Albertan

Nice fish Neil. I'll have to get some current pictures of Captain Insaino up. I had to change his ornament/cave again today as he outgrew his second one. He's almost as big as the 7" female dovii in the tank beside him.

What are the dimensions of those tanks, what is the total height of your setup, and what is that frame made of? I have an eight foot wall begging for some tanks in the family room of my new house. Something like this could be an option. Thanks.

Very nice pictures Patrick.

Parachromis dovii Update Apparently my hunt for a breeding pair of dovii is over. The female and second dominant male bred over the weekend and this is what I came home to after getting back from a hockey tournament... The kicker is I am probably going to give these fish away. I want to get my Rapps female to breed with my dominant male from the FishFarm order. Here is the dominant male on January 25th... And this weekend... The pictures may not suggest it, but these fish are growing nicely as well. Not nearly as fast as the Red Devil, but quickly nonetheless. I think I may take the advice above and separate these fish pretty quick. Even in the 120g they spend most of their time in a 18" square area testing each other all day long.

Much faster that anything I have swimming in my tanks. Cool video.

Yeah it's hard to say for sure at this point. I'm hoping it retains the coloration on its fins, but I'm not holding my breath on that one. I just like to post the pictures of it from time to time since its the only way I can truly appreciate its growth seeing the fish daily. I like the pics you sent me of your fish BTW. Looks like we've got a couple of bruisers on our hands. :smokey:

Weeee. Captain Insaino it is. The name fits. Thanks guys.

Thanks for the info Neil. I was always under the assumption it was most attributable to poor quality protein in the diet and stress. Which I suppose it is, but I still like your explanation better than anything else I have read. :thumbs:

Very interesting. Keep us posted as you stock it.

Oh I guess I should explain the choices. The Champ is a reference to the old skit of the same name they used to play on The Bear radio station in Edmonton when I was in university for too many years. Captain Insaino I've heard somewhere, but it just seems to always spring to mind with this fish. And P.O.T.S. is an acronym for Pi$$ed Off Twenty-four Seven (cheesy I know but if the shoe fits...)

I'm not one for naming my fish. But if you read my thread on it in the Freshwater Photography forum, I think you'll agree it's earned it. So in order to try a poll for my first time ever on a forum and to have a little fun here, I thought I'd recruit some help with the task. Thanks.

Time keep marching on, and this fish keeps on growing at an alarming rate. It's now 6" long! That's 3" in two months. I feed it like the pig it is, and I do 50% water changes at least two but usually three times weekly. I figured I'd better take some pictures before claiming this kind of growth... Compare these photos all beside the same ornament. Below is December 25, 2007. January 17, 2008 February 17, 2008. Almost as big as the ornament. March 22, 2008. He's outgrown the ornament... October 11, 2008 I measured him out of water today...9.5"

You can answer your own question after reading this thread. The Cliff Notes are that the fish is by definition piebald, although it's coloration isn't what is typically considered piebald.

I never thought of Michaels, although the wife and kids have mentioned it before. Most people give up on any sort of aquascaping with these fish. I think a person can do it. You just have to go with the flow and let the fish have their way instead of fighting them for the way you think the tank should look. Thanks for the tip on the silk plants. I'm going to give that some consideration. I think booby cups are gonna be a no-go with the wife though. What a shame... :smokey:

If you look very carefully at those fry you will see that they have my name on them. :smokey: Seriously Mo, those fry are at the very top of my fish wish list. Once I move in May you can expect constant harrassing to get some of them. Nice pics.

Great info! Should be sticky IMO. :bow:

Fishing's only good there in the Fall. The lake has brook trout and they spawn in the fall. First ice is the best and just about the only time to catch the fish there. Roe sacs work the best...I used to make my own. Fish right off shore at the entrance by where you park. And believe it or not, you want to fish in about 1' of water. I also fished at Sauer lake right across the road a few times as well. Not a lot Rainbows in there, but the water is crystal clear and its something different. Good luck.

I'll have whatever he's having bartender. :thumbs:

That's not a helmet cam. That's one of those things you buy at Canadian Tire to scare off the deer. :rofl: Cool pics. Glad to hear you're OK after that spill.

I think the tank looks good. I find African biotopes a little boring sometimes to be honest. But hey that's what the bottom of the lake looks like. One suggestion I would make would be to consider painting the back and sides of the tank with a flat black paint, or even trying some construction paper first. It's hard to describe but it darkens the aquascape making it look quite realistic IMO. It really brings out the fishes colors too with the right lighting. Either way, looks good. :thumbs:

Having seen many of your pictures, I think the reason you see this behaviour in your fish Mo is because your skills at aquascaping rival those of photographing your fish. Because you give them the substrate and plants, wood, etc. to display thier natural behaviour, you are rewarded with being able to observe it. Kudos to you again. Those pictures above of that fish working his mojo (pun intended) are very interesting and such pictures never get old around here.

On a slightly different note, I believe the 403, like my 404, filters from the bottom to the top. Having said that, you would want to have your sponge on the bottom to get the mechanical filtration out of the way first. And your ceramic rings would best accomplish your biological filtration in the top tray after the sponge has completed mechanical filtration so that the rings do not get clogged. Finally, lava rock is an extremely poor filter media as cheap and effective as it looks like it would be. Have a look at this thread at MFK for some help. Good luck.

Don't get me wrong. I am not saying a person can't have a big tank. I just want people to be aware of the problems that can arise and stress to them the need to find a very competent builder when you get up into those sizes.

Fantastic looking fish Mo. It would have been interesting to get a picture of the juvies with the lighting you used on the adult. They all have exceptional coloration and I always find that "technique" really makes those colors jump out.

Nice looking fish!