Problematic Pump

After the last clean we did, both L and I noticed that the tank was a bit murky. I just thought it was bits that had been stirred up from the clean and thought it would settle after a few days as it normally does. A week later and the water was still looking murky, so I decided I had better investigate. To my horror I discovered that the pump had stopped working, which meant no filtering was happening and none of the heated water was being circulated around the tank.

After dismantling the pump I found that some dirt had got clogged around the propeller base, preventing it from turning. Once cleaned it started working again, but not at its full capacity. The tank is up and running again. I am going to give it 2 days running to clear out the murkiness and then we will do another water change.

What I have learnt from this is that if you see something out of the ordinary in the tank, you should investigate as soon as possible to prevent any disaster. I have also realised that even though the tank is full of fish, the amount of water in the tank is enough for them to survive without a pump running, which is good to know in case there is a power failure or the pump breaks again.  

Elvis is in the house

This afternoon we went and bought another Siamese Fighter to replace the one that died last year before Christmas. We also need something to try and keep the baby fish population under control as both the Mollies and Platties are breeding excessively.

He is red in colour with a touch of blue towards his back. Photos to follow later. When L saw him, she fell in love with him and named him Elvis. We hope he will supply us with lots of enjoyment.

Major Clean

Today we did a major clean of the tank. Took over two hours to do. It involved an hour's work just pruning the plants and removing the algae. The rest of the time was spent siphoning the water and cleaning the filter, which was way overdue a clean. Tank is looking much better, though the water is a bit murky. Of course the fish had to have their fun by getting into the filter while I was cleaning it, so ended up spending time fishing (excuse the pun) them out.

Sailfin Molly No More

Yesterday I discovered that the Sailfin Molly had gone to the big fish tank in the sky. Over the last week his swimming had been getting worse and we noticed that his body was starting to bend. I think he might have been suffering from old age and like humans who become hunch backed, so do fish. I have noticed this with a few fish that I have had.

An interesting thing I have noticed about the tank is that the female fish live longer than males. Most of the deaths we have had were males, not sure why that is. Could be that the males were older when we got them or that they have short live spans. Or by going on the number of baby Mollies we have, they just wear themselves out.

Unhappy Male

Today L noticed that our male Sailfin Molly was acting strangely. He does not seem to be able to swim properly and is struggling to right himself. Will keep an eye on him.

Nursery Plant

A good plant to rear young fish, especially those from a live bearer is Bacopa australis. We have noticed that most of the very small babies live amongst the leaves and stems of the plant and survive long enough to become a size that will make it more difficult to be eaten. Because the survival rate is so high, this will lead to the tank becoming more populate at a higher rate.

Dietary Changes

Before Christmas I ran out of granules and when we went to buy some more, they did not have the same brand as before. So I bought Aquarian as a replacement and found it to be better than TetraPrima. The granules are rounder, work better in the automatic feeder and the fish love it.

I also bought TetraTabimin, which is a tablet for the bottom feeders. With each feed I drop one in while the flakes are been eaten, to ensure that the bottom feeders get a chance to eat before the rest of the fish find it. This has also become one of the fishes' favourite food.