Todays Developments

One of the yellow platy got very big overnight and you could see both sides were really black, i put her in the small tank not sure what to expect. 

 

Anyway did a major water change, did the big tank, then the medium one then finally the small one with the yellow platy in. I never thought of checking the water to see if anything was in it as was not expecting anything.

After i did the water change was sitting looking at my big tank and saw the yellow platy chase something, so had a look and she was chasing a tiny fry, i then counted another 2 of them. Am unsure how many she has had or eaten or me thrown down the toilet due to water change.

They were far too fast to catch and go hiding in the gravel so will look a bit later and see how many more i find but think there is only 3 of them. She was huge so was expecing a huge amount.

Still exciting to see the baby fry, if there was a huge amount would have given them to my frogs as a treat but as 3 i gotta save them. 

 

None of the other 6 adults look pregnant.

NEWS FLASH! - 3 Babies Found

NEWS FLASH! @ 6.30pm

I have found 3 babies

more details coming later....

Snagglepuss has a new skill

I heard a lot of gravel being moved and it sounded like the tank was cracking, but on looking where the noise was coming from I discovered that Snagglepuss (Horse Face Loach) had buried itself in the gravel, its grown a lot since I got it and now its Strong enough to bury itself.

Many people have said they need sand to bury themselves and gravel is no good, but i have proved them wrong. 

Here are some images. :-) 

Comments Wanted

Would love your comments to any of my posts, if you like what you read or disagree with anything please leave a comment.

Latest Tank Update, Occupants, Images and Videos

Tank December 1st 2010

Tank 29th January 2011

Video of Tank #1 and Tank #2 Taken 29th January 2011

Occupants of Tank #1 (120 Litre)

8 x Platy (1 male, 7 Female)
1 x Guppy (Female)
1 x Black Widow Tetra
10 x Neon Tetra
1 x Red Tail Shark
2 x Horse Face Loach
2 x Pelvicachromis Subocellatus Matadi (Pair of Dwarf Cichlid)
2 x Platy Fry ( They are now big enough to be in main tank)

Occupants of Tank #2 (60 Litre)

3 x African Dwarf Frogs
4 x Platy Fry

It seems unforunately i lost one of my platy fry, it vanished over night, no idea where it went, it was in the tank with the 7 others and next morning only 6 were in the tank, so its a bit of a mystery!

Finally figured out to pronounce "Cichlid"

I been wondering how to pronounce "Cichlid" and finally was able to. its not how I thought it would sound.

Sick-Lid = Cichlid

Fry and Frogs Together

I have set up the 60 lite tank to hold my African Dward Frogs and will also put my Platy Fry in there too.

I have added 2 Slate Caves and a few plants from the main tank, the base is made of fine sand, so less chance the frogs will get hurt after dive boming onto the big gravel.

The 3 frogs are now sharing with 4 Platy Fry, I was hoping it would be 5 Fry but one vanished the other day.

One Platy Fry has come of age

The largest Platy Fry has come of age and now is old enough to be in the main tank. He (well he has developed a dangler) is now swimming about in the main tank and here is the video of him.

Size wise he is now the size of my smallest neon tetra so that gives an idea who big he has grown.

One Platy Fry Vanished

It seems unforunately I lost one of my platy fry, it vanished over night, no idea where it went, it was in the tank with the 7 others and next morning only 6 were in the tank, so its a bit of a mystery!

Latest Pics of my other fish

You will see, Snagglepuss and the Dwarf Cichlids

http://picasaweb.google.com/101415952117590104105/25?feat=directlink

The Developing Tank

My Platy fry are now in the smaller of my tanks and are doing well. Here is the latest video.

Fish Listening to the Radio

My fish and frogs are listening expectantly hopefully to hear themselves mentioned on Sky Smooth Jazz with Jimi King today, lets see if they get a mention... :-)

...edit...
at 5.46pm they got a mention and sooooo happy!

Baby Fry - Update

The Platy Fry that was born on 19th December 2010 have been growing up in a hatchery tank attached to the main tank and been quite happy there but after a month being in there have decided to put them in another tank, that way they have more freedom to move about.

One is the fry is massive it is nearly double/triple the size of the smallest ones. two of the fry are still extremely small and all the others vary in size.

I have a small medical tank and have converted it to the home for the frogs as has a heater and very basic filter. As the frogs don't poo as much and contaminate things the filter is adequate. So taking that into account I decided that the fry could live there while they are growing.

All seven that I had saved have survived and I been looking after them 

The largest one looks like a male as can see a dangler!, it no longer seems to have a fan tail but that does not mean much as could be tucked away, as like my orange platy did.

Here is a video of them in the slightly bigger tank, although the quality is not brilliant!

Sex of my Platy Fry

This will be updated when i discover what sex the fry are:-

1 x Male
3 x Female

all are in the main tank now


edited 19th February @ 11:18

New Tank

I was looking on Ebay the other day and saw a perfect tank and bid on it and subsequently won it. I received the tank earlier today and pleasantly surprised. The tank was spotless and in good condition it had certainly been taken care of very well, not like some things that you can buy online that arrive dirtier than a rubbish tip.

The tank is 60 lt in water capacity and measures 60cm x 30cm x 30cm, am not sure what brand of tank it is though as there is no markings on it.

I was lucky to get a heater with the tank and also as a bonus received some sand too. I have positioned the tank and filled it with water in preparation for cycling it. The sand looks really good in it and with the light switched on looks stunning, it looks so bright and airy.

Just have to add a filter and then can start the process of setting up a tank from scratch again which you can all follow on here.

Some of you will probably be asking why do you need another tank, well simple reason is i will shortly have some fry being born and makes life easier to have a tank dedicated to that, hopefully more can survive and not be eaten.

Have added a few live plants to the tank and water just for the present time until I am ready to turn on heater and start the process.

Here are a few pics

Male Platy has had a sex change!

I have noticed that my Orange Male Platy has turned from a male to a female. He/She did not have the fin that represents it as a female and looking at it i presumed it was a male as it had a dangler!, but it seems it was just the fin folded up.
Now He is a She...

More updates later.....

Profile: Dwarf Cichlid

Alternative names

Kribensis, Krib

Synopsis

 

      Pelvicachromis Subocellatus 

 

Sexing

Males have longer finnage with a pointed dorsal and anal fin. The females have a rounded dorsal and tail fin.

Tank compatibility

This fish should be kept in male/female pairs. More than one pair can be kept to a tank provided it is large (20 US gallons per pair) and there are many hiding places. Despite being an African Cichlid, this fish is relatively peaceful and should not be kept in a Mbuna or Malawi set up with other African Cichlids. They do better with semi-aggressive fish such as some of the smaller Tetras. They should not be kept with long-finned fish and they will also eat livebearer fry.

Diet

They are omnivorous and will accept most foods including pellet and flake as well as live/frozen foods such as daphnia and bloodworm. They will nibble at live plants.

Feeding

Feed once or twice a day.

Environment Specifics

They prefer a spacious tank with plenty of hiding places.

Behaviour

Generally peaceful bottom dwellers and scavengers.

Identification

A fairly slender fish with slight lateral compression. The colouration of this fish can vary but they are generally brownish with either a blue or lilac sheen to it, becoming an off-white to ivory towards the belly area which also has the same sheen as the back area. The most distinctive trait is the large rose to purple coloured marking on the belly which extends almost to the back. On the back edge of the gill covers there is a brown spot edged with red on top and blue on the bottom. The anal fin is a pale lilac, the ventral fins have bright blue front edges with blue fin rays and the body of the fins are is violet in males and red in females. The males caudal fin has one to five "eye" spots that dark in colour and edged in yellow.

Profile: Black Widow Tetra

Alternative names

Black Tetra, Skirt Tetra, Black Skirt Tetra, Butterfly Tetra, Black Widow Tetra, White Skirt Tetra, Petticoat Tetra, Goldskirt Tetra, Strawberry Tetra

Dyed Forms

Blueberry Tetra

Synonyms

Moenkhausia ternetzi, Tetragonopterus ternetzi

Sexing

Females are slightly bigger than males and have a larger belly. Males have a wider anal fin, and a narrower more pointed dorsal fin.

Tank compatibility

A peaceful community fish that should be kept in groups of 6 or more. Keep with other peaceful community fish, but nothing with long fins as the Black Widow Tetra may nip, especially if kept in small numbers.

Diet

Will accept most foods including pellet and flake as well as live/frozen food such as bloodworm and daphnia.

Feeding regime

Feed once or twice a day.

Environment Specifics

Keep in a spacious tank with hiding places amongst plants as well as open swimming space. The tank should be mature and well filtered but without too much current. Avoid very bright lights.

Behaviour

A peaceful active shoaling fish.

Identification

Tall, oval-shaped and highly compressed they are noted for their curved anal fin which is quite long. It is almost as long as the entire rear half of the body. Two known true colour variations are available, the most well known being the Black Skirt Tetra which has a silver body colour while the fins are mostly black with two or three vertical bands on the body. The White Skirt Tetra lacks colour and the body is white, almost appearing pink, while the fins are mostly translucent. Long-fin varieties of both colours have been bred but are difficult to keep as they will fin-nip amongst themselves.

Special Notes

This species is one of those fish that is sometimes offered dyed (Many aquarists consider the dying of fish unethical, please read and understand fish dying before purchasing dyed fish). They are often referred to as Fruit Loop Tetras.

A natural variation of the Black Skirt Tetra is also the Petticoat or White Tetra.

There are also 'painted' versions available. These fish are fed particular highly coloured food which alters their body colour. But they quickly loose this colour when taken home.

Profile: African Dwarf Frog

Alternative names

African Dwarf Frog (ADF), Dwarf African Frog (DAF), Dwarf Clawed Frog, Zaire Dwarf Clawed Frog, Eastern Dwarf Clawed Frog, Gaboon Dwarf Clawed Frog, Western Dwarf Clawed Frog, Marble Frog

Synonyms

Hymenochirus curtipes

History

Family : Pipidae

Dwarf African Frogs were discovered by Tornier in 1896 and were first classed as Xenopus boettgeri.

This was later reclassified into its own Genus Hymenochirus.

However, it wasn't until 1996 that it was given a common name of Dwarf Clawed Frogs by Norman Frank and Erica Ramus, in the publication A Complete guide to Scientific and Common Names of Reptiles and Amphibians of the World.

Synonyms

• Xenopus boettgeri - Tornier, 1896
• Hymenochirus feae - Boulenger, 1906
• Hymenochirus boettgeri feae - Perret and Mertens, 1957
• Hymenochirus boettgeri - Tornier, 1896
• Hymenochirus boettgeri boettgeri - Perret and Mertens, 1957
• Hymenochirus boettgeri camerunensis - Perret and Mertens, 1957
• Hymenochirus boulengeri - Witte, 1930
• Hymenochirus curtipes - Noble, 1924

Of these species only Hymenochirus boettgeri and to a much lesser degree, Hymenochirus curtipes are found in the Aquarium shops around the world. But it is suspected that most are hybrids of the two.

Sexing

Male is smaller, develops a small red or white spot behind his armpits when sexually mature. When viewed from above they have a V shape ridge across the back from the anus across the rear legs (see picture below). The males also have a tiny to no visible 'tail' bud.

The females are far rounder in appearance and have a small tail bud.

The males also sing, while the females only sing rarely and usually as a response to the male.

Tank compatibility

Will not bother any fish as long as it's bigger than itself. It will eat fish fry. It has been reported that DAF are compatible with larger shrimp such as Amano Shrimp. They are not compatible with crayfish.

Some people keep DAFs with Betta splendens. This is difficult as Bettas are also carnivores, so they compete for the same types of food. Often the Betta gets fat whilst the frog starves. Best to find a way to feed the frog without the Betta being able to eat it all. A word of warning, when DAFs are kept with Bettas there are stories of either the DAF having his eyes and toes nipped and even legs broken by a feisty Betta, and on the other hand, there are stories of DAF's grabbing a Betta's tail and hanging on causing stress and injury to the fish.

Diet

A carnivore, these frogs will typically eat insects and small fish fry in the wild. In an aquarium the DAF can be fed on pieces of raw fish such as tuna steak (though only feed this once a week), tilapia or salmon. It is also common to feed the DAF prepared foods such as frozen Bloodworm (though only once or twice a week), Brine Shrimp, small Earthworms or Whiteworm, TetraPrima, ReptoMin, small cooked pieces of mussels or prawns and catfish pellets.

Most pet stores don't seem to be aware of the correct food to provide for these animals. They do not eat fish flake food.

• Do not feed these frogs any raw fish meat that contains Thiaminase.

Feeding

Feed once a day when young, feed once every two or three days when over one year old. Whilst adult DAFs should not be thin, don't let your frog get too fat!

DAFs have no teeth (and no tongue) so need food that is either small enough to eat whole or can be broken up by violent sideways jerking motions. Freezing meaty food before hand is an excellent method of breaking down the tough fibres so it easily breaks up.

Bloodworms are often suggested to owners as a DAFs main food source. This is a very bad idea for a DAF as this food source is low in protein and lacks many essential amino acids it requires to live. Feed bloodworm sparingly. Variety is the key.

If they are kept with fish they will often either need to be target fed, or fed using a DAF feeder.

Environment Specifics

This is a fully aquatic frog and will stay underwater for hours; however, it still needs to periodically come up to the surface to breathe. The substrate must be too large or (preferably) too fine to be eaten by the frog while lunging for its food.

If gravel is eaten by the frog, it will remain in the intestinal tract, cause blockage, and shortly afterwards, death. Sand or river rocks of at least 0.5cm (0.2") in diameter is recommended. The minimum tank size for one adult frog (over a year old) is 18.9 Litres (5 US G.). A young frog can probably get away with 11.4 Litres (3 US G.). Biological filtration perhaps isn't needed if the owner keeps up with regular weekly water changes. But it helps keep the levels of ammonia down if the owner neglects, overstocks or overfeeds.

If it happens to be a power filter with a intake pipe, cover it with fine mesh to prevent the trapping of the frogs' delicate legs causing it to drown. This is a common occurrence in larger tanks.

The water level must be dropped 2.5-5.1cm (1-2") from the top for two reasons; one, to allow for proper gas exchange and respiration of the frogs, and two, to prevent escape and therefore death. Otherwise ensure there are no escape holes for the frogs to explore. A DAF can easily jump 7.6-10.2cm (3-4") into the air from a solid base.

These frogs cannot be out of water for more than 10-15 minutes. If they somehow escape into the relatively desolate environment of an average home, their skin will dehydrate, and they will die.

These frogs can be easily kept in aquariums with a tall water column. A -43cm (18-24") tall tank is not a problem for them.

Origin

This animal inhabits forested equatorial Africa from Nigeria and Cameroon south through Gabon and east throughout the Congo River Basin.

Behaviour

Peaceful animals which are known for their 'comical' behaviour.

The DAF, like all frogs, have to discard their outer layer of skin every few weeks as they grow. They accomplish this by twisting and turning violently, and often go on to eat the skin.

Young and juvenile DAFs tend to be more active near the water line and prefer floating plants to lie upon.

The DAF is very long sighted and as adults have eyes on opposing far sides of the skull. This means it has great difficulty in seeing anything close to it or directly in front of it, so it relies on its sense of smell and vibration to find its food. It can often be seen stabbing at food on the bottom, missing quite a few times!

It can take a DAF ten minutes to discover that there is food in the tank. So if a DAF is kept with fish, you have to allow for this by feeding the fish first in one place and then feeding the frog in another place. It can be all too easy for a inexperienced owner to starve their frogs if kept with bottom feeding fish.

Breeding

Most frogs require a trigger to get the female to produce eggs. The Dwarf African frog is no exception.

Gradually drain the tank water level down to around the 7cm (2.8") level over a period of 2 to 4 weeks.

Then suddenly increase the water level back to normal using warm water so that the temperature of the water is increased to 28-30°C (82.4-86°F) and keep it there for 2 weeks. Ensure the frogs get enough high quality food (not just bloodworm). This should trigger the females frogs into generating eggs and will soon look noticeably fatter.

Once the female is ripe with eggs the male will grab her in a lumbar amplexus and begin the spawning dance. This consists of holding on to the female for many hours and if the female is receptive she will repeatedly swim and dive to and from the surface in a circular motion and release floating eggs near the surface and the male will release his sperm to fertilise them.

As many as 750 eggs may be released and these tend to scatter across the aquarium. The frogs may eat the eggs, so remove the adults. The eggs will hatch after 2-6 days and the 4mm tadpoles are carnivorous and will require high concentrations of infusoria and microscopic protozoans if they are not to starve.

After a few weeks the tadpoles will be large enough to eat whiteworm, baby brine shrimp, Cyclop-eez, etc.

Six weeks after hatching, the tadpoles will metamorphose into small frogs about 14mm long.

Identification

The DAF can be distinguished from a young African Clawed Frog by the fact that the DAF has webbed fingers. The ACF does not. Also there is no albino version of the DAF on sale currently.

Telling apart a H. boettgeri from a H. curtipes isn't easy as the two species can interbreed to create a hybrid. Some breeders believe that the DAF sold in the Trade is such a hybrid.

H. curtipes has a shorter head with smaller eyes, its skin is covered with tiny bumps which are larger and more distinctive than the same bumps on a H. boettgeri. It has shorter hind legs than H. boettgeri It may also be lighter in colour. 

H. curtipes also has tubercules (warts) on its upper hind legs which are the same size as on its back. Where as H. boettgeri has tubercules on its upper thighs which are larger than on its back.

Special Notes

In America and Canada most large chain shops are selling these frogs infected with Chytrid Fungus, a highly infectious and deadly fungus which kills within the first 3 months of ownership. This is believed to be due to the shops mixing the African Clawed Frog (which is a immune carrier) in with the dwarf frog and so passes on the fungus via the water. It is recommended that owners in these countries quarantine their new frogs for no less than 3 months before placement in their main tank. See our Chytrid Fungus article for more details.

Life Span - In the Yahoo Dwarf African Frogs group there are several members who claim their DAFs had lived for 10 years.

Profile: Neon Tetra

Alternative names

Neon, Neon Tetra

Synonyms

Hyphessobrycon innesi

Sexing

Females tend to have a more "triangular" belly, as well as having the blue band bend upwards to some degree. Males having a noticeably flatter belly, compared to the females.

Tank compatibility

Gets along fine in a community tank. Prefers to be a middle to bottom swimmer. Should not be kept with larger predatory fish such as Angelfish as the Neons may get eaten. Keep them in schools of 6 or more. Smaller numbers may work providing they are in with plenty of other types of similar small tetras for them to school with.

Diet

Flake and granular foods along with micro pellet, supplemented with small live and frozen foods.

Feeding

Feed once or twice a day.

Environment Specifics

Whilst Neons like a pH under 7, they can adjust to a more alkaline pH but they'll not breed. Most Neons are mass bred and are well adjusted to a higher pH. They do not like a varying pH or a high GH value. So ensure an adequate KH level. They live in stagnant pools in the wild and so do not like much current inside the tank because the are not physilogically adapted to cope with it enough. Some current is necesarry because of internal filter currents but try to keep this to a minimum.

Behaviour

Peaceful and a good community fish. Will school in groups of 6 or more. If they are kept in groups of under four then they will stop swimming and go pale and die after a couple of days. Other fish use this fish as a spotter fish; that is, if there is a predator about these fish will spot it first. Therefore, other more timid fish, such as rams, will come out into the open more if you put these fish in your tank. Useful to the aquarist as an indicator fish. If they are closely packed together, then they are alarmed and feel threatend. Usually if they are settled, they will disperse over your tank.

Breeding

Breeding occurs in the morning after a rainfall. Temperature should be 24-26°C (75-78°F). Water should be soft, 2-6 GH. If you cannot put fish into a separate breeding tank with soft water a 50% water change can sometimes simulate rainfall. Prepare mature fish by feeding them a high protein diet for several days. Afterwards, select a breeding pair or small group and transfer them into the breeding tank. The tank should be prepared with a soft substrate or plants like java moss to allow the eggs to fall through and into. The tank should be kept in full darkness for a period (overnight) and then the light levels should be slowly increased (position the tank by an east facing window).

Spawning should occur during the morning. The eggs are the size of sand and not sticky. The adult tetras will eat the eggs, so remove them after spawning. Cover the tank again to maintain darkness. The eggs and young fry are very light sensitive. After 24-36 hours the eggs should hatch and fry should be swimming in another 4 days. They should be fed infusoria, newly hatched brine shrimp, or fry food. They prefer soft water and are sensitive to water changes, so begin with very small (5-10%) water changes often and move to a sponge filter as soon as they are ready. Once they are large enough to eat micro pellets they can be acclimated to a general tank.

Identification

Like a Cardinal Tetra, the Neon has a brilliant blue upper body and a red underside. However, unlike the Cardinal, the Neon's red underside ends halfway to the head, becoming a white belly. They are very distinctive and commonly available too.

There are other selectively bred varieties available, including a Gold variety with a pale creamy gold body and faint lateral blue line, and one called "Diamond Head" which has far more iridescent blue on its head than the regular variety.

Species Note

Neon Tetras are known to carry their own parasite aptly named Neon Tetra Disease. It is highly contagious and any fish thought to be suffering from it should be removed. It can be, but is rarely, passed on to other species.

Profile: Guppy

Alternative names

Guppy, Fancy Guppy, Millions Fish, J.A.W. Fish

Synonyms

Acanthophacelus guppii, Acanthophacelus reticulatus, Girardinus guppii, Girardinus reticulatus, Haridichthys reticulatus, Heterandria guppyi, Lebistes poecilioides, Lebistes poeciloides, Lebistes reticulatus, Poecilia reticulate, Poecilia reticulatus, Poecilioides reticulatus

Sexing

Male guppies have longer, wider flowing tails and dorsal fins. The bodies of males are typically more colourful than their female counterparts. Females are considerably larger than males, have a white or clear body and may display a colourful tail, although shorter and not as flowing.

Aside from colouration, sex can also be determined by the presence of the gonopodium organ. Mature females also have a dark gravid spot near their vent.

Tank compatibility

Guppies cohabit with many different kinds of fish because of their docile nature. Sometimes, although rarely, males will attack other fish of the same body shape and tail appearance. This happens mainly to other livebearers such as Swordtails and other male Guppies, and is harmless showing-off for the females. Usually no real harm is done.

Some good tank mates are, but are not limited to:

• Corydoras catfish
• Otocinclus catfish
• Dwarf Gourami (Dwarf Gouramis will eat fry that it can see and catch, but harmless to adults.)
• Snails

These are a very tiny handful of tank-mates, and there are a large amount of others.

Do not keep these fish with Tiger Barbs or other known fin-nippers such as Serpae Tetras, as Guppies can sometimes be nipped especially the males with elongated finnage. Large predatory fish should also be avoided such as larger Cichlids including Angelfish. Nor should they be kept with Betta splendens, specifically the male Bettas with male Guppies, as these are territorial fish known for mistaking male Guppies as other Bettas and killing them.

Diet

Guppies are omnivores and will eat algae-based flake food, freeze-dried bloodworms, tubifex, brine shrimp, and flakes. Also will eat small parts of fresh earthworms and whole parts of bloodworms. They also like to eat some blanched vegetables like courgette, cucumber or lettuce.

Feedin

Feed once or twice a day sparingly.

Environment Specifics

Good water quality, lightly planted. No rough edges on ornaments to damage fins. There should be plenty of open swimming space. Due to overbreeding, many Guppies can be quite fragile so water quality should be kept optimum.

Breeding

To have a group of guppies of male and females that breed, a minimum of a 56.8 Litres (15 US G.) aquarium is required. If you are not separating fry from the adults, the fry will need to be moved to a breeding device, such as a net breeder, it's a good idea to add a portion of Java Moss to the aquarium, as it will provide shelter and food for small fry.

Pregnant females should not be put into a net breeder or trap prior to giving birth as this will cause them undue stress and possibly cause them to abort the fry.

The ease in which this species breeds and the wide variety of colour and fin shapes has caused the development of a show culture in the aquarium hobby. Many breeders have developed particular types of guppies that they sell at high prices and for prizes.

Generally guppies are considered very easy to breed. If the breeder is not concerned about genetic heritage or the breeding for color or a specific attribute, simply putting male and female guppies in the same tank will yield offspring within a month. Females have a gestation period of around 21-25 days.

Behaviour

Docile, active and sociable. Breeding requires virtually no effort. Because of this they are sometimes called J.A.W. fish for Just Add Water fish.

Identification

Small with brightly-coloured, usually triangular tails, with typically greyish-silver bodies, a pointed nose and upturned mouth. Many different colour and tail type variations have been selectively bred. Wild types have much shorter tails, whereas captive bred fancy males have very elaborate tails and tail types.

Profile: Platy

Xiphophorus maculatus

Sexing

Females have a fan-shaped anal fin, wide bellies, a dark gravid spot, and are larger than the males. Males have a modified, rod-like anal fin, called a gonopodium.

Breeding

Platies are one of the easiest fish to breed. As long as there is a male and a female, you are almost certain of eventually having fry. It is recomended you have 2 females for every male, as one male will put stress on a single female. Platies are livebearers, and the babies are born fully formed and ready to swim. They are capable of eating very shortly after birth. The female will sometimes eat her young so provide spawning grass, fine leaved plants, or put the newly born fry in a breeding trap (never put a pregnant female into a breeding trap as this will cause undue stress and possibly cause her to abort the fry). Young platies can be raised on baby brine shrimp or even finely crushed flake foods. They grow rapidly if the water quality is kept immaculate.

Platys can hybridise with Swordtails.

Tank compatibility

Platies are peaceful active livebearers that do well in an active peaceful community tank. They can be kept with other livebearers, but it's important to keep Platys in the ratio of 1 male per 2-3 females. Males will pursue other female livebearers and this constant hassle can stress fish.

Diet

Platies are undemanding, thriving on typical community flake diets. Platies will also graze on algae growing in the tank or on tender plants. Treats like blood worms, glass worms, daphnia, or brine shrimp are all eagerly accepted. If your tank has no plants or algae at all, offer a spirulina based food a few times a week. It is easiest to raise young platies in planted tanks where there is some algae to graze. They also like to eat some vegetables like courgette, cucumber or lettuce. Nuke them in a microwave for a little over 30 seconds on full power and then put them in the tank weighed down by plant clips.

Feeding

Platies are grazers, always picking at plants or tank decorations. If there are soft plants and algae, feed once a day. Otherwise, offer small meals twice a day to match the natural grazing behaviour better. Feed baby fish more frequently for the best growth.

Environment Specifics

Platies are rather sensitive to ammonia, and should only be added to established tanks. Many beginners make the mistake of buying platies to cycle tanks and lose the fish to ammonia toxicity. As long as the water is clean, platies can tolerate a wide range of water conditions. They are at their best in moderately hard, slightly alkaline water.

Behaviour

Platies are very gentle community fish. As with other livebearers, males tend to chase the females a bit. Try to maintain a ratio of two females for each male.

Platies eagerly accept food from all levels of the tank. Their slightly upturned mouths give them a preference for top feeding, but they are quite capable of catching food in mid-water or picking it up from the substrate.

Identification

Due to selective breeding this fish is widely available in many colours including shades of red, yellow, orange, blue, and black predominating. Young Platys can be mistaken for young Mollies and their body shapes are very similar.

There is a morph named the Balloon Platy which is a mutation of the regular Platy. They have a shorter stunted body which makes them appear more rounded, like a balloon. This stunting can lead to them being prone to swimbladder problems.

Profile: Red Tail Shark

Alternative names

Red Tailed Shark, Redtail Shark, Redtail Sharkminnow, Red-Tailed Black Shark, Red Tailed Labeo

Synonyms

Labeo bicolor, Epalzeorhynchus bicolor

Sexing

A difficult fish to visually sex. Females are usually larger. Females have a grey stomach, males are solid black.

Origin

Originally from Mae Klong River in Thailand, but may already be extinct in nature, and is therefore listed on the Red list of endangered animals.

Tank compatibility

This fish mainly dwells on the bottom levels of the tank and will guard its own territory. It is aggressive towards its own species and any other shark-like fish. Only keep with top-dwelling medium-sized peaceful but robust and fast-swimming fish, as it may also bully other bottom dwellers.

Diet

An omnivorous fish that will accept catfish pellets to make a good staple. A vegetable component to the diet is recommended.

Feeding

May be fed up to three times daily, though once a day is sufficient.

Environment Specifics

Not a small species, so consider adult size when choosing an aquarium. If co-inhabiting the aquarium with other species, a 3 foot long by 1 foot wide aquarium should be considered a healthy minimum. Cover in the form of real or artificial plants is appreciated as with most fish, and a couple of caves or hiding crevices are useful to lessen any possible aggression. Like a lot of fish, the Red Tail Black Shark will jump out of the aquarium if given the opportunity and it does not feel comfortable. This fish will also fight with its relative, the rainbow shark and prefers a densely planted tank with hiding spaces.

Behaviour

Although a bottom dweller, the Red Tailed Shark can be an aggressive fish at times. Depending on the personality of the individual fish it may not be appropriate to keep with community fish. If a fish were to stray into the red tailed shark's territory, depending on its attitude, it might try to attack the fish. It is usually intolerant of other members of it's species and more than one should be kept at the risk of fighting between the two and eventual death.

Identification

Quite a distinctive animal, those unfamiliar may confuse it with the Rainbow Shark, however the Red Tailed Shark only has a red tail where as all of the Rainbow Shark's fins are red. The Red Tailed Shark is also usually a much darker black. An albino variation is also available.

Profile: Horse Face Loach

Alternative names

Horsefaced Loach, Horseface Loach, Long Nosed Loach, Banana Loach

Synonym

Acantopsis biaculeata, Acantopsis choerorhynchus, Acantopsis dialuzona, Acantopsis dialyzona, Acantopsis diazona

Sexing

Females are mostly larger than the males with a broader abdomen. Mature females may also have more of a reddish colour while the males are more silver/grey.

Origin

Found in India, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaya, Indonesia (Sumatra and Java), Borneo, and Vietnam. Known from the Chao Phraya and Mekong basin.

Tank compatibility

A peaceful Loach, keep with peaceful tank mates. Keep this Loach in groups of at least 3 or 4, not singly.

Diet

Will accept most foods including sinking pellet and flake as well as bloodworm and brine shrimp.

Feeding

Feed once or twice a day.

Environment Specifics

Must have a smooth sandy substrate which they will sift through looking for food and bury themselves. Provide hiding places also, they may bury themselves in the sand.

Behaviour

Spend a lot of time hidden in the tank, not a fish you will see often. Known to be good jumpers so a well fitting lid is a must.

Identification

An elongate slender fish with an exceptionally long snout. The body is silver-cream in colour with short brown bands across the spine, with small pale brown scattered spots below and a line of larger deep brown spots down the lateral line. The belly is pale.

Platy Fry Cam will not be online tonight, see you tomorrow (Friday)

Sorry, Platy Fry Cam will not be online tonight, see you tomorrow (Friday)

Fish on the Radio

Every sunday I listen to Smooth Jazz on SkyFM, and this weekend was no exception. I sent a tweet to the presenter and he read out the message and my 7 platy fry got a mention. Here is the broadcast.

Fry in the main tank

I tried to add the largest fry to the main tank as thought it would survive but after putting it in the tank it struggled to avoid being picked off so had to put it back in the hatchery tank. Although its big enough not to fit in the mouth of the big fish it still not really old enough to be independent yet. So looks like a few more weeks yet.

9th January 2011

I did a water change today, changed approx 22 litre of water., also gave the frogs a good feed of frozen bloodworm's, they all got nice big stomachs now.

Platy Fry now 3 weeks old

My Platy Fry are now 3 weeks old and looking good, all 7 are doing well, some are smaller than others with one quite big.

 

7th January 2011

The Platy Fry have really huge stomachs, so either they all pregnant or they full of food, as the first option not possible they must have all enjoyed their bloodworms yesterday.

Another of the frogs is shedding its skin, its got half off and just the lower half to go

I found a skin!!

I saw some sort of cloudy material caught on one of the plants and thought it was a slime or some sort but after looking closely at it, it was the skin of a frog, you could see its webbed feet in the skin, so it has moulted. It is a really think skin, cloudy in colour but micro thin.

Bloodworms

I got some live blood worms today and have fed them to the platy fry. They been having fun eating them, one fry has a massive stomach now, but say that it is the biggest of the lot, the rest are pretty small compared to that one, so maybe its about time to let it fend for itself in the main tank, will think about that one though.

Is my frog male?, female?, how old is it?

Unfortunately have no idea if the frog is male, female or even know how old it is, if anyone can tell me that would be great. Check out the gallery below for some close up images that may determine sex and age.

Stunning Photos of the Frog

I was able to capture some stunning images of the African Dwarf Frog

Final 2 Additions

For the time being I will not be buying any more fish for my tank although it is very tempting. 

Today have added 2 more african dwarf frogs to my tank, mainly to keep the other one company. Will be a challenge telling which ones have eaten and what have not.

Latest Food Purchase

While in the LFS the other day i bought two frozen food items. One was Cyclops which i can feed the fry and the Bloodworms that I can feed the frog with.

Female Platy wanting sex

My black and gold specked female platy been swimming backwords, slowly, sideways and trying to get as close as possible to the side of the orange male platy. I guess its some sort of mating dance?, the male does not seem interested more into looking for  food on the bottom.

Have no idea if he has spread his seed as not seen anything let alone his thing wag about.  But she is desperate by the looks of it.

Shark Observation

I have been watching the Red tailed Shark, its quite fascinating watching it swim about, its quite graceful in moving through the water, but what surprise me and also interests me is when its eating algae and other stuff it can swim and eat sideways and upside down and not be worried at all about it.

It is the only fish i have seen that has used every hole in the castle, all the other fish avoid it, only the female platy swim in the bottom hole but that is it.

Feeding the African Dwarf Frog

Finally gave the frog some food but it was a real challenge
I did not want to feed it the fist night so waited till today after I did the water change. It took me about 2 hours to find it and then unfroze the blood worms and put it near the frog but it just would not get the hint there was food about or that i was trying to feed it.

I waited till it moved again to a corner and droped food right on its nose and it finally ate a tiny worm, it only ate one worm but as the frog is so small thats probably filled it.

I did notice that all the other fish dont like frozen bloodworms, they spit them all back out and ignore them after that.

 

Here it is eating its first mean, a frozen bloodworm

 

Some more images

6th January 2011

I got up today and examined my tank and its new inhabitents, they all seem to be doing ok, although could not find the frog it took me two hours before i found it.

The tank was due its clean so changed the filter, only the white one needed changed, next time it will be the black one as well. The white filter was extremely dirty, think it must be a mix of food and fish poo.

I changed roughly 22 litres of water and a lot of the dirty water had many old poo and food scraps, was quite a lot, but the platy are really bad poo'ers.

After I added the new water the temprature lowered to 24.4c but in two hours time was back up at its usual 25.2c-25.7c average.

Current Tank Inhabitants

As of 4th January 2011 my tank has the following:-

8 x Platy, 2 male and 6 Female
1 x Black Widow Tetra
10 x Neon Tetra
1 x African Dwarf Frog
1 x Red Tailed Shark
1 x Female Guppy
2 x Horse Face Loach
7 x Platy Fry

New Additions

I have been to my LFS and got myself some new additions.

1 x African Dwarf Frog

1 x Male Orange Platy

1 x Red Tailed Shark

3 x Neon Tetras

I had been wanting to get a frog for a while now but its never been in stock but today was my lucky day. It is soooooo small.

I had to get another male platy, the male i currently have does not seem interested in the Mickey Mouse Platy Females I have, they are much bigger than him so either he is intimidated by their size or he does not realise its the same species. This way hopefully the new male which is larger in size and similar to the yellow ones should help.

I have replaced the neon tetras that was killed by the guppy. They are now a group of 10 again.

While in the LFS I saw the Red Tailed Shark, it looked interesting so got it, since I put it in the tank it has been active licking stuff from the gravel and the castle, its been all over the tank and is sharp and nimble in cunning and speed and while eating been upside down and sideways while getting into small crevices.

Horse Face Loach Videos

Here are videos taken off the Horse Face Loach on 3rd January 2011

Horse Face Loach Climing Stairs

The Horse Face Loach is captured climbing the stairs of the castle on its fins.