New fish house

[pip walters]

I shoot a Nikon D70. All the pictures I've post here though are from my phone.

I'd like to shoot a Nikon..... with a canon (not a camera, lol)
Only kidding... us Canon users like to belittle those from the dark side.

I hate camera fones.... I mean, I don't try and call anybody from my D40!

 

[J.Mcpeak]

Instructions??? What are you a man or a mouse? Lol.

Ever seen a gorilla pod? I have a large gorilla pod (I don't say that out loud in public!). It is going spare if you are interested.

I had to, far too many buttons and things I didn't understand. I'm a novice photographer, 14months. (Instructions are like books in many languages)

Gorilla pod? I was thinking more altitude?
If I'm right that's a tripod thing, I got a tabletop tripod. I need a real tripod.
(One that inspires confidence of stability)

Gorilla pod owner slates nikon! can-off! Nik-on.
read them instructions!

 

[J.Mcpeak]

I shoot a Nikon D70. All the pictures I've post here though are from my phone.

I shoot the d3100. I have some old phone pics on a hard drive. Needs a power supply I think. Computer is on the list. All my old fish pics are there apart from about three years. Lost them on a damaged phone

My iPad pictures are not the best.
My phone is, erm, my phone is gooooooood!
It makes calls. It receives calls, every thing a phone needs to do.

 

[Alan79]

My camera is so bad that at times i opt to use a thousand words. I used to have a Fuji fine pix which took decent pics for the price but burglers got that last year.Glad this batch of fry are starting well

 

[J.Mcpeak]

Just an update, this is February.

Bad luck with the pseudogastromyzon loaches, good luck (fair to poor) with the catfish fry. I have a nice shoal of corydoras that will soon be big enough to go in the 750. If there were more I'd sell them, I only managed to raise 12 or so, not good I was expecting many more (50ish)

Loads of new bits and bobs still no reef!

Plenty of growth in the 120, it seems strange dosing a tank of rocks with plant food? The loaches will not eat anything that doesn't grow, I haven't really observed any eating of manufactured foods.

 

[Alan79]

I do believe those are tanks i haven't seen before in the corner . Are they two of the three bargains you picked up in one stop? I'm assuming the top one is the Loach tank? Do you try growing moss on some rocks somewhere on a sunny windowsill to supplement the stuff growing under your lights? you may get more bang for your buck on the ferts you use. I guess that gale force winds and flooding outside might not provide ideal sunny windowsill for the task in a British winter. Having to grow algae for your fish to eat seems like it would be really tough I can't stop growing it.

 

[J.Mcpeak]

I do believe those are tanks i haven't seen before in the corner . Are they two of the three bargains you picked up in one stop? I'm assuming the top one is the Loach tank? Do you try growing moss on some rocks somewhere on a sunny windowsill to supplement the stuff growing under your lights? you may get more bang for your buck on the ferts you use. I guess that gale force winds and flooding outside might not provide ideal sunny windowsill for the task in a British winter. Having to grow algae for your fish to eat seems like it would be really tough I can't stop growing it.

The top tank is the new one, the bottom one was the old Asian species tank.
No windows in the fish house mate, except the obscured door glass. It's better for algae control, that's the first thing I learned before even my first fish room. Sunlight grows algae in your tank. Plant food is relatively cheap, simple co2 free systems, it costs more in bulbs than plant specific feeds per year. It's quite easy to farm algae if you can kill it you can er, well you just don't kill it,

The loach tank is where I grow the green stuff and I periodically switch rocks to the qt tank. It really is a weird thing to be doing.

(Even in the summer our skies can get grey, seasons don't matter in England)

 

[J.Mcpeak]

25th Feb.

This morning my fish house looked rather busy! With the edition of three tanks my original slightly off spec. plan became outdated. I've been thinking about this move for a few weeks now. It began by evicting the puffer fish, he sought residence in a Hagen B & B "across town."

I moved the stand closer to the big tank and discovered I'm out by 3/4 of an inch overall! I knew it would be close. So I modified the necessary parts to make the stand fit. The tank is now back on the stand ready for the fish to go back to his original home and with that will end phase one.

All that remains is to swing the other stand through 90' so it follows along the same wall as the puffer fish. While the day seemed pretty straightforward there were a few issues I had to overcome. General cleaning and a few unforeseen challenges ate the day away. It's difficult to work while ensuring you leave life support systems in place. At this point in time I'm in a good position to quickly complete the change and fit a few more tanks into the mix.

The pictures were taken in the order, left top to bottom, right top to bottom. I'm 100% sure that for me, this is a new record for the minimum time a tank sat still! Broken triple fold!

 

[Surfer]

Its coming along great bro, so glad to see the progress...

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[J.Mcpeak]

Hello sir.
Thanks for checking in. Glad you're pleased!

I worked right through until 04:00 Thursday morning (today uk) to nearly complete the move. The stand is now sited with tanks on, it's planted, just add fish. . .

Edit-
I've been out this morning and I noticed a single Cory fry in the tank! It survived the move!!! Not sure if it will live or not, I guess the corydoras are going in this tank.

 

[Alan79]

Hello sir.
Thanks for checking in. Glad you're pleased!

I worked right through until 04:00 Thursday morning (today uk) to nearly complete the move. The stand is now sited with tanks on, it's planted, just add fish. . .

Edit-
I've been out this morning and I noticed a single Cory fry in the tank! It survived the move!!! Not sure if it will live or not, I guess the corydoras are going in this tank.

It looks good with everything in place. Now that it's all together you can enjoy things for a while.

 

[J.Mcpeak]

It looks good with everything in place. Now that it's all together you can enjoy things for a while.

Cheers al, and no. (Sort of)

I have to move one more tank into its final position. Oh and I really need that reef! It's the reason I got into fish in the beginning.
Then it really gets fun! Or I hope it will be what I imagine!

Bizarrely I enjoyed the moving process, it's therapeutic in a twisted way.
It Keeps me feeling human and it shows me the limits of my abilities, one normal sized tank for me, is physically demanding to move plus the mental work of the building/carpentry etc. it's like a test for me, what can I actually achieve? Will it work? Did I get it right?

You've moved a tank so you know, everything has to go smooth.

I had fun, so far all seems to be ok. I mean nothing's dead, in fact a new Cory was discovered. Not sure if it will grow out?
This must've happened after the Christmas lot and after the recovery phase, the male and females were separate until somewhere in January. (I think)

I'm just shattered that's all, but hey, I will recover.
Nothing except food and water is happening tonight, I can say that for sure.
This is a new personal best for me, until next time. . .

 

[J.Mcpeak]

?

What's happening to all the pictures? Apparently you can see them.

Here are more, write up on Flickr, can't copy paste now as it's out of date/time.

 

[J.Mcpeak]

So close!

 

[J.Mcpeak]

A table for. . .

A twelve month supply of frozen. 100 pack bloodworm 9 pack black mosquito larvae. The clowns will eat about 95 packs of bloodworm on top of other frozen/dried foods for variety.

 

[Alan79]

Take two on this post. Had some guru meditation happen when i tried posting yesterday. Summary of a longer failed post. Now with less dribble

Operation shoe horn looks like it has run fairly smoothly despite the few setbacks. My biggest move to date has been a three tank shuffle to get one tank running. It was not that difficult as i had 2 stands ready and the perfect amount of space for everything. I only had to overnight Brutus in an identical tank (but bare bottomed) on the floor for 12 hours while i sorted a scape out. It was nice to be able to do it with minimum fuss and the way Brutus reacted to having twice the tank space was amusing. Small circles for about five minutes while looking in every direction, then an hour of swimming laps near the tank floor. Never seen him move that fast. Happy fish= happy fish keeper. A nice day for all. Rinsing substrate is my biggest hate when setting up new tanks though and i rinsed about 30-35kg of new riversand plus a big load of scape rocks for the 3 foot tank prior to go time.

Saltwater will be fun when i have the cash to set something up. I'm keen to see how your salt set up turns out. I think the fish behavior and invert variety is very exciting in salt. Coral keeping and the extra care requirements sounds like an interesting new set of challenges too.

So with 1 more tank and the reef going in will that be all the space used up or is there an operation sock drawer in the planning stages for the Mcpeak fish room?

What did the food set you back? I'd have to throw away my human food to store that much in my freezer. It's a fairly large pile. Dare i say your fish are spoiled rotten.

 

[J.Mcpeak]

Happy fish=happy fish keeper! Absolutely spot on sir!

Take two on this post. Had some guru meditation happen when i tried posting yesterday. Summary of a longer failed post. Now with less dribble

Operation shoe horn looks like it has run fairly smoothly despite the few setbacks. My biggest move to date has been a three tank shuffle to get one tank running. It was not that difficult as i had 2 stands ready and the perfect amount of space for everything. I only had to overnight Brutus in an identical tank (but bare bottomed) on the floor for 12 hours while i sorted a scape out. It was nice to be able to do it with minimum fuss and the way Brutus reacted to having twice the tank space was amusing. Small circles for about five minutes while looking in every direction, then an hour of swimming laps near the tank floor. Never seen him move that fast. Happy fish= happy fish keeper. A nice day for all. Rinsing substrate is my biggest hate when setting up new tanks though and i rinsed about 30-35kg of new riversand plus a big load of scape rocks for the 3 foot tank prior to go time.

Saltwater will be fun when i have the cash to set something up. I'm keen to see how your salt set up turns out. I think the fish behavior and invert variety is very exciting in salt. Coral keeping and the extra care requirements sounds like an interesting new set of challenges too.

So with 1 more tank and the reef going in will that be all the space used up or is there an operation sock drawer in the planning stages for the Mcpeak fish room?

What did the food set you back? I'd have to throw away my human food to store that much in my freezer. It's a fairly large pile. Dare i say your fish are spoiled rotten.

I buy in bulk because it's cheaper per year.
£150 delivered to my door. LFS is 5 packs £15.
I have a dedicated freezer for fish food. (This began because when I first got the fish fever my (now ex) vegetarian partner didn't like frozen god knows whats in the regular freezer, so her sister upgraded her one and donated freezer 1) Soon I will have a different one in the fish house, my old freezer opens at the top, ideal in my 1st "house" the MkII house I've allowed it to go under the work top like regular kitchen style. Both freezers have been donated by people to help my cause, they are out of shape visually but work as they should, ideal for my needs.

You may joke about "operation sock drawer" but the chap who helped with the project makes similar gags about my need for an "extension"
Anything is possible!

It's great that the mighty B gets to stretch his fins! You must be chuffed, Brutus must have a few kind things to say to you too!

When I wash substrate I have a dedicated bucket with loads of (smaller than the substrate) holes in the bottom. Water goes in the top, mix it with your hands water and dirt comes out the bottom or you can sluice it off the top once the gravel settles, you can clean 50kgs of decorative grade in about three hours, or that's how long it took me, your arms might be faster! Smaller loads are easier to manage, actually it is faster. A bucket with no holes is best for sand, unless you don't mind taking apart the blocked u bend!
(Experience of a lifetime )
"er the sinks blocked, AGAIN" she said. The Foot taps with fisted hands on hips!

"The perfect amount of space for everything" that's just for today mate, tomorrow I'm sure you will see things different

Oh, I must say that yes, when the clowns made it into the current big tank, and George my old hypostomus, he was way overdue an upgrade! You could almost feel the joy! Swim swim swim, and back again,

 

[Alan79]

I buy in bulk because it's cheaper per year.
£150 delivered to my door. LFS is 5 packs £15.
I have a dedicated freezer for fish food. (This began because when I first got the fish fever my (now ex) vegetarian partner didn't like frozen god knows whats in the regular freezer, so her sister upgraded her one and donated freezer 1) Soon I will have a different one in the fish house, my old freezer opens at the top, ideal in my 1st "house" the MkII house I've allowed it to go under the work top like regular kitchen style. Both freezers have been donated by people to help my cause, they are out of shape visually but work as they should, ideal for my needs.

You may joke about "operation sock drawer" but the chap who helped with the project makes similar gags about my need for an "extension"
Anything is possible!

It's great that the mighty B gets to stretch his fins! You must be chuffed, Brutus must have a few kind things to say to you too!

When I wash substrate I have a dedicated bucket with loads of (smaller than the substrate) holes in the bottom. Water goes in the top, mix it with your hands water and dirt comes out the bottom or you can sluice it off the top once the gravel settles, you can clean 50kgs of decorative grade in about three hours, or that's how long it took me, your arms might be faster! Smaller loads are easier to manage, actually it is faster. A bucket with no holes is best for sand, unless you don't mind taking apart the blocked u bend!
(Experience of a lifetime )
"er the sinks blocked, AGAIN" she said. The Foot taps with fisted hands on hips!

"The perfect amount of space for everything" that's just for today mate, tomorrow I'm sure you will see things different

Oh, I must say that yes, when the clowns made it into the current big tank, and George my old hypostomus, he was way overdue an upgrade! You could almost feel the joy! Swim swim swim, and back again,

It makes sense to buy in bulk if you can save that much and have the extra freezer to store it. I have a bar fridge on standby but just buy single packs of frozen foods at $5 a pack. I need to upgrade my main fridge soon so i will look for something with more freezer space.

I only have three running tanks in my house right now and 5 others sitting round awaiting planning, but when i talk about buying a new tank (always larger than what i own now) my niece gives me an intervention speech. "You already have so many spare tanks why do you want to buy more. Just get fish for them and don't worry about new ones" This from a 13yo with 22 pairs of shoes. If you need backup for an extension to the fish room you will find it on AA.

The best thing about the upgrade for Brutus is that he can tolerate a tank mate without the domestic violence issues. Glad George found similar joy in his new home. That Clown tank is a mighty nice tank (size wise and a nice scape) and the clown school looks great in there. I tend to like loaches in general now though. Most seem to be big characters.

You just made me reconsider the amount of space i have along the wall in my living room. I could actually move my TV along by 2 possibly 2.5 feet and fit a 5-6 foot tank why had this possibility never crossed my mind even while i was moving around a 2 foot tank near the door? Now i need to buy a 5-6 foot tank and I'm blaming you for that

I have a sieve for sapphire prospecting but it is of little use for the fine grade substrates i use now. It has cleaned my comets old gravel many times when i've done complete tear downs. I may have to drill some holes in a bucket for my next big tank prep. Thanks for the idea. In general you can go with the option of using a lot of water and less work or a smaller amount of water and much swishing. Why do women all do the fists/hands on hips thing. An ex of mine used to just stand that way a lot naturally. Scared the bejesus out of me needlessly when i would turn around to see angry woman pose with no idea what i had done to cause it.

 

[J.Mcpeak]

That's comedy gold!

What! You don't know what you've done, tap a tap with the foot. The dumb man now feels stupid, and dumb. (It's not sexism, I'm sure (know) they mock us)

I'll take the blame, I live far enough away so it should be ok!

You can't go wrong with clown loach!

...finally yes the LFS food bill got ridiculous, even when I was trading fish. It's just an easier affair to have that shipment once a year. You save on the food and the petrol. Win win! For now I still go out for dry stuff though. That's available nearer in mini pet stores, dogs and cats type places. I did look into bulk but you need to buy more than I could use. 6x this and that etc.

 

[J.Mcpeak]

Christmas corydoras.

The shoal laid in December, 3 months on.
There are only 15, not as many as I'd like. 30 is a good low number.
Still, they are all perfectly formed which meant no cull.

IM KEEPING ALL OF THEM!