FishWiki

Freshwater snails from the genus Tylomelania, commonly known as rabbit snails or elephant snails, are endemic to the Sulawesi lakes in Indonesia. A few different species appear in the hobby and a majority are from Lake Poso and the Malili Lake system. These waters are somewhat soft with a high pH. Although wild populations are in decline, most snails in the aquarium trade are still being wild caught. Please consider buying captive bred snails if you choose to keep these guys!

These are large snails, some shells growing to be more than 4 inches in length. The shells are long, conical, and usually a dark brown or black. The snail's flesh is sometimes brightly colored orange or yellow. Others are black or gold-striped depending on the species. They are ovoviviparous meaning they hold onto eggs until they hatch. Although slow and timid at first, they can be trained to be more active by offering treats like vegetables and algae wafers regularly. Rabbit snails are peaceful with all tankmates however they have been known to eat softer delicate plants. The snails are omnivores and will eat algae, plant matter, and some leftover fish food.

This week we will take a look at the Glass Catfish (Kryptopterus vitreolus).

This species of Asian glass catfish is endemic to peninsular and southeastern Thailand where it is found living in tinted, slow-moving or still, waters that are slightly acidic. They have been misidentified for decades and only recently were differentiated from a few other similar species. Unfortunately the trade generally relies on wild-caught specimens, and there are concerns that this may be unsustainable due to the volume and its limited range. Unlike many other aquarium fish, it is not known to be bred commercially.

These small catfish are free-swimming rather than benthic and prefer to school in large groups. They have long barbels, transparent flesh with a slightly iridescent skin, and only reach a length of about 3 inches (8cm). It was also discovered that glass catfish have the ability to detect electromagnetic fields. In the aquarium they require other peaceful tankmates and should be given plenty of shaded areas to hide such as below floating logs and plants. They are slightly picky eaters that prefer live microfauna like daphnia, bloodworms, insect larvae, and even baby fish.

This week we will take a look at the Central Mud Minnow (Umbra limi).

It's a temperate freshwater fish that ranges across the Mississippi river basin up to the US-Canadian border. Some isolated populations can be found in Montana and Texas. Commonly found in slow moving streams, creeks, drainage ditches, and ponds with abundant vegetation. Its natural diet consists of benthic invertebrates (ostracods, copepods, chironomids, gastropods) and occasionally small fishes. They are quick, able to bury themselves in the mud, and form shoals to avoid predation.

These fish only live a few years and stay small (6in/14cm) and spawn in mid-April with the higher temperatures stimulating spawning. Females can produce up to 2,500 eggs in one season. Mud minnows are able to survive in very acidic, poorly oxygenated waters by breathing air with a modified gas bladder. This also allows them to survive the winter in bodies of water where most fish cannot- by breathing air from bubbles under the ice.