New fish house

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
The 120L is looking very nice. Love the DW.

How many Cory will you have in the school when those mature? I have some Rasbora eggs in my tank at the moment but with fungus treatment in there as well i don't think they will survive. Stoked to have my first eggs though and i got to see my juvenile Rasboras doing part of the dance. Theyre supposed to roll on their backs under a large leaf to drop and fertilze the eggs but i haven't seen them do so. I might have to try watching again with no filter running when i'm sure the tank is free of disease. They seem to try spawning every day after feeding so maybe with a still tank. i can collect the eggs.
 
The 120L is looking very nice. Love the DW.

How many Cory will you have in the school when those mature? I have some Rasbora eggs in my tank at the moment but with fungus treatment in there as well i don't think they will survive. Stoked to have my first eggs though and i got to see my juvenile Rasboras doing part of the dance. Theyre supposed to roll on their backs under a large leaf to drop and fertilze the eggs but i haven't seen them do so. I might have to try watching again with no filter running when i'm sure the tank is free of disease. They seem to try spawning every day after feeding so maybe with a still tank. i can collect the eggs.

Cheers, I've been collecting bits of wood for years now! Even if I don't need it, if I see a nice piece I buy it!

Try a bare bottom tank with marbles or a fine mesh through which the eggs can pass. Then move fish to one of your many empty tanks, take the filter (that should please the niece!) run an airline for the egg tank. Check to see if they are affected by light. I know tetra eggs are light sensitive.

It's great isn't it, when your fish breed.
There are 15 Cory (not many, half my usual minimum), they will be moved to the big tank when they grow up. Some Cory breeders use methylene blue to treat egg fungus, check though to be sure.
Plenty o2 is key in my experience. That keeps things ok, no need for meds.
 
Big day! Nice story proving big chains aren't so bad!

corydoras agassizii, (my story of)

So I got up this morning, a new bulb had blown (under 3 months old) I tested it on a spare light starter got slightly annoyed and made my way to the fish store.
I still had the unresolved hill stream loach issue (the story goes, out of 6 I had 1 survivor! 2 jumped ship (one was a nasty accident the other was my fault) three deaths I believe to be colour fade<take note) so off I went with these issues.
:evil:

(The original replacement was postponed until my water balanced as they had found nitrite in my sample, this confused me, I used a small whiskey bottle to transport the sample, it's all I could find with a stopper/cork/cap.
It turns out whiskey has nitrites in it!
Case closed):drinking::facepalm:

(This makes for a less than impressed customer):bad-words:

I explained the colour fade it didn't look good, time passed etc was the first and actually plausible excuse.:agrue:
(providing photographic evidence from day of purchase)<note,
I asked to go to a more quiet area of the store where I explained myself fully and got my replacement as promised, I also managed to get 2 more loaches for free! As a gesture of "good will" so now I have 4 Pseudogastromyzon sp. in a rheophilic species tank.

(I did ask for the free fish and after presenting my case the manager agreed!)
They also replaced the bulb, I'm sure it was defective.

After talking to the "man" about corydoras (basically paleatus are so cheap they aren't worth my effort to him) I asked which species would he pay good money for, I introduce to you, Corydoras agassizii,
breeding stock, wild caught (6). Species tank.

(The spaghetti mob)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/92891884@N04/13107697674/

(The tokens I earn off of these should see me well into my reef for stock!)

Please cross your fingers now. (y)
 
Pseudogastromyzon sp.

Hill stream loach, colour fade. (Applies to balitorine loaches)


DO NOT BUY LOACHES THAT ARE SEVERELY COLOUR FADED.

This is one of the pictures presented (still in original wrapping) so the case against time elapsed was agreed to be incorrect.

These fish will most likely not recover if the condition is bad, make sure you select nicely coloured up specimens. (They fade a bit during transport but the colour comes back just as fast)
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    159.3 KB · Views: 145
Chaotic Tranquility

Behind the scenes, hill stream loach tank. It's an eye sore from a distance but it's beautiful up close. A closer look at the equipment side of this tank. You can see a loach circled in yellow.
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    259.1 KB · Views: 133
RO/DI upgrade

20th March 2014

This unit is at least 6 years old, it has served me well in its basic form, over the years and mainly due to expansion, I've found a few crinkles I've decided to iron out. In a bid to assist trouble shooting and to help make water production easier and more efficient, the first in a series of upgrades to the RO unit. In line TDS meter to monitor water through the various system elements (A common fit on more modern machines). It has already highlighted one problem! Second on the list, an increased capacity DI stage is planned to improve the service interim time. ((From 250ml to 1400ml) 1650ml if I keep the existing DI bed in operation).
A split T from the CCB to a tap outlet will provide de-chlorinated water saving me money on one product (lots of money in this house! Can't believe I haven't done this sooner, the filters used is much less money than a de-chlorinator product per annum) Finally some flow meters will be installed to monitor throughput as I think I'm just on/over the limit of the pre filter stage for this unit. (Based on 6 months lifespan over volume throughput capacity) I will definitely be over if I use it as a basic de-chlorinator.

21st March 2014.

After experiencing problems with production water I had to find the cause, my choices were, membrane failure, pre filter failure (CCB past useful life) or DI resin degradation. I was experiencing problems similar to membrane failure, the inline TDS meter I recently fitted confirmed this. I thought that was weird as I had just installed a new item in December.
(After all the pipes I unplugged and plugged back in to confirm this the first time around, the new TDS system fitted sure makes this task much easier, just flick a switch and NO puddles!)

Today, (21st march)
NEW MEMBRANE and CCB/Pre filter stage. New flow restricter.
(After 10 minutes @ 60 PSI (244 TDS in (Line 1), 003 TDS post RO (line 2))
Output 000 TDS.
Running at 82.8% before membrane/filter change. (See picture Digital Evolution)
Runs at 98.8% That's a clear improvement!
The most likely cause of premature membrane failure, CCB spent.
This CCB has a useful life of 3500 US gallons (13,249 litres) or 6 months! A positive chlorine test confirms CCB expired.
(New membrane and filters dec '13)
Second plausible reason, incorrect installation/flush method on pre filter stage. (Unlikely as it has not happened in the last 5-6 years!)

The second part of the RO evolution, the flow meter. This will total up the number of litres throughput and should help to ensure this will not happen again. I'm quite sure I used the CCB up in 3 months! If the flow meter saves one membrane it will have paid for itself. It automatically switches on (off) when it detects flow (no flow) so reducing user error. It registers from 0.2 to 5 litres per minute.
The TDS in line system has also shown a discrepancy with my handheld meter, I think it's the batteries, still the originals so they've lasted for as long as I've had the RO unit! It has also revealed incorrect packing of DI bed once so far! That has proven it is a useful piece of equipment in just one day!
I've also added a couple of ball valves to maintain pressure on the membrane, apparently you're supposed to do this? The first membrane I never did this and it lasted until December 13, maybe it never had time to dry out! I hope membrane 3 lasts as long as the first one did!

(The pictures used show input TDS at 218 so here it is running at 98.6%)
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    264.4 KB · Views: 102
Pseudogastromyzon sp. Mis-identified (wrong label!)

4 Hill stream loach,

Gastromyzon ctenocephalus. X2 (or possibly G. scitulus)
G. ocellatus. X1

Possibly Sinogastromyzon puliensis. X1 (closest colour form, wrong size)
(unlikely as illegal, imports do happen, species protected)
(Beaufortia sp. ?)
 
Ro/DI Upgrade, components.

The various components to modify my RO unit.
Increase DI stage to 1650ML, improve pre filter stage capacity, split supply to dechlorinated output (includes No3 filter), electronic measures for flow/volume and TDS, 200 litre reservoir.

These parts are the RO unit specific items. Reservoir in the post. Digital bits arrive Tuesday.
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    168.9 KB · Views: 132
The upgrade continues. . .

Almost fully converted to my custom spec. 205 litre Reservoir arrived today. (UK Monday 31st March):D
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    132 KB · Views: 99
RO/DI including Dechlorinated Line.

RO upgrade, just waiting for the old CCB to expire and the transformation will be complete. (Picture 1st April)
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    208.2 KB · Views: 132
RO upgrade, just waiting for the old CCB to expire and the transformation will be complete. (Picture 1st April)

Can you stop putting images of food on the flickr account. I have to go cook now and i had only planned on looking at fish. Nice to see the RO changeover is nearly done and everything is digital. I've never had issues with my town water so it is something i haven't thought about before. I always have way too many projects in the works but i should think about setting an RO/DI unit up. My latest project is a 3 foot 35g i bought for $50. Have a stand waiting to be bolted together and painted, sump to be designed and seeded and then all systems go. Have the drainage from the top tank ready to throw in and a heap of media to drop into the sump. I'm having to decide what i will put in this tank. I will start with moving over 2 BN plecos and replacing them with some cories.
 
Can you stop putting images of food on the flickr account. I have to go cook now and i had only planned on looking at fish. Nice to see the RO changeover is nearly done and everything is digital. I've never had issues with my town water so it is something i haven't thought about before. I always have way too many projects in the works but i should think about setting an RO/DI unit up. My latest project is a 3 foot 35g i bought for $50. Have a stand waiting to be bolted together and painted, sump to be designed and seeded and then all systems go. Have the drainage from the top tank ready to throw in and a heap of media to drop into the sump. I'm having to decide what i will put in this tank. I will start with moving over 2 BN plecos and replacing them with some cories.

(Pizza? They're home made, fresh dough and everything! I personally recommend the chicken curry or Italian)

Next up is proper test equipment, I'm sick of rough guessing things (API/Hagen/JBL). I need the RO water, if your tap is hard/alkaline I think they are beneficial (depends on the fish though), also phosphates nitrogen and heavy metals can be reduced with such a system. A combination of RO cut tap and lighting methods you can achieve good algae control. (Some de chlorinator products bind up heavy metals)

I never had issues with tap water until I got the L030 plec. Then I quickly learned water hardness/alkalinity and such like (don't impulse buy unresearched fish) Most fish available are wide range tolerant. Since I have the unit I use it on all systems, some of you know my back door plan is the reef, that was my reason for fish in a tank (store suggested I learn the ropes on freshwater systems), it just gets more and more involved day by day, the more you learn the more you must find out. Water science is so immense I still don't quite believe the sum of all factors involved.

The digital thing just makes the paperwork less involved. Far less maths far less guessing and no chlorine killed membranes. It was fine at four tanks, 6-7 is too much for the basic unit. I think I added one tank here and there before and cut back because water production was near impossible. This time, largely because I have dedicated space, I solved the production/storage issue. It works great! It should pay for itself over time. The reservoir is 8 containers of water! Perfect for the capacity of the room (providing I pushed the correct buttons on the calculator)


Alan specific;-
(Check your e-mail.)
What happened to Brutus, the clam plan? I remember you started a fish room.
 
Microgeophagus ramirezi

:fish1::fish1:
:invasion:

Pair acquired today, not pair bonded. Just a male and female who will hopefully pair up!

Absolute joy, these fish have been a favourite of mine for as long as I've kept fish! Finally a dream acquisition. These are living with my Corydoras agassizii.

(y):thanks:
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    183 KB · Views: 137
:fish1::fish1:
:invasion:

Pair acquired today, not pair bonded. Just a male and female who will hopefully pair up!

Absolute joy, these fish have been a favourite of mine for as long as I've kept fish! Finally a dream acquisition. These are living with my Corydoras agassizii.

(y):thanks:

Rams, really? Common as muck, lmao. Could at least have got electric blues hehehe :angel:
 
I would get into trouble for my first thought reply.

So I will say,
thank you sir for your kind words. I am pleased as punch with my common as muck fish,
coming from a chap who has no fish and a cannot camera I feel that your statement is at best tarnished. :lol:

Get some, cheap and lovely! Easy care. Who knows you may even cheer up!

All the best farmboy! (y)
 
If only all replies to my posts were so gentlemanly :) they are a gorgeous fish, I had two gold ones in the far distant past when I did keep an apparently overstocked, prehistorically undergravelfiltered, but very healthy 15g.

I look forward to buying all your babies to ditribute to the masses ;)
 
(Central digit extension) Was my first choice? (Take a chance)(y)


I knew you would like my charm! :lol:
If they breed you can have em! Same with the new Cory.

Direct swap. Eye for an eye. (Make my day!)
 
Hang on, first you say I can have em, then I have to give you something as a swap? Would that start with papa and end in panaque by any chance?:brows:
 
You said,
"Buying"

That means some form of monetary exchange or suitable agreement in lieu of the aforementioned money.

Giving is different, are you a registered charity?
 
Back
Top Bottom