BigBossPants

Wow he's a big-un! Can't wait for Belial to get that size! Gave him more mussel tonight, with the light off. Left all the bits in it this time so we'll see how that goes... ANZAC day meant I didn't get paid so no meat for him grrrrr

I had 3 in a 60L tank, never had any major issues with them and they even spawned at one stage. Although I tried to up the numbers to 5 but the new ones kept dying. I had a 500L/H canister filter, driftwood, lots of plants, peat in the filter... Weekly 1/3 water changes. Nothing too flash. They shared it with 2 honey dwarf gourami, 5 black neons, a bristlenose and a peppered cory at different points and got on fine with them all. The big female chockie did like to chase the dwarf honey's though.

Guess I'll jump on the bandwagon... I have a few more piercings since that was taken... I think I need to get out in the sun more lol Mystic, do you still have rats? I sold mine Miss them though

Meet Belial!

Wow your ornates are gorgeous, how big is that larger one? Mine is very similar to the lighter one in your pic, I'll try the darker substrate thanks He didn't want to eat last night either, I had given him mussel again. Going to the shop to get some shrimp and stuff today so hopefully I can entice him Will post a pic of him shortly!

Thanks for that HaNs, yeah I am a bit paranoid about him lol he's my baby. Did you mean 30mm (3cm)? What sort of flow rate do you use for yours? I have a 500L/H internal filter at the moment, I think it's a bit much, tetras don't like it lol

Hi guys, I just bought a 6" Ornate Bichir ($65 - Woo Hoo!) yesterday and I'm a little concerned about him. He's very pale, not at all like the ones we get at work (pet store). His fins are normal but his body is pasty looking, he doesn't have the defined markings I expected. The guy at the shop said he was just eating flakes (shock, horror!). The tank he was in looked a little suspect too, low water quality maybe? My tank is 240L (4 foot), has a sand bottom and some live plants. I gave him some half-bowls to hide in but he seems to prefer to sit in the plants and under the filter. The lighting is a regular fluro bulb, about 90cm long so tank is darker in the corners. So far he has eaten an earthworm and 3 small neon tetras (he shares his tank with about 9 assorted tetras, they were all meant to be feeders but have evaded him so far). I offered him some mussel today and he snapped at it but spat it out and didn't go back to it. The little fish liked it though haha. He gets 'Tetra' tropical flakes left over from the little fish too, but I know this isn't suitable. He seems to be eating the sand, or putting it in his mouth and spitting it out through his gills, WHY?! Is it likely that he'll become darker with a good, varied diet and better water? How much/often should he be fed? I'm going to invest in some assorted frozen food in the next couple of days... Also, what kind of lighting can I use so I can watch him at night? I was thinking of red or blue LED's so I can light the tank but he'll still think it's night... Any suggestions?

Does the Salvini cichlid need to be kept with others of the same species? If so, how many? I'm looking at getting one as a tankmate for a senegalus bichir, the one I want is a female I think. Will it be ok with a bichir or would it get eaten?

How long will brine shrimp or microworms stay alive once I put them in the tank? Is it possible to have a food source in there in case they are released while I'm at work?

Just sent you a PM Mum still looks like she is holding, will move her to the other tank on Thursday, just have to test the water and make sure its the same as the big tank!

Righto... I've set up a seperate tank for mum, she will be moved in a couple of days. It has an undergravel filter and some plants for cover, I'm just waiting for the bacteria to get better established before introducing the fishy. I'm a little concerned about the brine shrimp, do they absolutely have to eat live food, or is there something else they will accept (like liquid, frozen or baby flakes)? Not sure I have the facilities to hatch them...

I think my chockies have spawned! A couple of days ago two of them were doing a little dance, they would wrap around each other and then one would jiggle a bit. Now one of these two looks as if it is holding babies in its mouth - its throat is puffed out. Is it the female who will mouthbrood? I originally thought this one was a male, now I'm not so sure. How long do they hold the babies, and what do I need to do once they come out? Would it be best to put mum in a breeding trap or to leave her loose in the tank? Tankmates are 2 other chocolate gouramis, a bristlenose and a peppered cory. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Hello! I have a 70L bow front tank with 4 Chocolate Gourami, 2 Honey Dwarf Gourami, 1 Peppered Cory and 1 Bristlenose Catfish. At the moment I have some Twisted Val, Mouses Ear, Java Fern, Java Moss and a bit of driftwood. Filter is a bit budget at the moment but I'm waiting on a canister filter I'd like to try and breed the Chocolate's, but I can't quite figure out how to sex them, maybe because they are still young. I heard that the males have more yellow on their anal fin, where on the fin is it?? Also, has anyone else bred them, and are there any plants anyone can recommend for them? I read they like heavily planted tanks, so I plan to build it up once I get the better filter. I've been doing 25 - 50% waterchanges once a week. Thanks BigBossPants