THE LATEST ON MY LITTLE CICHLID ROOM

WATER CHANGE FRIDAY

I did a water change on my 40 gallon tank that holds the cichlids I plan on selling. Before I got started I noticed a cichlid was holding. She is a Red Albino Zebra. I just assumed that she bred with another Albino because I have four in that tank. The males and females look identical so unless you vent them you can't tell one from the other.

A little while later I noticed a Yellow Lab in the same tank holding. I watched for a few minutes and along came her partner. There are five Yellow Labs in this tank but she chose to breed with an OB Zebra! I decided I would let them finish and do my water change in the morning.

I went ahead and did the water change on my 75 gallon. I thought I would change the hardscape up a bit and only placed rocks here and there. None of them touching so the fish could swim between them. Within an hour my tank was a mess. Stones were tilted and big holes were dug. GAH! My cichlids just want their caves and swim throughs back. I removed the rocks and rescaped the tank again just to their liking. It's amazing how happy they seem when they have it set like they want. I spoil my cichlids.

CICHLIDS BURPING

Always looking for that perfect shot. 

THE CONTROVERSY

DAILY OBSERVATIONS

This is Daddy EBF

I checked on MLFR this morning and decided I would go ahead and strip my Electric Blue Fryeri. She had been holding long enough that her fry should be free swimming and I really hate seeing the moms not eating for that long.

I stripped her of about 20 fry. I didn't get a clear count but that's close enough. They look healthy and wiggle like crazy but they still have slight egg sacks on them yet. I decided to put them in a tumbler for a few days until their egg sacks are completely absorbed. I will let their mom recuperate in the 10 gallon tank until the weekend.

When I do my water changes on Friday I will remove the two females that are holding and put them into the last mom's brooding tank using a divider to give them each their own space. The same time the new moms come up she will have to return to her community. The new mom's are a Red Empress juvenile and the other is another Electric Blue Fryeri.

 

This is one of my Red Empress juveniles

Checking on my display tanks it really hit me today how much my juveniles have grown. They are still only an 1.5" but they are already showing colours. It's so exciting seeing them develop into young adults. They are beginning to breed as well. Sometimes they don't find that mothering instinct before they spit or swallow their fry but I think first timers are often like that. In my experience it seems to go that way.

MY MIND IS OFFICIALLY BLOWN!

I can't believe I have just reaced 100 subscribers to my channel. It's amazing the community support I have received.

DAILY OBSERVATIONS

This morning as always I began checking on MLFR. Everyone is always hungry in there. In one tank I have a breeder box holding Red Empress fry and Elongotus fry -  about 25 fry in total. They will soon be released into a larger tank. The tank they are presently in also contains fry from previous broods and a tumbler with my youngest. The Yellow Labs are almost free swimmers now. The remainder of this 20 gallon grown out is home to Auratus fry and Dragon blood fry. These two are about 5-6 weeks old now.

My jumping beans and the mom I have holding are pretty much the same age. I'll be stripping her as soon as the tumbler babies are free swimming. Then I will put those two broods together in a breeding box for a couple weeks so I can watch closely how they are eating. I really feel it's important to start the free swimmers in a breeder box. It's much easier to follow their progress and they can find the food with less effort when it's a smaller area than putting them right into an open tank. This has worked well for me.

In my display tanks everyone is always hungry. Everyone looks well. I have noticed there is a little Red Empress holding in my juvenile tank. I saw her last night long after feeding so I know she's not just holding pellets. Although that can be deceiving. It's always best to check of holding moms later in the day or just before lights out. You should check a couple different times making sure she's holding  them well. Once that's established you begin to count 7-10 days before moving her. This I have found to be the best time to make the move. It can be stressful and if moved to soon you risk of them spitting in a panic. Giving them those few days to adjust to this new experience helps them bond with their brood and allows that protective instinct to kick in.

My "For Sale" tank is doing well. After selling of 8 large cichlids I added a few Red Top Zebras. Moving on to my 75, everyone is looking great. I did a water change and rescaped yesterday so there's a little confusion as to who owns what. Things have settled down and there are some pairs getting acquainted. I'm sure there will be some spawning going on soon as I have seen at least 3 couples paring of and dancing. I believe this morning I have an Electric Blue Fryeri holding. In 7-10 I'll move her into a brooding tank if she proves to be holding eggs and not pellets. Pellets just don't hatch well!

SECURE YOUR HARD-SCAPE

TIPS FOR SELLING CICHLIDS

These tips I'm going to talk to you about are from my own experience and are simple tips for the average person who is looking to sell off some stock. More in the mind to make room than to make money.

TIPS AS THE SELLER

PHOTOS
It's very important to have good clear photos of the actual fish unless they are too small to capture in a clear image. You can add parent photos as they will give the buyer and idea of what they will look like as adults since many fry look very much the same.

ADD CONTENT
Use an eye catching title on your add to encourage people to continue reading. Clearly list your items, whether fish, supplies or anything else you may be selling for that matter. Beside each item give a detailed description of the item. And finally list the price you are asking. You can also add the reason you are selling to make your add a little more personal.

CONTACT INFORMATION
Leave clear instruction as to how to best get in touch with you. Include best times to call. If possible leave at least three options for contacting you to make it easier for your potential customer.

ONCE CONTACTED
Make sure to have clear pictures to send if asked for. Make valid points that will enhance the chance of the sale. Don't get too wrapped up in price. Satisfying a potential buyer is the best way to bring them back. If they leave with a sense of success and confidence in and your product they will tell others - word of mouth is the most effective form of advertisement.

DISPLAY TANK

This is my display "for sale" tank. 

When you have a customer come to your home have all the fish you are willing to sell in one tank. A display tank with go a long way in showing your care for the fish and also the quality you are offering. It's important to separate the fish you intend to sell. If you have to catch a few in a tank with your own fish that can sometimes lead to disappointment as they will see fish they would like to buy that you are not selling. This gives the customer the idea that the fish you are selling to them are not as good. Don't let the customer compare.

MAKE AN OFFER
Naturally people have a desire to bargain. Put aside your listed price as it should only be a guideline. Watch what they seem to be interested in and make them an offer. Combining to make it look like more for less is a great strategy. Talk from experience and share information or experiences you have had with the item making it more desirable.

These next points are for the buyer/trader.

PHOTOS
If you are answering a add be sure to have clear photos ready to send of the items you are willing to trade. Don't bother sending blurry undefined photos as they will only send negative feelings. Do not ask to see photos of their items/fish unless you have good clear photos to send in return. Be clear on size and history of your product. Don't ever say "I don't know". better to say "I'll have to find out for you". Most of these tips can you used on either end of the transaction.

Yesterday I had two experiences with buyers. One experience was good. We talked on the phone. This very nice guy came by. We talked hobbies and got a little background. He chose the fish he wanted. After we concluded our business I gave him a little tour of my tanks. Be sure to only show the best you have. It gives the buyer confidence in you and your product. It's always a good feeling when you have left a customer feeling satisfied and happy. Remember they will pass on the word and no advertisements equal testimonials.

The second and not good experience - It began as text messages. The bad experience started off on the wrong foot and only went down hill from there. It was a young person (not sure how young - thinking teen) He/she started out asking about the fish I had for sale, then wanted to know about what I have in other fish stock. They wanted to trade not buy but had nothing to trade that I was interested in. They called their 1" fry juveniles. Sent pictures that were just a smudged fish. He expected me to drive there, which the seller should never do. At best a mutual location to meet is fair in the event of a long drive. Suffice it to say I ended the deal by saying thanks for your interest but this deal is not worth an hours drive for me. He offered me a free brand new Aqueon filter if I drove there. Just not good from start to finish. The fish he wanted I wasn't sure I wanted to part with anyway. Never set yourself on fire to keep others warm.

FUTURE PLANS FOR MY 75

MAKING ROOM & SAYING GOOD BYE

OB PEACOCK

Last night I posted an add in Kijiji to sell some of my cichlids. I have quite a few I need to sell - from fry to 5" and many different species. I'm running out of room and want to begin by selecting all the ones I plan on keeping and separating them from the ones I plan on selling.

YELLOW LAB

I emptied out my hold-over tank into two groups. Keepers and seller..Having them in 5 gallon pails I began doing a water change on my 75 and caught the ones in there that I plan on selling. Once the water was removed and my python was working hard to refill I added the keepers from my lay-over tank. I have a few more cichlids in my 75 now but they are much smaller so I can't see there being a problem. My biggest issue was deciding which I was keeping and which I was willing to sell.

SP #44

I have all the sellers in my lay-over tank now. In there I have 3 OB Peacocks, 5 OB Zebras, 4 Albino Red Zebras, 3 Haps, 4 Yellow Labs and 1 SP#44. That will make some room for my larger juveniles to move up to the lay-over tank and room for my oldest fry to join the juvenile community.

OB ZEBRA

It's been an interesting day. It amazes me how attached I have gotten to certain cichlids. I caught a couple to sell but, ended up re-catching them and keeping them. It's very hard to let go of my babies.

These are a few of the cichlids I'm selling. I have a couple people interested so I'm hoping to sell them quickly. Once these are gone I will start working to sell my fry.

FISH ROOM JUGGLE ACCOMPLISHED

Today I had lots of juggling to do in MLFR (my little fish room). I do water changes on my fish room tanks a couple times a week. Usually Mondays a littler more in depth than on Thursdays. I only do twice a week changes on my grow-out tanks because of the high number of fry.

This morning I began with Shredder. He's my Red Shoulder who was beaten up and had is fins shredded. He spent 7 days in a treatment tank of Melafix. He's looking much better so I returned him to his community.

Once we was moved out I did a major clean on the tank, vacuuming the substrate and removing everything to give it a good clean. Once it was ready I went fishing.

In my 30 gallon grow out tank I had 50 Red Top Zebras, 9 Albino Red Zebras and 4 dolphins. I moved the Albinos and Dolphins into the newly vacated 10 gallon tank. I am keeping the Dolphins and not sure about the Albinos yet as I have about 4 juveniles already.

I did a good water change and substrate clean on the 30 gallon which is holding my 50 Red Top Zebras. They are 3 months old now. To that group I added 30 Red Top Zebras from a 10 gallon tank that are a little older. Now I have 80 RTZ in my 30 gallon grow out. They are ready do go now but, if I don't sell some this week I'll have to take some in to the aquarium store just to thin the herd so to speak.

Once the 10 gallon tank was free of RTZ I did a good clean, water change and vacuum on it. Now it's empty and ready for either an injury or a new mom. We'll see. My Electric Blue has been at it again so I'm expecting to see his lady holding soon.

That left my 20 gallon grow out and my 10 gallon holding my two brooding moms. I didn't bother the moms as they need peace and quiet and there's no need to bother them anyway. I didn't do much with the 20 gallon either. In there I have Auratus and Dragon Blood fry about 1 month old. I also have a breeder box in the top corner holding a brood of Red Empress fry and Elongatus fry. They are about 2 weeks now. Finally in the bottom corner are my tumbling baby Yellow Labs. Those little wigglers are just amazing! Everyday they change.

I have quite a variety of fry on hand right now. Only the Red Top Zebras are ready to go. There are some people who don't mind buying fry as young as 1 month but I prefer to give them at least a 2 month start before I let them go.

TODAY'S SMILE ~ CICHLIDS PLAYING LASER TAG!

Having some fun with my cats I decided to give my cichlids a turn. It's amazing how inquisitive these guys are. I laughed so hard when I watched the one guy trying to eat the laser dot. It's comical so I hope you enjoy!

DAILY OBSERVATIONS

While I was doing my morning rounds - checking on MLFR I noticed one of my filters wasn't running. I'm not sure what happened to it but it was hot to touch so I assumed the motor is fried. I had enough filtration on that tank but need a new back up filter as my back up died too. I do have a couple extra sponge filters so that's what I used until I can pick one up. Other then that everyone is doing great.

I have 2 holding females sharing a 10 gallon tank which I have divided in two so they each have their own space. One mom is a Dragon Blood and the other is an Electric Blue Fryeri. I'm really excited about her. I haven't had EBF babies yet. It's a first for this pair as well so I'm hoping she does well. So far she seems to be holding fine. As for Dragon Bloods, I have a brood of fry that are only a couple weeks old in another tank. They are prolific breeders I can tell you that.

In my hospital tank I still have "Shredder" my German Red Shoulder. He somehow got beaten pretty bad. His fins were shredded and he was missing a whack of scales as well. He's done a week of Melafix tomorrow. I will probably send him back to the layover tank. Hopefully he'll be okay now that he's all healed up. Besides I need the tank he's in. I have to do a complete clean so I can set it up for my next mom. I have another EBF holding in the main tank. I'll give her a good week before I relocate her.

In my last 10 gallon I have about 20 RedTop Zebras that I need to move. I was going to take them in over the weekend but with gardening and the nice weather, my outdoor chores had to come first. I will post them and see what happens.

In my 20 gallon grow-out I have a brood of Auratus and Dragon Bloods who are about 2-3 weeks old. In the corner of that aquarium I have a breeder box with Elongatus and Red Empress fry. In my 30 gallon grow-out I have about 30 Red Top Zebras, 10 Albino RedxReds, 4 Dolphins that I purchased and in the corner of that aquarium I have my tumbler with about 15 Yellow Labs wigglers.

I have lots of work to do tomorrow in My Little Fish Room. Water changes all the way around, completely clean one of the 10's and doing a little juggling as well. I'm going to be needing my other 10 gallon soon so I may have to set up one of my empty 40 gallon tanks in the basement. I only use them if I have an excess of fry - which I do!

ODE TO OB CICHLIDS

CICHLID FIGHT - BIG AL RETAINS THE THRONE!

CLOWN MYSTERY SOLVED

I shared a couple posts back that my clown loaches had disappeared. I was quite concerned and had no idea where they went. Sharing a video on YouTube I had some helpful comments leading me to believe they were still there but were hiding. Apparently, clown fish (like many fish) are shy, they don't like bright lights and they like crawling into tight spaces to hide.

I cleaned out my entire tank and could not find them anywhere. I removed everything this time including my UV sterilizer. As I grabbed it out popped my three missing clown loaches! I couldn't believe my eyes. They were hiding in the output tube. Two of the clowns looked fine but the one had scraped his head and chin area.

I was so happy I had found them. I adjusted the output tube on my UV sterilizer so they shouldn't get in there again. I also added a pipe for them to hide in. It's actually a piece of intake tubing from my HOB filter. I drilled a hole into it added a suction cup and then stuck it against the back glass of the tank. I placed it on a 45° angle. I was hoping the clowns would use it but my curious cichlids found it first. I also added a couple little jugs I picked up at the Thrift Store as hides as well. It seems the cichlids have taken them over as well.

Watching the clowns, they do seem happy, merrily swimming around. My cichlids do not bother with them and I have a feeling they are getting used to their surrounding not having the need to hide like they did.

POND PLEASURES

Yesterday it was windy here. I went out to feed my pond fish and found my pond was missing about 1/4 of the water. In the center of the pond I have a pump that sprays water into the air. Because it was so windy the water being shot into the air was blown onto the grass. Over a few hours my pond had lost a lot of water.

I pulled out the garden hose and began refilling the pond. I then got down on my knees to lower the spout of the pump so it wouldn't spray so high and let the wind steal my water. As leaned over and reached for the spout, I lost my balance and took the plunge! It was pretty cold! The days high was only 16° so the water was chilly to say the least. I'm sure I shocked the fish as well as myself.

While I was in there I adjusted the spray at little too low. Once the pond had been filled again I realized the spray was below the surface. As the pond finished filling I changed into dry clothes. Going out to turn the water off I realized I set the spout a little too low but I was warm and dry so that's how I left it.

THE DISAPPEARING CLOWNS

A few days ago I was out and about and stopped at the local aquarium. I left with a couple clown fish. They are something I've always wanted to add to my tank. I love their colour and their funny antics.

I put them in my 40 gallon with a group of juvenile cichlids. They are so funny sticking together like glue. You just don't seem them apart. So I thought. A couple days after getting them they didn't look as feisty as they did. There wasn't any apparent fin damage or other indications of abuse but something didn't seem right with them. 

I did a clean on that tank so while I was at it I re-homed them to my 55 juvenile tank. These juveys are just a step above fry. Within a couple hours the one clown was swimming upside down. We all know that is not a good sign. I moved him again this time putting him in a hospital tank, but by mid-day he was dead.

The other one seemed to be doing okay all alone, but I did want to get him a new friend. Because I only had them a couple days I put the dead one in the freezer and planned to take him back. The next morning, I did a quick check on the healthy one before leaving. He was no where to be found. I searched that tank all over. Very strange. I left with my dead return and came back with two more. One was a replacement and the other an "in case" one. 

I acclimated them to the 55 gallon where the missing clown was supposed to be. He was still missing by the time I got home. The new ones seemed a good fit but it still confused me as to where the heck the other clown was hiding. I don't know anything about clown loaches. Do they hide like that?

I pushed it out of my mind and got busy with other things I needed to do. Doing my good night check there were still only two but they did look good. Off to bed I went. First thing in the morning I do my rounds feeding my fry first, new moms, sick tank and then moving on down to the main floor. Checking on my cute little clowns there weren't any left! This was nearly driving me crazy! 

I took care of the rest of my tanks, did my mid-week water test and had my coffee. All my test were awesome. Perfect in fact. With no ammonia spike I was pretty sure my clowns weren't dead but they were hiding somewhere in that tank.

Finally by the end of the day it bugged me to the point of removing everything from my aquarium. I turned off everything, removed the rocks, shells, plants and every thing that was movable except the fish. Guess what??? No clowns anywhere. There is no place where they can jump out. I checked the shells, behind the heater, up by the filters and every nook or tiny hiding space I could think of. I even ran my fingers through the sand slowly in case they had buried themselves. But nothing!

Feeling totally frustrated I put everything back cleaned up my mess, tossed the towels over chairs to dry and was ready to go to bed. Just as I reached to turn out the light - there was a clown! Just one! Where the heck did he come from? Of course that got me all wound up again. I searched again but he was the only one in there. I went to bed with my head spinning.

This morning after doing my rounds in MLFR I headed down the check on my 55 and hopefully find 3 clowns back. GAH!! No clowns at all!

UPDATE ON MY ICHY SITUATION

About two weeks ago my 20 gallon fry grow-out tank became infested with Ich. This tank is home to my Auratus and my Dragon Blood fry. I went through a 10 day regime of treatment and they are clear. Unfortunately I did lose a few Dragon Blood fry. I don't know why but I didn't see one Auratus fry with Ich and I didn't lose one single Auratus fry.

While I was going through this nasty business with Ich I did a lot of reading about this parasite. I found out that when a fish has been infected with Ich, it will become immune to the parasite itself but will still be a carrier for the sickness if it comes in contact with it. I have still no idea how this parasite got into my tank but it got me to thinking. What if - The Auratus mom carried the parasite - passed it to her fry - who through her became immune and then the Dragon Blood babies got it from them when they joined them in the grow out tank. This seems like a plausible explanation except for the fact that the Auratus mom was only 4 months old or so and healthy. I know her history and her health has always been good. So much for me thinking...

I am just happy to update you on the Ich situation. I got through it! Most of my fry survived and have actually been growing. They are all clear of spots and eat like little horse fishies. I hope I never have to deal with this again but at least I know what to do in that event.

DAILY OBSERVATIONS

This morning the morning after my water changes, and a little rescaping I noticed some changes within one of my tanks. I have a 40 gallon tank that holds the fish that don't fit into my juvenile community, as they are getting bigger and developing dominant characteristics. They are just a little small for my adult community so they do a layover in my 40 gallon.

I can tell after the changes the heirarchy has experience a slight shift. Or at least some attempts at usurping the tank boss are evident. My German Red Shoulder is quite frayed. He's a mess. If you are into lacy fins then you would like how he's looking. I also noticed my two new Clown Loaches have nips out of their tails and fins. One Clown is in serious shape while the other isn't quite as bad.

In order to catch these three fish I had to remove all the hard scape and plants or go nuts trying to work around it. I've learned it's easier just to clear it from the start and save time.

I moved the Red Shoulder back to my juvenile community. He needs time to heal those shredded fins. The healthier clown I also moved to the juvenile tank. Watching them for a few moments - I think they will do fine there. My juvenile tank in now holding four fish that need some TLC. Kenny is still in there from his rehab after being paralyzed, my Dragon Blood that just had a brood is spending some recuperation time there and now these two additions. It's a really good tank for this purpose. Sometimes I think they heal faster with non-threatening fish with them rather than being all alone.

The other Clown is in my hospital tank with a Pleco that lives in there. In that
tank is the playpen holding the Red Empress fry that mom released yesterday. He is not looking good at all. He was on his back breathing hard so I'm afraid he won't make it. I checked on him a couple times and he'd make an effort to swim right side up..but eventually he'd be too exhausted and be on his back again breathing hard. I've turned the heat up a degree or two and added a little salt but there's not much more I can do. I will have to trust nature to take it's course with him. 

STRIPPING CICHLIDS

Today as I was doing my
water changes I decided it was a good time to move a couple holding moms. One mom was in my 55 gallon juvenile community. She is very young, hardly more than a baby herself. I've been watching her for a couple weeks now. She has really impressed me. Holding her babies well, forgoing food and sticking to a small area of the tank seeking a measure of peace - all things you would expect from an experienced mom. I considered catching her last week but she's so small I figured she would only have a few so I was going to let her spit and do her thing in the big tank. I was a little worried that she may panic and spit her fry if I tried to move her.

Today I did a deeper clean removing the fish and deep cleaning the tank. It really was a perfect time to move her. I caught the fish not really seeking anyone in particular. When I had her in the net, I took her out in my hand to make sure it was her and she spit a couple babies in my hand. I put her in a small pitcher and took her up to MLFR (My Little Fish Room) and put her in a brooding tank I had ready. I left her there with her two babies and went to finish cleaning the tank. I was hoping she would pick them up again while I was gone. As soon as I was finished I tidied up my towels and supplies anxious to go see how she was doing.

When I finally went to check on her I realized she wasn't holding any longer. I looked closely and could see a few fry hiding around the stones I had set in there for cover. I removed the stones and terracotta pot and then caught mom again. I checked her and she spit a couple more fry. They were tiny but free swimming so that gave me a sense of relief. I took her back down to the juvenile community once I was sure she was empty. Next, I went up, took my fry net and started hunting for her tiny fry that were very hard to see against the sand. I caught nine fry. She actually had more than I was expecting. I put them in a playpen in the brooding tank and will watch them closely. I fed and watched them attempt to eat. I hope they will be okay. They are free swimming with no evidence of their yolk sacks but they are definitely the tiniest fry I have had so far.





While I was at it I also caught the Yellow Lab in my adult community. She was bred yesterday. I normally don't move them or strip this early but this girl has a lousy history. She has held three other broods each time losing the entire brood by the fourth or fifth day in. The last time I moved her into a brooding thank on the third day thinking with some quiet she will settle and have her brood. Again a couple days later her babies are gone and she's no longer holding. Today I caught her, stripped her of twenty eggs, put them in a tumbler and put her back into the community. I intend on raising this brood myself. At least I know I won't eat them!

NOTE:  Please excuse the quality of the photos. The subjects just weren't co-operative today! Oh and also excuse my postit note. I have them all over MLFR and usually take them down for photos. 

CLEANING YOUR PYTHON

When I do my water changes I use "The Python". It's a fantastic and helpful siphon that attaches to your faucet so you can remove and replace your aquarium water without lugging pails back and forth. I use it to siphon only at this point. In order to use it to refill I have to pick up a adapter.

I did my water changes in my two show tanks today. Lugging my refill pails from the kitchen to where my tanks are located is a chore. It's not far but still a hassle. I went to the local hardware store to get the adapter today and was told I won't be able to use my faucet in the kitchen. For some reason it won't adapt to the python. I decided to check the main floor bathroom and guess what? It works. I'm pretty happy about that except it's too far for one of my tanks to reach so I will still have to lug pails for one tank. I'm going to look into getting a extra length of hose I can add so my pail lugging days will be over.

I have noticed that my python hose is getting dark spots in it. I'm afraid it's mold because it's next to impossible to dry the hose out between water changes.  Many people have told me it's not a concern and not to worry about it. I decided to clean it today. I mixed a solution of 1 part bleach to 3 parts water. I wound up the hose into a circle that would fit inside my 5 gallon pail. Pushing the hose down to the bottom I began pouring the solution over the hose. Once the hose was covered I took the end and sucked the solution through the hose. I stopped just before I got a mouthful of bleach! This was the only way I could see filling the hose with the solution without having air trapped inside. I left it soak like that for a couple hours. Then I repeated the process with clear water, rinsing it through a few times. I then left the pail with the hose wound up in it filled with clear water and I'll let that sit over night and then I will repeat that once more to make sure it's clear. My final step will be to run a good dose of Prime through the hose and that should do it. As it is, now my hose is looking crystal clear and clean. Mold scares me and I am not going to take a chance hurting my fish using a moldy hose. 

CICHLIDS VS CANON 60D

FEELING THE LOVE

OUT AND ABOUT - MORE CICHLIDS

Today I had to go out and pick up another test pack for my Nitrate as mine was empty. I went to three different stores and they were out at all of them. I ended up getting the Nitrate test by NutraFin. It's fine. There's a little more to it than the API test kit. The NutraFin has three bottles of solution. It's a light purple/pink colour but as long as it tells me what I need to know I guess I'm happy.

Of course being out at an aquarium store I had to check out the fish. I ended up bringing home four more fish. I picked up two (Placidochromis Milomo) VC-10's and two (Chromobotia Macracanthus) Clown Loaches. I've wanted to get a couple clown loaches for a while so I was happy they had some and the VC-10's were just a whim.

A little trivia on the VC-10's - They were given the name VC-10 by a pair of brothers from Florida who where one of the first exporters of Cichlids from Africa to America back in the early 70's. They were named after the airplanes that were mostly used in Africa at that time. The word Milomo translated from the Chewa language means lips because this species has very thick lips. They are from Lake Malawi although unlike most Cichlids they like being on their own.

DAILY OBSERVATIONS

This is the beginning of a new month and hopefully a good one. I'm so happy to report my Ichy fry are no longer spotted. I still have a couple days to go but I believe my Ich problem is in the past. The only benefit this has given me is the
experience and knowledge I now have and will be able to help others on a personal level as I gone through it. For the fish they benefit (if they survive) because having had Ich they will have built up immunities and will not suffer this nasty parasite again.

In MLFR I had 2 moms holding. That is now down to one. The Yellow Lab who had her mouth so full she could barely close it - lost all her eggs. I assume she ate them. I caught her to check and make sure and she spit the last egg at me. My Yellow Labs have not been good in following through with their brood. I have a brood of Yellow Labs right now but from 4 females only one managed to deliver for me.

I still have two other females holding. One is an Elongatus Mpanga. I'm very excited about her brood. This is her first and she's very young so I am guessing she will have 10 at the most. Her male is very handsome and they should have beautiful fry. The other female is also very young and she is a Red Empress. Again I don't expect her to have many as this is her first brood as well. Maybe these young ones will show up the adults.





Breeding continues to go well. All my fry tanks are full and I have some in brooder boxes as well. I'm certainly not complaining. The breeding part is amazing and I love watching my little ones grow up.

ANOTHER 75 IN THE WORKS