Author Topic: My fish tanks and Pictures (Littlefish) (Read 31988 times) 102 replies

fcmf · « **Reply #40 on:** March 27, 2016, 10:40:42 AM »

Excellent. Congrats on your latest addition.

Littlefish · « **Reply #41 on:** March 27, 2016, 11:25:33 AM »

Sue, you are probably a better judge on the sex of the betta than the shop. If you say it's male then I'll go with that. It's on its own in a 24L tank, so at least I wont have the same problem as with the axolotls if I get the sex wrong.
My friend though I was a bit harsh putting the betta in the tank next to the juvenile axolotls, because the betta is elegant in the water and the axolotls are, not to put too fine a point on it, a bit clumsy. Not that they can see each other, but I guess she's right that it's a bit like putting Claudia Schiffer next to a group of teenage boys.
fcmf, thanks. I just couldn't leave that one in the shop. I even forgot what I'd originally gone there for.
I'm taking advantage of the lovely weather and have spent most of the morning in the garden. Heading back out for more planting soon. Hopefully the weather and garden will keep me away from MA & LFS and will stop me from spending quite so much.

Sue · « **Reply #42 on:** March 27, 2016, 02:56:27 PM »

Some females do have longer ventral fins - the dangly ones under the head.

There is a way to make sure which it is. Virtually all males and most females will flare at their reflection. Hold a mirror in front of your betta and look at its head if it does flare. It will push the gill flaps open and the gills will come out to make the fish look bigger and frighten away that interloper. If the gills are just at the sides of the head, you have female. If they go all the way under the 'chin' like a beard, you have a male.

Whichever it is, it is a lovely fish

Paddyc · « **Reply #43 on:** March 28, 2016, 09:55:38 PM »

Quote from: Sue on March 27, 2016, 02:56:27 PM

If the gills are just at the sides of the head, you have female. If they go all the way under the 'chin' like a beard, you have a male.

Whichever it is, it is a lovely fish

An absolute nugget of knowledge there, Sue. I'll remember that! I was thinking later in the year of doing a Betta tank for Abbie for her birthday (October) so I'll remember this in my research. I'll make my mind up nearer the time if I go down the Betta route or something different.

Littlefish · « **Reply #44 on:** March 29, 2016, 11:10:35 AM »

Isn't nature amazing.
I often look the same way myself if confronted with a mirror unexpectedly on a bad day.

Anyway, Sue was right, I have a male betta. He is a very handsome fella.

Sue · « **Reply #45 on:** March 29, 2016, 11:59:23 AM »

I have a soft spot for plakats. They are my favourite tail type but are so hard to find in shops. And yours is quite an unusual colour. He is also a butterfly. That's the colour pattern where the body and fins next to the body are one colour while the edges of the fins are a different colour.

Littlefish · « **Reply #46 on:** March 29, 2016, 03:09:21 PM »

I hadn't seen one like this before, and when I saw him at MA and realised that I had a tank that would be just right for him, well, it seemed rude not to take him home.

Littlefish · « **Reply #47 on:** April 02, 2016, 08:57:19 AM »

Hey Puffers (greeting to dwarf puffers)...Morning Guys (greeting to temperate fish)...Morning boys (greeting to mature axolotls)...Morning little ones (greeting to juvenile axolotls)...Hello handsome (greeting to betta)...Hey dudes (greeting to tiger barbs)....ummm, cough, cough...(opens curtains by new 200 litre tank that's cycling)...wanders to kitchen to put kettle on and prepare breakfast for all.

Shhhhhh....I think I got away with that one.

Paddyc · « **Reply #48 on:** April 02, 2016, 10:50:18 AM »

Quote from: Littlefish on April 02, 2016, 08:57:19 AM

Hey Puffers (greeting to dwarf puffers)...Morning Guys (greeting to temperate fish)...Morning boys (greeting to mature axolotls)...Morning little ones (greeting to juvenile axolotls)...Hello handsome (greeting to betta)...Hey dudes (greeting to tiger barbs)....ummm, cough, cough...(opens curtains by new 200 litre tank that's cycling)...wanders to kitchen to put kettle on and prepare breakfast for all.

Shhhhhh....I think I got away with that one.

Extreme_One · « **Reply #49 on:** April 02, 2016, 11:22:21 AM »

Quote from: Littlefish on April 02, 2016, 08:57:19 AM

...
Shhhhhh....I think I got away with that one.

lol nice one.

Littlefish · « **Reply #50 on:** April 12, 2016, 05:29:29 PM »

My mature axolotls were moved to their 200 litre tank on Sunday.

Monday morning I noticed that one of them (the leucistic with the pale freckles) had shown his appreciation of the new habitat by laying spermatophores around the tank. Yeah, thanks for that. $:-\$
This afternoon I purchased bits and pieces to make a start on planting the 125 litre that used to house the axolotls. When complete I plan to move the tiger barbs to this tank.

I was slightly distracted by this with the unpleasant feeling of panic when I thought one of my tiger barbs had died, but no, he'd got stuck, head down, between the rounded corner of the 70 litre tank and the sort of rounded/triangular stone I'd put between the corner and one of the plants. When I realised he was still alive my first thought was "at what speed was he swimming to get wedged in there?" before moving the stone to release him.

I now realise that my second thought should have been "I must take a picture of this and post it on the forum under the heading 'Wally of the Week'".

Fiona · « **Reply #51 on:** April 13, 2016, 11:35:34 AM »

Quote from: Littlefish on April 12, 2016, 05:29:29 PM

"I must take a picture of this and post it on the forum under the heading 'Wally of the Week'".

Now that would have been a good picture

I probably should have done the same when one of my ottos got it's head wedged between two prongs of wood on a piece of morpani but it was such as shock to find it there and in the moment of blind panic because I had no idea how I was going to get it out, I didn't think to take a piccy. My son saved the day that time thankfully, he had to gently push the otto backwards to free it and then he sawed a prong off to prevent a repeat.

Littlefish · « **Reply #52 on:** April 13, 2016, 12:00:02 PM »

Hopefully I'll panic less next time, and remember to take a picture.
I have some morpani in the male platy/glass bloodfin/peppered cory tank, so you never know, I might be lucky to catch something stuck in that.

Fiona · « **Reply #53 on:** April 13, 2016, 03:08:27 PM »

I wouldn't wish it on anyone Donna, it had got its head and its front lateral fin wedged through the V shaped prong somehow but was too fat to go forward and because the V curved together at the top it couldn't float out either. I've no idea how my son got it out without damaging it. I couldn't bear to look while he was doing it! I was just very grateful he was home. We only knew it was there because over 3 days I noticed the glassfish kept pausing under the wood, looking upwards at something, so I moved the wood to see what was so fascinating and found one fat, trapped otto under there.

Littlefish · « **Reply #54 on:** April 13, 2016, 04:33:58 PM »

That does sound quite unpleasant.

At least with my tiger barb, once I realised he was ok, it was more amazement than anything else. It's a large stone, and slightly taller than the length of a tiger barb, including tail (as I now know). He was just wedged there, face down to the sand, and couldn't move.
Words fail me sometimes.

fcmf · « **Reply #55 on:** April 13, 2016, 07:37:58 PM »

My beloved goldfish got stuck in a rock many moons ago. It sounds a similar situation to Fiona's otto. I was in an absolutely terrible state as I couldn't pull him out. Thankfully, a friend who was able to retain some common sense, came round and deduced that he must have swum in, elevated his dorsal fin, then couldn't flatten it to reverse out. A plastic, ice-cream tub spoon did the trick to help him out although he was very battered and bruised (scales turned black) for a few days afterwards, and the rays on his dorsal spin were scarred/fused for the remainder of his life although didn't affect him in any way! After that, I've always been mighty careful about decor choices to avoid any likelihood of fish getting trapped.

Edited to add: found this http://www.tfhmagazine.com/freshwater/feature-articles/axolotls-keeping-a-water-monster-full.htm while hunting for fish magazines in response to a query from Manjr.

Littlefish · « **Reply #56 on:** April 13, 2016, 10:46:21 PM »

The rock has been moved and all fish are doing well. I've had a quick look around the other tanks to check for other potential problems as well.
Thanks for the link to the axolotl article. They are adorable little weirdoes.

Littlefish · « **Reply #57 on:** May 16, 2016, 08:56:27 PM »

Time to post some pictures of the fish I got last week.
Tonight is the first evening I switched the tank lights on in the 125L tank, because I wanted to let the newbies settle in first, especially as they have a reputation for being very talented jumpers who don't like light and need the shade of floating plants. They are silver hatchet fish, who have gone in with the glass bloodfins. There is also a small (5cm approx.) bristlenose plec, who I've only seen twice in the past week.
In the 50L tank I got some WCMM and amano shrimp, to join the peppered cory and Daddy fish (male platy).
I also got a blue-eyed ancistrus which went into the 70L tiger barb tank. Tonight he is hiding under the stone bridge type thingy.
I've not managed to get any pictures of either plec, they are very good at hiding.

Littlefish · « **Reply #58 on:** May 16, 2016, 09:24:57 PM »

Just had a rare sighting of the bristlenose plec in the 125L tank. It was on the sand at the front of the tank, until I moved to get my phone, at which point he hid on the wood.

fcmf · « **Reply #59 on:** May 16, 2016, 09:33:59 PM »

All very nice indeed.

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My Fish Tanks And Pictures (Littlefish)

My Fish Tanks And Pictures (Littlefish)

Author Topic: My fish tanks and Pictures (Littlefish) (Read 31988 times) 102 replies

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