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.

Red heads

Today L and I went to our local pet shop to get some new fish, as we have had a few deaths over the past few months and wanted to replenish the tank with something new. We both liked the look of the Rummy-nose Tetra (Hemigrammus rhodostomus) and got 5 for the tank. They have a red head and white / glassy body, with a black and white tail.

Image from Wikipedia

Chinese Algae Eater Pictures

Here are a few pictures of the Chinese Algae Eater. As he is a quick swimmer, I had to wait until he was stationary before I could get a decent photo of him.  

His home is under the log

King of the castle

Chinese Algae Eater Fact Sheet

Here is a fact sheet of the Chinese Algae Eater

Scientific Name	Gyrinocheilus aymonieri
Family	Gyrinocheilidae
Common Names	Chinese Algae Eater, Sucking Loach, Algae Eater
Origin	Thailand
Adult Size	Up to 27 cm
Social	Peaceful, suitable for community tanks, but can get territorial
Lifespan	5 - 10 years
Diet	Herbivorous diet
Breeding	Egglayer
pH	6.5 - 7.5
Hardness	12 - 18 dH
Temperature	21 - 28 C

New Plants

After having to remove some plants that were past their prime, L and I went to the shop to buy some replacement plants.

Enchinodorus red flame - This is an ideal plant to be used in the background of the tank. Has lovely reddish / brown leaves.

Anubias Heterophylla - This plant is also ideal for the background, but as it is a slow growing plant that likes shade, I will be positioning it more in the middle of the tank until such time that it becomes too big.

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.