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Bought a 215l AR980 off ebay - New to cichlids


cpfc

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Thats what I thought when I saw him :8 . I think he is great. When he saw his females for the first time he went nuts doing shimmies. He darts around the tank at high speed and acts like a little Hitler yet he is not the biggest in there. He has no problems showing off those chops. I am very happy with him even though he behaves like an 18 year old down at Brighton in an Impreza.

thats an awesome looking fish, I want one lol

Cheers

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They breed at your size, & you said male was dancing around so should be fry.

Hiding is to stop male hassleing her.

She may hold but more likely to spit them early if its her first batch of fry

Try putting her in a container by herself. Can get them plastic ones from Kmart or BigW. I use some pvc & plastic plants for cover to keep the female happy. Airstone in the container & remove waste daily.She will eat small crushed flake as the fry grow.

Catching her after lights out when she's sleepy is easy to do and less stressfull on the female.

Try reading some info on the net for some other ideas.

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So a holding female will eat if given an opportunity? I have an EHeim pickup (Is that OK?) and a 20l plastic container. Just need a heater. Main thing is the welfare of the mum. Fry would be a bonus but not the end of the world if I lose them. When the tank is fully stocked (hopefully some Petricolas on the way in a week and a couple more trios of Malwaians) the agression spread will be better for the mum.

They breed at your size, & you said male was dancing around so should be fry.

Hiding is to stop male hassleing her.

She may hold but more likely to spit them early if its her first batch of fry

Try putting her in a container by herself. Can get them plastic ones from Kmart or BigW. I use some pvc & plastic plants for cover to keep the female happy. Airstone in the container & remove waste daily.She will eat small crushed flake as the fry grow.

Catching her after lights out when she's sleepy is easy to do and less stressfull on the female.

Try reading some info on the net for some other ideas.

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She sometimes now goes to eat but I have not seen something go in her mouth and it is tentative. The chin is still hanging down. She must be starving.

I bought a trio of Pseudotropheous Acei Msulu on Sunday. I like the colours a lot. The Afra is having fun chasing them which is giving the brooding female a small rest. She sometimes goes to the corner of the tank and wafts the sand to make a depression to lie in. The other female afra has gone browner. Probably fed up with Mr Randy. Each addition seems to make everyone less shy which is as expected. When time permits I will try and take more photos.

When my saulosi and cobwe were holding they would eat now and again but stayed out of the pack and just got the odd morsel that drifted close.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Last weekend I made a fry saver out of a clear plastic tub. The Mrs did not want to stress the pregnant Afra so I left the lights off. I then bought a kmart 53l tub and put in the EHeim pickup we have as a redundant spare along with a 100w sera heater. The sera is compact and has a plastic protector.

This afternoon I transferred her across and I guess in the stress she spat out one littlun. Weh heh my first fry. Mum and bub are in 53l tub with a holey stone and some PVC pipes to hide in. Mum is not eating so there are more in there.

I turned lights on the aquarium and the Afra went after the second female for the first time. He was trying to get female 1 through the fry saver. The Aulonocara also went randy and was after female 2. This is all after a 24hr powercut earlier in the week.

The wife is very happy to have a "cute lil afra".

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lol sounds good buddy ! those fish look great.

btw: noticed in the exif of your photos you have a d80, better to bump that shutter speed up to 1/80 as a bare minimum and think about buying a flash. if you dont want to incirease the iso, then think about gaining up +1, (increase exp comp by +1).

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Thanks for that. I have not got my head around the manual features of the camera yet. I thought I was using 1/100 but maybe I reset that when trying to override the flash. I do not seem to have the no flash option what using shutter override. I have not had a chance to read the manual yet.

The family likes the tank because of the various interactions. Thats before it is even fuly stocked.

lol sounds good buddy ! those fish look great.

btw: noticed in the exif of your photos you have a d80, better to bump that shutter speed up to 1/80 as a bare minimum and think about buying a flash. if you dont want to incirease the iso, then think about gaining up +1, (increase exp comp by +1).

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Pseudotropheus Acei Msuli

Very quick fish, smaller than the others. It is hard to identify each one because of their speed.

From the little I have read the main sex indicator is that females have a solid yellow dorsal fin.

Pic 1

IPB Image

Pic 2

IPB Image

Pic 3

IPB Image

Pic 4

IPB Image

Pic 5

IPB Image

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Thanks for that. I have not got my head around the manual features of the camera yet. I thought I was using 1/100 but maybe I reset that when trying to override the flash. I do not seem to have the no flash option what using shutter override. I have not had a chance to read the manual yet.

you dont need to shoot in manual mode, S mode is fine. press the flash button, (top left upper body). This button also doubles as the flash mode and flash compensation button, by holding it and turning the main or sub command dial, i;m pretty sure you can select flash compensatin power or manually turn the flash off.

your tank is looking great btw. loving that rubin and afras...

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I was using the S mode. When I twiddled the dial I could not get flash off. Only red eye reduction and backlight modes. I then did something (not sure what) and it overode. BTW Did you get an Afra?

The catfish are the hardest to photograph but the petricolas add a really good character to it. They swim round like hammerhead sharks and have a dorsal fin to match.

Thanks for that. I have not got my head around the manual features of the camera yet. I thought I was using 1/100 but maybe I reset that when trying to override the flash. I do not seem to have the no flash option what using shutter override. I have not had a chance to read the manual yet.

you dont need to shoot in manual mode, S mode is fine. press the flash button, (top left upper body). This button also doubles as the flash mode and flash compensation button, by holding it and turning the main or sub command dial, i;m pretty sure you can select flash compensatin power or manually turn the flash off.

your tank is looking great btw. loving that rubin and afras...

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I was using the S mode. When I twiddled the dial I could not get flash off. Only red eye reduction and backlight modes. I then did something (not sure what) and it overode. BTW Did you get an Afra?

thats annoying about the flash.

no afras yet. waiting to see my tank stabilise before i add any more fish. i think i'll go with a red rubinx3 and lithobatesx3 next though and then add the afras and red zebras in later down the track. how is your red rubin coping with the afras ?

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My Afra is all attitude but no real aggression. He seems to assert himself through speed. He has calmed down since I isolated his brooding favourite. Those fish move fast. One blink they are at the otherside of the tank probably having gone through all the caves. The Rubescens and Kadangas are growing quick so they are bigger than the Afra. I think it must come down to the individual personalities.

Not sure where I will go next. Maybe leluipis, red Zebra or Saulosi. I will see what the LFS has. I held off a new fish at the weekend due to the powercut last week. I used the time to put together a growout tank for babies as the Mrs really like them. I originally had no intention of separating fry but the wife thinks they are cute.

I was using the S mode. When I twiddled the dial I could not get flash off. Only red eye reduction and backlight modes. I then did something (not sure what) and it overode. BTW Did you get an Afra?

thats annoying about the flash.

no afras yet. waiting to see my tank stabilise before i add any more fish. i think i'll go with a red rubinx3 and lithobatesx3 next though and then add the afras and red zebras in later down the track. how is your red rubin coping with the afras ?

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are lfs's a secret ?

Aquariums @ Asquith

385 Pacific Highway

Asquith NSW 2077

No secret, I had to catch the Afra before he dropped his colour.

And that Rubins is sadly missed, he's most welcome to come back anytime LOL.

Cheers,

Mark

thanks mark. will have to drop by and have a peek. i sometimes go to head office wwhich is at pennant hills so its not far but i dont know that end of the world very well.

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