VIVO_2-2013-en

Title feature06 Rearing seahorses is difficult and labori- ous: Best water quality and fine live food (e.g. Artemia franciscana) are required. Hippocampus villosus, three days old, 8 mm What is the total capacity of your breeding tanks? The total volume is about 90,000 liters (23,790 US gal) of water, with my largest tank holding 3,000 liters (793 US gal.). One of my specialties are aquarium walls made completely of glass, avoiding metallic supports which are prone to corrosion. The filters I use are also designed to self-clean when changing water, preventing hours of laborious cleaning. Where are your fish available? A part of my stock is exported to Germany, another part through exporters all over the world, and yet another part of it is sold here on the Czech market. You surely know that Czechoslovakia, and today the Czech Republic, have long been considered traditional exporters and breeders of high quality aquarium fish. Which uncommon fish do you have apart from that? A couple of years ago I have started breeding freshwater stingrays, which become more and more popular. I can offer three different kinds: - Potamotrygon sp. “Pearl”, including a beautiful white stingray specimen. - Potamotrygon sp. Itaituba - Potamotrygon leopoldi … and I can also see some seahorses here … … yes, my newest endeavor is breeding Hippocampus villosus seahorses. I am the only provider in the Czech Republic who provides them, and one of the very few breeders in Europe. We have been working together for quite a few years. Which sera products are particularly important for you? I absolutely trust in products by sera. I use about two buckets of sera flora, san and vipan per week. Water quality is very important when breeding, and good food simply pollutes the water less strongly. sera siporax Professional, in particular, pays off in filtration. I use sera aquatan and toxivec products, plus others as required, for conditioning the water. How do you see the future of fishkeeping in the Czech Republic? Nano aquariums are momentarily a trend in modern offices and households, which may be connected with the trend toward miniaturization in many fields. I am happy that there are more and more young aquarists who are interested in the treasures of the underwater world. It is important to support them with good information and advice as to ensure the animals are being kept appropri- ately. Can you share any of your current plans? Momentarily, I am working with ZOO Zlín/Lešná on a marine stingray project. The visitors of the zoo, in particular children, will get the unique opportunity to feed the rays themselves. Thank you for a very exciting visit to your tropical island in the heart of Europe! Seahorses Aulonocara stuartgranti Usisya,West shore of Lake Malawi Ophthalmotilapia nasuta Gold, Cape Kachese/Lake Tanganyika Deep sea inhabitant from Lake Tanganyika: Cyphotilapia gibberosa “Blue Zaire Moba”

VIVO_2-2013-en

Pages