Milton Tan
@mtanichthys.bsky.social
Fish biodiversity, genomics. Illinois Natural History Survey Asst Research Scientist. Also aquarium fish hobbyist and plant parent. Profile pic: With a tamandua knifefish. He/him
This semester Cristian @crisomus.bsky.social and Laurent joined myself and Roberto @rvcucalont.bsky.social in the INHS Biodiversity Genomics Lab. I'm excited for the fish science we'll do to understand how biodiversity originates and diversifies, thanks to the National Science Foundation.
October 30, 2025 at 7:21 PM
This semester Cristian @crisomus.bsky.social and Laurent joined myself and Roberto @rvcucalont.bsky.social in the INHS Biodiversity Genomics Lab. I'm excited for the fish science we'll do to understand how biodiversity originates and diversifies, thanks to the National Science Foundation.
Fish swap fish swap fish swap! Hope it was good for the vendors, this is the first one cohosted by my town's club jointly with the neighboring, larger city. Great to being the local aquarium fish nerds together.
October 26, 2025 at 7:27 PM
Fish swap fish swap fish swap! Hope it was good for the vendors, this is the first one cohosted by my town's club jointly with the neighboring, larger city. Great to being the local aquarium fish nerds together.
I'm switching which tanks this group of zebra plecos is in, so figured it'd be good to take a closer look with everyone. Finally seeing signs of maturity of at least one male and one chunky one I suspect is female. Hopefully spawning one day...
October 19, 2025 at 12:40 AM
I'm switching which tanks this group of zebra plecos is in, so figured it'd be good to take a closer look with everyone. Finally seeing signs of maturity of at least one male and one chunky one I suspect is female. Hopefully spawning one day...
This is a new level of hallucination
October 15, 2025 at 8:26 PM
This is a new level of hallucination
Google's on the case:
September 26, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Google's on the case:
New month, new batch. I saw a baby hanging out on top of a cave in the aquarium, and looked in the cave and saw this dad sitting on more. The babies have different levels of yolk sac absorption, I wonder if more than one female laid eggs since it feels like at least a day difference.
September 14, 2025 at 5:57 PM
New month, new batch. I saw a baby hanging out on top of a cave in the aquarium, and looked in the cave and saw this dad sitting on more. The babies have different levels of yolk sac absorption, I wonder if more than one female laid eggs since it feels like at least a day difference.
Full of water, full of possibilities.
September 14, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Full of water, full of possibilities.
Said goodbye to my beast of a pothos today.
September 10, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Said goodbye to my beast of a pothos today.
iNaturalist says this is a Tan Jumping Spider? No relation.
September 9, 2025 at 10:31 PM
iNaturalist says this is a Tan Jumping Spider? No relation.
Man I really like these guys, Chinese suckers Myxocyprinus asiaticus. They change as they become adults and get too big for any tank I'll have for the foreseeable future. I was involved in the genome paper on them. academic.oup.com/gbe/article/...
September 6, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Man I really like these guys, Chinese suckers Myxocyprinus asiaticus. They change as they become adults and get too big for any tank I'll have for the foreseeable future. I was involved in the genome paper on them. academic.oup.com/gbe/article/...
Labeled as Purple Fin Hillstream Loach. I've never seen these in person before, but they're pricy.
September 6, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Labeled as Purple Fin Hillstream Loach. I've never seen these in person before, but they're pricy.
Apparently I left my office fridge cracked open while I was out of town
August 22, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Apparently I left my office fridge cracked open while I was out of town
My Monstera Green on Green is starting to mature a bit more. Although this would've probably cost over $100 if I bought this specifically, I found this hidden amongst normal Monstera plants last year at a regular green Monstera price. It's a thrill to find a variegated plant that way, IMO.
August 2, 2025 at 3:50 PM
My Monstera Green on Green is starting to mature a bit more. Although this would've probably cost over $100 if I bought this specifically, I found this hidden amongst normal Monstera plants last year at a regular green Monstera price. It's a thrill to find a variegated plant that way, IMO.
Somehow missed that this guy became a dad. Panaqolus tankei, Tanke Tiger Pleco. First time breeding this genus for me. He's doing his fatherly duty keeping the water flowing in his cave.
If you look closely, you can see the fuzz on the body that mature males get.
If you look closely, you can see the fuzz on the body that mature males get.
August 2, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Somehow missed that this guy became a dad. Panaqolus tankei, Tanke Tiger Pleco. First time breeding this genus for me. He's doing his fatherly duty keeping the water flowing in his cave.
If you look closely, you can see the fuzz on the body that mature males get.
If you look closely, you can see the fuzz on the body that mature males get.
Update. The filament barb Dawkinsia filamentosa baby has long since gotten its adult coloration and joined the parents.
August 2, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Update. The filament barb Dawkinsia filamentosa baby has long since gotten its adult coloration and joined the parents.
Zebra pleco, Hypancistrus zebra. I like a lot of fish but when people ask me my favorite this is my go to answer. It's captured my attention for decades and still a treat to own, even if they're quite shy.
August 2, 2025 at 3:08 PM
Zebra pleco, Hypancistrus zebra. I like a lot of fish but when people ask me my favorite this is my go to answer. It's captured my attention for decades and still a treat to own, even if they're quite shy.
Proud of my summer undergrad fellow Ren presenting on their research project on unbending shape data in minnows!
July 30, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Proud of my summer undergrad fellow Ren presenting on their research project on unbending shape data in minnows!
The little white bumps on the head of this fish are called tubercles, and develop on breeding males. I always like seeing these, I think there's a lot more potential for someone to study tubercles and how they vary across species.
Mimic shiner, Paranotropis volucellus.
Mimic shiner, Paranotropis volucellus.
July 23, 2025 at 4:24 PM
The little white bumps on the head of this fish are called tubercles, and develop on breeding males. I always like seeing these, I think there's a lot more potential for someone to study tubercles and how they vary across species.
Mimic shiner, Paranotropis volucellus.
Mimic shiner, Paranotropis volucellus.
James Albert @gymnotus.bsky.social announcing the upcoming new book on Neotropical fish ecology and evolution #JMIH25
July 13, 2025 at 8:36 PM
James Albert @gymnotus.bsky.social announcing the upcoming new book on Neotropical fish ecology and evolution #JMIH25
Shannon Kuznar talking on "Little River, Big Telencephalon: Correlations id Major Brain Region Sizes with Ecological Traits in Gymnotiformes" #JMIH25
July 13, 2025 at 8:18 PM
Shannon Kuznar talking on "Little River, Big Telencephalon: Correlations id Major Brain Region Sizes with Ecological Traits in Gymnotiformes" #JMIH25
@phernandez.bsky.social talking on behalf of Allyson Evans on "Species-depauperate gonorynchiforms rival much more species clades in cranial diversity" #JMIH25
July 13, 2025 at 8:02 PM
@phernandez.bsky.social talking on behalf of Allyson Evans on "Species-depauperate gonorynchiforms rival much more species clades in cranial diversity" #JMIH25
@danpaluh.bsky.social talking on Re-evolution of keratinized mouthparts in microhylid tadpoles #JMIH25
July 13, 2025 at 6:47 PM
@danpaluh.bsky.social talking on Re-evolution of keratinized mouthparts in microhylid tadpoles #JMIH25