hydra

random flower, bug and bird post

 ^^hardy hibiscus (info here)

 ^^fledgling white crown sparrow

 ^^pink four o'clock (Mirabilis sp) (info)

^^grasshopper on four o'clock bud

 ^^ipomoea aka morning glory (info)

 ^^iris

 ^^white crowned sparrow

 ^^yellow four'oclock

aquarium resources you should know about

Canadian Aquarium Connection announced earlier this month that it would be shutting down after seven years. It's a real loss for both Canadian and international hobbyists; a peaceful, genuinely friendly forum where vastly experienced aquarists mentored fledgling hobbyists. It was the best place to learn about fishkeeping, breeding and lesser known creatures; livebearers, killies, snails.

edit October 15/2013 Canadian Aquarium Connection has reopened as a National auction. Check out the new, upgraded site here.)

Over the next few weeks I'll be removing updating the links to CAC from the pages here. Fortunately, some of the CAC Forum database (and many of the members) is being moved to a brand new forum set up by CAC members, Canadaquaria.

It's turning out to be a great forum. Check it out here.

If you're into shrimp, there's a new Canadian forum, Canadian Shrimp Exchange. Now that the amazing resource CrustaForum has been lost to spam bots, CSE is a good, friendly place to get the information you need.

Lastly, while not new, Happy Turtle Pub is a brilliant resource for turtle keepers, and Canadart is the place to go to get the dirt on dart frogs.

Happy hobbying!

Caridina multidentata, eggs and otos

^^amano shrimp (Caridina multidentata) and an otocinclus share a branch in the out-flow. Unfortunately, amano shrimp larvae, called zoe, need brackish water to develop.

^^unberried female, left, and male

^^the female fans her pleopods frequently to move oxygen rich water over the eggs

^^this boy is moving in a little too early. The female won't mate 

until her eggs have hatched and she undergoes a molt.

swords into plough shears

^^Cameroon Fan shrimp (Atya gabonensis) have forsaken their claws for filter-feeding filiments

^^fan shrimp require strong water flow, climbing surfaces and extra hiding spots

^^individuals will Jockey for the best flow areas. Like other members of the family, 

Cameroon fan shrimp larvae require brackish to full salt water to survive. 

Crustaforum has a good thread on breeding similar shrimp here.

 ^^ephemeral after the molt, it takes a few days for the colours to manifest

 

 ^^Cameroon fan shrimp, centre surrounded by: a cherry shrimp, viviparous snail, and assassin snail.

further reading:
Aspects of the Biology of the Gabon Shrimp Atya gabonensis, Giebel 1875 in the Cross River, Nigeria

mimic

  ^^syrphid fly, a bee-mimicking genus

^^grooming

^^adult syrphid flies typically feed on pollen and nectar, 

though the larvae of some species are aphid hunters.

feeding time