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Finally Bred Wild Blue Zaire Frontosa

Newbie Frontosa

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#1 Pchmb

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Posted 09 May 2016 - 06:03 PM

Hi all,

 

My name is Paul and I am a Biology Teacher that has been keeping fish on and off for the past 20 years. At the age of 14, I bought my first 4 foot tank. Over the next few years I breed Axolotls, Oscars and Guppies. I had large cattle troughs with Koi, Gambesia and Guppies. Moving up to Perth for university, I shared a house with 3 guys, who all studied aquaculture at Fremantle Maritime Tafe. Our house was full of tanks and I remember Anglefish, Oscars, and Convicts all being bred. You could also find Yabbies in our bathtub.

 

Last year I spent a bit of money keeping a 600L community Discus tank. Eventually I bred a beautiful pair, but was unsuccessful at raising the fry. My favourite fish in the tank were the Red Torpedo Barbs.

 

This year I decided to try my luck with Frontosa and it just happened that Rob's Aquarium were selling David's Wild Caught 6 Bar Frontosa (Moba, Kipilli- Zaire Blue...). I originally set up 3, five foot fish tanks with sump which was around 950L all up. The pump I used, 15000L/hr I discovered was just too much flow for my Frontosa. There was also too much movement, light and noise for them where I had this set up, so I moved them into my garage. The Frontosa now can be found in a 750L, 6 foot tank with all blacked out sides. This was a good move, with one of my Fronts spawning, however no success with the fry, with the mother soon consuming them. I have been monitoring and adjusting the water chemistry, and the advice from David was to have the kH at 7 and gH at 22. My levels are still a bit lower then this.

 

I am also keeping a community of Tropheus Debosi and Red Moliro, Leleupi, Synodontis Petricola, Black Calvus, Haplochromis of some type and some chocolate Plecos. Another community tank contains Electric Yellow Labs, Lithobates and Pseudotropheus Williamsi. Another tank contains Auloncara Stuartgranti Blue Neons and Albino C Moorii which are looking really healthy. Oh and I have another 5 foot tank full of Black Snakeskin Guppies that I bred from a single pair imported last year.

 

My goal this year is to convert the sunroom of my old asbestos house into a Fish Room and take all the tanks out from my garage. Obviously I have to figure out how best to insulate the room. I currently have around 20 tanks and would love to hook them all into one or two sump systems to reduce the energy consumption and make the water changing process more automated. Lots to figure out but kind of cool to research others systems.

 

I'm really excited to finally join the Perth Cichlid Community after reading so many of posts over all these years!

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Edited by Pchmb, 06 June 2016 - 08:11 AM.


#2 Poncho

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Posted 09 May 2016 - 06:49 PM

Welcome Paul and great intro - I like your taste in fish apart from the guppies obviously ;)

I'm at a similar stage with my fish room and trialling different ways to improve energy efficiency. I'm fixated on air driven filtration so will design the room to accomodate that but I'd be keen to see how your fish room design pans out using sump filters.

Nice fronts and congrats on the spawn

#3 Chopstick_mike

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Posted 09 May 2016 - 06:49 PM

Sounds like an awesome set up mate can't wait to see all the tanks.
Sounds like you like the tangs ;) I'm interested to know which Victorian haps species you are keeping as I've recently started collecting them too

#4 Stormfyre

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Posted 10 May 2016 - 01:04 PM

Nice work mate. Welcome to PCS!

 

Let me know when the fry are ready to move on ;-)



#5 Pchmb

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Posted 10 May 2016 - 02:15 PM

Hi guys,

 

Yes I have really got into the Tang's in the last year or so. i just keep finding more and more I like. Costing me a bloody fortune! 

 

Chopstick_Mike after posting my introduction, I realised it wasn't a Victorian Haplochromis, rather Hemitilapia oxyrhynchus. I have never seen this fish fully grown and am interested to see the colouration when they come of age. Currently I have 10 that are around 7-8 cms.

 

Also it may be interesting to note that the Auloncara Stuartgranti Blue Neons are F1 from Hongi Island and have some serious colouration. Often you see the imported ones that just don't "pop" like these guys are.

 

One fish that I really miss keeping is Talapia Buttikoferi. I had just the one, that was like a pet dog. It's been over 5 years since I have seen her or any other for that matter and wonder if anyone breeds them in this city?



#6 Chopstick_mike

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Posted 10 May 2016 - 05:57 PM

Cool I just looked them up sound pretty interesting and look to have amazing colours keep us posted on there progress and maybe some pic of the stuartgrantis too

#7 Maaxim

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Posted 10 May 2016 - 10:14 PM

Hey Paul,

 

Welcome to the PCS forum!!! I am glad there is one more tang fan out there... There is never enough tang fans hehehe...

 

It must have been a "Moba night" yesterday as I walked into my fishroom today to a holding Moba female. It is also first time they breed for me.

I am also all over the moon  :D  :D  :D  :D and I feel like organizing a "Moba" party.

 

I am also extending /improving and modifying my fish-room and recently partially completed part of the insulation and covering the walls in the shed with some water resistant panels. I have many of these available so if you need any let me know and I will post a photo of them so you can see how they look like.

 

See you around mate! Maybe you should keep posting one photo every day for each of the tanks you have ...as you have so many... :Rofl_3f: :Rofl_3f: I am sure all of us would love to see these!



#8 dazzabozza

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Posted 14 May 2016 - 10:28 PM

Keen to see pics of your other fish Paul.

#9 Pchmb

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Posted 17 May 2016 - 06:24 PM

Hi Maaxim, seems my Moba wasn't up to her parental tasks. Might have to come see yours and find out how you keep a Moba mum happy. I will definitely take up your offer of those panels, will pm you and see if a time can work over this weekend at all.

#10 Pchmb

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Posted 17 May 2016 - 06:35 PM

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Here are some pictures of my 200gal, had to put in my Stuartgrantis with the fish room build in progress

#11 Maaxim

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Posted 17 May 2016 - 07:13 PM

Hi Maaxim, seems my Moba wasn't up to her parental tasks. Might have to come see yours and find out how you keep a Moba mum happy. I will definitely take up your offer of those panels, will pm you and see if a time can work over this weekend at all.

No worries. contact me anytime, weekend should be fine anytime...



#12 Pchmb

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Posted 19 May 2016 - 07:05 PM


This Pseudotropheus Williamsi is starting to dominate the tank

#13 Pchmb

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Posted 30 May 2016 - 11:29 PM

Check this out... my study/ fish room on a budget. Still lots of work to be done but it's beginning to take shape. I am using sponge filters in the breeding tanks until I connect up sump and plumbing. I have just used caps over the bulk heads at this stage.

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Currently two 6 foot tanks, one 750L the other 650L, three 100L breeders and a 4 foot 240L. 

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Still to add a sump when I find a suitable second hand tank (wanting 4x2x2), and another two 4 foot breeder tanks along empty wall. Also want to fit in a 2x3x2 next to the 6 footer, however I have filled this space with 3 60L bins for water changes.

1e72d7e8b5da263be4dfc272280893db.jpg

Drilled holes in all tanks, had a bit of a problem when the diamond (pilot hole part) tip of the drill bit broke and shattered the glass in the process. Bunnings replaced drill bit. I'll patch up glass. Rookie mistake but first time drilling glass and did a good job apart from that.

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Moved Frontosa to the new tank, these guys are blue! I really hope to get some fry from this colony of 10.

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Edited by Pchmb, 06 June 2016 - 07:55 AM.


#14 Pchmb

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Posted 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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#15 chrishaigh82

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Posted 05 June 2016 - 09:19 PM

your Auloncara stuartgranti blue neon is a handsome chap



#16 Poncho

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Posted 11 June 2016 - 08:39 AM

Great work! Get those polits out there mate

#17 dazzabozza

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Posted 11 June 2016 - 02:05 PM

Agreed! Very nice fish to have.

#18 Pchmb

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Posted 12 June 2016 - 12:09 PM

So I really have not been a very good foster mum of late. Out of the four polit mothers holding, I stripped two, placing around 50 eggs in a tumbler. For some unknown reason these went missing a few day later. This is continuing to be a problem, out of my lithobate spawn I ended up with one juvenile now at 2cm, my stuartgranti only 3. I also lost all my tropheus' spawn too. The lithobate juvenile has a bent spine, I'm guessing as a result of too much movement in the tumbler?? (Anyone know if this would be the cause?). Poor fellow will end up in the fronty tank shortly.

I have decided to steer clear of the egg tumbler until I get better understanding of how to use them and revert back to the natural way, leaving the mother to do her thing (as I have always done in the past). I only recently bought tumblers off eBay to see if this could help solve the lack of tank space with the fish room renos...

Anyway for some happier news, Fronts have been frisky again and my tropheus are looking really good. Watch the video below and have a guess at the species, which I previously incorrectly mentioned in my initial intro... I'll let you know how good your tropheus ID skills are. I wonder if many chaps are breeding these in Perth, because they are my favourite trophs and more people need them in their tanganyikan tanks!

#19 dazzabozza

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Posted 12 June 2016 - 12:40 PM

Tropheus lufubu was my guess when I first saw them. Similar to chaitika.

Keeps the vids coming of the Tropheus. Maybe some courting / mating behavior. They're very enjoyable to watch!

I agree with the tumbler saga. Go natural for a while. If u strip later maybe wait till they are fry with yolk sacks intact rather than new eggs.

#20 Pchmb

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Posted 12 June 2016 - 12:50 PM

Bang on. Wow I'm impressed!





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