainforest was the home of my freshwater soles.
Fishing For Sole
It wasn’t at all surprising that my first acquaintance with this species took place in a freshwater river, locally known and translated as the “River of 100 Fish Species,” in the middle of a Malaysian jungle, a long way inland from the coast. The way to the site was an adventure in itself—a slippery, narrow path that meandered through the lush greenery of the wilderness, interrupted here and there by a fallen tree.
While most of the forest dwellers weren’t to be seen during the day, one type was disproportionately represented: leeches. Upon arriving at the river, we happily plunged into what we thought was safe water—but here, too, the sometimes far-from-small bloodsuckers were waiting for us, specifically in the overhanging vegetation.
Catching fishes wasn’t all that easy in the milky, murky water.
With our nets in hand, we first sifted the sandy substrate, covered with a deep layer of leaves, some way away from the bank. It had rained a lot during the previous days, so the visibility in the deep, milky water was anything but good, making it much more difficult for us to fish. Nevertheless, we slowly but surely turned over practically every last little leaf, and thus brought hundreds of leaf-litter-dwellers to light. Two attractive loach species, namely Pangio malayana and P. piperata, as well as the little catfish species Akysis hendricksoni were particularly common there. The extraordinary loaches Vaillantella eupiptera and V. maassi, with their genus-typical, deeply notched caudal fins, proved significantly less common. At one spot, we encountered a fairly large snakehead (Channa sp.), but it managed to free itself from the net with a mighty leap into the air and swam away.
My first Achiroides leucorhynchos and a number of small loaches in the transport container.
We then fished a shallow sandy area with a depth of just 4–6 inches (10–15 cm) of water, and several small freshwater soles were soon flapping in the net! All were similarly sized at a length of 1.5–2 inches (4–5 cm). There were several dark spots on their sand-colored bodies, creating a camouflage effect. These catches would soon make their way to my home aquarium.
Maintenance Experiences
The freshwater soles that I collected in Malaysia proved to be undemanding in regards to water chemistry. They can be maintained in any water conditions except for extremely acidic or extremely alkaline water. The only important maintenance requirement is a soft, sandy bottom substrate, into which the fish disappear, so that only their eyes are showing while observing the surrounding area.
I initially feared that these flatfish would hide permanently in captivity, but that is not the case. They often assemble right next to the front glass of the aquarium and look hopefully at their keeper in anticipation of a meal. I also see them making short excursions above the bottom, coming to rest again next to a conspecific or sifting through the sand to find something to eat.
Soon, my wild-caught dwarf soles were accepting not only live Tubifex and grindal worms (Enchytraeus buchholzi), but also frozen Artemia. They didn’t seem interested in dry foods. For reasons unknown, feeding my soles with bloodworms turned out to be a mistake, which even led to a loss.
The dwarf Malaysian freshwater sole, Achiroides leucorhynchos, lying in wait for a meal of worms.
Unfortunately, I know nothing about breeding A. leucorhynchos. Nurhayati and Prianto (2008) carried out a study in the Musi River in southern Sumatra, however, and report that the species probably spawns there in July, during the dry season when the water level is lower, more light reaches the bottom, the water temperature is higher than usual, and the water parameters are stable.
Their small size and manageable swimming-space requirements make these flatfish ideal for maintenance in groups of three to five individuals in aquariums with lengths of 24 inches (60 cm) upwards (volumes greater than or equal to 14 gallons [54 L]). They display no aggressiveness of any sort between individuals, and they are also totally peaceful towards other aquarium inhabitants. No aggressive species should be kept with them, obviously. Achiroides leucorhynchos aren’t exactly the liveliest of fishes. However, if you have some time to spare and want to “slow down” your everyday life, you will certainly find pleasure in these amusing creatures, even though they aren’t eyecatchers at first glance.
Nurhayati, E. and E. Prianto. 2008. Aspek biologi ikan lidah (Achiroides leuchorhinchos) [sic] dan serbaran di sungai Musi, Sumatera selatan. Journal Penelitian Perikanan Indonesia 14 (3): 273–277.
We’re excited to bring you our pre-issue sneak peek in the new video format!
That’s right, you can now get Inside Look, your exclusive sneak-peek at the brand new issue of the aquarium magazine AMAZONAS, in video format! Host Alex Rose walks you through the latest issue, RAINBOWFISHES, the July/August 2022 edition. You can still get a RAINBOWFISHES Inside Look in a readable format as well!
Readers of the Digital Edition can access this issue starting June 14th, 2022.
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AMAZONAS Magazine, Volume 11, Number 4, RAINBOWFISHES, on sale June 8th. On the cover: Top: Melanotaenia cf. goldiei ‘Lobo Village’, middle left: M. sp. ‘Kali Tawa’, middle right: M. mairasi. Photos: Wim Heemskerk. Bottom: M. sp. ‘Malanda’. Photo: Keith Martin
The July/August 2022 issue of AMAZONAS Magazine is printed and on its way to the homes of magazine subscribers and racks of the best local aquarium shops around the world!
NEW -> If you prefer video content, we are now offering Inside Look as a video too! Check it out!
Readers of the Digital Edition can access this issue starting June 14th, 2022: log into AMAZONAS DIGITAL EDITION.
Paid subscribers can log in with their email addresses and password for instant access. The AMAZONAS web-based digital version is available for desktop and laptop computers, tablets, and phones.
To gain access to the current issue and a digital archive of back issues, become a subscriber by following this link:
The Table of Contents for the July/August 2022 issue of AMAZONAS Magazine. You can view this TOC online!We open with our Letter from the Editor, where Courtney Tobler introduces us to the stars of the magazine, as well as gives us an update on potential amendments to the Lacey Act.In this edition of Aquatic Notebook, we introduce a species of bristlenose catfish from the Xingu River that until recently was only known as L159, but now has the official name of Ancistrus luzia. We learn about the immediate need to protect the freshwater world of Sulawesi, and an organization called Sulawesi Keepers doing what they can to prevent the extinction of this island’s endemic fauna. Another new species gets a feature—arrecently described stone loach from Central Anatolia.“Catching rainbows in Kaimana, New Guinea” portrays an enviable collecting trip to New Guinea, where Johannes Graf treks through West Papua to find new species of rainbowfishes.Continuing our cover feature, rainbowfish expert Gary Lange provides an intimate look at “Breeding the Melanotaenia species of New Guinea and other rainbowfishes”.Home aquarists really can make a difference! Peter Unmack shares how the fish hobbyist community saved Australia’s Running River rainbowfish from extirpation, and is working to further conservation efforts for a second rainbowfish species.Wim Heemskerk rounds out our feature topic with an investigation of “Blue-Eyes: beauties from Oceania”. The story features in-depth information and gorgeous images of species from the family Pseudomugilidea, close relatives of rainbowfishes that also exhibit some extraordinary colors and finnage.All the rainbowfish coverage is absolutely beautiful, but there’s plenty of other content too! Check out this super useful article from Gregory J. Niedzielski that provides a detailed overview of the interesting and diverse Fundulopanchax killifishes of western Africa. It is just full to the brim with beautiful and inspiring photos.AMAZONAS author and photographer Sumer Tiwari returns to our pages with his tale of an uphill battle to keep and breed chameleon whiptail catfish, Pseudohemiodon apithanos, one of the more bizarre yet fascinating aquarium fishes out there.Just when you thought you knew everything there was to know about Brine Shrimp, Kriton Kunz comes along and reveals the surprising story of one of the most heavily aquacultured creatures in the world.Anton Lamboj and Amidu Mansaray bring you on their trip to the west African nation of Sierra Leone and share a firsthand look at the ichthyofauna of the region, paying particular attention to the native characins and barbs.Courtney Tobler pens another installment of Keeping the Cast, our ongoing coverage of the cartoon series Weird Waters. In this issue, we have a look at the care requirements of Paddles, the animated version of a bubble-eye goldfish.The AMAZONAS Events Calendar is back in full swing! Event organizers, as you start to “reopen” your clubs and swaps, be sure to notify Janine Banks (janine.banks@aquaticmediapress.com) so we can return to normal and start sharing these gathering opportunities once more! Since COVID continues to flare up and cause issues, be sure to check with any event organizer directly to learn the status of their event. Keep a lookout for AMAZONAS at aquarium events around the U.S. this year, and please be sure to stop by and say hi! And be sure to check the online events calendar for the most current info, and events going beyond the current printed calendar!Check out Sources, our printed and online listing of local aquarium stores in the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, and Sweden, where you can buy AMAZONAS right off the shelf. Rumor has it, they probably have fantastic aquatics departments considering they have great taste in aquarium literature! We close out each issue with Species Snapshots, a look at rare and unusual fishes showing up in the aquarium trade and hobbyist circles. In this issue, readers will enjoy three species reviews. Friedrich Bitter highlights the Giant Gourami, Osphronemus gouramy; Oliver Lucanus introduces a lovely characin, Hypomasticus despaxi, along with a striking new eartheater cichlid, Geophagus sp. ‘Black Saddle’. It’s all exclusively in the pages of AMAZONAS Magazine!
AMAZONAS Magazine, Volume 11, Number 5, CONSERVATION & AQUARIUMS. On the cover: Top to bottom: Misgurnus fossilis, F. Schäfer; Paretroplus nourissati, W. Staeck; Scleromystax sp. ‘C113’, R. Lechner; Parosphromenus sp., F. Schäfer
The September/October 2022 issue of AMAZONAS Magazine is printed and on its way to the homes of magazine subscribers and racks of the best local aquarium shops around the world!
NEW -> If you prefer video content, we are now offering Inside Look as a video too! Check it out!
Readers of the Digital Edition can access this issue starting August 16th, 2022: log into AMAZONAS DIGITAL EDITION.
Paid subscribers can log in with their email addresses and password for instant access. The AMAZONAS web-based digital version is available for desktop and laptop computers, tablets, and phones.
To gain access to the current issue and a digital archive of back issues, become a subscriber by following this link:
The Table of Contents for the September/October 2022 issue of AMAZONAS Magazine. You can view this TOC online!In light of all the discussions going on around the potential Lacey Act amendments, we felt there would be no better time to shine a light on the importance of the aquarium hobby in conservation efforts. As always, we open with our Letter from the Editor, and Courtney explains how we chose to highlight various hobbyist-led organizations, fish conservation programs, and other means through which the aquarium hobby sustains populations of threatened fishes.AMAZONAS publisher Stephan Tanner addresses the subject of trade bans in other countries and why they’re often counterproductive to species conservation.Frank Schafer suggests that trade restrictions would be more effective if they took into consideration the reproductive strategies of the species they’re meant to protect.Aquatic Notebook includes an update on the freshwater tropical fish cartoon Weird Waters! Read the announcement in this special online excerpt!Are you a veteran aquarist with a treasure trove of old-shool slides that you’d like to digitize? Author Don Danko shares his latest photographic techniques for bringing old fish photo slides back to life in the digital realm.Throughout its nearly 70-year history, the Austrian Association for Vivaristics and Ecology (ÖVVÖ) has always placed value on the conservation breeding of species. In recent years, however, the Association has greatly intensified its efforts and has become more efficiently organized. The result: several successful fish conservation projects are in progress today.Wolfgang Staeck outlines the concepts and goals driving conservation efforts in the aquarium hobby and the history of aquarists protecting fish species globally in his latest AMAZONAS contribution, “Conservation in the aquarium hobby: concepts and goals.”Author Dominik Niemeier explains how constructive collaboration between aquarists and scientists is having a positive effect on the protection of snakeheads and their natural habitats.Kathrin Glaw has compiled an informative look at the role the aquarium hobby has played and continues to play in species and habitat conservation, including the conservation breeding of the Madagascan cichlids, Paretroplus menarambo.Roman Lechner details the husbandry and breeding of an endangered mailed catfish from Brazil, Scleromystax prionotus.AMAZONAS staff member, editor, and YouTube host Alex Rose showcases her diverse talents with her first article for AMAZONAS, detailing her search for Hawaii’s five waterfall-climbing freshwater gobies. This story has it all; a challenging search for native tropical fishes and breathtaking in-situ photography without leaving the country!AMAZONAS contributor and fish importer Oliver Lucanus has penned an exciting article about some of the beautiful new fishes being collected in northern Peru, including the stunning bright red pencilfish from the Rio Amaya.Patrick Doyle offers up a DIY solution to conceal a mattenfilter behind a lava rock wall.Hans-Georg Evers brings readers a fascinating look at the White Cloud Mountain Minnow genus, Tanichthys, starting with the incredible story of an unexpected importation of white cloud mountain minnows back in 2004 and what’s since become of them.AMAZONAS Executive Editor Courtney Tobler provides another installment of Keeping the Cast, our ongoing coverage of the cartoon series Weird Waters, where we meet Steady, the red cherry shrimp, and review their care requirements.The AMAZONAS Events Calendar keeps you apprised of aquatic happenings around the country and beyond our borders. Event organizers, be sure to notify Janine Banks (janine.banks@aquaticmediapress.com) for consideration in the print and online versions of this calendar. Keep a lookout for AMAZONAS at aquarium events around the U.S. this year, and please be sure to stop by and say hi! And be sure to check the online events calendar for the most current info, and events going beyond the current printed calendar!Check out Sources, our printed and online listing of local aquarium stores in the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, Sweden, and now CHILE, where you can buy AMAZONAS right off the shelf. Rumor has it, they probably have fantastic aquatics departments considering they have great taste in aquarium literature! We close out each issue with Species Snapshots, a look at rare and unusual fishes showing up in the aquarium trade and hobbyist circles. In this issue, Hans-Georg Evers showcases a treasure trove of rare aquarium fishes entering the trade from China: Macropodus opercularis and M. hongkongensis ‘Guangxi’, Phoxinus kumkang, Siniperca whitehensi, and Siniperca chuatsi. These species accounts are exclusively in the pages of AMAZONAS Magazine!
We’re excited to bring you our pre-issue sneak peek in the new video format!
That’s right, you can now get Inside Look, your exclusive sneak-peek at the brand new issue of the aquarium magazine AMAZONAS, in video format! Host Alex Rose walks you through the latest issue, CONSERVATION & AQUARIUMS, the September/October 2022 edition. You can still get a CONSERVATION & AQUARIUMS Inside Look in a readable format as well!
Readers of the Digital Edition can access this issue starting August 16th, 2022.
Not a subscriber yet? SUBSCRIBE & SAVE!1-year print subscriptions include free digital edition access and start at just $39 per year—Save 35% off the newsstand price!
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The cartoon series Weird Waters is expanding its reach! You can now follow the adventures of BZ, I.M. Tiger, and Jam on Peacock.
via 9 Story Distribution
We are pleased to announce that the animated series Weird Waters has recently been licensed to a number of new digital platforms including Peacock (U.S.), Roku (U.S., U.K., Ireland), Tubi (Australia, New Zealand, U.S.), Xumo (U.S.), and TV3 (Baltics). They join a growing list of broadcast platforms, including Discovery Kids (Latin America), Huashi TV (China), Ketchup TV (Ireland, U.K., Australia), and Yaaas Limited (Ireland, U.K., Australia). Weird Waters series targets kids ages four to seven.
Distributed worldwide by 9 Story Distribution International, produced by Wayletta Productions, Meticulous Media and Moondog Animation Studio, and represented by Courageous Artists, the series follows three Best Fish Friends Forever. Two tropical fishes, BZ and I.M. Tiger, accidentally find themselves in the deep end of a magical pond. Along the way, the duo becomes friends with Jam, who sweeps them away on a series of unbelievable adventures. Through hidden realms, crazy monsters, and ancient mysteries, these friends learn that growing up is the wildest ride of all. Visit weirdwaters.com for more information or learn about the show’s creator and the species behind the characters in AMAZONAS Vol 10.3, Wading into Weird Waters, and subsequent Keeping the Cast columns.
We’re excited to bring you our pre-issue sneak peek in the new video format!
That’s right, you can now get Inside Look, your exclusive sneak-peek at the brand new issue of the aquarium magazine AMAZONAS, in video format! Host Alex Rose walks you through the latest issue, A SLICE OF PARADISE, the November/December 2022 edition. You can still get A SLICE OF PARADISE Inside Look in a readable format as well (coming soon)!
Readers of the Digital Edition can access this issue starting October 11th, 2022.
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AMAZONAS Magazine, Volume 11, Number 6, A SLICE OF PARADISE. On the cover: Macropodus opercularis, Hoang Trung Hon/Shutterstock
The November/December 2022 issue of AMAZONAS Magazine is printed and on its way to the homes of magazine subscribers and racks of the best local aquarium shops around the world!
NEW -> If you prefer video content, we are now offering Inside Look as a video too! Check it out!
Readers of the Digital Edition can access this issue starting October 11th, 2022: log into AMAZONAS DIGITAL EDITION.
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The Table of Contents for the November/December 2022 issue of AMAZONAS Magazine. You can view this TOC online!“In the early stages of this issue’s production cycle, our communications and digital media editor, Alex Rose, sent an email to potential advertisers with a subject line of “Two Fishes to Paradise”, announcing the theme of this issue of AMAZONAS. Ever since that day, Eddy Money’s song “Two Tickets to Paradise” has played in my head over and over. Every. Single. Day.” – Executive Editor Courtney Tobler, introducing the issue.We remember James Langhammer, a lifelong fishkeeper and ACA Fellow who passed away the same day the Triple Crown started, where he would have received special recognition for his incredible dedication to furthering the hobby. Memorial contributions can be made to the James K Langhammer Fund for Conservation by the American Livebearer Association.Robert Hintze brings us coverage from the Aquatic Triple Crown Convention in Louisville, Kentucky where ACA, AGA, ALA, and ANGFA all participated in a fabulously fishy weekend that we all hope will be repeated.Our first cover story, by Friedrich Bitter, focuses on collecting and rearing a wild-type paradisefish from the Chinese island province of Hainan and briefly introduces two other wild forms from Taiwan.Erik Dederer explores the cultivated forms of Macropodus opercularis and how the preferences of aquarists for this species have changed over its long history in the trade.Rüdiger Schäfer will help you learn all about the spiketail paradisefish, Pseudosphromenus cupanus, a species originally documented in India that has been part of the aquarium hobby for well over a century.Eelgobies are also a focus of this issue, and this next article, by Uwe Werner, examines the mysterious life histories of three South American species; Gobioides peruanus, Gobioides broussonnetii, and Gobioides grahamae.Norman Behr and Anja Katzschmann introduce readers to the Pinocchio whiptail catfish, Hemiodontichthys acipenserinus, an exceptionally placid species that has some fascinating physical characteristics including an enlarged lip for holding onto eggs.Dr. Michael Olaoluwa Popoola transports you to the eastern forest block of the lower Cross River, a remote area in the southeastern part of Nigeria, that is ichthyologically different from the rest of the country.Hans-Georg Evers briefly presents background on the “Hyphessobrycon loweae species-group” before presenting the husbandry and successful breeding one of the newest and most colorful members, Hyphessobrycon procyon.We journey into the world of aquatic plants where Rudolf Suttner presents a look at the sleeping beauty waterlily, Nymphaea glandulifera, and shares its life history and care requirements.Badis sp. ‘Sreemangal’ is new Badis from northern Bangladesh; it’s a gorgeous fish that has already been bred in captivity. Is it a new species? Author Torsten Kortum considers the possibility.Hans-Georg Evers takes us to Thailand to visit and admire the outstanding facilities of Gauger Tropic.Friedrich Bitter reflects on the history, husbandry, and breeding of a particularly interesting fish, the wrestling halfbeak, Dermogenys pusilla.The AMAZONAS Events Calendar keeps you apprised of aquatic happenings around the country and beyond our borders. Event organizers, be sure to notify Janine Banks (janine.banks@aquaticmediapress.com) for consideration in the print and online versions of this calendar. Keep a lookout for AMAZONAS at aquarium events around the U.S., and please be sure to stop by and say hi! And be sure to check the online events calendar for the most current info, and events going beyond the current printed calendar!Check out Sources, our printed and online listing of local aquarium stores in the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, Sweden, and Chile, where you can buy AMAZONAS right off the shelf. Rumor has it, they probably have fantastic aquatics departments considering they have great taste in aquarium literature! We close out each issue with Species Snapshots, a look at rare and unusual fishes showing up in the aquarium trade and hobbyist circles. In this issue, Oliver Lucanus introduces readers to Astyanax nobre and the whiptail banjo catfish, Platystacus cotylephorus.
It remains to be seen what the CITES Appendix II listing of Hypancistrus zebra will do to the production and availability of captive-bred specimens in the aquarium hobby. Photo: Hans-Georg Evers
At the 19th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP), delegates from the 184 signatory countries to the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), as well as nongovernmental organization (NGO) observers met in Panama City, Panama in November of 2022. Prior to the CoP, Brazil submitted a proposal to list Hypancistrus zebra (also known as the Zebra Pleco or L046) under Appendix I of the Treaty. This would have effectively banned international trade in the species. The proposal was lauded by animal rights organizations and other activist groups. However, industry experts and ichthyologists warned that enactment of the proposal would largely end the legal trade of captive-bred specimens produced in large numbers in Indonesia and Europe. This lack of legal supply would fuel an exponential increase in illegal fishing and smuggling of the species. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recommended rejecting the proposal for CITES listing of the Zebra Pleco, as did the CITES Secretariat, which stated the species did not meet the criteria for listing.
Despite these serious objections, Brazil officially introduced the proposal at the CoP. During the discussion of the proposal, the European Union (E.U. member nations generally vote as a bloc at CITES) and the United Kingdom proposed an amendment to list Zebra Plecos under Appendix II as a sort of compromise. However, Brazil was adamant that it wished to include the species under Appendix I. When the vote on whether to amend the proposal was counted, the amendment was rejected by a close margin. The proposal, therefore, continued as a proposal to list the species under Appendix I. A debate ensued and eventually, it came to a vote as there was no consensus between the parties. The votes to list H. zebra under Appendix I fell short.
But the listing saga did not end there. In the very last days of the CoP, during Plenary in which decisions are finalized, the proposal was again brought to the floor by Brazil. This time, Brazil amended the proposal to a listing of H. zebra under Appendix II. This amendment was accepted and passed, meaning the Zebra Pleco will now be subject to international trade restrictions.
Unintended Consequences
Unfortunately, experts are concerned even the Appendix II listing will cause unintended consequences. Protection on paper does not necessarily equate to conservation in reality. The Zebra Pleco was already listed on CITES under Appendix III, which allowed for trade oversight and investigation of illegal trade. Export of specimens from Brazil, where the species is endemic, was also already against the law. The listing of the Zebra Pleco under CITES Appendix II will add some paperwork and technical requirements not previously necessary for captive breeding operations, likely raising the cost to produce and export the species.
With the increased cost of legal, captive-bred specimens, the incentive to smuggle illegally collected wild specimens increases. While the Appendix II listing will almost certainly not have the same degree of detrimental impact as an outright ban in the international trade of captive-bred specimens that would have resulted from an Appendix I listing, the long-term effect on wild fish and smuggling remains to be seen. The hope is that the burden on captive breeding facilities is low enough that legal, captive-bred specimens can still fill demand, so illegal harvest and smuggling do not reach unsustainable levels.
The iconic Hypancistrus zebra (Zebra Pleco), now subject to increased CITES trade restrictions. Photo: boban_nz/Shutterstock
Potential Win-Win is Off the Table
A peer-reviewed study showed that hobbyists overwhelmingly prefer buying captive-bred H. zebra compared to wild-collected individuals of the species. While Brazil’s attempts to restrict trade in Zebra Plecos using the CITES appendices will be counterproductive for the conservation of the species, there are constructive regulatory changes that could be beneficial for wild Zebra Plecos and sustainable livelihoods of Brazilian people.
Zebra Plecos are proven to be prime candidates for aquaculture production. Allowing commercial Zebra Pleco aquaculture operations in Brazil is an economically viable option that would ensure demand is filled by captive-bred specimens. It would benefit wild populations by disincentivizing illegal fishing while providing environmentally sustainable economic opportunities to local people in the range state. Unfortunately, Brazilian law does not currently allow for possession of the species, even for captive breeding. Brazilian authorities affirmatively stated that they do not currently plan to make any changes that would provide such opportunities, and signaled that in the future they would not support changing regulations to accommodate projects of the type.
Increasingly, laws and regulations at international, national, and local levels are alienating aquarium hobbyists, often the people most interested and invested in the conservation of endangered fish species. Trade regulation can be an effective conservation tool, but this requires a targeted approach that discourages unsustainable actions while creating opportunities for demand to be fulfilled by sustainable options. Blanket ban approaches rarely result in the intended outcome and are often counterproductive. We can only hope that captive breeding operations can continue to offset the incentive for illegal fishing and smuggling of Zebra Plecos despite the increased cost of operating under the CITES Appendix II requirements. Additionally, given that habitat degradation and pollution continue to be the primary threats to the Río Xingu and wild H. zebra populations, we can only hope the species is not “protected” to extinction.
About The Author
Art Parola is a member of the National Animal Interest Alliance (NAIA) Advisory Board and leads the NAIA’s CITES Engagement Program. He represents NAIA as an NGO observer for CITES. You can find out more about NAIA, sign up for newsletters and alerts, and support their work at www.NAIAonline.org
We’re excited to bring you our pre-issue sneak peek in the new video format!
That’s right, you can now get Inside Look, your exclusive sneak-peek at the brand new issue of the aquarium magazine AMAZONAS, in video format! Host Alex Rose walks you through the latest issue, KILLIFISH CRAZE, the January/February 2023 edition. You can still get KILLIFISH CRAZE Inside Look in a readable format as well!
Readers of the Digital Edition can access this issue starting December 13th, 2022.
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AMAZONAS Magazine, Volume 12, Number 1, KILLIFISH CRAZE. On the cover: Top: Aphyosemion labarrei, Middle: Nothobranchius furzeri, Bottom: Aphyosemion ottogartneri. Photos: Friedrich Bitter
The January/February 2023 issue of AMAZONAS Magazine is printed and on its way to the homes of magazine subscribers and racks of the best local aquarium shops around the world!
NEW -> If you prefer video content, we are now offering Inside Look as a video too! Check it out!
Readers of the Digital Edition can access this issue starting December 13th, 2022: log into AMAZONAS DIGITAL EDITION.
Paid subscribers can log in with their email addresses and password for instant access. The AMAZONAS web-based digital version is available for desktop and laptop computers, tablets, and phones.
To gain access to the current issue and a digital archive of back issues, become a subscriber by following this link:
The Table of Contents for the January/February 2023 issue of AMAZONAS Magazine. You can view this TOC online!In the Letter from the Editor, Courtney Tobler gives us a nice overview of the lives of the killies we’re about to explore.The AMAZONAS Aquatic Notebook presents short stories of relevance to the freshwater aquarist from around the globe. In this issue: At last: Dario sp. ‘Black Tiger’ has been scientifically described; Big Battle Over Small Fish (the delisting of the Snail Darter); Three CW-Coded Corydoras Receive Formal Names; Rubricatochromis, a New Genus Name for Jewel Cichlids.Our first cover story, from Friedrich Bitter, provides practical advice for maintaining and breeding the small and colorful African killifishes in the genus Aphyosemion.“Life in the fast lane” was the perfect title for this article by Rüdiger Schäfer, who provides a comprehensive look at the short-lived and absolutely gorgeous killifishes of the genus Nothobranchius, the largest genus of African seasonal killies.Veteran aquarist and consummate aquarium author Dr. Paul V. Loiselle revealed the lesser-known killifishes in the genus Pachypanchax that are endemic to the isolated and wildly unique island of Madagascar.Steve Ehrlich takes you along for an epic collecting trip to Kenya in search of killifishes, showing where to find these fishes and what it takes to collect and transport them legally.Marketed in the U.S. as the Chinese Neon Golden Stripe Shark, the Goldstripe Gudgeon, Sarcocheilichthys parvus, is making a splash in the aquarium hobby. Friedrich Bitter shares his experiences with this unique and colorful species from China.After you read M.C.W. Keijman’s article showcasing the African Butterfly Cichlids, Anomalochromis thomasi, you’ll be scrambling to set up another tank just for this precious, wonderful cichlid.The African Pike Characins, Hepsetus odeo, may well present one of the most unique and amazing breeding challenges an aquarium hobbyist could undertake. Sascha Thamm retells the remarkable tale of their captive propagation. Monster fish keepers take note, this is one impressive bubble-nest building fish!Uwe Werner offers a view of the mysterious and controversial Flowerhorn Cichlid.If you lack the room to tackle a massive bubble-nest building Characin, consider the Mekong River pufferfish, Pao palustris, as another amazing captive-breeding project for the intrepid aquarist. Matthew Proctor shows you how it’s done!Aquascapers and aquatic plant enthusiasts will delight in Rudolf Suttner’s aquarium plant portrait featuring the Horizontal Sword Plant, Echinodorus horizontalis.Check out Sources, our printed and online listing of local aquarium stores in the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, Sweden, and Chile, where you can buy AMAZONAS right off the shelf. Looking for a missing back issue for your collection? Ask the closest retailer to you before you buy online; maybe you’ll save on shipping and get to visit a superb aquarium retailer when you go pick up AMAZONAS!We close out each issue with Species Snapshots, a look at rare and unusual fishes showing up in the aquarium trade and hobbyist circles. In this issue, we give Dr. Paul V. Loiselle the entire column to focus on a gorgeous new tetra that’s showing up in the trade, Hyphessobrycon micropterus.
Distribution
