Malta Aquarist Society

Tim's Visit

Tim Addis — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 22:45:32 GMT

I will be coming over to Malta again 28th August 2010 for 1 week.

Charles Grima is currently collecting orders for foods from my website which I usually bring over without any postage cost. If anyone requires items from the site such as brine shrimp products, flakes, granules etc please get in touch with Charles & he will sort the orders out. Latest time for me to get orders ready is Saturday 28th before 12 mid day.

I will be donating 10% to either MAS or a Maltese charity (Charles is organising this). I have brought things over like this in previous years.

If room permits I hope to bring over some samples for MAS members to try out.

It's a real shame I will miss the BBQ. I tried to extend the holiday but couldn't.

www.ta-aquaculture.co.uk

Show poster 2010

charles grima — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 10:13:09 GMT

The club is organising a poster competition for the 40^th anniversary annul show .This poster competition is open to all members and non members.

Rules

All work is to be original of the participant, copy right of photos have to be respected as the club will not be responsible for any abuses done by the participant.

The club 40^th anniversary emblem and M.C.H. emblem, Tropical and Nishikoi, are to be used; no alteration to such emblems is permitted.

A3 poster with high resolution is to be printed and hand over to Charles Grima (president) by not later than 17^th September 2010.

Judging will take place at the club by the committee. The committee is entitled to reject any participant at their own discretion.

A hamper of tropical fish food will be awarded to the best poster and a 10% discount on tropical fish food to all participants.

The following details have to be included in such poster, with the above.

Venue: Mount Carmel Hospital main hallDates: From 9^th October to 17^th October.Time: 8.00 am till 9.00 pm.Entrance: €1 Ticket will participate in a lottery of Aquarium complete with stand.

Keyhole cichlid (cleithracara maronii)

B.Sammut — Thu, 20 May 2010 10:19:04 GMT

Can someone share with me his experience about keeping and breeding this fish.

Thanks Brandon.

Killifish for everyone

Charles Zammit — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 20:11:19 GMT

Killifish are the most widespread species of all fish. They are found in every continent except that of Austrlasia. Here they are replaced with Rainbow fish which are very similar in breeding habits. Killifish are very near to the livebearers. Both these species have teeth and are called egg laying tooth carps while livebearers are called livebearing tooth carps. If you are able to breed guppys( who cannot), then you are able to breed killifish as long as you folow certain rules.

Most killies live and breed in cool water. 20-22C is the ideal water temperature for most of them. Some, like the Aphanius species can be kept outdoors all year round. The Aphanius species are found nearly on evry shore that is washed by the Mediterreanean Sea, the Red Sea, the Middle East and as far as the Persian Gulf. These fish live in either sea water and/or fresh water depending on the species. Most of them are at their best in brackish water (salmastru). These fish will live up to over 2 years provided that their water temperature is lowered down in winter. They will survive even in temperatures of 10C. If kept in warm water all year round, their live span will be much shorter. I have species that have been outdoors for over 10 years and they are very healthy. In winter, their metabolism slows down and they will not even come up for food, but as the weather warms up and the water temperatures start to rise, they colour up and spawning activity begins. They will keep spawning until the water temp. raises to 28C. Their eggs are are large, around 2mm. and hatch out in 8 to 12 days depending on the temp. and will eat newly hatched brine shrimp at once. Growth is very fast at first but when the fry reach 1cm., slows down.

The Aphyosemoins are probably the most colourful fishes in the world. These come mostly from West Africa and again, if kept in cool temp. will live up to 2 years. The ideal temp. for the Aphyosemions is around 22 to 24C. Over 28C. is critical and most adult fish will die. However, young fish will survive the heatwave and one can carry on breeding from these young fish in autumn. The eggs of these species hatch out in around 14 days. Growth is fast and in most species, these are will start to sex out at 6 weeks. At 3 months, they will start to breed.

From East Africa, we have the Nothobranchius species. These are annual fish, that is, their live span is only a year or less. This is so, because the pools that they inhabit, dries up completly in the dry season ( similar to the water holes that we have locally) Their eggs remain dormant in the bottom debris and when the rain comes again, some of these eggs hatch out. Some other eggs will need another dry period and after the second or even more wettings will hatch out. This is why they have survived for so many many years. Growth is extremely fast and in 6 weeks, the are spawning again. Fry from the Nothos. are extemely small and will eat only micro-worms for the first couple of days.

From the U.S.A. we have the so called native fishes. These include the Fundulus species. These are very similar the the Aphanius, both in shape, colour patterns and spawning habits.

Central America and the north of South America is the home of the Rivulus species. The female of these species are easil recognized from the prominent black spot at the top of the caudal fin. all of them are cylindrical in shape. Their eggs are large, 2 to 2.5mm. Most eggs are foung at the waters edge, dome even out of the water. They take a very long time to hatch, 21 to 45 days. Fry are very large and have huge apetites.

Here too is the natural habitat of the Simpsonicthus and Cynolebias species. These are also annual fishes similar to the ones from East Africa.

Why are these lovely colourful fish not available in lfs? The reason is that so far no one have found a method to produce these fish in commercial quantities. These fish produce a few eggs daily and by time that the fry are a week old, they will eat their own siblings that are hatching in a week later.

So who can breed killifish? Anyone can do so. One have to bear in mind that killies are carnivorous fish and have to be kept on their own. Females from most species are difficult to tell apart, resulting in cross breeding and hybrids which are sterile and the species will be lost. Small tanks, even large jars are good for a breeding pair. These should be covered at all times as the fish will jump out. A few floating plants or nylon mops should be provided for the pair to lay their spawn in and also as refuge for the female. Eggs are either left with the pair and a few young will appear in over 15 days, or else the eggs are collected daily and water incubated in margerine tubs. After the eggs are fertilised, their shell hardens and will not break if picked up gently with your fingers. These eggs will hatch in 14 days and if the eggs are stubborn to hatch, a water change and the addition of a drop of micro-worms will do the trick. They can be kept in the margerine tubs for 2 weeks, provided that regular daily water changes are made.

Breeding annuals is for the more experienced breeder. I will deal with these later. In the meantime, I am going to include some photos as I believe that the more aquarists see these fish, the more interest will be generated. Killifish can be obtained in pairs from local breeders or else imported as eggs from any part of the globe.

As I had already posted some photos in other parts of this forum, I will not be repeating these photos. Anyone interested will look for them under the title australe.

Fancy goldfish photos.

Ivan Curmi — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 14:09:44 GMT

Kemmuna get together and BBQ

charles grima — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 16:33:50 GMT

- The event is going to take place on Saturday the 4th of September 2010. ( evening ).

- Every one to use his own transport.

- Price includes ferry transport from Marfa to Kemmuna and back. BBQ and desert at Kemuna. Drinks not included.

- Closing date is Sunday the 29th August.

- Price is 17.00 euros for adults and 10.50 euros for children from 6 to 15 years.

- For further information confirmation of bookings to contact Martin Vassallo on 99891668 or Oscars@Onvol.net

I want to share my photos with you

charles grima — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 21:27:51 GMT

I hope you like them

Bristlenose Spawning.

Corydoras seracin — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 11:58:48 GMT

I cannot say much, but my BN pair laid eggs last night & the male is guarding the cave. The female looks quire battered, all her fins are thorn & her stomach is concaved. I just hope that I don't lose her. I also found some eggs outside the cave & I removed them to another tank. Also in the same tank with the BN, I have a few C.paleatus & some Swordtails & Guppy's. Now lets see what happens.....

The Assassin Snail (Anentome helena)

Corydoras seracin — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 21:35:19 GMT

Today I got hold of some Assassin snails. I've been reading quite some time about them & this is some of the information I've got from the internet......

The name says it all.... Assassin snails seek out other snails & eat them. These snails are said to be great in "pest" snails infested tanks but I'm not sure if they're capable of eating any type or size of snails. They grow to 2.5cm in length & they move around the tank with their proboscus extended.

These snails are freshwater snails & tolerate a wide range of water conditions. As with all snails, they don't tolerate ammonia & nitrite. The pH should be over 7 & this way it will prevent their shells from eroding.

Assassin snails will attack & eat many different species of small snails, but they seem to prefer the ramshorns. Through relish live snails, they will also accept sinking pellet foods. (corydoras beware)

Assassin snails will not breed much in aquariums & only lays one egg every month or so. These eggs are adhered to rocks & are often eaten by other tank mates.

These Assassin snails are said to be very effective of ridding your tank of "pest" snails without the use of chemicals, battery or the lettuce method & are much more natural approach to pest population control. They are also very beautiful & have their shell banded with yellow & black stripes.

Anybody keep these snails & if yes, are they safe with fry?. Any information is greatly appreciated & thanks in advance.

I'll post some pictures, as soon as I'll be able to "focus" them.

200 LTR planted Discus Tank

Edmund — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 11:29:44 GMT

Hi all

I'm edmund and I'm new in this forum. I am a discus fanatic and I have a 200ltr planted with discus and I keep about 6 other aquarium for breeding. The discus I own are all locally breed excpet two which i bought about a month and a half ago. My tank sepcs are as follows.

200 Ltr

Plant Substrate and gravel on top.

Bog wood

CO2 pressurized system wiyh solenoid

Plants vallisnerie, java ferns. anubia and crypts.

a cleaning crew

3d background

and finally about 8 discus accompanied with a shoal of tetras.

I will try to upload some photos

regards

edmund

For Sale

charles grima — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 09:47:10 GMT

As our site is under construction we are going to introduce a new thread so that any one who have fish for sale and any other related items, can show it to our members, keeping in mind that any adverts not related to our hobby will be deleted at our discretion .

Gozo Show 2010

charles grima — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 15:20:59 GMT

Tropical

jazz — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 06:51:30 GMT

Our club is in the process of ordering the next consignment from Tropical.

If any member should whish a particular product or any product in bulk i.e in 1kg ,4kg packing please contact me and i will also give him the approximate price prior to the order is placed.

thanks

Jazz

Pearl cichlid - Geophagus Brasillensis :p

Cichlid maniac — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 16:38:45 GMT

Hello guys,

About 2 months ago I acquired 3 locally bred Pearl cichlids at about 4 cm. They grew well but are still very small altough their colors are very striking. Today I noticed this .. the pictures will speak for themsleves..

Hope they are pairing :)

Discus Tank

mzm — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 20:53:39 GMT

Hi,

I am new to the forums here and would like to let you in on what I am up to with my new 300litre aquarium.

But before I go into that, I have been going through these forums for quite some time and I am amazed at the amount of genuinly nice and helpful people I have met over the past two weeks. Just to mention some names, my thanks goes to Natalia, Edgerada, Kevin Azzopardi and Alan who have all been kind and very helpful with their advice!

I have recently set up a 300litre aquarium in which I mainly have disucs, cardinal tetras, black and gold tetras, a bushynose and some corys. I have added plants but I seem to be lacking a variety to buy from the shops. The shops I have been to only carry some 5 different species.... so the idea of getting a heavily planted tank is very much a work in progress! Natalia and Edgerada have been very kind and contributed with some different varieties [;) ]I am currently equipped with CO2, 7 light tubes, 2 filters (one *** top flow and the other *** external cylinder), UV Steriliser and a 300W heater which I find is struggeling to keep up the high temperatures that discus require. I also have a 3d background.

I would like to put up some pics for all to see and comment on however, I cant seem to get it sorted since the add pic function does not show when clicking on the options tab.... I will keep on working on it. In the meantime if anyone can recomend an easy way to add pics your help would be appreciated.

I have tons of questions which I would like to throw at you pros in order to get your view, opinions and advice on fish and plants and I am sure that I will learn a lot here.

Hope to be back soon and looking forward to making more new friends here!

mzm

Some of my cichlids...

Cichlid maniac — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 18:57:11 GMT

Brine shrimp hatchery

Cikkus — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 14:02:21 GMT

Does anybody know how to cut the bottom of a bottle, without breaking it to pieces. I remember once at school we had been told how to do it at a science class, But it was ages ago. I think it had to do with warm and cold liquid or something, and the glass is cut perfectly.; I need it to make a brine shrimp hatchery as the bottles i am using some of the eggs remain at the bottom and do not hatch.

Any advice greatly appreciated

Frank

My New 'Experimental' Setup - 5 Foot Planted

Charlon Ellul — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:03:15 GMT

Hi guys,

During these last few days I have been collecting the hardware needed to setup this new project I'm trying out - something new to me as I've only kept java moss sucessfully in my tanks

The following are the specs. I'm gonna use in this setup :

Tank (Obviously) : 5ft x 1.5ft x 1.5ft (approx. 300 ltrs gross);

Lighting : ******* 5ft hood 4 x 54W T5 HO (High Output) + Normal Overhead Luminaire 2 x 36W;

Substrate : 1st Layer : Hum*s + Hum*s Pl*s + Peat Moss + **********

2nd Layer : *****-****

3rd Layer : 40 kg of 4-7mm grey gravel

CO2 : Pressurized 5kg Tank + Regulator and Soleniod (intended for aquarium use);

Filtration : Canister Filter (largest in **** range);

Additional Equipment : Ph Controller (which will control the solenoid in-line with the tank);

I need some advice ... would you go for a diffuser or a reactor for the CO2 ??

Anyone ever tried to divide the substrate to prevent any plant from taking over others ??

Anyone has experience with Hemianthus callitrichoides 'Cuba' ?

Any comments are welcome.

other pets involving =PP

Cichlid maniac — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 17:09:24 GMT

Hi members =p

well ... T3ddy gave me the inspiration to open a new topic on other pets we keep [ i mean not fish ]. These pets have now became a part of our family and we grew sticked to them .. they deserve this topic =O PET'S RED CARPET

Enjoy =P

soo these are my beloved pets. On top there is Tais which used to be a stray and is now living with her 'husband', Tycy and her son, Stalin. Tycy is Maltese from Hal luqa and he's a cross between a shorthair and a persian. He a little bit obese and is Garfield's clone .. Then there is Stalin he's a pest and hates my sister but loves my company =P

There's Ice too, he's in his hypermode right now because of the weather and loves playing tricks and long walks =O

post urs too =G

barbs

vassallomartin — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 20:09:50 GMT

I would like to open this thread as a general topic regarding barbs. Any comments,pictures and experiences are highly appreciated. At the moment I do not have alot of barbs as I lost some during the hot summer weeks we went through. These survived, till now.

martin

Betta Breeding

T3ddy — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 16:09:59 GMT

Hi guys , I'm trying to breed some betta splendens (siamese fighter) at the moment I am in the conditioning stage. I put the male next to the females and he started to build the bubble nest which is a good sign I guess. I noticed however that one of the females is becoming aggresive to the other females ( I have 3 in all ) so I had to put her in a small tank on her own. Do you think I should put the 'aggresive' female with the male or one of the other two ?? What would you suggest ??

Oscar fish

Xelinu — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 12:04:54 GMT

Hi guys!

This is my first post so let me introduce.Im miguel and have been into this hobby for more than a year now.My first fish ever was an oscar fish.

They are very nice fish despite their messy nature.Some say that they are killers and will eat and beat anything in the tank.This is quite unfair because from my expirience this fish will not attack other fish that are to large for it to eat.It fights and liplocks with other oscars but is fairly safe with opther large chiclids(we are talking if they are in a big tank).

This is my oscar in his 60 gallon tank

Keep it up guys!

UV filter

Cikkus — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 07:13:30 GMT

Hi guys

I wanted some advice on a UV filter. I have never had one, though i know it is a common piece of equipment to have. Does anybody use one, and does it really remove all the algea. I am thinking of getting one, because i want to install some tanks outside, but the fact that the water turns green in such a short time, and you cannot see the fish, makes me think twice about it.

Frank

coldwater fish

jazz — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:21:37 GMT

Which cold water fish we can find in local lfs can be kept in a 1 metre aquarium and grows big in dimension more than 30cm?

thanks

Marine Corydoras , sort of ...

T3ddy — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 13:54:49 GMT

Hi guys , how you all doing ? Yesterday I was snorkelling and I saw I a really strange fish. It looked just like some type of corydoras. It had the typical corydoras shape and two white barbels. It was approx 8cm long and a had snake pattern type skin. It also had a black spot on the dorsal fin. It was really fun watching it go round holes for food , close to the bottom of course. Anyway my question is does anybody know the name of this fish , I would like to read some more information about it.