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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>
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