For chronology you ought to read his life story. The ages quoted here are really time since I got him, his age is probably about six months greater. Sizes are tip of tail to tip of nose, and are very approximate (when we first got him he was 60mm).
There are also pictorial sequences describing setting up Amos' tank the last time I moved house, and moving to the five foot tank if you like waiting for your browser to load dozens of pictures...
A seperate page has Amos being fed. These pictures are from a digital video camera, so the quality is not as good as most of the other photos. This is partly because of the camera, but also because of the speed of the action (Jaws eat your heart out).
Amos (at 20 months, 130 mm) sitting on a slice of potato. He's sitting on it because it's there. It's there because two of his then tank-mates (both Plecos) eat it when given the chance.
Immediately after the photo above, he decides the camera might be a new type of shellfish, and is well worth closer examination. (One day I'll air-brush out the specs of dust on the tank glass).
This picture is from June '98, two and a half years after he burnt his back. You can just see some dark spots immediately in front of his dorsal fin. This is the scar. It doesn't show so well by the time it's been scanned and whatnot.
The colours in these pictures are (on my screen) pretty good renditions of reality - the two pictures above with a bluish cast are not right (I think it was out-of-date film). I expect that the actual pattern of markings is unique to an individual, but I don't know enough mbus to check. If anyone else is friendly with an mbu, can they compare backs for me?
There's also a game of spot the kuhli loach in this picture.
These two plecostumos are Gerald (the brown one - a gibbiceps) and Bernard (the black one -a bristlenose). After Amos got off their dinner, they were able to get on with the important business of eating it. This picture also shows the only bare gravel in the 3' tank (in its first arrangement), which was there mainly 'cos these two dug up anything I planted just in case it might be edible. Bernard died in early 2001 (old age, I think), but Gerald is still going strong.
Gerald again, I wish I had a picture of his splendid dorsal fin, but you'll just have to imagine it.
Gerald has quite variable colouration. Both these pictures could be accurate, depending what mood he's in, and he can go even more 'big dark patches surrounded by washed-out brown' than the picture above. I think the second one is his basic 'happy and healthy' colours.
Three more tank-mates. This was taken immediately after transferring some old water into the tank (during the house move), which is why the water is so cloudy and full of muck. A nice composition, though.
As mentioned in his life story, Amos achieved international fame in January 2001 when he was published (or rather, his photo was published) in the magazine Trends in Molecular Medicine.
To comment on anything (please do) email ian.web@astounding.org.uk