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.
Tuesday 30 September 2008
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.
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