Posts Tagged ‘practical’

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New Long Term Breeding Project

Thursday, July 17th, 2008

Apologies for not posting for a while, life just gets in the way. But with the arrival of some new fish, starts a New Long Term Breeding Project.

I saw mature large “breeding pairs” of these fish three years ago at a local auction in West Yorkshire, they were advertised as a breeding pair, definately males and females but I suspect the owner, had no success in breeding them and hence they were up for auction. To this very day, I regret not keeping my hand up for longer, they sold for little money! and it’s taken me that long to obtain some young fish so I can grow on, and hopefully ontain some breeding pairs.

Let me introduce you to the Electric Blue Jack Dempseys

Alot has been documented and written about these fish, click the link above to search for it.

Two sites Practical Fiskeeping Article Blue Jack Dempsey identity revealed and www.bluejax.co.uk have some excellent information, rather than me retype it here.

But first things first, they need to grow……and then I can select males and femles.

Electric Blue Jack Dempseys Pic 1
Electric Blue Jack Dempseys

Electric Blue Jack Dempseys Pic 2
Electric Blue Jack Dempseys

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Genetically Modified Tropical Fish

Tuesday, April 3rd, 2007

You may have noticed the banner advert at the footer of the blog Campaigning for the Ban on Dyed Tropical Fish led by PraticalFishkeeping.

I’ve been seeing quite a few Pink/Red Zebra Danios of late in the local tropical fish shops, and thought these were colour endhanced, but they could be possibly genetically modified. If these fish are GMed, they are illegal in the UK, as a license from DEFRA to keep and import is requried.

Last night a program called Animal Farm stated that GMed fish could be on-sale across the world.

The following four minute clipped was aired on Channel 4’s Animal Farm last night (2 April 2007).

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The Fintro by Maidenhead Aquatics

Friday, March 23rd, 2007

The Fintro – Fish Acclimatisation Unit or Fish Introduction Unit call it what you like, I’ve been trying to make one of these for years, using plastic yoghurt cartons, plastic fruit boxes, the best method I found was to use Ferrero Rocher plastic boxes, with holes drilled in the bottom, the only problem, I could never get the water fill/flow rate correct, or the stability of the plastic box in the water.

Now these problems, have been solved with the The Fintro by Maidenhead Aquatics. I know this device has just been reviewed in the March 2007 Issue of PracticalFishkeeping Magazine, but I was keen to purchase a two units, and test it for myself. I purchase many fish for the fish house (too many sometimes!), and the older method of just floating the tropical fish in the bag from the tropical fish shop fvor 30 minutes has long been proved in-correct. I usually introduce fish into my quarantine tanks, by floating the bag to equalize temperatures, but I also remove water from the bag, and throw away, and slowly over a period of 30-45 minutes, replace the water in the bag with tank water. This lessens the stress on the fish, by gradually introducing the fish to your aquariums water chemistry, rather than causing toxic shock due to vast pH changes.

  • Float the Fintro in your aquarium.
  • Transfer the fish from bag to Fintro, making sure the fish are in the bottom chamber, and there is at least 1cm of water in the upper chamber. (make sure this is over the tank, because although there is a one-way valve,if you fill the Fintro, not over a tank, water will go on the floor!)
  • The Fintro has a valve which permits a very slow trickle of water to gradually fill it, giving time for your new fish to adjust to the aquarium water conditions.
  • After approximately 45 minutes the Fintro will be completely full and sink to the bottom of the tank, releasing the fish.

Fintro
The Fintro by Maidenhead Aquatics

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Help us map the UK’s tap water quality

Friday, May 26th, 2006

After posting my water filter post, about changing from CBR2-10 to a Chloroplus-10, looks like this is just in time, read the PFK Article here

PFK Help us map the UK’s tap water quality

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Mother of a filter!

Saturday, April 29th, 2006

I’ve spent the last few hours uninstalling an Eheim 2313 and 2315 from my 6ftx2ftx2ft tank (sounds like a computer software program!), cleaning all the filter media in the old tank water from the 6ftx2ftx2ft tank, this is very important to keep the bacterial load in the filter media, remember the filter contains the bacteria not the water! and installing a new Eheim 2250 Mother of A filter, rated at 1000 litres per hour, so it should turn the tank over twice an hour.

I filled the 12 litre canister or dustbin as some people refer to it, with the old media from the other two canister filters, Ehfimech – small pieces of ceramic pipes and Ehfifix – “Easter basket grass” both of these are mechanical filter media, I’ve also added some Practical Fish Keeping bioballs, and some pan scouriers, followed by some old Ehfisynth (filter wool) from the old filters and new wool. Using a ‘T’ junction and Eheim double taps, plumbed it back-in line with two output pipes back into the tank.

With the other two filters, and the L001 growing and “poohing” more, I wasn’t getting the desired tank turnover rate.

Just have to keep an eye on the ammonia and nitrite levels, whilst this 12 litre filter fully matures.

Oh, and I dropped a 50kg UPS on my hose pipe, and cut it in half!

Need another hosepipe now!

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Happy Bonfire Night

Saturday, November 5th, 2005

Not one for liking fireworks, I’ve been in the fish house most of the evening spring cleaning and tidying it up for the winter.

I wish the neighbours would stop launching fireworks, I thought my fish house was under seige!

I’ve purchased some powdered Spirulina which is filamentous blue-green algae from ZM Systems to feed the newly hatched Sturisoma aureum fry, after reading an article by Adrian R. Tappin he made a food source based on Spirulina and agar to feed to the fry.

I’ve been told that UK Catfish Enthusiast/Expert/God David Sands has written an article in Practical Fiskeeping about feeding and rearing Sturisoma aureum, if anyone has the article, I would like to read it. Please contact me.

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My Fiskeeping History

Wednesday, November 2nd, 2005

This is a photograph of my First Aquarium recently rescued from my parents house, I don’t believe it was purchased for me, I think a friend of my fathers gave it to me, but my father insisted until I read about the subject of keeping tropical fish, I was not allowed to keep them, I had always kept Goldfish as a child, but was always fascinated by the Jacques-Yves Cousteau diving programs on the television in the 70s.

First Aquarium

I think it could be a collectors item today, as it’s an angle-iron type frame but with chrome finish, the glass is sealed with putty, later silicon sealer has been added. Capacity of the tank is approx 25l, I originally breed Guppies, Platies, Swordtails, Bettas until it was the home of a small piebald catfish – A Walking Catish, Clarias sp. The keen spotters will notice a Practical Fishkeeping Magazine freebie LCD thermoeter, given away free with the magazine in the 80s!

I don’t have the heart to part with it, because this is where it all started!

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White Spot in Tropical Fish Shops

Thursday, October 20th, 2005

Whilst visting family in South Wales, I’ve been out and about browsing the local Tropical Fish shops.

I spotted an excellent pair of Parrot Cichlids at Wyevale Garden Centre, Pyle. If Parrot Cichlids breed successfully and had a commericial value, I would have been very tempted to purchase, still tempted, a very unusual colouration, similiar to Jeff Raps “Calico” Convict Cichlids. Possibly been cross-breed with Convict Cichlids. Umm, purchasing man-made, genetically modified designer fish, I’ll have to consider this purchase very carefully.

I was also very impressed with the Fish display at Petsathome, Bridgend Retail Park. The large tropica plants are execellent value for money, and I also saw some young RED Angelfish, these fish did not just have a red blush, but overall pigment was red in colour, this could possibly due to red pigment enhancers feed in food, it could be genetic, I would have to purchase some and grow on to be sure. 5.99 GBP each.

To end on a controversial note, I also visited Maidenhead Aquatics at Pontarddulais Garden Centre, Swansea. This tropical fish has just been voted Top Tropical Fish Shop in Wales 2005, and 9th UK Retailer 2005 by readers of Practical Fishkeeping.

After reading this, I thought it must be worth a visit. I was put off purcahsing any livestock because several tanks that contained Clown Loaches in the Tropical section, were covered in White Spot.

I purchased two packs of “Diskusin” to make it worth the effort of travelling there.

Would you purchase fish from tanks with white spot? Answers on a postcard please, to the usual address.If this is the best, I’d hate to visit the worst!

Disclaimer: There could be good reason that several tanks had white spot outbreaks, and it could be under control with chemical or ultra-violet treatment, the infected fish may not be for sale.

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Patron Saint of Lost Articles

Sunday, September 25th, 2005

The water temperature in Aquarium 8, seemed a little cold to touch, the electronic digital thermometer, states its 29 degree C, don’t believe it. Where’s my old trusty thermometer?

I’ve been looking for an old mercury/alcohol style thermometer, marked in graduations from -10 to 110 degree C, this old trusty thermometer I had for years, and I’m always using it to checker water temperatures in the fish house, I can never trust electronic or LCD style stick on thermometer s, which seem to give false readys because room temperature seems to affect them. This thermometer looks very reminiscent of the thermometers used in school Science Practical sessions! I’ve found it, with a little help Something’s lost and can’t be found Please, St. Anthony, look around!

Old trusty displays it as 28 degrees C. This is within acceptable parameters.

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Technology failed!

Wednesday, September 21st, 2005

Angelfishcam No.3 is down, the camera has failed. Sorry for the inconvience this may cause.

Since PracticalFishkeeping have re-launched their fabulous new website the RSS Feeds from PFK are weird, it’s being sorted by the Website and Technical Editor.

and I’m too tired to plant the Amazon Swords. Still working the late shift this week.

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