Think Fish Keepers Daily News. [2016-2019]

just been in the kitchen and the tank lid was closed too. I wonder if they've croaked in the past but because I didnt know the noise they made I never connected it to fish when I've heard it iykwim

Wow - those pics, @Littlefish - I think we should do a house swap for a week, and, while I'm enjoying and maintaining your tanks, you can work out where/how to install more fishtanks here and have them all set up and ready for my return.

The male croaker has built another bubble nest, I don't know if there's eggs in there but what I do know is that the female is looking a bit tatty  , her tail is missing bits

@Fiona - poor female croaker, that sounds quite unpleasant, I hope that she heals well 

@fcmc - glad to hear that your gang are enjoying their newest plant additions. 

The female is looking much better Donna. I've noticed if he tries to chase her off now she rolls onto her side, a bit like a dog submitting, once she does that he swims away happily.

Does anyone think it would be ok to siphon the fry into a jug to transfer them to the fry tank? I'm not sure how else I can get them out.

Also in terms of temperature, the tank they're all in at the mo has a average temp of 22-23C, do you think I actually need to use a heater in the fry tank I'm setting up? I do have a small one spare.

I've also ordered a sponge filter which should arrive Wednesday or Thursday, will it be ok to move them before it arrives? I ask because I'm not altogether sure they'd produce enough waste atm to spoil water quality.

Males! Huh, do a bit of baby sitting and they think they own the world.     

yeah!

Glad to hear that the female is looking a bit better and he is leaving her alone if she acts a certain way.
The fry situations sounds quite complicated, best of luck with that. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you. 

I'm so desperate to have a colony of croakers, I've really fallen in love with them, they're very characterful and it's a bit like having a tank of bettas in some way. The female comes and takes food from the tweezers when I put blood worm in. 

They sound as if they have a lot of character, which is always a positive. 

I've just been moving things around and putting some more plants/bulbs into the puffer tank. That will keep them entertained for a while.

Some of the 4 big harlies think they're in charge, chasing anyone who comes within their vicinity round the tank and depositing them in certain places eg the 2 little harlies up into the floating plants and the tetras into the corners beside the filters.

I've lost count of how many times I've done this over the past few days and I could almost swear that the harlies are giving me an indignant stare back on each occasion.

On other matters, the tetras' mating behaviour round the tank, up and down and round the filters (and including knocking a filter off the wall) lead me to believe that's how the tetra ended up in the location it ended up in a couple of weeks ago - it would certainly account for why the filter had slipped down the wall during that afternoon, and I find it difficult to believe it happened during tank cleaning when they usually shoal up together away from the walls. [I suspect it was still trapped there when I cleaned the tank but somehow hidden from view, and, in removing and reinserting the filter sponges, and sliding the filter and its bracket higher up in the tank, I probably worsened the situation, ultimately inadvertently killing the poor fish.]

@fcmf congratulations on having the world's most PC tank. 

Hope you're hanging out the rainbow flags.

  

I must admit my two female rams are showing more and more male signs as they grow older and have even attempted to breed with one another before now...