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Hi Gary, if ever I manage to take a half decent shot of the new cories, I will. In the meantime, here is a link with a picture. They are quite cute, I think. http://www.aquaworld.netfirms.com/Siluroidei/Corydoras/Corydoras_caudimaculatus.htm

Hi catdancer.

I read that you want to set up an African themed tank, fish-wise or plantwise?

These will be African Rift Lake Cichlids, so not planted. I might add the odd tough plant, but African Rift Lake guys apparently rip your plants up, so not much point. I was really excited about them, until I discovered "round fish". As the tank was specifically planned for the Africans & they keep to the mid/ bottom water levels, I only made their tank 20" high. A few posts above I was having a sook about my new tanks being the wrong size & that's what I was referring to. I now wish I'd made it 24 inches high, cause if it was, it might well become a 4ft long, 2ft high hi-tech planted discus tank instead of an African tank. I think 20 inches is a bit on the low side for discus though. Plus I have bought $160 worth of coral rocks, which would be wasted, as they wouldn't do at all for discus.

Unfortunately, progress is slow. Hubby says he has prowled around some hardware stores & says he is gathering his info. Meanwhile, the year just ticks away with nothing happening

Run out of time for now, but I will send you the link from the homemade recipe I use. I know my fish like this version (and there are several versions around). I'll send it soon, I promise.

Cheers
TW

i like the corys very much- they look like the ones i was hoping to get myself (i was trying to get some guapore corys but all the lfs in the area said that none of their suppliers had ever heard of them! so i am getting a few panda corys instead).

TW

I love the fish you have, I wish i had the experience to handle discuss. I have yet to handle regular FW fish. I am also planning a Ciclid tank, probably a 75 gallon. Do you think i should get it long or high because I was going to use a 48" length and then go up.

Good luck on your new tank.

Thanks for your input as always, Shane
http://thetanklog.blogspot.com/ - [ Thanks to ScottF ]
http://www.natureaquariumclubofutah.com/main.html

Hi Fandan, I like these corys too. 1st time I ever saw them & lucky, they like higher temps than other corys, so perfect for my planted discus tank.

Hi fishmonster, thanks for the fish compliment. I them. Hope I can look after them well. They're a fairly new acquisition for me & I'm learning as I go. I've only been keeping freshwater fish for about 1.5yrs, before taking the plunge into discus.

I'm also planning a Ciclid tank

Do you mean African Rift Lake Cichlid? I have a few South American dwarf cichlids, but I'm planning an African Cichlid tank (mbuna). It will be 79G (48"L x 19"W x 20H" ).

Do you think i should get it long or high because I was going to use a 48" length and then go up.

Before taking any advice from me about African Cichlids, remember I'll be an absolute newbie myself & so not the best source But hey, maybe we can learn together
From what I've read, these guys prefer mid & lower levels of the tank & height's not so important (therefore maybe wasted??) Even so, I wouldn't go lower than 20"H. I couldn't make my tank any wider than 19" (due to cabinet limitations). If not restricted by cabinet width, I'd rather go wider & longer. My dream 4ft African Cichlid tank would be: 48"L x 24"W x 20"H. The extra width gives more room to make the rocky territory these guys love.

As a contradiction to above, my son's Africans use all water levels in his tank - so maybe extra height wouldn't be a waste after all??? Some warn a 24" high tank can be hard for maintenance (you need a long arm & might get wet leaning in & down), but have a look at countryfish's planted tank log - his may be even higher & he seems to have no trouble. Some also say 24"H = poor light penetration for plants on substrate (not a problem for Africans, but something to consider if you think you'll swap this tank over to hi-tech planted in the future). Again, look at countryfish's tank, he seems to have no light issues in his tall tank & my new planted tank will be 24" high.

In summary, IMO, if you have to make a choice between a high tank or a wide tank - I'd go for wider. But if you want to go both high & wide - why not?

Hope some of this helps.

No plant or pic updates. Still waiting .... waiting .... waiting .... for the day I can shut this tank down & start the new one

Cheers
TW

Hi Robyn:

Now I am confused, the C. caudimaculatus is listed in the Baensch as suited for a temperature range 72 - 79 F equivalent to 22 - 26 C. The C. haraldschulzi with 75 - 82 F corresponding to 24 - 28 C. The latter is also the species that my LFS who carries and breeds discus recommends. Any ideas? The C. harladschulzi is awfully cute but also hideously expensive...

Claudia

Hi Claudia

C. harladschulzi

They do sound like they're better suited. Mine are only described as liking warmer water (as compared to other corys), but you're right to say up to 26 degrees. I've never seen C.harladschulzi - but I'll look for them now that you mention they like even higher. Wish I knew of them before I bought these guys, though I have to say they very cute & bouncy balls of activity in the tank.

Cheers
TW

Robyn,

I just paid my favorite LFS a visit and talked to an extremely knowledgeable and nice person there. C. haraldschultzi as well as C. sterbai are very suited for discus tanks! In fact, I checked their current 'wild discus' breeding tank (which they display for show purposes, very much to the demise of fry) and what do I see? Two fat fully grown female C. sterbai and 3 mature boys! They have kept these guys for a year successfully with the discus at 86 F. C.sterbai is also regularly bred in the aquatic community here and supposedly suited for higher temperatures. Here is a pic of the object of my not so recent affection (I am toying with the idea of getting several of those for quite a while). Here is C. haraldschultzi:



and here is the species to commemorate the contributions of Gunther Sterba:
Sterbai is darker and the pectoral fins are more orange than those of Schultzi and at least where I live, Sterbai is more affordable.

One more piece of info: C. caudimaculautus should also be relatively well-suited! There appears to be a lot of misinfo out there - planetcatfish posts actually the SAME pic for both species - sterbai and harladschulltzi!

Aside from this, my LFS suggests to get in touch with "Ian X" in the UK through planetcatfish if desperate, as this person is considered the absolute Corydoreas Guru having bred almost every species that is available on the market.

Attached Image:

Robyn , Thanks for providing that info. I love these guys but they are quite rare up here .
Just one question , the temp thing . From what you've said I take it that these guys can
take a fairly wide range of temps? Is that right .
How goes the handyman BTW , is he getting busy yet

Garry

They handyman has set to work and was not satisfied with the DIY jack that I came up with (see 1st pic below)



Being a typical bloke - he just had to go BIGGER. This shows 4 of the 6 supports he has put in the cupboard. This cupboard could hold up a car now. In fact, if he over tightens the jacks, he can feel cupboard & tank starting to lift from the floor


Yes, yes, I know the cuts are not the neatest, but at least it is being done. He is going to put a false bottom over all. He has yet to cut a bigger hole for my filter hoses etc. He miscalculated his cut for the power point, so that hole is 3 times bigger than needed. But I don't care - I'm HAPPY, I can start my tanks.

This shot shows one cupboard (with opened doors) where the 4 supports are. Next to it is what used to be a narrow pull out draw that housed CD's. Hubby insisted that 4 supports would not be enough. Now this is a "false door" & behind it are 2 more supports. I will have to find somewhere else to store my CDs.



So, I have less usable space in my cupboard now, but at least I should be able to start filling this tank tomorrow.

Hubby is taking a break now, & will do the other cupboard once I have finished setting up the African tank.

In the meantime, I thought I'd let you know that at least things are progressing. Hopefully, it will be less than a month before hubby is motivated again. The October long weekend is looking good.

See ya.

Cheers
TW

Let's face it: you got yourself an entire new 'stand' consisting of 4 jacks with the original cupboard providing nothig but the wrapper to cover them ...

Have fun setting up your tanks

I know I will curse the thickness of those jacks, as well as the horizontal turning part of them will get in the way. The original version I picked was much thinner & didn't have the horizontal turning thing. It just wound up by rotation of the much thinner vertical structure itself. But to get it done, I had to go along with the new plan. Overall, just happy it's happening. I know you guys in the planted world won't be so interested in this tank, but I'll most likely put a pic up in the appropriate forum section.

Cheers
TW

TW,

I am sure that your tank isn't going anywhere!

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

That's for sure Wings. But I now have 2 out of 3 of the new tanks up & running, so I have to be happy about that

Cheers
TW

Robyn...Happy New Year ... Always fun to watch the breeding antics of big fish like these . I can't help you with your questions ...don't know anything about round fish ... Looks like they are happy in their home though .

Gotta be happy about that .

Garry

congrats, dear Robyn

on your breeding pair!! Ahem, didn't you once say that you do nt like the Blue Diamonds? Looks like you got a Blue Diamond dad - the breeding tube of the scribbled or whatever this strain is called looks pretty wide to me. I was told (and shown) that the male breeding tube is very thin, while the female is short and quite wide. based on what I spotted in the picture I am suggesting that the Blue Diamond is male if you have a pair (females can forms pairs as well and they will both spawn w/o any wrigglers).

Keep us posted and good luck!

Claudia

This post was originally above Countryfish & Catdancer's, but accidentally deleted. So they are responding to this post, even though it comes after theirs now.

I know they have ziltch chance of making it in my community tank, but I was surprised last night to find eggs on the filter intake of my planted community tank. I hope, at least, that means they must be happy in their home. They laid on the filter intake tube & are guarding - sometimes both together or sometimes taking turns. They both leave the eggs to feed, so their guarding skills need working on.

Hoping eggs aren't eaten before at least wriggler stage, cause then I'll know if I have a male & female, or if it's 2 females. The parents are a blue diamond from Xtreme & the other, I don't know. The LFS said "Fire Ruby" but know that's just a breeders name.

Here's "Fire Ruby" where I tried to get a shot of the breeding tube. Any thoughts on if male or female? The tube seemed more prominant yesterday. Seems to have retracted a bit today. Also anyone know what type of discus this really is?



Couldn't get a decent shot showing the blue diampnd's tube, plus there was a lot less to see. Was a different shape & not as prominant.

Here's a couple shots of them guarding.



If I can know for sure they are a confirmed pair, I'll move them to a breeding tank when I get back from hols.

Cheers

Cheers
TW

Thanks for the New Year wishes Garry & Claudia.

Ahem, didn't you once say that you do nt like the Blue Diamonds?

Well, yes I did. Seems I had just never seen a nice one. There are lots of poor quality discus around. The blue diamonds I'd seen were all dirty looking, without red eyes. I love the way this one looks though.

Looks like you got a Blue Diamond dad - the breeding tube of the scribbled or whatever this strain is called looks pretty wide to me. I was told (and shown) that the male breeding tube is very thin, while the female is short and quite wide. based on what I spotted in the picture I am suggesting that the Blue Diamond is male

That sounds like what I saw on him. As it was so short, it didn't show up in any pic. Discus forum said that Fire Ruby (Red Turk) is female. Also said eggs look infertile & that this is often the case with 1st few spawns in a community tank.

females can forms pairs as well and they will both spawn w/o any wrigglers

I know. That's why I'm keen to either sex them or see at least a wriggler, so I'll know for sure.

A few eggs this morning are white, but the parent's don't seem to know they're supposed to eat the bad eggs. I don't expect success, but if even one "wriggles" for me, I'll be pleased.

Cheers

Cheers
TW

As it was so short, it didn't show up in any pic

That's what I wanted to say, sorry for being so unclear about it. I had based the gender assignment of the pair on the appearance of the wide tube that is apparent on cute little Fire Ruby.

There are lots of poor quality discus around

Same here, it is difficult to come across a nice one that is also offered for a decent price! Not to forget health.

How big is Fire Ruby and how is the pretty Turk doing which you nursed back to health?

I am currently (again) battling a relapse with spironucleus in my pretty female Blue Diamond .... 10 days of Metro which hopefully wiped out any traces of the darn flagellate in her digestive tract!

sorry for being so unclear about it.

No, you weren't unclear. I was trying to say I understood you. So, it seems likley I do have a pair?

Same here, it is difficult to come across a nice one that is also offered for a decent price! Not to forget health

Not sure of discus prices in US, but he was reasonable @ $60, considering the ugly ones I've seen around for much more.

How big is Fire Ruby and how is the pretty Turk doing which you nursed back to health?

I will check Fire Ruby's size. The patient is fully recovered, but stubbornly won't eat food that's not red, whereas everyone else now eats everything offered. Means I keep having to offer tetra color bits, which I'd prefer not to as my mixed albino is bright yellow. Mind you, he's very pretty that way, but I wouldn't mind seeing him back to normal colour as I forgot what that looks like. He & the blue diamond are my favs. I also have a super red alenquer (named tiger), as well as the new red alenquer that's in QT as we speak.

I am currently (again) battling a relapse with spironucleus in my pretty female Blue Diamond .... 10 days of Metro which hopefully wiped out any traces of the darn flagellate in her digestive tract!

Bummer. What is spironucleus ? Is that a form of internal worms? You're lucky that you can freely use the Metro. So difficult to get here, as it's prescription only. Have you ever tried to get metro prescribed for your fish from a vet. I've managed it twice, but it's not easy. Good luck with the treatment. I'll check your thread for updates.

Cheers
TW

hi robyn - a bit off thread here, but i was at barry's shop in matraville picking up some apistos on saturday just gone, and he mentioned you were coming in later that day - pity we didn't bump into each other! i bought a gorgeous pair of agassizi, and a pair of the super-red cacs. all GORGEOUS and have settled nicely. did you get a new male? it was hard to choose one - so many good looking boys in there!! hope all is well,

justin

Hey Justin - Happy New Year. Yes, pity we missed each other. When I got there, he told me I just missed Thomas (from discusforums) who bought a pair of Elizabethan. Apparently a pretty special pair going by the price Barry quoted. Must have forgotten to mention you'd been there too. He must have guessed I might know you, as I can't even remember mentioning I visit fishprofiles, only discusforums.

Yes I got a nice male agassizi,a nice pair of double red cacs with a spare female and a pair of PT.nigerian reds. Also a red alencer discus. They are all doing well in QT. Yes gorgeous, & yours must be even more so I bet, since you had first choice Seriously though, I've been waiting for a decent shipment of apistos for a while. Only went there for one fish & came back with seven Good luck with your new apistos.

How big is fire ruby

Tried to measure her & from mouth to end of tail, she is around 3.5inches or 9cm. So still a bit of growing to do, I think? The eggs are almost all gone.

Cheers

Cheers
TW

hi robyn - i used to be on discusforums too, which is the link to barry, i think. i had my eye on the elizabethae too - they were gorgeous...but my boyfriend has made it quite clear that there are to be no more fishtanks, and i'm at capacity! my panduro have just spawned, and the new agassizi female has selected her nest site in the 6footer, right under my angels who have just spawned on a giant e.bleheri - i think it's intentional, as the angels are such great guards, but she can slip in at ground level to her little cave...hope the male is brave enough to follow her to do his part of the job!

regards,

justin

Justin, good luck with the panduro spawn. Are you going to try to raise them, or are they taking their chances in the community tank? I have sad news, my new female PT.nigerian red didn't make it in QT. She was dead tonight Will have to see if Barry has another female for me.

Just in case anyone would like to see, I've posted some updated pics of my discus in this thread:-

Discus Pictures

Cheers
TW

What is spironucleus ? Is that a form of internal worms?

I got this info from links to a Dutch web site posted on discus forum. Research has shown that it is spironucleus, a flagellate, and not hexamita, which causes lateral line erosion as well as the intenstinal manifestation of the disease. The parasite lives in the intestines where it can persist for a long time w/o causing noticeable problems until the immune system of the fish is stressed again (like having to live with an obnoxious bully and child rearing responsibilities ).

According to most recent research prolonged treatment is required to eradicate the culprit (makes sense as the duration of treatment is determined by the parasite you wish to eradicate, while dosage is dependent on the unfortunate host and it's metabolism). My little discus )4.5 inches) is eating, no stringy feces anymore and shows normal color. But I've seen that before ...

But I don't want to vent too much, looks like you have your own fishy problems at hand. Hope they will resolve soon!

Claudia

P.S. Post pics of your discus Fire Ruby is a horny little teenager! She still has some growing to do I did not see wrigglers until the third or fourth spawn, but the parents were still not ready to provide the fry with mucus. It takes time with round fish, my favorite LFS has a nice show tank with a breeding pair of gorgeous wild discus and it took them 4 or 5 spawns as well

Thanks for the disease & treatment info, Claudia. Please, vent all you like. As well as getting it off your chest, you share your experience & knowledge & educate me

looks like you have your own fishy problems at hand. Hope they will resolve soon!

Do you mean the death of the female PT.nigerian red? Well, that's just one of those things - happens sometimes with new acquisitions - she was a new purchase from Sunday. She, plus other purchases were/are all in bare bottom QT. I've replaced her already with another 2 females I picked up today. Had to get them while they were available - don't often see them around. Will be another month or so till the new fish move into their respective permanent home/s. Meanwhile, they're undergoing preventative internal worm / parasite treatment. Learned my lesson well with "the patient".

P.S. Post pics of your discus

I did. Did you see the link to discus pictures? Anyway, click here to see them Discus Pictures Hope you like them. I think the only one not in the pics is "the patient". Randy Fire Ruby is the red turk in the back left of one of the pictures. BTW, might have underestimate Fire Ruby's size. She was not being helpful when I had my measure out - kept moving. I didn't want to overstate, so I understated. When I can I'll do a re-measure.

Cheers
TW

hi robyn - the panduro are in their own tank with some ember tetras, but the female has eaten about three spawns before. she's the most beautiful but most aggressive female apisto i've ever owned. the aggies have picked out a nesting spot right under my spawning angels in the community tank, and the cacs are completely disinterested in each other!

sorry about the nigerian - i was looking at those too - gorgeous. glad you got more girls - always gotta grab them when they're available, don't we??

justin

how about a updated full tank shot TW?

33 gallon 7 neon tetras-5 platys-3 bleeding heart tetras-2 corys-1 rainbow shark-2 L83 gibby plecos

Robyn:

thanks for pointing me to the discus page. I did not notice it before (sitting in front of the computer with my eyes shut? ). All I can say: keep feeding those color bits - I like discus with reddish coloration and like the 'pseudo albino' after the color transformation much better! The picture of the first acquired red alencer shows a very beautiful fish. How many discus do you have by now? I am jealous.

Justin, that panduro sounds a very feisty lady. Good luck with her. I'm a little worried about the male Nigerian red now, especially as he will finish his QT under care of my 19yr.

Hi Claudia

picture of the first acquired red alencer shows a very beautiful fish

Yes, red Alenquer & "pseudo albino" are my favourite's.

How many discus do you have

There's Albino / Red Alenquer "Tiger" / Red Melon / Red Turk "Fire Ruby" / Red Turk "The Patient" / Blue Diamond, & Red Alencer, so that makes 7. I've got my name down for a wild Royal Blue, but I'm not sure if that will come through or not.

BTW, I've won my bet, so it will be a 6ft home for them. First we have to block up a window the new tank will be partly in front of, organise new curtains (from inside it will still look like a window) & then I get to set up the tank. Should be worth the wait.

Leaving for Surfers Paradise (Gold Coast, QLD) tomorrow for a short 10 day holiday, so hope we can get started soon after. I expect blocking up the window may take time (remember how long reinforcing the cabinets took).

Hi platy boy, thanks for popping in. Ask me for pics of my other 2 tanks & I'd gladly oblige (on return from hols) but this tank is a mess. For most of this year, plan was to shut it down & tfr all to a 72G I have sitting empty (apart from being used to grow out HC & other plants). BUT, hubby & I had a bet, which I won. Means he's buying me a 118G tank. So all year, my 43G is a complete mess. Plants stuck everywhere, in no order - no design. Just marking time, until I knew which tank I was setting up. Soon the fun will begin, & then I promise pictures to detail the whole set up. Will be a C02, planted beach front home to discus, Apistogramma, cories & cardinals (plus a few left over current residents too). Hope you pop in for a visit of the new tank, in a month or two.

Cheers
TW

I've won my bet, so it will be a 6ft home for them

CONGRATS! How exciting - there is a lot of aquascaping that can be done with such a tank!

red Alenquer & "pseudo albino" are my favourite's

Fire Ruby and "The patient" are very pretty as well!

Okay, Surfer girl, have a great time taming the waves. Your readers at FP are eagerly awaiting your return and news about the big tank!

Claudia

Robyn...congrats on winning the bet..and the new tank of course . Should be great fun

Be carefull not to fall of the cliffs that pass for beaches on the Gold Coast ATM. Lots of erosion due to the weather ..have fun and hope the sun shines for you .


Garry

Be carefull not to fall of the cliffs that pass for beaches on the Gold Coast ATM

The beach was quite a shock. Not at all it's usual beautiful self. It's usually such a gorgeous long stretch of smooth white sand. We're runners and enjoy running from Surfers Paradise Beach all the way to Burleigh Heads Beach, on the sand (you just have that one little bit just before Burleigh, where you climb off the beach up the stairs & over onto Burleigh Beach). It was such a difference. You're right, cliffs all the way, from the storm erosion. Storm also seemed to have caused a lot of debri not normally seen. Funny foam in the waves, left brown stains on the beach at times. Never seen it like it before & we've been going every summer for the past 13yrs. I think the businesses that rely on tourisim have suffered a bit this summer

But I really regret the international tourists seeing it like that. Hate they may think that's how it always is.

Having said that, we still had LOTS of FUN

Okay, Surfer girl, have a great time taming the waves

Despite the above comments, hubby & I hit the surf most days, armed with our boards. Loads of fun.

PS, I got that wild discus I spoke of. Bit disappointed. Picked him from a picture & had to pre-order & pay. He's nice & I hope he colours up, but he doesn't look like the pic I chose. He is a wild Royal Blue, or at least that's what he was sold as.

Cheers
TW

There are some new fish pics in this thread, all residents of this tank.

http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/threads/30247.2.htm?0.9847264#333505

Cheers
TW

Nice to hear that you had a great vacation (and I am sooo jealous of your running experience)! When will you start setting up the big discus tank? I am on pins and needles to see how it goes. Your new Wild Blue does look nice in the pictures, don't be disappointed, he will color up! In fact, I like him much better than the Heckel but I am not a fan of the latter. 'Ramzes' the blue bully was rather unattractive when I bought him but he turned into a nice looking fish after a while (outside, not character wise). How are your attempts at breeding dwarf cichlids coming along?

Claudia

(and I am sooo jealous of your running experience)! When will you start setting up the big discus tank?

I can't wait either, but it is finding time to organise what needs to be done firstly. A builder needs to board up window (from outside). Need to arrange for new curtains. One more cupboard needs to be reinforced (remember the jacks). Work is so busy, I'm enrolled in a study course & I'm in the midst of training for a marathon.

Yeah, the royal blue is nice, just not the fish I thought I was getting. Seller had various fish & pics. I must have been confused, but I swear the 1st pic was labelled wild royal blue.
This is what I thought I was getting

This is what I got


At the moment I'm liking the Heckle better.

How are your attempts at breeding dwarf cichlids coming along?

Not so well. The recent pairs in the fish pic link are all in this tank. Being a community, none would survive there. The male cac is too young as yet. The macmasterii have been flirting (flashing & what not) but they have only just moved in & nothing yet.

No action in the other tank either

I do however, have fry in the african cichlid tank - but they are unlikely to make it.

Cheers
TW

Hi Robyn

All this fish talk, there is not much I can add, you know way way way more by now about Apistos than I do know almost nothing about Discus

Well, all looks somewhat nice to me, and that is all I can say

Ingo

---

Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Hi Robyn

All this fish talk, there is not much I can add, you know way way way more by now about Apistos than I do know almost nothing about Discus

Well, all looks somewhat nice to me, and that is all I can say

Ingo

---

Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Hi Ingo,

All this fish talk, there is not much I can add

I'm sure you can add heaps when it comes time to plant the 6ft. Right now, I'm a bit of a fraud, here in the planted tank section. Tank still is planted, C02 pumps in - but tank is treated as a holding tank for plants & discus. Nothing is in any order & all is a mess, with some plants floating.

I hope that you might pop in with advice on planting, when the time is right.

Cheers
TW

... when the time is right

Robyn,

You know that the time is right BEFORE you plant it, right? You are a pro, so this is almost a hypothetical question, LOL.

And don't forget the hardscape!

Ingo

---

Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Yay, Ingo is right, of course. I hope you will share your thoughts in the planning phase regrading hardware with us.Something that would come in handy for myself ...

I will do so, as soon as I get a little time up my sleeve. Thanks for your continued interest in my long delayed plans.

Cheers
TW

you changed your avatar No fire ruby and penang eruption anymore ...

you changed your avatar No fire ruby and penang eruption anymore

Seems I stuffed up. It's meant to be changed to Wild Royal Blue discus, instead I must have set it to this older avator, a previous PT.Nigerian Red male. I'll try again tonight.

Anyway, I've seen some plants on line, but the site gives absolutely no information about them (lighting requirements, maximum height, all those things that we need to know). The links are below. If anyone knows anything about these plants, I'd appreciate your advice.

http://www.livefish.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1806
http://www.livefish.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1918
http://www.livefish.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_81&products_id=1804
http://www.livefish.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1816

Also, I had thought that stricta & temple were the same plant, but this site lists both - so I'm thinking there must be a difference after all?


Cheers
TW

In Order:

"Curly Ivy Bunch" - never heard of it, looks aquatic, but may not be

"Peacock Swords" - does not look aquatic at all

"Cardamine lyrata Bunch" - I actually have this one. It is basically a small form of the Pennywort, with leaves the size of a nickle (now, I guess you don't know how large that would be, LOL), maybe 1.5cm across. It is not a bunch though, it is many runners tangled up in that shot, with maybe some branching. Will do fine in medium to higher light.

"Pink Ivy Bunch" - I think I have seen this one before, named something with hedge in it and not truly aquatic. But I may be wrong.

Know little about stricta & temple, except that the latter comes in different colors and maybe that is why they call one stricta and the other temple. Just guessing though.

That's it,

Ingo

---

Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Robyn:

I absolutely agree with Ingo, the 'peacock sword' is not aquatic at all. Am right now on a business trip, otherwise I would have looked up the plant in my 'window sill plant dictionary'

Poor, poor you ... training for a marathon wish I had the time

The wild blue still looks nice to me but I understand your disappointment! I found that strains of discus can look very different depending on the source.

i have your 'peacock sword' growing in my garden right now - it's from the calathea family, and definitely not aquatic.

you changed your avatar No fire ruby and penang eruption anymore

Can't fix it. I've asked the moderators for help here http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/private.aspx?id=37017&page=1&0# Hopefully Wild Royal Blue Discus will appear as my avatar shortly.

Thanks Ingo, Claudia & Justin for comments regarding the plants. The link for the last plant wasn't working, but I've fixed it now, in case you have any comments on it.

Too bad about the sword, I thought it looked nice.

I've looked on tropica & plantgeek & couldn't find anything on either type of ivy.

Cardamine lyrata - so does it grow low then, or is it a stem plant?

The stricta & temple names are confusing. Both varieties on the site had versions that were green & others that are green with some red or mauve leaves. Remember Paulus Ingo, he once told me that stricta & temple are the same plant.

I've asked the site to confirm the plants are aquatic & to give me the scientific plant names - if they know them.

Poor, poor you ... training for a marathon wish I had the time

That's just it Claudia, I don't have the time - but I'm doing it anyway. I'm off for a 20km training run now.

That's it for now.

Cheers
TW

Robyn ...Just a thought... have you tried this site . I've bought plants from them a few times and I've been very happy with the results .

http://www.aquaticdreams.com.au/home.asp

Garry

Thanks Garry, I'm always keen to have several on line resources. They have better plant choices than most LFS. I've saved the link with all my others. I mostly get my plants from here http://www.aquariumsuppliesaustralia.com.au/store/cart.php?m=product_list&c=9. I've always been happy. I also buy a lot of my basic supplies from here too (not the dry ferts though). They have optional pick up & as I'm close to them, that's what I do. They do ship though, as you see through check-out.

Cheers
TW

Garry, I ordered a "Minder Aquarium Monitoring Unit" from site you gave me http://www.aquaticdreams.com.au/home.asp Seen similar items elsewhere on line, for around 2X price here. Hope it helps prevent me killing another fish, by forgetting to turn the heater back on.

Here are some shots that include view of some plants. Not full shots mind you - focus is on the discus, as tank is in shut down mode. They do show some of the messy, disorganised planted tank though.





Few shots of Red Alencer - for no reason, other than pics of him never turn out. These are my poor examples of my best attempts


EDIT: Forgot to inclue this guy


Cheers
TW

Robyn...

Gotta love those discus.. Hard to keep but beautiful to view!!

Shane

Thanks for your input as always, Shane
http://thetanklog.blogspot.com/ - [ Thanks to ScottF ]
http://www.natureaquariumclubofutah.com/main.html

Hi Shane

I don't find discus that hard, other than routine regular deworming, my schedule hasn't changed at since I got them. Thanks for the nice comment.

I finally could no longer stand the mess that were the plants in this tank, so things have been tidied up. The key motivating factor was that the tank is a little overcrowded & the discus need both eating & swimming space, so all has been thinned, some plants disposed of, plus a couple of new plants purchases.

http://www.livefish.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1815 and http://www.livefish.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1817


Not a great deal of effort or thought put into the replanting, because anyone who has visited this log recently knows this tank is planned to shutdown, so it is really only a holding tank.

If Ingo were to pop in, I'm sure he'd say more plants are required but I find discus need an open space for feeding. Here's a full frontal shot

close up of the anubia group, complete with film canisters for apistos to hide in


Some of my cories hanging out under what was sold as pygmy chain sword.



this one was also sold as pygmy chain sword, but it's quite different (thinner / smaller). Being smaller, more likely to be the real deal I guess, but I don't really know.


Here's A.Macmasteri just hanging out


The last 2 of my Harley Rasboras


The willow fern up the back



One more full frontal shot


To finish up, here's my cardinal tetra group. 'Cause I'm worming the discus right now, I moved these guys out, as prazi can't be used with tetras. No, my discus aren't sick. Just that there are several fairly new discus in there, so it was time for a deworming process.


Cheers
TW

The LFS who sold me my Wild Royal Blue discus took some pictures of it, in the store tank, a few days before I brought the fish home. I'm going to add those pictures to my fish pictures thread Discus Pictures A sneaky preview though is my new avitar.

Cheers
TW

Those are rasbora hengeli.

Nice tank.

Hi COL, thanks for stopping by. I'm pretty sure this is what I have the raspbora espei, not hengeli. The hengeli is less red, although I agree my pic doesn't show their true colour - they look brownish, which is not accurate). In real life, they are a strong reddish colour. They also have the small black line behind the head (not visible in my pic) found in the espei & not in the hengeli. Either way, wouldn't bother me too much, as both types are very similar & quite pretty. I only have 2 survivors left & they were from my 1st batch of fish in the tank - so they're fairly old. http://www.bayfish.com.au/category26_1.htm
http://aquaworld.netfirms.com/Cyprinoidae/Rasbora/Rasbora_hengeli.htm

Cheers
TW

Planted tank owners in the US won't understand my excitement, but I've stumbled across a hobbyist selling off some of his Narrow Leaf Java Fern. Have no idea where he got it from, as it's not usually available in AUS (only the wide leaf version) & I have wanted it for a very long time. I paid dearly for it & it should be posted to me after the end of the easter long week end.

I'm very excited

Cheers
TW

This tank is now sitting on one of those removalist type trolleys in the middle of the loungeroom. It's counting down it's final days. Won't be long before these guys move to their new home.

A few full tank shots.



Cheers
TW

I gotta tell you Robyn, I love looking at your
photographs, your fish, and your tanks.
You do great work!

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

agreed! so what are you gonna do with the tank once the discus move out? looks like maybe another tank in the coming...???... can't wait to see the new tank with all your discus in it!!!

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

Robyn I agree with Frank ...love those big round fish ...bet they will love their new home .

Garry

I gotta tell you Robyn, I love looking at your photographs your fish, and your tanks. You do great work!

Thank you Frank, coming from someone with your experience, that's real nice of you to say so

so what are you gonna do with the tank once the discus move out? looks like maybe another tank in the coming...???...

Hi brandeeno, this tank is destined to be sold on ebay. Yes a new tank is planned. Not very much to see yet, but this is thread of the new tank's journey into being http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/threads/37492.1.htm?0.6397477#

Hi Garry, I hope my round fish will like it

Cheers
TW

Robyn:

Simply awesome! you are the person I feel the worst about for dissappearing, can't say that I am back, this will take a couple more weeks but wanted to pop in and congratulate you on your tanks!


Claudia

hey claudia, great to hear from you. I've missed having another "round fish" lover popping in. On that other forum, my wild royal blue discus is a finalist in a picture comp - yep even with my crappy camera. Top six are now being voted for by forum members. Unlikely to win, but pleased to be a finalist. Prize is a confirmed pair of discus.

If you pop in again in the near future, tell me, how do you find java fern in a discus tank? Tropica says it's fine up to 30 Celsius, but some Aussie discus hobbyists tell me it slowly dies off for them.

Hope after you are all settled, we will see you & your round fish in a thread here soon. Keep well.

Cheers
TW

Robyn!!
WHERE is the link to admire the pic of your fish?! I keep my fingers crossed for you in the contest! Is this the wild blue your initially so dissapointed about?

Regarding the java fern: I have to admit that I can not contribute my own experience - remember I admired your fern so much. Almost all plants grow well in my discus tank except java fern. I can not conclude that it is the temperature alone, the plant does not thrive in the lower temperature Apisto tank. The only one it does extremely well is the 10G with the dwarf puffers where it is kept with little light and lower temperature.

Discus loving members of my Chicago society claim that java fern does very well in their tanks. However, you have to keep in mind that none of these guys is really into planted tanks and many pf them end up with 'silk' plants. The rumored successful keeping I was told about might be nothing but slow death. On the other hand, there was always a vendor for aquatic plants at the meetings and these guys had the most awesome plants (limited selection but what they had was fantastic) and one special of theirs was the 'java fern hedge for the discus tank'. According to the owner, java fern does well at high temperatures...

Sorry for the rambling, bottom line is that I don't know but I will eagerly follow your thread to learn about your experience

Claudia

Robyn,

I tried to support your wild blue on that other forum but there is something wrong with the poll - I simply can not vote!!! Seems to work for some as the number of votes has increased sinced I checked last but still not for me

Hi Claudia, thanks heaps.

There was an error in the set up of the poll. They couldn't fix it in that thread. A new thread has been created. Here is the link. http://www.discusforums.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=131808#131808

My fish is Entry 2. If you want to vote for mine, just select entry 2.

Once again, thanks heaps.

Cheers
TW

Done! Good luck

robyn,
i was looking arround on plantgeek.net and was looking at the non-aquatic species that re sold to hobbyist and LFS as follery and saw that plant with the purple undersides of the leaves... this plant is non aquatic and will supposedly foule your water after it begins to rot... i dont know if it is accurate, but it is just a heads up... beautiful tank cant wait to see the final product after the move!

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

Thanks for the plant tip brandeeno. I had already decided this plant wasn't going to make it into the discus tank. It did lose leaves quite quickly, plus the leaves are quite big & no longer will suit the look I'm after.

It's annoying when non aquatic plants are sold as aquatic

Cheers
TW