Then there were 4

Of the 5 Rummy-nose Tetra we got, 4 have settled in well. Unfortunately we lost one after the first day. The rest started off swimming together and always keeping in close contact, safety in numbers syndrome, until they got used to the tank and its occupants.

They are fast swimmers, the most active in the tank. They remind me a bit of the Zebra and Leopard Danios, swimming backwards and forwards, always on the go.

We hope to get a few more, as I feel 4 are too little and they would look much better when they swim in a bigger school.

Deaths

Over the last week L and I have not been home much. Unfortunately in that time period we have had two deaths, both while we were away. The first to check out of the hotel earlier this week was the black male molly, who died after suffering from Dropsy. I found his body under the filter and had to fish him out (excuse the pun) with my hand, as nothing else could really get under there. We both enjoyed having him in the tank and he will be replaced as soon as we get a chance. Over the weekend we lost a Leopard Danio who was looking old. Both will be much missed.

Not So Hardy

Yesterday I noticed that my sole remaining Zebra Danio was missing a small part of its tail and that it was not looking too well. This morning more of its tail had been eaten and it was swimming at the bottom of the tank. I thought I might have a nipper in the tank, but when I got home tonight I found him dead on the gravel, half eaten. Guess he was not well. It appears fish have a strange way of looking after their own.

I had better keep my eye on one of the Leopard Danios, as it is not looking so happy either. The others appear to be fine and are swimming around happily.

Kids Club

Over the last few days I have noticed a large weight gain on one of the Danios and a large weight loss from the speckled Molly. This morning I discovered why. I noticed a baby Molly swimming amongst the Vallis. So we have officially opened a kids club at the hotel.

I thought the mommy Molly looked a bit on the plump side when we got her and hoped she was pregnant, turns out that she was. I guess the rest of the young became a fast food snack for the rest of the fish as the last remaining one was not there tonight. This would explain why the Danio's stomach is so swollen. Eating food on the swim. If I had more foliage in the tank for the babies to hide in, it might have increased their survival chances. Pity I did not have a small tank to transfer the babies to, might be something I will get in the future.

Took some photos, but because of the Mollie's size it was very difficult to get a decent shot.

Can you see the baby?

Look at the red circle

Bloodworms

Today we went to the local fish shop to get some frozen bloodworms for the guests. I thought it would be a good idea to vary their diet. The bloodworms come in a pack of 30 portions. I popped one portion out and dropped the frozen cube into the tank. It took a while to thaw out and then sank to the bottom of the tank as one big lump of knotted worms. The fish loved them, especially the Danios, Cories and the Cardinals. One Danio ate so much that it's stomach is now exceptionally swollen. Hope this will not cause it any harm.

I think the amount of worms in one portion is too much for the number of fish I have in the tank at the moment. Next time I treat them I will only give them half the amount and also thaw it out before hand so that it can spread around the tank in the current, giving the fish more of a chance to get some, instead of them all fighting over it at one location and the strongest hogging it all to themselves.

I am a bit worried about the last Guppy at the moment. He was not interested at all in the worms and is very lethargic at the moment. I suspect he is not well and might be checking out soon as well.

The King And His Entourage Have Arrived

Today L and I went to our local fish shop to see what they might have and we came home with a Siamese Fighter (Betta splendens) and six Cardinal Tetra (Paracheirodon axelrodi), or as I have named them, the King and his entourage. When we bought them they all happened to be in the same tank and Siamese Fighter has the same colouring as the Cardinal Tetras (both have red, white and blue in them)

They appear to be settling in OK. Everyone is busy sorting out the pecking order. The Danios are taking nips at the Siamese Fighter, who either ignores them or just swims away. What is funny is the fact that the remaining Guppy is chasing the Siamese Fighter around and harassing him. It appears the Guppy is quite the bully. I suspect the Guppy is not happy that the Siamese Fighter gets to stay in the penthouse.

Siamese Fighter

Cardinal Tetra

Fussy Guests

Over the last few days I have been feeding the Danio's TetraMin flakes and they are quite fussy about which flakes they like to eat. It appears that the general consensus amongst the Danios are the red flakes are not for them. Each time they eat a red flake, it is quickly spat out and they are off to find a better tasting morsel. Guess the red flakes will become food for the bottom feeders when I get them.

I tried to take some photos of them, but because they move so fast, it is impossible to get a decent shot. So I have resorted to getting some images from the web.

Zebra Danio

Leopard Danio

I have done a little experiment with trying to film the Danios, turned out a bit better (it looks grainy because Blogger saved it under a different resolution after the upload) than any photos I took, but will have to improve my directing skills as none of the fish seem to do what I want them to.

First Guests

After monitoring the Ammonium (NH4), Nitrite (NO2) and Nitrate (NO3) for the last few weeks and seen them fall to the appropriate levels, I decided it was time to get some fish. After some deliberation I decided to go for a fish species that was hardy, playful and fun to watch (my opinion of course). So yesterday I went to my local fish shop and bought 3 Zebra Danio (Brachydanio rerio) and 3 Leopard Danio (Brachydanio rerio var. frankei). Once I had introduced them to the tank, they spent the night getting to know their new surroundings. Part of that process was eating all the bloodworms (I was able to identify them with the help of the local fish shop assistant), so by this morning they were pretty much settled in. They appear to be enjoying the few plants in the tank, especially the Cabomba aquatica (Green Cabomba, Giant Cabomba) where they like to hide from each other. Besides darting around the tank, they also enjoyed the flakes I fed them tonight, though not as much as live bloodworms.

So welcome to our first 6 guests. We hope you enjoy your stay.