only 3 eggs left...
Fiona and Sue, i have taken into account of what you have said and i know that my planning is not at your standard but this is my first aquarium. This tank has been my independence and my pride and joy. I hope to have pictures up soon.
Sorry if I have offended you
Apache, we fully appreciate your enthusiasm for the hobby and you will continue to have support here. But I feel I should come in here and attempt to "clear the air"
As hobbyists we have a responsibility to do everything we can to ensure the health and welfare of the animals we choose to buy and keep in our "artificial environments." By association, we have a responsibility to provide help and advice to others with this as our top priority. I have no doubt you will struggle to find any others who care about fish as much as the likes of our
@Sue and
@fcmf and any of us who post here on a regular basis.
It is refreshing to see someone so young take an interest in the hobby and for the most part you seem to appreciate the welfare of the fish. But - if I may - you seem to be "jumping in at the deep end" a bit with going from Zero to Breeding in one step. I know I would not have the confidence on my own to attempt such a venture straight out of the gate. Hence I would take heed of the advice these lovely people have offered you and either work hard to follow the advice, or accept that maybe a different direction for your first tank would be wise and return to a breeding project later.
One other thing I am acutely aware of is the overwhelming instinct to follow the advice and instruction of a trusted parent. My own dad kept an abundance of fish over the years and while he did things mostly right, he does not have the information available to us now (as all old-school fishkeepers have. It's nothing personal, but things have moved on and we understand so much more nowadays about what these fish go through to satisfy our whim).
So please don't take these comments to heart. You have the freedom to do whatever you decide is right for you and the direction of your project. We cannot stop you but we will advise against any potential maltreatment of living animals. What you will have to appreciate is that if you continue to seek advice here and consequently decide you don't like the advice or go against it, you will inevitably get less members willing to contribute in the future.
I hope this has helped provide you with an insight into how the members may feel. On behalf of the mod team I would like to repeat that you will always have support here, provided you demonstrate that you hold the ethics of the membership.
Number one priority is the fishes welfare. Everything else comes later.
#Thinkfish
P.S. I personally look forward to your pics