Monday, October 24, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
German Ram Eggs
Alright, today I will talk about my German Rams.
So, a while back I went to the fish store to pick up a pair of blue rams. I had been wanting to get a couple of rams for a while, that is partly why I decided to get my 36 gallon, so that I could keep a few other species that required a little more room.
I ended up checking out a couple of different smaller fish stores that I hadn't been to before and found one that had a nice selection of home grown rams. At the time, there was a buy 2 get 1 free deal so I ended up getting a male and 2 females. (Often with different species or cichlids they recommend getting more females than males to balance out the aggressive behavior)
Turns out, with rams, they are more likely to split off into mating pairs. After a couple of weeks, I noticed that one male and female had paired off and were taking turns chasing the other female off. I ended up giving the other little female to my dad to go in his large 130 gallon tank with other rams.
Lesson learned: buy rams in pairs only. Unless you have a lot of space.
Soo, last month I came home one night and noticed my little pair of rams had started laying eggs on a large leaf. The next day I came home to find that they had eaten them. After reading up on them, it seems that this often happens for the first couple batches or if they are stressed out, until they get it right.
The night before last, they laid another batch. (This is a bout a month later)
Apparently they should take around 48h to hatch so I am going to go home tonight and see how it's going.
So, a while back I went to the fish store to pick up a pair of blue rams. I had been wanting to get a couple of rams for a while, that is partly why I decided to get my 36 gallon, so that I could keep a few other species that required a little more room.
I ended up checking out a couple of different smaller fish stores that I hadn't been to before and found one that had a nice selection of home grown rams. At the time, there was a buy 2 get 1 free deal so I ended up getting a male and 2 females. (Often with different species or cichlids they recommend getting more females than males to balance out the aggressive behavior)
Turns out, with rams, they are more likely to split off into mating pairs. After a couple of weeks, I noticed that one male and female had paired off and were taking turns chasing the other female off. I ended up giving the other little female to my dad to go in his large 130 gallon tank with other rams.
Lesson learned: buy rams in pairs only. Unless you have a lot of space.
Soo, last month I came home one night and noticed my little pair of rams had started laying eggs on a large leaf. The next day I came home to find that they had eaten them. After reading up on them, it seems that this often happens for the first couple batches or if they are stressed out, until they get it right.
The night before last, they laid another batch. (This is a bout a month later)
Apparently they should take around 48h to hatch so I am going to go home tonight and see how it's going.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Tank Update
I have been working on my 36 gallon. Bought a bunch of plants and have added the fish. Here is the current setup.
Low tech setup
Plants: Anubias barteri var. nana, Anubias barteri var. angustifolia, Random other Anubias, Red Tiger lotus, Cripts, Amazon Sword, Java Fern
Fish: 7 x Neon Tetra, 5 x Celestial Pearl Danio, 4 x Zebra Danio, 2 x Sterbai Corys, 3x Panda Corys, 5 x Oto cats, 2 x German Blue Rams, 2 x Nerite Snails, 2 x Bamboo Shrimp
Plants: Anubias barteri var. nana, Anubias barteri var. angustifolia, Random other Anubias, Red Tiger lotus, Cripts, Amazon Sword, Java Fern
Fish: 7 x Neon Tetra, 5 x Celestial Pearl Danio, 4 x Zebra Danio, 2 x Sterbai Corys, 3x Panda Corys, 5 x Oto cats, 2 x German Blue Rams, 2 x Nerite Snails, 2 x Bamboo Shrimp
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Sterbai Eggs
Today, my two corys started spawning.
Luckily I caught them early enough to save the eggs from becoming tetra lunch.
I scraped the eggs off the glass with a razor. (I also find you can do it with your finger if you have a really light touch and they stick on). It's also best to wait a bit for the eggs to harden.
I put the eggs in a net for the meantime. Since I am moving the fish out of this tank to the new big tank anyways, I will keep the 10 gallon as a fry only tank.
Hopefully they will hatch and survive.
I am currently looking into the best ways to feed and care for them.
The parents
Preparing to stick the eggs on the glass.
Eggs!
*Update: Looks like the eggs didn't hatch. The couple have laid a couple more batches since this first one but none seem to be hatching. Not sure if it is a problem with fertilization. I will have to read up on that a bit more.
Luckily I caught them early enough to save the eggs from becoming tetra lunch.
I scraped the eggs off the glass with a razor. (I also find you can do it with your finger if you have a really light touch and they stick on). It's also best to wait a bit for the eggs to harden.
I put the eggs in a net for the meantime. Since I am moving the fish out of this tank to the new big tank anyways, I will keep the 10 gallon as a fry only tank.
Hopefully they will hatch and survive.
I am currently looking into the best ways to feed and care for them.
The parents
*Update: Looks like the eggs didn't hatch. The couple have laid a couple more batches since this first one but none seem to be hatching. Not sure if it is a problem with fertilization. I will have to read up on that a bit more.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
36 Gallon Bowfront
This last weekend I purchased my first big tank, a 36 gallon bowfront.
There are a few fish that I have really wanted for a while, mainly a pair of Rams which of course wouldn't fit in my little 10 gallon or shrimp tanks.
So I got the tank all set up. I bought a couple pieces of mopani wood. It looks really good but apparently for the first little while it leaches tannins and sap which turns your water red.
At first it freaked me out a bit because I woke up the next morning and the water was all dark and there was this strange white cloudiness around the wood, but after looking it up, that seems to be normal.
The tank. July 3, 2011
Setup with wood and some plants.
Coming along.
I have decided to move the fish from my 10 gallon into the big tank. That frees up my 10 gallon for something else. I am also going to try moving the Celestial Pearl Danios over as well.
There are a few fish that I have really wanted for a while, mainly a pair of Rams which of course wouldn't fit in my little 10 gallon or shrimp tanks.
So I got the tank all set up. I bought a couple pieces of mopani wood. It looks really good but apparently for the first little while it leaches tannins and sap which turns your water red.
At first it freaked me out a bit because I woke up the next morning and the water was all dark and there was this strange white cloudiness around the wood, but after looking it up, that seems to be normal.
The tank. July 3, 2011
I have decided to move the fish from my 10 gallon into the big tank. That frees up my 10 gallon for something else. I am also going to try moving the Celestial Pearl Danios over as well.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Shrimp Tank
A while back, I was at the fish store and I noticed the little nano shrimp. Right away I thought 'wow I have to get these'. So, I decided to create a shrimp tank.
I had seen a nice little nano cube shrimp kit so I decided to get it.
The tank is a 30L Fluval nano shrimp tank. (Comes with all of the things you will need to get started) Here's my initial setup. April 15, 2011
Adding the shrimp! I bought a bunch of crystal reds. I only got 5 at first but then added another 5 later. May 1, 2011
I later added some Celestial Pearl Danios. Very cute little fish but also very shy and often hiding. And some Panda Corys.
June 21, 2011
Plants: Java Fern, Java Moss, Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Mi Oya', Valisneria Asiatica, Marimo ball, Hornwort, Pondweed/Egeria densa
Fish: 10x Crystal Red Shrimp, 3x Panda Cory Cats, 5x Celestial Pearl Danio, 2x Oto Cats
I had seen a nice little nano cube shrimp kit so I decided to get it.
The tank is a 30L Fluval nano shrimp tank. (Comes with all of the things you will need to get started) Here's my initial setup. April 15, 2011
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Fish: 10x Crystal Red Shrimp, 3x Panda Cory Cats, 5x Celestial Pearl Danio, 2x Oto Cats
Monday, July 4, 2011
African Dwarf Frogs
This all started when I was given two African dwarf frogs as a present. (Around Feb 2010) Originally I had them in a tiny glass container but soon found that it was really annoying to keep clean.
My friend had an extra 5 gallon tank sitting around so I set that up, threw a filter on it, added a heater, bubbler and some live plants. This was a much better habitat for the frogs and way easier to maintain.
So, since I had a bit of space to work with, I figured I’d add some fish.
My dad always had fish tanks when I was little, so I knew a bit about them but I hadn't set up my own tank before.
I had the tank running for a while with the frogs so it was cycled. I ended up adding some Neon tetras and a couple Sterbai cory cats and a snail.
May 2010
Over the next year, I switched up the tank a bit. I swapped the 5 gallon for an 8.
I also added some Oto cats and Nerite snails to the tank for algae control and a Crowntail betta.
I always feel sorry for bettas, they never look very good in the stores or in tiny tanks. But if you give them a bit bigger aquarium with a heater and filter, they are so active. Mine is just like a dog, he always comes up when I come over to the tank. He also likes to pig out. Even though I have betta food specifically for him, he eats everything else as well; flakes, algae wafers...
Initially I hadn't known much about aquatic plants. I figured they just needed light and got their nutrients out of the water and that was it. So, after killing two or three different types including the ones above, I read up on them and found out that different varieties have very different needs. (High lighting, CO2 injection, ferts)
I wanted to keep this a low tech tank, so I looked for some easy to grow plants. I ended up with Anubias, which does well in low lighting. I also added some Pondweed/Egeria densa which is a bit finicky; it grows like mad sometimes, doesn't like to stay planted, easily gets taken out by algae. I won't be getting more once my last bit dies off.
April 2011
Plants: Java moss, 2x Anubias barteri - angustifolia, Pondweed/Egeria densa
Fish: 7x Neon Tetras, 2x Corydoras Sterbai, 3x Oto cats, 2x African Dwarf Frog, 1x Crowntail Betta, 3x Nerite Snails
In just over a year I have learned a ton with this tank. Mainly, I learned to do research first. You can find everything you need on the internet.
My friend had an extra 5 gallon tank sitting around so I set that up, threw a filter on it, added a heater, bubbler and some live plants. This was a much better habitat for the frogs and way easier to maintain.
So, since I had a bit of space to work with, I figured I’d add some fish.
My dad always had fish tanks when I was little, so I knew a bit about them but I hadn't set up my own tank before.
I had the tank running for a while with the frogs so it was cycled. I ended up adding some Neon tetras and a couple Sterbai cory cats and a snail.
May 2010
Over the next year, I switched up the tank a bit. I swapped the 5 gallon for an 8.
I also added some Oto cats and Nerite snails to the tank for algae control and a Crowntail betta.
I always feel sorry for bettas, they never look very good in the stores or in tiny tanks. But if you give them a bit bigger aquarium with a heater and filter, they are so active. Mine is just like a dog, he always comes up when I come over to the tank. He also likes to pig out. Even though I have betta food specifically for him, he eats everything else as well; flakes, algae wafers...
Initially I hadn't known much about aquatic plants. I figured they just needed light and got their nutrients out of the water and that was it. So, after killing two or three different types including the ones above, I read up on them and found out that different varieties have very different needs. (High lighting, CO2 injection, ferts)
I wanted to keep this a low tech tank, so I looked for some easy to grow plants. I ended up with Anubias, which does well in low lighting. I also added some Pondweed/Egeria densa which is a bit finicky; it grows like mad sometimes, doesn't like to stay planted, easily gets taken out by algae. I won't be getting more once my last bit dies off.
April 2011
Fish: 7x Neon Tetras, 2x Corydoras Sterbai, 3x Oto cats, 2x African Dwarf Frog, 1x Crowntail Betta, 3x Nerite Snails
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In just over a year I have learned a ton with this tank. Mainly, I learned to do research first. You can find everything you need on the internet.
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