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PCS & Stuart M. Grant - Cichlid Preservation Fund - Details here


Pchmb

Member Since 14 Oct 2014
Offline Last Active Jan 02 2018 06:21 AM

#360493 Dropped My Tangs At Robs Aquarium...

Posted by Pchmb on 18 March 2017 - 12:21 PM

Hi all,

Just thought I'd let our Perth cichlid community know that I've shut down a few of my tanganyikan tanks and dropped off the fish to Rob's Aquarium to sell on to a fellow enthusiast, currently lunchtime Saturday.

-colony of wild caught blue Zaire frontosa, 2 male 7 females. Have held fry many times but poor feeding by me left the frontys not holding till full term.
-colony of 12 F1 tropheus chaikita 5+ years old
-5 large black calvus,
-pair large yellow leleupi,
-2 ventralis,
tropheus lufubu and red moliro
Awesome fish, well fed and good water conditions through out the couple of years they have been in my care.

Cheers Paul


#356778 Wtb Tangs

Posted by Pchmb on 12 November 2016 - 10:06 PM

I've got 3 big black calvus and 4 med sized ones that I'm willing to sell, though the big ones cost me $100 each from Rob's a good 6 months back if you are interested
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#356297 The Cichlid Aquaponics Room

Posted by Pchmb on 29 October 2016 - 03:47 PM

Nice work with the daphnia mate. Can you explain a little more what you're doing to maintain the population of them?

I already had those containers outside and these contained the algae and muck from when I emptied the kiddies pool (6473L) in June. For some reason I kept refilling them and was keeping a population of all sorts of invertebrates and algae. No daphnia though.

So when I got the daphnia at the last auction, which came in a sandwich bag, I placed into just one of the tubs. After a month there was a huge population, so I kept scooping and moving daphnia into each of the other tubs. Now each of the tubs have big populations. I run water from the kiddies pool into the tubs to refill.

I also drop sera flora flakes every few days, occasionally algae wafers. Not sure if this feeds them. I'm guessing micro phytoplankton and algae growing in the tubs are feeding them, but flakes can only help the daphnia's growth.

At the moment the tubs are in direct sunlight. I'm thinking these may get too hot over summer, so will move into a little shade come the heat.


#356254 The Cichlid Aquaponics Room

Posted by Pchmb on 27 October 2016 - 09:17 PM

October 2016
The Aquaponics is still to come... but I have got myself a few bags of those clay balls. I'm still testing ideas and water flow on top shelf.
I have changed these tanks a bit this year. It has been pretty fun getting it all organised. I told myself I had to have this setup for the July school holidays, so that all the fish I keep in the science lab, have tanks to go in. I used automatic fish feeders on the last holidays in September but can't do this over the Chrissy holidays, as I will not be going in to do weekly water changes.
This is the guppy pool that I've just moved the black snake skin guppies in to, now that the temperature is warming up in Perth.
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The daphnia tubs. Stoked to get a bag from the last auction. Which has allowed me to feed live daphnia to all my cichlids every morning.
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The Frontosa tank 6x2x2, wild caught and still no fry, after all the times of holding. Maybe I should strip?
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The double stack 6x2x2 keeping a few tangs and a colony of petricola.
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Just put these two colonies together
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Fry grow out tanks
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Yellow labs
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Tropheus and Calvis tank
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and a few non Africans....
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I'm going into the first summer using this "sun room" that was once (1950s) a patio as my fish room. The last couple of years there was times my house got really hot. I drilled a few holes in the asbestos walls and had a couple of air conditioners installed into the whole house. Maybe I need to cover the windows with reflective insulation, and maybe I will need to part ways with the Tropheus. But right now, I'm stoked with the setup of sponge filters and sump and can't wait to turn all the heaters off.
I'll try keep this journal updated.


#356230 My Science Classroom

Posted by Pchmb on 26 October 2016 - 08:34 PM

Spring Term update on the 5 footers f8907604d5ea0019a68597a420331ee3.jpg Polits looking good, building a decent colony. da030e1ca07d1a68abd179dfb4db2fdf.jpg Phenochilus and Moorii continue to distract the class. 826ebc14ae5b1870e0be7474b6651455.jpg While the Yellow-tail Acei and Bi-Colour 500s show support for the best team in the AFL... displaying their West Coast Eagles colours. 76e45d2ed50360030d04eccdbd667a61.jpg


#355913 Fish Prices And Importing - Kigoma.

Posted by Pchmb on 15 October 2016 - 05:55 PM

Understand your point completely Poncho, and I agree with everything you have said. This is no business for me, not even a side business, but how do you even cover your electricity bill? I have been more calculated in the cichlids I keep that's all, and I'd assume many others are too. You mentioned Hongi, funny that. I took my breeding colony of 7 to Rob's Aquarium 3 weeks back, and that didn't get me a single cent, which was no issue at all, I needed tank space. Yellow tail acei's at 5-6cm got me $4... yet for a guppy at 3 months old he gives me $5, and I breed the bloody things in a kiddies swimming pool out back. I think that is crazy. I love cichlids and I just don't get it, that is why I posted the question on importing etc.

Check out this colony of Tropheus, for the life of me I can't get them to spawn, they are 4+ years old, over 13cm in length, I'm guessing will never recover their expense and just I do not care. They, like my Frontosa keep me entertained for hours. c1269a40a76f552d1b4d3cb443c5c000.jpg


#355807 Discus Won't Last Long

Posted by Pchmb on 09 October 2016 - 09:35 PM

Just out of interest and if ok, what makes a good discus fish well good? I've got discus next on the bucket list to keep so just curious.


I am absolutely no expert. Take this advice like all others you read out there on the web. I have read a bit and kept a few. I have also killed a few. Do not feed live blood worms what ever you do!

What Jason said in regards to shape and size, no stunting- big eyes with small body (often due to malnutrition/ parasites). Fins like many of our favourite cichlids, you look for long and healthy dorsal, anal and ventral fins, these are particularly apparent in males. Females have quite small and thick ventral fins. The forehead of males is also noticeably wider. Skin coat/ mucus is highly sensitive so something else to pay attention to. Peppering, in the top photo you could see on one in the background (that was not one of the discus delivered). And then there is colour and patterns, and eyes etc. which I suppose all comes down to personal preference.

What do you look for in healthy angelfish? Same goes, I think angelfish are quite a good comparison for comparing what a "well good" Discus should look like.

Dark vertical lines are also noticed in Discus. Sometime this can be caused by stress, again you can see this in one of the pictures above... but then again many of the healthiest and best looking Discus have dark vertical lines. And then there are the wild caught varieties...

I asked about water changes and food, because I knew the Discus came from one of Rob's regulars (who originally purchased from him) and was told they had been fed 3-4 times a day with premium foods, and a variety too (supposedly makes his own food). I do trust Rob. I guess you can see in their colour and also thickness, but I have never done the research or experimentation to prove. They also received water changes multiple times a week and were housed in a 10 foot tank. Many of these points I mention run true when looking for other quality cichlids I have found.

When I finally decided I couldn't leave without a couple, I picked out the male that was most dominant in the tank. He was locking lips and pushing other males away. He was showing mating behaviour, waving his body alongside a female, that also looked to have egg tubes showing. Whether these are a pair or not, they have every chance to be now. They had been in the tank at Rob's only a few hours so really hard to tell honestly.

Last year I had 8-10 large Discus, pretty close to this size. Three were magnificent males. What I found was that the dominant male and his partner hammered every other Discus, meaning two out of three of the males stayed hidden in the corners and behind objects in the tank. And so I returned these two back to Rob's. Don't always buy the biggest and best looking Discus is my only advice... choose wisely.


#355778 Discus Won't Last Long

Posted by Pchmb on 07 October 2016 - 02:24 PM

Just popped in to Rob's Aquarium while in the area. They have just had a customer drop off the most incredible and huge Discus (easily 25 centimeters in diameter). I'd say there is at least 15 at that size. If I had the tank space, or the funds... these are the biggest and most beautiful discus I've seen to date. And that's a BIG call.

Still contemplating leaving with a few, as I write this post. Get in and check them out.

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#355083 Finally Bred Wild Blue Zaire Frontosa

Posted by Pchmb on 05 September 2016 - 12:04 AM

I was so impressed with Aquotix Aquariums in Canning Vale a few weeks back, first time I have been there. What a fish shop! The boys at Rob's Aquarium sent me down there, for a little heads up on the phenochilus they were stocking. The young ones have already starting to colour, and this stud that had just arrived in the shop, has matched perfectly to the female I already had. Thanks to the Aquotix crew for looking after me.175a5e33a39744665987914025e2851a.jpg

Today I departed ways with a few of my favourite fish. Apart from the recent phenochilus additions, all of my cichlids have come from Rob's Aquarium... and so I returned them to the place of origin, for Rob to pass on to another crazy fish person!
My male stud lithobate (good father), last survivor of the group.
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My colony of 8 Williamsi Blue Lips, here is the alpha.
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And my single male White Lip
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All absolute stunning fish and were standouts in my Malawi community tank.

I thought I'd also post an update on some of the fish I ain't parting ways with!!!. Hope you all enjoy.
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#353852 Finally Bred Wild Blue Zaire Frontosa

Posted by Pchmb on 15 July 2016 - 07:04 PM

Very very happy fish!



#352841 Finally Bred Wild Blue Zaire Frontosa

Posted by Pchmb on 13 June 2016 - 02:14 PM

So this happened this morning after a weekend of 50% water changes... Auloncara stuartgranti spawning (which I was able to capture on video). You can clearly see the eggs getting scooped up in this video- just make sure 1080 quality is selected. https://youtu.be/SbYwHbnprYU


#352840 Finally Bred Wild Blue Zaire Frontosa

Posted by Pchmb on 13 June 2016 - 01:10 PM

My Science Lab...
I think it is time to send out a public thank you to a guy named Chen, who gave me a 5 foot stand and tank setup at the end of last year.8ca2877a74261d239bc4d28205ea21de.jpg
I grinded back the stand, removing rust and painted it yellow. Giving the tanks a clean and adding in plumbing.7fb72bc9c1121d3eff556e714bdca3ac.jpg
Next onto the sump, building this with the year 8 boys was a lot of fun. Teaching them tips that their dad's may not, in terms of gluing and joining pipes etc. We also made some DIY overflows in case of power outage.717f1525648dec847c8ce3f54c18106c.jpg
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Then two lakes were identified and setup: Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika. Originally put some Frontosa in the bottom two tanks, but these tanks were too shallow and not suitable with all the student traffic. fd9da42bd1071fdc76bddcf5d0171d5d.jpg
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Now they are filled with snake skin guppies. The boys have been collecting the fry each morning and placing in breeding baskets. A few boys have even taken pregnant mothers home, to start their own aquariums. It has been just the most awesome project and I have got so many boys into fresh water fish keeping!
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Only the best looking males get to go in the tank with females of age. Students' whose fry grow to maturity are allowed to borrow the stud males for good genetic lines to continue.
It has taken many generations to breed out the 5 or 6 fry max, that mothers would produce (and then die). And I wonder if this has something to do with original supplier overseas tampering with hormones to regulate/ control the market?? Just a thought... I have seen a few red grass and other expensive imported guppies die within months of arriving. And nothing is to with water quality or aquarium shops they have come from in Perth. I now regularly find 20-30 fry produced per female, sometimes up to 50, which I feel proves this statement above to hold some ground...


#352699 My Vics

Posted by Pchmb on 09 June 2016 - 08:21 PM

Awesome fish, love your selection.


#352689 Funny Things You Have Seen/heard At The Fish Shop.

Posted by Pchmb on 09 June 2016 - 07:10 PM

If this is heading down the "when I first started..." post , I was about 13, picked up a second hand tank and air pump. Filled tank, rocks etc then submerged air pump in tank. Turning it on, it didn't work but made a humming sound (funny that- I had submerged the whole pump under water!), each time I placed my hand in the water, I got a massive shock of electricity. Being 13 and living on a farm with electric fences, I kind of should have realised sooner. I think I electrocuted myself another 4 times before I decided the pump was faulty and this just wasn't right. I never told anyone, even to this day, but once I unscrewed the bottom of the pump, seeing the water inside with the motor, exposed wires and diaphragm, I put two and two together and realised the pump was meant to go on the outside, to pump air into the tank. Lucky I didn't kill myself, but the thought of that story still makes me laugh.


#352566 Finally Bred Wild Blue Zaire Frontosa

Posted by Pchmb on 05 June 2016 - 08:23 PM

Couple of pictures taken today of my Pseudotropheus polit colony. This morning no females holding, this evening 4 females with mouths full of eggs. My Alpha doing a great job, but the back up still looking good, crazy how quickly he can go into full colour when he feels he may be in with a chance! ac0930421d147906c0d82c0f8a54f8d6.jpg95e3585961565b33186860cdc66245b4.jpgb41f3fd205c3823799db41ccb0264765.jpg867c12f7173c942c45f88bffbc11febc.jpgd46dd01b54a73195118e7f53856aca8f.jpg

Also took a picture of my Auloncara stuartgranti blue neon stud.
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