I thought I would write today about the kinds of fish I currently have. Unfortunately my list would have been a lot more impressive had it not been for a devastating run of Malawi Bloat--a disease that attacks the fish's intestinal tract, causing them to swell and eventually die. It appears that unusually high water temperature was the key environmental factor that caused this outbreak. I have since turned off the heater in which the thermostat appeared to have broken. Water temperature is stable at about 75 degrees and all seems well with the current inhabitants. And without further delay...
3 "Fire" Peacocks - Aulonocara
3 "Blue Dolphins" - Cyrtocara Moorii
1 Lethrinops "Red Cap"
1 Frontosa
1 Tropheus Duboisi
1 Aulonacara "Bicolor"
1 Aulonacara "Butterfly"
1 Aulonacara "Midnite"
1 Female Red Empress - Protomelas taeniolatus
1 Euchilis (not sure of gender yet)
1 Tiger Fenestratus - Protomelas Steveni
1 Redfin Borleyi
2 Lamprologus brevis
1 Pseudotropheus saulosi
2 Mutt fish - not sure what these are but they are definitely hybrids
I could run through the list of fish I lost recently to Malawi bloat but I would just cry trying. So I am sparing you and me of this great pain.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
I wrote yesterday about a 125 gallon tank I used to have. Last summer (2008) we had the misfortune of a kitchen fire in our home that caused major damage throughout. As part of the clean-up effort I was forced to break down the aquarium and store it in the garage until the clean-up was complete. Sounds like a devastating sequence of events but as with all tragedies, something good always comes of them.
Several months it took to get the kitchen rebuilt, the house cleaned, walls repainted, and flooring replaced. Then it was my job to tackle the issue with the aquarium (because, as far as I am concerned, the aquarium is the centerpiece of the home)!
The dream was always to have a big aquarium, but with each new tank I would get, it never seemed big enough. With financial help from a second job, and some extra insurance money, the dream of having a mega tank (what I consider to be 200 gallons or more) slowly became a reality.
A visit on a whim one day to my favorite local fish store, and the dream hit a fever pitch! There it was, a reef-ready 210 gallon All-Glass tank with oak stand and canopy and black finish, at what I considered to be a very reasonable price. Not so much so for my wife, however. The next thing I know I am making the deposit and filling out the order forms!
I eventually sold that "little" 125 gallon aquarium to my neighbor's brother, an electrician, who just happened to be doing some minor work at my home one day and had the same dream I had of "reeling in the big one".
He has the tank set up with African Cichlids but has had some issues with cloudy water. This is an issue that pops up for many in the hobby. I am to make a trip to his house tomorrow to investigate. I will let you know what I find as the saga continues with this amazing hobby that is the fish aquarium!
Several months it took to get the kitchen rebuilt, the house cleaned, walls repainted, and flooring replaced. Then it was my job to tackle the issue with the aquarium (because, as far as I am concerned, the aquarium is the centerpiece of the home)!
The dream was always to have a big aquarium, but with each new tank I would get, it never seemed big enough. With financial help from a second job, and some extra insurance money, the dream of having a mega tank (what I consider to be 200 gallons or more) slowly became a reality.
A visit on a whim one day to my favorite local fish store, and the dream hit a fever pitch! There it was, a reef-ready 210 gallon All-Glass tank with oak stand and canopy and black finish, at what I considered to be a very reasonable price. Not so much so for my wife, however. The next thing I know I am making the deposit and filling out the order forms!
I eventually sold that "little" 125 gallon aquarium to my neighbor's brother, an electrician, who just happened to be doing some minor work at my home one day and had the same dream I had of "reeling in the big one".
He has the tank set up with African Cichlids but has had some issues with cloudy water. This is an issue that pops up for many in the hobby. I am to make a trip to his house tomorrow to investigate. I will let you know what I find as the saga continues with this amazing hobby that is the fish aquarium!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
In the beginning...
This is my first blog so if you are reading this, thank you and I hope you will continue to follow.
As a matter of introduction, my name is Chris Hopkins. I am a high school business teacher at a small school located in northern Florida. I have been keeping African Cichlids for almost 15 years.
I guess you could say I caught the fish bug from my mother. She always had a 10, 15, or 20 gallong community tank when I was a kid. I grew up, left the house, and went to college and began dreaming of one day owning my own fish aquarium.
I started with a 55 gallon that I kept in the first house my wife and I ever rented post-graduation. The thing occupied almost half the living room! Those were the good ole days.
Over the years the houses got bigger and so did the fish tanks. I added a 30 gallon and a 125 gallon aquarium to the mix and kept them with the 55 gallon for several years.
I eventually sold both of those fish tanks and graduated to a 210 gallon that I currently own and have maintained for about a year and a half.
This blog will attempt to chronicle my previous experiences with Africans and discuss any new issues I continue to discover in this adventure that is fishkeeping.
As a matter of introduction, my name is Chris Hopkins. I am a high school business teacher at a small school located in northern Florida. I have been keeping African Cichlids for almost 15 years.
I guess you could say I caught the fish bug from my mother. She always had a 10, 15, or 20 gallong community tank when I was a kid. I grew up, left the house, and went to college and began dreaming of one day owning my own fish aquarium.
I started with a 55 gallon that I kept in the first house my wife and I ever rented post-graduation. The thing occupied almost half the living room! Those were the good ole days.
Over the years the houses got bigger and so did the fish tanks. I added a 30 gallon and a 125 gallon aquarium to the mix and kept them with the 55 gallon for several years.
I eventually sold both of those fish tanks and graduated to a 210 gallon that I currently own and have maintained for about a year and a half.
This blog will attempt to chronicle my previous experiences with Africans and discuss any new issues I continue to discover in this adventure that is fishkeeping.
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