Feeding Time Video

Sailfin Pleco, Clown Peckoltia, Siamese Algae Eaters, Pictus Catfish, Orange Spot Bristlenose, Common Bristlenose, Striped Talking Catfish’s tail and some Danios and Angels floating about…

Pleco, Bristlenose and Siamese Algae Eater – Video

 

 

Finally got a Pleco

Today we made a trip out to Coburg and got our first Pleco. The whole reason/idea of getting a 4ft tank was to get big fish, but up until now we haven’t actually got any big ones!

He is awesome… Has taken a liking to one of the caves that the Pictus likes to live in, but there has been no fighting. He is much bigger than the Pictus though so maybe that’s why.

We also got 2 Bristlenose caves while we there, so they can have a hidy hole. Be cool if they bred, but knowing my luck they will be all the same sex.

We also made a decision to get rid of the Congo Tetras. When they zap around stealing food off the BN they seem to be taking chunks out of their fins as they go. I’ve also been told by a few people that the reason the Pictus never seem to leave their caves is probably because the Congos are so active and fast and scare them a bit. So Sunday we will take them to Coburg Aquarium and they can have a new home there.

Bristlenose Cats and Congo’s – Video

The video on the new iPhone 4 is awesome… This is just after I have fed them all.

Red Cherry Shrimp – Video

Feeding time for the Red Cherry Shrimp. There are masses of them now, and there are quite a few pregnant females and heaps of 1-2mm babies hiding in the Java Moss.

Current tank and inhabitants…

Had a few deaths… Peppy the peppermint died about 2 months ago and Whippy the Whiptail started looking a bit off colour. Started noticing a trial of white stringy poo, and after diagnosis help from the folks at Aquariums Downunder, the conclusion was made that we had Hex… So I got some metro and treated the tank and fish over about 12 days. Treatment stopped almost a month ago, and although we lost Whippy, everyone else seems to be doing really well.

So the current inhabitants are:
3 x Common Bristlenose catfish (18/3/10)
1 x Orange spot Bristlenose catfish  (
6 x Congo Tetras (who are psycho crazy and I think are nipping at the BN) (3/6/10)
2 x Pictus catfish
5 x Danios
1 x Red Eye Tetra
4 x Siamese Algae Eaters (9/5/10)
4 or 5 x Baby Angels (30/8/10)
1 x Silver Shark (2/6/10)

Got the Angels on Monday from a mate who has a heap of babies at the moment. There were 5, but I have only been able to count 4 in the last 24 hours. They are pretty small, maybe just a few cm’s. But they seem to be doing ok, except the one that is dead, if it is dead that is…

I still really want a striped talking catfish.. They have them at Coburg for about $55. Just want to make sure my tank is happy and healthy first. And I need to build another cave for him to hide in.

Angel baby

Congo Tetra

Update

Need to get some more pics of the new guys I have. I will get around to it when time permits!

Anyway… The inhabitants now include…

2 x Pictus cats (who are getting along a lot better now, not best buddys, but they tolerate each other)
4 x Common Bristlenose
1 x Peppermint Bristlenose
1 x Whiptail catfish
5 x assorted Danios
2 x Red eye tetras
6 x Congo Tetras

Everyone is getting along well. The peppermint gets out and about a lot more now, and even gets in there are nudges his way in to get some algae wafer. We spot the whiptail a lot more, but he still hides a fair bit.

I got the Congos last week, they were picked on the basis that they live in the upper part of the tank, although after a week they are still hanging about at the bottom.. Grr.

Now I really want a Talking Catfish, but trying to weigh up if the room is there for another bottom feeder.
The others I am thinking about are some big gouramis, because they seem to favour the top part of the tank, or getting a whole bunch of small neon or black tetras. The pictus might eat a few when they get bigger, but so far they have left the danios alone.

We had a major bad algae forest growing a few weeks back. But some algae fix stuff cleared that up. The tank doesnt get any direct light, well so I thought. Although as I have been getting up earlier and going to the gym I have noticed that it gets direct sunlight for about and hour or so in the mornings, so I need to put a cover on the tank I think.

The only other thing that annoys me is the trickle filter is great, but it doesnt really suck out the debris, so I need to regularly vaccum. Especially with the BN who are messy little buggers!

So thats the latest update. Life has been rather hectic and chaotic so I havent had the time lately to sit and read and study the tank and fish as much as I would like to… But thats life!

I want more tanks though… I want more catfish and maybe some aus natives and I am even developing a liking for cichlids… ahhhhh

New Pictus and Whiptail

Took my water in to the fish shop today. All is good. He said that it is good, and that it just means everything is working as it should be. Told me that there would only really be a tiny spike in Ammonia and nitrates/ites for a few days at the most when it is kicking in.

So I got myself a Pictus catfish and a whiptail. Then next week I think I might get another Pictus and a Striped Talking Catfish. The guy in the shop showed me how he talked! But that would be a $75 trip, so that will be next week. Yay… I am all excited again.

The Pictus seems to be pretty happy so far, checking out the new tank, all the other Danios and Tetras have been going over and hoovering around him having a good ol look. Hopefully the Pictus will like the other inhabitants and not eat them when he gets bigger… We’ll see.

New driftwood and some plants

Got another piece of Driftwood and a few plants today.

Totally forgot the name of the reedy ones at the back, but the others are Amazon Swords and an Anubias

They aren’t really in their final home yet, because the stones are being used to hold the wood down.

I did all my tests:
KH = 35.8
GH = 35.8
pH = 6.8 or 7
Nitrate, Nitrite and Ammonia were all 0, so cycling hasn’t even started yet.

I added 3 Danios in there tonight. Will try and catch the other 2 out of the small tank tomorrow. They are quick little buggers.

Oh and it is majorly cloudy, but I am assuming that is normal for now.

Filling the tank

I am sitting here with the hose filling the tank… Finally. It has been months in the decision making of what to get and if we should get it and where and why and how etc…

In the end we got a 4 ft tank, with a trickle filter, baltic pine cabinet and hood, T5 Akvastabil reflector with a 54w arcadia marine white and a 54w plant grow tube… Heater (obviously).

Originally I was going to go with a full on planted tank, although after doing some research on the types of fish I would probably like to get then it seemed that planted might not work so well. I was also going to put Florabase in the bottom, but decided against that for already mentioned reasons, and luckily the fish shop were more than happy to give me store credit for it.

—- Okay I started this post about 2 hours ago… the tank is since filled —–

I think I spent about 6 hours yesterday washing gravel.. Fun fun. And spent over an hour in the shop picking out a bit of driftwood and some stones…

I am happy with the driftwood, although bummed out with the stones. I liked the look of the river pebble/stones, but they are maybe too small, although they are doing a good job at holding down the wood! Not sure what kind of design idea I had in my head, but it didn’t translate with what I ended up buying!. I’ll head back in over the next week or so and see what else I can find. I plan on getting a few plants too, so need to make some decisions there and do a bit of research too!

Everything is pretty cloudy at the moment, but I am sure that will all settle down over the next few days. I didn’t end up getting any dirty media from my mate, but that’s ok. I have been pretty patient so far, so that’s not really bothering me too much.

Over the next few days I will do all the water tests and see what I come up with. So far I have only added Prime. I have been told to add the blue crystals/salts to the tank, but I think I might just hold off until I test everything as I think that was my downfall with the start of my little 22L one.

I’m so excited! It reminds me of being a little kid on Xmas day… It’s gonna be awesome when it is all done and full of fish!