A must-have reference book for the brackish aquarist's library...



March 20, 2010. This is my first post, and, as such, I must tout the best reference book for the brackish aquarist…period. If you haven’t perused (or perhaps purchased) a copy of Brackish-Water Fishes: An Aquarist’s Guide to Identification, Care & Husbandry (published by T.F.H. Publications, Inc., ISBN-13 9780793805648), then do so. Edited by Neale Monks, this volume is well-worth the purchase price, even if several of the fish covered in the volume are rarely (if ever) available. For the brackish aquarist, this book helps paint a more complete picture of the estuarine and mangrove environments; also included are chapters specifically on Etroplus maculatus (the Orange Chromide), the “freshwater” moray eels and other eel-like fish, and the various pufferfish species most suitable for brackish aquariums.
If you want to get a feel for Neale Monks’ expertise, check out his website in the links section of this blog, or just click here. His is one of the first sites (and, of course, books) I go to if I have a question that I need answered.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Update.

January 11, 2018. My last post was over 7 years ago, and while it doesn’t seem like it’s been that long, the dates don’t lie. A lot has happened since August, 2010. My wife and I welcomed our son into our family about 7 months after my last post. We bought a house a couple years after that. Our son was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. I changed jobs twice. In other words, life happened. And it’s been good. My brackish aquarium? Well, it was torn down. But my fascination with brackish environments has not diminished, so my latest project is converting a 40-gallon aquarium to a brackish riparium. If all goes well, I have other aquarium ideas in the works. I will record and update my progress here. As for the blog, I hope to return to exploring topics relevant to brackish aquarists. I have updated the links that had become broken at some point in the last seven years. That’s it (for now). Let’s keep it a little salty!
Read more

Iranocichla hormuzensis: the disappearing cichlid of Iran.

August 26, 2010. The August 2010 issue of Practical Fishkeeping has an interesting article recounting Heiko Bleher’s journey to Iran in search of Iranocichla hormuzensis , one of the few cichlid species found in Asia. Like many cichlids, this species tolerates a range of temperature and salinity. Unfortunately, I. hormuzensis is critically threatened with extinction, primarily due to loss of habitat. Bleher records that several localities where the fish had previously been collected were now completely dry; of those that remained, Bleher notes that dessication appears to be gradually increasing the salinity to levels beyond the tolerance of even this adaptable cichlid. This is unfortunate, as I. hormuzensis is perfectly suited to a light brackish aquarium environment. As it is the easternmost-ranged member of the African cichlid flock (the three Etroplus sp. of India are related to the Madagascan group of cichlids), I. hormuzensis is a species of special concern. Of course,...
Read more

Xiphophorus redux.

March 31, 2010. In my previous blog I mentioned that one of the Blue Platies in my brackish aquarium had given birth (and the babies seem to be doing fine). Xiphophorus sp., such as platies and swordtails, are frequently kept in brackish aquariums (although the water in these aquariums typically has a specific gravity below 1.005). However, it is important to remember that Xiphophorus species are usually found in freshwater habitats; their adaptability to brackish conditions is more a demonstration of their hardiness and preference for waters with a higher pH. Since most brackish aquariums (using a quality marine salt to achieve the desired salinity) also have a higher pH, Xiphophorus species generally adapt fairly easily (and, like many poeciliids, my Blue Platies love feasting on the algae that grows so readily). Other poeciliids, such as mollies and guppies, naturally occur in brackish (and even marine) environments, so these would be better choices for aqauriums with higher sali...
Read more