Tanja Diederich “Weird and Wonderful Loaches”

May 14, 2012 TBAS meeting at the Florida Aquarium

In 2007 I found a wonderful website called loaches.com Through the advice of members there, I finally learned to successfully keep fish, and I developed a healthy obsession with loaches. I compare my collection of fish to what you would expect a boy to keep – oddballs, loaches and catfish. Any unusual or weird fish captures my imagination.
I adore the playful antics of loaches, and I will talk about what makes them weird and wonderful. Some weirdness includes: they have switchblades under their eyes, they click with delight, sleep upside down and eat from your fingers. I have kept a wide variety of loaches including the common ones like the clown, yoyo and dojo. I also keep the unusual like the Golden Chinese loach (Sinibotia pulchra), Zodiac loach, gecko loaches, moosefaced loach and super active mongoose loaches. I will also discuss how to keep these wonderful fish, best choices for large community tanks and fish that are not loaches.

I have been keeping fish about 9 years, including the two years that I was the caretaker for A.M.I.G.O., the tilapia born on the space shuttle in 1998 during STS-95. After Amigo's career with NASA ended, he settled down to live a pampered life at MOSI, where I took care of him with the help of my dedicated staff.  It wasn’t until I joined TBAS in 2010 that I discovered several members were also involved in the A.M.I.G.O. Project.
 
My non-fish activities include keeping carnivorous plants, fossil hunting and teaching myself Astronomy while working at Planetariums for 15 years. I also taught Florida ecology classes while kayaking on rivers and exploring springs. I am formally trained as a Crime Scene Investigator (SPC) and as a Florida Master Naturalist (UF), and have a degree in International Studies (UNC-CH) and one in writing (USF).  I share an educational business called Clear Sky Adventures, where I teach hands-on Astronomy, ecology and CSI programs. My menagerie at home includes 10 tanks of fish and shrimp, as well as dry pets: cats, ferrets, lizards, ducks and 150 carnivorous plants.