coralbandits fish room

[Delapool]

The hatchet fish seem 100% cured of the ich and the tank has handled the treatment with rid ich really well. No losses of fish or plants. The hatchets were covered with ick so I am very happy they are well now.

The hatchet fish amaze me .They are just so interesting and such pigs they will quickly learn to like me .They leave nothing behind when the golden pearls hit the surface..

I have read breeding the silvers is very difficult and rare.. I did ask for 3 of the big and 3 of the smaller not knowing how to sex them well and thinking while young size is a huge identifier with many fish.. They do this funny dance now with each other in the tank...Anyone have any ideas what they are doing ?

Grand news! A credit to your skills.

 

[coralbandit]

Little is known about them. There is a species of hatchet that grows to be a foot long... people say they bite when bathing in the river during collecting expeditions...

I will need to try hatchets at some point.

They are definitely in when I do my 120 vivarium build...Their activity and constant surface location make them a great fish to view.
Here is the Alita and a radiant heat copper manifold I found when searching the Lowes for Pex accessories. I love copper !

 

[coralbandit]

I am going to run at least 3 1/2 inch lines from it and either cap the fourth or use it places undetermined yet... This will get me 1/2 " to each rack with all the Ts ,90s and reducers 1/2 to 3/8 I got.I will go from 3/8 to 5 way splitters of all metal with flexible hoses I still need to get at the hardware store...
I can't wait to get this hooked up hard lined to feet of each tank...

 

[mbkemp]

Are u going to use PEX for your main lines?

 

[coralbandit]

Are u going to use PEX for your main lines?

Yea I have a roll of1/2 inch hanging around so it seemed reasonable enough...
I picked up the Pex crimping tool and a bunch of Ts ,90s and reducers .The fish are getting trained so it was easy peasy to catch my male balloon ram and snap a couple pics..
Home grown balloon here...

 

[mbkemp]

Nice fish!

 

[coralbandit]

Thanks Mike !
Like I said I never really fancied balloon fish just due to their genetic heritage.
This is F1 balloon from superior [IMO humbly] GBR stock..
I am kind of excited to promote it breeding.
He has fertilized 3 sets of eggs in 15 days with his new girl !

 

[mbkemp]

If he is solid I say see what happens. If anyone can do it right you can

 

[TMRC Exotics]

Im really excited to get your rams cb, it's an early Christmas. Weather has been warmer here than last week.

 

[coralbandit]

Im really excited to get your rams cb, it's an early Christmas. Weather has been warmer here than last week.

They will be on their way today..I think I cooked them in my house last week before they even left !
Pick up did not arrive till after 4 while I had them all packed by early in am as post man usually comes at 11:00.Not just a heat pack indoors ,but stacked in two piles 5+ high each I think the center boxes cooked from the box below...
Lost 4 out of 11 last week....
Over 15 boxes going out today ...
I hope these make it well as I am psyched to finally share my fish with you Steven...
I'll be taking these to PO this afternoon myself.. Now just to get by the Xmas madness !

 

[coralbandit]

So I try to keep track of these crazy rams. To a point they are pretty predictable . I don't offer them a ton of choices so in short order most rams always lay eggs on the tray I provide . I think most know I am going to take it also!
Well most pairs have been on 7-13 day cycles for egg laying. Yesterday while cleaning one pairs tank the two were very defensive yet there were no eggs on trays...I looked for free swimmers and saw none...Sometimes they hide them and I never know till they all swim out. But finally I see what it is all about .They have laid their eggs in a little 'condiment cup' I have filled with eco complete and a strangly stem of willow hygro ...I had to take the cup as they were already wigglers clearly. So carefully I removed the cup and placed it in the dip and pour[#20 in use] and added an airstone . No MB since they were already hatched. This is what I saw this morning...

Not bad for 1 set of eggs ...These GBR I am breeding this season from my own stock are HOT ! I can't wait to see some of what grows this season....

 

[ApistoShane]

So I try to keep track of these crazy rams. To a point they are pretty predictable . I don't offer them a ton of choices so in short order most rams always lay eggs on the tray I provide . I think most know I am going to take it also!
Well most pairs have been on 7-13 day cycles for egg laying. Yesterday while cleaning one pairs tank the two were very defensive yet there were no eggs on trays...I looked for free swimmers and saw none...Sometimes they hide them and I never know till they all swim out. But finally I see what it is all about .They have laid their eggs in a little 'condiment cup' I have filled with eco complete and a strangly stem of willow hygro ...I had to take the cup as they were already wigglers clearly. So carefully I removed the cup and placed it in the dip and pour[#20 in use] and added an airstone . No MB since they were already hatched. This is what I saw this morning...

Not bad for 1 set of eggs ...These GBR I am breeding this season from my own stock are HOT ! I can't wait to see some of what grows this season....

Thats amazing. I really need to get some dip n' pours...

 

[ApistoShane]

Any Christmas plans?

Still shipping in this weather?

 

[coralbandit]

I ship every week..
One customer just got her Acara today that I shipped on Monday..They were fine yet others that made it on time this week were DOA..
I will ship on Tues this week I think...
For Christmas having family over.

Got the AL 60 95% hooked up finally.It took me two good days to run all the hard lines and reduce to gang valves.I counted the other day before today and I had 52 outlets blowing bubbles with gusto...
The red picta are having some issue.Looked like ich in the beginning but now seems like shimmy. Found the two biggest males dead today when changing water..
Upping the water changes and rid ich on them ...They have had no issues since arrival in the very beginning of November .I just moved them to a 10g from their 5 and I am not sure they needed it or that is has anything to with it...They went in the tank the irinidae were in and I moved them to a 15g..I had 3 [2f/1m] and when I moved them I think the male jumped into the tank with the biteaniata next door ? I haven't seen him and I found another female in with GBR ? 3 females with no sign of male..I will have to tear apart the other tank to find him...
Lots of babies and today the Pelivicachromis babies #1 are 1 month old..
Did you raise any out? How were they to each other?

 

[ApistoShane]

The Pelvicachromis grow very very quickly. Aggressive feeders, easy to raise. Not sure how they interacted with each other, I sold them locally rather quickly. I have a young juvenile pair in my abacaxis growout as a clean up crew member.. they don't miss a spec of food.

If you need an extra iniridae male, I have 1 that I will be able to ship to you.

Awesome to hear on the air pump... more tanks?

Sad to hear about the picta, are they a hard water or soft water species?

Shane

 

[coralbandit]

I appreciate the offer on the irindae,I still need to look in neighbors tank,I know I saw him jump in when I dumped the dip and pour !

The Red Picta are like most livebearers and like harder water.
I keep them in my tap with wonder shells added to provide the extra minerals they like. Hoping I get them through this as they are a big interest to me ...

As for more tanks I am thinking a bout a 'fry incubator' type 'rack' next.
Maybe totally enclosed like a nice cabinet with slides that will hold plastic or Pyrex containers for fry and eggs.
I would like to be able to place all eggs and fry in cabinet and have them be all safe and sound without such an industrial look. This may go in the next room I plant to take over ! Thinking this room will hold the 75g reef ,the 120g done up vivarium style and maybe a packing center for me. This room is my office/den and basically just gets walked through with little use.. Just need to get roll top desk and matching file cabinet out and I can start planning/building...

 

[mbkemp]

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

 

[coralbandit]

Merry Christmas for you and your girls Mike .
Make room for the Pelivicachromis..They are 1/2 " at 1 month showing stripes !

 

[mbkemp]

I’m getting close to a move. Gonna have a basement room for my “office”. Once I get in I have a plan. I can’t wait

 

[coralbandit]

So I got the new air pump all hooked up and running.It is very nice to be running everything off of one pump and to hard lines giving me flow all way to the end of the line. I only used 3 out of 4 lines out of the manifold. Direction say to run a fan on pump if used indoors so.....

I dropped hard line to each rack [the red line] ;

Then reduced from 1/2 inch to gang valves .

Running somewhere between 80 and 100 lines right now..I could max this out if I ran heavy bubbles in most which I don't.

Found eggs today !
Got my second spawn from Tunas Apisto bitaeniata .
Then after admiring the small 25+ hatch from my platinum angels from a couple weeks ago looking possibly to be platinum [ I know they can change color growing] I found a large spawn from the angels !Hoping I get platinums and that hatch does better...

The pictas look to be recovering [less shimmy] but I lost at least 2 of the males...I was happy to find whoever is left hiding and swimming today as opposed to going nowhere in the corner...I will just have to wait see how they turn out but I am still changing water and dosing rid ich as they were covered a couple days ago..