Archive for the ‘All’ Category

Microrasbora erythromicron spawn, fry hatch.

Wednesday, May 30th, 2007

At the end of March, a label on a tank in a local pet shop caught my attention to some fish called Galaxy Rasbora, which later turned-out to be Microrasbora erythromicron., common names could be Crossbanded or Emerald Dwarf Rasbora.

Microrasbora erythromicron3
Male Microrasbora erythromicron
Photograph courtesy of Mike Noren

I purchased these little fish (25mm), knowing they were Microrasbora erythromicron in a hope to breed them, I don’t think these are rare, but at present probably less common than the famous Galaxy Rasbora.

I checked the tank this evening, and I have a few fry from the trio.

I’m ecstatic, I haven’t felt like this since, breeding my first guppies, and that’s a long time ago!

Maybe I’ll now find that elusive Galaxy Rasbora, and give them the same “luving”, in a hope to breed them.

It’s taken over 400 shots to get the following pictures, glad I’ve got a digital camera. These were taken on the digital SLR, I’m running back in with the other camera, it has a better macro function (and it’s cheaper if it falls in the tank!)

Microrasbora erythromicron1
fry at approx 5mm (click thumbnail for larger image)

Microrasbora erythromicron2
single Microrasbora erythromicron fry (click thumbnail for larger image)

Almost Natural Tropical Fish Food by Ed!

Tuesday, May 29th, 2007

I received my package of Almost Natural Tropical Fish Food today from Ed in Pennsylvania, USA.

I’ve been looking for an alternative product for the fish house to bring fish into condition for breeding for a long time. I’ve received

  • Super colour flake.
  • Freshwater flake.
  • Shrimp pellets.

Excerpt from Ed’s website

“Almost Natural Tropical Fish Foods” are offered by a true-blue tropical fish hobbyist for the other tropical fish hobbyists out there in the world who would rather go the extra mile and feed their fish a top quality tropical fish flake. This tropical fish food is hobbyist to hobbyists driven. One hobbyist helping other hobbyists. After looking at the ingredients and then the prices, you will see that it is being sold at extremely reasonable prices to you, the hobbyist.”

Almostnaturaltropicalfishfood Sample
The contents of the package Super colour flake, Freshwater flake, Shrimp pellets.

Let me know if you are interested in placing an order from the UK, we can combine the order!

Declared War on Slugs and Snails!

Tuesday, May 29th, 2007

My hostas and bedding plants are getting worse, if I don’t do something soon, my plants will die, and will resemble stalks!

So my friendly, excellent Coffee Shop opposite where I work, Banjos, Museum Street, York has supplied me with some used Coffee Granules. If you are ever in York, pop in, and tell Beth, I sent you! Excellent Coffee, hot and cold baguettes.

Coffee Granuals
Used Coffee Granules from Banjos, Museum Street, York

Six additional tanks for fish house

Monday, May 28th, 2007

I’ve been pre-occupied with DIY on the house, but I’ve finally received the additional stands, to add six new tanks to the fish house.

Six additional tanks

I’ve also been working, on re-sealing the insulation in the fish house, and working on my new RO storage tanks – water experiment.

Bank Holiday Monday

Monday, May 28th, 2007

I had hoped to complete Hector’s House today, but the bad wet/windy weather has put a stop to that. It’s almost complete, just requires another paint with Cuprinol “Seagrass”. The new wood, has had four-five coats of paint already, it’s been re-roofed with new “felt”, this was a pain in the bum last weekend, when the weather went cold again! Very difficult to work with hard cold/felt.

Shed8
Spot the new roof!

Shed9
add some new battens to rear of house.

Shed10
another coat of paint and another DIY job completed!

PS I’m building up Reward points from you know who! Now next project operation board out loft!

UPDATE Snails and Slugs are still eating my hostas, despite sharp grit, garlic solution and beer traps, I think I’m going to have to find another solution!

Hector’s House continued

Friday, May 18th, 2007

Work goes on …

Shed3

Shed4

Shed5

Shed6

Shed7

Hector’s House

Tuesday, May 15th, 2007

The classic 70’s children’s TV programme featuring Hector the dog, Zsazsa the cat and their neighbour Kiki the frog.

Well it could be, this is what we call a shed, but it’s a Wendy House for children, it was described as a shed in the fixtures and fittings and left by the previous occupants. We or I find it handy to fit things in that don’t fit in the garage because the fish house is in there!

It’s in a bad state of repair, and if I don’t attend to it quickly, I think it will rot to compost. I think I could have purchased another one for what the wood, roofing felt, and wood preserver has cost me from B and Q!

Shed1
All the wood that has been painted in “seagrass” is new. The old wood was removed because it had rotted out.

Shed2
covered-up for the evening, whilst I paint and seal the wood.

Cottage Garden Border Re-visited

Tuesday, May 15th, 2007

Since I’ve been having a few problems with the slugs and snails eating one of my prize Hostas, I thought I’d upload some close-up pictures of them. I’ve always wanted to grow hostas, and now I have a shaddy part of the garden, ideal. I’ve used some sharp grit to mulch the area around the plants, and I’ve boiled-up some garlic cloves in water, and I’ve been spraying the plants and ground to keep the slugs and snails off.

Hosta1
Close up of the three Hostas

Hosta2

Hosta3
If you click the picture and look at the larger image, you’ll see where the snails/slugs have been eating this plant.

Hosta4

I do have the latin names if interested!

Nannacara adoketa eggs have disappeared

Sunday, May 13th, 2007

Not surprisingly the Nannacara adoketa eggs have disappeared overnight, only a few remained in the morning, but those that remained, were “eye-ing” up, so I think I have a good male. I suspect the other Nannacara adoketa or Bristlenose catfish helped themselves.

Not too worry, I’m sure they spawn again, and I’ll have chance to remove the other occupants of the tank. Some other sad news, I’ve lost my male Hoplosternum pectorale, I’ve had a pair for years, but I’ve never managed to get them to spawn!

Some happier news, my tank racking has arrived, so I should be able to increase my tanks by another three :- soon!

Nannacara adoketa have started to spawn

Friday, May 11th, 2007

My suspicions have been confirmed two out of the five Nannacara adoketa in the quarantine tank have paired-off and to my astonishment have started to spawn this evening. Male and female fish confirmed, as pedicted in earlier pictures posted here.

Female Adoketa Spawning in Flower pot
Female Nannacara adoketa guarding eggs

Female and Male Adoketa Spawning in Flower pot1
Male Nannacara adoketa in foreground, female inside plant pot.

Female and Male Adoketa Spawning in Flower pot3
Male Nannacara adoketa fertilising eggs.

This is a young pair, and this is their first spawning, I’m not too sure how viable this spawning will be, with three other N.adoketa in the tank, plus a Bristlenose catfish, and the waters wrong, ph 8! But I wanted to get these pictures on the blog, quickly.