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15th January, 2005. Another water change completed, and the fish are frolicking about again.

Having removed some excess Java Moss, and transferred it to the Panda Breeding Aquarium, the Lemon Tetras in the main community aquarium are suitably happy with the increased swimming space, and the alpha males are jousting with the vigour and gusto that happy Lemon Tetras manifest. Likewise, the male Pencil Fish are push wrestling as if their lives depended upon it, and the Pandas are exploring their newly undulating gravel bed, playing tag with each other and behaving like a party of toddlers let loose in a mud pit. The Otocinclus are exploring the Java Ferns on the bogwood 'tripod' at the right of the aquarium, and seem to be finding quite a few morsels to their liking among the leaves and the rhizome tangles. Even the Cardinals seem more than usually perky now that a fresh 25 litres of clean water occupies their home. But, the star performers after the water change are, as always, the Pandas: when you see Pandas inquisitively poking their barbels into nooks and crannies youdidn't even know existed, using the pieces of bogwood and the Java Moss growths upon them as catfish climbing frames, in some cases tunnelling into the Java Moss, little tails wiggling at the kind of speed that brings to mind Chip N Dale chattering away with those helium-inhalation voices, you know they're happy!

Two of the Pandas have, as I type this, begun surfing the powerhead bubbles. Which means I can probably look forward to more spawning antics in the near future. One has just joined the Otocinclus among the Java Ferns, using one of the leaves like some kind of underwater budgie swing, which is highly amusing to watch, I can tell you! Quite why the Otocinclus find the Java Ferns so fascinating to explore at the moment, I cannot say, but they're obviously finding something of interest there, and what's more, there's four of them at it. Another Otocinclus has just decided to go exploring the Hornwort floating near the surface, and doesn't seem in the least to be exerting any effort reaching it. Oops, it's just had to execute an emergency avoidance manouevre as two jousting Lemon Tetras blundered into its flight path!

Needless to say, I'm a fan of 'busy' aquaria. An aquarium in which you have to search high and low for the occupants isn't that much fun: when they bustle about in full view, that's much more satisfying to watch! Of course, this makes for a relatively high-maintenance aquarium in terms of regular water changes and gravel vacs to keep everyone happy, but it's worth it when you see endless gambolling and frolicking about. Fish that are doing something, instead of just sitting motionless in the water. It also helps when you have Lemon Tetras that are a brilliant, vibrant yellow, instead of pale, insipid and washed-out like so many shop specimens: but then, juveniles tend not to colour up until they've been transferred to a well-planted home and conditioned on several banquets of live food. Plus, many shops make the mistake of selling them in bare aquaria, where they stand precious little chance of showing off how lovely they can look. If you want to see how brilliant Lemon Tetras can be, adopt the following steps. Prepare an aquarium with a mixture of lush plant growth in well-designed thickets, interspersed with open swimming areas. introduce at least six, and if space allows, twelve Lemons to their new home. Patience is needed: even with the régime I'm outlining, it will probably be six weeks before the results really start to show. Lighting should be mounted toward the front of the hood for best effect, as Lemons look at their best with the light reflecting off them, as opposed to shining through them. Once the newly introduced Lemons are settled in, drop in a large helping of live Bloodworm and Daphnia mixed together. Watch the ensuing feeding frenzy and enjoy the spectacle! Intersperse live foods with a high-quality colour flake, and treats such as freeze-dried tubifex in a feeding bell. After six weeks, those pale, insipid looking juvenile Lemons will be turning a nice solid yellow. As they mature, watch the males, with the thick black bands on the anal fins, and the more pointed and prominent dorsals, hinting at a kinship with the likes of Rosy Tetras and Black Phantoms, whose males have truly flag-like dorsals. They'll start jousting, indicating that they're getting ready for the patter of tiny fins. When spawning is imminent, the chase sequences are as frenetic as anything you'll see in a Keystone Kops silent movie! At this point, the most vibranly yellow fishes will be the females: males, particularly jousting alpha males, tend to darken. Let the sun shine on their aquarium first thing in the morning, and if they're well-conditioned, spawning will almost inevitably follow, the actual pairing being a sort of side by side quivering, followed by an almost explosive parting of the couple as eggs are expelled. They'll jerk away from each other at that moment with such force, you'll be mentally inserting bomb noises!

Watch the Lemons closely, and you'll see the males adopt 'landmarks' in the aquarium from which to stage their displays, and from which they'll dart out to challenge rivals. This behaviour tends to be mixed in with more conventional shoaling behaviour, hence my adoption of the term 'part time territoriality' for this. I suspect that quite a few Tetras engage in this: the behaviour is especially prominent in my Pencil Fish, and in Silver Tip Tetras, which will flash their fin markings at each other from 'landmarks' if given the opportunity. Under the right lighting, Silver Tips doing this look really impressive. Although I've yet to confirm this, given the brief observations I've made at the pet shop, I suspect that those Tetras with large dorsals - Rosies, Black Phantoms and the like - also engage in this kind of behaviour. If anyone has these fish, watch them for this. In the case of the Lemons, the posture is usually a head-up one, fins 'flicked' in brief flashes of stiff erectness, accompanied by body flicking as a kind of 'throwing down the gauntlet'. I've seen something similar happen between male Black Phantoms, though they tend to remain at a more level orientation, and I've seen male Rosies flicker their fins at each other too. Best of all, any of you Black Phantom and Rosy owners, dig out the video camera and film them at it if you see it!

One final note about Lemons before I move on: particularly fine specimens exhibit a kind of gunmetal-blue lustre to the tail fin. Not intensely, as if airbrushed with acrylic paint in that hue, more a kind of watercolour wash, but it's definitely there. They'll be mature when this appears. Time then to set up the breeding aquarium and start producing baby Lemons!

Oh, and the Cardinals have settled down nicely after the mayhem of the water change too. The iridescent stripes on mine are now a lovely intense sapphire blue. If ever someone perfects a way of making shirt fabric radiate like that, I'll buy it!

And with that, I'll return to the fish watching.

Back again - 16 January 2005. Yes, this is the FishProfiles equivalent of Bridget Jones' Diary. Except that my fish don't overdose on Silk Cut and Chardonnay. A carefully calculated dose of TetraMin has just been added to the aquarium. Mayhem. ALL of the Pandas are at the front, scooting over the gravel face down, tails wagging like puppies given dog chocolates, while the Lemons and the Pencil Fish are behaving like the big plastic shark in Jaws. Oh, yes. Prime time entertainment for anyone who likes fish. Fun and frolics abound. I've just discovered why the Otocinclus like that big clump of Java Ferns on the bogwood 'tripod' to the right. Turns out it acts as a nice little trap for odd bits of flake food, which come neatly to rest flat on the leaves. And, the Otocinclus, who know an easy living when they see one, promptly park themselves on the leaves, using them like underwater budgie swings in a manner similar to the Pandas, and munch away. Must be some fairly decent vegetable content in those flakes. It also explains the fascination they have for the floating Hornwort - hunting out easy morsels among the tangle of leaves is probably a LOT less labour intensive than scraping algae off glass. That's the funny part though: when the Pandas do their underwater budgie swing act, it doesn't appear to be for food, it appears to be simply for the fun of it. Although having said that, one of the Pandas has just joined the Otocinclus among the Java Ferns, with the addition of poking endlessly inquisitive barbels in amongst the rhizome tangle, tail up at 45°, wagging away at a rate of knots.

Again, I must be doing something right, because my Otocinclus don't skulk and hide. They come out, show themselves, and what' more engage in fairly bustling activity. Which, combined with the nice 'fingerprint' on the underside that betrays a well filled digestive tract, means that they are happy. The shade from the floating Hornwort probably contributes to this, means that they have the chance to go exploring without being unduly dazzled. Although, oddly enough, I rarely see them occupying the nice collection of cave's I've provided. Mind you, they'd have to push some of the Pandas out of the way first. But, once again, I must be doing something right, because I not only have full Otocinclus, but lively ones. Something I should add to a new update of the Big Otocinclus Article™ - give them floating plants for shade, and you'll see them a LOT more often.

Oh, look, more powerhead bubble surfing from the Pandas. Oh, classic Panda comedy moment - the Panda turned round in the current and crashed into one of the male Pencil Fish. The Pencil Fish looks utterly stunned, but the Panda took one glance over its shoulder as if to say "You should watch where you're going, mate" and carried on. Oh, that's woken up the Pencil Fish - challenge from a tival male. Here we go again, push wrestling time ... oh, they've stopped. One's decided that picking bits off the Java Moss is a more constructive use of its time.

Oh look. It's the turn of the Lemons to get frisky. And one of my alpha males has just put on his finest battle dress, complete with ridiculous codpiece and silly hat Blackadder style, for the latest round of jousting. By which I mean that he appears to have especially prominent fins. That dorsal wouldn't look out of place on a Black Phantom, but for the yellow at the tip. Yes, it's all go again. But as I said above, I like a 'busy' aquarium. Something with action in it. And this is without any Whirling Dervish Characins in it. Goodness knows what life would be like if I put some of those in.

Ah, Pencil Fish push wrestling again. They'll be at that for a good half hour now.

And with that, another 'diary entry' comes to a close ...



Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

very creative! ur making me think that maybe a 90 comunity would be better than a bunch of "biggies" yea, i may throw all my fish in ther when i get it, and use a 10 for betta breeding, the 15 for johney breeding, and the 30 for some cichlid breeding, thanx for the idea

Nothing better than a large and lively community tank It can be more fun than watching tv, reading a book, or going to see a comedy...

I sit every night with my fingers dangling in my cichlid tank for a good 20 minutes or so, then I finally feed them (after they've been eating off my fingers that is Of course after adding the food, they jump and splash for 30 minutes or more.

Then it is off to the guppy tank for the same adventures, and watching my males harass the females for as long as I care to watch, and the neons trying to join in they still think they are guppies after all this time

Can't wait to read the next addition of your aquarium diary...Heidi

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

It's time for another diary entry again. Wednesday, 19th January, 2005.

First of all, I've acquired a proper aquarium fluorescent tube for the Panda Breeding Aquarium™. This one is different from the one I intended to get, and it's utterly transformed the appearance of the aquarium. Its spectral output is centred on a whopping 18,000 K. It's just so bright ... the aquarium now looks like it's filled with solid diamond instead of water! It sparkles ...

Which, of course, means that I'll probably have to start filling it with more sprigs of Hornwort to provide shade for the Pandas when they move in. But that's all to the good. Lots of Hornwort means happy baby Pandas when they make their appearance.

My LFS obtained a whacking great selection of new bogwood pieces too. Some of them really intricate and decorative. Lots of gnarled twisty bits of the kind that I like, the sort of pieces that look like a conceptual art installation Which means that I'll be adding one to the new aquarium in due course, once it's received its boiling and soaking. Prices are cheap too.

Meanwhile, my LFS has at last found a Brine Shrimp supplier, after the previous one ceased supplying. I think, sadly, that it was a one man operation and the man in question died. A much lamented loss, it has to be said, because he supplied really good quality Brine Shrimp, which my fish used to love. Well, now the Brine Shrimp is back, and so, my fish can enjoy three-course banquets again. Which they've just done. Live Daphnia, Bloodworm and Brine Shrimp all mixed together. Needless to say, the Pandas are now burping happily, and judging by their antics, I think Mata Hari will be in the mood to perform her Dance of the Seven Veils again pretty soon She's got that fullness of outline that suggests something more than a good meal, and for that matter Shy Di looks as if she's ready for some patter of tiny fins action too.

As I type this, I've just seen Mata Hari burrowing into the gravel like a mole. She's obviously found a Bloodworm that escaped the first round of hunting from the fish, and boy, is she so determined to dig that critter out! You wouldn't think that a small Corydoras could shift gravel excavator style like, but she can ... last time I saw a fish dig like that, it was an Electric-Blue Damsel in a marine aquarium reshaping its home to suit itself. And those things are miniature underwater bulldozers on an epic scale. I even reckon some of Jason's big Cichlids would have their work cut out emulating Mata Hari at this moment!

Incidentally, the interest my Otocinclus show in their surroundings isn't just restricted to upward facing surfaces with particles of fish food sitting on them. At least two of mine, and possibly four (I've yet to establish the numbers) seem to think that they have some Synodontis genes in their bloodline, given the manner in which they've displayed upside-down swimming antics of late. It's not a disease symptom (i.e., deranged swim bladder etc) because they are in tip top condition, nice 'fingerprint' undersides and bustling activity of the sort that you just don't get in sick fish. They've even perfected a 'barrel roll' to return right way up again after investigating the undersides of bogwood arches and the like. In fact, one of my Otocinclus looks as if it's had an especially good meal, and I suspect it's the one that's taken to snacking on Bloodworm now and again.

I've now got six Pandas ferreting around in the gravel at the front. One's just dug up a dead Daphnia, and whoa, look at that! One of my male Pencil Fish is having a tug of war over it with one of the Cardinals! Look at those guys go! And, for once, the Cardinal has won!

Ah, more powerhead surfing from two of the Pandas. They love doing that! And the two males that perform the ritual glass cleaning courtship antics are having some fun knocking snails off the front glass again. Wonder if there's any comparable human sporting activity to compare it to? Can't think of one for the moment ... now another of the Pandas is doing a Synodontis impersonation under the bogwood arches ... oh, yes, first class entertainment all round.

Someday, someone will take a look at my aquarium, and decide that it will make the perfect screen saver. There's certainly a lot going on - all of the above has happened in just 20 minutes. But then, that's the beauty of an aquarium when the fish are happy - they show off their colours, engage in all kinds of fun behaviours, and go around positively fizzing with life. Whee.

One of the Pandas keeps finding things of interest under my Amazon Swordplant. Which I think may be splitting in two. There's a collection of short leaves at the front (and LOTS of them), along with a sudden sprouting of longer ones in a cluster at the back. For a while now, said plant has been in a 'dormant' phase again, something it keeps entering periodically, and as a result, where it used to have a collection of fairly long leaves, now it's become a sort of miniature Aspidistra underwater, with a veritable forest of much shorter leaves than in the past. And, it's under this thicket of green that one of my Pandas is burrowing. Don't know what it's found under there, but judging by the contortions it's going through to dig into the space under the leaves, and the frenetic tail-wagging, there's something very tasty waiting to be dug out.

On the subject of the Amazon Sword, I definitely think it's either splitting in two, or it's put out a runner and produced another plant. The new leaves sprouting from the back are longer, and a much lighter shade of green. I'll have to take a closer look next time I dig out the gravel vac.

Now that's something I've never seen before - three male Pencil Fish jousting simultaneously with each other! Something else for the Pencil Fish keepers here on the Board to look out for! Weirder and weirder ... what seems to be happening is that two start the 'push wrestling' with each other, while the third circles about then joins in the fray. It should only be a matter of time before someone asks if I have a collection of gay Pencil Fish ...

Once again, boys and girls, keep looking at your aquaria! You never know what might turn up ... I've had these Pencil Fish now a little over a year, and this is the first time I've seen three jousting simultaneously. It would be an interesting experiment to see what happens with a big shoal of them in a larger aquarium (say around 20, divided evenly into 10 males and 10 females). Wonder if 'multiple jousting' would show up in that kind of setup? If anyone out there has 20+ Beckford's Pencils in a decent sized aquarium, and sees this happening amongst theirs, let me know. Meanwhile, the female is looking on, and one can almost picture a speech balloon over her head ... "Men ..."

Ah, we're back to two again, the third one has become bored ...







Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Treat Your Corys ...

Saturday January 22nd, 2005 ...

For some time now, I've been using Hikari Algae Wafers to feed my Otocinclus. Which they like,when they can get their mouths around them. The only trouble is, even though I break up the algae wafers into smal pieces and scatter them around the aquarium, to give the Otocinclus a chance, just lately, they have to fight tooth and nail to get a share. Why?

The answer is simple. For some reason, my Panda Corys just adore these algae wafers. Which, at first, sounds a little odd. Corydoras, after all, principally feed on animal matter, as the unrestrained looks of glee upon their faces whenever I introduce live Bloodworm testifies most eloquently. Therefore, without having looked at the ingredients list on the package, I think it's safe to assume that there's something of animal origin in the wafers alongside the spirulina algae, and that this is the reason that my Pandas go absolutely nuts over them!

So, want to give your Corys a treat? Buy a pack of these. Take one of the wafers, break it up into bits, and scatter around the aquarium. It won't be long before your Corys hunt them down, and just watch them behave like pigs with their snouts in the trough when they find them!

I suspect that now I've posted this, Cory_Addict and Cory_Di will be rushing out to buy some. I also suspect that Cory_Di's little habrosus called 'Mini-Me' will behave in as much a porcine manner as my Pandas once these settle to the bottom of his aquarium!

To give you all an idea of what to expect, I've just dropped some small broken pieces of algae wafer in the aquarium with my Pandas. And tehy are going bananas. Even more hilarious, one of my Lemon Tetras is having a go too. It's not as if these guys don't have enough variety as it is - three-course live food banquets, freeze-dried Tubifex and four different kinds of Tetra flake food should be a nice balanced diet for them all. But, put in the algae wafers, and mayhem ensues.

Serious Lemmings-style madness is now the order of the day.

To all the Cory owners here on the Board, give this one a try. See if your Corys go bananas over these algae wafers the way mine do. Believe me, it's hilarious to watch. Ever seen one of those film sequences in which people run around all over the place, played back at quadruple speed? That's my Pandas right now. Little piggies with fins scooting over the gravel at warp speed. Some of them are playing underwater ice hockey with the pieces - at least that's what it looks like. If Cory_Di could see this now, she'd be on the floor in a helpless heap, giggling to the point of turning into a puddle of slush on the floor. I also suspect that this would be very therapeutic for Cory_Addict to watch, given the woes she's reported in the Recovery Room. And if Angiewny comes this way, and tries this with her Pandas, she'll likewise be a helpless giggling blancmange on the floor in front of the aquarium ...

Oh, yes. First class entertainment all round. Especially when the Pandas and the Otocinclus take turns pushing each other out of the way ... "Oi, that's mine! No it isn't, it's mine!" I've now got three Pandas around one piece, with a female Lemon Tetra trying to muscle in, and a pair of Otocinclus linebackers adding to the frolics. Meanwhile, Mata Hari has found another piece, and is pushing it around the gravel like an ice hockey puck trying to nibble bits off it. I've just taken a 10 minute break from writing this to photograph them all at it, and I suspect that when the film is developed, these pictures will be titled "When Pandas Go bad ..."

My Pandas are practically emitting sparks at the moment, they're so full of life. Pity I can't find a way of harnessing this, to save on my electricity bills

Judging by the reaction I'm getting, algae wafers have much the same effect on Pandas as chocolate gateau does on me ... except that I don't play with my food the way these little rascals do. But then, I don't have to wait for the chocolate gateau to soften up before tucking in ... imagine a collection of three-year-olds, all of whom have been overdosing on Sunny D and getting the "tartrazine glazed eye" look, let loose in a vat of melted chocolate, and you have my Pandas right now. "Please daddy, can we have more of these?" Insanity reigns ...

UPDATE : Sunday, January 23rd, 2005.

I've just dropped in some more algae wafers with the fish. Once again, the Pandas are engaging in an underwater version of ice hockey with the pieces. And, they've been joined in this game by two of the Lemon Tetras, who are trying to pick the pieces up, and only managing to do so about 25% of the time. Having decided at last to read the small print on the pack, I find that the ingredients list for these wafers is (be prepared for a long ingredients list!):

Fish meal, wheat flour, wheat germ meal, dehydrated alfalfa meal, starch, sea weed meal, fish oil, krill meal, brewers dried yeast, enzyme (eh?), spirulina, monosodium glutamate, garlic, DL-methionine, astaxanthin, vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, menadione sodium bisulphite complex (source of vitamin K), thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, niacin, calcium panthothenate, biotin, folic acid, choline chloride, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (stabilised vitamin C), inositol, sodium monohydrogen phosphate, manganese sulphate, zinc sulphate, ferrous sulphate, calcium iodate, cobalt sulphate, magnesium sulphate, aluminium hydroxide,

No wonder the Pandas go for these things if they contain fish meal and krill meal! Fortunately they do contain some spirulina for the Otocinclus, but I suspect that the animal matter ingredients are also attractive to them. On the packet blurb, it says that they are formulated for Plecostomus and other similar algae eaters (which is why I originally bought them for my Otocinclus) but my Pandas go completely barmy when I add these to the water. It's no exaggeration to say that it's like watching them shift from second gear to overdrive with the turbocharger at full whack once they pick up the scent, and they have a similar gleeful look on their faces to that which accompanies additions of live food. While Pandas in the wild will never encounter live krill, the flesh from these things should be reminiscent of the kind of freshwater crustaceans that would turn up in the bottom substrate of their native waters, and probably reminiscent to a certain extent of Brine Shrimp too, which they're more than a little partial to.

Mind you, some of the other ingredients in that list cause a bit of head scratching. Thiamine mononitrate. Hmm, so I'm adding nitrates to my water, am I? Not to mention those polyphosphates ... roll on algal bloom, yum yum. Still, there's some trace elements in there too. The manganese and ferrous sulphate will have a nice effect on my Amazon Swordplant once they've passed out of the Pandas' back end () and those vitamins should put my Pandas in tip top condition.

Ah, the Otocinclus have woken up. "Oh, daddy's put the algae wafers in again ... better move quick before those dratted Pandas steal them all like last night ...". Which means I will be unable to use these to bait a snail trap unless the snail trap is designed to keep the fish out. Even so, they have a veritable rugby scrum of Pandas to contend with, all out at the front, all scooting over the gravel with tails waggling at frenetic speeds ...

Oh, Classic comedy moment from the Pandas ... Shy Di was doing a sort of multiple S-weave over the gravel, waving barbels from side to side hunting for the juicy titbits, only she wasn't looking where she was going, and she's just run over one of the Otocinclus like a truck ... and barrel rolled the poor Otocinclus! Just as well the Otocinclus have armour plating! Said Otocinclus is now looking around, as if to say "What the ... what was that?" I can see it mentally counting the budgies fluttering around its head!

Ah, it's got up and dusted itself down. No harm done. Even so, those Pandas can be an accident waiting to happen when they start travelling at speed. And Shy Di is quite a big girl. Nothing delicate about her when she shoves something out of the way, I can tell you ... and while all of this is going on, two alpha male Lemon Tetras are jousting fit to bust, as if they've decided that today is the day that they'll show the Pencil Fish what endurance really means ... it's all go tonight, folks ...

If I can ever afford to set up a web cam pointed at my aquarium, you'll all be guaranteed top class entertainment. I certainly wish I *could* put up a web cam in front of these fish and let everyone see the mayhem and frolics that ensue once I do things such as drop in live food, drop in algae wafers or perform a water change/gravel vac. But then I suspect that quite a few people here would laugh so hard at the antics that I'd end up being sent their medical bills for all the hernia operations ensuing therefrom ...

The fish will be indulging in these antics now for a good couple of hours ... which gives me time to continue writing my posts!

And with that, I'll wrap this up and get it ready to post for the morning

UPDATE 2 : Early hours of January 24th - Pandas spawned again. Nice of them to celebrate my birthday like this!


Last edited by Calilasseia at 24-Jan-2005 09:48

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Yet Another Diary Entry!

It's early in the hours of Thursday, 27th January, 2005 as I type this (yes, I keep strange hours!), and the fish have had their live food banquet (about four hours ago). Daphnia, Brine Shrimp, Bloodworm, the usual recipe, plus some Glassworms that turned up in the Daphnia bags.

Wow, you should have seen the mayhem that resulted. The main aquarium was a hive of mad scrambling to chow down on the hopping and wriggling things that suddenly appeared. My Pandas performed their usual 'pig snouts in trough' act, munching gleefully on the 'red spaghetti' ,until they were burping away contentedly. The Lemons indulged in their usual 'Jaws' feeding frenzy, and the Pencil Fish demonstrated once again that having small mouths is no handicap when it comes to dismembering adult Brine Shrimp.

Meanwhile, the Pandas in the breeding aquarium suddenly found themselves surrounded by lots of moving food. And again, it was contented pig trough time. The scramble for the Bloodworm in particular was a sight to behold. In fact, they suffered from a mild bout of confusion when suddenly presented with a swirling mass of Bloodworm and Daphnia milling about them - "What do we eat first?"

Didn't take them long to settle down to the business of banquetting, though. And, I swear the little fellows smiled as they were eating. "Oh look, daddy's dropped in the red spaghetti! Rowf ..." Happy Pandas, little garbage compactors with fins, munching away, then burping contentedly.

I've added some more plants to the breeding aquarium. Water Wisteria (Hygrophyla difformis). Those things have a habit of growing like Triffids in my aquaria (when I was a teenager, I made quite a handsome profit selling back lots of cuttings ), and the bushy foliage should provide the Pandas with yet more choices of egg deposition sites. As a result, the breeding aquarium now looks like a little underwater jungle. Which is how I wanted it to look. I've popped some film rolls into the local developing outfit, featuring various shots of my aquaria, and when I get the prints back and scan them, I'll have some entries for the February aquascaping photo competition.

The Pandas in the breeding aquarium seem to like the new Water Wisteria. They're nosing around it as I type this. "Daddy's bought us some nice bushes to play with", I can hear them chorus as they nose around, presumably on the basis that there are some nice titbits lurking among the root tangles.

So, time to pop in some flakes, and a few small broken pieces of algae wafer. This should result in lively activity ...

Well, look at that. Didn't take the Pandas in the main aquarium long to find the bits of algae wafer. Look at those little tails wagging away, heads swaying from side to side as their barbels home in on the goodies. Oh yes, that's what I like to see, lots of happy fish snacking away. And, once again, the Pandas in the main aquarium are playing ice hockey with the algae wafer pucks. And, the Otocinclus have woken up to the fact that they'd better move fast if they want a share - two of them are jostling for position as I type this! Meanwhile, the Pandas in the breeding aquarium have found their latest two-course special, and they're moving the gravel around like miniature excavators looking for the choicest morsels. Aw, don't they look just so cute while they're doing it too?

Judging by the roundness shown by both Mata Hari and Shy Di, the girls will be in the mood for a spot of petticoat hitching in the not too distant future ... Mata Hari in particular looks as if she's carrying a bunch of sextuplets! Won't be long before she's sashaying seductively before the boys, beckoning them over with that look in her eyes ... the Pandas in the breeding aquarium are starting to look fairly frisky too, although they tend to take longer to get into gear even after a live food banquet. Mind you, when they do get into gear, they're little acrobats ... sometimes when they spawn, they're in danger of leaving the water!

Funny that, isn't it? Female fish look round and pregnant before mating, not after. Which leads to some interesting musings. As an example of the weirdness of my mind, I've just contemplated what it would be like if Pandas enjoyed all of the complexities of human society - what sort of lingerie fashions would they come up with for their nights of passion, for example? Although I won't be drawing any silly cartoons depicting this (not least because they'd get me certified) this is the sort of madness that is all too readily inspired by a busy aquarium full of contented and frolicking fish. Mind you, on the subject of cartoons, I've just mentally toyed with the idea of a Panda version of Jessica Rabbit ... The thought of Mata Hari doing a real-life Dance of the Seven Veils appeals to my off the wall sense of humour ...

Which leads me to another thought. I suspect that one or two people here on the Board have aquarium weblogs. Doubtless they'd make interesting reading. Which in turn leads me to a little suggestion: how about a separate forum for diary entries like this? I suspect Adam will shake me warmly by the throat for adding to his workload (), but the idea seems worth at least a little thought. Somewhere where everyone can put up their own version of Bridget Jones' Aquarium Diary. After all, I'm sure quite a few people here have observations worth putting in such a forum. Babelfish's subterranean Bronze Cory surely deserves immortality of this kind, for example! (And this time, I got the owner right ...). I'm sure that Cory_Addict has more than her fair share of comic moments to relate, and as for the owners of the big Cichlids on this Board, especially the owners of charismatic Guapotes, they surely must have some fun anecdotes to relate. After all, Parachromis managuensis, for example, is notorious for such antics, as has been amply covered in some of the magazine articles I've read: I wouldn't mind betting that the Jaguar owners here have enough incidents to fill several pages all on their own. And of course, what about all the shell dweller owners? Surely they're not about to let their little gems be eclipsed by my nutty Pandas? Oleta and the reef keepers (tangential diversion - what a wonderful name for a pop band!) must have their own fund of observations that will either be amusing or touching to read about. So let's get down and boogie, shall we?

Of course, not everyone will be in my fortunate position - an armchair with a PC sitting next to it, a keyboard that sits nicely on the lap, and the aquaria within easy observation reach while typing. And, not everyone will be able to blast away over the keys at 120 words per minute reporting odd antics and hilarious frolickings as they happen (and yes, that is my typing speed once I get going, which explains why I can put up such huge posts, heheheheh), I'm sure that there's quite a few people here who, even though they may be of more recent fishkeeping vintage than I am (I'm now looking at 29 years' worth of experience - yes, I'm heading for my aquatic Zimmer frame ), have seen things that are not only pretty damn useful to everyone else with the same species from the standpoint of maintenance or breeding, but contain a fair amount of what is known in journalistic circles as 'human interest' content. So, how about it?

Just a thought.

And, with the amusing diversion of 'Oleta and the reef keepers' as a 1980s style synthesizer pop band (complete with outrageous hairsyles and mermaid costumes, perchance?) tickling everyone's funny bones, I shall wrap up yet another diary entry ...

PS: wouldn't you know it? Mata Hari's hitched her petticoats for the boys, just as I was about to wrap this up. Pursed pelvic fins and four males completely out of their heads on testosterone in hot pursuit. Didn't expect her to be that eager ... Whoops, there goes another T position ... that's three eggs in the space of seven minutes ... at this rate Mata Hari will be single-handedly responsible for a Panda Cory population explosion

Friday, January 28th. Around 3:40 a.m. Yes, I do keep strange hours!

The breeding aquarium has had a water change and gravel vac (precious little to vac from the gravel in that aquarium yet ), and both aquaria have had a live food banquet thrown in.

Let's eavesdrop on some conversations, shall we?

Breeding aquarium: "Wow, we're getting a treat today - fresh water, gravel cleaned, and the red spaghetti thrown in for good measure ... does he know it's our birthday or something?"

Main aquarium (Lemon Tetras): "Chow time again everyone, dive in ..."

Main aquarium (Panda Corys) : "Quick, it's the Bloodworm, let's all sit on it before those Lemon Tetras steal it all!"

Main aquarium (Pencil Fish) : "Oh look, lot of Daphnia swimming about - better move fast before the Lemons scoff it all ..."

Main aquarium (Cardinals) : "Live food again ... better dive in quick or the Lemons will eat it all first ..."

Main aquarium (Lemon Tetras) : "Hey, less of the character defamation, you lot!"

Main aquarium (Otocinclus) : "What, no algae wafers?"

Tell you what, it's no wonder Mata Hari looks pregnant so often, given the rate at which she wolfs it down ... if she were human, no way would she fit in a size 10 dress ... she'd probably be an opera singer, and with her build, she'd be perfect for performing Wagner - Brünnhilde from The Ring Cycle, complete with armoured breastplate and Viking helmet with wings on. Yes, I'm in Far Side humour mode again But seriously, if Mata Hari were human, she'd be in the Montserrat Caballé league body wise ... and for those who don't follow opera, she's a heavyweight not only in terms of repertoire

By the way, I've seen one of my Otocinclus trying to catch Daphnia. Wasn't very successful, but it tried. Apparently it hasn't read the textbooks that say it's a herbivore ... it spent about a minute following some Daphnia around, then decided that it was too much hard work and went back to grazing on the plant leaves. Which leaves me to speculate that if I provided some more sessile organisms of the right size, delivered them amidst the Java Moss, and sat back & watched, the Otocinclus might add them to the diet.

Good grief, Mata Hari's just started gold mining ... wow, can that girl dig gravel! Most of the Pandas in the main aquarium can shift odd pieces of gravel now and again, but Mata Hari puts on the hard hat and breaks out the shovel ... mind you, with the mass she packs, she could probably shift the Otocinclus Pet Rock™ Must have been something tasty buried there to elicit that response - either that or one of the Bloodworm tried escaping, and she pulled back hard on the leash!

Needless to say, it's all go. Whee.

Meanwhile, the Pandas in the breeding aquarium have taken to playing 'tag' with each other in and out of the caves formed by the new piece of bogwood. It's fun watching them. Mind you, a dose of clean water always does have an invigorating effect on Pandas

And with that, I suppose I'd better wrap things up for the morning



Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Sunday, 30th January 2005. Early in the morning again.

First of all, I've got the prints back from the developer's shop at long last. Including the shot I took ages ago of one of my Otocinclus eating a Bloodworm, so I can now show everyone the photographic proof. Also, I have some nice shots of the Pandas doing their 'pig snouts in trough' act with both algae wafers and Bloodworm. I'll upload these and link to them in due course.

Now, the main aquarium has had its 25 litre water change and gravel vac. I've also removed a fair amount of algae from the front glass, so next time I take photos, they'll appear much clearer than the latest batch

So, settle down, type yet another post for everyone to read, and look over my shoulder at the aquarium antics. The Pandas in the breeding aquarium are settling down to a TetraMin snack, and the main aquarium has just had some TetraMin added, along with some broken bits of algae wafer. Needless to say, the Pandas are playing ice hockey again. The Otocinclus are enjoying some of the goodies too, having learned that the way to go is to rush out to the front and juostle for position before the Pandas eat all of their food ... After the upheaval of the water change and gravel vac, the Characins have settled down, and the Lemons are a nice bright yellow once more. But, as per usual, it's the Pandas that are providing the main entertainment, now that they have undulating, 'hilly' gravel to play in once more. For some reason, they really love having an undulating gravel bed: I suspect that in the wild, the bottom of their home rivers are similarly undulating, and since replicating the natural habitat as closely as possible is a guaranteed way of making any fish happy, this once more contributes to the happiness of my Pandas.

Among the photos I'll be uploading is a nice shot of the Pencil Fish jousting again. There's also a nice shot of a female Lemon Tetra looking nice and yellow, a shot of one of my Otocinclus on bogwood, and one of an Otocinclus competing with a Panda for some algae wafer snack. Even though the shots were taken under less than ideal conditions (the algae on the front glass looks awful in some of these shots), the antics are still fairly plain to see. There's a very nice shot of my Pandas enjoying a Bloodworm banquet, from the looks of it, that's Shy Di doing her best to shrug off her name I've also got a shot of the Pandas being sociable, which should prove once and for all that these fish should be kept in a decent sized group.

Meanwhile, Mata Hari looks round and excited again ... I suspect that the water change will once more prompt more petticoat hitching Also, my Cardinals are a lovely deep blue, just the way I like them: and, thanks to some judicious rearranging of some of the Java Moss, which was becoming a bit rampant in places, they now hav esome space to swim in again, so that they can show off their nice new deep blue colour, in their nice new clean home. Two of the Pandas are powerhead surfing at the back again, and the 'alpha male' Lemons are getting frisky.

That's one of the real beauties of having an aquarium with intricate bogwood arrangements. Fish keep popping in and out of nooks and crannies doing interesting things, there's never a dull moment with an aquarium like this! Oh, look, one of the Lemons has found a lump of algae wafer stuck in some Java Moss, and he's trying to carry the whole lot away to eat ... how silly of him. All he's succeeding in doing is spreading it about so that the Pandas and the Otocinclus can eat even more of it. Now one of the Cardinals is having a go as well ... this should be funny to watch!

Some time ago, I wrote a post on the Board entitled Green Is So Relaxing. The argument I was putting forward in that post, was that decor that is principally a leafy green in colour is likely to result in happy and relatively tranquil fish, because in the wild, green from plant life is the predominant colour, alongside brown from mud and pieces of sunken wood. Well, apart from the gravel, the main aquarium is a veritable forest of green, and judging by the happy frolicking I'm looking at over my shoulder as I type this, the theory works.

Likewise, I've tried to make the breeding aquarium an underwater forest. In fact, once more, I've succeeded: and judging by the way the Pandas in the breeding aquarium are happily frolicking about, once more, they like what I've done. Somehow, I think they'd be a lot less happy if I put air-powered skeletons in chests and fake sunken pirate ships in there

On the subject of aesthetics, a lush underwater forest with busy fish frolciking around not only looks good in its own right, but makes a superb centrepiece in a living room. Forget all those horrible makeover programmes that promote weird aberrations of style: if you want your living room to look good, give it a miniature version of a South American river like mine as a centrepiece. People will be too busy starting goggle-eyed at the fish to notice that your taste in pictures on the wall deserves ten years' hard labour, or that you've committed the cardinal sin of mixing William Morris wallpaper with brushed aluminium industrial furniture

Of course, if you're a marine fish fan, a well-constructed reef aquarium will give the guests even more to goggle at. And, of course, you'll be able to keep their kids still for a while as they sit around trying to find Nemo! As a matter of fact, one of the columnists in one of the fishkeeping magazines says that the only time her nephew doesn't tear around at breakneck speed is when he visits her home and has lots of nice, calming aquaria to gaze at. See? Fishkeeping is good for you - tranquil, relaxing underwater vistas that are therapeutic for you, and help stop the kids noticing the withdrawal symptoms from all that tartrazine when you ration their Sunny D intake

Oh, almost forgot - some more Panda fry shots! I have some shots of Big Junior: The Next Generation™ from August and September 2004. I'll add those to the list of photos to be uploaded ...

UPDATE : just two hours after I started typing this, and thought I'd have nothing more to add, Mata Hari's hitched her petticoats for the boys again. This makes it once every three days or so now : 20th, 24th, 27th and 30th January. At this rate, I'll be able to repopulate Peru with Pandas

That's four 'T' positions in as many minutes ... I'm getting worn out just watching them ... Mata Hari seems to be going all-out to prove that big girls have more fun ... isn't it amazing what a water change and a couple of Hikari algae wafers can do? It's utter mayhem in the main aquarium at the moment, which means that when the little guys are found a new home, and I can let Mata Hari loose in the breeding aquarium, chances are I'll have a very nice crop of babies to raise ... watch this space!

Still Sunday, January 30th, now 10:15 in the evening.

The main aquarium is bustling with the activity of Pandas burrowing into foliage. They're obviously finding some nice titbits in there somewhere!

Plus, those who remember me posting a brief note about a cave dwelling Cardinal Tetra, well, I have an update on this. This time, it's one of my 'alpha male' Lemons that's taken to cave dwelling. Which is a bit of a surprise, because their breeding habits differ substantially from those of Cardinals in the wild. Lemons spawn in waters that are not shaded into darkness by overhanging canopy trees, so quite why this Lemon Tetra has taken up residence in the big cave in the bogwood 'boot' is a mystery. However, the large mass of overhanging Java Moss might have something to do with it: Lemons preferentially scatter their eggs in dense foliage, so perhaps this particular male Lemon has adopted the cave because of this. Perhaps he's hoping to entice a female into the foliage

Once again, a happy scene, fish bustling about doing fishy things, providing me with something relaxing to watch while I type yet more acres of text for another post

The Pandas in the breeding aquarium have taken to exploring the big 'conceptual art' bogwood piece I've put in the aquarium. In particular, Big Junior: The Next Generation™ has taken to exploring the forests of Java Moss draped about it. He seems really happy doing this, but one consequence of his curiosity with respect to the bogwood and its Java Moss forest is that he disappears for ages on end until I put food in the aquarium, when suddenly, he appears from nowhere, and joins the others for a slap-up meal. Sometimes it's a bit worrying when he disappears for ages on exploratory forays: I'm beginning to sound like a broody parent, aren't I?

RasboraMary would love my two aquaria. Big plant forests with Pandas popping in and out of nooks and crannies all over the place. If she comes into a financial windfall, I bet she'll be tracking down my aquarium photos, then trying to replicate my Panda Fun Palaces

I've now got two Otocinclus doing the 'underwater budgie swing' act on the Amazon Swordplant leaves. Another is using the Hornwort as a climbing frame.

Oh, classic Panda comedy moment! One of the snails took a tumble from the Hornwort, and landed on one of my Pandas. The Panda paused for a moment, turned around, then flicked the snail across the gravel with its tail, as if to say "Don't drop on my head like that again!" Is it any wonder I love these little guys?

Back in the breeding aquarium, and the Pandas there have found things in the gravel they like. Burrowing like moles, they are. And Big Junior: The Next Generation™ has gone off on another foray round the back of the large bogwood lump. Guess it'll be some time before he comes back: like a toddler who's found a mup pit to play in, and won't be back until it's time for tea.

Ah, warm glow.




Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

19th February 2005 ...

Just fed the Pandas with their red spaghetti again ... around 3am. Told a few people in the chat room about it but they were busy with the ins and outs of overclocking graphics cards

Mayhem in my aquaria again ... Pandas with pig snouts in trough, Pencil Fish jousting, Lemons appear to be gearing up for a spawning, and the Pandas in the breeding aquarium appear to have developed a passion for tunnelling under the bogwood ...

For some reason, this topic went astray when I tried to locate it in the topic list, but now that the Search facility works, I found it. So, another diary entry!

What's more, I've seen three of my Otocinclus tugging at live bloodworm now. Which means that the update to my big Otocinclus article was much needed. And, I'm back to watching a cave dwelling Cardinal Tetra that seems to have decided that it wants to be a Panda Cory Fun and games ...

Right, I suppose I'd better head off for bed. It's now 4 am. The hours I keep sometimes ...

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

great entrys calli!!

Wow that is an amazing diary. Love the fish conversations!