http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/ Resources for UK Fishkeepers Fri, 18 May 2012 11:25:15 +00:00 http://backend.userland.com/rss/ Fish Blogs weBLog fishadmin@fishkeeping.co.uk fishadmin@fishkeeping.co.uk en http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/images/logo.gif http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/ 88 31 http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=357 good everning ........i am on fishless cycle and need some novice advice ( 250 litres unit )tank is a 2ppm amonianitrate is 2 ppmnitrite is 2ppmis this going the right way ???im about to add more ammonia to take it to 3ppm as recommended or shoud i leave it ??? Tue, 15 May 2012 18:48:06 +00:00 http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=357 http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=356 The plants are definitely paying off. My nitrates are down to 10-20 ppm. Got it tested in the LFS this time and we agreed definitely closer to 10. The lady was so suprised she even double checked it for me. Also pleased to say that the brown algae has totally gone. Have small patches of hair and green spot but nothing too bad touch wood.Made a couple of changes to the left side, mostly for the benefit of my baby plec. He has spent the last few days pushing gravel about and making his new caves more comfy.Just revamped my shrimp tank with a hang on the back filter to free up space for more shrimp inside the tank and more plants outside. Hoping to replicate the success of the big tank. Mon, 30 Apr 2012 22:31:55 +00:00 http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=356 http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=355 I came home the other day and saw my weather loach was very still and half way up the tank. I thought 'How is he floating like that?' I looked closer and was shocked to see that he was outside of the glass! Lying on the dado rail on the wall, between the tank and the wall. I assumed he was dead. I used a net to reach down behind the tank and when I poked him he moved. I splashed him with water and he woke up more.After some consideration, and a little stress as I live alone and it was 11pm, so I knew I could not move the tank. I wet him more and encouraged him with the net to wiggle to the end of the tank where I caught him in a plastic box. He is fine now. The tank is 120 litres with a fitted lid. It has a how less than 4cm wide where some leads and tubes go in which must be where they escaped. The filter is quite close so I think they must jump from the top of there. A week later I got up one morning to find a different loach on the floor a couple of meters away from the tank. God knows how she got there! She looks a little bit worse for wear but seems to have survived the ordeal.Am I doing something to upset my laoches? or is is just the stormy weather we have been having recently?I have put masking tape over the hole for now... they are cheeky, naughty fish. Sat, 28 Apr 2012 20:07:30 +00:00 http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=355 http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=354 As you can see the tank is starting to come together, still loads of growing in to do but I am starting to see the finished shape.The yucky brown algae is still there, especially on smaller leaved plants but is starting to recede. Im really hoping that it won't be replaced by thread algae or something. Sun, 15 Apr 2012 22:02:23 +00:00 http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=354 http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=353 The fry are three weeks old now and there are just two of them. They're showing the typical colouration of the species, but still too small to see in any detail. At about 5-6mm long, they are around the same size as my two week old Apistogramma panduro fry, so I've just moved them into the rearing tank I have some of those in. Sat, 14 Apr 2012 19:54:56 +00:00 http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=353 http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=352 The fry are now just over two weeks old. As far as I can see there are only two out of a promised 20 eggs. Given that probably only three hatched that's not so bad, although my next attempt will be with eggs from a different supplier as I'm not convinced there were the full number of eggs initially, nor, given the fungussed ones, that they were all fertile. From a further experience with the same seller (not Killi eggs this time) I have sufficient doubts to look elsewhere in future.Anyhow, if these two continue growing they should just about be big enough to go into a small tank next week. In another two or three weeks from then they should be sexable. I just hope they aren't both boys! Tue, 10 Apr 2012 17:21:24 +00:00 http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=352 http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=351 Just a quick update: babies are doing well a week after hatching. They're still extremely small and very hard to spot, but are growing and hopefully thriving. Sun, 1 Apr 2012 21:38:08 +00:00 http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=351 http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=350 I got a baby bristlenose from a local fish keeper. Hes called chris (not sure if that should be christopher or christine but we will find out as he grows.) It was a nerve wracking start with the poor thing being terrified of my existing fish, but hes definitely settled down now. Hes still skittish but has actually started hanging out on top of the heater with Bob. As you can see he has made short work of the algae on the glass and has just started on cleaning up the plants. I would post a picture of him but hes a bit camera shy.Not sure if I should be feeding him anything else as he is pooping unbelievably enormous amounts, so he cant be short of algae. I bought some courgette for him as his previous owner fed them some regularly.Edit 03/04/12: New nitrate result. Had to double check to be sure it wasnt a fluke but nitrates are between 20 and 40ppm. Thats definitely below tap water levels. Sat, 31 Mar 2012 16:07:15 +00:00 http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=350 http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=349 Having given the peat over two days in water I haven't found any more fry, but have discovered a number of fungussed eggs which were presumably not fertile. Today I've disposed of the peat and in the other side of the container have at least three fry. There may be as many as five, but I can't be sure. I thought I counted five as I transferred them with the turkey baster, but can only spot three now. Maybe I've lost a couple, or maybe I missed a couple of times when collecting them and one was counted more than once They are very hard to see, all approximately this size - and I have to look through my camera with the macro lens attached to see them at all, so today's partial water change was very nerve-wracking The are still feeding on Liquifry and infusoria at the moment, but I have brine shrimp eggs percolating in the hatchery so expect to start feeding bbs tomorrow.Here's are a pic where you can see they are already looking like tiny fish. The shot shows one of the fry next to a single strand of Java Moss, which gives some idea of just how tiny they are Thu, 29 Mar 2012 12:46:44 +00:00 http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=349 http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=348 Lots of lovely new colourful plants! I decided to use the 3rd filter tray as well, previously only two filter trays had substrate. Was really pleased to see lots of new roots on the peace lilly I moved into the new tray.Lots of colour. I don't think I need any more verigated or non-green varieties now. Its suprisingly hard to find 'natural' looking plants that are documented as being easy to grow this way.Hygrophillia guanensis, just starting to grow new emergent leaves. You can still see all the crinkly old aquatic ones but its not looking quite so dead. Not sure what to do with the baby spider plant. May move it to the other end. Wed, 28 Mar 2012 19:41:31 +00:00 http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=348