EDITORIAL                                                         STAN McMAHON

Welcome to our “Indian Summer” issue of our “Fishy News” magazine, with some really good, bumper, articles from Dave Price and Richard Evans. So many thanks for their contributions. Their articles have many fine photographs to illustrate their text; in fact, I have used one of Richard’s shots of a Crown Butterfly Fish as this editions front cover.

The usual thanks to Sara for the computer consultancy! Also thanks must go to Andy Cann for producing a full colour magazine that makes such a difference to the articles and brings them alive. A big thank you to Ted Sparrow for all his sterling efforts too.

Our 60^th. Anniversary is on the horizon and many special events are planned, or are in the planning, to celebrate this fantastic milestone. The Committee has been considering certain changes to bring the Society into the 21^st. century, so watch this space for more information. I have included an article from way back when in an “All Our Yesterdays” feature. Our Society has evolved through those 60 years with changes to the logo, magazine design and Newsletter layout and format. It is important to reassess ourselves from time to time to accommodate change. This seems to be the adage of the performing artists if they want to fulfil an extended career.

If any member has new ideas on the design and format of the Newsletter and the magazine then please make them known, as stated above, fresh ideas can invigorate and are always welcome. So pop a few ideas down on paper or by e-mail and send them off to me.

Hope you all enjoy our Indian Summer Edition of “Fishy News”.

What is the most divine fish in the sea?

Cod Almighty! Boom Boom!

That’s it until the Christmas issue, Slainte Va.

Front cover picture: Crown Butterfly Fish. See Richard Evans article page 5.

CHAIR’S CHATTER                                              JULIE RUNDLE

The year seems to be rolling on and here we are again. As I have said previously we are focusing on the membership in 2007 and I hope that this is being reflected in the talks and content of the meetings. There are also some social events looming such as the NMA visit and buffet and the barbeque at Di and Rays, weather permitting! So I hope to see as many of you as can make it to either of those events.

We are going to start seriously discussing the society’s' 60th anniversary next year and all members input would be greatly appreciated. We really need to make the most of next year and try to use this to advertise the great positive things that be gained from belonging to such a club. As we all know in this day and age there are alternatives to the good old fashioned way of going out for the evening and meeting other likeminded people and talking about things that we are interested in. So we have to remind people that there are societies like us still out there with a wealth of knowledge and experience.

I must say that it is great to hear via Barry that Derek is making steady progress and I speak for all members when I send Derek our best wishes and hope that he continues to improve. I must also add best wishes and get well soon to Ted Burnett who is now out of hospital and recovering at home. Take it easy Ted.

So everyone put on your thinking caps how many other clubs will be lucky enough to celebrate 60 years, let’s make it a good one.

VISIT TO RED SEA (2006)                                 RICHARD EVANS

 PREFACE

 “The Red Sea, where the desert meets the ocean, is truly one of the planet’s most exotic and fascinating natural seascape environments” (Tour Egypt at www.touregypt.net).  Beneath its crystal blue surface lays an extremely rich and diverse ecosystem comprising of more than 1,100 species of fish (10% of which are endemic to the area), 1,000 species of invertebrate and a coral reef that extends along the coastline for up to 2,000 kilometres.  The Reef itself, is approximately 7,000 years old and has developed through the succession of a number of environmental changes arising from the continental break up, some 30 million years ago, between Africa and Asia.  The fluctuation in water depth  (approximately 40% of the Red Sea is under 100 metres deep (and about 25% is under 50 metres deep), yet in the central median trench depths may exceed 2,500 metres) coupled with an efficient water circulation pattern drawn from the exchange of water between the Red Sea and Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean via the Gulf of Aden, provides an ideal environment for coral reef formation.  The irregular profile of the continental slope consisting of a number of “drop-off” slopes down to approximately 500 metres also permits a greater expansion of the Reef which probably accounts for the large number of deep water fish that are resident in the area (around 75 species).

Fairly constant water temperatures (averaging 22 degrees Celsius throughout the year) and high salinity levels (ranging between 3.6 and 3.8%) also make the Red Sea one of the hottest and saltiest bodies of seawater in the World.

PART ONE  

The first Part of this short series of articles on when I visited the Red Sea with my family in July 2006 concentrates on some of the fish and invertebrates that I came across whilst snorkelling on the Temple Reef in Hadebet Om El Sied, Sharm El Skeikh, Egypt.  The Temple Reef is rated as one of the best diving and snorkelling sites in the Red Sea, surpassed only by the Ras Mohammed National Park.  We stayed at the Reef Oasis Beach Resort, a five star hotel which is located on a natural sandy 380 metre long beach that overlooks the Reef.  Photograph 1 shows a panoramic view of the end of the beach (more pictures of the beach will appear in Part Two) and surrounding landscape.  During our visit to the Red Sea, temperatures would frequently soar above 50 degrees Celsius leaving the sea as the only safe haven to escape the excessive heat (which was fine with me bearing in mind that I was in my element!!!).  Whilst I was more than happy with what I saw, I was advised by a fellow enthusiast that some of the fish do tend to move into the deeper waters when the temperatures reach certain levels.  In comparison, when we visited the Maldives in April 2003 it appeared that many of the fish preferred to inhabit the shallower areas where the temperatures were somewhat warmer.

Photograph 1 - Temple Reef

Photographs 2 and 3 show two of the more common species of butterflyfish that are to be found on the Reef - the Crown Butterflyfish (Chaetodon paucifasciatus) and Exquisite Butterflyfish (Chaetodon austriacus), respectively.  At this point, I should say that all of the underwater photographs were taken by me with a digital camera specifically designed for underwater photography (which was kindly supplied by Robert Kitchinman).  The majority of the photographs were shot at a depth of less than two to three metres where the light intensity levels were still quite high (if you look carefully at some of the photographs you will see the sun’s rays penetrating the bottom of the Reef).  When I first started exploring the Reef, I was surprised how friendly and inquisitive most of the fish were, particularly, the butterflyfish which seemed to enjoy having their photograph taken!!!  Although the Reef is home to a large number of different species, I think the butterflyfish were probably one of my favourite fish to observe bearing in mind how timid they can be in the home aquarium.  Perhaps the answer lies in the numbers, because it was a rare occurrence to see less than three or four of these fish (not necessarily of the same species) in close proximity at any one time.  Something which, I accept, is difficult to reproduce in the home aquarium, but not so un-common to see in the wild.

Photograph 2 - Crown Butterflyfish

Photograph 3 - Exquisite Butterflyfish

Photograph 4 is a picture of a Sohal Tang (Acanthurus sohal) and photograph 5 a close up of the same fish.  These fish were truly magnificent to observe in their natural surroundings and were quite fearless when it came to defending their territories.  They would often swim within a short distance of the camera lens or even at times brush alongside you just to let you know that they were close by.  Whilst we sometimes see these fish for sale in the aquarium trade, the difference in size between captive raised specimens and wild ones is quite remarkable.  There is a picture of a Sohal Tang in April’s edition of Practical Fishkeeping (on page 107) which I would say is approximately 15 centimetres (6 inches) in length (an average size for a captive raised tropical marine fish), yet nearly all of the specimens that I came across on the Reef were almost 60 centimetres (2 feet) long!!!  One characteristic that I did notice about these fish was their tendency to swim very close to the surface which was quite unusual for such a large fish.  They would also patrol a relatively small boundary, often along the edge of the Reef.  It would be interesting to know whether captive raised specimens exhibit similar behavioural patterns.

Photograph 4 - Sohal Tang

 Photograph 5 - Sohal Tang

Photograph 6 is quite an interesting picture of a Gibbus Parrotfish Terminal Phase (Scarus gibbus) feeding on the Reef.  The colour patterns on these fish were truly amazing (a bit like the patterns found on koi carp) and whenever you ventured fairly close to them you could hear them “munching” on the coral.  If you look at the wrasse pictured to the right of the Gibbus Parrotfish, then this will give you some indication of the size of these fish - absolutely huge!!!  They were, however, relatively peaceful and would often be found swimming quite close to the shoreline in small gatherings.

Photograph 6 - Gibbus Parrotfish Terminal Phase

The fish shown in photograph 7 is a Freckled Hawkfish (Paracirrhites forsteri).  This little chap remained perfectly still when I spotted him which is not unusual bearing in mind that hawkfish, as the name implies, frequently remain motionless for long periods of time; a tactic which they use to startle their prey (small fish and crustaceans) as they lie-and-wait amongst the coral formations.  When I was researching this species on the Internet, I was surprised to learn how many different colour varieties there are distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific complex.  In the Red Sea, the fish are relatively drab looking compared to the more brightly coloured specimens that live on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

Photograph 7 - Freckled Hawkfish

I was delighted to see a Lipstick Tang (Naso lituratus) again (the fish shown in photograph 8), because I only managed to get a quick glimpse of one of these when I was in the Maldives.  As with the Sohal Tang, the sizes that some of these fish can attain in the wild is quite remarkable.  If you include the tail filaments, then these fish were almost 90 centimetres (3 feet) in length!!!  This certainly supports the theory that captive raised specimens (especially tropical marine species) rarely achieve their true potential size in the home aquarium.

Photograph 8 - Lipstick Tang

One of the highlights of my snorkelling adventures was seeing the clams in their full glory, especially the vividly coloured ones such as those shown in photographs 9 and 10.  There was an abundance of these creatures on the Reef; predominantly occupying the shallower areas where the light intensity levels were at their highest.  The only difficulty in trying to photograph these invertebrates whilst they were feeding was that you had to be very careful not to cast a shadow over them as you approached them otherwise they would close their shells almost instantaneously.  Hence, it was a matter of trying to keep yourself as still as possible whilst you took the photograph which was not the easiest of things to do bearing in mind that the current was often pulling you in the opposite direction.  On some occasions, I would paddle across the Reef on an inflatable mattress with my head under the water and camera in my hand taking as many pictures as I could before the clams dived for cover!!!

Photograph 9 – Clam

Photograph 10 - Clam

Photographs 11 and 12 show an array of different coloured corals.  Although I did not see many clownfish (often associated with some of the soft corals and sea anemones), those that I did see were extremely timid and difficult to photograph.  I think this was primarily due to the fact that the larger fish made them feel un-easy and whenever you ventured close to them, they would retreat rapidly into hiding.

Photograph 11 - Hard Coral

Photograph 12 - Soft Coral

The last photograph in this section shows a large area of what I would describe as “living rock” (if anyone can identify this, then I would be interested to hear from them).  This was quite a beautiful sight to see, especially with the sun’s rays bouncing across the rock’s surface in a multitude of different colours and directions.  Very tranquil indeed, especially when you are sitting on the ocean bed, totally submerged with nothing but the odd hermit crab to disturb you!!!

Photograph 13 - “Living rock”

FOOTNOTE

More photographs to follow in Part Two, including a close-up of a Royal Angelfish (one of my favourite tropical marine fish), a shoal of Desjardin’s Sailfin Tangs feeding on the Reef and a beautiful picture of a clam which won first place in last year’s Photographic Competition.

 APONOGETON DELIGHT                              SHUGHIE MCFEE

The Aponogetons are a truly aquatic genus with species distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia and Australia. There are a number of different species of Aponogeton available in the hobby these days as well as a myriad of hybrids.

You can get, at least, a clue to the ancestry of an unknown plant by looking at the flower spike. An Aponogeton from Asia will have a single bloom, while those with African heritage (this includes Madagascar) have multiple blooms on the same stalk. Most Asian species remain submerged year round, while the starchy tubercules of the African species are able to survive the dry season by shedding their leaves and going dormant. Most Asian species have a dormant period too, but this is temperature related, not a response to drought.

 

Aponogeton ulvaceous, see the beautiful double flower spike

 

Aponogeton boivinianus

Is pronounced A. boy  vin  ee  an  uz, and is another plant from Madagascar. It has heavily puckered leaves that look like a piece of seersucker. This is another plant that requires clean water and a rich substrate. Unfortunately this plant has not been propagated successfully and therefore is collected from the wild, with the result that it is on the expensive side if you can get it. 

Aponegeton boivinianus

SUMMARY

To conclude this part of the article it is important to point out that there are a number of Aponogeton “species available these days. Again, many of these have been hybridized to have the good looks of desirable species, while being hardier and easier to care for in the aquarium. Some of these are striking plants which you may be able to find from time to time in and around Plymouth. However you can most certainly get them from mail order sources and on line wholesalers.

Fish Ark Mexico                                               David J. Price

Fish Ark Mexico is a project to try to conserve all Mexican freshwater fish (livebearers, cichlids, killies, and others) in order to prevent further extinctions.  Mexico was originally selected because of the many threats to its fishes and because of its large biodiversity.

In Mexico, there are more than 500 species of freshwater fish of which about a third are considered endangered.  My own interest is in the livebearing fish, and in particular the goodeids.  Among the livebearers, 24 of 86 poeciliid and 17 of 42 goodeid species are at some degree of risk.  Goodeids are endemic to Mexico.  These are a unique group of fishes in that most of them possess trophotaenia -  vascular structures in the females which are the main sites of nutrient absorption by the embryos.  As a result of this, there is a massive weight gain during embryonic development.  If you have kept any goodeids, you will appreciate the size of new born fry compared with similar sized livebearers such as platies and swordtails.  One species of goodeid, Characodon garmani, is extinct (see Fig 1) and another, Skiffia francesae, is extinct in the wild but survives in captive populations.

Fig 1.  Characodon garmani.

This is an extinct goodeid species known only from a single female specimen collected in 1895.  The springs where it existed were destroyed.

  Ameca splendens, which a number of club members will have kept or at least seen down here in the south west, was once common throughout the Rio Ameca drainage system in Mexico.  Now it seems to be restricted to a pool near a spring behind village of Teuchitlan.  The pool is used daily for recreational activity and also contains introduced fish species such as bullhead catfish and tilapia.  Hardly an ideal environment.  Such is the vulnerability of Ameca splendens that it is actually classified by the IUCN

(International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) as “extinct in the wild”.

Fig 2.  Estacion Querendara

Home of the goodeids Alloophorus robustus, Skiffia bilineata, Xenotoca variata, Zoogoneticus quitezoensis and also a Poeciliopsis species.  Note the shallowness of the lake evidenced by the cattle on the right standing in the water.  The barbed wire indicates the closeness to human habitation. On top of the bank in the background is a main highway.  Many fish habitats in Mexico are threatened by human activity.

An important aspect of the scientific effort is to heighten awareness of these fish.  As a result there have been three international symposia held in Mexico on livebearing fish.  Myself, Peter Burgess, and Stan McMahon, have between us attended and presented papers at each of these.  Additionally, myself and Peter also delivered a course held in Cuernavaca on fish husbandry and conservation to research students and staff from several Mexican universities.

Fig 3.  Goodea atripinnis

A catch of healthy looking fish from one of the other habitats that we visited.

Part of the Fish Ark project was to help establish and furnish an Aqualab at the university in Morelia where endangered species of goodeids can be maintained to ensure their survival.  The last symposium was held in Morelia in November 2006, so I was keen to visit the Aqualab.

Fig 4.  Aqualab at the university in Morelia

Currently undergoing refurbishment, the picture shows the new concrete stands holding the glass tanks in which the different stocks of fish are kept.  The facility currently has more than 130 tanks with a total volume of about 50,000 litres of recirculated water.

 The captive breeding and maintenance program was instigated by Ivan Dibble of the Bristol Tropical Fish Club in 1998.  Ivan has almost certainly done more than any other aquarist alive to further the cause of fish conservation in a practical way. At the symposium, Ivan’s work was honoured by several speeches at the start of the meeting.  Starting with just an empty building, ideas, and the goodwill of specialist fish hobbyist groups across the world, the aquarium and associated laboratories have been built, equipped, and developed.  Today, 40 of the 41 known species of goodeids are being maintained in the tanks at the laboratory.  In addition, more than 20 students are studying and doing research in the lab.  Next year it is hoped to start another aqualab at another university in Mexico to cover even more species from other families.

Fig 5.  Aqualab at the university in Morelia

As well as the aquaria facilities, there is laboratory space for the scientific study of fish.  It holds collections of preserved specimens of Mexican fish, some of which were collected more than 150 years ago.

All this could not have been achieved without the funds raised by Ivan and others from fish hobbyists around the world.  However, costs for maintaining the facilities are an ongoing expense, and finance is needed to extend the

work.  You can support the project by either making a direct donation or by fundraising.  Our club promotes the conservation ethic.  Perhaps the committee might like to consider organising an event with profits going to this cause?  All contributions should be sent by cheque drawn on a UK bank made `payable to Hobbyists Aqua Lab Conservation Project (Mexico) or HALCP (Mexico) for short to the treasurer, Don Kenwood, 154 Kenn Road, Clevedon, North Somerset, BS21 6JY.

Fig 6.  An international effort

The effort to try and conserve these fish is truly an international one.  Involved in our recent trip were, left to right, Rit Forcier (Chairman, American Liverbearers Association), Fred Poeser (Zoology Museum Amsterdam), Christian and Sandra Keller Santandrea (Christian is Vice-Chairman of Association France Vivipare), Edgar (our guide from the Aqualab in Morelia), and Ivan Dibble.

ALL OUR YESTERDAYS                                   STAN McMAHON

This item is a great pleasure for me as I get to trawl the back catalogue of “Fishy News” and pick out some real gems. This poetic offering first appeared in “Fishy News” in 1953, and printed a few times since. It is from the late great Tom Easterbrook under one of his pseudonyms “Gleepy-Olis”. I will include an editorial by him in the next edition of the magazine, it is a fishkeepers take on Darwinian theories. Enjoy!

“White Spot Lament By Gleepy-Olis.

This is the fishy bloke all forlorn,

Who saw on a fish one early morn,

A spot so white and oh! So small,

And it wasn’t so long till it covered them all.

This is the chap who fussed and blew,

Who brought up the temperature through and through,

He raised it higher, then higher and higher,

Till I’m sure that his fish thought they were on fire.

This is the Aquarist who looked once more,

To his wife he did call with a voice quite a roar,

Not a spot can I see, I’m sure it’s all gone,

I’m happy as can be, I could burst into song.

On the following day alas and alack,

The parasite white spot had found its way back,

His fish look quite sick and had started to shake.

Thought he, a trip to the chemists I’ll take.

This is the chemist, who smiled with glee,

Some Quinine Hydrochloride I’ll sell him thought he,

Four grains to a gallon and bang in the lot,

Make sure you keep the water quite hot.

This is the tank that clouded like mad,

Our Aquarist friend started feeling so sad,

Said he to his wife, I feel that I oughter,

Siphon off half of this polluted water,

Now clear and settled, as bright as can be,

His tank looks quite posh for his friends to see,

Once more has he learnt, no more will he groan,

He’ll keep all new fish for a time on their own.”

That was great! It certainly has given me an appetite to discover more of Tom’s prose.

BREATHLESS KILLIFISH                                MARTIN CANTY

How long can you hold your breath? For even highly trained humans, it’s a few minutes, tops. Compare that with Killifish, which can survive without oxygen for more than 60 days, by far the longest of any vertebrate.

Annual Killifish, Austrofundulus limnaeus, live in temporary ponds in arid regions of Venezuela. Their embryos ride out seasonal droughts buried in mud, where microbial action often uses up all the oxygen.

Austrofundulus limnaeus

Jason Podrabsky, a comparative physiologist at Portland State University in Oregon, and his colleagues tested Killifish embryos by sealing them in oxygen free vials. After 62 days, half the embryos recovered when given oxygen (The Journal of Experimental Biology, Vol 210, p 2253). The next best vertebrates – turtles and a species of goldfish – can survive but only for a few days.

Green turtle

Podrabsky found that longer lived killifish embryos accumulated lactate – the end product of anaerobic (without oxygen) metabolism – very slowly, suggesting that their anaerobic ability comes from being able to cut their metabolic rate to extremely low levels.

Jason Podrabsky

Podrabsky is now studying which genes are responsible for the metabolic slowing. “Learning how the fish do this may help explain how human tissues respond to anoxia during, say a heart attack”, Podrabsky says.

Austrofundulus limnaeus

Reference: “New Scientist”, 23^rd. June 2007.