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Sam's Top Ten of the Year

Sam Unsted — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 10:00:59 +0000

You can listen to us discussing these films at length on the podcast on the show, but please do check out the list below for perpetuity. Sam’s list is annotated and included below, Tom’s is not annotated and its right here. This just means you will have to check out the podcast to hear Tom’s viewpoints. So check out Sam’s choices after the jump, along with a few choice thoughts and honourable mentions. Enjoy!

10. Fish Tank

Andrea Arnold’s excellent second film is not quite the match of the stunning Red Road, but the performance from Katie Jarvis and the touch of the director in the interpersonal scenes elevates this to somewhere that the script doesn’t quite merit, notably given the slight overcooking towards the end. Some amazing scenes, however, and some beautifully constructed and openly-interpretive moments between characters make this nigh-on unmissable.

9. Star Trek

Easily the best blockbuster of 2009, this film is not far off perfect, outside of the terrible scene involving the original Spock. Delete that and you have an indecently entertaining film with, perhaps, the best ensemble cast of the year. The character moments, especially those involving Chris Pine’s Kirk and Karl Urban’s McCoy, are charming and packed with charisma and comedy. Unexpectedly, a Star Trek movie was the most accessible and entertaining action film of the year.

8. Up

Though it’s somewhat messy for the most part, the first ten minutes of this film are enough to give it a solid top ten spot. The ‘life’ sequence at the start, wordless and annotated only by music and tiny personal moments, is completely breathtaking but the rest is a rag-tag road movie with a terrific sense of adventure, just a slight lack of focus. The character moments are sweet and touching, the story itself, focusing on the Pixar-favoured topic of fatherhood, is perfectly pitched and the animation, and imagination involved in that, is wonderful. Forgetting Cars, will they ever truly misstep?

7. Let the Right One In

A very Swedish take on the vampire movie, this was another driven by likeable characters and a sweet romance, but oh so much more bite and existential interest than that other abominable vampire movie. The performances from the two child leads are perfect, but the best thing here is Alfredson’s filmmaking, his camera retaining a stillness throughout which mean that the explosions of violence and disturbing themes are allowed to breathe enough to get under the skin of the audience.

6. Funny People

I wasn’t completely alone in loving this film, but I might be completely alone in loving the film as much as I did. Adam Sandler gives a great performance in this sprawling, hyper-personal exploration of comedy by Judd Apatow. Sandler’s character seems oddly close to his own life, which Apatow is intimately familiar with, and is used to examine the psychological make-up of comedians and the mindset they hold which prevents them from truly connecting. It’s not about all comedians per se, but it explores that mindset held by those who need to keep misanthropy a part of their act. Beyond that, the character interplay is perfect and there are just plenty of fascinating, emotionally open scenes. It’s Apatow’s passion project and, for whatever reason, I just connected completely.

5. Fantastic Mr Fox

Unexpectedly, a huge return to form from Wes Anderson. Ostensibly taking Roald Dahl’s tale as a starting point, Anderson imprints his own style on the source material without losing the overall spirit of the original. The voice performances are perfect, especially the great Jason Schwartzmann, but the star of the show is Anderson’s directorial choice-making. Plenty of great jokes and, in the stop-motion, the best choice he has made in his whole career, completely suited to his minutiae-fetishism on one level and just so aesthetically-pleasing on another. It’s also the first of his films since Rushmore where he seems to genuinely like his characters, a difference which is so important in how much love you can build up for the film.

4. Synecdoche, New York

I love achingly personal filmmaking and this, from the cavernous mind of Charlie Kaufman as both writer and director, is self-examination to the point of borderline insanity. The film drives from meta level to meta level, getting further and further lost inside itself but never, for me, losing the neurosis at its centre: the need to be remembered for something great. It evokes the madness of attempting to create great art, the subjectivity of the world which prevents this from ever being truly possible and the intense need and desire to achieve something, whatever it may be, before death.

3. Where the Wild Things Are

A mad mess of ideas and inspiration, Spike Jonze proved himself once more to wholly understand the spirit of his story, creating a narrative which takes Maurice Sendak’s book and expands it into a swirling, mad imagination picture. It captures the moment when children begin the journey to adulthood, when they realise that they are no longer the centre of the world and have to compromise to the needs of others. Max may well be a disturbed and troubled young child, but I think the feelings and thoughts that he has just capture those that most children would have at that age in his situation, just more vividly than may would perhaps have liked. It’s slightly self-indulgent in places, but it evokes and engages with childhood in ways that modern movies simply never even try. All that and the soundtrack is the absolute best of the whole year.

2. The Wrestler

Low-key and often too close to stereotype in the script, this is a film elevated an enormous amount by the amazing performances, direction and cinematography. Aronofsky shifted away from the insane ambition of The Fountain to deliver and measured, appropriate directing job to prove his versatility, Marise Alberti’s cinematography captures the cold isolation of the characters and the supporting players, notably the ever-brilliant Marisa Tomei, are superb. But, come on, the star of the show is Mickey Rourke. His performance goes somewhere beyond acting onto a meta level that suggests this will be a once-in-a-lifetime role. If that’s the case, he took his chance with both hands and booked his place back amongst the greats after all those year’s in the wilderness.

1. The Hurt Locker

Iraq filmmaking has proved itself a difficult art. The shift has gone from those explicitly exploring the experience of soldiers with a heavy political stance to those exploring the soldiers coming home with a heavy political stance. None of them have been absolutely awful (outside of Redacted and Stop-Loss) but none have managed to explicitly understand the experience of soldiers from an entirely apolitical viewpoint. The Hurt Locker is not only the most exciting, tense film of the year, but it’s understanding of the psychology of the soldier, and its focus upon this, captures what is actually important about Iraq. This was Jarhead with a boatload of action and without the showy visuals, though the visual style here is gripping. Kathryn Bigelow should and hopefully will win the director Oscar this year, not just for the construction of scenes and her understanding of space, but for her focus on the relationship between the lead characters and subsequently their relationship to the warzone. Emotionally and physically, this is a breathless film.

Honourable Mentions

District 9 – Thrilling allegorical sci-fi, only let down by reliance on genre traits.

Milk – Stately and finely-tuned biopic, excellent acting, slightly ponderous in some places.

Slumdog Millionaire – Overrated undoubtedly but still extremely entertaining and sweet. Superb direction.

(500) Days of Summer – Arrival of a talent in Marc Webb and career-best performance from Zooey Deschanel.

Moon – Lovely, charming sci-fi with immense central performance and best performance by Kevin Spacey in years.

Zombieland – Hugely fun and rollicking zombie ride.

Rachel Getting Married – Career-maker for Anne Hathaway, only dips because of hyper-long wedding sequence.

Bronson – Tom Hardy’s performance dominates but Winding Refn’s work is, as always, bracing.

In the Loop – Satire at its highest, only let down because it never quite reaches the Strangelove-ian heights it’s going for.

Anvil: The Story of Anvil – Heartfelt, sweet hair metal homosocial love story.

Doubt – ACTING! And more ACTING!! Stagey at times but otherwise nye-on perfectly judged.

Drag Me to Hell – Raimi returns to horror with fun, cheeky ride with great horror performance from Alison Lohman.

A Serious Man – Obtuse, uber-Coen exploration of Book of Job. For fans only, maybe. If you’re a fan though, world class.

The Movie Overdose Best Films of 2009

Sam Unsted — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 23:21:34 +0000

So our first year of podcasting has gone and ended on us and we finish as we began, with a list of the ten best films of 2009. Has it been a great year? ‘Great’ is so subjective, but it has been a fascinating one, a year which sees the film world on the cusp of huge change and transition, one which seemed filled with movies that represented some of the intrepid yet nervous spirit of the new, called it the ‘Obama Generation’. Anyway, please listen on and hear our favourites of the year, and look out in the coming week for our favourite films of the decade.

Download The Movie Overdose – Best of 2009

These fish are getting a LEGO house for Christmas

Mariann Asanuma — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 04:34:43 +0000

Nigel Guy has his little LEGO men hard at work in his fish tank. Its a pretty clever way to display your LEGO, as long as you don’t mind the bricks getting a little fishy. Of course the minifigs might disagree since they don’t have diver suits on.

My only question is how does he keep the models from floating?

12-18-09

f1sh10v3r — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 06:28:05 +0000

Aplocheilichthys luxophthalmus (= Poropanchax luxophthalmus)

Currently we were able to import once more one of the most beautiful lampeyes from Nigeria: Aplocheilichthys luxophthalmus. Those who follow the splitting of the genus Aplocheilichthys place the maximum 3 cm long fish in the genus Poropanchax.

A. luxophthalmus is a schooling fish that should never be kept in groups with less than ten specimens. They are absolutely peaceful against all other fish. Males and females can be easily told apart by the shape of the anal fin (see photos). They spawn in fine plants, the eggs need 10 – 14 days to hatch.

Experienced aquarists prefer to keep this species in medium hard to hard water for the fish are much hardier under these conditions. Often a slight addition of salt is recommended (a teaspoon full of salt on 10 litres of water). This is not necessary, but has the advantage that artemia nauplii, which form an important part of the diet of these tiny fish in the aquarium, stay longer alive.

The brilliant shining colours of the fish are best shown in dark aquaria. Alder cones make the water brown (like a dark tea) and also have a nice side affect, for they are strengthening the fish’s immune system. They have no influence on the pH. The water temperature should lie between 22 and 28°C.

For our customers: the fish have code 301402 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale market.

Lexicon: Aplocheilichthys: from ancient Greek, means “fish that is similar to Aplocheilus”. Aplocheilus is another genus of fish. luxophthalmus: from ancient Greek, means “with luminescent eye”. Poropanchax: means “Panchax with pores”, referring to the genus-specific arrangement of sensory pores on the head of the fish. Panchax is another genus of fish.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Doryichthys martensii

Right now we were able to import once more this nice pipefish from Malaysia. The species attains a length of 15 cm and has a wide distribution in Southwest Asia: Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. The fish inhabit preferably smaller, slow running water bodies (brooks, small rivers) where it can be found in the dense vegetation of the bank.

Like in all species of pipefish the male has a brood pouch under the belly where it incubates the eggs until they hatch. Adults are exclusively found in fresh water, but it is unknown whether the offspring has to develope for some time in brackish or marine environments.

Pipefish are delicate aquarium inhabitants. First of all, they feed almost exclusively on live food. Freshly hatched brine shrimp nauplii are the best choice for small pipefish species like Doryichthys martensii. Regarding water parameters the fish are comparatively undemanding, but the water must never contain too much waste or bacteria. It is also very important to handle these fish with extreme care, because even small wounds can lead to deadly infections.

All in all Doryichthys martensii is a beautiful, lively fish for experienced aquarists. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale market.

For our customers: the fish have code 414301 on our stocklist.

Lexicon: Doryichthys: from ancient Greek, means “lance-like fish”. martensii: dedication name in honour for Carl Eduard von Martens (1831-1904), an eminant German zoologist.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

The team of Aquarium Glaser wishes you and the ones you love

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Aquarius the Betta Fish

Tyne — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 20:18:55 +0000

I upgraded my betta to a new bowl. He now has a castle and fake plants too. Lucky guy.

Before . . .

and after.

Simply the Best

eneyeseekay — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 18:42:50 +0000

Well kids, I’m back home, and it’s nice to know some things never change =]. I come home to a gargantuan amount of food, Josh the dog is still as lazy as a particularly docile wardrobe and the men down the pub are still vaguely racist. It’s nice to have some sort of continuity.

Anyway, it’s getting towards the end of the year and since everyone else seems to be doing it, I thought I would too:

Album of the Year – a difficult choice to be honest. Commendations certainly go to Tegan and Sara for the serene and beautiful ‘Sainthood’, and Metric’s similarly wonderful ‘Fantasies’. Lily Allen’s ‘It’s Not Me, It’s You’ would be up there if she’d bothered with the second half of the album. Even Lady GaGa’s ‘The Fame’ was good, in a tacky, dancey sort of way, as was Little Boots’ ‘Hands’. However, for me at least (and I’m not going to do what the twats on comment boards have done and turn this into “my music taste is more obscure than yours, therefore, I am better” debate, because I don’t believe that’s what music should be about), it’s between Florence + the Machine’s ‘Lungs’ and Muse’s ‘The Resistance’. Both albums are so far from modern trends, yet so accessible that they’ve made superstars of both artists. This time last year, Flossie was still performing to crowded pubs, whereas Muse had just finished a gargantuan tour promoting their fourth album, filling Wembley Stadium twice in the process.

Florence’s soulful, quite Kate Bush-y style may be irritating to some, but those who weren’t won over by her album may have been won over by a storming performance at Reading, which culminated in her climbing the scaffolding of her stage during the White Stripes-esque ‘Kiss With A Fist’. Also, ‘Dog Days’ is possibly the most beautiful, uplifting and yet crushing song of the last few years. Florence Welch, an art school drop-out hippy-type, almost bleeds through her voice. Half the time, she sounds so hurt and so painful you want her to stop, but she loves it, and it’s powerful, spectacular, and one of the best debuts in a long time.

Muse meanwhile, must have laughed when critics said they couldn’t get more bombastic than the frankly insane ‘Black Holes and Revelations’. There’s jazz piano, a French opera and a bass clarinet solo IN THE SAME SODDING SONG. Matthew Bellamy, continuing his quest to be the most preposterous man in rock, wails over staccato strings and Timbaland beats before yelling over the national anthem of the ‘United States of Eurasia’, then crushes the song into a lilting piano tribute to Chopin. Anyone who thought Muse had strayed out of their tried and tested zone with ‘Black Holes’ must have been sitting with mouths open at the lunacy of this record. It ends with a bombastic ’symphony’ entitled ‘Exogenesis’ about mankind searching for new planets to populate after destroying this one. Whilst some of it is frankly too ridiculous to comprehend, there are places, perhaps during the breakdown of ‘Unnatural Selection’ or the introduction to ‘Cross-Polination’, where this album turns into a true masterpiece.

Which is best then? Pffff, you decide, or pick something else, I don’t mind.

Film of the Year – In the Loop is a fantastic film. Based on the cutting TV satire ‘The Thick of It’, it follows Malcolm Tucker, the Prime Minister’s profane, verbally violent spin doctor as he realises that Simon Foster, the dim-witted MP, has strayed the party line on possible war in the Middle East. With irresistible parts from Gina McKee, Chris Addison and US child star Anna Chulumsky, this is one of the quickest, funniest and at once, most frightening films in a long while. Another good film was ‘Fish Tank’, the indie film starring Katie Jarvis, whose previous acting experience was…possibly a tree in a Nativity play. Bringing nothing but raw passion and heartbreak to the role of the callous and emotionally stunted Mia, she makes a superb debut, as she entices and fends off the approaches of her mum’s new boyfriend. Watch it when it comes out on DVD, it’s heartbreaking, yet uplifting.

Anything else? How are you all? =]

Ah, of course, merry Christmas and a very HAPPY NEW YEAR =] Happiness to all, especially you.

Love and peace. xx.

Notable Films of the Noughties

kieronclark — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:49:34 +0000

Walking the walk. 'Elephant'

And so here, with all of the usual caveats, and in no particular order, is a list of films that have moved, excited and inspired me over the last ten years.

The Great

Elephant (Gus Van Sant, 2003)

A long, lazy stroll around the scene of a gathering storm, Elephant uncovers both the very particular, private world of the American teenager and the kind of wider social malaise that finds an outlet in the occasional high school massacre. It’s an angry film in some ways, but also by turns calm, dreamlike, and level-headed, and filled with unforgettable moments (that scene with the bulimic girls: need I say more?).

Syndromes and a Century / Sang sattawat (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2006)

I’ve said it elsewhere on this ‘blog recently, but to my mind Apichatpong Weerasethakul (or ‘Joe’ to his friends) is one of the few contemporary film-makers who’s genuinely interested in finding new and exciting possibilities in cinema. This 2006 film tells mirrored stories of love in a rural and an urban Thai hospital, and is my favourite of his. Like all of Apichatpong’s work, the film is split into two halves, with scenes that unfold with a gentle, unforced naturalism, and much to think about once you’ve left the cinema. If you let it (and you should) Syndromes… will hypnotise you. In a good way, of course…

Hidden / Caché (Michael Haneke, 2005)

A thriller of sorts from everyone’s favourite Bad Santa Michael Haneke. Here the subject matter is class and colonial guilt, and the director’s gaze has never been harsher. Juliette Binoche is intense and French, Daniel Auteuil is conflicted, and the film itself is a veritable puzzle box for the unpicking. Also contains possibly the most shocking cut (so to speak) in Noughties cinema. Ouch!

'Hidden' ('Caché')

Russian Ark / Russkiy kovcheg (Alexander Sokurov, 2002)

If, like me, your interest in cinema is only slightly more intense than your love of a good night in with Simon Schama or Tristram Hunt, then this is the film for you. Shot in a single take on a wintry St. Petersburg afternoon, Sokurov’s film goes deep into Russian history as its formless narrator takes a wander around the ghost-ridden corridors of the Hermitage Museum. Poetic, seamless and bloody difficult to shoot.

There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2007)

A story of oil, greed and religion in the early 1900s, that inexplicably managed to strike a chord with a mid-Noughties audience. Daniel Day-Lewis all but chews the scenery in a performance that is as deranged, over-the-top and brilliant as Jack Nicholson in The Shining. “I drrrrink your milkshake!” Give that man an Oscar!

The Son / Le fils (Jean-Pierre Dardenne & Luc Dardenne, 2002)

Simplicity is very hard to do in the cinema. So is a hopeful but non-clichéd ending. Here, the Dardenne brothers manage to pull off both in one go, with a story of crime, redemption and, erm, woodwork, set in provincial Belgium.

Grizzly Man (Werner Herzog, 2005)

The tragic, noble, deluded life of Timothy Treadwell, who trekked into the wild to ‘protect’ grizzly bears and ultimately lost more than just his pickernick basket. Werner Herzog’s documentary uses Treadwell’s story to revisit some of the director’s favourite themes: the lone individual on a mission; the thin line between inspiration and insanity; and the savage indifference of nature.

'Grizzly Man'

Silent Light / Stellet Licht (Carlos Reygadas, 2007)

OK, so it rips off Dreyer’s Ordet. And it’s very slow. And the performances by its non-professional actors are eccentric to say the least. But I’d still argue that Silent Light is one of those rare films that is so complete and perfect in itself that it would be almost impossible to take away any one part of it without the whole thing falling to pieces. For those of you who haven’t yet seen it, Silent Light tells the story of a Mennonite farmer in rural Mexico who betrays his wife by falling in love with another woman. And it rocks! (In a slow-moving, cumulative kind of way.)

The Piano Teacher / La Pianiste (Michael Haneke, 2001)

‘Oh my God no!’; ‘She’s doing… what?’; ‘No, not the knife!’ Just a few of the thoughts that ran through my mind while watching Haneke’s chilling character study for the first time. A Right Royal Romp, as The Sun reviewer probably didn’t say.

The Man From London / A Londoni férfi (Béla Tarr, 2007)

Is it perverse to rank this slightly ahead of the same director’s Werckmeister Harmonies? Possibly so. The Man From London is certainly a much simpler film; a noir of sorts based on a Georges Simenon novel. But then noir seems to be the perfect material for Béla Tarr. Here he gives us almost a silent film, leaving chracteristically wide gaps in screen-space and screen-time for the audience to fill. His main character is a deeply compromised railway signalman who fishes a suitcase full of money out of the harbour of the small French town where he lives. What’s incredible about this film is how much we learn about the main character just from watching the people around him. I may have had a couple of beers beforehand, but I left the cinema feeling like I’d been transported to Tarr-land for a couple of hours. And it wasn’t a bad place to be neither.

The Very Good

The Return / Vozvrashcheniye (Andrei Zvyagintsev, 2003)

A stark film about fathers and sons. I could tell you more, but what more is there to say?

Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001)

If Mulholland Drive feels a little episodic, then that’s because it was originally conceived as a TV series. Nevertheless, there’s plenty of good stuff in this, the second of Lynch’s three (so far) ‘metamorphosis’/split personality films. There’s the Burnt Man of course (brrr!), there’s The Cowboy, and there’s also possibly the best coffee scene ever shot.

The Intruder / L’intrus (Claire Denis, 2004)

It’s incoherent, it’s overlong, it makes absolutely no sense and it loses all of its momentum in the last half hour. How then does this typically enigmatic film from the typically enigmatic Claire Denis make the list? Well, firstly it’s my list, so I can do what I want and, secondly, I’ve rarely felt so excited and alive to the possibilities of cinema as I did during the first hour or so of L’intrus. (I know, I lead a pretty boring life.) As David Thomson, who’s a much smarter cookie than I, has written, Denis almost wilfully rummages through her cinematic toolbox here, setting up multiple plot strands only to discard them entirely and replace them with other suggestions of other plot strands. The result is a tangled, hallucinatory narrative that mirrors, in an abstract way, the heart transplant undergone by the film’s shadowy main character. Cinema as an adventure!

"Where's my 10%, bitch?" 'Etre et Avoir'

Être et Avoir (Nicolas Philibert, 2002)

Doing it for the kids, French-style! A beautiful and truthful documentary about the process of education. (Best to forget about the mutual litigation that followed though.)

Sideways (Alexander Payne, 2004)

Who wasn’t charmed and tickled by Sideways? Nobody – that’s who. The best easy-going buddy movie of the decade.

Werckmeister Harmonies / Werckmeister harmóniák (Béla Tarr, 2000 )

A bit like Jaws in Hungary. Except with a whale instead of a shark. And a town of paranoid inhabitants who are easily roused to violence instead of a Cape Cod beach full of tourists. Actually, not much like Jaws at all.

The Saddest Music in the World (Guy Maddin, 2003)

Sleep-walkers! Amnesiacs! Beer-filled legs! Isabella Rossellini! And the song contest to end them all. If you don’t like Guy Maddin’s films, you should probably punch yourself very hard in the face. Now.

'The Saddest Music in the World'

Couscous / La graine et le mulet (Abdel Kechiche, 2007)

Like many others on this list, Couscous is a film of two halves. The first half tells, in ambling, realist mode, the story of a sixty-year-old immigrant shipyard worker in the south of France who seems destined to be forced into early retirement. The second half, in an abrupt shift of gear, becomes almost a thriller, as Slimani (for that’s his name) struggles to realise his dream of opening a North African restaurant. Never has so much tension hinged on a pot of couscous!

Atarnarjuat: The Fast Runner (Zacharias Kunuk, 2001)

I’m working from memory here, but in 2001 I was blown away at the cinema by this contemporary retelling of an Inuit legend. The film has recently been released on DVD in the UK, so I’ll have to reacquaint myself with it soon, and remind myself what all the fuss was about.

Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold, 2009)

This one has divided audiences a bit, particularly here in the UK, with much debate about where and how it fits into the British ‘realist’ tradition of socially-conscious film-making. Well, for a start I don’t think that Andrea Arnold set out to make any particular political or social point with Fish Tank. Her main characters may live on a sink estate, but the film is much more concerned with cultural and spiritual poverty than it is with physical poverty. And secondly, regardless of the genre that it falls into, Fish Tank explores themes that are fairly universal: the process of growing up, the need children have for a father-figure, and the desire to escape the everyday. I, for one, was completely swept up in the story of Mia, the outwardly aggressive teenager at the centre of the film, and felt that there was a rare degree of freedom and honesty in the way that Arnold allows her narrative to unfold. Great performances all round too, particularly from the kids.

Tropical Malady / Sud pralad (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2004)

Blissfully Yours / Sud sanaeha (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2002)

Two more from everyone’s favourite experimental Thai film-maker, both of which blew my metaphorical socks off. (Although I wouldn’t recommend that a newcomer start with Blissfully Yours – it’s pretty sparse.)

'Blissfully Yours'

The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford (Andrew Dominik, 2007)

I must admit, I have a big soft spot for revisionist Westerns. In this one, director Andrew Dominik blends three parts Terence Malick with one part Sam Pekinpah to give us a strikingly contemporary tale of outlaws, betrayal and celebrity worship on the frozen plains of Kansas. Casey Affleck turns in a great performance as the self-conscious, grand-standing youth whose fate is to kill his idol, then re-enact the deed nightly on the New York stage.

Hunger (Steve McQueen, 2008)

Unrelated (Joanna Hogg, 2007)

Garage (Leonard Abrahamson, 2007)

Three recent films – two British and one Irish – that are low-ish on budget but big on ideas, poetry and all that stuff. All three have inspired me a lot, and I urge you (yes YOU) to see them.

Code Unknown / Code inconnu (Michael Haneke, 2000)

The White Ribbon / Das weiße Bande (Michael Haneke, 2009)

Two more from Haneke. The White Ribbon has been fêted by some as his best work yet. This is possibly true, but as I saw the film with a couple of whispering, sweet-rustling Brummies sitting behind me, I fear that another viewing is needed for a fuller appraisal.

Reeling in the big one

patrizzi — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:48:43 +0000

It’s like pulling teeth with you, isn’t it?

Yes, it is. You know what else is like pulling teeth?

No dear, I can’t imagine.

FISHING> . ———– .____________

And what a surprise that is. Next you’ll be telling me about another house we’ll have to build to house another one of our “pie makers.” I mean people are going to know…or figure it out. How many pies can one old man, his fat secretary, and their two longtall jonses football jock sports fisherman and movieboy sons, eat?

Lots.

Hey, I’ve got an idea.

MKO

(From Zane and Dolly’s opening scene)

I don’t know if this is the Absolut talking, or the watercress plants I threw into the tank yeshterday, but today; the fish are very very happy.

10-30-09

f1sh10v3r — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 09:56:12 +0000

Tylomelania sp. “Pure Orange”

Lake Poso on Sulawesi (formerly: Celebes) is not only home of beautiful dwarf shrimps, but also of large relatives of the well-known Malayan livebearing snail (Melanoides tuberculata). The brash colour of the body is really astonishing.

Species of Tylomelania do not feed on algae, but on detritus. Thus some muddy corners in the tank are an absolute must have, otherwise the snails are starving. There are males and females in Tylomelania, but the sexes cannot be distinguished by external features. All species of Tylomelania are livebearers.

Tylomelania should be kept at high temperatures (26-28°C) and a pH between 7.5 and 8.5.

For our customers: the animals have code 488945 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale market.

Tylomelania: from ancient Greek ” Melania wird calluses”. Melania is another genus of snail. Melanoides: from ancient Greek “similar to Melania”. Melania is another genus of snail. tuberculata: Latin “with small humps”.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Mogurnda mogurnda

The the Northern trout gudgeon is one of the very few aquarium fishes from Australia that became popular before the 1950ies. They are attractively coloured and they can be bred quite easily in contrast to most other gobies.

Sadly this gudgeon is quite quarrelsome if kept in wrong community and so the species disappeared more or less. But a number of breeders still has it and so we are glad to be able to stock Mogurnda mogurnda again.

It is not sure that the species´ name is correctly applied, because a number of very similar species exists and even specialized scientists are not able to tell them apart without genetic methods or the detailed place of origin.

Mogurnda are free swimming gobies and so their territory is not build up on the bottom like in most other gobies, but in the whole water column. The tank must be rich of hiding places and furnished a bit unclear in order to enable the fish not to look at each other the whole time through. Perfect tankmates are rainbowfishes, larger barbs and danios, and also robust tetras.

Trout gudgeons feed on meet only and ignore any plant material. They do not spawn in caves, but are open brooders that attach the eggs on stones, roots, broad leaves etc.. Males guard the eggs until they hatch. Sexes can be best distinguished by the shape of the genital papilla, which is narrow and acute in males and broad and blunt in females. The shape of the head is also a good indication, for males develope a typical humpy head.

The water for Trout gudgeons can be soft or hard, the pH should be around 7, temperature between 22 and 28°C. Maximum length is given with 17 cm in literature, but most specimens stay much smaller and usually they reach only 10 cm. The species is sexually ripe at a length of around 6 cm.

For our customers: the fish has code 436402 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale market.

Mogurnda: after a local name given by indigenous people.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Geophagus brasiliensis, G. iporangensis, G. itapicuruensis & Co.

The Brazilian Pearl cichlids are among the most beautiful species of cichlids at all. As they occur far south of the equator they have no problems with low temperatures: 10°C and even less are absolutely normal for these species. This is the reason why they were among the first ornamental exotic fish species which were kept and bred in our ancestors’ unheated tanks before 1900.

From a scientific point of view these in the wild extremely abundant fishes are a thorn in the side of any taxonomist. It is almost impossible to apply a correct name on one of the numerous populations, as it is currently impossible to distinguish between varieties, ecotypes, morphs or species. There are seven described species, four of them are regarded as valid in the Checklist of the freshwater fishes of South and Central America: G. brasiliensis, G. iporangensis, G. itapicuruensis, and G. obscurus. Naturally, no one knows how many undescribed species exist, but in the hobby at least seven more species are known already.

The situation is even worse, because every now and then misidentifications appear which include species of the closely related genus Gymnogeophagus. In fact, juveniles of both genera are impossible to tell apart (at least living specimens). Adults of Gymnogeophagus always have a pointed caudal fin, whereas adults of the Geophagus brasiliensis group always have a rounded caudal fin.

Brazilian Pearl cichlids are gorgeous fishes which grow bigger than 20 cm. They are fertile much earlier, usually at a length of around 8 cm. Males and females cannot be distinguished by external features for sure, although males always grow faster and bigger than females. Moreover males have more pointed dorsal and anal fins.

Geophagus brasiliensis & Co. are carnivorous fishes, which love live and frozen food, although even flakes are readily taken. The tank should be as big as possible. A heater is not necessary, from spring until autumn the fish can also be kept in garden ponds. They even breed in garden ponds. Such garden-bred animals are usually extemely colourful They cannot survive winter in outdoor tanks or garden ponds, so it is necessary to bring them indoors in time.

For our customers: currently (October 2009) we have four species in stock: 678802, G. iporangensis, German bred; 676504, G. cf. brasiliensis, wild collected specimens of unknown origin, which maybe represent the species G. itapicuruensis due to the unusual vertical lateral spot; 676511, G. brasiliensis, European bred, aquarium strain of unknown origin; 676532, G. brasiliensis/iporangensis, German gardenpond bred specimens, wonderful red. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Geophagus: from ancient Greek “eartheater”. brasiliensis: means “from Brazil”. iporangensis: means “from Iporanga river”. itapicuruensis: means “from Itapicuru river”.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

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10-23-09

f1sh10v3r — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 09:55:09 +0000

Gymnorhamphichthys cf. hypostomus

The sand knifefishes (Rhamphichthyidae) from South America belong to the weak electric fishes. They send continously electric impulses which are used for tracing prey, orientation, and intraspecific communication. Currently three genera and 14 species are known.

The genus Gymnorhamphichthys, also called thermometer knifefishes, contents five described species. There is hardly anything known about the fish, because they are strictly night active and stay during daytime burried in the sand. Thus comprehensive studies in the field are impossible to do.

Our Gymnorhamphichthys have been imported from Peru. So far, no species of Gymnorhamphichthys is reported in the Checklist of the freshwater fishes of South America for Peru. The pattern of our specimens fits best to the pattern described for G. hypostomus. This species, however, has a shorter snout. So it is also possible that our fish represent a species new to science and so we were cautious and stocked them under the name G. cf. hypostomus.

The fish are very peaceful against each other. However, they have no teeth at all nor any other item that would enable them to hurt each other. They are easy to feed, for they readily accept frozen bloodworm which form also a larger part of their natural diet, as was shown in the field for Gymnorhamphichthys when the gut was dissected. Maximum size reported for G. hypostomus is about 20 cm, our specimens are 14-18 cm long.

For our customers: the fish have code 254984 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale market.

Gymnorhamphichthys: from ancient Greek, means “naked Rhamphichthys”. Rhampichthys is another genus of knifefish. hypostomus: from ancient Greek, means “with inferior mouth”.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Microphis brachyurus “Sumatra”

The Opossum pipefish (Microphis brachyurus) was described from Indonesia. Until recently it was believed that M. brachyurus is a species with a worldwide distribution and that the different populations should be distinguished on the basis of subspecies only. So M. lineatus (code 430104 on our stocklist) and M. aculeatus (code 149104) were regarded as subspecies of M. brachyurus for a long time. Currently the three pipefish are seen as full species.

Adults of M. brachyurus live in fresh water and the young are born in fresh water, too. But after given birth the offspring is drifted in the sea. Here they live in the plankton some time and then return to freshwater again. Rearing the tiny youngsters of this species in freshwater was not successful so far.

Some specimens of M. brachyurus have bright red stripes on the anterior part of the flanks. It is unknown what these stripes mean. It can be present in both sexes. Males can be easily distinguished from the females by the breeding pouch on the belly.

For our customers: M. brachyurus has code 430115 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale market.

Microphis: from ancient Greek, meaning “little snake”. brachyurus: ancient Greek “shorttailed”. lineatus: Latin “striped”. aculeatus: Latin “prickled”.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Microphis lineatus

The species Microphis lineatus inhabits the (sub) tropical coastal waters of the American continent. This pelagic pipefish grows up to 22 cm lengths and has a very long slender snout with red spots and blotches. The body is brown or greenish above and pale below. There are very small white spots on the body and a dark line through both eyes.

The brood care is practised by the males. Mature male Short-tail River Pipefish carry the eggs in a brood pouch on the ventral surface of the body. Large males can carry several hundred eggs. The breeding takes place in freshwater meanwhile they live most of the year in estuaries and coastal waters.Therefore salt should be added to the water.

This pipefish takes only life food. Freshly hatched brine shrimps are taken eagerly. Flake or tablet food is generally not accepted.

Photo: Erwin Schraml, Text: Klaus Diehl

Microphis aculeatus

We offer the third species of the M. brachyurus komplex also on a regular basis: M. aculeatus. The fish are imported via Lagos from Nigeria. This atlantic species looks extremely similar to its New World counterpart M. lineatus and it seems questionable if they really represent different species.

M. aculeatus prefers brackish water (like M. lineatus does!) although it is found also in pure freshwater and pure marine environments. The species often floats along with loose plant material.

Best practice is to keep the fish in slightly brackish water (salt content 5 – 15 per mille), because brine shrimp keep alive in such a water for a very long time. Pipefish are not able to starve nor are they able to feed in advance. It is necessary to supply food on them all around the clock. Another food item pipefish love to prey on is live White moskito larvae which also stay alive for hours in brackish water. Finally newborn livebearers are taken readily for food. So it is clever to keep a school of a dwarfish guppy variety along with the pipefish. Every now and then their babies make a highly appreciated variation of food for the pipefish.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Etroplus maculatus “Gold-Blue”

The Indian cichlid, Etroplus maculatus, is a very popular aquarium fish and never disappeared after its first importation again. Recent research suggests that Etroplus is not a close relative of the cichlid family, but rather of the damselfishes (Pomacentridae). However that does not mean anything for the hobby.

Etroplus maculatus can be kept and bred in pure fresh or brackish water. The sexes are equal regarding colour and finnage, but males are always bigger than females, at least after maturity. Males become mature with about 5 cm, females with 4 cm total length. Maximum length is around 9 cm for males. When specimens offered are of equal age or were imported together one should take the largest and the smallest specimen in the tank. They will almost ever form a pair. Etroplus take biparental care. They are open brooders. They attach the eggs on stones, roots etc.. The eggs have small stalks and move when they are fanned. Both parents lead and guard the offspring. The young feed inter alia on skin mucus, similar as young discus do.

Beside the beautiful wild type also a cultivated orange type of Etroplus maculatus exists. Now the breeders have developed a new cultivated variety with iridescend lines over the body. The pattern reminds one on a damascene blade. We now offer this new variety as “Gold-Blue”.

For our customers: the fish have code 415822 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale market.

Etroplus: from ancient Greek, means “with armoured belly”; this refers to the spines of the anal fin. maculatus: Latin for “spotted”.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

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10-16-09

f1sh10v3r — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 09:54:14 +0000

Phractocephalus hemiliopterus

At Aquarium Glaser not only small fish for private community tanks are stocked, but also real rarities for scientific institutions and large fish for public aquaria and zoos.

A specimen for the latter category reached us now: a gigantic Phractocephalus hemiliopterus, more than 80 cm long. We stocked the fish for a Russian customer. The animal was reared by a private keeper. Transportation of such a large fish is, however, a real quest which was solved with a special construction on a trailer.

It took some man power to net the fish and transport it to its prepared quarantine tank which contents several thousand litres of water. Here the fish will stay until it goes on its far journey to its new owner in Russia.

Lexicon: Practocephalus: from ancient Greek “armour head”; hemiliopterus: from ancient Greek “with half-smooth fin”.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Pseudacanthicus leopardus

The genus Pseudacanthicus currently comprises five described species. Three of them are known as aquarium fish. Additionally there are 16 L-numbers given for species of Pseudacanthicus which represent either species new for science or have a doubtful identity.

Species of Pseudacanthicus are also known under their popular name “cactus catfish”, for the species are very spiny and it is no good idea to catch a larger specimen with bare hands. Some species of Pseudacanthicus can reach one metre in length, but there are other species that grow up only to 25 cm. As a rule one must be aware that Pseudacanthicus become bigger than many other common aquarium fish. Larger specimens are quarrelsome against congeneers and so spacy tanks with a lot of hiding places are needed for Pseudacanthicus. On the other hand there are reports of successful breeding of some species in the aquarium. The fish are typical cave brooders. Male are more robust than females (they have especially a broader and heavier head) and have more spines during breeding season.

One of the most popular Pseudacanthicus is L114 which originates from the middle Rio Negro basin in Brazil. This cactus cat was thought to represent the described species Pseudacanthicus leopardus for a long time. However, the real P. leopardus originates from the border region of Brazil and Guyana. There are only very few catchers of ornamental fish in that region and so we are very proud that we were successful in importing a good number of the real P. leopardus in different sizes now. They were collected in the Takutu river that belongs to the system of the upper Rio Branco.

Compared with L114 the fish are much flatter and have a slighly different coloration. They can be best distinguished by the fact that in larger specimens (around 20 cm) of P. leopardus the spots on the head are very small or almost vanished, whereas these spots are relatively large in L114 in all stages.

For our customers: the fish have code 26480-LDA 007-3 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply to the wholesale market.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Lexicon: Pseudacanthicus: from ancient Greek, means “false Acanthicus” (Acanthicus is another genus of Loricariids). leopardus: Latin, means “looks like a leopard”, referring to the pattern.

Pseudorinelepis sp. L95

Last week we were able to import another catfish gem: L95, a scientifically undescribed species of the genus Pseudorinelepis, which is very closely related to P. genibarbis.

Our specimens come from the Takutu river in the upper Rio Branco basin. These gorgeous fishes are collected mostly in relative large specimens, because the juveniles are not as attractively coloured. L 95 can probably reach a maximum length of 40 cm, are imported from 15 cm length upwards and our recently imported fish are about 20 to 25 cm long.

Pseudorinelepis are famous for their ability to swallow air. This behaviour replaces the swimming bladder, which is reduced in Loricariids so that is has no function anymore. Pseudorinelepis like to swim in an upside-down postion. This is absolutely normal and no reason for concern.

The fish are omnivorous, but main emphasis is plant material.

For our customers: the fish have code 26480-L 095-5 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale market.

Lexicon: Pseudorinelepis: from ancient Greek, means “false Rinelepis” (Rinelepis is another genus of Loricariids); genibarbis: from ancient Greek, means “with a hairy cheek”. omnivorous: a species that feeds on anything, without specialization.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Laetacara araguaiae

Laetacara sp. „Buckelkopf“ is known in the hobby for many years already. The somewhat unusal common name (the German word „Buckelkopf“ means „humphead“) derives from the feature developed by some very old males, but this happens rather seldom. It is a typical dwarf cichlid, the males grow to a length of about 8, the females of about 6 cm. The typical open brooders with biparental care are easy to keep and breed.

Now the species has been formally described by F. P. Ortoni and W. J. E. M. Costa as Laetacara araguaiae. According to the authors the species comes from the Rio Verde in the Rio Araguaia drainage. However, aquarium literature gives a much wider distrubition, namely the southeastern tributaries of the Amzon river from the Tapajos to the mouth of the Amazon and also the Xingu river.

So finally the second species of Laetacara that had to be named provisionally by aquarists (Laetacara sp. „Orangefin“ has been described already in 2007 by W. Staeck and I. Schindler as L. fulvipinnis) has valid a scientific name.

Interstingly the authors obviously inteded to describe a further species of Laetacara and by mistake in two occasions this species is mentioned under the name L. minuatacara (pp. 45 and 46) in the paper. However, this name remains a nomen nudum without any validity, but clearly shows that we can expect more new species in this interesting genus.

The original papers can be downloaded for free as pdf-files from http://globiz.sachsen.de/snsd/publikationen/vertebrate-zoology/vz57-1/57-1_Staeck_63-71.pdf for L. fulvipinnis and http://globiz.sachsen.de/snsd/publikationen/vertebrate-zoology/vz59-1/05_Vertebrate_Zoology_59-1_Costa_03.pdf for L. araguaiae.

Text: Frank Schäfer, photos: H. J. Mayland, Aqualog archieves

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10-09-09

f1sh10v3r — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 09:52:36 +0000

Betta kuehnei

The mouthbrooding fighting fishes of the Betta pugnax group are wideley spread over Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. The most currently described species is Betta kuehnei from the northernmost Province Kelantan of Malaysia and the southernmost parts of Thailand.

The species has been discovered by the travelling aquarist Jens Kühne and introduced in the hobby as “blue throat fighting fish”. It can be told apart from the other species of the group by the intense blue throat coloration.

Like the other species of the Betta pugnax group B. kuehnei (which can reach about 8 cm in length) is comparatively peaceful against congeneers and so more than one pair can be kept together. However, the tank should contain a good number of hiding places. Male and females can be distinguished best by the different shape of their head.

Soft and acidic water is necessary for breeding, but keeping is possible in almost any water. Breeding is similar to the other species of the group. Males keep the eggs for about ten days in the mouth.

Lexicon: Betta: from the Javanese name for B. picta. kuehnei: in honour for Jens Kühne. pugnax: Latin word for “martial”.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Synodontis lucipinnis

This beautiful Synodontis is a real dwarf compared with its numerous congeneers: it reaches only 8-10 cm (very old specimens in extreme spacy aquaria may reach 15 cm). In the hobby it became popular under the name “dwarf petricola”. Some species of Synodontis occuring in Lake Tanganyika (where S. lucipinnis is an endemic species) have a cuckoo breeding behaviour: they spawn together with spawning, mouthbrooding cichlids. They eggs hatch together with the cichlid´s eggs in the mouth of the mother where the young Synodontis feed on eggs and fry of the cichlids.

Breeding behaviour of the “dwarf petricola” is totally different. They are regular open brooders and egg scatterers that produce a lot more eggs than their cuckoo relatives. We offer the “dwarf petricola” which is probably identical with the species described by Wright & Page as Synodontis lucipinnis as German bred.

This Synodontis is a perfect tankmate for any cichlid in a Lake Tanganyika tank. The species should be kept in groups (five specimens upwards) for they have a very specialized sozial behaviour. Specimens kept solitary may become a plague to tankmates. They try to get in contact with them and biting is a common way of communication in Synodontis.

For our customers: the animals have code 185403 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale market.

Lexicon:
Synodontis: an old name for an undetermined fish from the Nile. petricola: from ancient Greek, meaning “rock dweller”. lucipinnis: from Latin “lucidus” = bright, clear and “pinna” = fin, referring to the clear window at the base of each dark triangle on the fins (exception: the caudal fin), which is species-specific for S. lucipinnis. endemic: this means that a species is found only there and nowhere else in the World.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Nothobranchius foerschi

Nothobranchs (genus Nothobranchius) belong to the most colorful species of freshwater fish. This is true at least for the males, as female nothobranchs are all more or less unicolored.

Nothobranchs are typical seasonal fish. They outlive the desiccation of their habitat with eggs that can survive without water almost unlimited. Nothobranchius furzeri is world famous for it is the fish with the shortest livespan at all: between hatching from the egg and natural death are only 3 months! This is the reason why N. furzeri is in focus of science: medics and biologists study the fish as a model organism to understand the mechanisms of aging.

Most species of Nothobranchius, however, live much longer and usually they can reach at least an age of 9 months in aquaria. Nothobranchius foerschi is a very beautiful species that originates from Tanzania. Males can reach around 5 cm in length, females stay smaller. Naturally fish that are as specialized as nothobranchs do not fit in usual community tanks. The most beautiful picture is to see several males together in a one-species tanks. Nothobranchs are solitary fish and so the males are displaying every now and then. Males and females should be kept together only for spawning. They are bottom spawners. The eggs need only around 6-10 weeks after drying out to hatch. So it is possible to have the whole year through these nice fish in your home aquaria.

Due to their strong metabolism nothobranchs need extra strong food. The different types of frozen and live food are very suitable. Plants are ignored. Regarding water temperature: there are differing philosophies among killifish enthusiasts. In nature, temperatures can change very quickly. So the fish are adopted to a wide range of temperatures: 18 – 30°C. However, when kept in the upper or the lower end of this range for longer times they become usceptible for diseases. On the other hand it is a fact that the fish can have a longer live when kept relatively cool. Nothobranchs are basically undemanding regarding the other water parameters, but it is best to keep them in medium hard, slightly alcalic water, for otherwise they are very usceptible for Piscinoodinium.

For our customers: the species has code 331503 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to the wholesale trade.

Lexicon:
Nothobranchius: from ancient Greek “nothos” = false, untrue and “branchion” = gill, referring to the gill anatomy.
foerschi: in honour for Walter Foersch.
furzeri: in honour for R. Furzer.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

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10-02-09

f1sh10v3r — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 09:51:38 +0000

Hoplosternum punctatum

male

Plated catfish from the genus Hoplosternum are known in the hobby mainly from relatively large growing species, which can reach 15 to 20 cm in length. However, there also exist small species, like H. punctatum, which hardly grows larger than 7 cm. The natural distribution of this species is in Panama and in the rivers of Colombia, flowing in the Pacific Ocean. No commercial exports of ornamental fish come from that part of the World. All specimens in the trade are thaterefore bred ones. Sadly the breeders usually offer their fish under the name Dianema longibarbis, which is a completely different species from Amazonia.

female

Hoplosternum punctatum is a rather dayactive and social species which often swims free in the water column. Males and females can easily distinguished from each other by the much larger and thicker pectoral spine in males. Moreover, if one looks at the belly of the fish, the bony plates that cover the breast touch each other in males, whereas in females they leave open a broad gap.

Plated catfish are known to be bubblenest builders and that the males aggressively guard their nests. Sadly no details regarding the breeding behaviour of H. punctatum are published yet.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Lexicon: Hoplosternum: from ancient Greek, meaning “with a shielded breast”. punctatum: from Latin for “spotted”. Dianema: from ancient Greek, meaning “with two filaments”, referring to the barbels: longibarbis: from Latin, meaning “with a long beard”, referring to the barbels.

Cynotilapia axelrodi

male, aggressive mood

Currently we have received beautiful C. axelrodi from a breeder. The animals are full in colour and about 4-6 cm long. Maximum length for this species is given around 9 cm.

male, neutral mood males, displaying

Cynotilapia are typical mbuna cichlids. They differ from the closely related Maylandia (the zebras) by the dentition. Keeping is identical, which means they need ballast rich food and a high pH (over 7.5) to stay healthy. As they are like all mbuna cichlids highly territorial, it is necessary to keep them in groups. A try to keep them by pair usually ends with the violent death of the suppressed individual. Other mbuna cichlids fit also as tankmates and regulatives for the aggression.

female

In Lake Malawi, C. axelrodi is restricted to small areas (Nkhata Bay and Chirombo Point).

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Lexicon: Cynotilapia: means “dog-Tilapia”, which refers to the dentition. Axelrodi: dedicated to Herbert Axelrod. Maylandia: dedicated to Hans J. Mayland.

Telmatochromis temporalis “Shell”

male

Snail-cichlids are a specialty of Lake Tanganyika. Of course also other places on earth exist where empty shells of snails are used by fish for hiding or breeding. But nowhere else than in Lake Tanganyika are so many specialized species.

In Lake Tanganyika real fields of empty snail-shells exist. Empty shells that lie here and there, more or less solitary, are settled by the specialized snail-cichlids, for example Lamprologus ocellatus and Co. But in places where the already mentioned fields of empty shells exist they are also used by species that are usually regular cave brooders.

female

Telmatochromis temporalis is a medium sized cichlid (10-12 cm) that settles along the whole lake. It is not very popular in the hobby, for it has a rather dull coloration and is quite robust in its behaviour. It is a typical cave brooder with a parental family. Interestingly the species has developed a dwarfish variety in areas where large snail-shell fields occur. This dwarf form becomes only 5-6 cm long. Currently this variety is considered to be conspecific with the normal form which is the reason for giving it the additional name “shell” in the hobby.

In contrast to the normal form this dwarf is highly demanded in the hobby, because its unusual shape brings a very interesting aspect in each community tank for tanganyika cichlids.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Lexicon: Telmatochromis: means “swamp dwelling perch”; Boulenger, the first describer of the genus, obviously had wrong information on the biotope, because Telmatochromis are rock-dwellers. temporalis: Latin tempus means “temple”; refers to the dark stripe behind the eye. Lamprologus: means “the one that wears gloss”; refers to the shining spots on each scale of L. congoensis, the type species. ocellatus: Latin for “with an eyespot”.

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09-25-09

f1sh10v3r — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 09:46:32 +0000

Poeciliopsis prolifica - Blackstripe livebearer

This tiny species of livebearer originates from northwestern Mexico. The males reach a maximum length of 2 cm, the females of 3.5 cm. At the first glimpse the fish look somewhat unspectacular, but no one who keeps the fish has regrets about it. The whole day through the males are after the females or fight their harmless clashes. When doing this they swim in a typical head-down position and spread the gonopodium in an 90° angle from the body.

This minuscule fish fits perfectly for nano tanks. Regarding the water chemistry they are completely undemanding. In nature they are even found in brackish waters. It is possible to keep this peaceful species in a community tank, but they do much better in a species tank.

It is very interesting that the young are not born at a time, but over a period of several days. So a person, who observes this, could get the idea the fish would give birth every day. This is why the species got its name.

Lexicon: Poeciliopsis: means “similar to Poecilia”. prolifica: means “prolific”, refers to the fact that the females give birth over a number of days. Gonopodium: name for the modified anal fin of male livebearers which serves as a copulation organ.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Umbra pygmaea

The mudminnows (Umbra) are relicts from the ice age and nowadays found only in remainings of their initial territory. Three species are still extant, two of them in North America and one in Europe. The European species (U. krameri) is in danger of extinction due to habitat destruction.

Mudminnows are inhabitants of extreme biotopes: swampy areas with changing oxygen content, gross temperature differences and very low pH. In former days they were popular aquarium fish. Today mudminnows are among the absolute rarities in aquaria due to their unspectacular coloration.

Even if it doesn´t look like it: mudminnows are relatively close relatives to pikes (Esox). However, they stay much smaller, reaching hardly 10 cm. Most of them stay even smaller than this. Mudminnows can breath through their swimming bladder and so they can take all oxygen they need from the air.

We can offer now Umbra pygmaea as German bred. The species originates from North America, but can be found today in larger parts of Europe, too, where it has been released. U. pygmaea is very similar to the endangered U. krameri and so many reports for U. krameri may refer in truth to the introduced species. Even if it was as long ago as before 1913 that U. pygmaea was released in German waters, one should always keep in mind that it is absolutely forbidden to release any animal from captivity in the wild, may it be a member of a foreign or a native species.

Mudminnows can be kept very easily in captivity. They fit both for aquaria and garden ponds. It is good for them if peat as ground is offered. Heaters are not only unneeded, but even harmful. Mudminnows are thus perfect fish for people who have to save electricity. They feed readily on any kind of frozen and live fishfood. Sometimes they can be quarrelsome to conspecifics, so the tank should have a lot of hiding places.

Females grow bigger than the males. Mudminnows take parental care. Females built nests between dense vegetation and tend very aggressively eggs and larvae. For breeding it is necessary to hibernate the fish at low temperatures (4-8°C, less than 8 hours light per day). They start spawing at 13°C and longer photo periods.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Lexicon: Umbra: Latin, means “shadow”, refering to the dull coloration. krameri: dedication name. pygmaea: Latin, means “dwarfish”.

Corydoras from the Rio Jamanxim – C. bifasciatus?

From the Rio Jamanxim in the state of Pará, Brazil, we received for the second time now beautiful Corydoras catfish. The Rio Jamanxim is a tribute to the Rio Tapajós. The first shipment of corys from there contained only long snouted animals, whereas the second shipment contained the shortsnouted counterpart.

The new corys remind one to Corydoras ornatus, C. parallelus, C. pulcher, and C. schwartzi, as well as the C-numbers C133 and C141. Like all of them they have a pattern of two bold black stripes, a black band through the eye and a golden shining saddlespot before the dorsal fin origin. However, C. ornatus, C. pulcher, C. schwartzi, and C141 have a black pattern in the caudal fin, whereas our new ones have hyaline caudals. C. parallelus as a black triangle-spot situated directly under the dorsal fin origin, which is not found in the Jamanxim fish.

Corydoras bifasciatus is not known until today alive. Preserved ones show a hyaline caudal fin and belong to the longsnouted group of Corydoras. The type locality of C. bifasciatus is in the upper Rio Tapajós system, so it is very likely that our fish from the first shipment really belong to the species C. bifasciatus. The shortnoses from our second shipment already have received the C-number C133. They belong to a species new to science.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Lexicon: bifasciatus: means “with two stripes”. ornatus: means “splendid”; parallelus: allusion to the two black parallel stripes on the flanks; pulcher: means “beautiful”; schwartzi: in honour of Willy Schwartz, an exporter of ornamental fish.

The latest Aqualog calendar yearbook is now available! More than 750 brilliant coloured photos of import-highlights & new breedings of aquaristics and terraristics. >Click Here<

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09-18-09

f1sh10v3r — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 09:45:25 +0000

A new Panchax from Manipur

Manipur-Panchax, male

After the spectacular importation of the new gourami from Manipur (http://www.aquarium-glaser.de/en/colisa-cf-fasciata-_en_1115.html) now we were able to import a beautiful new Panchax from this state in northern India. Currently only one species is accepted formally within this species-group, eg Aplocheilus panchax. This species is distributetd from China over great parts of India, Burma, and Indochina (Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos), as well as over Indonesia. Of course fish from different origin look very different and so it is more than likely, that there do exist a lot of species and not only one. The new Panchax from Manipur also represents such a different form. It is distinguished from typical A. panchax by many red spots on the body, bright orange fins, and a dark band that is shown when the fish feel disturbed.

Manipur-Panchax, female

Initially, Aplocheilus panchax has been described from Bengal. We also have regular importations from there. These fish are characterized by a polychromatism. Within one population are white-finned and orange-finned males. The females all look the same. Red spots on the body are never present in typical A. panchax. Males and females can be distinguished easily by the different shape of the anal fin, which is shorter and rounded in females. Breeding is very easy, A. panchax is an egglaying fish.

Calcutte-Panchaxes, males, blue and orange

The Panchax is an ideal fish for community tanks where it lives near the surface. Tankmates should not be too small, otherwise they are eaten. The Panchax takes readily any usual fishfood, even flakes. The new Panchax from Manipur should not be kept too warm throughout the year, for they originate from mountain regions. Temperature easily falls as low as 15°C there. On the other hand the shallow waters that are preferably inhabited by the species can warm up very quickly to 30°C and even more on sunny days.

Calcutta-Panchax, female

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Lexicon: Aplocheilus: means “with a simple lip”, refers to the mouth structure. panchax: from the Bengal name for the species. Polychromatism: means “with many colours”. The term is used when within one species different colorations are observed.

A new L-catfish!

Last week we were able to import a new yellow seam pleco belonging to the genus Baryancistrus. The fish originate from Sao Felix at the Rio Xingu. They differ from all other members of the genus from there (L18, L47, L81, L85, L177) by the almost black ground colour of the body. Almost no spots are present.

Only one of our 20 specimens – the smallest one – has very tiny white spots. Our animals are 8 – 10 cm long, but it is very likely that they grow up to a length of 25 – 30 cm like all their relatives from the Rio Xingu.

Lexicon: Baryancistrus: means “sturdy Ancistrus” referring to the body structure.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Xenotoca variata – Jeweled splitfin

Only few species of splitfin (Goodeidae) have become established aquarium fish, despite the fact that they are perfectly suited for keeping and breeding in tanks. Many species are in danger of extinction in the wild, for they inhabit only very small areas and habitat destruction can easily wipe out complete species. Species conservation via breeding programs in aquaria have been successful in some species, nevertheless these breeding programs would be much easier to do if more people would keep the fish.

However, Xenotoca variata is not one of the endagered species of splitfin. Nevertheless it is only rarely seen in aquaria. In this special case it is very likely that this is due the fact that males get their full colour only relatively late. This phenomenon is also well known from many species of rainbow fishes.

Xenotoca variata are kept best in groups. Here the fish establish a hierarchy that enables exciting studies of behaviour. It is important to feed a lot of plant material to the fish beside their normal food. These fishes are livebearers. Sadly they hunt their own offspring quite violently. So it is best to seperate the female some days before it gives birth in an extra tank.

In nature these fish are exposed to heavy temperature changes. It is recommended to shift the heater along with the light in the aquarium. So the fish get slight temperature changes during the day and night rhythm. This makes the fish healthy and gives them longevity. Hard and slightly alcalic water is best, but the fish are very tolerant to different water contitions. Temperature tolerance is between 16 and somewhat above 30°C. During summer the fish can be kept in the garden pond in central Europe. The fish that come out of such a gardenpond in autumn are extremely colorful and strong.

Lexicon: Xenotoca: means “with strange young”, refering to the “umbilical cord” (the correct term is “trophotaenia”) of the newborn youngsters. variata: means “changeable”.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

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09-11-09

f1sh10v3r — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 09:43:39 +0000

Tucanoichthys tucano

Three months ago we could announce the first successful importion of the dwarf tetra Tucanoichthys tucano from the upper Rio Uaupes (see enter in our newarchieves from 8.6.09). Now we are able to give some more information on the charming species.

The maximum length of this fish is about 2 cm. Thus it fits ideally for so-called nano tanks, especially because this species – like many other tetras – is not a continuous swimmer, but a rather unhasty species. The behaviour of Tucanoichthys resembles much to that of the emperor tetras (Nematobrycon). Like the emperors they like to live in a community of their own but are not schooling fish in the strict sense. Only when the fish feel really disturbed or anxious they swim in a school for a short time. As soon as the disturbance is over they seperate from each other again.

Also similar to emperor tetras is the fact that Tucanoichthys are brood-caring fish, which is very rare among tetras. As we already mentioned in the news there are two phenotypes, one with red in the fins and one with hyaline fins. It seems very likely that this represents a kind of sexual dichromatism. From nature it is reported that the animal that is broodcaring (probably the male) is quite aggressive against potential or real predators. Even relatively big fish, like the sympatric Nannacara adoketa, become attacked and driven away successfully.

Regarding feeding Tucanoichthys is completely undemanding. Any usual fishfood is readily taken, even flakes. But they are blackwater fishes and so they need very clean, soft and acidic water. Tucanoichthys are very sensitive against negative stress. So one should be very careful when catching and packing them, otherwise losses are very likely.

Lexicon: Tucanoichthys: means “fish of the Tucano”, a tribe of indigenous people that settle at the Rio Uaupes. tucano: see generic name. Dichromatism: means “with different colours”. The term is used for example if male and female have different coloration.

Text: Frank Schäfer, photos: Chris Lukhaup

Geophagus winemilleri

The main distribution of Geophagus winemilleri is the southern part of Venezuela. Nevertheless most imports come from Brazil, because the species also occurs in the Rio Negro. G. winemilleri becomes often confused with G. proximus and a second, still undescribed or unidentified species. However, G. winemilleri can be identified by the dark spot on the operculum, reddish fins and four dark vertical bars on the body.
It is mentioned already in the original description of the species that the caudal fin can be spotted or striped (depending on the population?).
Geophagus winemilleri is a biparental larvophilous mouthbrooder, which is pretty easy to keep and can be even bred without too many problems.

Text & photo: Thomas Weidner

Chela laubuca

Currently we offer a beautiful surface dwelling fish for community tanks for fishes from Asia: Chela laubuca. The absolutely peaceful species attains a total length of around 6 (rarely cm. Keeping and breeding is comparable to that of the zebrafish (Danio rerio) which shares the same habitats as Chela laubuca in nature.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Lexicon: Chela: from a vernacular name of the fish; laubuca: from a vernacular name of the fish.

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09-04-09

f1sh10v3r — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 09:41:52 +0000

Bujurquina oenolaemus

This very pretty species of Bujurquina originates from Bolivia and was described scientifically as early as 1987 by Kullander. It took almost 20 years before the first living specimens were brought to Austria, Switzerland and Germany by travelling aquarists. Soon after breeding was successful and so the species was spread in the hobby. The fish are biparental, larvophilous mouthbrooders.
Keeping of this small jewel that reaches only 10-12 cm is possible in relatively small tanks of 100 l. If the fish are kept in larger tanks even a number of couples can be kept together. It is very interesting to observe the interactions of such a group.

Lexicon: Bujurquina: after the Peruvian term Bujurqui for cichlids. oenolaemus: from ancient Greek, meaning “with vine-red throat”. larvophilous: mouthbrooders that take only the larvae, but not the eggs in the mouth for broodcare.

Takifugu ocellatus

We were able to import one of the most beautiful freshwater puffers from China again: Takifugu ocellatus. This fish shows us that the terms “freshwater fish” and “marine fish” can be applied on the very same species. Like salmon these puffers live in pure freshwater during their youth and then go to the sea where they grow up and become mature. Sadly nothing is known about the breeding behaviour of that species. This puffer becomes about 15 cm long and thus it belongs to the smallest members of the genus Takifugu. The species is very aggressive against conspecifics when it is settled in the tank. Against other tankmates they usually are peaceful as long as they are too big to be eaten.

Puffers are carnivorous fishes and need frozen or live food. Most of all they like mussels and snails, but they also accept shrimps, small fish, earthworms etc.

The tank should have fine sand on the bottom for this species of puffer likes to bury itself. All trials to acclimate young specimens of 6-8 cm length to full strength seawater failed so no experiments in that direction are recommended.

Lexicon: Takifugu: composed from two Japanese words: Taki meaning “waterfall” and Fugu, which is the name of the puffer which causes deadly poisoning when prepared for food in a wrong way; the term has multiple meanings, one can read it in a way that the fish should be cooked in liquid for example. ocellatus: Latin for “with an eyespot”.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Geophagus sp. „Rio Sao Francisco“

This pearl cichlid from the Rio São Francisco can reach a total length of about 25 cm and thus should be kept in relatively large aquaria of 400 litres and more. Although pearl cichlids are known to be relatively aggressive this particular species is quite peaceful if the tank is large enough. Even when taking broodcare other tankmates are not bitten and can swim freely through the tank. However, only one pair can be kept if the tank is not giantic.
Like all Geophagus of the pearl cichlid group this species is easy to keep and breeds even in a little bit harder water.

Text & photo: Thomas Weidner

Phenacogrammus interruptus “Albino”

Currently we receive beautiful cultivated albino Congo Tetras from Indonesia. Like in all true albinos the eyes of the fish are red due to the genetically caused lack of black body pigment (melanin). In many other species of fish albinos have a uniform whitish, yellowish or flesh-coloured body. Not so in the Congo Tetra. The iridescent colours of the body of that species are also extant in the albino variety. This makes the fish look so extraordinary nice.

Lexicon: Phenacogrammus: from ancient Greek, meaning “with tricky line”; this refers to the fact that the shape of the lateral line cannot be used to distinguish this genus from other genera. interruptus: Latin for “interrupted”. Refers to the shape of the lateral line.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

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08-28-09

f1sh10v3r — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 08:54:21 +0000

Pseudepiplatys annulatus

Currently we can offer wonderful bred Pseudepiplatys annulatus. This tiny species originates from West Africa, the fish we have in stock were bred in Southeast Asia. Maximum length of the male is around 3 cm, females stay even smaller. The species is completely peaceful against all other fish and an ideal choice for so called nano-aquaria. The males like to fight with each other and so the tank should be well planted. P. annulatus feeds readily on any fine dry, frozen or live fishfood.

The fish thrive best in relatively dark aquaria. It is important to put dead leaves, peat etc. on the ground. If the tank is too bright the fish stay nervous. Not too hard water (up to 15°dGH) with a slightly acidic pH (6.2 – 6.5) is ideal, but the fish are pretty hardy and accept also less optimal conditions. However, very clean water is absolutely necessary. Water temperature can be between 18 and 24°C.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Lexicon: Pseudepiplatys: from ancient Greek, means “False Epiplatys”. annulatus: Latin for “ringed”.

Trachycorystes trachycorystes

This bizarre species has been described scientifically already in 1840. It is widely distributed in the whole Amazon basin. Nevertheless it becomes only rarely imported and so it is highly demanded by fans of predatory catfish who pay quite high prices for them. The species can attain a total length of about 45 cm.

We were able to import six specimens from Peru recently. They are 15-20 cm long and thus only juveniles. T. trachycorystes is known to be pretty aggessive against tankmates, may they be of their own kind or belong to other species. Nevertheless all our six specimens huggle together in the same pvc-tube. Definitely their desire to hide is by far greater than their disgust against each other.

These cats are quite easy to keep. They feed readily on anything of animally origin that fits in their mouth. If it is planned to keep this catfish in a community tank one must take care that tankmates do not end up as catfishfood!

Lexicon: Trachycorystes: from ancient Greek, trachys meaning “rough” and korystes meaning “one armed with a helmet”.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Astronotus sp. „Bahia Red“

Sadly it was not possible to research if this Astronotus really was collected in the Brazil state of Bahia. Currently no scientific reports of the occurence of the genus in Bahia are known. So we have to leave the question open, if this population was brought to Bahia as a food fish or if they do not occur there at all.
Despite all this the new „Bahia Red“ is a beautiful wild variety of oscar which developes a lot of red coloration in the lower part of the body. Keeping oscars is pretty easy given the fact that they need a really spacy tank for they easily reach a length of 30 cm and even more. As long as tankmates are not too small (then they end up as oscar food) they are not in danger, for this species of Astronotus is really peaceful even when taking broodcare.

Text & photo: Thomas Weidner

Lexicon: Astronotus: Ancient Greek for “with stars on the bach”, refering to the pattern of A. ocellatus.

School of juveniles in our fishhouse. Photo: Frank Schäfer

Badis “Piebald”

Currently among the specimens of Badis badis bred by commercial breeders relatively often aberrant specimens are found. A closer look on these fishes reveils that besides the unusual irregular black pattern the basic body colour is a deep red. There can be no doubt that these animals are hybrids. Quite recently only one species with three or four “subspecies” was recognized as valid in the genus Badis. The real diversity in Badis was completely unknown. Some breeders buy now and then wild collected specimens to refresh the blood in their stock, although this is not necessary in fish, as the great number of offspring usually allows to avoid defects resulting from inbreeding.

The example of the Piebald-Badis clearly shows on the other hand that it is very dangerous to cross fish of unknown origin. Nevertheless these hybrids are pretty aquarium inhabitants that can be kept like all Badis. They refuse dry food, but readily accept frozen food. The Piebald-Badis are very active and often fight with each other. These fights are totally harmless. It is unknown if it is possible to breed with the hybrids.

Lexicon: Badis: after the Bengal name for the species Badis badis.

Text & Photos. Frank Schäfer

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08-21-09

f1sh10v3r — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 08:40:39 +0000

Apistogramma viejita „Gold“

For the first time we can offer now this beautiful dwarf cichlid in a golden sport. This sport does not occur in nature. The contrasting golden and red colours make the fish extremely attractive.

As Apistogramma viejita originates from Colombia it should be kept at higher temperatures as usual, eg 26 – 28°C. Water should be clean, soft and slightly acidic.

Lexicon: Apistogramma: from ancient Greek, meaning „with unreliable line“. It is not known wether this refers to the lateral line or the dark lateral stripe displayed by many species. viejita: diminutive of the Spain word vieja, meaning crone. Vieja is a term given to cichlid species with brood care in Spanish speaking parts of Latin America.

More information about Apistogramma can be found in the Aqualog extra “latest Apistogramma” and “Southamerican Cichlids II”.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Corydoras narcissus

Corydoras narcissus is a beautiful, relatively large species of Corydoras from Brazil. The maximum length is given with 10 cm. In Brazil, the species occurs in the Rio Purus system. C. narcissus belongs to the group of Corydoras with a saddle shaped snout. Like all members of this group it is not a schooling fish at all. Breeding has not been described yet in literature, but in any case one needs large tanks and has to look for the fish carefully, as saddle snouted Corydoras are known to become very aggressive during mating from time to time.

The unusual name was given to the beautiful and (despite mating) peaceful species because the collectors wanted the scientists who described the species as new to name the new fish after them (the collectors). This impudently attack against the freedom of science was not acceptable for the describers. So they named the fish after the Greek half god Narcissus who fell in love with his own mirror image. Since that time the name of Narcissus is a synonym of excessiv self-love.

A second, quite similar species is imported from Peru. This species is still undescribed scientifically. It is called C. narcissus II in the hobby while the original species is called C. narcissus I by aquarists. This is a bit confusing, because both species are not close relatives to each other and for sure will become placed even in different genera on the day the catch-all genus Corydoras becomes revised. C. narcissus II belongs to the long snouted group of Corydoras. It does not grow as big as C. narcissus I, the body coloration is rather flesh-coloured (whitish in C. narcissus I), it has a transparent dorsal spine (black in C. narcissus I) and the black stripe over the back ends at the eye (runs over the snout in C. narcissus I).

So it is quite easy to distinguish both species even without knowing their origin.

For our customers: C. narcissus I has code 237104, C. narcissus II 237204 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply to the wholesale market.

Lexicon: Corydoras: from ancient greek, means „with helmet and spear“. This refers to the strong armor and fin spines. narcissus: after the Greek half-god Narcissus, who fell in love with his own mirror image.

More information about Corydoras can be found in the Aqualog “Identifying Corydoradinae Catfish“ .

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Wonderful German Bred South American Cichlids

Some of the larger cichlids of South American belong to the most beautiful freshwater fish at all. We have recently obtained four species of them, all top German bred quality.

Geophagus winemilleri, a breathtaking species from Venezuela, belonging to the Gephagus-surinamensis-group, code 682601

Bujurquina oenolaemus, a splendid Bolivian, a mouthbrooding species from the Aequidens relationship, code 634551

Geophagus sp. Rio Sao Franzisco, an openbrooder that belongs to the Geophagus brasiliensis group and developes much red coloration, code 682131

Astronotus ocellatus “Bahia”, a wild type of oskar which has deep red colours in the belly region when adult, code 633281

More details on those wonderful fish will be availble soon in our fish archieves.

More information about southamerican Cichlids can be found in the Aqualog “Southamerican Cichlids I” and “Southamerican Cichlids III” .

Text Frank Schäfer, photos: Thomas Weidner

Betta cf. imbellis „Vietnam Black“

We import from Vietnam a pretty wild collected Betta for some time now. The exact determination of that species proofed to be quite complicated. There are four scientifically described species from this complex: Betta imbellis, B. smaragdina, B. splendens, and B. stiktos. An additional species is already known in the hobby as B. sp. „Mahachai“, which looks very similar to B. smaragdina.

Betta splendens is one of the most enigmatic specie of fish at all. Back in 1910 the scietific decrition based already on domesticated animals. This is comparable as if the species „wolf“ would have been described on the basis of a Yorkshire terrier and one would now try to reconstruct the appearance of the wolf on the basis of the scientific description. So nobody on earth really knows what exactly B. splendens is. Pragmatically speaking both species are distinguished from each other in the hobyy by the coloration of the operculum in males. Males of B. splendes develope two bright red stripes on the operculum, whereas B. imbellis males have shining spots on the operculum.

Our Vietnamese fish were initially termed Betta imbellis on the basis of this. Some time later the scientific description of B. stiktos was published. Checking our fish again, we found that they had the species-specific spots described for B. stiktos. However, after all experience, we know that preserved material does not allow to distinguish species reliably in Betta. Nevertheless we decided to rename our fish to Betta cf. stiktos. Some time later, aquarists made a trip to the type locatlity of B. stiktos and were able to collect the species alive. Now it became clear that our fish had nothing to do with it, as B. stiktos looks almost identical to B. smaragdina.

The Vietnamese fish is distinguoished from most other varieties of Betta imbellis by the lack of green or blue shing spots on the flanks. Thus displaying males look deep black. We now have renamed them to B. cf.imbellis to make clear that they are not identical to the fishes often imported from the malayian region.

What name applied to the fish in the future will be the correct one cannot be predicted, but one thing is for sure: B. cf. imbellis are beautiful fish which fit deally in any well planted community tank with peaceful tankmates. Like in B. imbellis and B. smaragdina keeping more than one male per tank is possible.

For our customers: The fish have code 391023 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply to the wholesale trade only.

Lexikon: Betta: after an indigenous Indonesian term for one of the species. imbellis: Latin for „peaceful“. smaragdina: Latin for „emerald colored“. splendens: Latin for „splendid“. stiktos: ancient Greek for „spotted“.cf.: from Latin „confer“ which means „compare with“.

More information about Bettas can be found in the Aqualog “all Labyrinths“ .

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

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BiOrb Kits now available

tommyemmerson — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:27:54 +0000

We have just updated our website and have added biOrb service kits. These kits are available at very competitive prices especially if you use the 10% discount code winterwater09.

Also new to the website are several essential cleaning equipment such as gravel cleaners and algae magnets. And all the treatments you need to keep your fish happy this christmas.

And if you try to grow aquarium plants to only find them break up and die, then try adding this Tetra c02 Optimat to your tank. Its so easy to use and is one of the best co2 kits available. Great christmas gift for the aquarist.

Merry Christmas!

Oh man, I'll take some more of that...

cuvintu — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 08:07:15 +0000

The pesky thing about reality is how persistent it is. And so it was on Friday as I was forced to slog through my daily routine waiting for work to end so that I could go home to prepare for the Diamonds gig, and you know it’s either going to be an absolutely amazing or complete disaster of a night when the butterflies start at lunch time. I had set my sights so high for the evening that I had to actually be reminded that the point of it all was to have fun. Go figure.

Quick note of importance: eggs don’t make the best pre-game, throw-it-down, last minute meal.

And before I go any further I need to say: we looked good. The black button down shirt and tie idea was definitely a winner.

Quote of the night:

Bar Tender: “What should I put on to warm the crowd up for you guys?”

Dan: “Muse!”

Alison: “Paramore!”

Bar Tender: “I have no idea what you guys are saying right now.”

Nerves and the waiting aside (the sound guy was almost 25 minutes late) we got on and pulled off a set that I believe we can truly be proud of. We received a great reception from a crowd that was a mixture between those left over from the dinner hour and a very supportive crowd who had come just for us. We certainly have a list of things that we need to work on, as any new band coming off it’s first gig does, but I believe that we accomplished the two main objectives with some style. 1) We had a blast. I mean, who becomes a musician unless it’s something they enjoy? I admit that I was nervous enough to need reminding, but it is the reason I love to do this. And 2) We entertained the crowd. I would hope that one of the major goals of ANY musician, we who are in the entertainment business, we who rely on the attention and emotion and adoration of the crowd to continue to have permission to pursue our craft, I would hope that the enjoyment and entertainment of the crowd would be one of their main goals. I think we accomplished that.

Some other items of note: despite the goal of entertaining the crowd, we definitely had a few folks leave when we started playing. I say, although unfortunate, this is not unexpected. We are not trying to cater to everyone, nor are we trying to be bar background music. If you can’t handle it, we’re appreciate your time, but not every band is going for that kind of thing. The music scene in Kihei, and even the whole of Maui to an extent, survives because there’s enough bars to place the bands. But there’s not enough concert-type venues to sustain the number of truly talented non-bar, non-talk over, non-background, non-dinner time music bands. Unfortunately some really good bands in this category have either left (The Cities Love You), found conflict (White Rose), or will soon be too big for Maui’s britches (The Throwdowns) due to this condition. There’s not enough all-ages venues to serve the main populations that go to shows just to see the music and not just to fill the evening with dancing and booze. We also had to be asked to turn down three times (twice directly from bar management and once by dirty look from the sound guy) despite the fact that we and the crowd really couldn’t hear over the drums, which is life on the bar scene I guess. We’re just taking it in stride as a sign that we’re on the holy path ordained by the gods of Rock ‘n Roll and enjoyed by musicians since the first man beat on a rock while his cave-mate was trying to sleep. It’s all part of the learning process. We’ll hone our skills as a band through more time, practice, and gigs. Eventually we’ll work it out so that we can play smaller venues without upsetting the stiffs, and yet still put on a good show. For now we’re acknowledging that we’re more of a concert-type band and working on our versatility.

I just want to say thanks so much first off to Diamonds Ice Bar and Grill for taking a chance on some untested local music and giving us the opportunity to do what we love, thanks to Pete Sebastian for creating this gig for us out of thin air and the generous and positiveness of his own nature, Fish Tank and Mojomana and their individual members for putting up with a group of upstarts and for being so openly encouraging and positive about it, and every single one of our friends and family who either came or expressed their support and love to us in response to this opportunity.

Look for more from us soon…hopefully

-J

Biorb

Nicole Cohen — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 04:42:23 +0000

The new Biorb fish tank we got the kiddo. Who knew you could only add one fish at a time???? All tha

Fish Tank - Trailer

liveforfilms — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 15:45:13 +0000

Fish Tank is the story of Mia (Katie Jarvis), a volatile 15-year-old, who is always in trouble and who has become excluded from school and ostracized by her friends. One hot summer’s day her mother (Kierston Wareing) brings home a mysterious stranger called Connor (Michael Fassbender) who promises to change everything and bring love into all their lives.

more about "Fish Tank – Trailer ", posted with vodpod

This is Andrea Arnold’s first feature, but she did do a cracking short film starring eternal cockney, Danny Dyer called Wasp.

Wasp is a short film (26 minutes) written and directed by Andrea Arnold. Released in 2003, it stars Nathalie Press as a struggling single mother determined not to let her four young children prove an obstacle in the pursuit of rekindling a relationship with an old ex-boyfriend Danny Dyer.

Part one is below and thanks to Pat for sending me the link.