Anableps Species Questions - 02/17/03
Hi there.  
<Hi -- Ananda here, answering the brackish fish questions...>
I have asked you guys some marine questions before but now I have a question about a brackish fish (Brackish was for the longest time my most favorite type of fish and still ranks very high).
<They are great fish -- I wish more people kept them.>
I have had a 55G Brackish set up for quite some time now.  I have two Anableps anableps females in the tank.  
<Very cool fish.>
Two weeks ago I reordered some Anableps from our fw supplier at the LFS I work at.  They came in different than the true Anableps.  The two original girls have 3 blue stripes, while these two new girls have only two.  Also they swim much easier under the water while the true Anableps have equilibrium issues which forces them to make quick dives to retrieve food.  The two new girls have the split eyes but act differently than the trues.  The two new ones can lay on the bottom of the tank with no issue but can also swim with the upper eye above water like the other Anableps.  Also the two new ones are a bit more blue.  I first thought they might be the false Anableps but they supposedly don't have "four eyes" while mine do.  Do you know what the two new Anableps I have are?  
<There are actually three species in the genus -- the other two are A. dowi and A. microlepis. You now have two out of the three species! I'm not sure which species you have, as there seems to be some disagreement between sources on which one is which. If you could send photos, we would love to see them! Please also consider sending a photo to the good folks at Fishbase.org, as they do not have a photo of this species (whichever one it is).>
Also why is it so hard to get a male Anableps anableps?  I have religiously tried for the past four months from three different suppliers.  No one has them nor can get them.  I want one so I can breed them but so far can only get females.  
<I've read that the females often school together, which makes the females much easier to catch for the pet fish trade. So your best bet for finding a male is probably from someone who's breeding them. I did a Google search and found at least one breeder's page; you might also check Aquabid and similar sites. I know of two stores near Chicago that occasionally have these fish. If I ever see any males, I'll post on the WetWebFotos boards.>
Thanks for taking the time to read this.  Kim
<You're quite welcome; these are fascinating fish. A bit more info, and bibliography, here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/anableps.htm  --Ananda>