Posts Tagged ‘catfish’
Monday, October 17th, 2005
Unfortunately, my local East Riding supplier of Frozen Ruto Bloodworm has ceased trading, so I’m looking for another supplier. If you know of one, please contact me at aquablog@gmail.com.
Air pressure appears to have dropped on the ring main tonight, need to check airstones and connections for air leaks.
Fish House Minimum Air Temperature is a constant 20 degrees C.
I’ve replaced the rubber washers on the Eheim 2030 with plastic half-inch washers, used PTFE tape on all threads, and tightened with a new 30mm socket torque wrench. I’ve filled it up over-night, I’ll check for water leaks tomorrow.
I think I need to feed my Ancistrus, that share a tank with a Purple spotted gudgeon Hikari Algae wafers, rather than the Sera brand Catfish chips, the Gudgeon eat whole wafers, can fish choke on fish food? The Purple spotted Gudgeon in the fish house, have grown very fast compared to the fish in my display tank in the house.
Good News: Java-Plants.com have agreed to replace my Vallis Torta.
Tags: Ancistrus, aquablog, blog, catfish, fish, fish house, house, plants
Posted in All, fish house | Comments Off on Replacement plants
Thursday, October 6th, 2005
An aquarist in Germany recommended that I try
Sera Catfish Chips for Ancistrus and Pleco Catfish if I’m finding it difficult in obtaining Hikari
Algae Wafers, he has had great success with this product in Germany. Many high
quality aquarium products come from Germany, Eheim,
Tetra and
Dennerle are just a few manufacturers,
so I’ll definitely experiment with this product.
Sera retailers in the UK are not common, but I know a place on my doorstep that
stocks Sera products. Petland, York is a
Sera retailer.
I purchased some Sera Catfish Chips for Ancistrus and Pleco Catfish, the
ingredients are very interesting because the usual marine algae and spirulina
are present, but willow wood and bark and alder wood are also ingredients. This
product will certainly help if you have no bogwood present in your aquariums for
the catfish to graze on. Many years ago, when I first saw a "pleco" in aquaria,
it was given willow wood and bark to graze on, this was before the days of any
"Algae Wafers", it was said, that chemicals in the willow made the catfish
sleepy, like an anaesthetic if they ate too much, so it was only fed in small
quantities. This is the first fish food product I’ve seen using "wood" as an
ingredient.
I offer my fish a varied diet to stop them getting hooked on one type of
food, I vary the food each day, here’s a list of the products I use:-
- Tetra Prima.
- Tetra Tips Freeze Dried Tablets.
- Tetra Fresh Delica Daphinia, Bloodworm, Brine Shrimp.
- Tetra Holiday and Weekend Food Sticks.
- Tetra Min Flake Food.
- JMC Catfish Pellets.
- Barlow’s Aquatics Sinking, Stinking Catfish Pellets.
- Nutrafin Max Complete Flake Food.
- Aquarian Tropical Flake Food.
- Phoenix Tropical Flake.
- Today’s Freeze Dried Tubifex Worms.
- ZM 000, 100, 200, 300, 400, Small, Medium and Large Granular Advanced Fish
Diets.
- Ruto Frozen foods, Spinach, Tubifex and Bloodworm.
- Frozen prawns.
- Courgettes, Cucumber, peas and lettuce.
- Live Food when available.
- and Sera Catfish Chips for Ancistrus and Pleco
Catfish.
When I first started "fishkeeping", many years ago, when my Dad won a
goldfish at the Fun Fair, we came home with a glass goldfish bowl, and a
cardboard tube of ant eggs to feed the goldfish.
Tropical Fish Food Technology has greatly improved! If it had not improved, I
don’t think I would have been as successful in breeding and caring for the
tropical fish in the many years I’ve kept them. For many years I was hooked on
Aquarian Tropical Flake, not personally, but variety is the spice of life!
Go on, change your food today!
Tags: Ancistrus, andysworld, aquablog, aquaria, aquarist, aquarium, blog, breeding, catfish, fish, fishkeeping, images, marine, plec, pleco, Tropical Fish
Posted in All, fish house | Comments Off on What’s for supper?
Tuesday, October 4th, 2005
….The Witches Cauldron Brew, the
bogwood is still soaking nicely.
I’ve seen the
L190 this evening, it’s still in the tank and feeding. I visited
Petland in my lunchtime today in York, they have an excellent collection of Ls
in stock, I almost parted with an
L177 but needed to catch the bus! Maybe next time! I don’t think they
have a website, but here’s a
review by the Ryedale Aquarist Society.
I’ve just noticed that I use the
terms Ls and Lxxx numbers a lot, and some readers may be confused with what I am
referring to. The group of catfish I keep are in the scientific name
Loricariidae, this is pronouced
Lori KARI Iday or more commonly referred to Suckermouth Armoured Catfishes (yes
they do stick to the glass!), they have rows of armour plating covering body,
underslung suckermouth. They all come from South America. Originally when a
suckermouth armoured catfish was discovered, it was given a scientific name (latin),
and a common name, as more were discovered in recent years it became impossible
to readily identify them, and give them common names, so the L numbering system
was invented to uniquely identify each catfish, and hence the L series was born,
there is also an LDA series, the same has also been done for Corydoras
catfishes, Cichlids and Rays.
Endlers’ are doing well, and have another four fry.
Purple Spotted Gudgeon in the fish house are massive compared to the fish in the
display tank. Sexual difference possibly.
Many projects still to complete, fish house needs a tidy for the forthcoming
cold weather, and I’ve got a new temperature project finished, but need to
relocate the computer system in the fish house.
Again, I’m pulling the late shift all week, at the office, so not much time to
organise the fish house.
Had an excellent response from
Pond Supplies UK, and a replacement end-cap for my Hailea air compressor
has been posted. That’s Excellent Customer Service, I’m still awaiting to hear
from Java-Plants (I think all
the Vallis is now dead!).
Tags: Ancistrus, aquarist, catfish, computer, cory, corydoras, feeding, fish, fish house, fishes, house, l number, php, planetcatfish, plants, web
Posted in All, fish house | Comments Off on Bubble, bubble, toil, and trouble!
Thursday, September 29th, 2005
I’ve
spent some time in the fish house this evening tidying up lose ends, probably
because it’s the warmest room in the house. I’ve installed, well actually I
dropped the bogwood into my angelfish rearing tank, which houses two unknown "plecos",
this evening there was evidence that the "plecos" had been grazing on the
bogwood because of the "bogwood pooh" left on the tank bottom, I would use the
scientific name bogwood faeces, but I think "bogwood pooh" sounds better, but I
think you’ll understand. It’s not uncommon for "plecos" and other relatives to
eat bogwood, The reason that plecos and other similar fish rasp bogwood is that
they need a substance called Lignin which is contained in the wood . It is
believed it helps them to digest their food. All the veggie catfish have finally
finished off the Tetra Plecomin, so they are back on Hikari. I
‘m sorry I
couldn’t catch a picture of the plecos on the bogwood, there were two fast and
cunning for me.
Fish House pump covered in aquarium sealant, trying to seal the crack and
stop venting air, I don’t know if this will work, if not I might try super-glue,
but aquarium sealant, usually does well under high pressure.
I’ve also moved one large male Koi Veiltail Angelfish out of the quarantine
tank, this was the fish that was not deporting too well, a few weeks ago,
shortly after purchase. I think this fish, may be being bullied by the other
mature males. I’ve found a
Royal Pleco/Parnaque
L190 Panaque nigrolineatus, this could me mine, I’ll have to wait
and see.
Had a re-think, about connecting the air-inlet of the air compressor to the
outside, more later.
Tags: andysworld, aquablog, aquarium, blog, catfish, fish, fish house, house, images, Koi, php, planetcatfish, plec, pleco
Posted in All, fish house | Comments Off on I can do anything with aquarium sealant
Thursday, September 22nd, 2005
It is with deep regret that I have to report the death of Frank "The Killer"
Double Black Angelfish. I found Frank dead this evening in his aquarium that he
has shared with two unknown L number catfish for the last year. Water quality
and temperature were checked and all are within acceptable parameters.
I’ve mentioned Frank already in this blog, just over a week and a half ago,
when one of his offspring, a young female died of unknown causes. Frank was a
fantastic male angelfish, that sired many offspring, one of few males, that
would not eat the eggs or fry, but in the last spawning over 12 months ago, he
decided to kill the female angelfish for reasons unknown, and I could never pair
him up again, after trying many times. I could not risk any more female
angelfish, so decided to keep Frank in solitary confinement in his own aquarium
with two L number catfish as a pet. Most breeders would probably have sold him
on or got rid, but Frank became a real character, and was always happy to see me
when I visited the fish house. I became quite attached to Frank and I’m deeply
sadden by his passing, which is unusual when you have a vast collection of
angelfish.
Here is a picture of Frank, taken shortly after fighting with his female
partner. Not in the best condition at time of photograph.
Bye Frank.
Tags: andysworld, aquablog, aquarium, blog, catfish, fish, fish house, house, images, l number
Posted in All, fish house | Comments Off on To the Memory of Frank!
Sunday, September 18th, 2005
Free food from the garden
Free food from the garden, I’ve recently found plentiful quantities of small
earthworms gathering under the lids of my compost bins, these earthworms are
small enough to feed to my Angelfish, and Hoplosternum Catfish, and Gudgeon. I’m
sorry I couldn’t make the picture more interesting.
Tags: andysworld, aquablog, blog, catfish, fish, garden, images, microsoft, windows
Posted in All, fish house | Comments Off on Free Food!
Friday, September 16th, 2005
To spruce up my 48″x18″x12″ display tank, which contains two large old male marble angels, six bueno aires tetras and a 17 year old Syndontis Ocellifer and Pterygolichthys Gibbiceps, or The ‘Sailfin Plec’ can sometimes be confused with the suckermouth catfish, Hypostomus plecostomus, but one look at the broad dorsal base which contains between 12 and 13 rays, and the difference is immeasurable, also the first ray is equal to the length of the head. The small anal fin has 4 to 5 rays and its head is conspicuous by the large nasal flares. The “syno” and “pleco” are often seen scraping in the tank, the Sailfin Pleco was recused about 12 months ago from a local tropical fish shop in York, it was in bad condition when I purchased it, fungus, very thin, torn fins, it has almost full recovered. It’s quite small for it’s size at approx 6″-7″.
I’ve purchased some aquatic plants mail order from Java-Plants. I’ve not purchased plants by post for many years, but the selection in the area is not very good. We have some Tropica stockists but these plants are very expensive, too expensive for tetras to eat.
I’ve ordered 25 Amazon Swords and 50 Vallis. I’ll drop my comments back here, after they arrive. I’ve also got a Dennerle CO2 Professional System for plant fertilisation, but not connected it up yet. Another project for another rainy day!
Tags: aquarium, catfish, co2, fish, plants, plec, pleco, Tropical Fish
Posted in All, fish house | Comments Off on Aquarium plants by post.
Sunday, September 4th, 2005
I had hoped to attend the Otley Aquatic Society OPEN SHOW & AUCTION today, because I was visting Otley, West Yorkshire, but then I noticed the show is held at Wortley High School Swallow Crescent Leeds, so I didn’t have the time to route via Leeds, as the Auction was starting at 1.30pm. This will have to be an event I pencil on the calendar for next year.
Whilst in Otley I did get my “fish fix” by visting Waterscapes located in the Stephen H Smiths Garden Centre. An excellent range of tropical fish and Tropica plants on display, I especially liked the Leiarius pictus catfish, they had three small 4″ fish for 18 GBP each, but resisted the strong desire to own a large catfish again. These grow very large, a good example here at www.thetropicaltank.co.uk but are excellent catfish, and one of my favourites. But I certainly don’t have eight foot tank space in the fish house at present!
Tags: aquarist, catfish, fish, fish house, garden, house, plants, Smiths, Tropical Fish
Posted in All, fish house | Comments Off on Visiting friends in Otley, West Yorkshire (via tropical fish shop of course!)
Thursday, September 1st, 2005
I’ve just purchased a small bag 42g of Tetra Algae Wafers, I’ve seen these on the market for a while, seem to be quite popular at present as Hikari products are having problems with the EU. These wafers are much smaller and thinner than the Hikari product, most of my Gibbiceps could swallow these whole. I’ll report back how the catfish are enjoying them. I’ve also purchase a new Interpet Gravel cleaner, my aging Algarde gravel cleaner broke, and I needed to purchase a replacement.
Tags: catfish, fish
Posted in All, fish house | Comments Off on Tetra Algae Wafers
![[Valid RSS]](http://andysworld.org.uk/images/valid-rss.png "Validate my RSS feed")