erratum: Ep fasciolatus zimiensis SL89 not SL99

[RonWill]

Jian Yang,
My practice is in keeping to the names/location originally provided by the seller and to whom I'll direct required verification.

Unless the discrepancy was a typo or human oversight, it would be difficult to trace backwards (as per Karl's Ap bitaeniatum 'Ojube-Ode' instead of 'Ijebu-Ode').

I would suggest, if the Census is amended, to include footnotes and url references. That will avoid double entries and/or further confusion.

While I lost the zimiensis (we'll take the name as is, for now), another forumer will be receiving his pairs soon.

[RonWill]

I wasn't sure whether to disrupt the eye-to-eye exchanges posted earlier but from the ZII fry/eggs received from Kee Hoe on Jan 8th 2006, the status is 19 fry in 2 growout containers and a few more good eggs. The older fry are doing well and approx 5mm now.

Bill, hopefully we get a better chance of establishing the species than our previous attempt.

[keehoe]

Ron, thats the first mass eggs production of the species after extended period of conditioning. ( You have more fry then me now. )

So good luck with that.

[RonWill]

You have more fry then me now

Kee Hoe,
Maybe I should have been more specific. It's not 19 fry in each container but a total of 19.

After you've collected the yarn, let's see if green works better than blue.

[ruyle]

Bill, hopefully we get a better chance of establishing the species than our previous attempt.

Good luck, Ronnie!

Bill

[keehoe]

Ron, no matter how you count. You still have higher number of swiming creature having "ZII" mark on their forehead. I have 2 pair and about 8 fry of various size.

Not sure which colour works best but i am sure that electric blue looks more striking in photo.


Also purchase some smaller live food than the one you gave me. But contaminated with ants.

ZII female love the sleeping worm right before they turn into beetle.

Seems to have a lot of "dust" comes out from its mouth as ZII chew on it.

[RonWill]

Kee Hoe,
There were some small round things that were stuck to the moss which I thought were eggs. Not sure what they are but 19 should be the final count. At a later time, I intend to sort them according to size and raise them in 3 growout containers.

Also purchase some smaller live food than the one you gave me. But contaminated with ants

If you need another mealworm starter, collect it together with the yarn. Did you manage to find the lotus-seed worm? I'd like to try culturing these too.

By 'sleeping worm', I think you're referring to the pupae or defined as "The nonfeeding stage between the larva and adult in the metamorphosis of holometabolous insects, during which the larva typically undergoes complete transformation within a protective cocoon or hardened case"

I would not suggest feeding pupae to the ZIIs as the insect's casing might cause digestional problems.

[keehoe]

Ron, the Lotus-seed beetle is what i refering to. Much smaller in size. Thats the one that is contaminated. They grow fast. Now i separated them into 3 container.

The meal worm is tough. Have not tried feeding them to any fish yet. But bird. While i was taking shelter from the monsoon rain at your house. One pigeon drop by my house and his whole body were wet. Tried putting some worm in small container and put it near him.

After the rain stop, he seems to like my fish tank too much and stand on top of the partition where i keep my D.CYA.

So, no choice. Chase him out. (Since the rain had stop.)

Anyway, manage to get petri dish?

[keehoe]

Add another photo of these jewel.

[RonWill]

Just a quick update. Out of 19 fry growing out, I lost 2 probably due to sibling predation.

In the 1st growout container, originally with 10 fry, the largest is about 1.5cm and smallest, at 4mm. Quite a discrepancy, I'd say. Last count during yesterday's water change was 8 and have transferred 2 smaller siblings to the 2nd container. Bal = 6.

2nd growout now holds the original 9 fry (that hatched later) plus 2 transferees = 11 fry.

All 17 fry have good appetites but tend to hide amongst the floaters and hornwort. If I find substantial size difference at next water change, there's a 3rd growout container on standby.

Kee Hoe, how are those breeders doing?

[keehoe]

Mmmm, i think i have more fry than you now. Didn't actually count but i just had a 100% hatch rate when i came back from chinese new year. The breeding group have been feeding on new born fry until i am back from malaysia and remove the mop from their tank. That adds about 19 fry to my count.

The tanks are infested with hydra. Having move them to separate plastic tank and away from the chiller realise that they doing OK without the chiller. You still have that things that kill hydra?

3 of the older fry grown to 1.2 inch in size and by the look of it. Two confirm male and one possibily female. The one that grow fastest is the one that accidentally hatched in lampeyes tank together with group of malayian shrimp. It manage to survive lampeyes attack and now is the king of the tank. During my absence, he feed on the malayian shrimp in the tank and left me with a few dead corpse when i am back.

[RonWill]

You still have that things that kill hydra?

Kee Hoe, another friend just experienced hydra and I suggested he use Seachem's Prime but it didn't quite work (contradictory to Wright's observations). Perhaps the dosage was a tad low, maybe, but I can't be sure.

Let me check if there's flubendazole in my war-chest. Remind me again as I'll surely forget. Not much left, I suspect, but time for someone else to organize an order for more.

[whuntley]

Flubendazole is much more certain than dechloraminators. I think Fluke Tabs may work, OK, too, but no personal experience. Formaldehyde works, too, but must be applied for 3-5 days in succession to really do the job.

The dechlors need to be overdosed, significantly, and I know that is safe with Amquel. I'm not so comfortable overdosing Prime, so would not be inclined to do it. That is based on what my nose over the bottle tells me of its stability, despite Dr. Morin's assurances that it is perfectly stable.

Wright

[keehoe]

Thanks all, i am trying PP now. Those tank turns purple colour now. Not a very big problem as there are no fry in those tank.

[Steffen Hellner]

Hello Dave,

what a wonderful photo of a great fish! I haven´t seen this fish that gorgeous since collecting it in Sierra leone in 1989. The location at Faimah is a pond of about 6 m in diameter, shaded by palms but still in open sunlight in most parts. Water from a small creek is running through the pond. Believe it or not, my biggest F1 grew up to 11 cm (messured on a scale outside water) in a 80 gals tank.

Your photo has reminded me how colorful this fish is and that I should get it back. It is still around in Germany. But your fish looks so outstanding, may be I call you on my next trip to the USA.

Best,
Steffen

[RonWill]

In the 1st growout container, originally with 10 fry, the largest is about 1.5cm and smallest, at 4mm. Quite a discrepancy, I'd say. Last count during yesterday's water change was 8 and have transferred 2 smaller siblings to the 2nd container. Bal = 6.

2nd growout now holds the original 9 fry (that hatched later) plus 2 transferees = 11 fry

Kee Hoe, Bill, et al,
A quick update during water change, status quo unchanged.

11 juvenile from the 2nd growout tray now join 6 smaller Fp. GAR Lafia in a 2ft tank. The 6 larger siblings are approx 1.5" and I have another 2ft setup waiting for them.

Hi Steffen,
Glad you're still with us. Could you elaborate more about the ZII's habitat (at Faimah). From the collection notes, what were the temps and water parameters like? (I see that Tim has updated the page with a new pic from Pat but still no Faimah?)

If your F1 can reach 11cm (gosh, what did you feed them!), I ought to find a larger home for mine.

[Steffen Hellner]

Hi Wright and all,


>They come from a relatively arid section of coastal Sierra Leone which leads me to engage in a little wild a** speculation. :wink:

Since their area of narrow rain forest and mostly savannah gets less than half the rain of places like the Niger Delta, and only one -- not two rainy seasons, they may be used to considerably harder water than is common for fish farther south and particularly East of the Dahomey Gap.<

Surely, the area where the Faimah come from is not rainforest but in the intersection between savannah and secondary rainforest. There is plenty of rains in this area as in most parts of SL. And we found nowhere water with a measurable hardness. The ground doesn´t contain alcaline minerals at all.

>David calls them a Lampeye, which I don't think they are, but that suggests something else. I have had best results with Lampeyes with moving water over eggs and high oxygen at all times. High oxygen is difficult with really warm water, but could be worth a try. <

They like sunlight but not too intense. Generally they are forest dwellers (as found farther east towards Liberia where the rainforest was intact) adopted to semi-open biotopes. Oxygen is not a problem as they stand under waterlilly leafs just at the surface. And there were Pelvicachromis in the same water just one level below. The water wasn´t running but slowly floating. This species can also be found in diamond digger ditches with standing water which are found everywhere in SL along the roads.

>Based on my brief reading, and lacking any contradictory input from those actually hatching and raising good babies, I would probably try the following. Start with a bit harder water, maybe GH of 8 or 10? KH of at least 4-6. Add a pinch of salt to bring tds up to about 400-500 ppm. Provide aeration and good current for both eggs and babies.<

From my experience often the right is done but from a different point of view. To me it is not that much oxygen level but absense of bacteria. The waters where Epiplatys are found in SL are extremely clear and oligotrophic. There is hardly any chance to have fungus or bacteria destroying an egg. In aquarium it is just the other way around. Simply try slightly acidic water with peat fibre or walnut leafs (these contain natural antibiotic similar to the sea-almond-tree) and a bigger bowl. Eggs of e.g. semi-annual Fundulopanchax or annual killis can withstand drastic environments without problems, most Epiplatys can´t (I only know one exception, E. ansorgii Massana, which likes eutrophic waters, doesn´t spawn in fresh water).

Thanks to all of you who keep and have kept this fish in the hobby.

Best regards,
Steffen

[Steffen Hellner]

Hi Ron,

>Could you elaborate more about the ZII's habitat (at Faimah). From the collection notes, what were the temps and water parameters like? (I see that Tim has updated the page with a new pic from Pat but still no Faimah?)<

The water we didnt measure at Faimah but at a nearby biotope where the same species occurred: water temp 26 °C (below surface), temp air 32 °C, pH 6.2. These data are highly representative for SL. Stagnant waters a little higher, heavy flowing waters a little less, regularly between 24 and 30).

>If your F1 can reach 11cm (gosh, what did you feed them!), I ought to find a larger home for mine.<

Two factors for this: first room to swim and secondly balanced food mix with all typical live food items, very important are flies and crickets. And to add good protein I use catfood "Purina Delicat" which is of soft consistense and can easily be broken into small pieces.

But not all Faimah grew that big, but mostly all males reached 9+ cm, the females only slightly smaller.

Steffen

[RonWill]

Bill, Kee Hoe, et al,
All 17 juvenile are still around and have grown a fair bit. 6 of them are in a 48x18x18"H setup with SPP Ekondo Titi. Found some eggs in mops but not sure whose these are (I suspect it's the Ekondo's). ZIIs average 5cm in this tank.

The other 11 ZIIs are in half partition of a 48x16x10"H with Henri/Mattenfilter and water fed into this tank from the one above (it's a 2-tank recirculating setup). Temp hovers between 25~27ºC and pH6. Average size of ZIIs 4~5cm with a few large, gravid endler females. At this point, I'm undecided whether to re-introduce their 6 older siblings into the same setup. It will cut back some on maintenance but too wary of having all my eggs in one basket.

Anyway, some pics of the 11 ZII's home. It's a little dark, I think, but the plants are low-light types (don't need the heat either) and setup is supposedly low-maintenance too.




No sight of ZIIs when camera is in hand and ready but hope to catch them during meal times. BTW, the batch I'm raising seems to be male-heavy.

For the curious, ZIIs occupy the left partition and CRS on the right

[ruyle]

Ronnie, I think some congrats are in order for both you and Kee Hoe
resurrecting this specie! BTW, those are some nice setups in the pics

Do post some more pics when you get some!

Bill