A walk around the fishroom

I had set aside this morning for water changes, and didn't I go and cut my hand. So while it heals, I took a walk around the north wall of my fish room, and took some snaphots of how things stood this morning.

These are juvenile Procatopus aberrans, in the first tank you'd see if you came through the door. They are only 20% adults size and colour, but are on their way.

Below them, you find my favourite swordtail. Here's a young male X nezahualcoyotl.

Next come the Florida fish - the killifish, Lucania goodei and the strangely similar Heterandria formosa livebearer.

In that tank, I also have three or four Guatemalan Poecilia petenensis sailfin mollies growing - they are still very young.

Lower down are my almost extinct Zoogoneticus tequila, The big adults decided to hide, but this little male was out and about.

I found the ultimate show off killie, Aphyosemion biteniatum Lagos showing off as usual. This fish gives spectacular photo ops, constantly. I have a colony going in a 20 gallon.

Another lampeye is growing beside them, Procatopus nototaenia. Again, these are babies. They will become spectacular fish.

My montezumae swords were busy. I removed the predators I had in there to control overpopulation last week, and already have fry running along the gravel.

Cutting your hand can certainly put a damper on doing water changes. Hope it's not too serious. Glad you decided to use the time to snap some photos. I love your moneaumae swords. Glad to hear they're busy doing what all good livebearers do (busy adding to the population).

GaryE
Thanks for sharing. Great to see some of your fish. Really you should set up a store front and charge admission to the West Island Rare Wildlife and Piscararium Facility.

Thanks for the photos. Gotta love that show-off killie. I take it these are fish that would not typically be found in an LFS.

I love looking at your fish Gary and may try to get some Killie fish some day from you (but need more tanks and space before that will happen)
Thank you for sharing

"I take it these are fish that would not typically be found in an LFS. "

Yes and no. My love of lampeyes grew out of a shipment to a local store, but I haven't seen them there in quite a few years. They'd classify as occasional visitors to large stores.
One of the breedrs who got the two swordtails from me has been selling them to a smaller local store with a connaisseur clientele, and I'm tolld the montezumae sell especially well. They aren't on wholesale lists, but are sold from a breeder.
If I could produce 100 biteniatum at a shot, a fish like that would be a good seller. But they lay a few eggs a day, and that makes mass production/fishfarm sales unlikely.
I got the tequilas from a local store originally, but I only ever saw them sold there once. They can be on lists from European sellers, but retail at close to ten bucks each - not attractive to stores.
The mollies will be beautiful, but they are grey, and grey can't compete with the multi-coloured hybrid strains.

My fish are not necessarily the most colourful, but I like them. For me, the kick is biodiversity. I like to see how evolution plays out. A swordtail from one region looks like montezumae, and another region gives you the nezahualcoyotl look. There are all the things between too. It's a great show.
Likewise witjh my mollies - all are similar, but the interest is in the subtle differences. I can't say "why" - no one can. But it is something to observe, even in a little fishtank.

Nice photos and grate looking fish GaryE

Cool shots,

No sharp objects for you anymore.  

Steve

A few more - between periods of the hockey game. I actually cut my knuckle on a tank top (recycled glass - missed a spot sanding) so I can change water tomorrow. So above, we have some of the Xiphophorus xiphidium sucker4plecos generously traded with me. That's a new one for me.


Poecila butleri, from the same trade. This one is funny, because I first bred it when I was 8. Only I thought it was sphenops. I kept marble mollies for years and bred them many many times, always wondering why their mouths weren't at all like any other form of sphenops. Then I got these Pacific Coast mollies, and realized why...

Here's a male Melanotaenia duboulayi rainbow.

Here's a nice little Cryptoheros sajica.

Here are some Pelvicachromis taeniatus Moliwe.

An immature kamaka rainbow...

And finally, to bring it the full circle, some X evelynae wild-type platys. They are a fish I have had here for a long time.

Thank you for allowing us in your fish room

You have some nice fish and a good camera to  

Looks fantastic Gary. Love seeing the Pelvicachromis

I love it! Maybe you should cut your hand once more in the same way, so we get to see the other fish too!  

GaryE Thank you for the photos. Without you posting about these less common fish, I'd never know most of these species even exist.
The killie and the pelvicachromis are spectacular, and the livebearers are lovely, just in a quieter way.