herpetology!

it's not just a 'look', polypterids are actual very basal! Its actually getting less and less scared and is eating cichlid pellets every day. Going to try with mysis shrimp again tonight.

Hey! I have a 29 gallon tank with an adult and a sub adult brichardi cichlid. I just got a free baby senegal bichir which is about as long as the adult brichardi. I am wondering the best way to make the senegal bichir feel at home. It isn't being harassed much by the cichlids, it's just scared like a little baby. There are 4 caves and lots of visual barriers on the ground, but this bichir seems to prefer hanging out up top. He isn't clamping fins and ate some pellet food today. I know that senegals use the whole water column at times, so I'm curious what I should be looking for as far as hangouts when its settled. Thanks!

So far the little one just keeps getting chased around. She/he is scared like crazy. The two males are buddy buddy but haven't done anything together (no dancing, for example).

I've heard stories about them breeding like crazy in a wide range of situations. So hopefully they make some babies!

Will cichlids still nest properly in pebble size substrate, which I have observed they can move, or will they require sand?

So, I'll recap about my tank here: 29 gallon unheated (so about 20C) 3 paddletail newts 2 full size male brichardi cichlids 1 1/3 size (hopefully and looks like) female brichardi cichlid feeder guppies, rams horn and trapdoor snails So, my new small brichardi that looks female (the other ones her size and smaller looked to be getting male traits so I think I'm safe) has been chased around a bit by the two established males. Is this normal for introduction in the species? What should I look for with regards to breeding? I am hoping to get them to breed so the babies can help feed the newts (they will be culled and frozen/thawed when needed). ALSO! Does anyone have an adult female they'd be willing to part with??

I was thinking about putting him in the fridge, in water, since that's how they roll: a room temp tank is upper range for them, they prefer like 16c. I might do that, but his parasite is from goldfish I THINK. Idk, it actually boosts their immune system to be cooler. I'm breeding guppies, so yeah just have a female who has been pregnant forever but will pop with what I hope is a massive litter very soon! I agree with anchor worm. Im going to fridge this guy!

One of my newts has a white string attached to his eye. I am wondering what it is. It's about 4-5mm long and I can't remove it with a casual brush or even with tweezers, it's thread thin. I suspect it's a nematode. Do you have any suggestions? I think it came from some feeder fish which is EXACTLY why I have been trying to breed my own.

Is this brown stuff something to worry about??

Yep no worries, I've kept reptiles and amphibians for over a decade, I definitely got a substrate size too big for their silly mouths. Even the brichardi cichlids are making nest with it, so it's rather neat.

Sand actually is something the newts would swallow, so it's a concern. I actually do have some driftwood in there and have some ammonite chunks that are kind of weathering down, but it does seem a bit excessive on the brown cloudness. I had hornwort in there as well. I don't think it's a chemically bad brownness, and man do my plants need any kind of nutrients they can get, I was just wondering if other people have had that kind of soily look to substrate after this long. It's something I'd like to mitigate a bit without doing gravel vacuums as i don't wanna move stuff around too much- the cichlids are paired!

Hey, just wanting some info. I have been running this tank for a year and a half with pebble sized substrate. It has been planted on and off, with hyacinths making a big mess during the summer. It is very understocked, always has been, but no matter how much I try to clean up the gravel a cloud of brown tends to come up. Is it normal for a mature substrate to look like this? Its so nutrient starved that my plants had trouble growing for many months, so I am confused as to what is going on. It is fed a pinch of flake food daily with a dump of 2 blood worm cubes 2 times per week (for newts) as well as the rare feeder, but there hasn't been many in the last few months. I don't think it's really a problem, it's just kinda weird and I've never had a tank that was regularly cleaned like this have this brown cloud effect.

I can't raise the temps. If anything, it's actually too warm for the newts at room temps. Do you think they will spawn despite the lower temps? I've had feeder guppies reproduce in there before. How can I tell if they are working together versus just ignoring each other? What type of timeline do they have for breeding? I haven't seen any eggs laid anywhere yet.

Hey, I have a rather interesting 30 Gal tank. It is unheated, so stands at about 20 C. It has 3 adult paddletail newts and is heavily planted on one side, with a female flag fish (my male just died randomly the other day but wasn't eaten) that lives in the plants. I have 1 male betta that is doing well in there, as the newts don't hunt near the surface. I also have 2 adult L. brichardi who have made a nest in one of the caves I made. They were put initially to get eaten by the newts, but instead tore the poop out of my Labeo species (black shark) who is living with my dads pond fish, since he will end up out there anyways next season. I am curious as to if I can tell what gender these brichardi are. I really want them to spawn so the newts can eat the babies. The adults don't fight ever, the one with longer strands on the tail I believe is male as he excavated a cave. The other one might be male or female, it's hard to say. Is there behavior that would help indicate the gender?

By way of update: the black shark has taken over. He is smaller in mass than the cichlids, but frequently chases both of them if they come near him while grazing. This could be a huge problem when he gets bigger...Fortunately, he doesn't actually bite anyone (sometimes noms the newts slime coats but they don't seem to care) and he's in cooler water, stunting growth rate. Also, as I said, future king of the pond! Can't WAIT for him to go out there, now that he's big enough to not care as much about mild pond temperature flux, and see him in his element! Question is, what might be a good choice as a replacement? I have a steady supply of free brichardi's from a gorgeous friend who breeds them ... I keep drooling over ornate/senegal bichirs, but that is one thing I don't feel right about putting in cooler water. I try to slightly push limits and help them find success, which is working greatly in most cases, but if I recall bichirs need it warmer than the newts can even survive in! So...I wait.

Thanks for your replies. I also am wondering: I am feeding my guppies 3 times per day in a sponge filtered heated 5 gallon. What kind of timeline for pregnancy can I expect as well as maturation of the fry? I need them as dithering fish as well as food for the newts.

They were in a species tank with probably 15 or so individuals, these were the largest two in the in tank. I really think the fighting is subsiding. I do expect the shark to constantly test the boundaries and even graze in the cichlid territory, but as far as scrapping over territory goes I think it's over. I planted what anacharis I have near one of the caves. The shark has a tendancy to graze on it, so this might help keep him away from the birchadis. It's really only the male that presents a problem, the female avoids the black shark like the plague. Surpisingly, the Betta has been rather innocuous in all this and hasn't got a scratch. Pretty interesting trying to balance out all these species. Is there anything I can do to lower birchardi aggression?

Not 11, 1.1 (1m, 1f). Actually, this was a new cave (of the two I made that night, now there are 3 total) just for the cichlids. The old cave was abandoned and then reclaimed by the shark. It seems that the newts coexist just fine with the cichlids, with the newts occasionally snapping at them. The male cichlid, not shockingly, is the most territorial animal in this tank. The female kinda swims around all derpy, but doesn't do much. These are fully grown and have spawned in the past, but the substrate is gravel and the temps are on the low end for them, so I don't expect any spawning. To be honest, with so much over the top aggression from every animal except the flag fish, I'm shocked that this is the first incident I've had where a fish was harmed (other than the newts sniping two small, weaker flag fish and a mexican crayfish being torn apart). Water values are fine, I had to avoid doing a gravel cleaning to try to get the nitrates higher so Anacharis of all things could actually grow. This tank really doesn't have much of a bioload at all, so the two large cichlids may be a bit of a shock. I do small flake feedings daily with a large dump of blood worms every 3-4 days and the occasional drop of guppies for them to eat and harass. So the input isn't exactly high as far as nutrients, as in the past it was modelled after a low nutrient steam for the paddletails. Lots of grazers in this tank, so I have let algae have its fun as well as have floating plants, anacharis, a massive ball of moss and random other bits my friend gave me. With the lower temps, metabolisms will be a smidge lower, so nutrient needs won't be QUITE as high (though they are fed well ) Are there any water values I should keep my eye out for, given the animals in the tank? A good indicator if things go bad is the newts will head to their island. Natural warning system of trouble, gotta love it.. Also, what does iss-yews mean? Never seen that before.

Thanks. Is there anything I can do to keep the black shark from nosing around the cichlid cave? I just want to discourage him, as everyone else in the tank seems to have gotten the memo (the flag fish even hang out in the java moss clump just outside the cichlid cave with no ill effect). How long does it take to heal such wounds?

I have a 33 gallon planted tank with lots of visual barriers. It is kept at 20-22, room temp basically. I have the following stock: 1 baby black shark (Labeo sp.) which I didn't know would get huge. He will become a pond fish with my dads goldfish this summer, when he's big enough. 1.1 American Flag Fish 2.1 Paddletail newts 1.1 N. brichardi Cichlids (New comers) 1 male betta Kind of an odd mix, I know, but everything is super healthy and quite active. I have various guppies that go in as dither/feeders as they mature. The issue now is the black shark. He keeps poking his nose into cichlid territory and has some scale and fin damage now. Everyone else gets along quite well, actually, I am wondering, now that the bulk of the territory issues are resolved, how can i help heal this black shark!? I don't care about scarring as he's destined to be a pond fish anyways. Thanks

Will it impact the overall size of them, or just the growth rate? Also, do you know if these guys breed before max size? One of my females has eggs (she came with them) and I was wondering if this is indicative of the max size of this species?

As my join date indicates, it's been a long time. Much longer than I realized! When i joined, I had a tropical community tank and worked at pet stores. Now I am a paleontologist with a newt/fish tank, trying to learn all that I can and get involved in the community. I admit my training is rather...devoid of fish, besides some rather obvious basics, but I know enough to be reconstructing a northern pike skull from disassembled bits (it's frustrating and taking a while, I can post progress pics if you want) and just yesterday found a 90 million year old fish skull of a probably known species, as well I may have found a new species of extinct sarcopterygian from 300+ million years ago, though the remains are admittedly not as complete as is needed. Anywho, my extant experience includes raising surprise goldfish babies from fry, my newt tank featuring a new american flag fish, a tropical tank many years ago that was admittedly poorly cared for, working at pet stores along the way and my fathers old tropical fish tank from years back + the goldfish pond. Right now I have in a 33 gallon unheated tank: 3 adult paddletail newts (2m, 1f) 3 feeder guppies who refuse to feed anything (3f) 1 american flag fish (m) 1 Baby black shark (Labeo sp.) (help me sex if you can) 1 Tiger barb who is on hiatus from the tank (he is hanging out with some large pond goldfish at the moment) (help me sex if you can) 1 long whisker ghost shrimp (help me sex it!) 4 small trapdoor snails who are probably going to die soon as they tend to be picked on in this tank (hermaphrodites up in this) and I just bought 10 ghost shrimp for a small tank in the hopes they grow up to be mighty and powerful in my newt tank (I am assuming at LEAST 50% loss...) My dad does have a good sized goldfish pond and has the fish in dramatically overstocked 33 and 29 gallon tanks. I am doing my very very best to keep them clean, but a 3 day romp in the field lead to a goldfish getting ammonia burns on the operculum. I'm doing what I can with what I have! He won't get a pond heater or a bigger tank! One day I aspire to have an ornate bichir. Polypterygiformes are so amazing with their plesiomorphic finlets. I plan on putting the adult black shark in with one, one day. I also have a very extensive background in herpetology and currently have a russian tortoise who is best friends with a rather large cat. Anyways, nice to re-post in this forum and see what info I can learn! I'm trying my very very best to push the boundary in my newt tank (damn Pachytritons eat some types of fish and apparently a crayfish like it's going out of style) in a way that has the highest chance of success. If my recent flag fish experiment pans out, I won't be adding anything but the adult whisker shrimp in a month or so, which largely keep to themselves and are ignored in turn.

Yeah, the frogs like it on the bottom and they wouldn't last long at all. I bought 10 small ghost shrimp who will be beefed up before going in. I also got an American Flag Fish, as they were insistent it could handle the 20-21C of this tank. So far, the black shark doesn't seem to care about him but the newts do. Once he's done stressing, he'll get off the bottom I'm sure. I moved my two anacaris, which are as tall as the water column and bushy, to the same corner. He seems to like hiding in them and they certainly impede newt movement, at least for a strike, so things are going well! My tiger barb is out of the tank at the moment, though, I wanted the flag fishy to get acclimatized and hopefully the barb will be less of a jerk when I put him back in a few days. I'm not holding out much hope, though he does seem to get along rather well with the pond goldfish. They are too big to care about him and he is too little to try anything stupid, so they just co exist.

How much heat? Right now they are at room temps and I certainly don't want to overheat.

Would I be able to get by without the filtration if I do regular (ie every day or other day) water changes? The bioload in the tank will be like 5-10 shrimps. Also, will they grow faster with heating? I really want to get them in the newt tank (and now, into some goldfish tanks to help keep em cleaner) asap.