Author Topic: Think Fish Keepers Daily News. [2016-2019] (Read 205885 times) 1923 replies

Sue · « **Reply #1600 on:** October 11, 2018, 09:31:11 PM »

Cockatoo apistos (Apistogramma cacatuoides) is a harem breeder, and one of the more commonly available species. There are several colour forms of the male with all females being yellow with black markings. For example, one shop quite near to me has its stock on-line and is currently selling double red, orange and gold. The photos on http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/apistogramma-cacatuoides/ include a few different varieties.
Another easily available harem breeder is A. agassizii, and again there are various colour strains.

Have a look round see if you can find a few different colour varieties in shops to help you decide.

Apistos are cave breeders so you'll need one cave for each female plus one extra to give them some choice. Keep them at the other end of the tank from where the rams choose, but have at least 30cm between caves.

apache6467 · « **Reply #1601 on:** October 11, 2018, 09:40:32 PM »

I liked the looks of the Agassizii in the LFS so ill go with them, ill try and get some caves too, Thanks Sue!

Helen · « **Reply #1602 on:** October 11, 2018, 11:11:38 PM »

I have found that the cheapest (but by no means the easiest) way to buy caves is to buy a coconut from the supermarket. You will also need a decent hacksaw.

2 caves cost me 80p. It took quite a long time before the caves were useable, though.

Matt · « **Reply #1603 on:** October 12, 2018, 06:45:21 AM »

Have a look at the different colour forms of agassizi. Here is a flame red for example... the female is a gorgeous orange.

apache6467 · « **Reply #1604 on:** October 12, 2018, 09:36:32 AM »

Stunning Matt, definitely having some. I was also thinking maybe adding some synodintis nigreventis but worried if they will eat the pencil fish or emperor tetras. I'm still undecided on the species of pencil fish so ideas are welcome

Sue · « **Reply #1605 on:** October 12, 2018, 09:48:53 AM »

Last night I was in a rush to turn my laptop off, and I've looked again at your fish list.

One species of cory is fine, but be aware that if either rams or apistos breed the cories could take a bit of beating. They have no concept of territory and will never learn to stay away from eggs or fry. The cichlids could well attack them for coming too close.

Emperor tetras are quite big and active. I had some for a while, and in the end traded them for pencilfish. Emperors could stress out the cichlids which are sedate fish. Are there any smaller, more sedate mid water fish that you like?

Pencilfish and hatchets share the same region of the tank. If the coral red pencilfish are Nannostomus mortenthaleri, they are very expensive! The similar but less colourful N. marginatus is cheaper. Both should be OK with hatchets, though the top of the water could look quite crowded.
The most easily available pencilfish is the golden or Beckford's pencilfish https://www.thinkfish.co.uk/fish/golden-pencilfish.html, though I have read comments that they do not get on with any other fish that live at the water surface such as hatchets.

Emperors are probably too big for a synodontis to eat but the smaller pencilfish and hatchets might make a snack. They are more confident kept in groups of 3 or 4.

apache6467 · « **Reply #1606 on:** October 12, 2018, 06:42:19 PM »

Not a weekly update but warrants an update of its own, will probably recover this in my other thread on wednesday.
After discovering one of my cherries was finally berried! I drained the tank and moved it to its new location to make room for the new 240L. As i refilled it, water was leaking! I rushed to get my shut down 55L restarted in case of a crack. Turns out i had overfilled the 37L

I was planning to upgrade my shrimpery to the 55L to give the shrimps more space to hide, the embers more swimming room and to eventually get some more dwarf corydoras species. I have now set up my 55L and transferred the shrimp with a shot glass to not damage them, or any potential eggs in a net. I have 2 berried cherry shrimp and a berried tiger shrimp.
The latter shocked me since I only have a femlae tiger and no male. However, i did pick up a mystery shrimp which i thought was a male cherry, turns out it was a male red tiger!!!

My year of trying to breed shrimp is paying off! I just need a source of Cholla wood for the shrimp and shrimplets to hide in. Any suggestions?

Matt · « **Reply #1607 on:** October 13, 2018, 06:18:54 AM »

Oh dear, I can imagine the panic when you saw the water leaking...

Your two species of chimp can interbreed @apache6467
There are some useful tables online showing which species can interbreed and which can't. It's a bit if a lottery what you will end up with as adult shrimp too...

apache6467 · « **Reply #1608 on:** October 13, 2018, 08:04:46 AM »

@Matt they cannot, as Tiger Shrimp are Caridina cantonensis and RCS are neocaridina davidi, two different genus. Ive done my reasearch!

Matt · « **Reply #1609 on:** October 13, 2018, 08:19:39 AM »

Quite right... I misread the chart!

Congrats on the little ones in that case!a

apache6467 · « **Reply #1610 on:** October 13, 2018, 08:32:39 AM »

Thanks Matt!

Littlefish · « **Reply #1611 on:** October 13, 2018, 09:46:12 AM »

Congratulations @apache6467

I'm looking forward to seeing lots of pictures as things progress.

apache6467 · « **Reply #1612 on:** October 13, 2018, 07:59:00 PM »

Having a bit of a snail crisis in my shrimp tank, as i forgot to clean the substrate as i was panicking due to a false alarm!
what do you reccommend, since assassins arnt doing a good job

Matt · « **Reply #1613 on:** October 13, 2018, 10:19:52 PM »

Addressing the root cause will bring their numbers down... less waste food/dead plant matter etc in the tank.

apache6467 · « **Reply #1614 on:** October 13, 2018, 10:49:59 PM »

Im just letting my shrimp feed off the bio film on the sponge filter and snail poo, and feeding one crushed up flake for the embers.

Sue · « **Reply #1615 on:** October 15, 2018, 04:01:30 PM »

I have mentioned in the past that peacock gudgeons/gobies like to spawn in tight spaces. This afternoon I noticed that the big male was in his cave - a length of plastic pipe, internal diameter 1.5 cm, weighted down with a piece of slate. When he went on a swim round, I had a good look, and yes the top and sides of the cave are covered with eggs.

I took a couple of photos. The first is a blurry pic of the male in question. He's the biggest fish in the tank. The second is him back inside the cave. How did a female get in there as well

Littlefish · « **Reply #1616 on:** October 15, 2018, 06:30:24 PM »

Congratulations on the eggs @Sue

It must have been a very tight squeeze in that pipe, but where there's will there's a way. They were obviously quite determined to get the business done.

Sue · « **Reply #1617 on:** October 15, 2018, 06:35:53 PM »

I don't expect anything to come out of this spawning as the fry will be eaten very quickly.

With peacock gudgeons it's the male who guards the eggs. I had these fish years ago in a smaller tank where I could watch them better. The eggs are attached to the inside of the cave with a sort of neck. The male keeps the eggs clean by sucking each egg in turn, until one day as he sucks the fry emerges. He then spits the fry outside the cave to fend for itself where, in a community tank, it promptly gets eaten.

Sue · « **Reply #1618 on:** October 16, 2018, 09:12:43 AM »

I have a natural tendency to accumulate junk. A lot of my spare fish stuff was in 2 lidded boxes approx 50 x 30 x 20 cm in the greenhouse which is more of a glass shed than a greenhouse. Yesterday evening I wanted something out of the bottom box. The top one fell apart as I lifted it off, and the bottom one fell apart as I lifted it forwards from under the shelf. So I have just been sorting out the contents. I have thrown about half of the stuff away, the rest has gone into one of the two 25 litre tanks on top of the shelf.
Why did I keep old plastic plants that were falling apart, several bits and pieces that I'd tried as decor but didn't look right, countless plastic tubs, pieces of drainpipe (how many do I need anyway, surely just 2 is enough).
I probably need to sort again through what I've kept - and then there are the old lidless kitchen waste bins and handleless buckets full of stuff as well.

Matt · « **Reply #1619 on:** October 16, 2018, 09:53:50 AM »

Theres nothing like a good clear out when your in the mood

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Think Fish Keepers Daily News. [2016-2019]

Think Fish Keepers Daily News. [2016-2019]

Author Topic: Think Fish Keepers Daily News. [2016-2019] (Read 205885 times) 1923 replies

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