DanGofCalgary

I also bought a pile of those heaters that Vince is referring to. they are 50 watts, made by tetra and.... available at Walmart for under $12 each. It's good to support our LFS, but the price was really good at Walmart, and I was there at the time...

Had an outbreak of hydra in a couple tanks. Reading up on the internet someone posted that these snails will eat hydra, so I got some. They don't just eat hydra, they HOOVER hydra! If you are looking for a non chemical alternative to hydra control, these little guys are it! And added bonus they look great! Dan

another option might be assasin snails.

Flower horns, and their 'poor cousins', parrot fish, are abominations and their support in the hobby should not be continued. Unfortunately people buy them, so the unscrupulous will continue to 'create' them in their Dr. Frankenstein labs tanks/ponds. just one mans opinion though.

bah! I was gonna say that! Hmm. I wonder why people call the (scientific name) Betta splendens a Betta? Why would someone do that. thinking. thinking.... I got nothing. But If I think of something, will let you know. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siamese_fighting_fish specifically note this sentence: The name of the genus is derived from ikan bettah, taken from a local dialect of Thailand (Siam).[1

Ever notice how velvet shimmers? That is what I have always felt that 'velvet' fish look like. Like they have a little thickness on them and a shimmering from the way the light reflects. But that is just my personal opinion.

I have about 10 lbs of the stuff. I'd gladly give you enough to run this a couple times, but I am in Calgary. I have 2 Diatom (Vortex) filters. I love them for cleaning up tanks. Big pain to get them running though. I curse them out every time I have to start them up, then /hug them when I see the crystal clear water after. Both mine are currently sucking air, so have ordered in a few parts. Might just buy a new one and be done with it though. There are a lot of accessories, like recirculation valves, and tank hangers that you can get, also plastic jars. I have a little bit of everything. Love my diatom filters. except when I have to start the bastages up! haha!

haha! good story! and so true! Years ago (like 18) when our youngest was a baby, I took a month off to take care of her while we arranged quality care for her. I was SO glad to get back to work after that month and take a break! Toughest (and yet still probably the most rewarding) job I ever had was that one month of 'Mr. Mom'. Hats off to all the women who do/did it and a well deserved poke in the eye to anyone who downplays the job.

It's also a handy feature for avoiding double posting. Sometimes when there is lag, I will accidentally attempt to post the same message twice. That control usually stops me from looking dumber than usual!

IIRC neon tetras are the natural food of Angels in the wild... Of course I have also noted that 'natural' food of angels seems to be anything that can fit in their mouth, or they can bite off a piece of...

Welcome!

They're coming along nicely. Shared this pic with the fellow I bought them from, so thought I'd share it here too This little guy is checking out some apple snails that were breeding. One of the apples snails let his antennae out, and the angel was trying to eat it.

There are probably multiple stores that have brine shrimp eggs. Some of the things that you ahve to be careful about though, is the quantity and quality of them. How old are the eggs? have they been properly stored? (most folks recommend they be stored in a fridge, some say a freezer, don't store at room temperature is pretty much a given to avoid as it will seriously cut down the hatch rate) How much brine shrimp do you intend to feed? I just bought a full pound from here. http://www.aquariumsupplies.ca/grade-brine-shrimp-eggs-p-5612.html?osCsid=ch6sni3lerufrmtaccvaka5r70 but I feed brine shrimp every day, and quite a bit. here is a picture or two of home made brine shrimp hatchery that is pretty similar to the one most people are likely to make. it's a 2 litre coke bottle I use roughly a tablespoon and a half of rock salt (same salt I use in my soft water conditioner) and about a 1/2 teaspoon of brine shrimp eggs. The light keeps them warm, must circulate constantly, and I feed them ALL out every 24 hours. I probably change the water once a week. There are probably a lot of good sources of home made brine shrimp hatcheries available on the net. Hope that helps! Dan

haha! Maybe as I am ramping up for the "Grandmaster" title I might run a bunch of livebearers. Always gives you a bad name when you do that though as I really do not have much interest in them. I'd be spawning, getting the BAP credit and dumping the whole works, parents, fry, etc. at the next auction. Not really my style any more, but who knows when that ramp up bug might hit me... wouldn't be the first time. Do the Alberta clubs still have that title? Looks like they changed it at some point to the '1000 point club' instead of GrandMaster. I always thought that had a nice ring to it, but whatever works. I would actually be more interested in the bubblenest spawners than the livebearers. More challenge I think whoa. this thread has really been hijacked! haha!

Just a thought on that. Before making a flat out career change, you might want to try working a couple of weekends in a fish store. The grass isn't always greener on the other side of the fence. Then, once you have tried it for a month or so, decide which you prefer.

Been there. Done that. Got the T-shirt. Actually, I have a picture of me, in that T-shirt, in front of one of my fish racks with Paul Loiselle. But that was a different time and place. The internets were just coming in to being. The tech revolution was just starting. I think I might have just transferred from a commodore 64 computer to a DOS based one. Walmart? Didn't exist in Calgary to my knowledge. Pisces was the BIG fish store, and Riverfront was in the fledgling beginnings. Now, so much is done over the internets, that people can get the information, and a link to a store selling the item at a discount. If only it were that simple FCG (Fishclubgirl). I will be at the September meeting. I'm just like that. But I am not that interested in live bearers, and anyone who isn't a big fan of livebearers isn't likely to stick around. Most folks tend to split along interest lines and typically it is current interest. Life didn't get easier with more technology, it got busier. I am sitting here with a phone jack in my ear, yahoo open to my business contacts, email running, typing on fishy webpage. In the time that I opened this website, I have completed my expense report, read 5 emails, wrote 3 responses, answered 2 phone calls, made 1. Concluded a shipping deal and got a cup of coffee. All the while planning my reply to you. It's a brave new world, and I think more and more face to face type meetings are going by the way side. Witness the conversation you and I had this weekend talking about aquabid, when it dawned on both of us that I could save the shipping cost by just meeting you the following saturday. But who knows. That is just my thought on this. Bill Bishop eh? hmm. Hope he brings some killie eggs...

I thought as much, but wanted to confirm. I have a reserve on a bunch of these, and I am now angry at you. I am so excited to see them, but won't have a chance till after stampede! just kidding. awesome pics. thanks. I love the L204s!

Are these all wild caught? Including the angels and discus?

seperate. don't seperate. alla same. What do you want to achieve is the question? If they are free swimming I'd say you are quite fine to seperate them if you wish. Feed them baby brine shrimp. Enjoy watching them grow. Seeing a set of cichlid parents raise fry is an amazing thing. In a community tank the survival rate is going to be low. Jewel cichlids can be ferocious though, and might be able to ward off most predators, but at night and if there are several darting type fish, they might slowly pick them off. It really is a matter of choice chance and behaviour. I'd say at this point do what feels right for you. Jewel cichlids was the first fish I spawned, at 14 (this was back before electricity! haha! just kidding. but it was a long time ago) and I loved watching their behaviour. But raising fry and watching them succesfully grow is also a trip. If you take this batch away from them, they will still spawn in a couple weeks or so, so you can have the best of both worlds. A succesful spawn, and a spawn with the parents! good luck!

one thing to watch for in that tank is your pleco. My experience is that not many fish could ward off a curious pleco. He might just mow right over your eggs if he is small enough to pass over them. It's been a long time though since I spawned any fish in a pleco having tank, but it is something to watch for. This is based on your signature line saying you have a pleco in there. Dan

That's nothing new. Monty Python did singing mice in the 70s

This normal thing you speak of? Welcome back! Hope you and your fishies are doing fine!

OMG! get the kids away from it! it's Alien pods! haha! very nice pic. Dan

That seems to have happened here too, I am getting the imrpression. When was the last time Calgary had a full on fish show? Looks like both cities clubs have gone to pretty much just a big auction. It is sad, but on the same token if there isn't an extended interest in the community, why would folks do so much work for such a small crowd? When you have several hundred people in standing room only at the auction, but they duck out the back as soon as the speakers arrive, it's a pretty clear message from your target audience. Sad or not, you can't MAKE them stay even if it would be good for them, the fish they keep, and the audience involved. The other problem is the split audience. The folks that want a high level technical discussion are not the average fish keepers. The average fish keeper wants to know 'what other fish can I keep with Petey, my daughters pet platy that I bought at walmart?' Why do my fish keep dieing when I feed them good stuff like a whole pork chop all to themselves? You target one, you lose the other. Thaty is only part of the problem but you kind of see the frustration that would be for the folks that have to dedicate massive time and energy (all volunteer for the love of the hobby) and the overwhelming dissapointment they must feel when there is only a small audience. While you want a quality of audience, you also need a quantity. (by quality I mean qualitative in that they are interested and feel engaged by the topic) Just my thoughts. The world has changed and continues to change. The instant availability of information precludes the need to have speakers. I can go on the internet right now and likely find a youtube video of any topic that interests me. Perhaps we need to look at video conferencing as a valid method of speaker delivery in Alberta. hmm. interesting thought...