A Couple Of Random Questions

[Akasha72]

Hi,

My Dad found a piece of wood when out walking last week and it's really nice. It's completely dried out and dead, no signs of pest infestations or anything. I'd quite like to add it to my tank with some java moss or fern fastened to it. Question is can I do that and if so are there any tips for making it stay down and not float?

As it says in my sig I currently have 14 platy fry. They are 63 days old. I'm keeping a close eye on them as they are in the main tank now. I noticed this morning that the largest of them is showing signs of a pointed anal fin - meaning he's gonna be a boy I think. Does anyone know how soon I'll need to move him? He's just behaving normally at the moment, there's no sign of aggression from my adult male platy and the baby isn't showing any interest in the adult females. There's no similar signs from any of the other babies just yet and I would want to take all the males to the lfs in one go but I'm concerned that if the pointed anal fin is turning into a gonopodium he'd be able to mate with his mother and his sisters.

Can anyone help please

Thanks
Akasha

 

[coldcazzie]

Yes you can add the wood, if you scrub all the bark off it and can identify it as a hard wood rather than a soft wood.

Dunno about the platies though.

 

[Akasha72]

thanks Cazzie, my Dad will know what kind of wood it is - I'm just a girl and it's just a nice shaped piece of wood to me lol.


Anyone else know about the platy problem?

 

[fluttermoth]

I'd move the platy as soon as you think it's a male, which is now probably!

 

[Akasha72]

he? could go in my 26 litre with my male guppies until the rest decide their sex I suppose. I'll have to have another good look in the daylight tomorrow. So does it mean that effectively he? could attempt to mate? As I said the adult (unrelated) male isn't bothered - if they were scrapping I'd have moved the baby already. I'm worried about inter breeding and the possible health problems that could cause

 

[fluttermoth]

Inbreeding is not such a great problem in fish as it is in mammals, as far as I know, but if you think he's a male and you want to separate him, then it's better done sooner rather than later.

He'll start mating as soon as he is able, which will probably be sooner than you realise (that's usually the way with animals *sighs).

 

[soybean]

If you think it's a male, take it out. It's not like the male guppies can breed with it even if it's female.

I'd be careful or you're going to end up overrun really quickly. Identify which, if any, platys you'd like to keep and off the rest to the LFS.

 

[Akasha72]

That's the plan soybean, any males will be off to the lfs, I'll keep as many females as I can but if there's too many then they'll be off to the lfs too.

I'm slowly building a good relationship with my lfs and I think I'd be able to ask for something in exchange for the babies.

My only concern about putting it alone in with the male guppies would be their murderous ways ...

 

[soybean]

Problem with keeping the females is females = babies. You'll end up in the same position - a tank full of babies. Does my head in, myself!

 

[Akasha72]

I've just been to both of my lfs' and both say I should be okay for another month. Apparently the average age that livebearers can start to breed is around 4 months old. Mine are only 2 months now

I've had another check this morning and there's now another that's starting to get a slightly pointed anal fin. I've decided to leave them in the main tank until my maintenance on Sunday - if the worst happens in that time I'll have to hope any fry will just be eaten. There's just one remaining guppy in the spare tank, so if I get a couple of platy babies looking like boys then by putting two in (and adding as things develop obviously) they might survive against the murderous guppy


Just to add ... one of the lfs' had some baby peppered cories ... one jumped in a bag and came home with me

And the other lfs are getting some oto's in on Thursday ... a couple of them might jump into a bag and come home with me too - I miss them and suddenly now they've all gone I've got algae on the glass - enough to feed an army

 

[ultimatebob]

as far as the wood goes, if it's not to large, you can boil it if you got a big enough pot. this will rid the wood of impurities and soften it, making it easier to waterlog and sink.

 

[Tizer]

as far as the wood goes, if it's not to large, you can boil it if you got a big enough pot. this will rid the wood of impurities and soften it, making it easier to waterlog and sink.

and leech tannins for the next 6 months

 

[Akasha72]

it's been in the reseviour (that's where my Dad found it) so I think it's already leeched most of it's tannins into the drinking water system lol

I'll still soak it in boiling water though, I wouldn't dream of slamming it in the tank as it is! Plus I've just been sent some java moss so I'm gonna make it look even better

 

[soybean]

Ah you got the moss! Hope it survived a week in an envelope in my car before being posted in the middle of the snow!

 

[soybean]

Edit: oh yes, there's your pm telling me you got it. I'm sharp today.