TFH Magazine Blog » David E. Boruchowitz

Sneaking Success

Shari Horowitz — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 18:18:26 +0000

By David E. Boruchowitz Cichlids demonstrate extremely sophisticated reproductive strategies. One of the least common involves cooperative breeding in groups or colonies. Lake Tanganyikan Neolamprologus pulcher breed en masse, with the entire colony rising as one to fend off predators, and with non breeding individuals participating in the care and protection of the offspring. Aquarists [...]

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Possible Kraken Discovered

Shari Horowitz — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 16:39:04 +0000

By David E. Boruchowitz During the Triassic bus-sized ichthyosaurs (marine reptiles) filled the niche occupied by predatory whales today. They were considered top predators until a paleontologist studying fossils in Nevada proposed a startling explanation for the ordered placement of ichthyosaur bones—a giant cephalopod ate the 45-foot reptiles. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111010075530.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29 Like the mythical kraken, this gargantuan [...]

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Big Catfish Schools

Shari Horowitz — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 20:22:12 +0000

By David E. Boruchowitz For a long time, since I first learned of it, one of my favorite fish has been the European wels catfish Silurus glanis. I’ve never seen one in person, but the greatest photo I’ve seen showed a diver dwarfed by one of these monsters that can grow to more than 16 [...]

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Changing Seasons

Shari Horowitz — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 19:32:01 +0000

By David E. Boruchowitz I saw my first vee of geese flying south this morning. I’ve heard a few before, but this is the first one I saw. For us in the Northern Hemisphere the geese are iconic of fall—shorter, cooler days and magnificent foliage. We are so linked to a climate with abrupt changes [...]

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Pink River Dolphins

Shari Horowitz — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 15:14:37 +0000

By David E. Boruchowitz People love dolphins, and it often seems as if they love us, too. The Amazonian ecosystem is home to beautiful freshwater stingrays descended from Pacific marine rays that became trapped when the Amazon’s flow to the Pacific ended. It also houses freshwater dolphins—pink ones! These rare animals are odd looking, and [...]

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World’s Longest Aquarium

Shari Horowitz — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 15:35:22 +0000

By David E. Boruchowitz How does a 110-foot aquarium sound to you? Well, one went on display last week at a fish expo in Taipei, Taiwan. With a volume of close to 7000 gallons, the setup houses hundreds of fish, mostly cichlids. The decor of the aquarium focuses on dozens of well-known Taiwanese landmarks, and [...]

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NASA’s Salt of the Earth

Shari Horowitz — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 13:51:41 +0000

By David E. Boruchowitz NASA’s Aquarius instrument has mapped the oceans of the planet from orbit, providing an accurate representation of salinity across the globe. You can read about it here: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110922144206.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29 And you can view or download the map from NASA at: http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA14786 In viewing the map, keep in mind that the entire scale [...]

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The Smallest Aquarium

Shari Horowitz — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 13:43:41 +0000

By David E. Boruchowitz How do you do a water change on an aquarium that holds only 2 teaspoons (10 ml) of water? With a syringe! That’s how micro-miniature artist Anatoly Konenko of Omsk, Russia fills his inch-long planted tank so as not to disturb the aquascape. This is certainly taking the nano tank [...]

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Wisconsin Weekend

Shari Horowitz — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 15:27:33 +0000

By David E. Boruchowitz I just returned from Wisconsin, where I talked about nano tanks with MAS (the Milwaukee Aquarium Society) and the next day with MAAH (Madison Area Aquatic Hobbyists). I was treated regally and thoroughly enjoyed myself! I had already caught the nano bug when I wrote Mini Aquariums (TFH Publications, 2008), but [...]

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Gutsy Fish

Shari Horowitz — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 13:36:01 +0000

By David E. Boruchowitz Aquarists often overfeed their fish, and obesity, liver disease, and other consequences are frequent problems for captive fish. The usual explanation is that fish have poor mechanisms to stop feeding, since in the wild a glut of food rarely occurs. Recent research indicates that many predatory fishes have much larger gut [...]

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