Rainbows Updates

Rainbows

Hey everyone, I've got a lot of projects I'm working on right now so I thought I would create this and update it regularly so you can all watch what happens, the highs and the lows.
Anyways, current updates;
1. I just bought a tank rack with included tanks (2x2ft + 3x3ft + Sump) for a total steal of $400. The tanks are drilled and plumbed and the guy also included the pump he brought for it 3 months ago, apparently worth $800 by itself. Needless to say this has got me really excited and will be used for breeding purposes. Here's two pictures, first of the stand which I'm in the process of painting black, and then the tanks.


2. I also brought a shuttle (holds a thousand litres) and have chopped the top off and converted it into a pond. It previously held some kind of concrete setter which I removed the remnants of with a pressure cleaner and then filled. I checked for toxic residues by using some sacrificial gudgeons and Macrobrachiums but none died and were subsequently released. The pond now holds plant cuttings, a lily and will eventually become home to all of my Melanotaenia splendida inornata Remu. This will free up my four footer for something else. Here's some pictures.


3. Finally a crappy but updated picture of my main 4 footer.

I'll post again tonight with future plans.

Frayk

Good score m8, an aquarists dream - a tank rack!!!!!! Nothing crappy about the 4 footer, praps a background maybe, good stuff, cheers.

Rainbows

Thanks Frayk, here's an idea of future plans.
1. The 4 foot tank at my mums (Melanotaenia splendida inornata Mary River + Melanotaenia maccullochi + Royal Whiptail) will be moving to here, that will total 2x4 foot tanks and the rack. I then plan to move the SAE's in the above tank to the other 4 foot, leaving this tank pretty much completely free asides from the Boeseman trio. These will then be moved to the breeding rack, letting me add a large school of Threadfins (yay).
2. This will leave the 4 foot tank from my mums pretty much as a mixed community, individual species can be pulled out for breeding.
3. The breeding rack will have fish rotated through it, with some of the tanks purely as grow out tanks. With 5 tanks though I still have a fair amount of room, I'll probably try and acquire one more species, hopefully Malanda Rainbows through ANGFA.
4. The outside shuttle will remain purely Melanotaenia splendida inornata Remu, allowing them to breed in peace. This was a fairly cheap investment, so I might try and convince my dad to allow me one more, although I'm not sure what I would put in it lol.
5. If all of the above plans come through, my species list will be; Chequered Rainbowfish (Remu), Chequered Rainbowfish (Mary River), MacCulloch's Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia maccullochi), Boeseman's Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia boesemani), Malanda Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia sp. malanda), Threadfin Rainbowfish (Iriatherina werneri), SAE's, Peppermints, Kuhli Loaches, Royal Whiptail and Midgley's Carp Gudgeons. Might add some more things along the way.

Rainbows

Some more photos of the Midgley's for you Frayk, I ended up adding another cool male I found with black blotches on his fins... which immediately disappeared in the aquarium sigh. But it did succeed in getting the original male to revert to wild colours so it's not all negative. Excuse the photo quality, autofocus seems to think these fish don't exist and manual is just hard work.

Frayk

Great pics m8, you are very lucky to have these fish in a tank

Rainbows

Struggling to get these guys to convert to flake, I'm worried I might even lose a female. I do have some microworm cultures but they're a little small for these guys. I'm planning on starting a whiteworm culture but first I'll need a wine cooler but once that's up and running I'll have permanent live food for all my adult fish, I might have to recollect some more of these if they don't make it until then.
Side note though, if anyones passing through Narrabri and wants a starter culture of either vinegar eels or microworms, feel free to shoot me a pm.

Frayk

How about crushing up some frozen Tubifex or Brineys? Can you get hold of some mozzy larvae?

Mooo

Mozzies

Rainbows

Well time for an update. Sorry about the gap, Christmas and monetary issues got in the way, however, I believe I'm getting ready to do stuff.
Anyway, over the Christmas break I was staying with grandparents in Lake Cathie. I ended up bringing home around 30-40 Pacific Blue-eyes and some gudgeons I netted from a creek near Wauchope (I also nearly trod on a Red-belly, a good adventure to get the blood pumping.) Currently everything I brought home is in one of the three footers in the tank rack.
Some photos of the male blue-eyes. Oddly I seem to have around 15 adult males and only 3 females, the rest being juvie size. I'm not sure why this is but I've already watched them spawning within hours of being introduced into the tank so I'll have to work on the ratio. Please excuse the quality of all photos as they are fast fish and the rack is filthy.



Gudgeon wise I caught three large Empire's, one male and two females, but all were unfortunately hiding when i was taking photos. However, I also caught a bunch of tiny juvenile gudgeons and one appears to be a male empire, see below. I also caught large numbers of these other predominantly brown species, I think they're either Cox's or Striped Gudgeons but I can't figure out how to differentiate them on first look.



All fish were caught with a dip net asides from the larger empire's and the above photo of the adolescent Cox's/Striped which were caught with a trap. The trap also caught a much larger adult of the Gobiomorphus around 20 cms long which I'll attach a photo of later.
Asides from the above fish I also caught 2 juvenile Murray River Rainbows and 2 Unspecked Hardyhead fry from my backyard river (Namoi), which are also in the tank with these.


And another group shot

Rainbows

Another update.
1. Blue-eyes and gudgeons settled in well in with no losses to travel stress. However, the intake going down to the sump had a coarse strainer and some fish took a joyride to their demise, pays to be prepared I guess. I've lost atleast two blue-eyes, one of the Empire's made the trip alive (Not sure if I can actually get it out of the sump though) and the other two are currently mia. I've since put in a fine strainer so that should sort the problem.
2. On second look I'm fairly sure the gudgeons are Cox's (Gobiomorphus coxii). I've moved the large individual into another tank solo for the time being so he doesn't snack on the others. I think I've got around 4 more juveniles around 4cms long. Here's the photo of the biggest one I caught on site.

3. The 4 Melanotaenia splendida inornata Remu in the shuttle have bred and I've been able to bring two tiny fry (4mm-ish long) inside. In the long wrong I won't be raising their fry indoors but I grabbed these two to see how I would go. I'll try and get a photo later but they are minute.
4. I've ordered in two 5 foot LED lights for the tank rack and some white worms to start up a culture. Once they turn up I can actually begin to use the rack for breeding so stay tuned for future updates. I'll try and put together some better photos of everything going on later.

Rainbows

A photo of one of the baby Remu's, I can now see a lot of them across the surface layer of water in the shuttle.

Gooey

Thats so cool. Well done!!

Rainbows

Thanks Gooey, I've also got over 30 Boesemani eggs that should hatch in about a week. Things are looking good.

Rainbows

Right, time for another long overdue update. Probably won't include to many pictures and will just be a description of what's going on.

1. The original 4 footer has been cleared of all original occupants and now houses 10-15 of the Hardyheads (Craterocephalus amniculus/fulvus not sure which), the extra male Pacific Blue-eyes and the lone rummynose. I collected some val along with the Pacific's after Christmas and plan to let this take over the tank, turning it into a jungle. I've just put in an order with aquagreen for some Threadfin Rainbows and Spotted Blue-eyes which will go in here, turning it into the small fish community tank.

2. I just returned from 10 days away and found all MacCulloch's and Boeseman's dead (Boeseman eggs also fungused over) so have now lost these species. I suspect the rack went through a random cycle but it hasn't affected the other fish in the rack so am unsure. Anyway, there is currently a lone pair of Drysdale river Western Rainbows in one of the two footers throwing eggs (which I can hopefully hatch) and 2 trios of Pacifics in the other two footer who also spawned for the first time just before I went away. The top 3 footer is currently growing out 13 local Murray Rainbows (the three biggest are probably ready to breed), the middle 3 footer now holds 9 juvenile Remu Chequered's which I pulled from the shuttle (there is so many babies in there now) and the bottom 3 footer is currently empty but is where eggs will hatch and fry will grow out for about a week or two before being moved upwards.
Pacific Blue-eye Egg

Male Murray Rainbow

3. Since I moved the MacCulloch's and Drysdale to the rack from the other 4 footer it now only holds 9 Mary River Chequered's until the aquagreen order arrives, I also ordered some Black-banded Rainbows which will grow out in this tank. Still waiting on renos to finish so I can move this tank to my dads with all the others.
4. Shrimp are going strong in the aquaone tank, although I'm yet to see babies despite numerous berried females.
Red Caridinia shrimp

5. Shuttle is still powering along and although I rarely see the adults, fry numbers are still building.

I'll do another update once the order arrives with pictures of the new fishies.