Blind cave fish (front) have no eyes, whereas surface fish (back) of the same species have rather large eyes. Photo by Richard Borowsky
If you want to see the full effects of inter-cave hybridization on eye size, you have to look at very young fish. The eye rudiments of Tinaja and Molino cave fish are much smaller than those of surface fish. Not only are they smaller, they are completely non-functional. In contrast, the eye rudiments of the Tinaja x Molino hybrids are significantly larger than those of their parents. Myquestion was, ”Are they large enough and well enough formed to work?”
In order to determine whether any of these fry could see, we placed them individually in a shallow dish in a syrup like substance that made it difficult for them to swim, but did not interfere with their breathing or their eye movements. The dish was surrounded by a vertical cylinder with black and white vertical stripes that we could rotate. When we tested the surface fish, its eyes followed the stripes as they rotated and then, going as far as they could, they would snap back. They would then follow again and snap back once more. This happened repeatedly, until we stopped the movement or reversed the direction of rotation. When we reversed the direction, they would follow in the new direction and snap back in the opposite. The surface fry did this because they could see and because following stripes is an instinct. When we repeated the experiment with either Tinaja or Molino fry, neither of them showed any eye movement at all. The same is true when we used fry from other caves, such as Pachón. Of course, they failed to exhibit the response because they were blind and could not see the stripes.
To find out what happened with hybrid fry, with parents from different caves, and to see a video of these experiments check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GU9hKN_yYQ.
Another lighthearted oriented movie, this features the giant gourami piglet who is owned by a caring hobbyist who considers her fish part of the family. This shows the whole process of breaking down the existing aquarium and replacing it with a new 12 foot aquarium for this 2-3 foot Giant Gourami and his compatriots!
The first Aquarium Design Group makeover video, this light-hearted presentation shows a dentist office’s existing aquarium and how it went from ‘disaster’ status to being pristine with a beautiful new layout on a budget.
The Tanglerose hardscape design is focused on a new approach to driftwood placement and has a distinctly foreign feel due to the type of material and fish selected for use. The music selection compliments this to give the presentation a distinctly “indian” feel to it. There is a distinct impression of being in a foreign world that is both very different from our own culture and similar enough to be impactful.
Aquarium Design Group’s Jeff Senske shows some basic trimming and maintenance of the planted aquarium in this update video of the Hakkai stone Iwagumi layout produced two weeks prior to this video. As you can see the glosso is growing in nice and uniform due to the way it was planted (as seen in the Iwagumi Challenge video).
Watch full coverage of the design and layout of the first American Iwagumi layout featuring rare Hakkai Stone. Learn how it was made, including adding a substrate, designing a hardscape, planting, and filling.
Notice the elegant landscape design elements and the interactions of the fish with the layout. This video focuses on the design elements of this aquarium and the interactions of the fish with the layout of the aquarium itself. It focuses on the familiar aspects of a planted aquarium, only without the plants, and on how simple design aesthetic can bring out the flavor of any aquarium to achieve a specific feel and emotional impact in the viewer.
