Archive for September, 2007

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Pier Aquatics, Wigan

Sunday, September 30th, 2007

Pier Aquatics, Wigan

This has got to be the “Mecca” of all tropical fish shops in the North West, I was in the area (well within 10 miles) and had to pop in to checkout the collection of fish. If you are a Cichlid or Catfish fan like I am, you’ve just got to get your “bum” to Pier Aquatics in Wigan, and don’t forget your wallet!

Fantastic quality and collections of Cichlids and Catfish, a baby Tig for 250 pounds, and some fantastic Geophagus, lots of L numbers too many to mention, Stingrays If you’ve never been, why not try a holiday in Wigan for the weekend.

I love the place, and I’m sure I’ll be back for that baby Tig! Maybe an early birthday present, as it’s the big one!

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Blue lobster, Cherax quadricarinatus

Monday, September 24th, 2007

Blue lobster, Cherax quadricarinatus or Red Claw Crayfish because the male has red patches on his claws, absent in the female.

My female Blue lobster has spawned – umm do lobsters spawn, well she is carrying eggs. Did I not mention I purchased a pair of Blue lobsters, Cherax quadricarinatus a few months ago! I thought it would be something different and unusual to try and breed in the fish house.

This is the only freshwater crayfish that you can legally keep if you live in the UK.

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Border Almost finished

Saturday, September 22nd, 2007

Here are the latest pictures of the new garden border in the front garden, now fully planted. I just need to spread some more bark/mulch around the plants.

Border Fini 1

Border Fini 2

The lounge is almost complete, blind fitted to rear window, and in discussion with local design company to fit and forge custom steel curtain rail pole and curtains for bay window.

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Under Wraps

Saturday, September 22nd, 2007

Under wraps soak testing in the garden are the final three fish tanks for the fish house, three 250l (approx) 48x18x18 inch 10mm glass fish tanks on a very heavy cast iron stand. These will be used to primarily grow on young fish in the fish house. I wanted to soak test the tanks were watertight before moving and filling in the fish house, but I must get on and move them in the fish house before the temperature drops below zero, and the frost comes. They are wrapped because I wanted to keep the worst of the weather off them before moving into the fish house.

48x18x18 Tanks
Three (3) 48x18x18 inch tanks, 10mm glass.

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Breeding pair of Cichlasoma nicaraguensis

Friday, September 21st, 2007

These photographs were taken on a Compact digital camera, I think they could be better! So here some more photos:-

Female NIC with fry 3

Female NIC with fry 4

Female NIC with fry 5

Male NIC with fry

Male and Female NIC with fry 1

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Nicaragua Cichlid aka Cichlasoma nicaraguensis

Friday, September 21st, 2007

I’ve kept these Cichlids twenty years ago, and I’ve been trying to find a pair since, these cichlids have spectacular colours, especially when breeding. I’ve not seen them in the shops, and in the late 80s, was lucky to have three females and one male – long since gone.

I was lucky to find, that a local cichlid breeder, was giving up a very young pair. I put them in a quarantine tank, with a pair of Geophagus proximus, I like to quarantine all new arrivals into the fish house, for four weeks before moving them into breeding tanks. I picked these up on the 9th September, and I noticed the Geos were being bashed to hell, only to notice in a plant pot, fry a few days off from free swimming.

The unusual thing about the Nicaragua Cichlid Cichlasoma nicaraguensis is that the eggs they lay, are not adhesive, and roll-around the floor. I assume so they can move them from nest to nest, unlike most cichlids, that use a surface to spawn on, and their eggs are adhesive.

Female NIC with fry 1
Female Cichlasoma nicaraguensis with fry.

Female NIC with fry 2
Female Cichlasoma nicaraguensis with fry.

Male NIC
Male Cichlasoma nicaraguensis with fry.

Male and Female NIC with fry
Male and Female Cichlasoma nicaraguensis with fry.

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Whoops – and the LifeGard FB900 doesn’t need fluidzing anymore!

Thursday, September 6th, 2007

As previously hinted in a recent posting, I’ve been having difficulties fludizing my LifeGard FB900, the instructions state that a 600lph powerhead should be ample to do this, but I’ve found the back-pressure caused by the sand in the filter affects the powerheads performance, and its not up to the job, I’ve tried a Hagen 301, Maxijet 600, and a Juwel 1000lph powerhead to no avail.

I’ve emailed Pentair in the US, and wait a response, I think I’m going to have to use an Eheim pond pump, but before I had a chance to do this, I left the LifeGard FB900 in my porch, rather than leaving outside, I didn’t want anyone to steal or frost to damage it.

and then my partner knocked it over this morning and smashed it, it had media and water in it, as she was trying to grab the kittens!

I think you’ve got to laugh sometimes, although, I was not too happy this morn!

LifeGard FB900
So I’m trying to obtain another one, which is proving difficult at present!

UPDATE I managed to obtain another, I almost had two! One direct from German Aquatic distributor, and then another new one appeared on eBay, a tenner cheaper!

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A New Garden Border continued … (again!)

Thursday, September 6th, 2007

New Border6
Lindsey’s says this is much better! Don’t you think! Umm..!
Needs double digging and soil improver adding, and the planting and mulching.

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A New Garden Border continued … (again!)

Thursday, September 6th, 2007

Lindsey didn’t like the shape of the border! So out with the spade, fork and edging tool again.

New Border4
Ground has been marked out and cut with edging tool.

New Border5
Grass sods removed and bagged, to take down the local tip, the last time I did this in two car runs, I almost snapped the back axel on the car! Doesn’t seem alot of grass removed but each bag weighs approx 50kg! We will see if the car still works afterwards this week, and Lindsey wonders why the car, makes new noises, with 164,000 miles on the clock, and used as a tractor! I don’t think you can make out my the stainless steel edger (which is bent!) and new Stainless Steel fork, with a 10 year guarantee – nice! Well it’s nice to have, good tools!

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Balloon Ride Anyone!

Wednesday, September 5th, 2007

Virgin Balloon
Glad it didn’t hit the house. Landed in the fields at the front of the house.

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