Midas

Are the two Jags still getting along ok?

Yeah he did look relieved to have it out.

well, its out. He kept trying to spit it out but the fishes dorsal fin was preventing it coming out. I took him out of the tank and used a pair of pliers to pull the fish out. Had to be quite careful not to damage his mouth. He seems ok so thats good. Will keep an eye on him though. By the way Alan it's not a Severum, he's a Midas Cichlid.

Anyone had this problem before? My Midas Cichlid half ate one of my Texacons, but it appears that now it is stuck in his mouth. He normally doesn't eat them, just chews on them and spits them out. This time however the fish must have been a bit bigger cause he is trying but can't spit it out. Do you think i should try and help him and pull it out? or just leave him to it?

I would say a 2ft is too small for angels. The depth of the tank is quite important, make sure it's at least 1.5 ft high.

nice fish, looks like a female.

I'd agree with Warren, from the comment about the pH increasing while sitting overnight, it sounds like dissolved carbon dioxide gas in the water. This will release when exposed to the air.

probably Steatocranus casuarius It's an African river dwelling cichlid Have a look at the link below: http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/s_casuarius.php

Assuming that the system is well mixed, I calc a dilution figure of 18.13% if 20% of the water is changed continuously rather than all at once (which would result in a 20% dilution). In reality the tank system is probably neither going to be well mixed or plug flow. Are you including any dispersion terms in your model? Might be easier to measure experimentally than to calculate. Set up a tank with some sort of tracer chemical in it and measure the dilution over time as the water is changed continuously. The experiment could be repeated with different mixing regimes/flow patterns in the tank to see the effects.

so you're assuming plug flow rather than well mixed?

Vieja synspilum are usually called red-headed cichlids, but I suppose fire-head is similar. Mystics' V. fenestrata should look a bit similar, probably won't have the blue colouration though, synspilum are normally more a mottled red/brown/yellow/black pattern when adults.

copied from www.eheim.com (go to FAQ, there is a question on there with a limk to all the manuals) 2213 FILTER Included with filter: pump head, filter canister, pressure side hose connection, suction side hose connection, lattice screen, suction pipe, strainer, suction cups with clips, outlet pipe. A. Model with filter media: Place bottom lattice screen in position with feet down. Insert coarse filter pad. Remove filter bag from plastic packaging and rinse thoroughly under running water. Then press loosely into filter canister Apply filter wool (EHFISYNTH). Place top lattice screen in position with feet up. B. Empty model: Fill with EHEIM filter media per above description. Use EHFIMECH, and EHFIFIX or a filter pad as a coarse filter layer. When using for the first time, it is advisable to filter with carbon (EHFIKARBON or EHFIDRAFIN) for the first few weeks. Then carbon should be removed. Later, according to choice, filtering can be carried out with either chemical or biological EHEIM filter media. Moisten o-ring and fit on to base of pump head. Attach pump head and close clips. Place filter beneath aquarium - must be beneath water level. Fit outlet pipe. Assemble suction pipe and strainer and attach to wall of aquarium with 2 suction cups and establish hose connections to filter: suction side on bottom intake nozzle, pressure side on pump head. Fasten hoses with clamping nut. Starting up: With the EHEIM suction device (order no. 400354) or by sucking by mouth, suck the water on the pressure side above the edge of the tank. This will start a siphon. When canister is completely full of water connect pressure hose to outlet pipe and switch on filter by plugging in power plug. After a short while there will be a full flow of water through the hose without any air bubbles. (Be aware that the vibrating noise in the pump, occurring for the first seconds of operation, is normal). Maintenance and routine repairs: Pull out power plug. Release locking mechanism on pump head and remove pump parts carefully. Lift out cooling channel insert with a screwdriver. Clean all parts and then reassemble in the reverse sequence. Attention: The shafts in the bearing body and the superimposed pump-impeller vane must be able to rotate freely, so that the pump starts up without trouble. If necessary, the locking device of the pump head cover can be released with the aid of a screwdriver. Important safeguards Warning: To guard against injury, basic safety precautions should be observed, including the following. READ AND FOLLOW ALL SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE USING THIS APPLIANCE 2. DANGER - To avoid possible electric shock, special care should be taken since water is employed in the use of aquarium equipment. For each of the following situations, do not attempt repairs yourself; return the appliance to an authorized service facility for service or discard the appliance. If the appliance falls into the water, DONT’ REACH FOR IT! First unplug it and then retrieve it. If electrical components of the appliance get wet, unplug the appliance immediately (non-immersible equipment only). If the appliance shows any sign of abnormal water leakage, immediately unplug it from the power source (immersible equipment only). Carefully examine the appliance after installation. It should not be plugged in if there is water on parts not intended to be wet. Do not operate any appliance if it has a damaged cord or plug, if it is malfunctioning or it is dropped or damaged in any manner. To avoid the possibility of the appliance plug or receptacle from getting wet, position aquarium stand and tank to one side of wall mounted receptacle to prevent water from dripping onto the receptacle or plug. If the plug or receptacle does get wet, DON’T UNPLUG THE CORD. Disconnect the fuse or circuit breaker that supplies power to the appliance. Then unplug and examine for presence of water in the receptacle. 3. Close supervision is necessary when any appliance is used by or near children 4. To avoid injury, do not contact moving parts or hot parts such as heaters, reflectors, lamp bulbs, etc. Always unplug an appliance from an outlet when not in use, before putting on or taking off parts, and before cleaning. Never yank cord to pull plug from outlet. Grasp the plug and pull to disconnect. Do not use an appliance for other than intended use. The use of attachments not recommended or sold by the appliance manufacturer may cause an unsafe condition. Do not install or store the appliance where it will be exposed to the weather or to temperatures below freezing. Make sure an appliance mounted on a tank is securely installed before operating it. Read and observe all the important notices on the appliance. If an extension cord is necessary, a cord with a proper rating should be used. A cord rated for less watts than the appliance rating may overheat. Care should be taken to arrange the cord so that it will not be tripped over or pulled.

Yes as Alan says, there was at least one shipment come in from somewhere in the later half of last year. They seem to get snapped up pretty quick when they come in (I guess because as you say, before this it has been a couple of years since the last lot came in). They last place I saw some was in Wet pets in Palmy (they were hidden amoungst a whole heap of other baby cichlids so people may not have noticed them as much).

The socolofi is indeed the blue blur in the middle of the tank and the brown fish is a bumblebee cichlid that we used to have.

yes it was fidley, and messy. Even thouh I made it the garage I was still finding little bits of ploystyene around the house months afterwards. But I am quite happy with the results and would repeat the process if I wanted another one. For the polystyrene I had some old stuff ex-packaging that I just broke the bits off of. This made it even more fidley but it was free. It is possible to buy sheets of polystyrene around 10cm thick which would be quite good for the job.

It looks like a female platy to me.

Thats sad Any ideas whay might have happened?

When I was there it wasn't for sale, just on display.

SD's don't get that 'big'. Well not as big as the likes of Tin Foil barbs or Silver Sharks (or even Pacu's) which people also use to co-habitate as dithers in cichlid tanks to make the cichlids feel more at ease. I'd call SD's medium sized fish, but I guess it's all relative.

I'd have thought that they would have been ok, for the time being anyway as the JD and Jewels still look quite small. Keep an eye on things and if they still haven't settled in after a week or two it might be better to move them. Things might change as they grow though, as Alan says watch the JD. You might need a bigger tank if they are all to co-habitate long term.

looks like some kind of insect larvae

2ft is a bit small for breeding Firemouths don't you think?

Whats the pH of your roof water, 7.3? I would have thought this would have been at or below 7 to start with (also should be very soft so will have no pH buffereing capacity, hence pH will be able to change in both directions very easily depending on whether acid or base is added to the water - this is the main problem with using rain water. Also, drift wood should not make the pH rise, it should make it fall (it releases acidic compounds). What else is in the tank? anything that would make the pH go up? eg shell? What kind of fish are you keeping? 7.6 should be fine for most fish. How long between water changes, ie how long does it take for the pH to get up to 7.6?

Kim, have you seen these before in NZ?

Has anyone noticed the strange looking new catfish that Wet Pets has on display in their big Discus tank? Looks to me like some kind of Pimelodidae catfish. Possibly Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum or Pseudoplatystoma tigrinum. Both nice fish (although very large). See pic's below (I haven't got a pic of the actual fish in Wet Pets, their one is about 30-40 cm long): Pic of both species: Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum pic: Pseudoplatystoma tigrinum pic: Both these species get to be over a metre long, so if it is one of these, it looks like it would be a good replacement for the Red Tail Cat they lost recently. For those that have seen the catfish in Wet Pets, what do you think it is?