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Right, here are the photos from my second fish buying excursion to Maidenhead Aquatics at Bold Heath. Again, it's principally Cichlids and marines, partly because when I tried pointing my camera at the L288 Peckoltias, they all scuttled off behind their large lump of bogwood and wouldn't come out to play (sigh), so once again Cup_of_Lifenoodles will be disappointed with the lack of catfish photos. For that matter, so am I - I was REALLY hoping these Peckoltias would stay out for a portrait photo because they were beautifully marked, and had amazing 'furry' mouthparts that made them look as if they had the Loricariid equivalent of elgar handlebar moustaches! Maybe in future I'll catch them on film, but for now, I'll remain content to please the Cichlid and SW fans with the latest pics.

Oh, and once again, the originals are HUGE. If you don't have a broadband connection, download times are going to be painful to put it mildly because the full size pics are 2048 x 1536. So if you're stuck on a dial up connection, be prepared to persevere for a LONG time before seeing each pic.

First of all, a Characin!

Aphyocharax paraguayensis

Yes, I managed to get a halfway decent shot of Aphyocharax paraguayensis, the White Spot Tetra!

Next, the Cichlids:

Placidochromis electra Juveniles

Cyphotilapia frontosa Juveniles

Aulonocara kandeense Juveniles

Melanochromis sp. "Lepidophage"

Copadichromis borleyi "Red Fin"

Cryptoheros spilurus With Fry

The ones I was keen to shoot were the Placidochromis electra, because they were the ones I was scratching my head over and coulldn't identify because I mistakenly thought their generic name began with "O" when I arrived home the last time. Additionally, I managed to secure some nice Frontosas, the Aulonocara kandeense juveniles, and the Melanochromis sp. "Lepidophage" - a hardcore "bad boy" among the Mbunas. Finally, so that the Central American fans are not left out, how about Cryptoheros spilurus with fry?

Next, an oddball:

Stigmatogobious sadanundio

Stigmatogobius sadanundio, the Knight Goby, was one of the featured oddballs on sale. Nice specimens too.

Next, some marine invertebrates:

Hermit Crab

Blue And Orange Sponges

Cleaner Shrimps

No idea what the identity of the Hermit Crab is, nor the colourful sponges, but the shrimp is a Lysmata species of Cleaner Shrimp (is it Lysmata debelius by any chance?). There were some gorgeous ruby red Dancing Shrimps in there as well as some very nice Candy Shrimps) but they were in awkward locations to photograph. Sigh.

Now, the marine fishes!

Arothron hispidus - Dog Faced Puffer Fish

Nemateleotris decora Purple Fireflash Goby

N. decora Plus Unidentified Petroscirtes Dragonets #1

N. decora Plus Unidentified Petroscirtes Dragonets #2

Pterois antennata Lionfish Plus Oxycirrhites typus Hawkfish

Calloplesiops altivelis Again Because I Like This Fish!

Ctenochaetus strigosus Bristletooth Surgeonfish

Unidentified Dragonets

Pseudanthias evansi Fairy Basslets

Triple Bill - Coral Beauty Angel, Mandarin Fish And Longnosed Hawkfish

Centropyge nox Midnight Angelfish

Centropyge eibli Eibl's Angelfish

Geniacanthus lamarcki Again!!!

Paracheilinus cyaneus Flasher Wrasse

Macropharyngodon bipartitus marisrubri - Mislabelled As "Peacock Wrasse"

First of all, Arothron hispidus, the Dog Faced Puffer, which posed very nicely for the camera! Next, a lovely shot of Nemateleotris decora, the Purple Fireflash Goby, followed by two shots of the same fish accompanied by some unidentified Petroscirtes Dragonets (anyone here know what they are?). Then, a shot of a Pterois antennata Lionfish with an Oxycirrhites typus Longnosed Hawkfish. These are followed in turn by another (this time fairly decent quality) shot of Calloplesiops altivelis, a fish I have a big soft spot for, a Ctenochaetus strigosus Surgeonfish, some assorted Petroscirtes Dragonets again, a couple of very nicely coloured Pseudanthias evansi Fairy Basslets, and a "triple bill" featuring in the one shot the Coral Beauty Angelfish, Centropyge bispinosus, the Longnosed Hakwfish Oxycirrhites typus again, and a Synchiropus splendidus Mandarin Fish - all posed together! The final five shots are, in order, a shot of the unusual Midnight Angel, Centropyge nox, Eibl's Angelfish, Centropyge eibli, a good shot of Geniacanthus lamarcki, the best shot yet of the fabled Paracheilinus cyaneus Flasher Wrasse, and finally among the marine fishes, a creature that will blow your socks off - I spent 30 minutes trawling through the WHOLE of the Fishbase sections on Anampses and Halichoeres, clicking on EVERY SPECIES, until I FINALLLY found the identity of this fish, which was labelled "Peacock Wrasse" at the store, despite the fact that the "Peacock Wrasse" you'll find via a Google Search is a totally different fish ... this beauty is, wait for it, Macropharyngodon bipartitus marisrubri, and aren't you glad I went to the trouble of finding that name for you!



Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Nice pictures & hope to see some Corydoras, next time.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

Beautiful as always!

Such knowledge of fish! Since you are so fascinated with fish Cali......... I was wondering what you thought of mammals? Have you ever had any other pets besides fish Cali.?

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Answering your tangential diversion Patty ...

In the past I've had a dog (from when I was 7 to when I was 24 - must have done something right for him to live 17 years!) and an intelligent budgerigar that knew how to talk. Since 1994 however, all my pets have been fish. Now I have three SAEs in the second aquarium, and they're likely to remain there for some time to come, until such times as I can arrange for the arrival of the long awaited Anomalochromis thomasi Cichlids.

Of course, if the funds were forthcoming, I'd LOVE to move into saltwater full time, but since the capital costs of starting even a modest marine aquarium (and a FOWLR setup at that, no corals or anything like that) are currently prohibitive (to do the job properly and ensure the long term survival of the occupants would require me to find around £1,500 that I don't currently have) it'll be some time yet before I do that. Which, when I look at fishes such as the Flasher Wrasse and that new Macropharyngodon species I've photographed above, is a source of considerable lament. However, one of the reasons I'd exercise some patience is precisely because I'd want to do the job properly - especially because among my favourite fishes are Centropyge Dwarf Angels, and some of those command intimidating price tags that more or less demand that you spend a lot of money on decent filtration technology and the wherewithal to maintain habitable water parameters because there's little point in buying a £200 fish only to lose it a week later even if your stance is purely mercenary, and of course if you happen to have an enduring fascination for these creatures, there's even less point still in travelling that particular road.

However, if I decide to avail myself of those Aphyocharax paraguayensis tetras, they're affordable.



Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002