Recently swapped a pair of mealnurus, the male salvini and the pair of Paratilapia sp. 'Fiamanga' for six wild Blackbelts and six Tinfoil barbs from m mate Ian. I'm really happy with the swap as my 6' tank now has something worth watching in it!
Hopefully we're going to swap my male HRP for his male Rainbow (to go with my female) in the near future, at which point I should be all set in terms of my fish collection for a while.
Happy days!
In other news:
- The jags have spawned again (woop! woop!)
- The baby kribs are growing well
Sadly I lost the following last week:
- My adult female Humpbacked limias
- The female salvini
- A male Blockhead from the dining room tank
Tuesday 2 December 2008
Monday 10 November 2008
New arrivals, tragic losses (again)
Sadly I lost a whole group of baby jags after moving their parents to the 4' tank. They all got either fungus or Lympho. Horrible having to watch them die one by one each day. The tank they were in now holds a supply of live river shrimp and a coupld of female Bettas who are in recovery.
To add to this, the jag pair had a big bust up, so I had to divide them. I'm wondering if it has anything to do with the temperature in their tank being higher than they're used to.
On the positive side, I have over 10 baby guppies from the red-tailed females I bought (from Ely Aquatics) a couple of weeks ago. The females don;t appear to be eating their offspring, so hopefully the babies will turn out to be 'pure strain' and I can establish a pure breeding colony.
Even better news is that the pair of super red kribs I picked up at the CDAS meeting have just brought out their first spawn (hence the recovering Bettas!).
Things are ticking over nicely in the fish room. My biggest challenge at the moment is working out how to overcome the problem that many of the tanks have suspended matter in the water as a result of having no substrate. Makes for some pretty nasty photos.
To add to this, the jag pair had a big bust up, so I had to divide them. I'm wondering if it has anything to do with the temperature in their tank being higher than they're used to.
On the positive side, I have over 10 baby guppies from the red-tailed females I bought (from Ely Aquatics) a couple of weeks ago. The females don;t appear to be eating their offspring, so hopefully the babies will turn out to be 'pure strain' and I can establish a pure breeding colony.
Even better news is that the pair of super red kribs I picked up at the CDAS meeting have just brought out their first spawn (hence the recovering Bettas!).
Things are ticking over nicely in the fish room. My biggest challenge at the moment is working out how to overcome the problem that many of the tanks have suspended matter in the water as a result of having no substrate. Makes for some pretty nasty photos.
Saturday 25 October 2008
BCA, FoF...recents changes
Much has happened since I last posted. The BCA meeting was great fun. Some lovely fish for sale (I was extremely hard pushed to hold back and only spend £3.00!). I sold some Jags, Cutter's, G. brasiliensis and my pair of Bangui. My only pick up was a bag of six juvenile Aequidens sp. Peru, which I am now convinced are a geographical variant of A. tetramerus. Lovely little fish from Andrew Wood.
The Festival of Fishkeeping was really interesting. Some very informative displays and some great fish.
The meeting worked well from the point of view of attracting new members, but I do feel the location (Hayling Island) meant that many established members were put off and didn't show. As a result the auctions followed a recurring theme of being fantastic for buyers, but pretty rubbish for sellers as most lots went for very close to their reserve.
What else has happened?
Bullets:
- the Firemouths lost their eggs (I think the Bristlenoses finally had them);
- the crowntail fry never made it (temperature too cold or perhaps eaten by snails - they did hatch);
- Amber and I moved the 30" tank from upstairs into the fishroom (it now holds the Ports, female Paratilapia and female BGJD);
- I set up a 24" tank underneath it for the larger baby Jags;
- I have moved the Jag pair into the lower 4' tank (they're not too happy!) and all the fish from that tank into the 6' tank;
- the salvini pair are also now in the 6' tank;
- I still have six baby Vieja hybrids doing well;
- I separated the hybrid cons from the Redhead Midas yesterday. Both species are so fat!
- I now have Humpbacked Limia fry from one female, they have grown incredibly fast;
- I also have baby platies!
I now have an external flash for my camera. I'm so pleased with it, it has made such a difference to my fish photography:
I think that's about it for now, other than the fact that I successfully sent some Jags to Newquay (to Nev) and they arrived safely.
The Festival of Fishkeeping was really interesting. Some very informative displays and some great fish.
The meeting worked well from the point of view of attracting new members, but I do feel the location (Hayling Island) meant that many established members were put off and didn't show. As a result the auctions followed a recurring theme of being fantastic for buyers, but pretty rubbish for sellers as most lots went for very close to their reserve.
What else has happened?
Bullets:
- the Firemouths lost their eggs (I think the Bristlenoses finally had them);
- the crowntail fry never made it (temperature too cold or perhaps eaten by snails - they did hatch);
- Amber and I moved the 30" tank from upstairs into the fishroom (it now holds the Ports, female Paratilapia and female BGJD);
- I set up a 24" tank underneath it for the larger baby Jags;
- I have moved the Jag pair into the lower 4' tank (they're not too happy!) and all the fish from that tank into the 6' tank;
- the salvini pair are also now in the 6' tank;
- I still have six baby Vieja hybrids doing well;
- I separated the hybrid cons from the Redhead Midas yesterday. Both species are so fat!
- I now have Humpbacked Limia fry from one female, they have grown incredibly fast;
- I also have baby platies!
I now have an external flash for my camera. I'm so pleased with it, it has made such a difference to my fish photography:
I think that's about it for now, other than the fact that I successfully sent some Jags to Newquay (to Nev) and they arrived safely.
Saturday 11 October 2008
Happy days
Looking forward to the BCA meeting tomorrow. Should be a really good road trip with two Simons and two Martins in the same vehicle!
Have more good news today as the salvini are getting ready to spawn and my crowntail bettas are spawning as I type. Mum is visiting at the moment and she was really impressed by them! Lovely fish.
The Firemouths still have their eggs too, which is amazing given that there are two Ancistrus in the tank. The parents look amazing right now.
Not looking forward to getting up at 4:30am tomorrow to bag fish...
Have more good news today as the salvini are getting ready to spawn and my crowntail bettas are spawning as I type. Mum is visiting at the moment and she was really impressed by them! Lovely fish.
The Firemouths still have their eggs too, which is amazing given that there are two Ancistrus in the tank. The parents look amazing right now.
Not looking forward to getting up at 4:30am tomorrow to bag fish...
Friday 10 October 2008
Snakehead tragedy....again :(
No more snakeheads for me. They were looking unhappy two days ago so I decided to up the heat. BAD IDEA! They were all dead yesterday morning. I think I have a long way to go in my fishkeeping abilities before I take on dwarf Channa spp. again.
On the plus side, my Firemouths have spawned in the mixed community tank in the fishroom.
On the plus side, my Firemouths have spawned in the mixed community tank in the fishroom.
Wednesday 8 October 2008
CDAS, new fish, more fry!
Went to the Corby and District Aquarist Society (CDAS) meeting on Sunday 5th. I was really impressed with how well organised the whole thing was. It was such a shame that the horrible weather put most people off coming. The talks were excellent, particularly Uli's talk on keeping and breeding snakeheads. The talk was so good in fact that I had to part with some money and buy six of his young Channa sp. Turquoise! I also picked up a pair of super red P. pulcher for a few quid.
I managed to sell about £12 of fish too, which offset my expenditure nicely and confirmed that it is indeed possible to sell the fry from the xanthic carrier Jag brood. Simon did much better, coming away with a profit after buying four pairs of dwarf cichlids and six Corydoras.
Talking of Corydoras, I spent my £40 credit at Maidenhead Aquatics (Coton) on five Corydoras sodalis, which I hope to breed at some point, and three very gravid blue/silver Platys (for fun).
A good thing happened yesterday evening: I separated my most gravid Humpbacked Limia into her own spawning tank and she produced around ten huge fry! They are super cute and eating well, so hopefully my shoal will increase from five to fifteen in the near future. I'm so chuffed about this, as I was sure something would go wrong.
At the CDAS meet I was hoping to sell my pair of Hemichromis sp. Bangui and some spare Blockheads, but in the end I had to bring them back home. I stuck the Blockheads in my Central American community tank and it seems like they're having a great time. I think two of them are a pair! Typical that I nearly sold off a matched pair of fish. It's funny because the other fish really don't know what to make of these clowns.
I managed to sell about £12 of fish too, which offset my expenditure nicely and confirmed that it is indeed possible to sell the fry from the xanthic carrier Jag brood. Simon did much better, coming away with a profit after buying four pairs of dwarf cichlids and six Corydoras.
Talking of Corydoras, I spent my £40 credit at Maidenhead Aquatics (Coton) on five Corydoras sodalis, which I hope to breed at some point, and three very gravid blue/silver Platys (for fun).
A good thing happened yesterday evening: I separated my most gravid Humpbacked Limia into her own spawning tank and she produced around ten huge fry! They are super cute and eating well, so hopefully my shoal will increase from five to fifteen in the near future. I'm so chuffed about this, as I was sure something would go wrong.
At the CDAS meet I was hoping to sell my pair of Hemichromis sp. Bangui and some spare Blockheads, but in the end I had to bring them back home. I stuck the Blockheads in my Central American community tank and it seems like they're having a great time. I think two of them are a pair! Typical that I nearly sold off a matched pair of fish. It's funny because the other fish really don't know what to make of these clowns.
Tuesday 30 September 2008
More Ancistrus and other news
Picked up another pair of Ancistrus temminckii yesterday for £15. Seemed reasonable to me and they are nice fish. Hopefully they'll pay for themselves in the future by producing more babies. I put them in the melanurus tank in the hope they'll clean up the algae for me.
Submitted my lots for the BCA auction last week, but now having second thoughts about taking some of the fish as I might want to hang onto them!
Hopefully going to the Corby and District Aquarist Society auction on Sunday with Simon M. I'll be taking a few lots with me in the hope of shifting yet more fish.
Submitted my lots for the BCA auction last week, but now having second thoughts about taking some of the fish as I might want to hang onto them!
Hopefully going to the Corby and District Aquarist Society auction on Sunday with Simon M. I'll be taking a few lots with me in the hope of shifting yet more fish.
Friday 26 September 2008
More fun and games
Turned out the Vieja spawn did survive. Hundreds of free-swimming fry. The parents were fantastic this time thanks to the mirror I put in with them.
Unfortunately when they were both in breeding dress it was clear that they weren't true synspilus or melanurus, so yesterday I removed the fry to their own tank and took the parents back to Maidenhead Aquatics in exchange for a £40 credit note. I'm going to keep the fry as 'Vieja Hybrids' and see what they turn into. I reckon they'll be stunning if the parents are anything to go by.
Last week I went to Terry's (Telboy) to pick up two 2' tanks, two Platydoras, a pair of marble cons, a huge pair of salvini, a plec and a Tiger loach. Lovely bloke. Gave me a very good price for everything.
I also stopped at Wildwoods on the way and bought what is supposedly a BGJD female! Time will tell. She's only small, but I hope to breed her to my male EBJD once she's big enough.
The salvini are amazing. The male is over 8" long - a real monster! I'm hoping that the two mirrors I stuck on the tank will stop hiom beating the female and convince them to breed for me.
Picked up a pair of Gold Saums on Wednesday on the way back from Hastings (for the last time!). They had fry in the tank, so I know they are a proven pair. A steal at just £8 the pair. They are looking great in place of the Viejas.
Had to fence off the big Port today as he won't stop killing the other fish. He's already killed two other Ports and a female cutteri, so I'm not taking any more chances.
Treated my marble cons with AZOO tabs today to try and perk the male back up. He's been lying on the floor looking miserable since I got him home from Terry's.
Culled the deformed Paratilapia female. Obi was very happy!
Sold £20 of fish on Wednesday: 3 Tinfoils, 3 Ancistrus, 2 Angels and a small group of Endlers. Not bad.
Unfortunately when they were both in breeding dress it was clear that they weren't true synspilus or melanurus, so yesterday I removed the fry to their own tank and took the parents back to Maidenhead Aquatics in exchange for a £40 credit note. I'm going to keep the fry as 'Vieja Hybrids' and see what they turn into. I reckon they'll be stunning if the parents are anything to go by.
Last week I went to Terry's (Telboy) to pick up two 2' tanks, two Platydoras, a pair of marble cons, a huge pair of salvini, a plec and a Tiger loach. Lovely bloke. Gave me a very good price for everything.
I also stopped at Wildwoods on the way and bought what is supposedly a BGJD female! Time will tell. She's only small, but I hope to breed her to my male EBJD once she's big enough.
The salvini are amazing. The male is over 8" long - a real monster! I'm hoping that the two mirrors I stuck on the tank will stop hiom beating the female and convince them to breed for me.
Picked up a pair of Gold Saums on Wednesday on the way back from Hastings (for the last time!). They had fry in the tank, so I know they are a proven pair. A steal at just £8 the pair. They are looking great in place of the Viejas.
Had to fence off the big Port today as he won't stop killing the other fish. He's already killed two other Ports and a female cutteri, so I'm not taking any more chances.
Treated my marble cons with AZOO tabs today to try and perk the male back up. He's been lying on the floor looking miserable since I got him home from Terry's.
Culled the deformed Paratilapia female. Obi was very happy!
Sold £20 of fish on Wednesday: 3 Tinfoils, 3 Ancistrus, 2 Angels and a small group of Endlers. Not bad.
Wednesday 17 September 2008
Ah shucks.
Sounds like both the EBJD x JD pair and the Vieja pair have eaten their spawns.
How frustrating.
How frustrating.
Tuesday 16 September 2008
Jag attack!
Amber had me in hysterics this morning. Apparently when she went to feed the Jag fry, the female leapt out of the water a couple of times to try and attack her. On the second attempt the Jag ended up on the fishroom floor!
Amazingly, Amber managed to wrestle the fish back into the tank with her bare hands.
I'm so impressed! Not even sure that I would be massively keen on grabbing an angry female Jag!
Amazingly, Amber managed to wrestle the fish back into the tank with her bare hands.
I'm so impressed! Not even sure that I would be massively keen on grabbing an angry female Jag!
Monday 15 September 2008
EBJD x JD spawn 2
The pair spawned again the day after the Vieja pair. Determined not to lose the fry this time, but something awful could easily happen midweek while I'm away. Hope not though!
Sunday 14 September 2008
Egg-tastic Viejas
I predicted, on Friday, that my pair of mystery Vieja would spawn, and yesterday they did! It's a huge spawn too. This time the male is preoccupied with the mirror I stuck in their tank, so hopefully he won't be such a rubbish mate this time around. Just hoping he fertilised more eggs this time, as last time he wasn't exactly on the mark.
I think my female con is coming to the end of her life. She's had these white growths on her gill covers and in her mouth (still unidentified - definitely not Lympho) on and off since I first got her and now the mouth growths are so bad she looks like she's wearing comedy dentures. It's a real shame as she is an awesome fish. I always find it so difficult waiting for fish to die as it's such an awful process to be a part of.
I think my female con is coming to the end of her life. She's had these white growths on her gill covers and in her mouth (still unidentified - definitely not Lympho) on and off since I first got her and now the mouth growths are so bad she looks like she's wearing comedy dentures. It's a real shame as she is an awesome fish. I always find it so difficult waiting for fish to die as it's such an awful process to be a part of.
Tuesday 9 September 2008
Killer Paratilapia
My male Paratilapia skinned my second largest Port acara today. Very, very annoyed as I don't think it will pull through. The culprit's been put into solitary confinement, which sadly means that my remaining sajica 24ct Gold has had to go in with my melanurus youngsters. Hopefully she'll be ok.
Apparently one of my blockheads has HITH. Obviously something missing in the water care program, so I'll have to look into that at the weekend.
Took some sweet photos of my melanurus pair kicking off at their reflection in a mirror. I'm hoping this will help them to improve their pair bond as the male has a habit of beating the female up!
Apparently one of my blockheads has HITH. Obviously something missing in the water care program, so I'll have to look into that at the weekend.
Took some sweet photos of my melanurus pair kicking off at their reflection in a mirror. I'm hoping this will help them to improve their pair bond as the male has a habit of beating the female up!
Saturday 6 September 2008
Misidentification and other weirdness
Bullets for the week:
- male CT fighter ate his fry
- lost one P. multicolor, possibly the male!
- lost the male striatum killi
- put male HM RT blue fighter in with female PK super red
- removed divider from EBJD x JD tank
- Firemouths due to spawn again
Turns out my Blackbelts weren't Blackbelts after all. It had been bugging me for ages that they didn't look right, but I assumed Maidenhead Aquatics would have their labelling correct. Turns out they're probably melanurus after all that, so I now have 8 melanurus!!! Not that I mind, of course, as they're much rarer in the hobby than maculicauda.
The pair are looking in breeding condition again, so I stuck a mirror in with them today to try and cement the pair bond a bit better.
- male CT fighter ate his fry
- lost one P. multicolor, possibly the male!
- lost the male striatum killi
- put male HM RT blue fighter in with female PK super red
- removed divider from EBJD x JD tank
- Firemouths due to spawn again
Turns out my Blackbelts weren't Blackbelts after all. It had been bugging me for ages that they didn't look right, but I assumed Maidenhead Aquatics would have their labelling correct. Turns out they're probably melanurus after all that, so I now have 8 melanurus!!! Not that I mind, of course, as they're much rarer in the hobby than maculicauda.
The pair are looking in breeding condition again, so I stuck a mirror in with them today to try and cement the pair bond a bit better.
Tuesday 2 September 2008
So incredibly annoyed with myself!
OMFG. The BGJD fry were free-swimming today, but the male ate them. So annoyed that I didn't move him to another tank at the weekend. Grrr. Now I have to wait another two weeks to recondition the female and get them to spawn again.
I could kill something right now!
I could kill something right now!
Monday 1 September 2008
Mixed news
The Bangui pair ate their fry again. Very odd for what were such good parents. I think they are upset about no having enough space or something.
The BGJD eggs hatched on Friday, so I know my male EBJD isn't firing blanks. Bizarrely he went psycho on Friday night when I was showing my mate Dan the fish room. He was trying to kill the female, so I had to rush in with a divider. Thankfully the female didn't abandon her fry and things are still looking good today.
I bought 4 new bettas on Friday: a male red veiltail; a male red and blue (metallic) crowntail (World of Water, Kent); a male fuchsia and blue butterfly veiltail (PetPaks, Hardwick) and a red plakat female (PetPaks, Hardwick).
Spawned the new crowntail to my copper over red female crowntail on Saturday. The male is currently guarding eggs.
Sold my pair of kribs (to Simon M.)and a pair of P. multicolor to George Milner off the OBE Forum.
In other news: the jag pair look like they want to spawn again, so I removed half the fry in case the parents do spawn and decide to eat their last batch!
Final bit of good news: my male sp. Fiamanga has perked up no end and is now swimming about the tank very happily indeed. Annoyingly one of the females I have has a misshapen mouth, so I think she'll have to be culled.
The BGJD eggs hatched on Friday, so I know my male EBJD isn't firing blanks. Bizarrely he went psycho on Friday night when I was showing my mate Dan the fish room. He was trying to kill the female, so I had to rush in with a divider. Thankfully the female didn't abandon her fry and things are still looking good today.
I bought 4 new bettas on Friday: a male red veiltail; a male red and blue (metallic) crowntail (World of Water, Kent); a male fuchsia and blue butterfly veiltail (PetPaks, Hardwick) and a red plakat female (PetPaks, Hardwick).
Spawned the new crowntail to my copper over red female crowntail on Saturday. The male is currently guarding eggs.
Sold my pair of kribs (to Simon M.)and a pair of P. multicolor to George Milner off the OBE Forum.
In other news: the jag pair look like they want to spawn again, so I removed half the fry in case the parents do spawn and decide to eat their last batch!
Final bit of good news: my male sp. Fiamanga has perked up no end and is now swimming about the tank very happily indeed. Annoyingly one of the females I have has a misshapen mouth, so I think she'll have to be culled.
Thursday 28 August 2008
More BGJD eggs
The EBJD and his mate have spawned yet again (yesterday)! Hopefully they'll not eat the eggs this time.
The Bangui pair also have free-swimming fry again. Thie time they'll be getting ZM000, which should be small enough for their little mouths.
The Bangui pair also have free-swimming fry again. Thie time they'll be getting ZM000, which should be small enough for their little mouths.
Monday 25 August 2008
Bank holiday weekend
Picked up two adult Ptychochromis grandidieri and six juvi Paratilapia sp. Fiamanga from Tom (in Hove) on Thursday. Went with Chris as he was taking Tom's pair of Blackbelts. All good fun, especially parking near Tom's place.
We went in a couple of shops along the way: Eastbourne Aquarium Centre and Tranquility. Sadly not much of interest in stock in either place.
Brought the fish up to Cambridge on Friday and then made a fatal mistake with the Ptychochromis, which was leaving them in their bags in the tank overnight. Normally this works out fine, but I guess a combination of stress, ammonia poisoning and being harrassed by the Vieja contingent already in the tank sent them to meet thier maker. Was really gutted all Saturday as a result, especially as they were for Ian.
On Saturday I managed a trip to some shops to stock up on fish food and bits of equipment. Bought a sweet little copper-over-red crowntail plakat female. To my annoyance, the dragon male wasn't into her at all and promptly proceeded to shred her fins. She's fine though, now that I've rescued her!
Ian brought me the last three of Rick's F1 Festae this evening. Defnitely at least one male (the biggest). The smaller male HRP took an instant displike to him and they have been sparring non-stop all night. Hopefully they'll establish a pecking order before one of them is killed.
I gave Ian the pick of the Paratilapia. The male I kept is poorly, so I'm hoping he doesn't snuff it this week.
We went in a couple of shops along the way: Eastbourne Aquarium Centre and Tranquility. Sadly not much of interest in stock in either place.
Brought the fish up to Cambridge on Friday and then made a fatal mistake with the Ptychochromis, which was leaving them in their bags in the tank overnight. Normally this works out fine, but I guess a combination of stress, ammonia poisoning and being harrassed by the Vieja contingent already in the tank sent them to meet thier maker. Was really gutted all Saturday as a result, especially as they were for Ian.
On Saturday I managed a trip to some shops to stock up on fish food and bits of equipment. Bought a sweet little copper-over-red crowntail plakat female. To my annoyance, the dragon male wasn't into her at all and promptly proceeded to shred her fins. She's fine though, now that I've rescued her!
Ian brought me the last three of Rick's F1 Festae this evening. Defnitely at least one male (the biggest). The smaller male HRP took an instant displike to him and they have been sparring non-stop all night. Hopefully they'll establish a pecking order before one of them is killed.
I gave Ian the pick of the Paratilapia. The male I kept is poorly, so I'm hoping he doesn't snuff it this week.
Wednesday 20 August 2008
Bad Blackbelt
Amber tells me the male Blackbelt is being thoroughly horrible to the female now, so she's been in hiding this week behind a piece of slate. Seems a bit unfair on her given it was he who messed up the spawn. No idea if there are any babies left. I reckon they probably will have been eaten by now.
Looking forward to picking up the Madagascan cichlids tomorrow or day after. Should be really cool to see Tom's fish house.
Looking forward to picking up the Madagascan cichlids tomorrow or day after. Should be really cool to see Tom's fish house.
Tuesday 19 August 2008
Planetcatfish.com
Been on the above website trying to ID the Ancistrus again and it seems they are actually Ancistrus cf. cirrhosus, the name given to the common bristlenose and all its various morphs.
Monday 18 August 2008
More joy?
After a thoroughly enjoyable weekend at V Festival in Chelmsford, I discovered that one of the mouthbrooders has released her fry. I estimate that there are about 20 of them, which is amazing given how small the parents are. A few died off, but the rest seem pretty strong. I should end up with around 50 once the other two females have released.
Better yet, it turns out the male Blackbelt wasn't totally off the mark. I have around 30 Blackbelt wrigglers now being heavily guarded by a very irate looking female. The fry are very big, which you'd expect from such large eggs. Hopefully they will get to the free-swimming stage okay and go for the ZM food.
The other bit of potentially exciting news is that I think my rams are about to spawn. The female definitely had a very distended spawning tube this morning.
Fingers crossed.
Better yet, it turns out the male Blackbelt wasn't totally off the mark. I have around 30 Blackbelt wrigglers now being heavily guarded by a very irate looking female. The fry are very big, which you'd expect from such large eggs. Hopefully they will get to the free-swimming stage okay and go for the ZM food.
The other bit of potentially exciting news is that I think my rams are about to spawn. The female definitely had a very distended spawning tube this morning.
Fingers crossed.
Friday 15 August 2008
The road to BGJDs
I was expecting spawns this week and the fish haven't let me down.
The Blackbelts spawned, but sadly the male didn't do his job properly so the eggs are infertile. What's surprising is how big the eggs are. They're huge.
More exciting is the fact that, as predicted, the EBJD x JD pair have spawned and the eggs look to be fertilised. I'm really pleased because it's nearly a year since I last had a similar spawn and this time I feel really good about being able to raise the young.
The mouthbrooder females look hilarious because the eggs have all become fry and each female has a gob full of wriggling babies which they can barely contain.
Amber has been doing wondrous things with the feeding regime, so the baby jags and baby cutteri are all looking like little porkers.
Going to pick up some Polleni next week with Chris. They shouldn't be too big, so I think they'll go in with the angels and acaras for a little while at least. Ultimately they'll get their own tank.
Just had some news today that I might be able to get hold of the Parachromis sp. mentioned in the last post. Watch this space.
The Blackbelts spawned, but sadly the male didn't do his job properly so the eggs are infertile. What's surprising is how big the eggs are. They're huge.
More exciting is the fact that, as predicted, the EBJD x JD pair have spawned and the eggs look to be fertilised. I'm really pleased because it's nearly a year since I last had a similar spawn and this time I feel really good about being able to raise the young.
The mouthbrooder females look hilarious because the eggs have all become fry and each female has a gob full of wriggling babies which they can barely contain.
Amber has been doing wondrous things with the feeding regime, so the baby jags and baby cutteri are all looking like little porkers.
Going to pick up some Polleni next week with Chris. They shouldn't be too big, so I think they'll go in with the angels and acaras for a little while at least. Ultimately they'll get their own tank.
Just had some news today that I might be able to get hold of the Parachromis sp. mentioned in the last post. Watch this space.
Sunday 10 August 2008
Good news all round!
I am totally psyched today because my EBJD, which turned out to be male, has paired up with a sweet little female I got for him last weekend. I'm expecting eggs in the next week. So pleased!
In other news, last weekend was a bit of a blip in my 'no-more-fish' policy. I went a little overboard and splashed out on a female HRP, a pair of 4" Blackbelts (V. maculicauda), the aforementioned female Jack Dempsey and a pair of Rams. Oops!
Other than the fish being stunning, the pairs were all looking like they were going to breed very soon, so I couldn't resist. God knows if I'll be able to keep the Blackbelt pair long-term (they hit the 14" mark), but if the jags will put up with them (once I've removed their fry) then there's hope.
All the fry are growing well still. I now have three female multicolor with mouths full of eggs! Those guys are really precocious, as they've got to be only 1.5" long.
Other good news is that my Firemouth pair have come back from the brink of death and fought off their Lymphocystis infection. The male was looking amazing yesterday as he has a black border to his anal and caudal fins, which I've never noticed on other Firemouths before. I think they might breed again soon too, which would be fantastic.
I sold some fish: the male Channa sp. Assam and a couple of male multicolor. I'm also taking a few Port acaras and angelfish down to Hastings for my friends Chris and Jenny tomorrow morning. Nice to finally be making some space in the fishroom for the impending quantities of fry.
Just fell in love with another fish species I heard about on the MFK forum: Parachromis sp. La Ceiba 'Yellow Head'.
In other news, last weekend was a bit of a blip in my 'no-more-fish' policy. I went a little overboard and splashed out on a female HRP, a pair of 4" Blackbelts (V. maculicauda), the aforementioned female Jack Dempsey and a pair of Rams. Oops!
Other than the fish being stunning, the pairs were all looking like they were going to breed very soon, so I couldn't resist. God knows if I'll be able to keep the Blackbelt pair long-term (they hit the 14" mark), but if the jags will put up with them (once I've removed their fry) then there's hope.
All the fry are growing well still. I now have three female multicolor with mouths full of eggs! Those guys are really precocious, as they've got to be only 1.5" long.
Other good news is that my Firemouth pair have come back from the brink of death and fought off their Lymphocystis infection. The male was looking amazing yesterday as he has a black border to his anal and caudal fins, which I've never noticed on other Firemouths before. I think they might breed again soon too, which would be fantastic.
I sold some fish: the male Channa sp. Assam and a couple of male multicolor. I'm also taking a few Port acaras and angelfish down to Hastings for my friends Chris and Jenny tomorrow morning. Nice to finally be making some space in the fishroom for the impending quantities of fry.
Just fell in love with another fish species I heard about on the MFK forum: Parachromis sp. La Ceiba 'Yellow Head'.
Friday 1 August 2008
P. multicolor spawn
One of my female multicolor is holding today, which is great news.
Just bought a lovely pair of rams. They were just about to spawn in the shop, so I couldn't resist buying them in the hope that they'll spawn here instead.
Also picked up another female Goldeneye in the hope the male will find her more appealing than his sister!
Just bought a lovely pair of rams. They were just about to spawn in the shop, so I couldn't resist buying them in the hope that they'll spawn here instead.
Also picked up another female Goldeneye in the hope the male will find her more appealing than his sister!
Saturday 26 July 2008
Lymphocystis? WTF?!!!
Been on holiday this week, so Noel was looking after the fish for a few days.
Got back home on Thursday to find free swimming Bangui fry, which was good, and the dried body of one of my male Jack Dempseys under the 4' rack, which was bad. Really gutted about that actually. Guess he must've jumped out unnoticed. Oh well, at least I still have Mojo (my other male).
Also discovered that somehow my Firemouth pair both have Lymphocystis, of all things. I imagine the wild male con I got off Simon P. was carrying it (he's had fish die from it recently) and passed it on to the Firemouths. They've been isolated, but they don't look good. The female JD, female con and female Rainbow all look like they have it too. Apparently under good water conditions it heals itself, so I guess I have some water changes to do tomorrow morning! I'm just grateful that the HRP males are fine. They both look awesome.
All the fry are doing well. Did a water change on the jag tank today as I noticed that a few fry have started to die off (although there are still hundreds left). I was really worried I'd suck some fry into the pump, but luckily the parents did a grand job of herding them out of harm's way.
To be honest I think it's going to be a while yet before all my tanks have settled down and I stop getting sick fish. Sometimes I think it would be easier to cull any stock showing signs of illness in order to wipe the slate clean (a method recommended in the fish diseases book I have!). Sadly I'm a bit too attached to some of the fish to give up on them just yet.
Got back home on Thursday to find free swimming Bangui fry, which was good, and the dried body of one of my male Jack Dempseys under the 4' rack, which was bad. Really gutted about that actually. Guess he must've jumped out unnoticed. Oh well, at least I still have Mojo (my other male).
Also discovered that somehow my Firemouth pair both have Lymphocystis, of all things. I imagine the wild male con I got off Simon P. was carrying it (he's had fish die from it recently) and passed it on to the Firemouths. They've been isolated, but they don't look good. The female JD, female con and female Rainbow all look like they have it too. Apparently under good water conditions it heals itself, so I guess I have some water changes to do tomorrow morning! I'm just grateful that the HRP males are fine. They both look awesome.
All the fry are doing well. Did a water change on the jag tank today as I noticed that a few fry have started to die off (although there are still hundreds left). I was really worried I'd suck some fry into the pump, but luckily the parents did a grand job of herding them out of harm's way.
To be honest I think it's going to be a while yet before all my tanks have settled down and I stop getting sick fish. Sometimes I think it would be easier to cull any stock showing signs of illness in order to wipe the slate clean (a method recommended in the fish diseases book I have!). Sadly I'm a bit too attached to some of the fish to give up on them just yet.
Saturday 12 July 2008
Better Days
Wahey! Only lost one fish this week: one of the two remaining sajicas. The other is back to full health.
The antibiotics certainly haven't worked a miracle, but at the same time things in the two 4' tanks are getting better. The Chocolate cichlids have regained their zest for life (or at least food!) and two of the Festae look like they might pull through. I suspect that the male Festae might be on borrowed time though. Very sad.
Simon P. came to take another cube tank today. As predicted his only major objection to the fish was that it was too small and didn't have enough tanks crammed into it!
To summarise some points: the jags still have their wrigglers (thousands of them); the cutteri young are growing well; I counted sixteen baby bristlenoses - the pair have spawned for a second time this week; and the Goldeneyes appear to be getting ready to breed.
It's all looking hopeful for having a decent amount of fish ready in time for the BCA auction on the 12th October. Might finally get to go to an cution and cover my costs with fish sales!
The antibiotics certainly haven't worked a miracle, but at the same time things in the two 4' tanks are getting better. The Chocolate cichlids have regained their zest for life (or at least food!) and two of the Festae look like they might pull through. I suspect that the male Festae might be on borrowed time though. Very sad.
Simon P. came to take another cube tank today. As predicted his only major objection to the fish was that it was too small and didn't have enough tanks crammed into it!
To summarise some points: the jags still have their wrigglers (thousands of them); the cutteri young are growing well; I counted sixteen baby bristlenoses - the pair have spawned for a second time this week; and the Goldeneyes appear to be getting ready to breed.
It's all looking hopeful for having a decent amount of fish ready in time for the BCA auction on the 12th October. Might finally get to go to an cution and cover my costs with fish sales!
Sunday 6 July 2008
I have a cunning plan...
Went out to Amwell Aquatics and bought shed loads of these antibiotic tablets produced by an Asian company called 'AZOO'. I plan to treat both 4' tanks this week. If this can't fix the fish then nothing will. The main ingredient is chloramphenicol.
While I was there I saw some stunning marble long-fin Ancistrus, but luckily managed to stop myself buying any. Went for an amazing Dragon plakat male fighter instead, as their male fighters were reduced to £9.90. Hopefully he will make a perfect mate for my yellow half-giant plakat female.
Fingers crossed for healthy fish by next weekend!
While I was there I saw some stunning marble long-fin Ancistrus, but luckily managed to stop myself buying any. Went for an amazing Dragon plakat male fighter instead, as their male fighters were reduced to £9.90. Hopefully he will make a perfect mate for my yellow half-giant plakat female.
Fingers crossed for healthy fish by next weekend!
More bad news...
Aaaargh! This is killing me! Lost the female HRP yesterday. Spent most of the day doing large water changes and medicating tanks. Unfortunately, the remaining Festaes and Chocolates look thoroughly miserable. I think they have a fungal infection, but could easily be bacterial. If anything treatment with Myxazin has made everything worse, so I've hit a brick wall in terms of progress. Also looks like I'm going to lose the female Nigerian Red krib, but she has been a bit ropey since I got her.
This is not fun.
This is not fun.
Saturday 5 July 2008
A Wave of Disaster
The last fortnight has been nothing short of a nightmare in the fishroom. Over the last two weeks I lost:
- All ten Congo tetras
- The four small Tinfoil barbs
- All four Fundulopanchax gardneri
- The male Rainbow cichlid
- One Festae
- One '24ct Gold' T-bar cichlid
- One Blockhead
- One Golden-eye cichlid
The Congos were dispatched by my pair of cutteri and the rest went to either illness, lack of oxygen or the middle 4' tank overheating (this week I stupidly put a heater into the tank which stays permanently on). All in all a very sorry state of affairs. Needless to say I feel terrible, particularly about the male Rainbow cichlid.
It's not as if my problems are finished with either, as I now have a female Festae, female HRP and the remaining two T-bar's to treat as they are all sick with an illness I can't identify.
Last week both 4' tanks were treated with Protozin. This week I am treating with salt. Big water changes all round today.
Thankfully I moved on some stock before all the bad news came along. Rick took the remaining two female cutteri, a guy called Darren took the four Boucourti and Simon P. took the pair of T-bars (who have since spawned for him and fallen out after he accidentaly syphoned off their fry!)
It's not all terrible news. The cutteri fry are doing very well, as are the bristlenose and hybrid HRP/Convict fry. The jags spawned again this week, which is awesome news (although now I fear for the lives of the Tinfoils in with them).
Yesterday evening I went to Simon P.'s place to swap four 18" cube tanks plus pipes and sump for a few bits and pieces. Came away with a male wild Convict (very odd looking fish!), a male HRP, three bags of fry of various sizes (G. brasiliensis, A. portalegrense and Amphilophus sp. 'Red Isletas'). Plus I got a few more peices of fake (resin) Tufa rock. Not bad considering I really wanted to shift those tanks out of the garden. Those fry will all be great once their grown on. For the moment they have been unceremoniously emptied in with half the hybrid HRP/Convict fry in a 20" tank. We'll see what I'm left with in the end!
Spent last night redecorating the 4' tank in the dining room to make it look more like a show tank (and provide more hidign spaces). This tank now contains:
- female Convict
- male wild Convict
- male HRP x 2 (one large, one small)
- female Rainbow
- female Jack Dempsey (much happier fish now she has lots of company)
- pair of Firemouths
Admittedly a rather unholy mix of fish, but I'll be watching carefully over the next couple of days for any extreme violence.
- All ten Congo tetras
- The four small Tinfoil barbs
- All four Fundulopanchax gardneri
- The male Rainbow cichlid
- One Festae
- One '24ct Gold' T-bar cichlid
- One Blockhead
- One Golden-eye cichlid
The Congos were dispatched by my pair of cutteri and the rest went to either illness, lack of oxygen or the middle 4' tank overheating (this week I stupidly put a heater into the tank which stays permanently on). All in all a very sorry state of affairs. Needless to say I feel terrible, particularly about the male Rainbow cichlid.
It's not as if my problems are finished with either, as I now have a female Festae, female HRP and the remaining two T-bar's to treat as they are all sick with an illness I can't identify.
Last week both 4' tanks were treated with Protozin. This week I am treating with salt. Big water changes all round today.
Thankfully I moved on some stock before all the bad news came along. Rick took the remaining two female cutteri, a guy called Darren took the four Boucourti and Simon P. took the pair of T-bars (who have since spawned for him and fallen out after he accidentaly syphoned off their fry!)
It's not all terrible news. The cutteri fry are doing very well, as are the bristlenose and hybrid HRP/Convict fry. The jags spawned again this week, which is awesome news (although now I fear for the lives of the Tinfoils in with them).
Yesterday evening I went to Simon P.'s place to swap four 18" cube tanks plus pipes and sump for a few bits and pieces. Came away with a male wild Convict (very odd looking fish!), a male HRP, three bags of fry of various sizes (G. brasiliensis, A. portalegrense and Amphilophus sp. 'Red Isletas'). Plus I got a few more peices of fake (resin) Tufa rock. Not bad considering I really wanted to shift those tanks out of the garden. Those fry will all be great once their grown on. For the moment they have been unceremoniously emptied in with half the hybrid HRP/Convict fry in a 20" tank. We'll see what I'm left with in the end!
Spent last night redecorating the 4' tank in the dining room to make it look more like a show tank (and provide more hidign spaces). This tank now contains:
- female Convict
- male wild Convict
- male HRP x 2 (one large, one small)
- female Rainbow
- female Jack Dempsey (much happier fish now she has lots of company)
- pair of Firemouths
Admittedly a rather unholy mix of fish, but I'll be watching carefully over the next couple of days for any extreme violence.
Monday 9 June 2008
New fish galore!
Wow! What a weekend! On Friday I went to visit the (amazing) fishroom of Nigel Roberts, who is perhaps the most successful hobbyist breeder of tropical fish I have met to date. He's breeding red veiltail fighters, marble angels, kribs, a number of killies, ruby barbs, congo tetras, golden-eye dwarf cichlids and a whole bunch of others. And all in a space the size of a bathroom!
It was, admittedly, a bit of a trek to drive out to Worthing to see the fish, but it was well worth it. I came away with six medium-sized angels, a shoal of ten large congo tetras, an adult pair of kribs and a trio of golden-eyes. And the price of all these fish? Well, let's just say I definitely got my money's worth.
As if that wasn't enough, I went to the TA Aquaculture fish auction on Sunday with Simon M. and his mate James, who is a Tanganyikan fanatic. I was like a kid in a candy store all day. Never seen so many gorgeous fish at such insanely cheap prices. I went a little bit OTT, I have to admit! The killifish were outstanding, as were the specially brought in WILD Tanganyikans, which were auctioned for peanuts and still had no takers (most people were there for the killies, bettas and livebearers).
I think I did very well in the end. The only fish I dearly wish I had bid more on were the pairs of Betta simplex and Betta albimarginata. And part of me agrees with Simon's opinion that it would have been worth picking up half a dozen Julidochromis marlieri for £5 each to sell on. Thankfully a lack of tank space prevented me from doing this!
So, what did I come away with? Two pairs of Fundulopanchax gardneri 'P82'; two pairs of Aphyosemion striatum 'Cap Esterias'; five Limia nigrofasciatus; about twenty Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor; a pair of Aplocheilus panchax; and a huge pair of Heterotilapia multispinosa.
I was in a bit of a daze when I got home...
It was, admittedly, a bit of a trek to drive out to Worthing to see the fish, but it was well worth it. I came away with six medium-sized angels, a shoal of ten large congo tetras, an adult pair of kribs and a trio of golden-eyes. And the price of all these fish? Well, let's just say I definitely got my money's worth.
As if that wasn't enough, I went to the TA Aquaculture fish auction on Sunday with Simon M. and his mate James, who is a Tanganyikan fanatic. I was like a kid in a candy store all day. Never seen so many gorgeous fish at such insanely cheap prices. I went a little bit OTT, I have to admit! The killifish were outstanding, as were the specially brought in WILD Tanganyikans, which were auctioned for peanuts and still had no takers (most people were there for the killies, bettas and livebearers).
I think I did very well in the end. The only fish I dearly wish I had bid more on were the pairs of Betta simplex and Betta albimarginata. And part of me agrees with Simon's opinion that it would have been worth picking up half a dozen Julidochromis marlieri for £5 each to sell on. Thankfully a lack of tank space prevented me from doing this!
So, what did I come away with? Two pairs of Fundulopanchax gardneri 'P82'; two pairs of Aphyosemion striatum 'Cap Esterias'; five Limia nigrofasciatus; about twenty Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor; a pair of Aplocheilus panchax; and a huge pair of Heterotilapia multispinosa.
I was in a bit of a daze when I got home...
Thursday 5 June 2008
Shame...
Lost the female cutteri.
Got crazy plans to get hold of all sorts of fish now (mostly for resale). All very 'hush, hush' right now though. If I told you I'd have to kill ya!
Got crazy plans to get hold of all sorts of fish now (mostly for resale). All very 'hush, hush' right now though. If I told you I'd have to kill ya!
Wednesday 4 June 2008
Panic sets in...
So, Amber tells me that she can't see any baby jags anywhere today. This is clearly not good news. I find it hard to believe the parents would simply have eaten them - there were so many! I'll be gutted if they have.
Also, the pair of cutteri fell out big time. The male has battered the female to within and inch of her life. Sadly it doesn't look like she'll make it.
Bad day for the fish room.
Went to visit Chris's fishroom (bruciethefish) this evening. I was keen to get some snaps of his gorgeous Pundamilia nyererei. He has two varieties:
Makobe (I think!)
Python Island
I have found a source for these fish, so I will definitely be getting hold of some soon. They are stunning!
Also, the pair of cutteri fell out big time. The male has battered the female to within and inch of her life. Sadly it doesn't look like she'll make it.
Bad day for the fish room.
Went to visit Chris's fishroom (bruciethefish) this evening. I was keen to get some snaps of his gorgeous Pundamilia nyererei. He has two varieties:
Makobe (I think!)
Python Island
I have found a source for these fish, so I will definitely be getting hold of some soon. They are stunning!
Monday 2 June 2008
Cutteri Update
The cutteri eggs didn't make it unfortunately, but the male wasted no time in pairing up with another female, so I switched them into the 10" x 10" x 12" tank that had the male sajica in it. They didn't look too impressed with the move, but now I know they're compatible I can give them a 24" tank to themselves.
Saturday 31 May 2008
Awesome Ancistrus!
Busy day today. Did a big tour of various fish shops and came home with a gorgeous pair of Ancistrus and a veritable shoal of Endler's livebearers. They're happily ensconced in their own tank now. I'm loving the fact that I have all these primed filters and mature water on hand at the moment.
I'm hoping to try and ID the Ancistrus, but it might turn out way harder than I was expecting as many species look very similar and I forgot to take pictres of them before they disappeared into the castle. So far I think they are A. triradiatus.
I'm totally stoked about both purchases as these are fish I've been meaning to own for a long time. Plus they make the perfect tank mates: the Endler's hang out at the surface and the bristlenoses live near the substrate. I even gave the bristlenoses an old resin castle decoration I have, to use as a breeding site. It's wonderfully kitsch. Looks like Castle Greyskull!
Ian came round to deposit five medium-sized Tinfoil barbs with me (I'm not sure where I want to put them, so they are crammed in with my Jack Dempsey pair. Neither species seems overly keen on the idea!). I'll probably move the JDs out tomorrow. I also got some filter media and a bit of Seachem Safe dechlorinator. I have been wanting to try the latter out for a while, as Ian has been raving about it.
In return Ian got a pair of the cutteri.
And while we're on the subject of cutteri, the male I got from Simon yesterday has paired up with my biggest female and they are spawning right now in the 4' tank, with all those other greedy cichlids swimming around. Not impressed (despite being simultaneously overjoyed). I really hope they can fend them off and raise the babies. I'll be well gutted if I get back from Hastings next weeked and the young have all been scoffed.
The jags are doing a great job with the wrigglers. They move them back to the bowl each night and back into a corner each day. They're so amazingly gentle for such large fish.
My Bangui babies are taking ZM100 with no difficulty, so that's good news.
I moved the festaes back to the middle 4' tank so I could use their tank for my EBJD, who has perked up considerably as a result and even ate some bloodworm to show me she wasn't intent on dying just yet, which was a relief.
I'm hoping to try and ID the Ancistrus, but it might turn out way harder than I was expecting as many species look very similar and I forgot to take pictres of them before they disappeared into the castle. So far I think they are A. triradiatus.
I'm totally stoked about both purchases as these are fish I've been meaning to own for a long time. Plus they make the perfect tank mates: the Endler's hang out at the surface and the bristlenoses live near the substrate. I even gave the bristlenoses an old resin castle decoration I have, to use as a breeding site. It's wonderfully kitsch. Looks like Castle Greyskull!
Ian came round to deposit five medium-sized Tinfoil barbs with me (I'm not sure where I want to put them, so they are crammed in with my Jack Dempsey pair. Neither species seems overly keen on the idea!). I'll probably move the JDs out tomorrow. I also got some filter media and a bit of Seachem Safe dechlorinator. I have been wanting to try the latter out for a while, as Ian has been raving about it.
In return Ian got a pair of the cutteri.
And while we're on the subject of cutteri, the male I got from Simon yesterday has paired up with my biggest female and they are spawning right now in the 4' tank, with all those other greedy cichlids swimming around. Not impressed (despite being simultaneously overjoyed). I really hope they can fend them off and raise the babies. I'll be well gutted if I get back from Hastings next weeked and the young have all been scoffed.
The jags are doing a great job with the wrigglers. They move them back to the bowl each night and back into a corner each day. They're so amazingly gentle for such large fish.
My Bangui babies are taking ZM100 with no difficulty, so that's good news.
I moved the festaes back to the middle 4' tank so I could use their tank for my EBJD, who has perked up considerably as a result and even ate some bloodworm to show me she wasn't intent on dying just yet, which was a relief.
Friday 30 May 2008
Fish swap
I got back from Hastings tonight and went straight out to swap some fish with my friend Simon (a.k.a. Cichlid Mad). I gave him a pair of cutteri in exchange for a spare wild male cutteri and half a dozen juveniles from his stunning pair of Port Acaras (Aequidens portalegrensis). I'm well pleased. It was a real treat to see Simon's fishroom finally. Very inspirational!
Here's a pic I took of the pair of Acaras:
The juvies I got went into the taeniatus tank and the cutteri went into the same tank as the rest of my shoal.
I was well annoyed when I arrived home because I found out the filter in the EBJD/JD tank wasn't bubbling away and I have no idea how long it was like that. The poor fish were gasping away like mad. Big water change for them tomorrow. I might even stick them in the 4' tank in the house to give them some clean water to breathe.
The Bangui pair is looking stunning right now. I took a few pics, but this is the best - 'Dad and his kids':
Here's a pic I took of the pair of Acaras:
The juvies I got went into the taeniatus tank and the cutteri went into the same tank as the rest of my shoal.
I was well annoyed when I arrived home because I found out the filter in the EBJD/JD tank wasn't bubbling away and I have no idea how long it was like that. The poor fish were gasping away like mad. Big water change for them tomorrow. I might even stick them in the 4' tank in the house to give them some clean water to breathe.
The Bangui pair is looking stunning right now. I took a few pics, but this is the best - 'Dad and his kids':
Thursday 29 May 2008
Baby Jewels
As expected, the Banguis have been busy over the last few days. They brought out their free swimming fry for the first time today. Can't wait to meet them!
Hopefully I can syphon them off into a small growout tank. Would be nice to raise more than two, which is all I managed form the last batch (though they are very cute!).
The problem with the last attempt was that I didn't have a fishroom ready, so I had to try and save some fry in a livebearer breeding trap, which turned out to be a useless fry tank. The nice thing about the Bangui is that the fry will eat microworms and ZM100 fry food from day 1.
Must resurrect my microworm cultures!
Hopefully I can syphon them off into a small growout tank. Would be nice to raise more than two, which is all I managed form the last batch (though they are very cute!).
The problem with the last attempt was that I didn't have a fishroom ready, so I had to try and save some fry in a livebearer breeding trap, which turned out to be a useless fry tank. The nice thing about the Bangui is that the fry will eat microworms and ZM100 fry food from day 1.
Must resurrect my microworm cultures!
Xanthic carrier spawn
Old post from 27/05/08
The xanthic carrier jags spawned today. Just got the confirmation text. Ian tells me that it can take over two weeks before the fry become free swimming, so I won't get too excited just yet. The parents took three days just to clean the spawning site to their satisfaction!
I have decided that the xanthic gene should be labelled 'Y' (for yellow colouration). With this in mind, the Punnet square that predicts how the offspring will turn out should look like this:
Y y
--------------
Y YY Yy
y Yy yy
So, 25% normal, 50% xanthic carriers (which are apparently phenotypically distinct from normals), and 25% xanthic.
This is what Ian seems to have got from the last spawn with the same female, but only time will tell whether or not the fry he believes to be xanthic really are. The same goes for whether or not the carriers will be distinct from the normals. I must remember to ask.
For now I have to start worrying about the best way to feed the fry when they start swimming.
The xanthic carrier jags spawned today. Just got the confirmation text. Ian tells me that it can take over two weeks before the fry become free swimming, so I won't get too excited just yet. The parents took three days just to clean the spawning site to their satisfaction!
I have decided that the xanthic gene should be labelled 'Y' (for yellow colouration). With this in mind, the Punnet square that predicts how the offspring will turn out should look like this:
Y y
--------------
Y YY Yy
y Yy yy
So, 25% normal, 50% xanthic carriers (which are apparently phenotypically distinct from normals), and 25% xanthic.
This is what Ian seems to have got from the last spawn with the same female, but only time will tell whether or not the fry he believes to be xanthic really are. The same goes for whether or not the carriers will be distinct from the normals. I must remember to ask.
For now I have to start worrying about the best way to feed the fry when they start swimming.
Gold farming!
24th - 26th June. Bank Holiday Weekend!
Got the six foot tank moved onto the floor in the fishroom and set it up to hold a pair of xanthic carrier jags. My mate Ian is lending me his female to look after while he's away in Africa. As a result, phase one of our xanthic jag breeding program has started. The two fish have been busily cleaning a spawning site all weekend, so I have high hopes for a large spawn in the near future, 25% of which will be xanthic, just like their grandfather:
The two four foot tanks in the fishroom still both have high nitrite levels, which is bad news, but hopefully I can doo some big water chages next weekend. Hopefully the sponge filters will kick in soon!
BULLETS:
- Female Honduran Red Point improving after treatment with Sterazin. Trying to fatten her up with eggs so I can reintroduce her to the male. I recently found out that they are probably 'Rio Danli' strain.
- Moved JD x EBJD pair into their own tank.
- Shifted the two spare Bangui jewels to Simon in exchange for five of his home-bred Blockheads (I really hope I got at least one female in there!). This means I now have 7 Blockheads in one 24" tank in the fishroom.
- Put a pair of cutteri in the 30" office tank. Used the male withe the most red in his fins. All my female Cutteri are showing their egg-laying tubes now.
- Festae have started to pair.
- I have HRP x Convict fry and Bangui fry this weekend.
Got the six foot tank moved onto the floor in the fishroom and set it up to hold a pair of xanthic carrier jags. My mate Ian is lending me his female to look after while he's away in Africa. As a result, phase one of our xanthic jag breeding program has started. The two fish have been busily cleaning a spawning site all weekend, so I have high hopes for a large spawn in the near future, 25% of which will be xanthic, just like their grandfather:
The two four foot tanks in the fishroom still both have high nitrite levels, which is bad news, but hopefully I can doo some big water chages next weekend. Hopefully the sponge filters will kick in soon!
BULLETS:
- Female Honduran Red Point improving after treatment with Sterazin. Trying to fatten her up with eggs so I can reintroduce her to the male. I recently found out that they are probably 'Rio Danli' strain.
- Moved JD x EBJD pair into their own tank.
- Shifted the two spare Bangui jewels to Simon in exchange for five of his home-bred Blockheads (I really hope I got at least one female in there!). This means I now have 7 Blockheads in one 24" tank in the fishroom.
- Put a pair of cutteri in the 30" office tank. Used the male withe the most red in his fins. All my female Cutteri are showing their egg-laying tubes now.
- Festae have started to pair.
- I have HRP x Convict fry and Bangui fry this weekend.
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