Project: Aquaria

Culturing Isopods

2012-01-30T12:06:00.000-08:00

Isopods make great feeders and tank janitors in vivariums. They are adaptable and can also be fun pets too!

There are numerous species of Isopods, ranging from tropical to temperate and even desert dwelling species.

What you will need:
*Culturing Container (Tote)
*Substrate Media
*Leaves

1. Drill several small holes into the top of the lid of your culturing container. The goal is to maintain some humidity, but not 100%. This helps with mold and fungi issues.

2. Place a mixture of bark, peat, coco, and leaf litter into your culturing container. Exact ammounts are not necessary.

3. Place a healthy amount of leaves on top of this mixture.

4. Place your isopds into the culture and watch them go!

I generally use isopods and janitors only, but once establishid in a vivarium, its likely a few will be eaten by your frogs or inhabitants.

Spray your cultures down one a week litely to keep things moist. Isopods require moisture to breath. IF a culure gets too dry, you will start loosing isopods.

The damp leaf litter and bark in the substrate should provide plenty of food for your isopods, but you can offer them fish flake food, crished eggshell, and even cardboard! (make sure it is not treated or dyed)

A single culture should last a very long time, possible forever as long as proper conditions are maintained and additial food sources or substrate is provided.

Clean out the Culturing Container with a bleach/water solution to insure that no mites or mold spores are transferred into new cultures. Let the container completely dry before reusing.

I highly recommend using my overlap technique and/or creating multiple cultures to insure you always have food for your Frogs. Mites mold, and unexpected deaths can happen, no matter the precautions you take.

In my opinion, Mites are unavoidable. There will always be a few mites wandering around, but you can avoid outbreaks and culture crashes. Mites will not harm your Frogs.

Where do I get my Isopods?

I highly recommend ordering your Isopods from Southeasternfruitflies.com. They have great stock They have never sent me a culture with mite or mold problems. Check them out!

You may also be able to get Isopods from other hobbyists, or even culture wild species found in your area. I may also have Isopods available from time to time...

Isopods

Isopods are actually a crustacean. The ones we use are terrestrial. They are commonly called Pillbugs, Sowbugs, and Woodlice.

They have 7 pairs of legs and are typically flat. They require moisture to breath so are often found in damp substrate.

Lifespan, size, and reproduction times depend on species, but most tropical species will reproduce quickly and will live several years. I started a culture of Isopods using about 10 adults and had about 30 babies running around a month later.

My Vivariums

2012-01-30T11:19:00.000-08:00

How To Build a Vivarium:

My First Vivarium - 20 Gallon

Culturing Mealworms - Tenebrio molitor

2011-11-18T15:42:00.000-08:00

Mealworms or Tenebrio molitor are also known as Darkling Beetles or Flour Beetles. Mealworms are just the larva form of these beetles. There are several similar species available but this is the most common and practical as several 'useful' sized worms are available to use as they grow.

Culturing them is fairly simple and with a little time, your culture will be self sustaining.

What you will need:
*Culturing Container (5-10 gallon aquarium or plastic tub)
*Culturing Media (Oats, Wheat Germ, Cornmeal, etc.)
*Carrots or Potatoes

It is recommended to place your culture on Paper towels that have been treated with Mite Spray.

1. Place the dry Culturing media into your Culturing container. About 2+ inches is enough. A tank or tub that is at least 4 inches tall will prevent escape and allow enough room for the media/food.

· I use Raw Oats, Wheat Germ, Flucker’s Cricket Meal, and High Protein Fish Flakes

2. Place several carrots or slices of potatoes into your culture.

· I use potatoes slices that have been frozen

3. Sit back and Enjoy!

The mealworms will live and breed in the media. They will get their moisture from the carrots or potatoes you occasionally put in. I recommend putting a 2-3 potatoes slices or 5-8 carrots weekly. I have also heard of people using Apple slices but I haven't tried this.

The ‘worms’ will feed on the media, creating a powder on the bottom. This powder is their waste and is not harmful to the culture. Some people recommend removing it over time, but I have not found this to be necessary. I recommend keeping at least 1-2 inches of uneaten media on top of the powdered waste on the bottom.

I also add a paper towel roll to the tank for easy collecting, as many will often crawl into the tube.

Here is the Meal worms Setup:

The colony is practically odorless, minus the smell of oats and media. A lid with holes keeps the colony secluded as well as helps prevent moisture buildup. Excess moisture can cause mold or mites.

Where do I get Mealworms?

I highly recommend ordering your Mealworms from Southeasternfruitflies.com. They have great They have great stock and many other live foods you might be interested in. Check them out!

Mealworms can often be obtained at pet stores or from other hobbyists.

The ‘Worms’
As I mentioned earlier, Tenebrio molitor are the larvae of the Darkling beetle.

The Male Beetle chases the female down and mates with her. Approximately 24 hours later, the female will burrow down and lay roughly 500 eggs. In about 10-20 days (room temperature) the eggs will hatch into the small larvae stage. These are the ‘Mealworms’.

During the larval stage, they will molt 9-20 times, growing larger each time. They will remain in this stage for about 60 days. During its last molt it will curl into its pupae form.

The mealworm remains in this from about 10 to 30 days. Time depends on temperature. Around 80 degrees will give you fast growth in both larvae and pupae. The pupa starts off a white color, and changes slowly to brown as it nears its final stage.

Culturing Fruit Flies - Drosophila melanogaster

2011-10-31T13:02:00.000-07:00

Fruit Flies are a staple diet in the Dart Frog Hobby. They are easy to culture and feed to your frogs.

The most common species that is cultured is Drosophila melanogaster.

What you will need:
*Culturing Container (Deli Cup)
*Culturing Media (Fruit Fly Food)
*Baker’s Yeast
*Coffee Filters

It is recommended to place all cultures on Paper towels that have been treated with Mite Spray.

1. Place the dry culturing media in your culturing container, in the amount directed. Add the directed amount of hot water.

          * I place ¼ a cup of dry media and add hot water until it has a paste like consistency.
                       (I exclusively use Josh’s Frogs Melanogaster Fruit Fly Media.)

2. Add a pinch of baker’s yeast. (This is a microorganism that will be eaten by the larvae)

3. Place 3 folded coffee filters into the media cup. (The flies will reside and mate here.)

4. Let the culture cool for 12 hours.

5. Add 25-50 flies to the culture.

6. Sit back and Enjoy

I highly recommend dusting the flies with vitamin powder before feeding.

I create a new culture every 10 days. This is a little over-kill, but it allows for some overlap in the event of a mysterious crash or fouled culture. I discard old cultures after 30 days. Cultures can produce longer than 30 days, but I do this to avoid potential mite breakouts, as well as mold that tends to show up in older cultures. This helps insure that that my cultures are in a healthy, producing state for the duration of the life of the culture.

I freeze the flies of my 30 day cultures to be fed to my fish at a later time.

A single culture, following the above method, can feed 2 adult frogs (with extras) for the life of the culture. Just be sure to have a culture that is producing before you dispose of the old culture.

Clean out the Culturing Container with a bleach/water solution to insure that no mites or mold spores are transferred into new cultures. Let the container completely dry before reusing.

I highly recommend using my overlap technique and/or creating multiple cultures to insure you always have food for your Frogs. Mites mold, and unexpected deaths can happen, no matter the precautions you take.

In my opinion, Mites are unavoidable. There will always be a few mites wandering around, but you can avoid outbreaks and culture crashes. Mites will not harm your Frogs.

Cultures with mold or excessive mites should be thrown out, no matter the age, to prevent cross contamination.

A producing culture is a culture that flies have already mated in, and larvae are pupating and emerging as adults. You feed out of your producing cultures only. It takes about 10-14 days for a culture to start ‘producing’. It is very important to have a producing culture before you get your frogs.

The method I use is not the only way to culture these flies. There are many other containers, media recipes, and other methods used by other hobbyists. Feel free to experiment, but make sure you have producing cultures elsewhere, just in case everything goes horribly wrong.

Culture: New

Culture: 10 Days

Culture: 20 Days

Culture: 30 Days

Where do I get my Fruit Flies?

I highly recommend ordering your Fruit Flies from Southeasternfruitflies.com. They have great flies with great genetics and they can send you an already producing culture in a suitable container. They have never sent me a culture with mite or mold problems. Check them out!

You should also be able to get flies from any hobbyist who has frogs.

You can sometime find Fruit Flies at pet stores.

The Flies
Drosophila melanogaster are and awesome little insect. They are tan/brown in color and generally have red eyes. Females are about 2.5 millimeters, males are slightly smaller.

The most commonly cultured flies are the wingless variety, and a flightless variety, which have wings but cannot fly.

Lifespan and development varies depending on temperature. At 77 °F, it takes approximately 8.5 days to reach adulthood.

Females lay roughly 400 eggs into suitable media. They generally lay them in groups of 5 eggs. The eggs are about 0.5 millimetres long and will hatch after 12–15 hours at 77 °F. The larvae grow for about 4 days while molting twice, 1-2 days after hatching. The larvae feed on microorganisms found in the media, as well as on sugars present. At 4 days, they will pupate and undergo metamorphosis for 4 days. Mature Flies will emerge from the pupae.

Females will start breeding after about 8 – 12 hours of emerging. Mating lasts around 15–20 minutes.
The average lifespan of a single fly at 77 °F is roughly 30-40 days.

Eublepharus macularius - Leopard gecko

2011-10-31T12:15:00.000-07:00

Scientific Name : Eublepharus macularius

Common Names : Leopard gecko

Origin : Northwest India, Pakistan, and Asia Minor.

Size : 8" - 10" Males are generally larger then Females.

Tank Size : 10 gallon terrarium. Larger is better.

Temperature : Tank Temperature will vary. (See Below under HOUSING)

Lifespan : Up to 20 years

Temperament: Generally Peaceful.

Feeding: Insects (Crickets, Roaches, Mealworms, etc)

GENERAL INFORMATION:
Leopard Geckos are an awesome and easy reptile to care for.

They are found in the dessert regions of India, Pakistan and Asian Minor. There are many color morphs and patters available, but typical seen are a light colored body with darker spots. Young juveniles are more colorful and often broad striped.

Geckos can be shy at first, but once they realise where the food is coming from, they will warm up to you nicely.

HOUSING:
A 10 gallon aquarium/terrarium is suitable for one or two geckos. I prefer a 20 gallon 'Long' aquarium for 2 or 3 geckos personally. The geckos cannot climb, but I recommend a screen lid for keeping feeder insects fro escaping. A wire lid also provides a place to place a heat lamp.

I prefer to use 'Cage Carpet' for my Gecko substrate. Many people use sand for looks, however, many young geckos become impacted with sand which can be a lethal health issue. I would avoid sand at all costs, though some people have reported no issues with older geckos and sand. Paper towles or clean newspaper is a great substrate as well.

Heating is very important. A heat lamp should be placed at one end of the tank so that there is a temperature difference between one end of the tank and another. the heated end should reach temperatures of 90F. This fluctuation will allow your geckos to choose which spots in the tank they are most comfortable in at any time. It is recommended to have hiding spots or caves at both ends of the tank. I do not recommend an under tank heater or heat rock, as geckos bellies are sensitive, and it is harder to provide a good temperature fluctuation. The heat should be on all the time. (24/7/365)

A 'Humid Hide' should be provided in the tank. This is a small hidding spot that is kept damp where the gecko can go in to aid in shedding, or simply when desired. I recopmend a small deli cup with hole cut into the lid large enough for the gecko to enter or exit. Make sure the edges are not sharp on the hole. Wet sphagnum moss should be inside the cup, and it should be kept damp. You can also use damp paper towel.

Leopard Geckos are generally not messy and often pick a corner of the cage as their bathroom. this makes clean up very easy.

You can also remove your geckos from the cage temporarily and vacuum any present messes.

One male can be housed with multiple females, as long as the geckos are relatively the same size. Multiple males will fight and injury or death can result.

FEEDING AND NUTRITION:
Insects are the main diet of Leopard Geckos. Crickets, Roaches and Mealworms are a great diet. I recommended Roaches or Mealworms, as they are easy culture. Make sure your insects are well fed a 12-24 hours before feeding them to your geckos. I recommend covering them in Viatimin powder and Calcium powder prior to feeding.

I also recommend providing a dish of calcium powder, which geckos will eat from.

A water dish should be provided for thirsty geckos.

See My section on Culturing Live Foods for more information on Roaches and Meal Worms.

SEXING:
Adult males will have a much larger bulge behind the vent. That is where the hemipenes are located. You can also readily see the row of femoral pores shaped like a "V" in front of the vent.

The Female has neither the bulge nor a noticeable row of pores. There is a row there, but it is really not that noticeable.

You will have to wait til the Geckos are about 6 moths old to sex. Juvenile male Leopard Geckos look very much like females.

BREEDING:
Breeding is semi-simple. Houseing a Male and female will often result in breeding. The breeding season is typically long (February - August)

To condition a female for breeding make sure she is well fed and has plenty of calcium. A laying box will need to be provided, which is essentially a larger 'Humid Hide'... You can use sphagnum moss or even vermiculite/perlite.

You can often see eggs under the skin of the females. The female will enter the box and dig around before laying eggs. 2 eggs will be deposited in the dug out spot. She will most likely lay eggs about once every 2-4 weeks and be noticeably skinnier after. She will be very hungry so make sure plenty of food is provided. You can remove the eggs to be incubated. It is very important that you do not turn the eggs and that they remain just as they were, in the incubator. Some people will actually mark the top of each egg with a marker so there is not error when moving.

Incubation can be done in another tank. Temperature will be discussed below. Basically this tank can be another 'Humid Hide' style tank, where the temp is high and so is the humidity. The substrate should be the same as your 'Humid Hide'...

Temperature plays a role in what the sex of your hatched geckos will be. Temps of about 81F will yeil mostly females. Higher temps of 88F will yeilds mostly males. Temps of 85F will be about even, however it is common for some of these to be sterile. It is a good practice to shoot for either males or females, to insure that offspring are fertile.

Hatchlings generally dont eat until they have shed. This can take as long as a week, so dont be alarmed if your geckos aren't eating yet. Hatchlings are also often born with remains of yock sacks attached. They will scrape these off. Keep any eye on youngsters as some can be grumpy. Separate any problematic geckos. In fact, separating all your geckos for a month or 2 is a good idea. They can be kept together until you start sexing them ans separating the males.

Apistogramma cacatuoides

2011-09-23T11:35:00.000-07:00

This is, by far, one of my favorite fish!

Male Apistogramma cacatuoides- (photo by Craig Taylor)

Scientific Name : Apistogramma cacatuoides

Common Names : Cockatoo Dwarf Cichlid

Common Varieties : Orange Flash, Double Red, Triple Red

Origin : Upper Amazon Basin (South America)

Size : 1" - 3.5" Males are much larger then Females

Tank Size : 10+ gallons. Larger is better if breeding is desired.

pH : 6.5 - 7.5 ... Tank bred stock can live in higher ph.

Temperature : 7F - 84F Ideally around 80F

Water Hardness : 4 - 6° dH but up to 10 is OK for Captive bred specimens.

Lifespan : 4-5 years

Temperament: More peaceful then most Cichlids.

Feeding: Flake, Live, Frozen.

GENERAL INFORMATION:
This fish is an incredible species to own! I have several varieties and have breed all of them. Males will have the most color on their fins and will grow the largest. I would not call them aggressive but I would call them 'Grumpy'. These fish are naturally found in dense leaf litter and wood, though they will appreciate a planted tank or tank with rock caves. I have kept Apistos in my planted tanks, and several 'Black Water' tanks.

BREEDING:
Breeding can seem tricky, especially if you have high ph/hardness. Generally the best egg and fry survival will be in soft, acidic water. I generally dont alter my water chems but for this species. I came up with a trick that has increased the amount of spawning and fry survival! The key is to have lots of tannins in the water. Add a bag of peat moss to your filter and watch your water darken up and the ph drop! OR you can use oak or almond leaves in the water which will add tannins. This is known as the 'Black Water' effect and in the frog world as 'Tadpole Tea'. Bump the temperature to 80F -82F. Do a cold water change of 30% and a spawn will almost always occur.

Pairs or Harems are formed generally with one male and female or multiple females. The females often will turn a bright yellow when they are ready to spawn and actively guarding eggs or fry.

Female Apistogramma in spawning color - (photo by Craig Taylor)

The pair will find a suitable cave or out cropping where they can conceal and guard their eggs. The female will do most of the work. Clay pots, coconut huts, cave structures, etc. all make excellent breeding spots.

(photo by Craig Taylor)

Eggs are usually laid on the roof of the desired spot and guarded by the female. It is likely she does some sort of fanning to keep circulation around the eggs to prevent fungus. She may eat little during this time. Eggs are generally a bright pink or red color

(photo by Craig Taylor)

The fry will become little wigglers after about 5 days and will feed on their yoke sacs. After about 7 days the fry should be free swimming and will be in a swarm around the mother who will guard them well.

(photo by Craig Taylor)

Agression can be seen at this time, but in my experience has been mild and never resulted in any injury or death.

Feeding Fry can be extremely difficult, a they are some of the smallest fry I have ever seen. they will take powdered food or Frozen BABY Brineshrimp. I have found thought that you will have a much higher survival rate when feeding Live Baby Brinshrimp or Live Vinegar Eels. I generally feed live and crushed flake and as they grow incease the size of the crushed flake. Using a turky baster to gently spray food at the group of fry is helpfull as they may have a hard time finding food in such a large area.

2 day old Fry - (photos by Craig Taylor)

3 week old Fry - (photo by Craig Taylor)

I find Apsitos to be Slower grows, but higher protein and healthy food will increase the grow rates. They can take up to a year before you can sex them and pair them off.

6 month old Fry/Juvies - (photo by Craig Taylor)

9 month old Fry/Juvies - (photo by Craig Taylor)

Endlers - Poecilia wingei

2011-09-21T12:46:00.000-07:00

(photo by Craig Taylor)

Scientific Name : Poecilia wingei

Common Names : Endler (Endler's Guppy)

Origin : Venezuela (South America)

Size : .5" - 1.5"

Tank Size : 5 gallons or larger.
These will do well in a pond if the temperature requirements are met.

pH : 6.0 - 8.0 Extremes should be avoided, though this species is highly adaptable.

Temperature : 64F - 84F ... Ideally 75F - 81F

Water Hardness : KH 10 - 30

- Note: This is a very hardy, adaptable fish. However, sudden extreme changes in water parameters should be avoided.

Lifespan : 1 - 3 years

Temperament: Peaceful.

Feeding: Flake, Live, Frozen. They are not picky eaters.

GENERAL INFORMATION:
Enders are and attractive fish that are about as easy to care for as Guppies. Males have several natural color variations, and generally include green, orange/red, and black. Male Endlers commonly have sword tails or lyre tails which are orange. The most common variation is often referred to as the 'Black Bar Endler' Some other variations include 'Peacock' spots in the tail or on the body. Females generally have no distinct color or markings, other then the grey or olive colored body. Albino or 'Blonde' Endlers may be possible, but I believe these to be Hybrids. (Picture in the Hybrids Section)

Their small size does allow them to be kept in smaller aquariums, though I recommend one per gallon with a minimum of 5 gallons. Larger aquariums with space and hiding will be appreciated by your female Endlers, who are constantly chased by males in attempts to breed.

It is possible to keep a large amount of these in a realities small tank, though proper filtration and aeration will be a must!

Endlers are Live bearing fish and breed like rabbits so a Male only tank may be considered if a massive amount of offspring is undesired.

Male Endler - (photo by Craig Taylor)

Female Endler - (photo by Craig Taylor)

BREEDING:
Endlers will breed readily in almost any condition. However, higher temperatures increase breeding as well as the number of fry that are born. Endlers are Livebearers. Females will give live birth to as many as 50 fry.

Males will chase females around the tank and quickly 'tag' the female with his Gonopodium. Gravid females will grow in size and will give birth in 20-40. It is recommended to keep on male per 2-3 females to avoid females being chased to death. There really isn't much to it. as long as you have males and females, and your water parameters and temperature are good, you will have babies.

Fry take about 2-3 months before they start showing color (or not if female) and shortly after are sexually mature.

CLASSIFICATION:
Endlers have been separated into various classes based on genetics (or perceived genetics). This classification system is generally excepted amongst Endler breeders.

CLASS N: Any Endler's Livebearer (and progeny) that can be shown to have originated from their native waters in Venezuela will be considered a 'Class N' Endler.

CLASS P: Any fish of unknown origin but appearing to be an Endler's Livebearer based on the characteristics of size, shape and color will be considered a 'Class P' Endler.

CLASS K: The progeny of any Endler's Livebearer crossed with any other livebearer or any Hybrid strain will be considered a 'Class K' Endler.

HYBRIDIZATION:
While Hybridization of fish species is generally frowned upon, Endler hybrids tend to find a more excepting niche in the hobby. Most of the Hybrid 'flack' is due to the fact that Pure Endlers are often hard to find, and many hybrids look like Pure Endlers. Keep this in mind if Genetically Pure Endlers is what you seek.

Endlers hybrids are most often crossed with variations of Guppies (P. reticulata) but could possible be crossed with other Poecilia sp.

Endler/Guppy Hybrids are fertile, allowing the breeder to line breed hybrid traits into next generations. Most of the crosses are quite stunning, and careful selective breeding has mixed some of the best traits in both species.

Albino or Blonde variations have appeared but may be hybrids. These typically are missing some of the intense green and all of the black, which is replaced by a cream colored body.

Albino Male Endler Hybrid - (photo by Craig Taylor)

If the Hybridization of Endlers interests you, please be considerate and make others fully aware of the genetics of the fish, and cautions they should take with mixing them with other Poecilia sp. if you trade with other hobbyists.

A few my Hybrids - Poecilia wingei x Poecilia reticulata
(photos by Craig Taylor)

HISTORY:
Endlers were first discovered by Franklyn F. Bond in 1937, and rediscovered by Dr. John Endler in 1975 in Laguna de Patos in Venezuela. These fish are not on the endangered species list, though they are believed to be in danger of extinction in the wild, due to pollution.

NOTES FROM MY EXPERIENCES:
I received a small batch of these from a friend a while back. At that time I believed them to be genetically pure, but after a few generations of fry, it became obvious that they were not. At this point I experimented with Hybrids because that is what I apparently started with. Line breeding these requires several tanks to develop solid strains quickly, as well as selecting breeders for line improvement. Recently I gave my Hybrid colony to a friend for her pond while I made some changes in my fish room. Once I have constructed a small indoor Pond/Riparium, I will get some back. Culls will be used as feeders for other fish.

You can read my experiments with hybrids in many of my older posts.

My Aquariums

2011-09-09T13:20:00.001-07:00

***UNDER CONSTRUCTION***

53 Gallon Planted Tank

2011-08-22T09:03:00.000-07:00

So I figured I would do a little Journal for this tank, as I just started setting it up.

Currently I have 2 planed 29 gallon tanks, and a 20 gallon that is holding some plants for me. I really wanted to set up an epic planted tank, with enough room to have a nice scape and some larger fish. I snagged this odd sized tank from local hobbyist. Included was a nice inline heater as well as a Nice 3 tube T8 fixture.

A Friend helped me construct an awesome Stand/Rack to hold all of my tanks, including this one.

Next my wife painted that back and sides of the tank for me.

Next came the Eco complete. I was on the fence about what type of gravel to use for a while. You can go really cheap, or really expensive, but the margin of difference in the products wasn't enough to sway me either way. I settled on Eco complete. It contains fully inert particles, as well as porous particles that will hold nutrient to utilized by the plants. I also like its inconsistency in size which gives it a more natural look, as well as helps keep the plants secure until they establish better roots. I purchased 3 new bags online, and 5 gallons of used Eco complete from another local hobbyist. I baked the used stuff just to be on the safe side, though I doubt I would have gotten anything from his tank.

Next I needed some nice wood. Manazita has always been a favorite of mine, but locating it is difficult and having it shipped in can get expensive. Luckily, a local Dart Frog hobbyist had a good source and offered to snag me some pieces on his next visit. He brought back some pieces that far exceeded my expectations!

Finally, I needed some rock work that would be interesting, but also help me maintain water chemistry. I chose lace rock for a few reasons. one, its is simply incredible stuff. Its very interesting, and easy to stack however you want without looking unnatural. Second, it is generally inert and will have little no no effect on the water chemistry. I picked these up at a local shop (The Fish Hub) who has always been good to me.

Here is the general scape:

Plants are in...

I planted a bunch of crypt species including parva, wendtii (bronze, green, brown, gecko) , walkeri, and a couple others I forgot that look like large parva.

I also planted Some lowgrow Hygro, staurogyne repens, needle leaf java fern, fissedens fontanis, and a few stems of Glosso for gee-wiz.

I threw in a few Penguin Tetras, SAE's, a ram and my Rio Jarro Pleco (Hypancistrus sp.) for now. I will ad a few more SAE's and some Brazilian Angels next weekend if the tank stays stable.

Tanks is a little cloudy from initial setup, but here it is (please excuse the water spots.)

Angels are in!

Love this wood.

D.tinctorius 'Patricia'

2011-08-10T12:20:00.000-07:00

I finally got some frogs. I had to trade off my cube tanks to get them but it was totally worth it!

Project: Endlers

2011-07-20T12:35:00.000-07:00

You can find my Endler Care sheet here:

Australoheros oblongum

2011-05-05T11:29:00.000-07:00

(photo by Craig Taylor)

Scientific Name : Australoheros oblongum

Common Names : 'Chanchito'

Origin : Uruguay

Size : 4" - 6" Males are generally larger then Females.

Tank Size : 20 gallon or larger.

pH : 7.0 - 8.0 Lower then 7.0 is not recommended.

Temperature : 65F - 80F ... In the wild, winter temperatures can reach as low as 50F.

Water Hardness : 5-20 dH. Unlike most South American Cichlids, this species enjoys hard, alkaline water.

- Note: This is a very hardy, adaptable cichlid. However, sudden extreme changes in water parameters should be avoided.

Lifespan : ?

Temperament: Generally Peaceful.

Feeding: Pellets, Flake, Live, Frozen. They are generally not picky eaters.

Male (photo by Todd W Appel)

Female (photo by Todd W Appel)

GENERAL INFORMATION:
'Chanchito' is a common name for a whole family of cichlids from Uruguay. Australoheros oblongum is the smallest and most mellow species of this complex.

Although an extremely attractive and relatively easy fish to care for, the Australoheros oblongum remains extremely rare in the hobby. Information is currently limited as well as documentation or pictures. It appears that there are very few owners of this species in the US. There were some brought back from Uruguay some years ago. However, more people are now collecting at the location they were originally caught and are no longer finding Australoheros oblongum at that location.

Males generally max out at about 5" - 6". Females are smaller at about 4". Both males and females show dark, stripe like patterns on a mustard yellow colored body. The Australoheros oblongum has nice blue flecks all offer the body that shine when the they hit the light. The tail has a nice deep red in it that for some reason doesn't show well in photographs. Colors are magnified during spawning, and the results are stunning. Juveniles are generally lighter in color, showing a more blue then black color.

This species can be somewhat shy at first. Dither fish can help, as well as plants, caves and any other features that will provide a sense of comfort in the aquarium.

BREEDING:
Australoheros oblongum form very solid pair-bonds. Even when not spawning or raising fry, they never beat each other up. Once they pair off they maintain this pattern even when they aren't actually spawning or raising fry. The best way to get a pair is to keep a group of about 6+ juveniles and let pairs form naturally.

Once a pair is formed and they are ready to spawn they will pick out a site and keep other fish away. This is where some aggression may show, though it is mild if displayed and generally towards other Australoheros oblongum.

A spawning pair claims a small territory, eggs are laid on the substrate, and guarded by both parents. However, they aren't aggressive enough to defend the eggs from other fish. Once the eggs hatch the female moves the wigglers to whatever plants are around. Dense plants are preferred. The Female will move them around among the plants until they are free-swimming, usually about a week, while the Male helps stand guard. The broods generally yield 100 - 150+ fry, though younger pairs won't produce as many. After the fry are free-swimming both parents keep an eye on them. It appears that after a few weeks the Parent will start eating their fry. However, this is not always the case. When provided with ample space and privacy, their parental skills improve and fry are not eaten.

It is suggested that you keep a single spawning pair in a 2' - 3' tank. Generally only one pair will spawn in a 3' tank with other inhabitants. 2 pairs will likely spawn in a 4' tank. Larger tanks will sustain more spawning pairs.

Fry hiding amongst some Najas indica plants. (photo by Todd W Appel)

Free Swimming Fry. (photo by Todd W Appel)

Young juveniles. (photo by Todd W Appel)

Older juveniles showing some color. (photo by Todd W Appel)

(photo by Chong Kwang)

HISTORY:
I recieved 6 Australoheros oblongum from Todd in 2011. He received several from a hobbyist back in 2008. Although their exact lineage cannot be proven, it is believed that this generation of 'Chanchitos' are not far off from the wild generation originally brought up from Uruguay.

CREDIT:
Most of the information in this article was provided by Todd Appel, who has kept and raised Australoheros oblongum for several years, and compiled by myself. Additional information and pictures have been added from my research and personal experience with this species. Feel free to notify me if you have any additional information or experience with this fish species.

Aditional Photos: (By Craig Taylor)

My First Vivarium 'Rapture'

2011-05-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

I couldn't sleep...

So I decided to start on a project I have been sitting on for a while:

This is a Poison Dart Frog Habitat called a Vivarium. I'm still in the research and development phase of this project. I haven't decided which frogs to get yet!

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The next day, my wife and I went out in search of some water loving plants and mosses.

Final Touches:

So I decided that a background was beneficial and worth the work so I worked on adding a background to my Vivarium. It took some careful placement of the wood and patience as I used silicone to secure it to the existing foreground.

Here is the end results:

It will look real nice once the plants establish themselves better.

I finally got some frogs, Dendrobates tinctorius 'Patricia' ... I had to trade off my cube tanks to get them but it was totally worth it!

I changed it up slightly to include a breeding hut (which will eventually be covered in creeping jenny)

Her are some pics:

FTS:

Crypt parva

Moss sp.

Froggies:

Here is an Updated Picture:

Epic Battle: Honduran Red Points

2011-04-24T11:03:00.000-07:00

I picked up a pair of Honduran Red Points last week. They seemed a bit shy so I decided to snag another pair today. The male from my first pair was not happy about this and spend about 20 minutes chasing the other male around the tank. Shortly after, the new male realized he was much bigger then the other male and the battle began:

Circling

Lip Lock

The Winner: The new, larger Male

Getting Busy Already?

The funny thing is I bought both as pairs, but the New male decided he like the other male's Girlfriend much better and the two have spent the last few hours inside that pot or chasing off the other fish.

29 Gallon Aussie Tank

2011-02-17T06:55:00.001-08:00

I started with a 'Fallen Wood' style tank, complete with river stone and sand.

A few plants have been added: Java Fern and an unknown stem plant. Hopefully I can find some time to ID this plant shortly. The plants should start to flourish within the next month or so.

The tank will not be heavily planted, though the mystery stem plant will be allowed to fill the back left corner completely. The java fern was placed in various parts of the driftwood and will be trimmed and contained to these spots, but otherwise left to grow as it pleases.

I am considering a small chain sword or grass-like plant for the front or back right, but have not made a decision yet. Maybe a few dwarf sagittaria kept sparse as small accent plants?

I managed to grab a couple Corydoras for great price and some SUPER SWEET Hypancistrus...

Oh, and Im pretty sure the plant in back is Hygrophilia polysperma

These Hypans are new to the Hobby. They have been reviewed by Ingo Seide, the Guy who identifies and assigns L numbers to Plecos, and still remain unidentified. These are the F1's from a wild caught pair out of South America. I am one of 3 people who own these fish in Utah and on a small list of owners in the US. They resemble the Pleco L270, but have some obvious differences. I got these from Dave at davescichlids.com. He is a local Forum member.

Updated Pic:

The angels you see below are now in a different tank. The tank now houses a breeding pair of Australoheros oblongums, as well as the Cory Cats and a Rubberlip Pleco. The Hypan Plecos have been moved to a spawning tank in hopes of breeding.

10 gallon Black Water Tank

2011-02-07T10:12:00.000-08:00

After moving some shrimp around, I ended up with an empty 10 gallon tank. So I decided to make something easy, visually awesome, yet functional as a breeder tank. Apistos are my current addiction so I went from there.

Did a bit of research online for some Apistogramma natural habitats. I came across the blog Hudson's world (www.passionate4pikes.wordpress.com) which had some amazing articles on Apistos as well as capturing wild fish. Seriously, check it out.

I had my inspiration and an hour later I had my tank:

I used some lace rocks to conceal a breeding coconut in the back corner. I used a large Root as a background piece, which also provides many hiding spots for comfort. Oak Leaves were used to simulate the many fallen leaves found in the water in their natural habitat. I plan on adding a few more twigs.

The tank is currently cycling, so the Apistos are not present.

A simple 20 Gallon Anubias Tank

2011-02-07T09:46:00.000-08:00

I had a 20 gallon tank that I was using to breed feeder Guppies and hybrid Endlers. I decided that it might as well be worth looking at also. So I snagged a bunch of plant I had lying around and went to work. Turns out the plant I used, Anubias nana and a Tiger lotus, are all Native African plants. I added some Shrimp to help tidy up, as well as an Albino Bushy Nose Pleco.

Here is the tank:

As you can see the front is open for viewing and swimming space. The Anubias covers the mid to back of the tank and will grow in thick over time. In the back right corner, you can see the red Tiger Lotus leaves. This plant will grow much taller. In fact it will grow to the top of the tank and flower if left untrimmed. The Lotus will also send out smaller plants at its base, which I may move to the other corner to add some color balance.

Here is a cherry shrimp that died for some reason and ended up in a Feeders mouth:

And Here is the handsome Albino Bushynose Pleco:

Its nothing fancy but once the Anubias thickens, its going to look awesome.

20 Gallon (Long) Brackish Tank

2011-02-02T11:27:00.000-08:00

This tank has both a water and land feature. The water flows down the rocks in the right corner, creating a small waterfall effect. I keep the salinity low on this tank, about 1.005 (+/-). This is perfect for Mangrove Crabs, Nerite Snails and Bumblebee Gobies. I even have 5 feeder guppies and some fry living in this tank.

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After mixing many batches of salt water, just for a tank that had a few crabs in it, I decided I really didn't want to go to the trouble of maintaining the brackish tank and housing gobbies and crabs. I was never able to find any reasonable priced Brackish Bumblebee Gobbies locally with the quality I was hoping for. Not to mention the Gobbies would require very clean water to spawn and the crabs just made a mess of everything. So at the moment I plan on sticking to un-altered water and creatures that can inhabit them. The crabs were quite interesting, when they came out... (Which wasn't that often)

Some day in the Future I may make a similar Crab tank for Crabs and possible some live bearers. But with less hiding places so the crabs can be enjoyed more often. The Scape of the tank may show up in the future, slightly altered.

8 Gallon Cubes

2011-01-27T16:50:00.000-08:00

8 Gallon, 12" cubes.

Here is a side by side shot:

The first tank is more of a 'Shrimp Haven' then an Aquascaped tank, though I do like the layout.

This tank has 3 types of mosses growing in a tangled mess. Its my Moss Cutting dump! (java, flame, and Christmas) This tank houses 90% of the cherry shrimp I currently breed.

The second tank is Aquascaped and is more of a show tank. The carpet moss is Christmas moss, and the plants on the wood are Anubias nana 'petite'. I plan on adding more Anubias nana 'petite', much more.

This tank houses my higher grade Cherry shrimp. The best shrimp from tank 1 are moved to this tank, and the worst from tank 2 are moved to tank 1.

UPDATES:

(These Cubes were traded for Dart Frogs)

The Bluegill Aquarium

2010-12-10T11:06:00.001-08:00

I have really wanted to create a 'Local Species' tank, and I finally did.

This tank is the future home of some young Bluegill. Within a few weeks our lakes will be frozen over and I will be out Ice fishing for some juveniles. Bluegills are quite adaptable to many parameters, though this tank mimics there natural waters almost perfectly. The tank will be slightly warmer then they are used to in Utah, though this species lives in warmer waters in other states.

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My wife took some pictures of my Bluegill Aquarium last night.

The are doing well and eating like pigs. I have even hand fed them meal-worms and they are starting to eat soft pellets now.

I hope soon to supplement their diet with feeders.

This tank is harder water, about 7.8 ph, and temp is kept at 73F.

Before they were transferred into this tank, they underwent some special treatment:

I gave them a salt bath, about 45 seconds in some very uncomfortable, very salty water. I realize this was unpleasant for them but it was necessary to aid in the removal of the fish leeches that were all over them. The salt loosened the hold of the leeches on the fins, allowing them to be removed manually with tweezers without tearing the fins.

The fish were then placed into the aquarium, with tonic salt to help heal the bites. An External Parasite Treatment was used to kill any other potential parasites. An Internal Parasite Treatment was used shortly after as well.

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These fish grew quickly and needed a much larger Aquarium then I currently had, so I gave two of them to another local hobbyist and kept a single Bluegill in a 20 gallon. The scape is essentially the same.

Eventually, he also out grew his home and was given to a local hobbyist.

The Lab

2010-12-04T17:44:00.000-08:00

(Pics are Newest to Old)

New Project Endlers:

A recent Driftwood hunt yielded some more amazing pieces.

20 Gallon (Long) Planted Tank

2010-11-24T08:24:00.000-08:00

Now that I have a whole room to myself, I got to work on setting up some new tanks.

The First tank I created was a new Apisto Tank.

The Design resembles the Original Apisto tank, though the plants have not grown in yet.

I wasn't getting the growth with some of the plants I have chosen in my Apisto tank. So I decided to make a few plant swaps. One thing led to another and I ended up rescaping the entire tank!

The new foreground plant of choice is Dwarf Sagittaria.

HOW-TO Breed Pseudomugil sp. (Egg Scattering Rainbows)

2010-06-17T08:03:00.001-07:00

How to breed Pseudomugil furcatus (Forktailed Rainbows), and other ‘egg scattering’ Rainbowfish.

What you will need:

1) An established Aquarium

2) Dark Green Yarn

3) A Book

4) Scissors

5) Methylene blue (not 100% necessary)

6) Small Holding containers

7) Wire for hanging ‘Mop’ and egg/fry container

Lets get started!

Here are some of the supplies:

Wrap the book with the yarn about 50 times:

Cut the yarn at one end:

It should look like this, set one strand of yarn aside:

Use the extra strand to tie the top creating a ‘Mop’

Hang the Mop inside your tank. You can use wire or another method to do this. The Mops are great because they are easy to search for eggs, rather then digging through establish plants throughout your Aquarium. You can also float it with a piece of Styrofoam.

Check the Mop Daily or Every other day for Eggs. Fresh Eggs will be clear:

Carefully remove the eggs and place them in a small container with tank water. A pill bottle works great. Add one or 2 small drops of Methylene blue into the container. (1 drop in a pill bottle) The Methylene blue helps keep fungus from attacking the eggs as well as helps determine the Fertile and infertile Eggs:

Hang the Container in the tank so that the Temperature will be stable. I find that more eggs survive if I have a very small amount of air in the container. To do this I use and air pump with an air flow adjuster on it. The air keeps the water from getting stagnant, helping prevent fungus and other problems.

Monitor the eggs. Healthy Eggs will look speckled. Bad eggs will be milky or fuzzy with fungus. Remove the bad eggs. This is what your healthy eggs will look like after several days:

Pseudomugil furcatus Eggs- (photo by Kim Carey)

Check Daily for Hatched Eggs. Fry are small and can easily be sucked out with a turkey baster, just be careful not to hurt them. You can place them into another small container with tank water and hang it just like the Egg setup.

Pseudomugil furcatus Fry- (photo by Kim Carey)

Fry are extremely small. Furcatas are able to eat baby brine shrimp and finely powdered foods from the start. But some Rainbow sp. are even smaller and will require rotifers or vinegar eels.

**Make sure you carefully clean out the fry container as it can get dirty quick in such a small environment**

As they grow you can move them to various containers based on size. They are slow growers so its nice to have a separate tank setup just for raising these little guys.

As for the breeding environment for Furcatas, they aren’t too picky. I have a breeding group of 7 fish, 3 males and 4 females. The water is moderately hard and has a PH of 7.2. I generally get an egg every other day, but sometime I will find several eggs in one day.

Most Rainbow sp. like planted tanks, but these Mops can replace plants. I have seen these fish bread in bare tanks with several floating Mops.

Hope this helps someone!

Pseudomugil furcatus

2010-05-19T11:39:00.000-07:00

Male Pseudomugil furcatus- (photo by Kim Carey)

Scientific Name : Pseudomugil furcatus

Common Names : Fork Tail Rainbow Fish

Origin : Papua, New Guinea

Size : 2" (some are slightly bigger, others smaller)

Tank Size : 20 gallon or larger as this fish prefers groups.

pH : 7.0 - 8.0 Ideally 7.6

Temperature : 75F - 82F

Water Hardness : 15 - 30 dH

Lifespan : 1-3 years

Temperament: Peaceful.

Feeding: Flake, Live, Frozen. They are generally not picky eaters.

GENERAL INFORMATION:
Pseudomugil furcatus are a peacefull and active fish that do well in groups and with other small, peacefully fish. I have kept them with Dwarf Cichlids(Rams, Apistos) also without issues. they appreciate planted tanks where they can swim in and out of stems. These fish will generally stay near the surface, so floating plants are also appreciated. Males have the most color and longer fins. females are slightly more dull. The blue eyes seem to glow in most lighting!

BREEDING:
Pseudomugil furcatus are Egg scatteres. If you have male and female fish, and a healthy tank, spawning is likely. They will deposit eggs in masses of plants which are fertilized by the male.

See my article on breeding Pseudomugil furcatus here:

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Male and Female Pseudomugil furcatus- (photo by Kim Carey)

Pseudomugil furcatus fry- (photo by Kim Carey)

NOTES:
This fish has been a fun, active fish to own, but due to the extremely short lifespan, I have traded them to other hobbyists. I felt I was constantly breeding to new colonies just to keep a certain number in my show tank.

Pseudomugil furcatus- (photo by Vincent Fu)

Mini 1.5 Gallon Planted Tank

2010-04-30T10:42:00.000-07:00

I wanted to try a Mini tank So I decided to set one up on my desk at work.

Here is what I did:

I bought a 1.5 Gallon glass cube from a local craft store. The light is a Hampton Bay Full spectrum Lamp from Home Depot,. The heater is a Hydor Mini heater. The Filter is a Tom's Mini Internal Filter (I modified the spray bar so it isn't as long).

As for the Flora: Several Sticks covered in Java Moss, Anubias Nana Petite, Rotala Indica, And Dwarf Sagetaria.

Fish and Inverts: 3 Cobra Endler Hybrids, 5 Cherry shrimp, and a few MTS's.

It will look awesome when all the plants fill in a bit more.

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It's been several months since I set up this little guy. At first the Java Moss went crazy! I was trimming it every week. The other plant were not growing that much.

I started dosing Metricide (5 drops) every few days. The Java Moss has stopped growing, but the other plants now are growing much better. I am also dosing API Leaf Zone (3-5 Drops) and Flourish (1-2 drops) weekly.

The Cherry Shrimp Colony has EXPLODED! Every 2 weeks I remove about 10 juvenile shrimp and take them home.

I also added a piece of glass to the top because 3 fish have jumped out. I currently just have one Cobra Tail Hybrid Endler in the tank.

The lighting around the tank makes for terrible pictures but here is an updated pic:

Cobra Tail Endlers

2010-04-17T19:15:00.001-07:00

Here are some pics of my Cobra Tail Endler Hybrids. This is essentially a cross between the wild strain and a snake-skin/yellow guppy.

Juvenile Cobra Tail, and a cherry shrimp.

A simple 10 gallon Planted tank

2010-03-28T14:37:00.000-07:00

I planted a new foreground plant, Glossostigma, which has small round leaves and will hopefully make a nice carpet in the future.

I rearranged my bottom tank to accommodate a pair of Apistogramma cacatuoides. The male is an Orange Flash, the Female is a Double Red (her father was a Triple red) These fish are awesome! They also have spawned recently so I am expecting fry soon.

The tank is a standard 10 Gallon tank. Water is at a Ph of 7.4. I forgot what type of substrate I use but it I think it was Eco something or Amazon something... I use 2 standard full spectrum light bulbs in 2 clip-on desk lamps (above the tank). I am not sure how much light this puts out but it looks like 'medium' lighting. Plants include: Cryptocoryne lucens, Alternanthera reineckii, Ludwigia repens, Rotala roundifolia, Microsorium pteropus, and some Limnobium spongia.

I was positive that my Apistos were preparing to spawn, but after a few days I wasn't so sure. It seemed the Male had lost interest in the female. She would swim up to him and show off her yellow sides, but he would casually turn and swim the other direction...

For a second I was a little discouraged, but to my surprise and delight, my Apistos apparently did lay eggs, and Sunday, the fry were swimming around.

This is the mother's first batch. The father has had several batches with other females before.

So far the Female seems to be looking after them well. The male is hanging around and the female is not showing any aggression towards him. In fact she is more yellow then before and Showing of her sides again like she is ready to breed. The male seems to be quite gentle around the fry. If food falls near them he wont go for it.

These are the smallest fish Fry I have personally dealt with. The are seriously only the size of this: *

The Evolution of my First Planted Tank

2009-12-11T11:53:00.000-08:00

I started Simple, with gravel, bog wood and some cheap plants from the Local fish Store...

I made a few changes to some plants and a few months later, my underwter garen was growing well. Plants in this picture include Rotala indica, Crypt Walkeri lutea, Sagittaria subulata, and Anubias nana.

Here are a few of the inhabitants of the tank:

Another month of Growth:

I decided the Dwarf Sagittaria in my foreground wasn't spreading the way I wanted it to. Instead it was just growing taller. I replaced the foregound with Crypt Wendtii.
.

I also split my Anubias.

I had to move the Crypt Walkeri lutea to the back as it got HUGE.

I placed a Tiger Lotus in its place...

A few months later:

Mikrogeophagus ramirezi (German Blue Ram)

Traded out the Germans for some Apistos

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My Planted tank in its Glory Days...

(This tank has been taken down)