At this year's Fall All-Day Auction we will be featuring Anabantoids, Asian nano Catfish and Loaches, and rare and unusual Danios.
ANABANTOIDS
From Borneo, this small labyrinth fish (1.75 – 2”) inhabits sluggish blackwater. Two remarkable things about this fish are its reverse sexual dimorphism (the females are colorful red and green whereas the males remain chocolate brown with lovely patterns that mimic leaves), and that it’s a paternal mouthbrooder. These gouramis should be kept in groups in a tank with low flow, pH 6.5 or below (although they are tolerant of higher pH levels), plenty of botanicals, and peaceful tankmates like small cyprinids. A bonus for club members trying to achieve Master Breeder status is that this species belongs to Category 5 and garners 30 points.
Another unique small gourami growing to 2.5”, found across southeast Asia in slow-moving, blackwater environments. This bubblenester is peaceful when not spawning and can be kept in groups. Once they're spawning, they need to be separated or they'll nip each other. Croaking sounds are produced by both sexes to communicate. During courtship the female produces ‘purring’ sounds in order to initiate spawning, and they are the only fishes in which this is known to occur.
This small, richly patterned and colored little (2”) cave-spawner hails from Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos where it inhabits roadside ditches and small creeks with abundant vegetation. In nature, this species is subject to large seasonal temperature fluctuations. Slow-moving and retiring by nature, keep it with peaceful cyprinids such as small Rasboras, Danios, and Microdevario, but not with other similar-looking, territorial bottom dwellers such as dwarf cichlids and never house it with other Badis species to avoid hybridization. Rival males set up small territories and engage in energetic battles so provide plenty of décor and space. No heater required.
This gorgeous nanofish set off the Badis craze. Growing to only 0.5 - 0.75”, these fish are tolerant of a wide range of water parameters. Like other Badis, the males set up territories and become aggressive toward each other so provide plenty of spawning sites separated by visual barriers. No heater required.
Great stuff!
NANO LOACHES
Growing to just 1” in length, this nano-loach coexists with Celestial Pearl Danios and Fireline Danios in flooded grasslands in Myanmar and Thailand. Rosy Loaches spend a lot of time in the open, often hovering in midwater, forming schools, and exploring all levels of the aquarium. Peaceful miniatures, they are an excellent choice for the nano tank featuring Boraras, Microdevarios, Trigonostigma, and Tanichthys, and Microrasbora. Large, boisterous tankmates will intimate and outcompete these little guys for food. No heater required.
There is nothing diabolical about this peaceful nanofish except the glowing red eyes. Barbucca species maintain near-continuous belly contact with solid surfaces, often swim in an inverted position if plants or other décor allow, and rarely venture into the water column—thus the moniker ‘Scooter’ Loaches. They come from small forest streams in Borneo, Malaysia, and Thailand where they coexist with a variety of Barbs, Danios, Rasboras, and Gouramis and Bettas. Growing to 1.5- 1.75”, they enjoy exploring rocks, driftwood, and leaf litter and are an excellent choice to keep with other nanofish like Boraras and friends. No heater required.
Also known as the Orange Saddle-Back Loach, Sumo Loaches can grow up to 3” in length. These fish inhabit cool, shallow rivers flowing fast over rocks and gravels in Myanmar and Thailand making them a fantastic choice for a hillstream setup although torrential flow isn’t required to keep them successfully. Fishes which inhabit similar biotopes in nature, especially those swimming in open water such as Danio, Devario, Barilius, Pethia, Puntius, and Rasbora species, constitute the best tankmates, and one or two schools can make a visible difference to the confidence of this naturally reclusive loach. No heater required.
RARE AND UNUSUAL DANIOS
One of the wave of beautiful new Danios entering the hobby from Southeast Asia, this is a peaceful, schooling fish from the Lake Inle watershed in Myanmar listed as ‘Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List. They grow to 2.5- 3” long. They will not compete well with larger or more boisterous tankmates. A tank lid is important as these fish are accomplished jumpers. No heater required.
Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam and into China. Typically inhabits moderate to fast-flowing rivers and streams with substrates of gravel, cobbles, boulders and bedrock. This extremely athletic and flashy fish grows 3.5 – 4” and requires a 4’ tank or longer. They require cool water. A tank cover is a must as they are prodigious jumpers. Opsarius are surface-feeders preying on aquatic and terrestrial insects in nature, with some small fishes and benthic invertebrates probably taken as well. The best tankmates are similarly-sized, robust, pelagic cyprinids such as Dawkinsia, Barilius or larger Devario and Rasbora species while bottom-dwellers could consist of Garra, Crossocheilus, Botia or Schistura. No heater required.
Notable for its glowing, yellow-orange coloration, the Fireline Danio comes from the same permanently flooded grasslands as Celestial Pearl Danios where they coexist. Growing to only 1.5” this species is unfussy about food and water parameters, is peaceful, appreciates low flow rates, and can be maintained alongside other small cyprinids. What’s not to love? No heater required.
NANO ASIAN CATFISH
At last – a diurnal, nano, peaceful catfish! When your catfish are this cute, you definitely want to see them during the day. From Sumatra and Borneo, this is a very peaceful and gregarious little catfish doing best in a shoal of six or more. Completely ignored tankmates, this catfish is suitable for most communities of small to medium-sized, peaceful species like Rasboras, Danios, and small Loaches. When gravid the green eggs of females are clearly visible through the virtually transparent body. Likes soft, acidic water.