New Release Fish of the Week: Puppy Shark, Chyllosyllium punctatum

Fish of the Week™

Puppy Shark

by Neil Gunther

LATIN NAME: Chyllosyllium punctatum

EATS: fish, crustaceans, worms, dolphins

The Puppy Shark, or Epaulette Shark, is a playful little lump that enjoys to be with the company of people such as divers. In Australia, the Puppy Shark will come and “hang out” with a tourists’ feet. Generally the tourist is alarmed and swims off.

Puppy Sharks are happy little fish. They usually live in lagoons, reefs and tidepools, which make for good protection and plenty of food. Puppy Sharks are so playful that, according to John Charles Delbeek, P.hD, “their few predators are ashamed to eat them.”

Puppy Sharks are not only easy to train, but they are plentiful so people can collect many for the aquarium trade. They are quite hardy and therefore are recommended to new aquarists, but only if they have 30 and up gallon aquariums with other predatory fish, such as morays, lionfish, crevallé, permit, spadefish and frogfish.

If you want to, you can buy one!!! But only if you’re advanced and you keep reef/saltwater tanks. They’re insanely hardy. Feed them on live foods such as crabs at first, then slowly wean them off it and give them sinking massivore pellets.

TEST YOUR SKILLS—and play my new Crossword Puzzle! It. Is. So. Hard…!!

A re-release of a... FISH OF THE WEEK!

Fish of the Week™
 by • Neil


Necessary facts: size: 2 inches, family: Mollies, type species: Poecilia latipina, genera: Acanthocephalus, Alfaro, Poecilia, Aplocheilichthys, Belonesox, Priepella, Limia, Gambusia, Laciris,Micropoecilia, 
Heterandria, Girardinus, Xiphophorus, Quintana.


Guppy (Acanthocephalus reticulatus)


  The Guppy or Common Millions-Fish is a smaller species of the family Poeciliidae. However, the Amazon Millions-Fish (Alfaro amazonum) is 1 inch (2 cm.). The even smaller Tiny Topminnow (Heterandria formosa) male grows to 1-and-a-half CENTIMETERS. Then there’s the 1-and-a-half inch Barred Topminnow (Quintana atrizona).
  Let’s keep talking about Guppies.
  As you can see, Joey put up a picture of two colorful gray Guppies with bright-red fins and wrote at the top ‘Double Guppy Trouble’. “Double Guppy (Acanthocephalus reticulatus) Trouble”. Huh? Whatever.
  Let’s keep talking about Double Guppy Trouble, I MEAN…!


  The Guppy is 2 inches across, making it one of the smallest poeciliid fish. RECORD-BREAKER!!!


  There’s some weird children’s cartoon about Guppies (what's it called, again?) and Siamese Fighting-fish (Betta splendens). I’m never gonna watch it!!
  Some scientists argue about the Guppy’s Latin name —
  “It’s Poecilia reticulata!” “It is NOT! It’s Girardinus guppii!” “You’re both wrong! It’s Poecilia vivipara”, and on, and on, and on, and on.
  Actually, those are junior synonyms. It’s Acanthocephalus reticulatus.


  Guppies eat flakes, frozen, prepared and live foods, and practically none in the aquarium trade are wild-caught.


  I hope you enjoyed this Fish of the Week™!

Anatomy of the Betta (classic edition)

Scales: Are used for protection on the bettas body.
Heart: Use to keep the blood circulation going.
Swim Bladder: To keep the betta from sinking to the bottom.
Tail"Caudal Fin": Makes the betta burst with jolts of speed.
Dorsal and Anal Fins: Keeps the betta upright.
Pectorial Fins: For turning in different directions.
Pelvic Fin: Keeps betta stable