I’ve been doing some fixing, the computer which controls, a few things in the fish house has been repaired. So I am able to remotely monitor Fish House Air temperatures, and also exterior temperatures again. Although the external temperature probe needs re-calibrating again!
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Update: 20 Nov 11 Probe B re-calibrated – it should be reading correct now.
This is probably going to bore the pants of most of you, but it’s information for me really. I’ve been wanting to monitor real-time temperatures of ALL tanks in the fish house for a while, so this is just a test, these tanks are under contiuous monitoring at present, linked to Internet, by uploading real-time charts, emailing me real-time data every minute and also Alerting me by Text Message to my Mobile Phone or Fixed Landline.
Temperature (as are other water parameters) is critical to tropical fish, under temperature of over temperature if a heater should fail. I can also monitor pH, redox potential, conductivity, water levels, oxygen content and air pressure, if I wish using different probes.
Temperature of Tank 1 in Fish House
Temperature of Tank 2 in Fish House
Three months ago, I reported all change in the fish house and removed 9 unsed fish tanks from the fish house and tried to replace them with a spare 48x18x12 – plans didn’t work well!, well it’s taken me three months to get the faulty aquarium replaced, and I’ve spent many hours this weekend installing the tank on it’s shelf. I’d previously removed the 2 x 24x12x15 and 18x18x18 cube from this shelf. So I just needed to slot this tank in place and wire-up heaters and filters.
Algarde Digi-Therm external stat
I’ve used an Algarde Digi-Therm digital external thermostat connected to two heaters (200 and 300 watt) – this is rather an old combination of using external thermostat connected to internal heaters, the norm these days is to use, combined heater thermostats, but I still prefer this older, safer combination. I’ve had many combined heater stats jam on and heat up and kill the fish in the tank.
Hagen Bio-Life 55 internal filter with trickle filter
Filtration is provided by a Hagen Bio-Life 55, internal Wet ‘n’ Dry internal filter, and excellent internal filter – I’ve had to start this filter from new, so it’s not mature yet, and will take several weeks to mature and
homebrew tank hangers for biolife 55
I had to make some homebrew clips to secure the fish tank to the side of the tank, as this tank is 18″ deep, I’ve lost the suckers or bracket to stick to tank wall , I was going to use a Dennerle C400 internal filter, but I prefer this filter because it has an internal trickle filter (they were all the rage, once upon a time). I’ve also installed an air-driven
Algarde Bio-foam 200 sponge filter
Algarde Bio-Foam 200 internal foam filter using four foams, this was easy to mature, because I just stole a foam from other tanks in the fish house which are already mature, as most tanks in the fish house have air-driven Algarde Bio-Foam 200 internal foam filter using two foams – so I ust removed one foam and replaced with a new, and made sure the mature foam was pre-washed in old aquarium water. I’m hoping that this speeds up maturation of the aquarium. I’ve also installed a sand filter,
Lifegard FB300 Fluidized Sand Filter (fully Fluidized!)
a Lifegard FB300 driven by a Maxijet PH600 powerhead. I don’t think you can ever “over-filter” a tank. I had a small issue with this filter, because after filling it with media (sand), the powerhead wouldn’t drive it correctly, even after testing it correcly before filling, so I had to empty the sand into a bucket, re-connect the filter, run the powerhead, and re-fill the filter with a 5ml spoon of sand at a time to prevent clogging, it took a while re-filling the filter with sand, a few spoonfuls!
top of tank showing water movement
Tank water looks a bit cloudy at present, but give it a week, and I’m sure this will clear, as the bacteria start to work their magic.
In preparation for the new 48x18x18 tank install in the fish house, I’ve removed the old fish tanks, two 24x15x12 and an cube 18x18x18 from that shelf, and cleaned the shelf, and added a new layer of polysterne tiles for the new tank, removed all the electrical wires for pumps, heaters and airlines for internal filters. I just to to rinse and clean the new tank, and site in the fish house before filling and fitting filters and heaters.
I’ve introduced another tank buster into my 6 foot display tank, to join the Giant Red Tail Gourami, Osphronemus laticlavius and commom pleco, a Zebra Tilapia, Tilapia buttikoferi. It’s about 6-8 inches. Tilapia buttikoferi are extremely intelligent and aggressive aquarium fish, like most Cichlids! It’s a large African tilapiine cichlid fish that can be found mainly in West Africa, specifically Liberia. (Fish Distribution here on PFK). I’ll have to regularly check, that it’s not starting to attack the other tankmates. Although I collected this fish in a large bucket, I acclimatised it, to tank water conditions, by floating in a very large fish bag for 45 minutes, and changing water in the bag for tank water every 10 minutes. I had to collect Lindsey from the bus station, and when I returned, the Tilapia buttikoferi was swimming around the tank, and the Giant Red Tail Gourami, Osphronemus laticlavius was in the bag!
Now that’s what I call magic!
Trying to get the gourami, out of the bag was another matter!
A few other little problems, my Male Quetzal Cichlid, Vieja synspila (another very agressive cichlid – even with me!) has bashed his head, I’ll have to keep a watch on this, and may start treating with Melafix tonight. The male fish has a pronounced hump, called the the “nuchal hump”, and one of my large Clown Loaches, Chromobotia macracanthus, (8″-9″) has died, of what looks like over-eating! Greedy fish, looks like he’s eaten all the cichlid pellets for the Gourami and Tilapia, and it’s stomach has exploded, with over eating, there’s a message here I think!
and finally, at long last, after 12 months of hassle, I’ve successfully managed to get a replacement aquarium replaced under guarantee. Last year a 48x18x18 glass aquarium leaked in my fish house, and I remembered it had a five year guarantee, after tracking down the initial credit card statement, it was only four years old, and the bottom aquarium seal had failed. It’s taken me over 12 months, to get it resolved with manufacturer, wholesaler, and reseller – finally I collected the replacement last week on Friday.
Blog post of the tank leaking – https://andysworld.org.uk/2009/04/19/the-leaking-fish-tank/
Here’s a picture of the new tank
new aquarium for fish house
So sometime this week, I need to clean, move the old tanks out of the fish house, and move this tank in!
Thanks to Chris at The East Riding Koi Co Ltd for arranging the replacement of this tank!
I’ve made a decision with the largest aquarium (6ftx2ftx2ft – 700l) I have in the fish house, I used to use it to hold my breeding angelfish stock, but it’s been rather empty of late, as I’m not breeding angelfish currently anymore, so I’ve finally accquired some large fish for it. (it’s being filtered and heated, so I might as well use it to house some tankbusters). The first was a young Giant Red Tail Gourami Osphronemus laticlavius, I introduced a few weeks ago. (I’ll get some pictures), and yesterday evening I was called by my local vets that had rescued a large common “pleco”, approx 12 inches – they had it in their aquarium but thought it needed a larger aquarium, someone had brought it in to them because it had got too big for their aquarium.
common "pleco"
It could be a Hypostomus plecostomus, the problem with these suckermouth catfish, they are sold as “common plecos”, small specimens to people that have algae problems, but they don’t realize how large they can grow, and then they become rather boisterous. They don’t do well, in my opinion on algae wafers entirely, and require shrimp, mussels and prawns to flourish.
I’ve been meaning to put this list together for a while, so I’ve “audited” the fish house today, and this is some of the fish which are currently in the fish house.
Catfish
Ancistrus
Bristlenose catfish Ancistrus brown sp. (many breeding pairs)
Albino Bristlenose catfish Ancistrus albino sp. (many breeding pairs)
Gold Bristlenose catfish Ancistrus gold sp.
Corydoras
Corydoras Aenus (breeding group)
Corydoras Aenus Albino form
Corydoras Aenus Green stripe
Corydoras paleatus
Corydoras Loxozonus
Corydoras Sterbai (wild breeding groups)
Corydoras Weiztmani (wild breeding groups)
Synodontis
Polka-dot catfish Synodontis Angelicus (my pet Spotty, he’s now twenty this year, cost me alot 20 years ago, from Blagdon Water Gardens, Plymouth. He’s been with me a while)
Large spot catfish Synodontis Ocellifer (my pet Dotty, also twenty this year! He’s been with me a while also!)
Synodontis Petricola (wild breeding group)
Cuckoo Cat Synodontis Multipunctatus
“Plecos”
Giant Whiptail catfish Sturisoma aureum (breeding groups)
Goldspot pleco L001 Pterygoplichthys joselimaianus
Goldy pleco, L014 Scobinancistrus aureatus
Sailfin pleco Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps
Snowball plecos, LDA33 Baryancistrus LDA-33
Characins
Bleeding Heart tetra Hyphessobrycon erythrostigma
Buenos Aires tetra Hemigrammus caudovittatus
Cardinal tetra Paracheirodon axelrodi
Congo tetra, Phenacogrammus interruptus
Neon tetra Paracheirodon innesi
Cichlids
Electric Blue Jack Dempseys Rocio octofasciata (Cichlasoma octofasciatum)
Nicaraguen Cichlids Hypsophrys nicaraguensis (Cichlasoma nicaraguense) (breeding groups)
Green Terror Aequidens rivulatus (breeding pair)
Geophagus proximus (breeding pair)
Geophagus sp?
Jack Dempseys Rocio octofasciata (Cichlasoma octofasciatum) (breeding pairs)
Kribensis Pelvicachromis pulcher (breeding pairs)
Quetzel cichlids Vieja synspila (Cichlasoma synspilum) (breeding pair)
Yellow or Tricolour cichlids Cichlasoma salvini (breeding pair)
Cichlids – Lake Tanganyika
Tropheus Moorii Ikola (wild breeding group)
Tropheus Moorii Bemba (wild breeding group)
Tropheus Moorii Kasanga (wild breeding group)
Tropheus Moorii Ilangi (wild breeding group)
Loaches
Clown Loach Chromobotia macracanthus (Botia macracantha)
Candy Loach Botia striata
My Odballs
Boesemani Rainbowfish, Melanotaenia Boesemani
Black Ghost Knife Fish Apteronotus albifrons
Spotted climbing perch Ctenopoma acutirostre
I don’t know why I bother… After spending time, testing, painting a new fish tank, removing all the existing tanks…..moving the new glass tank carefully into the fish house, in amongst all the other glass tanks, manouevering into final position.
It doesn’t fit!
There’s not enough clearance, because of the larger 6ft x 2ft x 2ft tank! (and I’m not moving that!), and to add insult to injury, I then thought it would be a good idea, to move the bottom two fish tanks (2ft x 15 x 12) to the second shelf, and put the 4ft x 15 x 12 fish tank on the bottom shelf, only to find, I could only fit one 2ft fish tank on the middle shelf, and the 4ft x 15 x 12 fish tank on the bottom shelf, still wouldn’t fit!
Umm… looks like, I’ll be putting everthing back to how it was!!!
Well that’s a day in the life folks!
and
I’ve got a headache…..
Anyone want a cheap 48 x 15 x 12 glass tank, painted matt white? Contact me?
I’ve not blogged anything about the fish house in a while, because nothing really exciting has happend, and I didn’t think you be interested in feeding the fish, or bi-weekly partial water changes. To conserve electricity, I shut down six small fish tanks in December 2008 (18inch x 10inch x 10inch, and smaller), they were used as quarantine, and for smaller fish, but more recently I’d increased the fish house, by six tanks, so these weren’t really used a great deal. These four fish tanks, were the first four that started the fish house in 2004. Time for a change.
I’ve had three four foot fish tanks in storage since the fish house move of July 2006. One four foot tank would replace these four nicely!
I’ve cleaned, soak tested it for leaks, and painted the sides white with some spare matt emulsion. It’s not the tidest of fish tanks, but it holds water, ideal for the fish house.
These are the four dirty fish tanks in the fish hosue that will be replaced by one single 48x15x12 fish tank. I just noticed that one of the tanks, has a successfuly breeding colony of snails. Most of the time, I’m trying to get rid of these with Clown andCandy loaches, and have successfully removed all snails from the fish house. I’ll keep these in another small tank, so I can rear them for live food for the loaches. (I’ll regret it later, I’m sure).
wires, and new polysterene required, and a bit of tidy up required before I site the replacement fish tank. That’s another day.
Lindsey noticed a strong smell of petrol today near the generator shed (generator is used to power the fish house, when there’s a power outage) which I ignored!, I’ve just investigated because it is rather strong and it would appear a pipe has split and petrol has been leaking from the petrol tank! I’ve left the generator shed door open for the fumes to escape overnight, and I moved the fire-extinguisher from the kitchen into the porch!
Top of the to-do list tomorrow morning in day light me thinks!
Note to self: Pay attention to what Lindsey tells me! It’s often correct!!
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