More tank pics, updated

[FINWIN]

Rumble in the 225!

Pip, the mother queen of generations of hrps has decided after two years to get her mack on again. So she's been flirting and tail slapping red rainbow Salt. For the most part Salt would just go along and avoid her attention. Not today! The two of them were locking up, spinning and slapping. BP Boss used his bulk to block and break them up! Salt was in full breeding dress color, red gold on top, black at the bottom with red eyes...after things calmed down he went kinda muddy brown with dark bands again. They were fairly evenly matched although Salt is a bit stronger...Pip's no pushover and stout.

Will grab pics if they start up again!

 

[FINWIN]

Avoided a disaster in the fishroom today. Right now everything is in transition until I can get all the remediations and repairs done (see "Decisions Made" thread).

So I'm off today and tomorrow. Was downstairs in the fishroom and noticed something didn't look right. It was Tango's stand. The legs weren't lining up! Crossways one leg was about half an inch inward from the other. Got worse as the day progressed. More alarming was the bottom shelf pulling away from the legs on both sides! I immediately drained the tank. Was getting flashbacks of the 225 stand failure three years ago.

I moved the stand that Backfromthedead made into the fishroom and put Tango's tank on top. The second I got the tank off the old stand I heard a loud POP and then this happened:




The people who removed the drywall were told NOT TO MOVE ANY TANKS. So what did they do? Moved Tango's tank to the middle of the floor. I said to them you don't lift a water filled tank on a stand and move it!

To be fair, the stand had a couple of jinky jank flaws. One leg had a large knothole on the back side and had slight irregularity down at the leg joints. By them lifting it like that (a 40 gallon) it likely got torqued on opposite sides and started pulling apart. Their company will hear from me about this. I fully believe I'd wake up tomorrow to a dead parrot and hrp with 40 gallons of water on the floor.

I'm looking at two metal stands for 40 gallon. Kong's stand looks good and has no gaps or compromised areas but I may be able to use it as a storage table once the fishroom is completed.

 

[FINWIN]

Shots of the cut drywall. Everything dried out days ago. On Oct 14 the outside trench/foundation repair work will be done. Sealant will be put down before new drywall goes up. Replacement floorboards will be pvc.

Obviously I won't be able to paint the new stand. Considering the alternative I'm good with that.

When I removed Tango and Mica I didn't use a net. Generally I catch my fish by hand unless its a large group. This builds trust. I can pick up Tango and he just lays quiety, doesn't even flap.The fish don't see my hand as an invader or predator. This approach takes time though. I've found cichlids react more aggressively if your hand is bunched in a fist. They react differently to an open hand. A trick I do that works is pretend my hand is a creature rooting around in the substrate like a fish would. My blood parrot Boss is the most chill...I can work around him and he isn't bothered at all. He'll even circle my hand and keep eating! At times I have to nudge him out of the way. I will admit bp Kong is wired different...she's gotten better at being tolerant but still doesn't like my hand in her tank.

 

[FINWIN]

Took this pic of Mica,Tango's tankmate. This beauty is a daughter of Slade/Speck and a granddaugher of Pip/Mongo. She has her mother's finnage/trailers and her father's coloration. She also has her mother's fiery temperament. Mica was pretty mellow when she was younger but not now. At times she tries to chase and dominate Tango, flaring and swimming in angry circles. She even forces her way into Tango's house. It's pretty hilarious. The parrot gets annoyed at her antics and runs her around in retailiation. Mica had 50 or so fry donated a year ago. Her sister Harlequin is also a wild fireball. Harlequin is boss of the all female 40 breeder tank although the older females (aunts) Blaze and Xena are a handful and often retaliate. The older females are thick and heavily built.

Mica is a solid 3 1/2" inches.

 

[FINWIN]

Update.
Called the company yesterday evening with a complaint. They reached me early this morning and contacted the tech. He started talking about our agreement to not move the 225. Well DUH. The complaint was about the 40 gallon which was moved without my approval (he tried to say I did). He also kept trying to minimize it by saying it was a 'little tank.' So I broke down how much a 40 gallon weighs when full and why you don't move full tanks. I told them I would've drained it. Would only have taken ten minutes. I think he and his partner (a woman) dragged the tank/stand across the floor to move it.

The next complaint was the dude just using the bathroom without saying anything or asking. I had all the doors downstairs closed. I wouldn't have had a problem if he would've said something but you just don't go around opening doors in somebody's home to find the bathroom.

The service rep asked what they could do to resolve this. I told her $120 deduction off the Oct 14th ticket for the stand. They agreed to $100. I said fine.

Next Monday they will be working outside only. For the restoration I'll probably need to get more paint.

Forgot to mention hrps Sharkey and Neet have their second group of fry. The first batch all vanished in the growout. Probably only around 15.

The other donation fry are nearly large enough to go with the ones in the tub...I'll call Petco again!

 

[FINWIN]

Plan moving forward for the fish room

Oct 14 trench/ foundation crack repair on outside
New paint on the way for the fish room
New metal stands for 40 breeders on the way (two)
Kong's old stand will be sealed or painted and used for storage in the corner
metal corner storage basket stands are getting tossed
one plastic roller cart will be added
glass 40s will be donated
old curtain panels tossed due to moisture/stains/mildew

2 sea clear 40 breeder acrylic tanks on order soon. Tanks only, no lids or lights, clear back. I've got what I need here.
(Kong's tank MAY have a slow leak now although it appears to be capillary action of the wood fibers in the stand)

full restoration of fish room (NO SCHEDULE) replace dry wall, wall seal, paint, pvc baseboards, pvc replacement of wood in window frame

status quo on tanks until restoration
post restoration transfer new stands/tanks over
move big wood stand for boxy tank into office for positioning/painting at a later date
new curtain panel replacements for fishroom

kind of juggling a lot of stuff right now. Cabinet /faucet installation in the kitchenette on indefinite hold. Outdoor fence panel installation to keep out deer is underway and likely will be installed in 4-6 weeks.

bizzy bizzy bizzy

 

[phreeflow]

Mica is a solid 3 1/2" inches.

View attachment 1550175

That’s one of the most colorful HRP’s I’ve ever seen. Actually I’ve never seen another like it. Are you just randomly letting them breed or will you start selecting for color?

 

[FINWIN]

That’s one of the most colorful HRP’s I’ve ever seen. Actually I’ve never seen another like it. Are you just randomly letting them breed or will you start selecting for color?

Pretty much all of the sexes are in separate tanks except for the growout. Mica was born in the 125 during one of the population explosions. The two dominant male breeders Mongo and Slade never had fry at the same time so it was easy for me to keep track. She's a fun companion for the blood parrot Tango. Her mother, Speck is a tank companion for blood parrot Kong. And across the fish room Speck's mother, Pip, is in the 225! So, three generations in one room.

Speaking of Pip she's getting really stout in her middle age! THICC

Other news: the babies out of Blackbeard/Tigger are nearly size enough to join their kin in the tub for donation. The minimum size for transport safety is 1 1/2 inches. Smaller than that I've gotten losses since fry need more oxygen than adults. I've also learned not to mix sizes in the same container for donation because of this. The smallest fish stress quickly and roll over quick even with aeration in the bucket.

I fully believe Brutus has a giant gene...his two breeding daughters in the growout are big, especially Tigger. Tigger is totally massing up as is her sister Sharky. Nearest comparison I can think of is Dragonball, Kale's monster form.

Neet and Sharky currently have about 12 fry in the second batch growing nicely.

Color wise Slades' offspring and descendants have the best coloration and variations. His genetics work without any interference by me. At some point I will be doing a picture guide of the family tree.

 

[phreeflow]

Pretty much all of the sexes are in separate tanks except for the growout. Mica was born in the 125 during one of the population explosions. The two dominant male breeders Mongo and Slade never had fry at the same time so it was easy for me to keep track. She's a fun companion for the blood parrot Tango. Her mother, Speck is a tank companion for blood parrot Kong. And across the fish room Speck's mother, Pip, is in the 225! So, three generations in one room.

Speaking of Pip she's getting really stout in her middle age! THICC

Other news: the babies out of Blackbeard/Tigger are nearly size enough to join their kin in the tub for donation. The minimum size for transport safety is 1 1/2 inches. Smaller than that I've gotten losses since fry need more oxygen than adults. I've also learned not to mix sizes in the same container for donation because of this. The smallest fish stress quickly and roll over quick even with aeration in the bucket.

I fully believe Brutus has a giant gene...his two breeding daughters in the growout are big, especially Tigger. Tigger is totally massing up as is her sister Sharky. Nearest comparison I can think of is Dragonball, Kale's monster form.

Neet and Sharky currently have about 12 fry in the second batch growing nicely.

Color wise Slades' offspring and descendants have the best coloration and variations. His genetics work without any interference by me. At some point I will be doing a picture guide of the family tree.

Mica’s definitely a keeper. Hope she doesn’t end up in the Petco bucket. Interesting how many phenotypes you’re getting

 

[FINWIN]

Mica’s definitely a keeper. Hope she doesn’t end up in the Petco bucket. Interesting how many phenotypes you’re getting

She's a keeper. Probably the one rival with Harlequin in terms of looks. Pinky has a nice pattern too but no orange.

Also, Brutus is still growing. INSANE.